Chapter 26 Jiuyi City - Misty Forest (10) Shi Xianxue, don't cry...

The demon cursed inwardly. Like a snake shedding its skin, it threw the physical form at Wu Xiutang's feet. Its true form appeared silently behind the two like a phantom. No longer underestimating its opponent, it opened its arms to summon all the demons in the Misty Forest.

Shi Xianxue saw the snakeskin tree above, overlooking the deep forest, swaying, the earth trembling, and the branches and leaves rustling. Countless demons were gathering in their direction from afar. Her scalp tingled, and she ran to Wu Xiutang's side, hiding behind him and trembling.

Countless small black demons burrowed into the miasma demon's body, causing him to swell until he was as tall as a small mountain, emitting a sinister, grotesque laugh: "No matter what you are, once you enter this miasma forest, you will become my meal. You cannot escape, prepare to die!"

Shi Xianxue saw a giant viper emerge from the ground, screamed in alarm, and suddenly hugged Wu Xiutang from behind.

Wu Xiutang was nearly knocked down by her; the miasma demon's magical attack grazed past his ear, shaving off a strand of his black hair.

He steadied himself, closed his eyes briefly, and resisted the urge to strangle Shi Xianxue. His sharp gaze transformed into a cold, piercing blade as he fiercely stabbed the miasma demon.

The miasma demon, having missed its attack, charged towards Wu Xiutang with its heavy yet agile body, seemingly intent on devouring him whole, skin and all. "Become my face! I love pretty boys like you the most!!"

Wu Xiutang did not dodge, but simply raised his hand.

The miasma demon came to an abrupt halt. The firelight illuminated its face, which had been transformed into a giant shape. After seeing what was in the boy's palm, it fell to its knees with a thud.

The loud noise made Shi Xianxue hug even tighter.

The demon was no longer the arrogant creature it had been. It knelt down readily and, looking at the white flame in the boy's hand, forced a smile that was both fearful and ingratiating.

He would be better off not smiling. The trees and leaves of the Misty Forest blocked out the sun, preventing any sunlight from getting in. The forest was shrouded in black mist and filled with miasma. He also looked very different from human aesthetics, so when he smiled, his features would dart around on his face, and leaves would fall off like dandruff, making him both disgusting and creepy.

Wu Xiutang clicked his tongue, then immediately obediently stopped smiling, staring at the white flame burning in the boy's palm with a mixture of fawning and apprehension. "If I'm not mistaken, this is the Fire of Departure?"

That mountain-protecting fire that could burn a great demon to the level of a lesser demon, and then burn the lesser demon to the point of lying flat on its back.

Demons, it seems, can see everything after living long enough. This Mountain-Protecting Fire is a celestial fire, a seed of fire from the hands of the Demon Lord Zhu Ze at the beginning of creation, imbued with Zhu Ze's demonic blood. Therefore, it cannot be extinguished by mortal rain, only—

The miasma demon looked at Wu Xiutang. He couldn't sense Zhu Ze's power, nor did he believe that Zhu Ze's demonic bones would choose such an ordinary human. Whether the Mountain-Protecting Fire was real or fake was still unknown.

Its eyes darted around, and the miasma demon bared its teeth and charged forward.

Trying it resulted in death; the miasma demon had half its demonic soul burned away.

He was breathing heavily when he noticed a spotted snake silently appearing behind Shi Xianxue. He sent a wisp of demonic energy towards it, and the spotted snake, which had originally intended to take a detour, suddenly stiffened and bared its fangs to bite Shi Xianxue.

However, the moment it touched the hem of Shi Xianxue's skirt, its expression turned adorable again, and it unconsciously wrapped itself around her leg several times. Shi Xianxue felt a chill on her calves, but without looking, she jumped up and performed a set of military boxing.

She stomped on the spotted snake several times, and as Wu Xiutang looked over, it crawled away, its head flattened.

When they turned around, the miasma demon had long since vanished, leaving only withered branches and leaves and a few wooden human heads that had been shaved off during the fight.

After calming down, Shi Xianxue realized that the miasma demon was gone. She turned the tables and said, "Xiao Wu, how could you let him get away? How are we going to find Sister Qing Shu and the others now?"

Wu Xiutang remained expressionless.

Knowing she was in the wrong, Shi Xianxue chuckled awkwardly and sincerely apologized, "I'm sorry, but you saw that huge snake just now. If I hadn't dodged, it would have bitten me."

Wu Xiutang had no intention of paying attention to her at all. He untied the knot of the Wuliang cloth bag, took out several wooden boxes from it, and threw them into the air. The wooden boxes began to move and change like Rubik's Cubes. When they landed, they turned into small wooden figures with long and thin limbs. Shi Xianxue felt that they looked familiar.

Hmm, these little figures look like the mechanical boxes used by the people in the Nine Heavens Immortal Mansion, but they don't seem as sophisticated as those used by the people in the Nine Heavens Immortal Mansion.

She had witnessed the mechanical arts of the Nine Heavens Immortal Palace.

The rectangular bodies of those gadgets are engraved with cloud patterns from the Nine Heavens Immortal Palace. Their limbs are made of Xuanjin Iron, which has extremely high toughness and hardness. They can move on command and can be used to track and kill.

Wu Xiutang looks a bit dull.

The silver butterfly pierced the fingertip, and a drop of blood was completely absorbed by the silver butterfly and dissolved into the back of the wooden figure, as if it had been given life, and its limbs began to tremble.

Oh, blood-infused spirit.

Remembering the Heavenly Thunder Talisman in Black Mountain Cave and the Mysterious Crane Sword in Blood Moon Secret Realm, Shi Xianxue suddenly realized that this kid was using his intelligence and photographic memory to steal her skills.

But he really is a genius. He can figure out the secret with just a glance. If he had this talent for learning, Tsinghua and Peking University would be a dream come true!

The little man disappeared into the mist and chased after it in all directions. Shi Xianxue jealously peeked into the Wuliang Bag.

Wu Xiutang pushed her head away: "What are you looking at?"

"I think Doraemon must be dead inside." Otherwise, how could he have so many gadgets? "Did they go to track down the miasma demon or go find Sister Qing Shu?"

Wu Xiutang slowly and methodically tied the rope of the Wuliang cloth bag, his slender fingers flying through the black knots, his expression indifferent, indicating that he did not want to have any further communication with her.

Shi Xianxue recalled that ordinary face and wanted to ask about the illusion again.

She opened her mouth: "This illusion is so strange, and that monster is so strange too. Why did he put me into your illusion? Oh, and your master..."

Wu Xiutang paused, his fingers, which were tied in knots, in a daze.

"Shut up!" His face darkened, and he glared at her fiercely. "Whatever you saw, you'd better keep it to yourself, otherwise—"

"Just kill me then." Shi Xianxue was startled by his expression.

She had never received a kind look from him. She pursed her lips unhappily. The foul-smelling miasma made her dizzy. The shocks she had suffered were one after another, giving her no chance to catch her breath. This made her legs begin to weaken. Ahead, the fog was dark and the clouds were deep, and dangers lurked everywhere. She lowered her head, fiddled with the broken branches and leaves at her feet, and whispered, "That's why you can't win Sister Qing Shu's favor."

The almost murmured remark made Wu Xiutang narrow his eyes: "What did you say?"

Shi Xianxue raised her head, sniffed, and walked forward: "It's nothing."

She hadn't taken two steps when she slipped and nearly fell into the mud pit created during the fight. Luckily, she grabbed onto something and used its strength to avoid falling in. She patted her chest, still shaken, and turned her head to find herself staring at the withered snake carcass entwined on a tree branch.

It seemed to have been dead for a long time; its body was completely dried out and hung on a tree branch, so much so that it snapped when Shi Xianxue pulled on it. She screamed and jumped to the left, where a ball-shaped lizard the size of a child hissed at her, its tongue lolling out. Leaning to the right, a black vampire bat was perched on a tree trunk, waiting to trap her. Several withered skeletons stared at her through empty holes…

Shi Xianxue's vision went black again and again.

Wu Xiutang watched her jump around, and finally, as if her soul had been stolen, she froze in place. He glanced at the dirty thing peeking out from the tree, and the vampire bat immediately shrank back.

"Even something this weak could scare her like this?" Wu Xiutang turned her head, her tone mocking and her face full of disdain: "Are you stupid or what?"

She carried his scent; nothing would dare approach her unknowingly unless it was being controlled. Looking at her terrified, dazed expression, Wu Xiutang was utterly speechless: "Hey! I—"

Before she could finish speaking, Shi Xianxue suddenly covered her face and squatted down.

Wu Xiutang: "..."

The spirit wandered over his robes: "Master, it seems she's crying."

Wu Xiutang: "?"

The old witch said calmly, "Master, girls are very timid. She must be frightened. Why don't you comfort her?"

His face suddenly darkened.

Coax her? If she really dares to cry, he'll just throw her into the pit and bury her with that flat snake to save trouble. She's so useless, not only does she drag people down all day long, but she's also always crying and annoying people.

He had been kind enough to her.

Just as he was about to utter a few threatening words, a faint, almost imperceptible sob drifted into the mist on the wind.

Wu Xiutang's expression froze.

Did she really cry?

He found it unbelievable.

She really dares to cry.

In the illusion, someone forced her to eat centipedes, and he understood the source of her fear. However, compared to the poisonous creatures in the Ten Thousand Gu Pool, they were nothing. He didn't think these things could become a person's psychological trauma.

He doesn't have any psychological trauma, so why is she making such a fuss about it?

Wu Xiutang had very poor empathy. He only knew that as long as she stayed obediently by his side, she would naturally not see those dirty things. Besides, he was right there. What was she afraid of being wronged about?

So he suppressed his excessive curiosity and urged in a cold tone, "Get up, we're leaving."

Shi Xianxue's intimidating and domineering behavior, like herding a mule, became the final straw that broke the camel's back.

She covered her face and burst into tears, wailing like a rooster crowing.

"You're being mean to me! I didn't mean to pry into your past, nor did I mean to let the miasma demon escape. Why are you being so mean to me? Everyone has things they're afraid of. Do you think you're all-powerful? Even if you are, that's your problem. I'm just a useless person who has to search for invincible versions of 4399 games. What kind of resilience do you expect me to have?!"

Her body trembled as she cried, her small body curled up in a ball, her cries sharp, miserable, and heartbreaking, as if she were trying to release all the fear she had experienced in the illusion through her sobs.

Wu Xiutang was clearly encountering this situation for the first time. He was startled and took several steps back, then turned around and ran away quickly, violently crushing several spider demons who dared to approach him.

Accompanied by the ghostly wailing behind him, the Misty Forest became even more terrifying. Evil creatures lurked all around, waiting for Wu Xiutang to leave so they could devour this fresh and delicious body.

The twin flowers within the body sensed that the mother Gu was in danger, and gradually tightened their vines, causing a dull ache in the heart.

He paused, then began to take a deep breath.

I really want to strangle her.

He can't kill her, and now he can't even talk to her. She cries like a porcelain doll after being scolded a couple of times. Does he expect him to treat her like a precious statue?

The power of the twin flowers should not be underestimated. The few steps he took forward felt like they weighed a ton, and his heart felt as if it were bound by several hard copper wires. As he tried to abandon her and let her fend for herself, the wires were unraveled and wrapped around his flesh and blood, as if they wanted to perish together with him.

He stopped, his chest and abdomen heaving slightly with anger.

The pain vanished the instant he turned around. Resigned, Wu Xiutang summoned the street lamp flower. The street lamp flower was smaller and more delicate than the ever-burning lamp. It was alive, with the green leaves on its four corners trembling as it breathed. The lamp post straightened from its bend, and the bright yellow light gradually dispelled the miasma and fog around Shi Xianxue.

"Shi Xianxue." The young man's voice was as cold as ice as he placed the street lamp flower, dripping with dew, beside her.

Shi Xianxue covered her face and turned away to cry, leaving him with a stubborn back view.

"Shi Xianxue." This time, the boy's voice was less cold and a little softer.

Shi Xianxue changed direction again. Every time he called out, she would move two steps while crying. After three or four rounds, Wu Xiutang's patience ran out, and he coldly shouted, "Turn back."

The air became warm and fresh. Shi Xianxue's headache and blurred vision subsided, and she regained some clarity. She shamelessly changed from loud crying to sobbing, and her body cleverly twisted back to its original position, peeking at him through her fingers.

This woman responds better to force than gentleness.

Wu Xiutang tapped the head of the gold-spitting boy with his finger. By the light of the street lamp, Shi Xianxue saw the toad puff out its cheeks, croak, and spit out a piece of gold the size of a jade pendant.

Tears still clung to her cheeks as she eagerly reached out to catch the falling gold nugget. She weighed it in her hand; it was quite heavy, taking up just the size of her entire palm, and the surface of the gold was still warm.

She exclaimed in surprise and looked up at him with her moist almond-shaped eyes.

Pearl-like tears clung to her eyelashes, half-falling, half-falling. Under the bright yellow light, her skin appeared even more radiant and fair. She squatted obediently, her eyes revealing a longing for money.

This means you still want it.

Wu Xiutang was displeased with this unspoken understanding, but he really didn't want to listen to her wailing. He swallowed his sarcastic words and, in a fit of anger, flicked the head of the girl who vomited gold.

"Gugua!" the boy cried out in pain.

Shi Xianxue caught it with stars in her eyes, and looked up expectantly like a puppy. Wu Xiutang had already put the Golden Boy into his Boundless Bag. When he looked up and saw her expression, he was stunned. He was about to warn her not to be too greedy, but when he met her bright, watery eyes, he inexplicably fell silent.

After a long pause, an expression that was almost sinister and cold-hearted reappeared on his handsome face. Wu Xiutang raised his straight, thick, dark eyebrows and smiled radiantly: "Want more?"

If a minor villain shows this kind of expression, she should cleverly change the subject.

So she put the two pieces of gold into her storage ring and said, "I don't need them anymore."

Hearing her say that, Wu Xiutang felt a little regretful. He clicked his tongue and said in a strange tone, "Why don't you want it anymore?"

He then tore open the Boundless Bag and handed over the little golden toad.

The little golden toad was enjoying afternoon tea with its colleagues when it became very angry when it was repeatedly pulled out upside down by its hind legs.

It was already quite temperamental, and now its cheeks were bulging out.

"Quack quack quack!"

Wu Xiutang generously said, "Come on, knock."

Shi Xianxue wasn't stupid. She liked gold, but she didn't like this ugly toad. She glanced at it with disdain and kept her distance: "No."

He must have ill intentions; that leper is hideous.

Little Golden Toad: "Croak, croak, croak!" You damn woman! You called me out to work overtime and then complained about me!

"What a pity. Before this thing is turned into gold, its belly is full of egg follicles. If you hit it too many times, it will get furious and explode. At that time, its intestines will be ruptured and those things will take the opportunity to parasitize your skin and hair until they eat away at your brain and heart."

Seeing the terrified look in Shi Xianxue's eyes, he smiled even more innocently: "Then, you can spit out gold by yourself."

Shi Xianxue was disgusted by that scene, so she leaned against the tree trunk and vomited twice, looking at him accusingly with her watery eyes.

"If you cry again, give me back my gold."

Shi Xianxue stood up, clutching her storage ring with a sorrowful expression: "Why do you always bully me? Besides, once something is given away to coax someone, how can you ask for it back? You have no manners at all."

"It's bullying—" Suddenly realizing what was happening, Wu Xiutang's eyelids burned as she hurriedly defended herself, her face flushed red, "Daydreaming! Who's trying to fool you!"

Shi Xianxue: "He says one thing but means another."

Wu Xiutang: "...Think what you want."

"If you think it's up to me, then I'll think you're just trying to coax me. Even though you used me as bait to give to the Lantern Woman, you still came to save me in the end. We no longer have the love potion between us, so you could have just let me fend for myself here in the miasma demon, but you didn't."

Life can be tough, but a little self-stimulation can be beneficial for your physical and mental health.

Her eyes crinkled with laughter, her emotions practically spilling out on her face. When she was happy, her face lit up with a wide grin, her exaggerated yet vivid expressions instantly bringing joy to anyone who saw her. Wu Xiutang slowly raised his eyebrows, his thick eyelashes appearing unusually dark. He said "Oh," and took out the Heartless Grass: "I had forgotten about that. Thanks for reminding me."

After saying that, he grabbed Shi Xianxue's cheek and shoved it into his mouth without regard for her wishes. Shi Xianxue, confused, put it in her mouth and subconsciously tried to push it out with her tongue. Wu Xiutang covered her face and threatened, "Dare to spit it out and see?"

Shi Xianxue had no choice but to put it back in her mouth and smack her lips. It was quite sweet and not bad.

Seeing that she had swallowed it completely, Wu Xiutang released her.

Shi Xianxue spat out two leaves. "What are these?"

"Heartbreak Grass." Wu Xiutang's lips curled up. "It's specially designed to cure the love curse on the two of us."