Chapter Seventy-Five: Killing the Demon 15

"Do you know where Ados is?" Luther remained unmoved and continued, "Waiting for him for two days is the best decision. If he dies, are you going to keep waiting indefinitely?"

"Whether he lives or dies, the supplies must not be lacking."

"Can you find your way back?" Luther asked. "You can," Luther replied. "I can wait for you for two days."

The two parted on bad terms.

By noon the next day, Ados and two guards arrived at the temporary camp on horseback.

The captain of the guard breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing that Lucen looked tired and was badly injured, Ados almost got into a fight with Luther.

When they heard that they had considered crossing the chasm, Ados was displeased. He still held the same view: "That road is too narrow. Horses can't cross it, and it's difficult for people to carry supplies across. If they slip, they'll die without a burial place. Although crossing the river is a detour, it's safer. Besides, if there are no horses, Inlai will have to walk. Do you want him to die on the road?"

Luther remained silent, tacitly agreeing to the suggestion.

After resting, the group continued eastward. When the sun was at its strongest, they came to the riverbank. The current was swift, and the captain of the guard asked, "How deep is it?"

"I don't know, but you'll definitely drown." Ados said, took out a rope from his bag, tied it to a big tree, tied the other end to his waist, took off his clothes and stuffed them into his bag, and jumped into the river. He disappeared from sight in a moment. A few minutes later, Ados came ashore on the other side, the rope tied to the tree, and waved for everyone to come over.

With the rope as a handhold, everyone escaped unharmed.

Even the horses successfully crossed the river.

The guards carried Lisa, and Luther carried Lucen as they swam across. Although it was strenuous, they successfully reached their destination.

From then on, even Ados was unsure which way to go next; he only knew that heading east was definitely the right path.

As they ventured deeper into the jungle, they encountered all sorts of strange and unusual animals. One guard accidentally touched a flower of a plant and died from poisoning. The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and they became even more cautious. They dared not sleep on the ground at night and instead spent the night in the trees.

Three horses were used: one for Lisa, one for Lucen, and another to carry some supplies. Each person carried a little of the rest, which was barely enough. They traveled for six days through the dense, unfamiliar forest, encountering danger twice and losing three guards.

On the afternoon of the seventh day, they finally saw a village in the distance.

The village had seven or eight houses, all of which were dilapidated.

Everyone's spirits lifted, and they quickened their pace.

The dirt road was overgrown with weeds, which spread into the room. The room was covered with cobwebs, and the roof was dotted with holes. Sunlight refracted through these holes and shone into the room, causing dust to rise and fall in the halo of light. When Lu Cen walked through the halo of light, the dust flew up violently. Apart from an old bed board and a chair, there was nothing else in the room. Lu Cen went around to the next room, which was a kitchen, and the bottom of the pot was broken.

He overheard Ados and the captain of the guard discussing staying here for a few more days. Each of them had wounds of varying degrees and had been under stress for several days, so they needed to relax. Upon hearing this news, Lu Cen was too lazy to move and chose this place as a temporary resting spot.

Luther went to the river outside to fetch water. When he came back, he first pulled up the grass, then scattered the spider webs, quickly wiped the bed board, and laid out the animal skin and coat. It looked somewhat presentable. The whole process took less than half an hour, as there was really nothing else to tidy up.

A guard came out laughing, carrying a pot. "Hahaha, we can stew meat for dinner tonight! Who wants to go hunting with me?"

These days, everyone is eating nothing but barbecue. They don't even dare to eat fruit, fearing poisoning, because they're already tired of it.

“I’ll go with you.”

Lu Cen suddenly felt that the village was somewhat familiar, so he walked to an open space.

The setting sun dyed half the sky red, and a snow-capped mountain rose high in the east. The orange-red light shone on the mountain's peak, making it magnificent and beautiful. It overlapped with the description in Alvin's autobiography. This was also the village described in that book. But a thousand years had passed. This village should have been buried in the ground long ago. How could it still be there?

Most of these houses are made of mud, and it would be difficult to preserve them for even a hundred years, let alone a thousand years.

"What are you thinking about?" Ados came over and patted him on the shoulder.

Lu Cen voiced his question, and after a moment of contemplation, Ados said, "Perhaps the people of this village did not all die out, and their bloodline has continued to live on. It is also possible that they have settled here for many years. Or perhaps other humans yearn for a life apart from the world and live in seclusion here."

"Want to take a shower?" Luther asked, bringing over his clothes. "While the sun is still out."

The closer you get to the depths of the forest, the clearer the water becomes.

The pebbles below shimmered with various colors, and several dark blue-green fish swam leisurely among them.

Lu Cen said, "How about we have fish soup tonight?"

He got playful and begged Luther to go back and find some tools to catch fish.

Luther brought back an iron basin, which was quite heavy, and handed it to Lu Cen, saying, "Be careful."

Lu Cen took off his clothes and immersed himself in the water. Perhaps because the snow had melted, the water was colder and more frigid. He took a while to adjust before grabbing the iron basin to catch fish. Lu De leaned against the downstream side and quietly watched Lu Cen. The young master had suffered a lot these past few days. His legs and hands had become rougher, his thighs were red from being rubbed by the horse, and the blisters on the soles of his feet would heal and then grow back, only to break open again.

I slept against the rough tree trunk at night, and the skin on my waist got sore.

At first, I cried secretly because of the pain, but later I managed to endure it.

His tenacious vitality fascinated him.

The boy's back was bare, his collarbones changing shape with his movements, his spine slightly protruding and extending downwards, his lower body submerged in water, sparking the imagination.

The water was crystal clear, shimmering and sparkling. Lu Cen's legs were dazzlingly white in the water, unable to hide the beauty, all of which fell into Lu De's eyes. As he looked, he suddenly thought of what the two of them had done in the woods before.

A surge of heat rushed into his mind.

This beautiful scene was shattered by the arrival of one person, Ados, who walked straight toward Lucen, and the portrait was stained black with ink.

Luther stared gloomily at Ados, who reached out and put his arm around Lucen. Because the water was slippery, he hooked his arm around Luther's neck. Lucen was tired, so he handed him the iron basin. "Ados, I want to eat fish tonight."

The fish below were darting around in all directions because of Lu Cen's disturbance. Ados glanced at them and figured it wouldn't be difficult to catch them, so he agreed, "Okay, I'll catch them for you."

Lu Cen leaned against the riverbank, washed himself clean, and went ashore.

He found a clean rock to sit on while waiting for his hair to dry, occasionally giving instructions to Ados.

"That one by my feet is so fat. Let's net it, let's net it."

"You're so stupid! You let it get away."

"Left side, left side!"

"Yes, yes, that's the one."

Wow, so fat.

They played until sunset, and the group caught three fish. They gutted and cleaned them and took them back. The wild game was already stewing in the pot.

Since there was no other pot, Ados simply stewed the fish and game together.

A bowl of hot soup washes away all fatigue.

After eating and drinking their fill, everyone returned to their temporary lodgings. Lu Cen was so sleepy that she couldn't keep her eyes open, so she fell asleep in her coat.

Lu Cen had a dream that night. He dreamt that he went out in the dark in the middle of the night, walked through the dense grass, and headed towards the river.

Standing on the shore, he took off his clothes and immersed himself in the water.

The water was so cold that he shivered all over and his lips turned white. Lu Cen thought in a daze, "Didn't I already take a shower during the day? Why do I have to take another one?"

Was it not washed properly that time?

The shadows of the trees swayed, and ripples spread across the water.

The surrounding forest was desolate and deep. Lu Cen was like a stunning beauty who should not be entered into a strange and terrifying scene. All the animals and plants had their attention on him, and they all had ill intentions. Suddenly, the underwater ripples rose like boiling water, and a tall figure emerged from the water, splashing Lu Cen with water. His strong muscles bulged slightly, and his masculine aura spread. Lu Cen blushed for no reason.

The person asked, "Is it clean?"

Lu Cen was stunned. "Huh?"

He touched Lu Cen's face again, repeating, "Is it clean?"

"not yet."

"Let me help you wash."

Lu Cen was unable to resist and his wrist was grabbed, allowing him to rub off the non-existent dirt on his body.

After a while, the man laughed and said, "It's clean now."

Lu Cen breathed a sigh of relief; if he kept rubbing, his skin would peel off.

The man sighed softly, "Once it's clean, it's ready to eat."

In an instant, the man transformed into a cannibalistic monster. Tentacles wrapped around Lu Cen's waist and pulled him in front of him. The thin, long mouth opened, and a red tongue emerged to lick him. Lu Cen was startled and screamed at the sight, jolting awake from his dream. His chest heaved violently, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

Lu Cen was dazed for two seconds before realizing that she was lying inside the coat, and it was bright and sunny outside.

He breathed a sigh of relief and sat up halfway; the dream was too bizarre.

Lu Cen wiped his sweat, got dressed, and went out. Apart from the two seriously wounded guards, no one else was in the village. They said the guards had gone to get food so they wouldn't have to worry about food for the next few days, and that they could leave faster. Even Chen Ning wasn't there.

There was still food in the pot, and charcoal was burning underneath.

After finishing his meal, Lu Cen tossed the dishes out of the village like a big shot.

He happened to run into the returning captain of the guards and his men. He didn't say a word to Lu Cen, his face full of disdain, and he snorted as he walked past Lu Cen.

Lu Cen was baffled, not knowing what he was humming.

Turning his head, he bumped into a hard chest. Lu Cen clutched his head and screamed. Ados supported him, "How are you?"

Why are you standing so close?

Ados ruffled his hair. "It's my fault. Look what I hunted."

A vine bound an animal with horns on its head, its four hooves covered in mud, its eyes wet, its fur pale yellow, and it was crying pitifully.

"What's wrong with you?" Ados said, slightly pulling open the back of his collar. Two finger marks were visible on the fair skin next to his spine, red and blue, with an indescribable ambiguity. Ados's expression darkened, and he pressed his fingers against the marks.

Lu Cen looked bewildered. "What?"

Ados suppressed his temper, "There are marks here where someone pinched me."