Chapter 17 The Great Battle (First Update)

"Are you crazy?" Ma Rong looked at Sang Rou in disbelief. "Just because of your suspicions, you want me to go against the Sheng family?"

"Sang Rou, after all these years as a human, how come you're still so untamed?"

"Husband," Sang Rou's voice was icy, "if you don't drink demon blood for a day, demonic markings will appear on your body." A cold smile curled at the corner of her lips, "I wonder if that will frighten that beautiful young lady of the Sheng family?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Rong's aura plummeted, and he stared intently at Sang Rou. Sang Rou met his gaze without fear, her face full of determination.

Ma Rong gave up, closed his eyes and clenched his fists, then softened his posture and sat down next to Sang Rou, putting his arm around her: "I've already sent Ah Da to catch the person."

"Since you know about the auction, you should know that the country woman may have consumed some top-quality ginseng, and she is the one who would be most beneficial to you."

Sang Rou gently traced Ma Rong's lips with her fingertips; those lips had once showered her with concern. She then traced his cheek; those long faces had once shown her infatuation.

When did things start to change?

"I only want Sheng Yunhua," Sang Rou whispered sweetly in Ma Rong's ear. "Husband, hurry up."

Ma Rong shoved her aside: "Sang Rou, if we go up against the Sheng family, we're asking for death!"

“No way,” Sang Rou chuckled softly. “I can kill the entire Sheng family. That way, they won’t be able to do anything to us.”

Ma Rong looked at Sang Rou with an expression as if she were crazy: "Do you think the Seventh Bureau is a pushover?"

"You've forgotten why you separated your original body in the first place!"

Sang Rou remained silent; of course, she hadn't forgotten.

That was the first time she had absorbed human blood and flesh, and it was also the first time in many years that she had felt the surging energy within her body. She couldn't resist and absorbed a few more people.

As a result, they got too excited and their demonic energy leaked out so much that it attracted the attention of the Seventh Bureau.

She originally didn't take those Taoist priests seriously, but that day she was unlucky and ran into the head of the Seventh Division, a freak who could control demons, and she was almost beaten to death.

Fortunately, after she attained enlightenment in Qinglin Bay, she tricked the people into building a mountain god temple for her. She possessed the statue and used that meager, deceived power of faith to evade the search.

But she was also seriously injured.

Logically, she should have stayed in the mountain god temple to recuperate at that time, but Ma Rong insisted on going north to attend an academic conference, so she could only use a secret method to split her body in two, leaving half of her body buried in the mountain god temple to recuperate.

But his foundation was damaged after all. Occasionally, when his demonic energy did not flow smoothly, demonic spots would appear on his face. It was from that time that Ma Rong changed.

The boy who sheltered her in his arms during the downpour, tilting the umbrella towards him, gradually became someone she no longer recognized.

"Alright, stop fooling around. Let's go to the west of town and find a girl to help you recover temporarily." Ma Rong straightened his cuffs. "I'll go find Sheng Yunhua and buy you some ginseng!"

Sang Rou sneered: "You just want to see Sheng Yunhua, don't you!"

"Sang Rou!" Ma Rong's impatience was almost overflowing. "You're a demon!"

"I've given you a human identity and the position of your wife. I've been guarding you, a demon, for so many years. What more could you possibly want?"

Seeing Sang Rou's tired expression, he also rubbed his forehead wearily: "Alright, let's stop arguing. I'll go with you to the west of the town first, okay?"

Sang Rou smiled bitterly. Should she be grateful? Should she be happy because of Ma Rong's company?

No, Ma Rong is going with her not because he's worried about her or wants to accommodate her, but because he wants to choose a girl who suits his taste.

Because after consuming the girl's flesh and blood, her appearance and physical characteristics will slowly turn into those of a girl, and it will take seven days to recover. This is also a sequela of being separated from her original body due to severe injuries.

And Ma Rong will be extremely gentle during these seven days.

She could no longer tell who this tenderness was meant for.

"Alright, if you really like Sheng Yunhua's flesh and blood, I'll figure something out, okay?"

“She’s not an ordinary person. Her sudden disappearance will definitely be investigated. We need to make a complete plan.”

Ma Rongchao reached out his hand to Sang Rou, his expression a mixture of helplessness and doting: "Stop making a fuss, okay? I'll go to Zhenxi with you."

Sang Rou looked at him for a long time before finally placing her hand on his.

For this man, he transformed from an innocent and naive little demon into a wicked demon tainted with human lives, long since losing his way back and his destination; he was all she had left.

Shi Yuan and Huan Ni, who were lying on the roof, overheard everything.

Huan Ni was beaming with excitement, and with a flick of her tail, she reinforced the illusion: "You were right not to go straight in and attack them!"

"This is much more exciting than watching Wu Xinghe cheat on her husband."

Shi Yuan was speechless: "Let's look at something positive."

"Do you think they might end up becoming enemies, then falling in love and killing each other, only to realize at the end of their lives that they still deeply love each other, and finally holding hands as they take their last breath?"

Shi Yuan's lips twitched: "That day will never come."

How can you be so sure?

“Because I won’t let them live to see that day,” Shi Yuan said earnestly. “Their love and hate shouldn’t be paved with human lives.”

After a moment of silence, Huan Ni suddenly asked, "Shi Yuan, what kind of person were you before?"

Huan Ni may not have much magic, but she always has sharp eyes. She has been in Qinglin Bay for so long, and Shi Yuan is such a special person, how could she not know about her situation?

If she hadn't been curious about Shi Yuan's changes, she wouldn't have dived to the shore, been stunned by the whirlpool Shi Yuan casually created, wanted to teach Shi Yuan a lesson, but ended up making a pact with him.

She never asked Shi Yuan who she was, where she was, or what kind of life she lived before she came here.

Just like Shi Yuan never asked her what had happened or why she, an ancient divine beast, was so weak.

But she couldn't help asking today.

"Why are you suddenly asking this?" Shi Yuan asked with a smile.

"I just want to know." Huan Ni grinned, her snake-like mouth wide. "I think you're very special."

Shi Yuan didn't speak, but gently touched Huan Ni's snake head.

It wasn't completely dark yet, so it was inappropriate for Shi Yuan to be so brazenly eavesdropping on the roof. He should at least have found an inconspicuous place to hide, like Ah Da who was nearby.

As luck would have it, Huan Ni suddenly had enough energy to weave an illusion, so she wove herself and Shi Yuan into the environment.

So A-Da watched helplessly as Shi-Yuan, who had climbed onto the roof, vanished into thin air. Coupled with Shi-Yuan's previous drawing of talismans in the void, for many, many years to come, A-Da firmly believed that Shi-Yuan was some kind of great demon in disguise, and that Huan-Ni was her pet.

Ah Da shrank into the corner, suddenly regretting his efforts to escape the underground boxing market. Although it was dangerous there, at least he only encountered people.

The courtyard gate opened, and Ma Rong came out holding Sang Rou's hand, but he let go of her hand after only a few steps. His reason was quite good: "People from small places are hard to deal with. Even though we are husband and wife, we should be careful about our image."

Sang Rou closed her eyes and swallowed the bitter taste that welled up in her mouth.

The two walked side by side toward the west of the town.

Just as Ah Da was about to follow, someone grabbed his shoulder, and he instinctively tried to attack the person to protect himself.

"It's me." Shi Yuan's voice rang out, and A-Da withdrew his attack. "Have you forgotten who Sang Rou is? You just follow her like that, trying to become her food?"

A-Da was stunned, never expecting that Shi Yuan would stop him for this reason.

"Follow me." After saying that, Shi Yuan followed Sang Rou and Ma Rong toward the west of the town.

Ah Da's eyes flashed, and Shi Yuan disappeared again: ...Excuse me, how should he follow him?

Forget it, just keep up!

Unlike the quiet and tidy east side of the town, the streets in the west side of the town are piled with many things: stacks of firewood that are not very neatly arranged, haphazardly stacked broken awnings, and enamel basins with several holes.

And then there are the pedestrians with blank expressions.

The only bright spot on the street at this moment was probably the smiles on the faces of a few young girls walking home together.

As they passed by Ma Rong and his wife, several of them turned around, their eyes filled with curiosity. How could Ma Rong and his wife, dressed so well, appear in the west of the town?

Ma Rong always presented himself as refined and proper in public. He was also quite handsome. He gave a gentle smile and called out to the girls, "Comrade, my wife and I are here to visit relatives and find someone."

"Do you know where Ma Rong's house is?" he asked, his eyes fixed on the prettiest girl.

The girl was a little shy. She and her companion exchanged a glance, shook their heads, and said softly, "I don't know."

"Could you please ask the elders in our family?"

“Of course.” The girl pursed her lips. “My home is over there. Come with me.”

"I don't understand this direction at all." The ethereal snake scratched its head. "Shouldn't you just take it if you like it? Why did you go to someone's house?"

"I don't know, let's see." Shi Yuan didn't understand either, but she kept walking and followed.

“Ma Rong?” The girl’s father frowned and thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, “Comrade, are you sure you’re not mistaken? There’s no such person around here.”

“No, this is the address on the letter.” Ma Rong handed over a yellowed letter. The address on the envelope was indeed in the west of the town, but that was the westernmost part, a place none of them wanted to go.

The girl's father looked at it and said, "This place was indeed inhabited a few years ago, but it collapsed after a major rainstorm a few years ago."

"Where are the people living in there?" Ma Rong asked hurriedly. "Do you know where they moved to?"

"I don't know about that. I heard it's a government disaster relief site, and the place was arranged in a unified manner."

"If you don't mind the trouble, go to the town's police station and ask."

“We’re not afraid of the trouble, but we’ve finally arranged a job for her, and if we’re late, she’ll lose her job.”

"Work?" The girl's father's ears perked up.

"Yes, Ma Rong's family helped us in the past, and now that we have some spare money, we want to give them a hand."

"To be honest, we put in a lot of effort into that job."

"Yes, yes, yes! These days, it's so hard to find a job." The girl's father agreed wholeheartedly. "Take our daughter, for example. We've been asking around for years, but we still haven't found one."

He gave a sincere smile and asked, "Where do you work?"

“She’s in Beicheng.” Ma Rong glanced at the girl timidly hiding behind the door, his eyes showing interest. “The work is very hard, and she can’t contact her family for the first three years.”

He took out an agreement and ten 100-yuan bills from his jacket pocket and handed them to the girl's father: "It's a legitimate factory. This 100-yuan bill is a subsidy. But if you can't endure the hardship and leave before three years are up, you'll have to pay double the compensation."

He casually added, "Too bad, if we can't find anyone tonight, our job will be ruined."

"Comrade, our Da Ni is very hardworking. Look, is this job possible? Is it possible?" The girl's father's eyes were glued to those ten ten-yuan bills.

“It’s not that it’s impossible, but is Da Ni willing?” Ma Rong glanced at Da Ni’s figure without making a sound, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. Although she couldn’t compare to Sheng Yunhua’s charm, she was young and fresh.

"Yes! Of course she's willing!" Da Ni's father didn't hesitate at all, turned around, pulled Da Ni out, and pushed her in front of Ma Rong. "She's willing."

“Dad?” Dani was willing to work, even if it was hard, but she was afraid to go with strangers, even though the two people in front of her looked like respectable people.

“If Da Ni is unwilling…” Ma Rong didn’t finish his sentence. He reached out to snatch the contract and the large sum of money from Da Ni’s father’s hand, but couldn’t get it.

"She's willing!" Da Ni's father glared at Da Ni, then smiled and signed the contract and took the money. Da Ni's mother wiped away her tears and packed a thin bundle for Da Ni, constantly reminding her, "Ni'er, don't forget your brother when you become successful."

“If the factory doesn’t want you to come back, then don’t come back. Send your wages back, and Mom will save them for you. When you get married, they’ll all be your dowry.”

Dani wanted to say that she was scared and didn't want to go with strangers, but it was clear that her parents wouldn't listen to her.

"Holy crap!" Huan Ni exclaimed in shock, "This is blatant human trafficking!"

"Shiyuan, do you think Da Ni's parents really believe she's going to work?"

Looking at the contented couple, Shi Yuan had a hint of sarcasm in her eyes: "Who knows?"

Ma Rong is indeed resourceful; she even came up with such a method. In this era of limited information, even if Da Ni doesn't come back in three years, where will her parents look for her?

Or perhaps, no one will even bother to look for her.

Da Ni followed Ma Rong and Sang Rou for a while and realized they were on the road out of town. She couldn't help but ask, "Weren't we supposed to catch the train overnight?"

"The train station is in the east of the town."

Ma Rong patiently replied, "We need to go to Qinglin Bay. There's a girl there waiting for us to go north together."

As darkness fell, Da Ni watched as the shadows cast on Ma Rong made him look like a monster with fangs. She unconsciously stopped in her tracks: "I... I'm not going."

"I'll have my parents return the money to you."

"Da Ni, your parents won't give the money back once they've taken it. Just come with us obediently, and we won't make things difficult for you."

Huan Ni muttered to herself, "Yes, you won't make things difficult for her, but you'll eat her up!"

Shi Yuan stopped and whispered to Ah Da, who had been following her silently, "Go report to the police." Ah Da nodded and quickly disappeared into the night.

Huan Ni asked in confusion, "Why did you call the police?"

"We can't let Zhu Xiangyun reveal herself and cry out for justice."

"The key is that you can't smear cow tears on the police officers' eyes, that would be promoting feudal superstition!" Before the cow tears could even be smeared on the police officers' eyes, they were subdued.

What? Shi Yuan and A Da are both skilled enough to counter the police and force the use of cow tears?

Do you know the consequences of assaulting a police officer?

"The key point is that there's no evidence to prove that Ma Rong was involved in human trafficking."

"Even the police can't beat the flower demon."

Shi Yuan looked towards the black market and sighed softly, "I originally wanted to make a scene while Sang Rou was arresting people." The black market wasn't far from here, and even if that Master Gu wasn't the one she suspected, he probably wouldn't allow any demons to run rampant on his territory.

She doesn't need Master Gu to deal with Sang Rou; that's her job.

She wanted to use Master Gu's connections to completely crush Ma Rong.

But Ma Rongyuan was far more cunning than she had imagined. Since the original plan was no longer feasible, the only option was to let the police witness Sang Rou persecuting Da Ni and then report it to that department.

Ma Rong's ability to bring Ah Da out of the underground boxing market shows that he has considerable influence. Who knows if there are other shady dealings or unknown schemes involved?

For Shi Yuan, killing Ma Rong was easy, but she couldn't do anything about the forces behind him.

"Will it work?" Huan Ni asked hesitantly. "Won't it scare the police officers?"

"Also, what if they see you showing yourself and fighting the flower fairies? Aren't we all trying to break down feudal superstitions?"

"They won't arrest you too, will they?"

Do you have any masks that can block detection?

Huan Ni subconsciously turned to the side: "No!"

"Hey, let me borrow it for a bit. Making too much noise might attract the attention of the big shots."

"Who? That womanizer?"

"He's just an ordinary person."

"Who in their family wears a peach blossom branch on their wrist?"

"Can't I have a hobby?"

"Not really," Shi Yuan said. "There's not much freedom in terms of clothing and appearance right now, and he doesn't seem like the type to show off." Shi Yuan patted Huan Ni's head. "Lend me a mask, quick!"

With a heavy heart, Huan Ni spat out a black fox mask with gold leaves inlaid on the edge from the bird's beak, and instructed, "Be careful when you use it, there's only one left in the sky and on the ground."

"I know, I know~" Shi Yuan took the mask and put it on. "It fits my face perfectly." Her voice was full of satisfaction.

"That's right, don't you even know whose collection it is!"

"Oh no, the illusion is about to collapse!" Huan Ni exclaimed.

"It's alright, we're almost at the mountain god temple, they won't have time for us." After saying that, Shi Yuan followed Ma Rong and the other two into the mountain god temple.

"Why are we here?" Dani asked, clutching her bundle with some fear. "Hasn't that woman arrived yet?"

Sang Rou coldly curled the corners of her lips. She subtly circulated her demonic power, and a delicate azalea bloomed between her brows: "Which female comrade do you want to see?"

“I’ll have them all come out to see you.” In the moonlight, Sang Rou’s voice was distorted, carrying a hint of etherealness and malice. “Later, you can pick your favorite one.”

"I'll bury you somewhere else."

Sang Rou turned around, and the moonlight shone on her face. Da Ni saw the strange pattern on her forehead and took a few steps back warily: "You, you don't come any closer!" Her voice trembled.

Sang Rou revealed a cat-and-mouse smile: "I won't come over, then you come over." After saying that, she pointed at Da Ni, and branches grew from her fingertips, rushing straight at Da Ni.

At the same time, the other hand pointed at the flower bed with a flower in hand. A rustling sound came from the flower bed, and soon, countless branches broke through the soil. Several skeletons were hanging on several thick main branches!

The police arrived at that moment and witnessed the resurgence of feudal superstition!

Some were dumbfounded, while others screamed in surprise. Fortunately, the illusion created by Huan Ni Woven stood in front of them, and Sang Rou and Ma Rong did not notice the large number of onlookers in the mountain god temple.

The police officers, being professionally trained, quickly regained their senses and keenly realized that something unseen was blocking the monster's five senses.

"Xiao Si, go back and ask for backup!" As soon as the captain finished speaking, someone in the team immediately left at high speed.

"Find cover and get your weapons ready!" After the captain finished speaking, the police officers slowly dispersed and found places to hide.

Shi Yuan secretly praised the captain's wisdom and hoped that the reinforcements would arrive on time.

Sang Rou grabbed Da Ni and brought her in front of her, scrutinizing her for a few moments before asking Ma Rong with a look of disdain, "What do you see in her?"

Since Sang Rou revealed her demonic nature, Ma Rong's impatient attitude had completely disappeared. He looked at Sang Rou gently and said, "I chose her because I thought you would like her."

"Really?" The azalea on Sang Rou's forehead bloomed even more alluringly. "I don't believe it unless you personally bleed her."

Ma Rong smiled indulgently: "As you wish." After saying that, he pulled out a dagger from his waist and was about to cut open Da Ni's wrist.

"Stop!" The captain pointed his gun at Ma Rong. "You are surrounded. Now, put down your weapons and release the hostages!"

"Where did this fool come from, daring to ruin my good time?" Sang Rou's voice was sweet and innocent, yet filled with anger and murderous intent.

As soon as the words were spoken, a branch shot straight towards the direction from which the sound came from.

Shi Yuan raised his hand and unleashed an explosive talisman, which caught up with the branch and exploded, startling Sang Rou who looked around and cried out, "Who's there? Come out!"

It was at this moment that Huanni said, "I can't hold on any longer, the illusion is about to break!"

The next moment, Shi Yuan, wearing a black fox mask and with a colorful bird perched on her shoulder, was exposed to everyone.

Without wasting a moment, Shi Yuan slightly raised her wrist, and several talismans instantly condensed in the air.

"break!"

The talismans swiftly attacked Sang Rou, one of them heading straight for Ma Rong's face!

Having just experienced the power of this talisman, Sang Rou blocked the attack and moved in front of Ma Rong to protect him. Da Ni seized the opportunity and bit Ma Rong's wrist in an attempt to save herself.

Ma Rong, in pain, instinctively threw Da Ni away. Seeing that Shi Yuan was handling the monster with ease, the captain crouched down and carefully entered the battlefield, dragging Da Ni away from the battlefield.

Seeing that Da Ni was safe, Shi Yuan acted without any restraint, throwing talismans at Sang Rou one after another.

Logically speaking, a powerful demon like Sang Rou shouldn't be overwhelmed by such an attack, but the problem is that she hasn't yet absorbed Da Ni's flesh and blood, and is currently depleted of her demonic power.

Shi Yuan seized the initiative and regarded Sang Rou as a mutated plant. Although he failed to create a talisman array, his combat skills were superb, and his talismans were continuous, giving him the upper hand for a time.

However, Sang Rou was no ordinary person. After realizing that she was no match for him, she immediately merged with the half of her original body and soon gained the strength to fight.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ah Da dragged the several sets of bones that had fallen to the ground away from the battlefield. This was a task that Shi Yuan had entrusted to him, and he had to complete it!

Seeing Sang Rou's stubborn resistance, and worried that Shi Yuan's superpowers had reached their limit and were now at a disadvantage, Huan Ni slightly opened her mouth, and one after another, explosive talismans flew out from her bird beak and headed straight for Sang Rou's acupoints.

The police officers, while questioning their own abilities, marveled at the intensity of the battle: "This master is truly a master! Even his pet is extraordinary, able to spew talismans! It's like they're firing machine guns! It's spectacular!"

Shi Yuan cooperated with Huan Ni, and Sang Rou was quickly defeated.

Finally, Shi Yuan drew a spirit-binding talisman and tied Sang Rou up.

At the same time, a peach blossom branch swiftly flew into the mountain god temple.