Chapter 55: The Little Peach Arson and Raiding Squad + Request to Buy Peaches...

"The exit of this tree hole leads to the fruit granary. I've dug a hidden hole inside leading to the seedbed. Find it yourselves; consider it a test. I, Rat Jinbao, am not some worthless nobody..."

"...Shrimp soldiers and crab generals?" it hurriedly changed its words under the unfriendly looks of the two.

No one paid any attention.

In an attempt to salvage its already meager dignity, it coughed twice and said in a pretentious manner, "I won't make things difficult for you. Just give each of you a seedling and a blood fruit."

This is such a meticulous squirrel that even now it refuses to call itself a thief.

How could such a shameless monster, who euphemistically calls theft and selling "business," not be corrupt now that he's been given an official position?

Xianyue immediately asked with suspicion, "Only this much?"

Shu Jinbao glared at her, "Why are you interrupting me when I'm speaking! These things are about quality, not quantity, what do you know?"

It's already stolen once; what if it gets wanted for stealing again?

Xianyue gritted her teeth, but before she could retaliate, she heard a sound of clenching fists and knuckles beside her. Sikong Zhaixing threatened with a half-smile, "Are you itching for a beating?"

The squirrel spirit flinched and hurriedly poked its head out to explain, "I... I might have drunk too much. I mean, those fruits are too precious, it wouldn't be good if I stole too many and got caught."

Sikong Zhaixing raised an eyebrow, signaling it to explain how precious it was.

“These blood fruits can prolong life. Every day, the soldier ants deliver a batch of fruits to the queen ant in the ant nest. If this nourishment is cut off, the queen ant and the eggs she lays will die! I spent a lot of effort to dig the hole into the fruit granary, so please don’t harm me.”

So-called longevity methods are nothing more than using sinister and evil means to absorb the life force of others.

Upon seeing them, the little demon from the underground blurted out "rich and fertile," making it quite clear where this vitality came from.

Those so-called gatekeeper demons are responsible for guarding the boundary gate, guiding mortals on the verge of death to the underground. Only by cultivating seedlings with the life force of flesh and blood, and using the brain marrow of living people as sap, can a single fruit be produced.

Therefore, this blood fruit is indeed precious.

This sinister method of extending lifespan has harmed countless lives.

......

In the dark and cold tunnel, a sticky, sweet-smelling smell wafted in from the entrance.

The two of them struggled to sneak out of the cave, and the opening behind them slowly shrank and solidified into a stone wall.

There were no windows in the granary, only a tightly closed stone door.

The room was dimly lit, and the wooden shelves filled with them resembled countless menacing black shadows, while the fruits on them shone with a bright red light.

Each one is plump and full, and you can see the blood flowing through the thin skin.

A dull thud suddenly sounded, like the beating of a heart.

A chilling shiver silently enveloped the two of them, their clasped hands tightening instantly, their knuckles aching from the pressure, yet they remained oblivious.

Sikong Zhaixing lowered his eyes and said, "Just burn them all. Don't you want to live a long life? Then make sure they don't live even a day longer."

As he spoke, he pulled out a piece of pork belly from his sleeve.

Xianyue was taken aback, and thought inappropriately, "Just how much has Sikong Zhaixing been hiding?"

If it weren't for the fact that she herself had placed restrictions on the magical artifacts, she would have suspected that there was a Qiankun bag connected to her sleeve.

Fortunately, he actually hid it correctly this time.

"Leave it to me, you go find the cave." Xianyue snatched the white, smooth flower-shaped meat and pulled out a tinderbox from her chest.

Finding dog holes is such a low-level task; let's leave it to those who are experts in it.

Before long, thick smoke billowed out, and crimson flames licked the wooden frame, coiling and darting about like fiery snakes.

A wave of heat swept over them, and Xianyue tossed down the last piece of succulent meat, clapping her hands leisurely.

Arson is a piece of cake; it's easy to catch them red-handed.

"Don't be so smug. All I did was let you set a fire. Run!" Sikong Zhaixing shouted as he turned to the side. The legendary hidden entrance was just behind one of the wooden frames. Finding such a secret passage was a piece of cake for him.

Black smoke was already seeping out through the crack in the door. Xianyue didn't have time to argue with him anymore. She crouched down and scrambled over to climb inside with him.

The two had already planned their route before setting the fire.

First they burned the granary, then, taking advantage of the chaos, they burned the seedbed. To exterminate this ant colony that thrives on drinking human blood and eating human flesh—that's what real ransacking is all about!

In the world of martial arts, speed is the only way to break through defenses.

The essence of this method is that you must be quick. Otherwise, you will die very quickly.

......

Behind the clay statue of the queen ant in Miaocang, the heads of Sikong Zhaixing and Xianyue are stacked together like candied hawthorns.

Before them lay a fertile, open field, littered with withered corpses.

The human seedling bursts forth from the heart and flesh; the stronger the seedling, the drier and thinner the human corpse beneath it becomes.

Upon witnessing this scene, both of them fully understood what true abundance meant.

Just as they expected.

A series of heavy, muffled footsteps sounded; it was the patrolling soldier ants.

Sikong Zhaixing dragged Xianyue back into the cave, raising his hand as if to reach for his chest.

With her eyes wide open, Xianyue intercepted the wicked hand and said fiercely in a low voice, "Sikong Zhaixing, where are you reaching for your hand?"

He paused, withdrew his hand, and hesitated before asking, "Then you do it?"

Xianyue glared at him, "Of course it's my turn!"

She had barely raised her hand when she snapped angrily, "What do you mean, 'I'll do it'? You're doing this on purpose, aren't you!"

"Your Honor, I didn't say anything!" Sikong Zhaixing was wronged; this time, he truly had no ill intentions.

"Then what do you want to do?"

Sikong Zhaixing deftly pulled the sapling from the edge of his clothes and tossed it into Xianyue's arms with a flick of his wrist.

He blinked and said, "I'm giving you a life-saving treasure."

Xianyue picked up the sapling wrapped in the corner of her clothes, and asked suspiciously, "What does this mean?"

"If there's any danger later, just let go, find a place to lie down, and tuck this baby into your chest. Wouldn't you call that a lifesaver?"

"It's just playing dead..." Xianyue muttered, thinking there was some better way.

She looked up and down at Sikong Zhaixing. "And what about you?"

Sikong Zhaixing said leisurely, "I have one too."

Xianyue bent down and excitedly rummaged through his sleeve, "Where is it? Where did you steal it?"

He smiled slyly, his eyes narrowing, and said casually, "Right before me, don't I have you, this little peach tree?"

Her slightly calloused hand pinched his face without hesitation, and she said angrily, "You're the shorty, I think you're more like a monkey."

Sikong Zhaixing was speechless. Why did everyone say that about him?

Never mind, the monkey is clever and can defeat the peach, so he won.

For some reason, he chuckled and said, "Let me pinch it too."

Delicate, fair hands simultaneously pinched the other cheek, causing two rosy hues to rise to her face, like peaches flushed by a well in the height of summer.

Sikong Zhaixing stared intently at the reflection in her eyes, secretly wondering if sweet peach juice would splatter out if she took a bite.

What does a peach taste like again...?

Meeting his strange gaze, Xianyue slapped his hand away in annoyance, narrowed her eyes, and said, "What are you thinking about?"

Sikong Zhaixing looked away. What else could he be thinking about? He wanted to eat peaches.

Of course, if he said that, his blood would be splattered everywhere.

With Wei Sheng Xian Yue's illogical thinking, he would definitely misunderstand; he didn't mean it that way.

How could he possibly mean that?

Absolutely not.

Is it illegal to want to eat peaches? It's just a simple craving.

So he pricked up his ears and said, "Stop fooling around, the soldier ants seem to have left, let's go out and take a look."

The two climbed out along the passageway, and sure enough, there were no more traces of soldier ants outside, but black smoke was already rising into the sky from the southeast.

With the granary destroyed, the soldier ants will likely be unable to attend to the seedling granary for the time being.

Fearing that the soldier ants might circle back and launch a counterattack, the two picked up tinderboxes and began skillfully setting fires.

Tiny sparks crept onto the blood-stained hemp clothing, gradually creeping up the seedlings from the hem. Those tiny sparks landed on its tender leaves, and in an instant, they ignited like a wildfire.

Countless wronged souls, trapped and wandering in this place, screamed and struggled to break free of their cages. The wind raged, and the surrounding towering trees were blown backward.

"This is......"

"It is the countless innocent souls who were persecuted and died tragically. It turns out that a single seedling requires countless lives to nurture."

The resentment grew stronger and stronger, condensing from the thick fog into a torrential downpour of pitch black, which eventually transformed into twisted, withered, and inhuman ghostly figures, fiercely heading south against the bleak wind and rain.

Where is the ant nest? This is the answer.

Blood blossoms bloomed in the chilling black rain; this time, even they no longer needed to flee.

Any sinister and vicious trick will eventually backfire. The perpetrators finally get their comeuppance and should feel relieved, but they can't laugh at all. Instead, their hearts feel heavy, as if they have been dragged into dark water, with their ears, nose and mouth stuffed up and feeling suffocated.

Whether in the cultivation world or the martial arts world, there have always been many instances of harming others for personal gain.

The most innocent victims are those who were caught up in the incident and died tragically.

......

Guided by the spirits of the wronged, the two soon found the ant nest.

When they stepped in, countless soldier ants were nothing but empty shells.

They didn't even see the queen ant's true face. Countless wronged souls and resentful spirits wrapped around the enormous creature, forming a cocoon. The only sound in the air was the eerie tearing sound.

"The entrance is here."

The two finally showed a hint of joy; after wandering around for so long, they had finally found the entrance to the next level.

Find another door, and you can get out.

Stepping through the water gate, with a splash, the cold sewage had already soaked the soles of my shoes, and a chill ran from my feet straight up to my heart.

It was a dark, damp, and chilly cave, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

A cold wind blew in, and both of them instinctively shivered.

Sikong Zhaixing subconsciously gripped Xianyue's hand, his brows furrowing deeply. A sudden tremor ran through him, as if a pair of eyes in the darkness were already watching them.

"Run!" He suddenly grabbed Xianyue and turned to run towards the water gate.

It's too late!

The water gate gradually disappeared from view, and behind it, a giant spider, as large as a cauldron, was staring intently at its prey.

Xianyue couldn't help but turn around shakily to steal a glance, and immediately met the pair of huge and sharp claws, and looking up, she saw greedy eyes flashing red light.

"Still looking!" Sikong Zhaixing yanked her hard.

The spider lizard arched its body slightly, and its eight thick, barbed legs moved swiftly.

As the gleaming claws opened and closed, white spider silk surged forth in a deluge.

The footsteps thundered, and their hearts pounded as if they were about to burst from their chests. Their breathing was heavy and rapid, and their clothes were soaked with sweat in an instant.

The spider venom was hot on their heels, moving incredibly fast. If it weren't for the complex terrain and numerous bends in the cave, they would have been the monster's meal long ago.

The cave walls were covered with fallen rocks, and when Xianyue tripped over a rock at her feet, she fell heavily to the ground.

Before she could even cry out in pain, Sikong Zhaixing turned around and helped her up, "Holding the Moon!"

Just then, the spider claw nimbly crawled up the spider silk and appeared behind them.

It suddenly raised its sharp pincers and pounced on the two of them with lightning speed.

Death and terror gripped my mind in an instant.

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Author's Note: I'll be able to enjoy writing the romance plot soon!!