Chapter Sixty
If it were just Xiaoman alone, given his thick skin, as long as he wasn't surrounded by a swarm of tree flies, he could probably make it out unscathed by simply burying his head and rushing down the mountain.
There were three mortals in the tree hollow.
One was the client who had hired him, a middle-aged man who was not very strong. Another was the client's servant, and the other was Xiaoman, a fellow worker who had also been hired. They were thinking of taking a shortcut to Chaoyun County and returning quickly, but they didn't expect to encounter trouble as soon as they went up the mountain.
Ordinary people have no ability to protect themselves. If Xiaoman leaves them for even a little while, the red-eyed tree flies will detect their presence and, in no time, turn them into three skeletons.
This left Xiaoman with no idea how to get them safely down the mountain.
While pondering in her mind, Xiaoman cautiously observed her surroundings, feeling extremely anxious.
When he awoke from the illusion, he randomly chose a direction, ran a few steps, and stuffed several mortals into the huge tree hole.
They were very close to the location of the tree fly itself.
Having fought his way to the capital with Sai Xue, Xiao Man's mind became much sharper. Thinking about everything he had encountered in Gejiabao, and seeing such a similar scene, he was certain that there must be terrifying and evil monsters here as well.
It could even be Mrs. Ge herself, who has disappeared without a trace.
The idea sent chills down his spine.
Therefore, Xiaoman held her breath and concentrated, trying her best to conceal her aura, for fear of being discovered by the owner of this place.
Even the sound of a single leaf falling to the ground could alert Xiaoman.
The mountain was filled with all sorts of ordinary sounds. Just as Xiaoman's tense nerves were about to relax for a while, he suddenly heard the rustling sound of fallen leaves being crushed underfoot.
Someone is coming.
Xiaoman took a deep breath, not daring to make a sound. He sealed the entrance to the tree hole tightly, not allowing any trace of human breath to escape.
"What brings you here?" A monster emerged from the swarm of tree flies and looked up at the tree.
"I just happened to be passing by, so I came to see you and tell you some news." A boy's cheerful voice echoed through the woods.
Xiaoman felt a chill run down her spine as she listened to their conversation.
It really was them. After leaving Gejiabao, Xiaoman had them talking in every nightmare: the boy's soft laughter and the male demon's deep voice.
He would also dream of what they looked like.
In the dream, Madam Ge, just like when Xiaoman first met her, carried a basket on her arm and walked unsteadily through the mist towards Xiaoman.
The powerful male demon beside her, with his narrow eyes, was constantly scrutinizing Xiaoman with a probing gaze.
Xiaoman will be trapped in their sight all night long, until dawn.
Hearing their voices again now, Xiaoman is having trouble distinguishing between nightmares and reality.
Or, in reality, the nightmare has already begun.
"What news?" Nightmare, with his small, narrow eyes, asked in a deep voice.
The young man finally leaped down from the tree, looking at Nightmare with a grin and said, "You, you, even the last pasture you were guarding has been discovered."
Nightmare's face twitched, and after a moment, he sighed, "This was bound to happen sooner or later. Does the Temple of Strange People already know?"
“Tree flies eat everything, that’s a bit too much, so the mortals can only report it.” The boy shrugged, then added as if remembering something, “When I found out, the Celestial Master had already set off, so he should be arriving soon.”
Nightmare was silent for a while, then a glint of light flashed in his small eyes as he tentatively asked, "Our lord forbids us from fighting the Celestial Master. If we encounter him, we are only allowed to retreat. But he hasn't come to us for a long time. Without him, the tree flies are becoming increasingly difficult to control, and I have no choice."
Nightmare complained for a while, then changed the subject, saying, "What do you think would happen if I killed the Celestial Master who came? Would the Lord really punish me?"
"I don't know, but why don't we give it a try?" the boy said enthusiastically. "Anyway, you've already done it once, so there's no harm in doing it again. The lord has always liked you, so it doesn't matter."
"What you're saying about Ji Ren is truly a last resort, and besides, it was something we both did together."
Nightmare stared at the boy without moving for a moment, emphasizing each word.
“Okay, you’re right.” The boy replied nonchalantly, “How is General Ji? I feel sad thinking about how badly he was injured and how his cultivation has fallen so low. I should have fought him back then.”
"The tree spirit he raised is the most powerful," Nightshade laughed.
The boy exclaimed, clasped his hands together, and said devoutly, "General Ji Ren was useful in life and will be honored in death."
Nightmare scoffed, then said with a serious expression, "We haven't seen our master since June. One thing after another has happened at the ranch. It's really difficult. Haven't you tried to go and pay your respects to him?"
The young man put away his frivolous attitude and said somberly, "I've been there several times, but they're always in seclusion and I can't see anyone."
Nightmare sighed with worry upon hearing this.
These two mysterious figures talked at length without any apparent context. After a moment of silence, the young man came to his senses, laughed again, and said, "Then I'll be going now. I'll have to trouble you to take good care of the Celestial Master who came this time."
Nightshade nodded, then the boy exclaimed in surprise, turned to look at Xiaoman's position, and clicked his tongue in amazement, "Nightshade, Nightshade, such a big bug was hiding right under your nose, and you didn't even notice it."
Nightmare turned to look at Xiaoman's tree hole and said impatiently, "Let's go quickly."
"Then I'll be going now, big bug. See you in the next life." The boy waved and turned to disappear into the mountains.
Xiaoman, inside the tree hollow, was covered in cold sweat and his heart was pounding like a drum. He heard Nightmare's footsteps approaching him step by step, and in an instant, countless memories rushed into his mind.
From his mother's warm embrace to the scent of grass in the mountains during his childhood, and then to the sunrises and sunsets he witnessed on the dock while sweating profusely.
Finally, the image of a small, ordinary girl appeared in his mind.
Her hair was dry and yellow, her face was ordinary, and she was as thin as a chick. She had lost one of her front teeth in winter because she slipped on the road, so she liked to smile at Xiaoman with her lips pursed.
"Little sister, watch me, I won't back down anymore," Xiaoman murmured, tears welling in her eyes.
Nightmare walked toward the tree hole in a daze, his mind preoccupied with how to entertain the soon-to-arrive Celestial Masters, and he didn't care about Xiaoman at all.
Xiaoman emerged from the tree hole, stood still, and looked into Nightmare's eyes with her fists clenched.
Nightmare was taken aback, looked Xiaoman up and down, and asked in confusion, "I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."
“You don’t need to remember. Anyway, one of us will die today,” Xiaoman said calmly, tears streaming down her face.
Nightmare chuckled, turning his attention slightly to Xiaoman, and nodded, saying, "Indeed, an insect that is about to die has no value in its memories."
Before he could finish speaking, Xiaoman suddenly clenched his fists, looked up at the sky and roared. His muscles bulged, his clothes were torn inch by inch, and a soaring demonic aura burst forth from his body, causing even the strands of his hair to stand on end.
Seeing this, Nightmare sneered, "Not much skill, but lots of tricks."
Having said that, Nightmare lightly tapped the ground with his right foot and swiftly attacked Xiaoman.
Xiaoman let out a thunderous roar and caught the punch that Nightmare was throwing.
Blood instantly gushed from his palm. The tree flies that had been circling around him smelled the blood and turned to face Xiaoman.
Xiaoman felt a chill run down her spine as she thought of the three mortals in the tree hollow.
In a flash, he grabbed Nightmare's fist and flung it outwards with all his might.
A tremendous force struck, sending even Nightmare flying uncontrollably into the distance. He regained control of his body in mid-air, watching Xiaoman roar like a bull, charging towards him with swarms of tree flies. He narrowed his already small eyes and said impatiently, "That's enough."
The commotion caused by Xiaoman attracted the attention of his friends who were desperately searching for him in the mountains.
Three monsters and three celestial masters suddenly raised their heads and rushed from different locations on Tiger Roar Mountain toward where Xiaoman was.
Baozhu had never run so fast in her life. She used all her skills to traverse the jungle, but no matter how fast she ran, Xiaoman's voice weakened after only a few seconds.
Baozhu was numb for a moment. She heard Sai Xue, panting and crying, say from not far behind, "Xiaoman, why are you so quiet? Could he be..."
Before Sai Xue could finish speaking, she tripped over a tree stump and rolled a long way away. The abacus, which was running wildly behind her, caught her by the scruff of her neck, held her in its mouth, and sped off with the pearl.
The three of them were concerned about Xiaoman (the 8th solar term), so they ran as fast as they could and arrived much faster than the three Heavenly Masters.
Baozhu walked through a patch of grass and came into view a large swarm of tree flies—and a tall, strong male demon covered in tree flies, swaying precariously.
Xiaoman's face was covered in blood, attracting countless tree flies that scrambled to devour him. He waved his hand in vain, trying to drive the flies away, but to no avail.
The moment Baozhu finally noticed him, Xiaoman was like a puppet that had suddenly lost its grip. In front of Baozhu, he slowly stopped moving and slowly collapsed to the ground.
Baozhu's mind went blank. Instinctively, she used her magic. A gale swept up mud and rocks, swirling up all the tree flies on Xiaoman's body. They collided in the whirlwind and turned into a cloud of blood mist.
She dared not look at Xiaoman on the ground, her heart pounding like a drum, panting heavily. She turned back to look at Nightmare, who was standing to the side, watching the tree flies feed with great interest.
"Who gave you permission to look at my precious friend like that?" Baozhu saw Nightmare's expression and her mind went blank. She said incredulously.
With bloodshot eyes, she transformed into human form, her fingertips turning into sharp claws. With a light touch of her toes, she attacked Nightmare.
In the blink of an eye, the pearl and the nightmare clashed more than ten times, the clanging of metal echoing through the mountains and forests, with sparks flying from time to time.
The pearl moved with incredible speed, leaving afterimages in the air as it surrounded Nightmare from all sides.
While she was fighting Nightmare, Suanpan appeared beside Xiaoman, carrying Saixue in its mouth. Suanpan put Saixue down, looked at the bloodied and mangled Xiaoman in front of it, and tremblingly transformed into human form. It struggled to tear its clothes to stop Xiaoman's bleeding.
Xiaoman's body was covered in cuts, and even when he covered one spot, blood was still gushing out.
"What should we do? What should we do?" Suanpan hadn't faced such a scene in many years, and he asked incoherently, not even knowing who he was asking.
Sai Xue, standing to the side, seemed stunned, staring blankly at Xiao Man, muttering something to herself.
"Don't be afraid, there's definitely a way. The Celestial Masters will be here soon, and they'll surely have a solution." As if comforting Sai Xue, and also as if comforting himself, Suanpan emphasized, his forehead covered in sweat.
The figures of the Celestial Masters finally appeared at the summons of the abacus. Li Zhi glanced at everyone and joined the battle between the pearl and the Nightmare without saying a word. Pei Xuanji followed to watch from the side, while Zhang He quickly walked to Xiaoman's side, squatted down, took out some medicine, and frowned as he applied it to Xiaoman.
The medicine used by the Celestial Masters was naturally very effective. Xiaoman gradually stopped bleeding, but she was still unconscious.
Zhang He frowned, glanced at Sai Xue, and then exchanged a look with Suanpan, who was constantly wiping his sweat.
Suanpan was sweating profusely. He looked at Saixue cautiously, desperately trying to organize his thoughts.
In a small open space, a demon and two exorcists were engaged in a heated argument over there, while an exorcist and two demons remained silent over here.
Sai Xue glanced at the expressions on the faces of the two people in front of her and said hesitantly, "Xiao Man, something bad has happened, hasn't it?"
The abacus trembled, and he hesitated, saying, "Perhaps..."
"Perhaps, I can save him." Sai Xue murmured as if she had made up her mind. She gently leaned down and got closer to Xiao Man.
Sai Xue opened her mouth, and to the astonishment of the two people beside her, the essence of the cat demon in her body continuously surged towards Xiao Man.
A moment later, Sai Xue's face turned deathly pale. She staggered and turned her head away, intending to take a few steps, but almost fell to the ground.
Suanpan quickly reached out and hugged her, gently patting her increasingly thin back.
The little calf on the ground twitched slightly under their gaze.
Suanpan breathed a sigh of relief and said to Saixue, "Alright, alright, Xiaoman is back to life."
Sai Xue felt extremely sleepy, hummed in Suanpan's arms, and then fell into a deep sleep.
Zhang He had some doubts, but he didn't say anything. He just silently took out gauze and bandaged Xiaoman's wounds as well as possible.
After a while, seeing that Xiaoman's breathing had become more stable, he hesitated and said to the abacus, "I have never heard of a monster sharing its essence before."
Seeing that Sai Xue had fallen asleep, Suanpan whispered to Zhang He, "I only heard about this a long time ago from our rats and our elders. It's said that the constitutions of monsters are all different. A very small number of my kind have what's called a pure primordial constitution, whose essence and energy are superior to other monsters..."
He stopped abruptly, then said awkwardly, "Master, it's best if you keep this to yourself. Please don't tell anyone else."
Zhang He understood perfectly well that he had better keep what Suanpan had said to himself, otherwise this already turbulent world would probably be thrown into turmoil again.
"Don't worry, I will never tell a third person what you said," Zhang He said solemnly.
They said that Nightshade on Baozhu's side was fighting three against one and was still holding his own, but he saw Pei Xuanji folding paper cranes one after another and calling for help, and he thought to himself that he was in trouble.
Nightmare recognized the three opponents before him and realized that their strength had increased dramatically compared to before. Their offense and defense were extremely well-organized. Even if they could not defeat him together, he could not kill any one of them immediately.
Nightmare felt a surge of resentment. As fellow beings, why did demons have to rely on years of accumulated experience and extremely difficult and challenging paths to advance in their cultivation, while mortals, with their comprehension and talent, could acquire the power that demons took centuries to obtain in just one or two decades?
This must be why the Lord asked them not to fight with the Celestial Master, Nightshade sighed inwardly. He knew that this time, he would have to give up the ranch he had worked so hard to guard. Reluctantly, a thought that he had never had before arose in his mind.
With them constantly retreating, is his lord alright?
Nightmare paused for a moment, then abruptly broke away from the battle, disappearing into the forest before Pearl and the others could react.
Baozhu swayed, trying to chase after him, but Li Zhi stopped her with lightning speed. She fell into his arms. Her body was covered with wounds of varying depths. Li Zhi saw this and felt extremely distressed, even though he himself was not much better off.
“This demon is extremely powerful. You are no match for him if you face him alone.” Li Zhi frowned, his face very solemn. “Last time, when the three of us encountered him outside the Immortal Crossing Mansion, he fought for a while before immediately retreating.”
Pei Xuanji continued, "It seems they deliberately avoided fighting the Celestial Master."
Li Zhi nodded, then asked suspiciously, "If he's a demon, why wouldn't he want to harm the Celestial Master?"
Baozhu didn't understand either, but she was worried about her friend and asked Li Zhi to help her go see Xiaoman.
For the sake of convenience, Suanpan had already recklessly transformed into human form. Upon seeing the two Celestial Masters approaching, he embraced Saixue and awkwardly bowed, saying, "If we meet in the city, please do me a favor, Celestial Masters."
Li Zhi and Pei Xuanji naturally agreed. Baozhu saw that Xiaoman was breathing normally, but Saixue was not moving in Suanpan's arms. She exclaimed, "What's wrong with Saixue?"
The abacus beckoned to her, and the two demons whispered to each other behind the backs of the Taoist priests.
After listening, Baozhu said with mixed feelings, "I see."
"I wonder what will happen to Sai Xue," Suanpan sighed.
"She'll get better," Baozhu said firmly, patting Saixue's head.
Her tone was so certain that it startled Suanpan.
Seeing that they had all gathered together, Zhang He went to check on the tree flies in the woods by himself.
Further into this open space, the more you walk, the denser the tree flies become, buzzing and flying around aimlessly.
Zhang He broke out in a cold sweat and stuck several more talismans on his body.
After walking a while further in, many large trees and the exposed corpses under their roots came into Zhang He's view. His pupils contracted, and under the largest tree in the very center, he spotted a familiar face.
Ji Ren, mouth agape in bewilderment, had a venomous curse etched into his dissected abdomen. The roots of a large tree coiled around his body, constantly drawing power from this once-powerful man.
Zhang He stood amidst towering trees that stretched as far as the eye could see, surrounded by a chilling aura of resentment and the stench of blood. A cold shiver ran down his spine, making him forget to breathe.
His voice was followed by Pei Xuanji's voice, who disagreed, saying, "You shouldn't have come alone."
After a long while, Zhang He finally found his voice and said with difficulty, "With so many tree flies, their true forms must have already become demons. Where are the tree demons?"
Pei Xuanji uneasily averted her gaze from Ji Ren, which she had involuntarily been looking at, and searched among the trees.
After a long pause, she said softly, "There."
Pei Xuanji pointed to the air.
Zhang He looked up and saw a huge tree cage hanging in mid-air.
Countless magic arrays were carved on the outside of the tree cage, and inside, like livestock, many tree demons that had already taken human form were imprisoned in layers upon layers.
They seem motionless, speechless, and devoid of consciousness; all that remains in them is the instinct for hunger, which drives them to control tree flies, searching the mountains and fields for anything edible.
Zhang He asked blankly, "Who is raising them? What does he want to do?"
Pei Xuanji was unable to answer, and Baozhu and Li Zhi, who had followed, also stopped in their tracks.
They all looked up at the tree spirit in the cage, their hearts filled with endless doubts. It seemed as if a conspiracy had been pieced together from beginning to end, and the answer was right in front of them, yet they could not see the riddle itself.
While they were still in a daze, several paper cranes appeared in front of Pei Xuanji, having overcome many obstacles. She took the paper cranes and came to her senses, saying, "My aunt said she wants to come over in person."
After saying that, Pei Xuanji looked at Baozhu with a slightly apologetic expression.
Baozhu understood Pei Xuanji's intention and waved her hand dismissively, saying, "It's alright. We are monsters, and it's hard to explain why we're here. My friends and I will leave first."
Baozhu pulled the silent Li Zhi aside, and out of the sight of the Celestial Masters, she pulled him down and kissed him hard on the lips.
"Be careful, I'll take Xiaoman back first."
Li Zhi's expression finally softened a bit. He nodded, gently touched Baozhu's cheek, and whispered, "You all need to be careful too."
"I understand, I'll be careful," Baozhu assured her.
As Baozhu spoke, she said goodbye to Li Zhi and returned to her friends. She looked down at Xiaoman, who was unable to move, and frowned, saying, "How can we get him out of here?"
Just as Suanpan was about to speak, he suddenly heard someone whisper from a nearby tree hollow: "Gentlemen, I have a rickshaw that seems to have been lost nearby."
A middle-aged man emerged from the tree hole, followed by several trembling mortals who explained their identities to the monsters.
"Brother Xiaoman saved us. If we can find my car, we might be able to get him out safely," the middle-aged man said fearfully.
"In that case, let's split up and search." The celestial masters seemed to have done something inside, and the swarms of tree flies gradually disappeared. After observing for a while, Baozhu spoke to the three mortals.
They naturally agreed.
Just as the group was about to split up to find a vehicle, Suanpan, who was standing guard over Xiaoman and Saixue, suddenly said, "By the way, how much did you pay Xiaoman to transport the goods?"
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man blushed and said in a voice barely above a whisper, "Four hundred coins for a round trip."
Suanpan slapped his thigh and said, "I knew it! I'm telling you, my brother may be stupid, but I'm not. When he comes back, you'll not only have to triple his wages, but also pay for his medical treatment and lost wages. And that's not all. There's also a nutrition fee and a thank-you fee. I'll settle the accounts when we get back to the city and give them to you. Do you agree?"
The middle-aged man nodded sheepishly and said, "Even if they want to take all my assets, I can't refuse."
Baozhu listened to Suanpan arguing with the middle-aged man behind her, a slight smile playing on her lips, before she went into the woods to look for the rickshaw they had lost.
Because of their previous fight, the place was in a mess, with broken trees and fallen rocks everywhere. Baozhu struggled to navigate through it all, but then, without warning, her left foot slipped and she fell into a crevice.
The gap seemed to have a suction force; the pearl had just used up all its strength and could not break free no matter what it did, so it could only keep falling.
After an unknown amount of time, she finally stopped falling and stepped onto something soft.
Using the faint light overhead, Baozhu squinted and looked down.
She stepped onto a striped, orange-yellow, moving creature. Just as Baozhu was about to take a closer look, she suddenly realized something and scrambled to the corner.
This is a sleeping tiger.
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