Xuan Yin flicked her brow with his finger: "Why can't you change back? Don't you know? When you helped other men, didn't you think about the consequences?"
Trying to fool him? This little girl hasn't learned her lesson enough.
Su Yuxi giggled, blinking her big, dark eyes, trying to feign innocence and get away with it: "I don't know!"
"Never mind, it's been so long, just help me turn back into human form."
That way she can enjoy more delicious food.
Xuan Yin shook his head, gazing at the horizon, a hint of melancholy in his voice: "Don't worry, things will change..."
After hearing those words, Su Yuxi instantly felt relieved. If Azu said it would come back, then it would definitely come back.
She yawned widely, curled up in his arms, and, inhaling his comforting scent, mumbled softly, "Grandpa, I'm sleepy. I'll take a nap. Wake me up when we get home."
Xuan Yin gently stroked his head and softly responded with an "Mmm".
When it was fully light, Su Yuxi was still in Azu's arms, while Azu was in the helicopter.
Below were endless mountain ranges, but these were not their home mountains; this was clearly not the way home.
She craned her neck and looked around, her gaze landing on Xuan Yin's face as he closed his eyes to rest. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Grandma, aren't we going home?"
What if they just dumped her somewhere again?
Xuan Yin opened his clear eyes and caught a glimpse of panic in her eyes. He habitually patted her back twice, his cool voice mingling with the noisy roar of the helicopter: "Well, let's go see an old friend first."
"Oh." Su Yuxi had never heard of him having any old friends elsewhere, but since Azu said so, she believed him. However, her fingers unconsciously tightened their grip on his clothes, revealing a hint of unease in her heart.
The helicopter flew for nearly half an hour before finally landing deep in the dense forest.
Su Yuxi's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she peered around, sensing that something was amiss.
It's a forest, with towering ancient trees, blooming flowers, and dense thorns, so why is there no chirping of insects or birds here? I didn't even see a mosquito. Even poisonous forests have insects, but this place is deathly silent, as if even the breath of life has been shut out.
"Auntie, it's so quiet here."
Xuan Yin gave a soft hum, without offering further explanation.
He casually picked up a twig from the ground and waved it a few times in the air.
A buzzing sound came from the woods, as if something had struck an invisible barrier.
Xuan Yin took two steps back with Su Yuxi, and casually plucked a few leaves from the tree and tossed them in front of him.
The leaves passed through the transparent barrier and disappeared halfway. Just then, a light but cold wind swirled around them, causing the leaves on the ground to flutter up and fall back down.
Su Yuxi's bright eyes were now filled with colorful petals. She was unaware of any danger and couldn't help but admire how beautiful the scene was.
Suddenly, she felt dizzy. The flying petals seemed to be spinning incessantly. When they all landed, the atmosphere around her suddenly became eerie and terrifying. Gusts of cold wind rushed towards her and penetrated her bones.
This sent a chill down her spine.
Xuan Yin frowned, raised his hand and waved it, and the illusion from before vanished instantly.
"Teng Laoqi, stop messing around!" He shouted sharply, and the person behind the prank immediately stopped.
Su Yuxi blinked and found that the surrounding environment had returned to normal. The chirping of insects and birds that had disappeared returned to her ears, and there was an old man with white hair and a hunched back in front of her.
As soon as she opened her eyes, the old man brought his entire face close, as if trying to get a good look at Su Yuxi.
Su Yuxi was startled by his ugly and terrifying bulging eyes. In two quick movements, she nimbly climbed onto Azu's back.
It wasn't that she was being impolite, but the old man was really ugly. His face was covered with deep and shallow wrinkles and crisscrossing scars. Half of his nose had been cut off, and his eyes bulged out like two dead fish eyes, as if they would fall out at the slightest movement. Anyone would be scared if this eerie face suddenly appeared in front of them.
Looking at the timid Su Yuxi, Teng Laoqi's old face twisted for a moment: "Her?"
Those two short words seemed to express utter disdain for her, inside and out.
"Yes." Xuan Yin's voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable air of authority.
Teng Laoqi curled his lip; what else could he say?
"Let's go then."
Along the way, Teng Laoqi kept glancing at Su Yuxi. He still couldn't believe that a little fox spirit would be their savior. He thought that someone like that could be dealt with with a single blow.
Are you sure there's no mistake?
Su Yuxi felt very uncomfortable under his strange gaze, and clung tightly to Xuan Yin with both hands. He was her only support right now, and she couldn't let go.
Before long, they came to a lush bamboo forest, and further in there was a thatched hut.
The interior was simply furnished with a table, four benches, and a row of bookshelves along the wall, filled with many books and some herbs.
Teng Laoqi walked to a Tai Chi double fish diagram on the wall, raised his hand and tapped it a few times. In an instant, the outline of the original thatched hut gradually blurred, and in the blink of an eye, they found themselves in a waterside pavilion.
The pavilion is located in the center of the shimmering lake, and the surrounding scenery is no longer the towering trees that block out the sun, but a paradise of birdsong and fragrant flowers.
Beyond the lake, there are many people... who are demons, bending over to weed the fields, some diligently planting vegetables, others trudging along carrying water, while children play in the lake catching fish, their laughter and chatter blending together, making this place resemble a small village.
If there's anything else unusual, it's that they all have very strange appearances. Some are missing arms or legs, some only have half a body, and quite a few are disfigured. Like this old man, they all have terrifying and frightening faces.
Some are in human form, while others are in animal bodies.
The environment is a paradise on earth, but the people there are living a human tragedy.
Su Yuxi was deeply shocked and couldn't find her voice for a long time.
"Azu, they..."
As soon as she spoke, the people who were working diligently all looked up and turned their gazes toward her.
Upon seeing that it was Teng Laoqi, everyone's faces immediately lit up with smiles, and they all waved to him.
Xuan Yin and the others seemed to recognize him as well; they lowered their heads after just one glance, as if looking at him any longer would be an offense.
As for the fox in his arms, perhaps thinking of its own ugly appearance, it consciously lowered its head even further, trying to find a place to cover its broken body.
After giving her a deep look, Teng Laoqi turned his gaze back to Su Yuxi, sighed helplessly, and led her to a quiet and elegant room.
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