Chapter 125 Like a hungry beast eyeing its prey, no…
The streets and alleys seem like two worlds of hustle and bustle, one quiet and the other peaceful. Take a few steps deeper into the alleys, and the noise is suppressed by the night.
That's about it for now.
Lu Yuanyuan stopped and waited for a moment. Sure enough, her vision was no longer completely dark, but had the outline of light and shadow.
Just then, a weak cry for help suddenly came from deep within the alley: "Help... Is anyone there...? Help me... A monster is killing people..."
Lu Yuanyuan suddenly raised her head.
"A monster is killing people?"
This is the territory of the demon race, so those who would call for help in this way are most likely humans.
Following the sound, Lu Yuanyuan hurried forward, her vision becoming clearer. Rounding a corner, she saw a girl lying prone on the ground, frantically scratching at the stone floor, muttering repeatedly, "Save me..."
Lu Yuanyuan hurriedly went over and squatted down, discovering that the other person was indeed human and had no cultivation at all. She put her arm around the person's shoulder, helped them up, and asked, "Are you alright?"
The girl's face was rather ordinary, her features like caterpillars, tightly twisted together. Upon touching Lu Yuanyuan, she clung to her wrist like a drowning person finding driftwood, crying out, "My whole body aches! Are you a cultivator? Save me..."
"I'll help you. Who are you? What are you doing here?"
"My name is Xiaorou, I..." The girl's pale lips moved, as if she was trying to say something, but her voice was too low to be heard. Lu Yuanyuan gripped her wrist and tilted her ear slightly, listening intently, when suddenly something hit her shoulder hard.
Before she could even utter a sound, her body went limp and she collapsed to the ground, a talisman glowing with a purplish-black light stuck to her shoulder.
At that moment, a thin figure emerged from the shadows of the alley. His unusual green hair and white eyes revealed him to be a demon. Watching Lu Yuanyuan being defeated in a single move, he seemed utterly incredulous, his eyes wide: "She's unconscious? She's unconscious just like that?"
This guy's voice is extremely high-pitched, like it's being squeezed out of a small hole, making it very unpleasant to listen to.
Xiao Rou got up, somewhat panicked, and said, "What should we do? Why did she faint so easily?"
Judging from her voice, she seems perfectly normal; her cries for help are just a lie.
"How is this possible? I was watching closely the whole way. This is one of the members of the Immortal Cultivation World's envoy group..." The male demon paused, as if he had figured something out, and sneered, "However, half of that group came from Mount Shu. I guess she was too. Hmph, what's with all the talk about being the number one sect in the world? The disciples' strength is nothing special."
Xiaorou said, "Then what do we do now? Didn't you say that when she resists, I'll hold her back and say..."
The male demon interrupted her: "In that case, let's just send her up there and make a big fuss about it."
Xiao Rou suddenly broke down and screamed, "I don't want to stay here anymore! I've done what you told me to do, can you let me go now!"
"Are you trying to bargain with me? The only reason you've survived this long is because you happen to be a mortal, unable to cultivate your body. The only thing you're useful for is this little matter. If you say another word, I'll make sure you don't see the sun tomorrow."
Xiao Rou shuddered and shut her mouth tightly.
The male demon squatted down, lifted a corner of Lu Yuanyuan's mask, glanced at it, and then put the mask back on. He said to Xiaorou with a threatening tone, "If things get out of hand later, you need to remember what you should and shouldn't say."
This place is not safe to stay. The male demon looked around, quickly got up the unconscious person on the ground, picked up Xiao Rou with one hand, and flew swiftly towards the east of Xuanzhao.
No one saw that Lu Yuanyuan, who was "in a coma," had her eyelids twitch slightly, hidden in the shadow of her mask.
Although she had considered the possibility that the cries for help might be a trap, what if they weren't?
Even if it were a trap, she was confident she could escape. However, if someone was genuinely crying for help and she ignored it, she would be cutting off their hope of rescue. Going outside to find someone to help wasn't out of the question, but that might mean missing the best opportunity. So she came.
However, she didn't realize it was a trap only when she was attacked. This mortal woman named Xiaorou, although she kept crying out in pain, was useless in front of Dan Xiu. Just now, by pretending to help the other party up, she had already figured out the other party's true strength and thus became wary.
Moreover, their talisman had no effect on her whatsoever; it was like a weak electric current passing through her muscles, causing only a brief numbness. But wanting to know who had orchestrated it, she temporarily pretended to have fallen for the trap.
The conversation that followed was also highly suspicious. Clearly, this group was after the envoy from the cultivation world. But paradoxically, their intention didn't seem to be to actually knock her unconscious; instead, they hoped their clumsy attack would fail and expected her to retaliate on the spot.
Perhaps this is another conspiracy similar to the Chinese people's scheme to sow discord?
Since that's the case, let's play along and see what they're up to.
The night wind whistled past her ears, and Lu Yuanyuan could feel herself being taken to an unfamiliar courtyard, and then placed in a dark place.
"You, quickly change her clothes, the adults are coming soon, we can't let them know who she is!"
Xiao Rou cried out in surprise, as if she had been pushed from behind, and suddenly knelt on the ground. She dared not speak her anger, and responded with a trembling voice, then began to do as she was told, dressing up Lu Yuanyuan.
Lu Yuanyuan resisted the urge to get up, closed her eyes, and pretended to be a dead fish. After a while, she felt something like face powder being applied to her face, giving her the feeling that she was a piece of meat lying on a chopping board, being marinated.
After an unknown amount of time, Xiaorou stopped and whispered, "All done—"
However, the next second, her voice was cut short by a terrified groan. A thin, long, purplish tongue shot out from behind and coiled around her neck. The tongue secreted a digestive juice that stung her skin. But the scream was stifled deep in her throat and could not be uttered.
Fortunately, at that moment, a white light flashed through the air, severing the tongue. The lizard demon behind it was thrown backward by inertia. Realizing the danger, it scrambled to escape, but it was too late. A shimmering fairy rope wrapped around its ankle, and as if drawn by a siphon, its entire body was sucked into the bracelet on Lu Yuanyuan's wrist.
The bracelet shimmered and then returned to its usual understated emerald green color.
In the cultivation world, the most common storage space is a ring, but wearing it on a finger is too conspicuous, tantamount to openly identifying oneself as a cultivator. This can be troublesome during clandestine operations. Therefore, Lu Yuanyuan specifically switched to a bracelet.
After swiftly subduing the monster, Lu Yuanyuan turned her head and saw Xiao Rou, who had almost been silenced, huddled in a corner, tears and snot still wet on her face, clutching her neck and looking at her in terror: "You...you...you...you're awake?!"
Seeing Lu Yuanyuan walking towards her, Xiao Rou looked pale and crawled to the side.
"Trying to leave?" Lu Yuanyuan suddenly stretched out an arm, blocking her in the corner: "I'll give you a chance. Tell me everything you know. If any of it is untrue, I'll send you in to keep him company."
After saying that, she shook her bracelet threateningly.
"I'll talk! I'll tell you everything." Xiao Rou was indeed frightened and kept begging for mercy: "Don't kill me, I was forced. A few days ago, I was originally a village girl in the mortal world. Half a month ago, I was almost eaten by a monster in the river. A cultivator passed by and saved me. I have no parents, so I wanted to follow her, even if it was to be her maid... As a result, a few days later, we encountered these monsters and were captured by them and brought here."
Lu Yuanyuan was skeptical: "There's another cultivator? Where is she?"
Xiao Rou's lips trembled slightly: "She's dead. I saw them carry her body out with my own eyes."
Lu Yuanyuan pressed, "What happened to her? Why didn't these monsters kill you?"
Xiao Rou swallowed hard. "At first, I didn't understand either. But I realized later that if I had cultivation, I would have ended up like my benefactor."
Seeing Lu Yuanyuan's expression, Xiaorou hugged her knees and said, "These monsters serve a great figure. I overheard it, but I've never seen him. It seems that part of that great figure's body doesn't obey his commands. Every once in a while, he needs to use the souls of cultivators to nourish it and quell his resentment."
According to Xiaorou, tonight, a high-ranking official under the Demon King was feasting at this place. The important figure suddenly became agitated, but the building was teeming with spies, including many of his mortal enemies. He had no choice but to order his trusted confidants to bring over the provisions from his residence. However, he hadn't expected to be betrayed. Someone had bribed one of his lizard demon subordinates, hoping to use this opportunity to lure the envoys from the cultivation world into the fray. Xiaorou was the bait.
A third party deliberately attacked Lu Yuanyuan and her group with extremely weak talismans, intending for the attacked cultivators to retaliate on the spot. At that moment, Xiao Rou and the lizard demon would immediately switch sides, becoming tainted witnesses. In this way, they could both bring down this important figure and damage the relationship between the cultivation world and the demon world.
But now the plan has changed. As long as that important figure attacks Lu Yuanyuan, Xiao Rou won't be needed to testify. That's why the lizard demon killed her to silence her.
"In other words, we're now at that important person's place."
Lu Yuanyuan finally understood her situation. It was indeed faster to catch someone in the know and ask them. It seemed that the situation was more serious than she had imagined.
Unfortunately, she still doesn't know who this so-called important person is; it seems she can only wait for him to appear in person.
The lizard demon was one of the other party's subordinates, but when the mask was removed, they did not recognize her, proving that they had not met before.
Or rather, his position was not high enough for him to be an envoy to the cultivation world.
Lu Yuanyuan finally had time to look at her own body. Xiao Rou dressed her in a new outfit. The fabric was smooth and soft, but not revealing. It was layered and brightly colored, like a rainbow draped over her body. In short, it perfectly matched the aesthetics of the demon race.
She caught sight of a mirror nearby, stood up, and almost cried out "A ghost!" when she saw the person in the mirror. Her face was painted deathly white, and her eyelids were covered with heavy rouge, making her look like an ancient demon that had crawled out of some corner to suck people's souls.
Lu Yuanyuan said angrily, "Did you put three pounds of powder on my face?"
"He...he said we can't let anyone know you..." Xiaorou suddenly grabbed her arm, shook it, and pleaded, "Let's not talk about this anymore, let's run away! You're so powerful, you took down that lizard demon with one sword, take me with you and escape!"
Just then, the two suddenly heard a noise outside the door. Xiao Rou's face seemed to drain of color rapidly, and she was so frightened that her hands and feet turned ice-cold. Lu Yuanyuan covered her mouth, pulled her behind a pillar, and gestured for her to shut up and hide there.
She quickly moved and lay back down on the bed. The moment her head touched the pillow, a familiar figure slipped in.
Lu Yuanyuan stared intently, a flash of astonishment crossing her eyes. She pinched her knuckles to stop the change in her breathing.
The newcomer was none other than the Right General under the Demon King!
He seemed to be quite drunk, and his gait was unsteady. But soon, she appeared strangely on the four bat wings on his back. Two of them were in the same state as usual, but the two above seemed to be disobeying his commands, flapping frantically as if trying to break free from his flesh and blood and fly out of this body.
His pupils had turned completely murky blood red, his face was deformed and covered with stiff, black hair, his mouth was cracked, and his teeth were getting longer and longer.
Lu Yuanyuan felt a chill run down her spine and instantly understood a lot.
She remembered that this guy had killed his brother and surrendered the city back then... So it's very likely that the two extra, deformed bat wings on his back originally belonged to his brother.
This guy probably ate his own brother.
However, while this gave him power, it also brought him trouble—the two bat wings, driven by the resentment of their former master, were not entirely obedient to him, so he needed to appease their resentment from time to time.
As expected... no matter how much these monsters cultivate to resemble humans, they are essentially just beasts who can calmly accept cannibalism.
Before she could think any further, the Right General, whose form was no longer recognizable, suddenly opened his gaping maw and lunged at her. But his sharp teeth did not pierce her flesh.
A punch came flying straight at him, slamming heavily into his nose.
This punch was incredibly powerful; in slow motion, you could see the frequency of his facial twitching, and two streams of blood from his nose flew into the air. He roared, and then, a hand grabbed his hair, and he slammed into a pillar.
However, the Right General was no easy opponent, especially in his berserk state, where his strength was extraordinary. The two grappled, and the falling beams caused Xiao Rou, hiding behind them, to scream. Only then did the Right General notice her presence, abruptly changing his target and lunging at her.
At the crucial moment, Lu Yuanyuan delivered a flying kick, forcefully shoving Xiao Rou aside: "Run outside!"
The physical attacks of demons, these melee monsters, are truly monstrous. Because they were so close, even though she used her spiritual power to deflect the attack, a burning pain still ran through her leg, accompanied by a "rip" sound. This tattered clothing was far inferior to her own clothes; it was incredibly fragile, and a large tear appeared in it.
Xiao Rou was so frightened that she fell to the ground. As the clear shout reached her ears, she was jolted awake. She suddenly got up, grabbed the things on the ground, and rushed outside.
The fact that this creature dared to "eat" here indicates that this place is not only protected by a barrier but also quite secluded. With such a commotion, the first to arrive will undoubtedly be the opponent's subordinates. She cannot afford to linger in battle.
Just then, Lu Yuanyuan felt her heart skip a beat, as if a dense drumbeat was pounding on her temples. Immediately afterward, her vision darkened, and a strange burning sensation came from her legs.
Oh no... I must have been hit in the leg!
Why did it have to be at this time!
Once blinded, one would be at a significant disadvantage in close combat. Lu Yuanyuan decisively turned and ran, breaking through the barrier. She finally heard the sound of the wind. It was a magnificent high-rise building, with a clear stream cascading down, exotic flowers and rare plants, and countless connecting corridors extending from the courtyard. There were lights on the opposite side, while it was pitch black on this side. So, the place where the Demon King's warriors were feasting must be on the opposite side.
This was the last image left on her retina before she lost all her sight. Rather than running around blindly like a fly, running in that direction was the best option.
Running across the bridge, Lu Yuanyuan leaned against the wall, one leg completely numb. However, it seemed General You hadn't pursued them, and the crisis was temporarily averted. But then, she heard several familiar questions coming from the other end of the corridor.
What's that sound over there?
"Let's go take a look!"
Lu Yuanyuan's heart tightened; it was the voice of General Zuo and several of his subordinates.
She shifted, then suddenly realized that she shouldn't let them see her like this.
Indeed, she had a scheme in mind when she was brought in. However, in the eyes of the demons, this might be an excuse for her being captured due to her inferior skills, trying to save face. Moreover, after the incident with Yue Hong, she had finally managed to gain the trust of these demons and made some progress. As the head of the delegation, her current appearance was truly unfit to be seen.
She had to avoid the situation until her eyesight recovered and she could tidy herself up before she could confidently come out and meet people.
Lu Yuanyuan took a step back, but the numbness in her calf suddenly intensified, and she lost her balance, falling backward and crashing into a room.
The room was quiet, seemingly empty, and the floor was covered with thick, fluffy mats, so falling into them wouldn't hurt at all.
Lu Yuanyuan got up somewhat awkwardly, and just as she thought that, she felt the cushion under her knees and palms suddenly pull in one direction, causing her to roll forward as well.
This doesn't seem to be a mat, but rather... a thick, soft, fluffy tail spread out on the ground like fur.
Lu Yuanyuan's expression changed. As she looked up, she felt herself being lifted up and placed on a pair of laps. Her whole body tensed, and she suddenly unleashed her spiritual power, but her hand was grabbed, and the other person seemed to have lowered their head and was looking at her.
"Don't be afraid, I'll help you."
It was the voice of that annoying high priest.
This was Lu Yuanyuan's first reaction.
Then came her reaction to his words. Lu Yuanyuan paused, lowered her voice, and suppressed her anger: "How can I help?"
The words had barely left her lips when the footsteps reached the door. At the same time, a cool hand pressed against the back of her neck. She opened her eyes wide in shock and felt the person remove the hairpin from her hair, then bury their face in her chest.
...
When General Zuo and his group of demons reached the open door and looked inside, this was the scene they saw.
Beneath the window, their high priest, rumored to be consumed by grief for his deceased wife, was holding a woman who appeared to be a dancer in his arms. Her black hair was loose, and she sat sideways on his lap, but her upper body was completely twisted around, her waist tightly held by his hands, her head tilted back. And their high priest seemed to be burying his face in her chest, making love to her.
Upon closer inspection, her clothes were slightly torn, but the slits were tightly wrapped up by fox tails, as if she didn't want anyone to glimpse anything beneath her skirt.
Although the woman's face was obscured, and it was unclear what kind of monster she was, the scene alone was enough to stir one's heart. Amidst envy, a hint of unease also arose.
As expected, the rumors about him not being able to forget his deceased wife were not credible.
...
Once the footsteps had faded into the distance, Lu Yuanyuan's tense back slowly relaxed, and she felt a slight surprise in her heart.
Although she couldn't see anything, the high priest had been very restrained in his movements. Although he bent down, he didn't touch her body. Her collarbone was tickled by the strands of hair that were hanging down.
Only the hands encircling her waist, because they could be seen, clung tightly to her lower back, giving her the feeling of being coiled by a python.
Once those people were gone, the other person politely released her waist and softly apologized, "I'm sorry. Although I don't know what happened to you, I think you probably didn't want those people to see you dressed like that. The situation was urgent just now, and I couldn't think of a better solution at the time. I apologize for my rudeness."
Lu Yuanyuan pursed her lips, and following her instincts, looked up to find the other person's eyes, and said, "...I should be the one saying thank you."
Although I had a bad first impression of this guy, he did help me just now.
Fortunately, she couldn't see anything.
The monster in front of her spoke in a gentle and polite voice, but the way it stared at her was like a hungry beast staring intently at its prey, unwilling to swallow it whole, carefully considering from which angle to begin its feast.
But when he spoke, his tone was completely different from that expression, displaying a gentle and considerate manner:
"Are you in some kind of trouble? Whatever it is, I can help you."
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