Plans could not keep up with changes, and the monks were forced to hide and were chased all over the street by the snake.
"Here! Here, they're running this way!"
"This way."
"The leader is here!"
"What's going on?!" Xue Lingxiu frowned and asked, "Why would this group of people point fingers at us?"
He racked his brains but couldn't figure out why.
Along the way, no matter whether the people on the road were men or women, old or young, as long as they saw someone who looked like a monk, they would immediately show the way to the soldiers and the black snake behind them, without any hesitation or even forcing them.
Even if they were worried about being held accountable and retaliated against, it wouldn't be difficult to pretend to be blind. They hadn't done anything to harm the people of Tangling. They were clearly dealing with the demonic cultivators, so why were these ordinary people aiding and abetting them?
As Yun Xian ran, he anxiously asked Liu Xu: "Did you bring your knife? A knife!"
Liu Xu touched her back, and Tang Wuke was prodded again. He quickly said, "I've got it on! I've got it on! He's still alive!! He just seems a little weak!"
Qiao Lingshan calculated that more than half a day had already passed. Tang Wuke hadn't eaten much in three days, and he'd vomited up all the pig's trotter soup he'd had at that shady restaurant last night. He must be hungry again. The princess was only sixteen, still growing, and couldn't handle such a bumpy ride. She worried, "Yun Xian, hurry up and get something to eat, or we'll starve!"
Su Chi's face was icy as he produced another sword talisman and began to infuse it with spiritual energy. Yun Xian, observing this, immediately said, "Big Brother, stop using it! You've already used up a lot of energy fighting that demon cultivator!"
"I have it." Su Chi quickly filled the sword talisman and placed it in Yun Xian's palm. Looking at the people chasing after him, he said, "We might get separated from now on. Be careful."
"...You've already put your spiritual energy into the sword talisman, so of course I'll be fine." Yun Xian frowned and said, "But what if you don't have any spiritual energy?"
Su Chi still repeated: "I have."
"You're nothing!" Yun Xian was so rebellious that he shot his hand off. "That's enough, one is enough!"
If the eldest senior brother accompanied her to Tangling Country for training and ended up getting himself killed, then it would seem that their Jiange would really be doomed!
After all, Zhang Heyan is from the Yanmo Sect, which is not a sect known for its aggressiveness, and his physique is not particularly good. Now he is at the end of the group, and he has barely avoided the black snake several times. It seems that he is struggling. Su Chi was hit on the hand, and he was stunned for a moment, then put away the sword talisman.
Yun Xian didn't notice that he gently inserted something into his head.
"I'll lead them away." Su Chi stopped, drew his sword, and said, "All of you, try to disperse and don't gather together."
This snake has poor eyesight, but a fairly keen sense of smell. As long as it gets close, it can detect the scent of the monks, and the more people there are, the stronger the scent becomes. With its efficiency, it wouldn't have caused such a commotion chasing people, but with the help of the city residents who were always there to point the way, that made a difference.
The matter was urgent and there was no time to refuse. The monks bowed and quickly dispersed.
Yun Xian, Qiao Lingshan, Xue Lingxiu, Feng Ye, and Liu Xu, who was carrying Tang Wuke on his back, quickly ran towards the southeast of the city.
That was the place where Yun Xian first met Tang Wuke. It was sparsely populated with only a few girls washing clothes there. It was also close to the river, making it easier to conceal the scent.
Yun Xian: "I just don't know if that snake is a water snake. I don't know what species it is?"
Qiao Lingshan said, "It looks like a grass snake. A rat snake? I don't know. I've never seen anything like it in Jiange."
"..." Xue Lingxiu breathed, "That's a silver ring snake. How could a monster be so simple?"
Feng Ye said silently: "You have seen Niu Baiye many times and you still say this... He is still a demon..."
He was in such a hurry that he hadn't had time to change out of his skirt. Now he was stumbling and groaning. This thing restricts his movement and isn't very pretty. I'll never wear it again!
The six of them quickly ran to the familiar riverbank. Perhaps it was still morning, the water was freezing, and no one was washing clothes there. Yun Xian looked around for a moment, and after confirming that there was no danger, he let Tang Wuke out.
Tang Wuke had difficulty breathing inside, his little face was black and blue, and his lips were pale from hunger, but he was stubborn and didn't say a word from beginning to end.
Yun Xian rummaged through his storage ring for a long time, but still only found apples. Qiao Lingshan only found melon seeds. Xue Lingxiu did find an exquisite pastry box besides the herbs. He didn't know who had given it to her, but the pastry inside was just a small piece, which didn't look like enough for Yun Xian to fill his stomach.
Tang Wuke ate the cake mixed with water and bit into two apples, and his complexion looked better.
The group looked at the clear water, and no one knew what to say.
It wasn't anger, nor was it regret, it was just... confusion. I didn't understand why.
The evil spirit in Yun Xian's storage ring screamed again, "Let me out! Let me out!"
Yun Xian's ears hurt from the noise, so he let it out. As soon as the spirit emerged, it crossed its arms and said with a grin, "I told you to go back early, but you still didn't believe me? You didn't listen to the old man, and now you're going to suffer the consequences!"
Tang Wuke took a look at it and was shocked by its appearance.
"Over the years, there have been dozens, if not hundreds, of cultivators who have come to Tangling Country. They've all gone back, even that powerful old bald donkey. Don't you wonder why?" The spirit looked at the townspeople rustling on the streets outside and said bluntly, "These people won't be grateful for your help. Not at all. Not only will they not be grateful, they'll hate you to death! Why did you come? Why did you kidnap the princess? Why did you destroy their peaceful and beautiful lives?"
"Beautiful?" Liu Xu couldn't listen any longer, even though she was confused. "How could it be beautiful? They were so scared when the demon cultivator came. How could they be calm with a knife hanging over their necks?"
"So what if the knife is hanging over my neck?" The spirit laughed. "Anyway, the next person to be killed will definitely not be me! If you tell this to those women wrapped in black robes, maybe they will sympathize with me. Oh, the princess has been kidnapped, and the next one to take her place might be me, or even my daughter. Now I'm starting to get scared. If you tell others, they will only hate you more. Obviously, the death of the princess can save everyone's life, so why make trouble out of nothing?"
From the guard's attitude at the outset, it was clear he didn't want cultivators to enter the country. He simply hoped the status quo would remain, preferably forever, because he knew he wouldn't be the one to be sacrificed or shed blood.
Tang Wuke's fingertips slowly clenched the exquisite pastry box.
She had never heard such explicit words before, and she found it hard to accept.
"You talk too much." Yun Xian glanced at her, his brows slowly lowered. "The lifeline is in the hands of the demon cultivator. Today he only wants a princess, and I gave it to her. Tomorrow he wants a mineral vein, and he also gave it to her. The day after tomorrow he wants all the people of Tang Lingguo to die. They have no power to resist at all, so they will still be destroyed anyway."
"These evil spirits were also released by the demonic cultivators," Qiao Lingshan added, "Living in such fear and without freedom is worse than death."
"But they're determined to live without freedom, to pretend to be deaf and dumb and walk on the blood of generations of princesses, rather than die. The royal family is so rich, and they've levied such heavy taxes, it's not too much to kill the whole family, so what's wrong with the death of a princess? Who wants to die? Are you willing? Tang Wuke, princess, are you willing? If you were willing to die, why did you run away in the first place?"
"That's enough." Xue Lingxiu said angrily, "You're really noisy, shut up."
The imperial family imposed heavy taxes and ruled with an iron fist. The biggest beneficiaries were first the emperor, then the princes, and never the princess. Yet, the princess had to bear the most tragic consequences. What a twisted logic! He dared to say that if that so-called demon-breaking man had pursued the prince instead of the princess, this matter would not be as natural as it is now.
Yun Xian threw the spirit body into the storage ring and said, "Princess..."
At this moment, Tang Wuke suddenly said hoarsely: "...I am willing. I have always been willing."
She knew she would marry the Demon Lord and that she would die in a few years. Like her two aunts before her, she had never been unwilling. Her father told her that this was her great sacrifice for the Tangling Kingdom, and that everyone would remember and miss her forever.
But after being kicked out of the palace by Yahe, Tang Wuke had spent the past few days in the main city, only to discover that nothing had happened as her father had said. No one had ever missed her aunt, not even her name. The only person who mentioned her was the Demon Lord.
My aunt's Jiangnan tunes were beautiful, but that was all I could say. A person who died at eighteen only left such a tiny trace in this world.
Is this really what she wants?
Of course, she never wanted power that she didn't want.
"But now I feel like," Tang Wuke slowly buried his face in his knees and said, "Even if it means death, I'd rather die on the battlefield protecting my country than live like this again... It's so meaningless and powerless."
If only she had spiritual power. Even if she only had a little, she would rather die in battle with the Demon Lord... and the demon cultivators, like all the people in the martial arts world, a light and peaceful death, rather than treating herself as an object of exchange.
This idea had never occurred to me before, but once it occurred to me, I could no longer take it back, like a spark that spread across the prairie.
Everyone looked at each other.
Crying! Crying!
The main reason was that no one had any experience in comforting adolescents, and Yun Xian had only just come out of his rebellious phase. Everyone looked at each other, and finally Yun Xian sat over, took out an apple, and said, "Do you want to eat it?"
"No, I'm not hungry. Thank you." Tang Wuke sobbed.
Yun Xian: "Then just watch me eat."
Tang Wuke: "..."
Everyone looked up at the sky, some looked down at the ground. After a while, Yun Xian, chewing on an apple, managed to mumble out, "What the hell is this country protecting?"
Tang Wuke: “?”
Everyone: “?”
Yun Xian meant what he said. Thinking about it this way, it was unfortunate to be born into this royal family. From birth, they were treated like pigs, ready to be slaughtered at sixteen. Everyone knew this, and they kept calling her "Princess" all the time, pretending to be truly respectful.
If it were her, she would rather go out and beg for food as a beggar than be a princess.
"Oh, of course. That's from your perspective." Yun Xian didn't seem to be affected by the group of people outside. Instead, he continued scratching his head and said, "We are cultivators. We are inherently more capable than them. With greater abilities, we naturally have to bear more responsibilities... Anyway, that's it. Oh, I don't think it's your fault."
She went around in circles, but in fact, it was just to say the last sentence.
It can be seen that he has a lot of experience in annoying people, but his experience in comforting people is approaching zero.
Tang Wuke didn't look comforted at all, and just forced a smile. Xue Lingxiu couldn't bear to watch it any longer, so she put away her folding fan and whispered, "You go down. I'll do it."
Yun Xian went downstairs happily.
Xue Lingxiu is indeed proficient in the skills of coaxing children, and her tone of voice is as gentle as a spring breeze.
Qiao Lingshan, Feng Ye and Liu Xu didn't have the chance to play, so they sat in the back and ate melon seeds.
The most important thing for everyone now is to get rid of the snake, reunite with the eldest brother, and find an opportunity to meet the witch - after all, no matter whether it is three inches above the navel or three inches below the navel, no one else can hit the vital point except these two people.
The more Qiao Lingshan saw Xue Lingxiu and Tang Wuke sitting together, the more she felt something was wrong. She whispered, "Logically speaking, Brother Xue is only four or five years older than the princess. Why do they look so mismatched?" It was obvious that both of them were good-looking.
"Yeah. I think so too." Feng Ye agreed. "Brother Xue looks like he's taking care of a child no matter who he's with. I don't know why. Is it because of his temperament?"
Liu Xu transmitted a message, "By the way, please put on your clothes first, Brother Feng. Your underwear has been showing all the way, which is really damaging to the city's appearance."
Feng Ye hurriedly covered his crotch: "Ah!!"
Yun Xian: “…”
Why is it that when other people communicate via telephony they are always discussing tactics and plotting, but these few people always either chat about gossip or gossip about others behind their backs? I really can't stand it and they must stop it sternly!
Yun Xian: "Actually, I feel more like a young widower. Does anyone agree?"
"Yes, yes, yes!! So accurate!!"
With Xue Lingxiu's gentle comfort, Tang Wuke's depressed mood finally improved a little. Amidst everyone's concerned gazes, she sniffed a little embarrassedly and whispered, "I'll go wash..."
Everyone nodded.
Tang Wuke stood up, went to the river, scooped up some water and rubbed his face, a little lost in thought.
So is this what Yahe thought at that time?
When she kicked me, she told me never to return to the palace. Yahe still likes her, right?
Tang Keke was holding the water absentmindedly. Suddenly, she felt something slippery between her fingers and she lowered her eyes.
A familiar mass of black hair and two eyeballs.
Washing clothes ghost.
Tang Wuke: "..."
A day ago, she would have been terrified by this thing, but now she was speechless. "You're so weak, who are you trying to bully? Stop being so annoying."
Tang Wuke didn't even want to call Yun Xian, she just wanted to get rid of this blood-sucking thing. But how could she get rid of it? If she had spiritual power, she could just shake it off her hand.
As his mind raced, a staggering white light suddenly appeared from the riverbank and shot straight into the sky!
There was a sudden explosion sound, and Yun Xian almost dropped the apple. Everyone looked in a daze at the source of the sound.
In Tang Wuke's hands lay the fragments of the laundry ghost that had been shattered into pieces and could not be put back together. A big hole was punched through the river bank by the powerful spiritual power, and the cold river water suddenly flooded in, soaking her clothes.
Everyone: “…”
What happened?
Yun Xian broke the silence and said blankly, "Wild, Princess!"
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