They actually came to Tonglu Mountain!
Xie Lian asked, “Guzi is here, could Qi Rong be here too?”
Hua Cheng said, "Look at the green light above her head, there's no doubt about it."
“…”
Gu Zi seemed a little afraid of Xuan Ji, and dared not move in her arms. But perhaps Xuan Ji's cold body was really uncomfortable, so he twisted his body twice. Xuan Ji said, "Don't move!"
As she spoke, the muscles on her face became increasingly distorted by the glowing green will-o'-the-wisp fire. Will-o'-the-wisp fire was considered a hallmark of ghosts, and this was truly abject taste. Xie Lian felt that any female ghost with decent taste and a sense of self-image would refuse to wear such a ball of ornamental green will-o'-the-wisp fire on her forehead. Needless to say, it was Qi Rong who absolutely ordered her to wear it. The green fire and the red skirt formed a visually arresting scene, even more devastating than the sect leader forcing his disciples to wear the hideous school uniforms.
Gu Zi said tearfully, "Sister, I drank that water and my stomach feels a little uncomfortable."
Water? Xie Lian couldn't help but sweat. That underground water was where swarms of cadaver rats swam. While it wouldn't be poisonous, children had weak immune systems and might get diarrhea if they drank it. Xuan Ji, who obviously wasn't fond of children, had little patience for him. "Just bear with it. I'm already on my way back."
Their figures melted into the darkness ahead. Without a word, Xie Lian and Hua Cheng followed silently. Soon, following Xuan Ji, they turned a few corners and entered another street. At the end of the street stood an exceptionally ornate house. Voices could be heard from within; this must be their destination. Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, lurking in the shadows, quickly climbed onto the roof and peered down through the crack. Sure enough, Qi Rong was sitting unobtrusively in the center of the mansion's hall.
He brought over a dozen petrified men, their heads facing him. They lay prostrate on the ground, seemingly prostrating themselves before him. He then enjoyed this "worship" while gnawing proudly at a bloody arm. Five or six peasants sat in the corner, one of them, his head buried, looking completely insignificant. It was Yinyu!
He had indeed been intercepted by Qi Rong. Although no one was bound by ropes, a ball of green will-o'-the-wisp hung above their heads. Looking closely, those balls of will-o'-the-wisp, unlike the ornamental ones on Xuan Ji's head, actually had facial features, their eyes squinting downwards with sinister expressions, as if they were some evil villain, closely watching the people below.
Xie Lian whispered, “There’s something strange about that fire.”
Hua Cheng said, "That's Qi Rong's ghost fire lock. Once locked in the fire, if anyone dares to escape, they'll scream. As long as the magic formula is activated, the hostage will be burned to death in an instant."
Qi Rong was chewing his hand with great relish when he suddenly heard Xuan Ji say from outside, "My lord, I'm back."
He flung his hand away, wiping the blood from his mouth. Xie Lian was slightly surprised. What was he doing? Was he afraid of being seen? Could Qi Rong actually be embarrassed to let others see him eating?
Xuan Ji put down Gu Zi before she came in. Gu Zi rushed in with a clatter, ran to Qi Rong, pointed at him and yelled, "Dad is stealing and eating bad things again!"
Qi Rong said: "No!"
Gu Zi said, "I smell it! It will give you bad breath if you eat it!"
Qi Rong blew a few breaths on his hands, probably smelling the blood in his mouth. Unable to deny it, he got angry: "Damn it! Xuan Ji! Why did you bring him back so suddenly? Didn't I tell you to take him out for a while while I was eating?!"
Xuan Ji walked in quietly and said, "After drinking water, he complained about feeling uncomfortable in his stomach, so I brought him back. My Lord, please don't let me take care of the child anymore. I don't know how to deal with him!"
Qi Rong glared and accused, "What! Aren't you a female ghost? How could a female ghost not like to take care of children?! You don't meet the requirements!"
Xuan Ji said: "This is not my own child!"
Guzi grabbed Qi Rong's clothes and said, "Dad, don't eat those things anymore, they're not good..." Qi Rong was annoyed by him and scolded, "Get out, get out, get out! Don't bother me here, you little kid, and you're asking for help from an adult. Go out and play by yourself!" Guzi had no choice but to go out and play in the mud. Before leaving, he glanced at the person in the corner of the room. After he left, Xuan Ji said, "Sir, I really don't understand. If you think this child is troublesome, why did you take him on the road? He ate, drank, cried, and got sick all the way. If we hadn't met a mountain monster on the road and it gave us a ride, I'm afraid we would still be dragged down by him."
Qi Rong chuckled and said, "If my cheap son insists on calling me dad, then let him. Bah, nonsense, of course it's because I want to eat this little idiot! The meat of a child this age is so tender and fresh, it's delicious even eaten raw without any seasoning! Hehehehe..."
Xuan Ji asked, "Then why hasn't your Excellency eaten yet?"
Qi Rong's eyes lit up as he said, "You don't understand! Fatten them up before killing them! Save the best for last! Besides, we still have so much food in stock, there's no need to rush!"
Speaking of food reserves, Xuan Ji stared at Yin Yu and said, "I think this newly captured man is very suspicious. Very, very suspicious. My Lord, have you found out his origins?"
Given Qi Rong's hatred for Hua Cheng, if he knew Yin Yu was Hua Cheng's subordinate, wouldn't he be the first to go after him? But then Qi Rong said, "I've found out. This kid also came with Master Yu to help."
A lack of presence and personality can sometimes be a good thing. Most people wouldn't associate Yinyu with the Blood Rain Scholar. It seemed Yinyu had successfully lied about his identity, and Xie Lian breathed a sigh of relief. Xuan Ji's expression changed, "Has Master Huang already chased us here?!"
Qi Rong said, "No. This guy just stumbled upon this underground city like us. The Rain Master hasn't found us yet. Damn it!" He suddenly started cursing, "Why is this Rain Master so difficult to deal with? He chased us all the way, forcing us to hide underground! He just wanted to capture a few farmers from the village to eat? Why is he so stingy? He's a priest, too! I know that all the priests in heaven are bad people! They're so narrow-minded!"
He was always so self-righteous. He'd taken advantage of the situation and captured the farmers, who were diligently working the land, and then he'd blame them for not being broad-minded enough to give him more food. Xie Lian couldn't help but feel itchy. Xuan Ji asked, "Then why don't we just let these people go?"
Qi Rong, however, felt very embarrassed by this and glared at him, "No! I've already eaten half of it. There's no point in giving half back now. The feud has already begun! Either they didn't fight over it in the first place, or they ate it all right away! If you push me to the limit, I'll burn them all to ashes. No one will get away with it!"
Xuan Ji said, "I didn't expect it to turn out like this. Yu Shi Huang wasn't like this before. It's no exaggeration to say that he was easily bullied. I thought that even if someone from Yu Shi Xiang was robbed, he would swallow his anger and keep quiet, so I took action. Who knew that he would get into such a big trouble that he can't get rid of it!"
Xuan Ji actually knew the Rain Master, and even seemed to look down on him. It seemed like she'd known him since she was a human. Thinking about all the legends, Xie Lian whispered, "Could it be that Xuan Ji was a general of the Rain Master Kingdom?"
Hua Cheng said, "Brother, your guess is correct. That's exactly what happened."
Xie Lian asked doubtfully, “But that’s not right? Master Yushi is a descendant of the royal family of Yushi Nation, of noble status. Xuan Ji is just a general, a lowly official. How dare she look down on someone from the royal family? And she even said, ‘Everyone can be bullied!’…”
At this time, Qi Rong said, "Who cares about the Rain Master or the Dog Master? When this Ghost King enters the Copper Furnace and cultivates to perfection, I'll make a shocking appearance. Everyone in heaven and on earth will bow down at my feet and eat the mud at my feet! When that happens, I'll tear down the Ghost Market and sink Blackwater Island. Even Jun Wu will have to give me face and be polite to me. Hahahahahahaha..."
“…”
Listening to him brag and imagine a glorious future, Xie Lian felt nothing but amusement. Hua Cheng, on the other hand, wasn't even interested in laughing. Qi Rong then said to Xuan Ji, "When the time comes, I'll cut off Pei Ming's dick and give it to you to play with. He'll have to be your slave."
Hearing that name, Xuan Ji clenched her fingers, and a hint of life appeared on her pale face. She said, "No need! As long as you promise to hand him over to me, Xuan Ji will be very grateful!"
When Pei Ming wasn't involved, Xuan Ji seemed like a perfectly normal ghost girl; but when General Pei was mentioned, Xie Lian saw in her face the shadow of the mad ghost girl from Junshan. She had actually placed such absurd hopes on Qi Rong, which could only be explained by love blinding her mind. Xie Lian raised his head and said, "Sanlang, what should we do with Yinyu and these farmers in Qi Rong's hands?"
They could certainly just go in and beat up Qi Rong and Xuan Ji, but those farmers and Yinyu were hostages. Qi Rong was a scoundrel, and if they punched him and he burned someone to death, they would be the ones on the receiving end. If they pushed him to the limit, as he said, they might even burn everything down. Hua Cheng said calmly, "Qi Rong's ghost fire lock has a password. Let's find a way to unlock it first."
Xie Lian asked, “Who’s going to trap her? How are we going to trap her? We definitely can’t do anything.”
As soon as they asked the question, their eyes fell on Gu Zi who was playing in the mud outside the house.
After a pause, Xie Lian said, “No, that’s too dangerous. Qi Rong is already obsessed with eating the millet, and if he sees something…”
Hua Cheng said, "Whether or not his brain is visible is another matter. If he wants to attack this child, we should take action first and rescue the child. Brother should worry about whether this child has been with Qi Rong for so long and has been assimilated by him, and whether his mind is abnormal."
Xie Lian said, “Judging from Gu Zi’s reaction just now, it shouldn’t be that serious. Then… shall we give it a try?”
Then, Hua Cheng opened his five fingers, and an exceptionally small silver butterfly flew out from his palm, slowly flying downwards.
Qi Rong and Xuan Ji continued to talk in the house, while Gu Zi sat outside in the mud, drawing a picture of an adult holding a small person. Suddenly, he saw a butterfly, glowing with a faint silver light, flying towards him. He looked up and opened his eyes wide. Just as he was about to exclaim, "Wow," the silver butterfly uttered a thin, human voice, "Gu Zi, don't talk. If you talk, I'll disappear. It's me. Do you remember me?"
If Guzi continued to scream, Huacheng would have Yindie use light to confuse his mind. However, Guzi covered his mouth and obeyed, whispering, "Remember. That's the voice of the rag collector."
“…” Xie Lian said, “Hahaha, you have a really good memory. Yes, that’s right, it’s me, the rag collector. Come quietly to the side, don’t let Qi… don’t let your father see you.”
Guzi nodded, stood up, and was about to quietly walk to the side when Qi Rong in the room suddenly noticed him and shouted, "Hey! Stop running around, you hear me! If you dare to walk around here, the big rats will eat you! Come back!"
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