Chapter 44 Red Boy.
A fox demon? Jiang Huaisu glanced at the tail, and after her initial surprise, she calmed down. Thinking about it, it made sense. How could a mortal who hadn't cultivated have the ability to meddle in such matters? It was reasonable for it to be a demon.
For some reason, these long-tailed monsters always seem to lose their magic when transforming into human form because of their tails. Sun Wukong is a case in point; when he transformed into a local temple to fight Erlang Shen, he didn't manage to tame his tail properly, which revealed his weakness.
Not to mention that the fox demon girl in front of them was far less powerful than Sun Wukong. Faced with the pursuit of the golden eagle, she was so anxious that tears were about to fall, but she did not immediately abandon Jiang Huaisu, which can be said to be very loyal.
As Jiang Huaisu pondered a way to break the deadlock, the golden eagle swooped down to the ground, extending its sharp talons, seemingly intending to snatch the two of them up into the sky. The fox demon girl kept turning her head, rummaging through her inner robes for something. Her hands trembled several times in her panic before she finally managed to pull it out.
The thing looked like a fishing net, but it was only the size of a palm.
Seemingly having finally found the right moment, the fox demon suddenly threw the net behind her, which landed squarely on the golden eagle's face. The eagle couldn't dodge in time, and the net visibly grew larger and larger, its mesh extending in all directions until it completely enveloped the golden eagle, pinning its four horns to the ground, leaving it with no way to escape.
"This magic weapon has a time limit; it can only trap him for a day at most," the fox demon said urgently. "We must leave quickly."
As if struck by lightning, Jiang Huaisu glanced back at the glittering golden net and sighed inwardly. She hadn't expected the fox demon girl to have such a trick up her sleeve; it had truly been a great help.
She drew her soft sword: "Wait, let me try to kill him while I have the chance."
Fox Demon: "No, this is actually a defensive magic item. It restricts the movement of those caught in the net while also providing protection... Let's leave this ugly eagle first and not stay near him. His eyes and pointed beak look terrifying."
...Looking at it this way, this magic weapon seems a bit useless.
"Young lady, who are you?"
Then, realizing she hadn't introduced herself, the fox demon stopped, catching her breath, and said to Jiang Huaisu:
“Hey, we’ve met before… no, we haven’t officially met, but you should remember my name. My name is Bai Yuan.”
After recalling for a while, Jiang Huaisu remembered that when she stayed at Guankou, she had watched a martial arts contest for a husband on a nearby hill. She looked at Bai Yuan hesitantly and asked tentatively, "...Have you ever had a son-in-law marry into your family before?"
"That's right," the other party readily admitted.
Bai Yuan told her about what happened after the marriage contest, saying that he traveled to many places and finally came to Cuiyun Mountain in Xiniu Hezhou, where he met a powerful demon king.
The man already had a wife and children, but his relationship with his wife was strained, and he was determined to find a new love. Bai Yuan saw that this demon king was incredibly powerful and was willing to offer her a fortune to marry him. So the two hit it off immediately, and the demon king moved away from Cuiyun Mountain and returned with her to Moyun Cave on Jilei Mountain.
Moyun Cave was the former residence of Bai Yuan's father, the Fox King, but since his death, the land had been occupied by other demons. Now, with the Demon King in charge, Bai Yuan had finally reclaimed her own cave, and she couldn't be happier. Originally, she had chosen a husband to find a powerful backer, and this one suited her perfectly.
This passage was so rich in information that Jiang Huaisu almost lost control of her expression as she listened. Her lips twitched, and she glanced at Bai Yuan hesitantly.
She was blind and didn't realize that this person was actually the Jade-Faced Fox!
Surprisingly, according to Bai Yuan, the wife and concubine in the Bull Demon King's family seemed to get along quite harmoniously. Although Bai Yuan lived in Moyun Cave, she offered gold and silver treasures to Cuiyun Mountain every year, and occasionally took the Bull Demon King back to Banana Cave for a meal and to visit relatives. After all, the Bull Demon King and Iron Fan had a son, and Bai Yuan, as his concubine, had to show him some concern out of politeness.
Unfortunately, the child was young but had a big temper. He lived on Mount Hao year-round, separated from his parents in three different places. Sometimes when he returned to Banana Cave and ran into Aunt Bai, he would never give her a friendly look, his hostility was undisguised, and he almost attacked her directly several times.
Therefore, Bai Yuan no longer dared to take it upon herself to please the child, and was grateful that she could finish a meal at the same table.
In short, Lao Niu's family situation sounds complicated.
As an outsider, Jiang Huaisu didn't feel it was appropriate to interfere in other people's family affairs. After thanking Bai Yuan, she simply remained silent, occasionally nodding to indicate that she was listening, treating it as mere spectator entertainment.
"I saw the letter you sent and wanted to help you, but the King wouldn't allow it," Bai Yuan said cheerfully. "So I sneaked off here myself. Luckily, I brought a useful treasure with me before I left, otherwise we would both be doomed here."
However, if she hadn't brought that magical artifact with her, Bai Yuan wouldn't have dared to step forward rashly. Although she was grateful to Jiang Huaisu, she wasn't at the point where she would share life and death with him.
"Back then, I was very high-profile in seeking a husband, not understanding the principle that the bigger the tree, the more the wind will blow, which attracted those with ulterior motives. I almost suffered a great loss, but luckily you had your companion give me a warning. Afterwards, I was curious about your identities and secretly went to find out. I never expected the world to be so small. Sun Wukong is my husband's sworn brother, and you are Sun Wukong's good friend."
Bai Yuan said frankly, "I'm here to repay a favor to you."
Jiang Huaisu realized that her unintentional act of kindness had been returned to her after many years.
However, Bai Yuan omitted some details in her narration. For example, her investigation into the identities of Jiang Huaisu and the others wasn't simply to repay a debt of gratitude; she also included Nezha and Xiaotian in her list of potential husbands, intending to develop a deeper relationship with them. Having more powerful backers wouldn't hurt, especially since those two were both capable and handsome.
But after learning the true identities of Nezha and Xiaotian, she quickly dismissed the idea. The former was a war god of heaven, who had slain countless demons. The latter was loyal to Erlang Shen and had not established his own faction. Both of them made her hesitate, so she dared not approach them.
"Isn't Flower Fruit Mountain a bit unsafe? Why don't you come back to Moyun Cave with me for a while and take care of your injuries?"
Jiang Huaisu shook her head and refused: "I still have to look after the monkeys..."
At this point, she suddenly remembered that while the golden eagle situation was temporarily resolved, the bear demon was still alive and kicking. The monkey troop was in danger!
After bidding a hasty farewell to Bai Yuan, she turned and headed towards the apricot grove.
Bai Yuan stood there, somewhat conflicted. He had helped her just now because he had a magical artifact and was also in a moment of impulsiveness. Now that he had calmed down, he really didn't have the courage to go with Jiang Huaisu on a second adventure.
She hoped Jiang Huaisu would ignore the monkeys and just come back to Jilei Mountain with her. What did other people's lives matter? To sacrifice oneself to save others was surely a case of losing more than one's own life.
Bai Yuan pondered what to say to change Jiang Huaisu's mind, but then saw Jiang Huaisu suddenly stop and run towards her. Bai Yuan was overjoyed, thinking she had come to her senses, "That's right, you..."
Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Huaisu pounced on her, picked her up like a sugarcane, and carried her several feet away.
Bai Yuan was in pain from her ribs being pressed against him, and was about to express his dissatisfaction when a palm strike suddenly arrived, leaving a large crater where he had been standing.
Someone launched a surprise attack!
Swallowing hard, Bai Yuan realized she had almost been flattened to the ground. The creature that had attacked her was a giant bear, its body covered in thick, muscular flesh, yet surprisingly agile. It stood beside the large pit, staring at them with hostility.
The black bear spat and said, "You stinking woman, you're really lucky to be alive."
Before splitting up, the golden eagle gave the black bear a feather as a sign; if the feather spontaneously combusted without fire, it meant that the situation had changed.
Once the golden eagle was trapped in the magic net and realized it couldn't escape anytime soon, it sent out a signal as planned. At that moment, the black bear was dealing with a troop of monkeys in the apricot grove. It almost caught up with a small monkey and crushed its skull, but due to the principle of signal priority, it had to give up its prey that was right in front of it.
Running all the way here, the black bear saw the golden eagle trapped in the net and cursed inwardly that the guy was more trouble than he was worth, even messing things up when dealing with Jiang Huaisu.
The golden eagle pointed out the direction Jiang Huaisu had fled in and warned him, "She has a helper by her side. It's a fox, not very capable, but it's good at using its cleverness. Who knows what kind of magic weapon it's hiding. Once we catch up with them, we'll kill the fox first."
The black bear followed the golden eagle's advice and immediately attacked the fox upon meeting him, only to have Jiang Huaisu intercept him, which made him so angry that he wanted to bite someone.
However, this also allowed him to test the fox's true strength; he was a complete fool and nothing to fear. He must have already used up all his magical treasures, otherwise why would he have only chosen to trap the golden eagle instead of killing it outright?
The giant bear let out a deep, rumbling roar, indicating that he was in a very bad mood.
Without any unnecessary greetings, he lowered his body slightly, gathered his strength, and attacked again. This time, he was determined to tear Jiang Huaisu in two!
Jiang Huaisu, holding Bai Yuan in her arms, flapped her wings and took off.
In this open area, it would be easy for her to escape, as she has wings and can fly. But she can't hide forever. To protect the Water Curtain Cave in the long term, she must get rid of the black bear and the golden eagle, eliminating them completely.
As he pondered a plan, he thought of Erlang Shen and Xiaotian. They hadn't arrived to help yet; it was highly likely the messenger had missed them.
The black bear swung its sharp claws, creating a foul gust of wind, and the saplings around it collapsed like fragile stalks of grass. This astonishing force made Jiang Huaisu quickly scramble to higher ground.
Seeing that its first attack was ineffective, the black bear uprooted a nearby tree and hurled it into the air.
Jiang Huaisu narrowly dodged the tree trunk that was hurtling towards her. Bai Yuan huddled in her arms, covering her head and screaming in terror, "Fly higher! Higher!"
The next moment, a turning point appeared. A heat wave hit them, and a blazing flame seemed to appear out of nowhere, sweeping up from the ground and almost scorching Jiang Huaisu's bird feathers.
Jiang Huaisu was startled, thinking that the bear demon actually knew such magic and was only using it now to catch her off guard. But she quickly realized that she was wrong. The flames were not controlled by the bear demon, but were instead aimed at killing her.
The bear demon's body was mostly engulfed in flames, emitting a deafening howl of pain. No matter how thick his hide was, he couldn't withstand such fierce flames and was soon burned to the point where he no longer had the strength to scream. With a loud thud, the huge bear body collapsed, curling up like a shrimp.
The black bear, which had been so arrogant not long ago, now looked like a giant, charred piece of roasted meat, barely breathing and seemingly not far from death.
With the major problem resolved in an instant, Jiang Huaisu felt a sudden sense of relief. She retracted her wings, carried Bai Yuan back to the ground, and looked around. Since Samadhi True Fire had appeared, could it be that Nezha had arrived to help?
However, after searching for a long time, she couldn't find Nezha. Instead, she saw a strange, unfamiliar boy sitting on the treetop, looking down at her and Bai Yuan with a playful expression and his eyes slightly narrowed.
The boy looked younger than Nezha, dressed in an exaggerated and ornate style. He wore a heavy fox fur cloak, the front of which was so loose that it exposed half of his chest, and his skin was dazzlingly white in the sunlight. This outfit was neither summer nor winter, and he wore various gaudy decorations on his wrists, shoulders and neck. At first glance, it was somewhat similar to Nezha's style, but he looked even more eerie.
The boy leaped down from the treetop, his gaze sweeping lightly over Jiang Huaisu before turning to Bai Yuan, and said sarcastically, "I thought you sneaked out to meet some wild demon, but it turns out you're just rushing to your death."
Jiang Huaisu was taken aback. It seemed that the young man knew Bai Yuan? As long as they weren't enemies, that was good.
As she got closer, she could see the boy's face more clearly. He was quite handsome, but his dark red hair and blue-gray eyes made him look like he wasn't human.
Bai Yuan's smile appeared forced: "Holy Infant King..."
The boy snorted coldly and withdrew the flames from the bear demon. Jiang Huaisu then realized that this was not the Samadhi True Fire, otherwise it would be impossible to control it so freely. However, its power was still quite considerable, and it should be some kind of fire-based spell enhanced by demonic power.
"Don't pretend to be pitiful. My dad falls for that, but I don't."
Jiang Huaisu's heart skipped a beat. The Holy Infant King? The Bull Holy Infant? Red Boy? If that's the case, Bai Yuan is at least of a higher generation than him, so why does he call him "King"? So humble?
Bai Yuan's eyes darted around; she was like a mouse before a cat in the presence of Hong Hai'er. She hadn't been this terrified when facing the black bear's ambush. This cautious attitude also reflected that Hong Hai'er was indeed not an easy person to get along with.
Red Boy frowned slightly in annoyance. His home, Hao Mountain, wasn't far from Ji Lei Mountain, and to monitor the wild fox and his father's movements, he had long kept spies near her cave. His scoundrel father probably knew this, but he turned a blind eye to his actions.
A few days ago, one of his underlings reported seeing Bai Yuan sneak out of her cave. He guessed she was going to meet her lover outside, so he excitedly followed, hoping to get something on her. Unexpectedly, this foolish fox just came to Flower Fruit Mountain to die, and things suddenly became boring.
But Red Boy, still hoping for the best, asked, "If there's no adulterer, then is she an adulterer's wife? Or is she actually a man in disguise?" He pointed at Jiang Huaisu, "Tell me honestly, is she your lover?"
Only by seizing Bai Yuan's weakness can we complain to our scoundrel father. Even if we can't separate the fox and the ox, we can at least sow discord between them.
Bai Yuan shook her head violently: "No... what are you saying!" This brat's question surprised her so much that she forgot to put on a flattering tone when she replied, and only focused on refuting his false accusation.
Red Boy's face immediately darkened; he was quite dissatisfied with the outcome. He couldn't kill the fox, otherwise his father would definitely fight him to the death.
He had previously burned the bear demon because he thought it was in the way, but now he secretly regretted his recklessness. If he had watched it a little longer, the bear demon might have been able to inflict some injury on Bai Yuan. Even if it couldn't kill her, it would have taught her a lesson.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He had come all this way, only to get nothing and end up helping Bai Yuan and the woman next to her, who then benefited from his trip!
What followed was another round of verbal sparring; Red Boy, for what seemed like the umpteenth time, tried to coerce and entice Bai Yuan to leave the Bull Demon King. But she skillfully refused him:
“I make offerings to Cuiyun Mountain every year, and your mother has always allowed it!”
After exchanging only a few words, Bai Yuan's emotions gradually stabilized, and he was always able to refute Hong Hai'er's words with ease, as if he had become skilled through practice.
In contrast, Red Boy's face alternated between pale and flushed, clearly enraged. He flicked his wrist, revealing a ten-foot-long fire-tipped spear. Whether from rage or a sudden illness, he thrust the spear at Bai Yuan, who, startled, buckled and crouched to the ground, narrowly avoiding the attack.
The spearhead embedded itself in the tree trunk behind Bai Yuan, shaking down a shower of leaves. Bai Yuan decisively abandoned all pretense of dignity, and began calling out the name of the Holy Infant King again, pitifully begging for mercy.
Jiang Huaisu was also startled by Red Boy's sudden outburst. His attacks weren't particularly fast, seemingly deliberately holding back, but the killing intent emanating from him was undeniably real. For a moment, she couldn't be sure if Red Boy truly intended to kill Bai Yuan.
Putting herself in Hong Hai'er's shoes, Jiang Huaisu could understand his hostility towards Bai Yuan very well. However, Bai Yuan had just helped her, and from a personal perspective, she couldn't just sit idly by.
She couldn't help but sigh at the endless cycle of repaying kindness. If she hadn't received Bai Yuan's favor today, she might still be able to remain a bystander and stay out of it all.
Red Boy pulled his spear from the tree trunk, ready to stab again, but felt a pulling pain on his scalp, and his body involuntarily leaned back.
Turning his head, he saw that it was Jiang Huaisu who had grabbed the end of his hair in her haste.
Jiang Huaisu met his gaze, gave an awkward, silly smile, and said, "Your hair is so beautiful, I couldn't help but want to touch it..."
As she spoke, she turned her back to cover up her actions, secretly brushing away a few strands of red hair that had been pulled out and were tangled between her fingers.
Red Boy's anger reached a new level. The faint blush beneath his skin rose from his neck to his cheeks, visibly turning them red and warm.
"You two are in cahoots."
He made his conclusion through gritted teeth.
Bai Yuan ducked down and slipped under Hong Hai'er's arm, hiding behind Jiang Huaisu, demonstrating their shared stance.
Jiang Huaisu, forced to become a protective mother hen for her chicks: "..."
Red Boy laughed: "Then you two can both die."
He raised his gun with murderous intent, his expression terrifying as if he wanted to skin them alive. Jiang Huaisu and Bai Yuan weren't about to stand there and wait to be stabbed; they immediately fled at top speed. But Red Boy could also travel by air on clouds, and Jiang Huaisu's wings were at a disadvantage at this moment.
The bird involved is now filled with regret, deep regret. Why did it have to be so cheeky as to grab the other bird's hair? Not only did it invite trouble, but it also maxed out the other bird's anger!
Throughout the day, the demon chasing Jiang Huaisu changed from a golden eagle to a black bear and then to Red Boy. Each time she seemed to be saved, an even bigger boss was actually on its way, as if she were trapped in some kind of cyclical escape.
The levels are getting harder and harder each time, what should I do?!
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