The "tap-tap-tap" sound was particularly eerie in the deep alley, each beat striking at the heart. Then a woman's voice rang out, "Stop hiding, you can't escape."
Hidden among the clutter in the corner was a young girl, sitting with her knees drawn up to her chest, holding her breath, staring in terror at where she had come from, biting her lip so hard she dared not utter a sound. The clatter of her high heels sounded like a terrifying death knell to her ears.
"Come out obediently and let me eat you, that way you'll suffer less. Otherwise, if you anger me, it won't be as simple as just being eaten!" The woman behind her swayed her hips as she walked step by step toward the girl's hiding place. A cruel smile played on her lips, and she licked her lips slightly, seemingly looking forward to her next prey.
The girl buried her head in her knees in terror, covered her ears with her hands, and trembled uncontrollably.
"It's all your fault for seeing things you shouldn't have. Now that you know my secret, I have no choice but to take advantage of you ahead of time. To be honest, I'm quite reluctant to part with you. I was originally planning to change my appearance. Sigh, it seems that this matter will have to be put on hold for a while." Without anyone noticing, the woman appeared above the girl's head, standing in mid-air.
The woman landed gently, then reached out and grabbed the girl by the neck, lifting her into the air. "Poor little thing, were you scared? Don't worry, it'll be over soon, it won't hurt at all..."
The girl struggled incessantly, desperately trying to pry the hand off her neck. Her legs kicked wildly, attempting to break free. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pry open the slender hand. Gradually, the girl lost her strength, and her movements slowed.
"It really is you? Hongling, let go of that girl right now!" In the instant before losing consciousness, the girl heard a delicate shout.
"Not bad today, are they all eager to get themselves killed?" Just like last time, Hongling got hit again. "Do they think I have a good temper? Time and time again, you underworld people are going too far. In that case, I'll deal with you first, then you deal with her!"
"Who's afraid of who? Come on if you dare!" Leng Yue said, then turned and ran. After running for a while, she saw that Hong Ling was not chasing after her.
Leng Yue realized something was wrong; she'd been tricked! She quickly turned back to rescue the girl. But when she returned, she found no one there. Hong Ling was gone, and the girl was gone too.
Leng Yue was anxious, but she tried her best to calm herself down. "Hey, Sister Hongling, look how dirty that girl is, and she's covered in sweat. Don't you think she smells bad? How can you bring yourself to kiss her like that?"
"Sister Hongling, I never knew you had such a strong palate! Even those rough and tough monsters in 'Journey to the West' can't compare to you in this respect. No wonder even Lord Zhong Kui didn't want to eat you; he just didn't like you!"
While provoking Hong Ling, Leng Yue kept a close eye on her surroundings, not missing a single sound. She held a pile of demon-suppressing talismans and thunder talismans in her hand, waiting for an opportunity.
“Sister Hongling, if you ask me, since that girl can’t escape anyway, we might as well wash her clean and eat her properly. If it were me, I would definitely wash her clean before eating her. But I’m not so sure about you.”
"Sister Hongling, I heard that you are actually a mountain maiden, right? That makes sense. You've been fond of eating raw meat and drinking blood for a thousand years now. You really haven't changed at all!"
"Sister Hongling..."
"Shut up, who are you calling 'big sister'?" Hong Ling suddenly appeared from behind the wall. Leng Yue didn't have time to think and quickly rushed to Hong Ling's side, throwing out the talisman in her hand. She chanted, "Heaven and earth are boundless, the universe borrows its power, so be it! Collect!"
The demon-suppressing talisman surrounded Hong Ling, and then the lightning talisman struck her, completely enraging her.
Hongling ignored the girl on the ground and began to focus all her attention on Leng Yue. "If I don't show my power, you'll think I'm Lin Daiyu? Today I'll show you what it means to court disaster!"
As Hong Ling spoke, she revealed her true form: a tattered red ribbon. This red ribbon grew larger and larger, completely enveloping Leng Yue, its area shrinking as it tried to bind Leng Yue completely.
At first, Leng Yue didn't notice anything amiss, but upon closer inspection, she discovered something strange: the enormous red rhizome was covered with countless mouths, each filled with numerous sharp teeth. Leng Yue's scalp tingled at the sight, and she quickly slipped out of the rhizome's encirclement.
However, despite its large and open appearance, Hong Ling was incredibly agile. Wherever Leng Yue tried to hide, Hong Ling would follow, like a shadow, impossible to shake off—she was more persistent than a leech!
The alley was narrow, and as Leng Yue dodged, she was unknowingly cornered in a dead end. Leng Yue tried to escape through the wall, but Hong Ling seemed to anticipate her move, pressing her body against the wall to block her path. When Leng Yue tried to fly overhead, Hong Ling sealed off the top of her head. When Leng Yue tried to burrow underground, Hong Ling sealed off the ground as well.
And so, the red water chestnut turned into a red ball, and the cold moon became the ball's meal.
Seeing that she had completely gained the upper hand, Hongling lowered her guard and recklessly shortened the distance between herself and Lengyue. Tens of thousands of mouths opened simultaneously, attacking Lengyue. Lengyue could even hear the sound of saliva dripping from these mouths, and couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine.
Just as the hungry babies were about to touch Leng Yue, with no way to avoid it, Leng Yue pulled out the Qiankun Fan, quickly opened it, and threw it at Hong Ling.
As soon as the Qiankun Fan appeared, a golden light enveloped Hongling. The child, who had been drooling, began to scream. Hongling retracted her original form, transforming back into human form, and continued screaming, "It's the Qiankun Fan? It's Zhong Kui again, isn't it? Zhong Kui, Zhong Kui, I hate it..."
Before Hongling could finish her last sentence, she was absorbed into the Qiankun Fan. Lengyue put away the Qiankun Fan and tucked it into her sleeve. As she turned to leave, she remembered the girl from before.
It was the middle of the night, and the temperature was low; the girl would surely freeze if she stayed outside all night. Leng Yue, wanting to see this through, decided to carry the girl away.
Once outside the alley, Leng Yue was at a loss again. She had no idea where the girl lived or where to deliver the package.
As she walked, Leng Yue saw the police station. After thinking for a moment, she avoided the security cameras and left the girl at the entrance. Then she knocked on the door, and only left after someone came out and took the girl inside.
She still had to go back and report, and having finally completed a task, Leng Yue was very happy.
"Young lady, where do you live?" The girl woke up crying in the police station, and the police officer asked patiently, "Did something happen? Tell me, and we'll figure out a solution together."
"I'm going to make the child a cup of milk tea; you're so cold." Just then, a kind-looking policewoman walked over and said to the girl, "Young lady, have some milk tea to warm yourself up!"
Upon seeing the policewoman, the girl burst into even louder sobs, "Auntie, I almost died! Waaah, I was so scared! I almost died..."
The policewoman glanced at her other colleagues, gently put her arm around the girl, and softly comforted her, "It's alright, it's alright, Auntie's here."
Finally, after the girl had cried herself to sleep, she gently revealed the reason, but everyone was even more confused.
Leng Yue only realized after returning to the underworld that she hadn't erased the girl's memories...
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