Chapter 8 Blood Moon Secret Realm (Part 3) Shameless
On the bustling street, Shi Xianxue nervously clutched the jade slip. She never expected retribution to come so quickly. If she had known she would be grouped with him, she wouldn't have been so sarcastic. Now, she was following Wu Xiutang to search for the Nine-Tailed Fox, which was tantamount to courting death.
Despite his righteous and awe-inspiring appearance, he was probably secretly plotting to kill her!
Just like in the Black Mountain Cave, he first pretended to save her to prove his strength, and then used others to kill himself, so as to fulfill his reputation for benevolence and righteousness.
Ha! She's the best at understanding the psychology of these villains.
Fortunately, she still had a communication jade slip. If he dared to harm her, she could call for the male and female leads. Even if they couldn't save her in time, they would still know the other side of this little villain.
Fortunately, he seemed to be genuinely focused on finding the nine-tailed fox and did not show any other intentions towards her.
only!
Penniless and a woman, she had no way of getting into the brothel. She could only sit in the shade like a waiting stone, hoping that Wu Xiutang would return with his investigation.
One after another, she went from one brothel to another. Shi Xianxue had no idea that there were so many brothels around. She hadn't exercised, and by the end of the afternoon, she almost broke her legs.
Her stomach rumbled, and she swallowed hard as she looked at the steamed bun stall across the street.
Hearing the exclamations of amazement from the crowd, Shi Xianxue quickly dusted herself off, stood up, and pushed her way through the crowd.
Wu Xiutang was beautiful, with red lips and white teeth. She had a slender and upright figure with excellent proportions. Standing in a crowd, she stood out from the crowd and attracted everyone's attention.
"Young Master Wu," Shi Xianxue called to him sweetly.
Wu Xiutang pretended not to hear and started walking forward.
Shi Xianxue eagerly followed, politely attempting to make a request, "Young Master Wu, I'm a little hungry, but I don't have any money. Could you help me...?"
"No." He didn't even finish listening.
Shi Xianxue sadly uttered an "oh," and followed him dejectedly. After a while, she raised her head again, unwilling to give up: "Young Master Wu, just consider it a loan from me. I will pay it back. Just give me two coins; I want to buy a meat bun."
The people around her were chattering like crows, seemingly determined to get money. Wu Xiutang suddenly stopped and leaned closer to her: "Want some money?"
Shi Xianxue nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
"Then trade your chain for it."
"A chain?" Oh. Her family heirloom.
Shi Xianxue rubbed her shoulder, looking embarrassed, and said, "It's not that I don't want to give it to you, it's just that the chain is so elusive. Sometimes it's a bracelet, sometimes it's wrapped around my waist, and now—"
She took a step forward and whispered, "It seems to be on my clothes now."
Wu Xiutang was stunned for a moment, then his expression changed slightly. He took a step back and looked at her angrily: "You! Shameless!"
Shi Xianxue pressed her advantage, saying, "How is it that I'm shameless? Didn't you ask me for it? I can't very well undress in public, can I? Give me the silver first, and we'll take it off for you when we get back, behind closed doors, okay?"
"Shut up!"
"I really didn't lie to you!" Afraid that he wouldn't believe her, Shi Xianxue stepped forward and was about to tear open her clothes to show him. "Put your head over here, I can let you see first."
How could Wu Xiutang possibly go see her? He was so angry at this shameless woman that his breathing became rapid and his face flushed. He picked up two copper coins and threw them at her with disgust: "Get lost!"
Shi Xianxue caught the copper coin and happily rolled away. After buying the meat buns, she returned and was drawn to another stall: "What are they selling here?"
It's a long, pinkish-red strip with a thin tail, coated with a very light layer of sugar. If you look closely, it seems to be wriggling, like a little red radish that has come to life, but it's been marinated in alcohol and is now soft and limp.
Upon seeing a guest, the old woman greeted her warmly: "Young lady, this is a delicacy from our southern Yue region called Honey Chicks, which is very nourishing."
"Honey chicken?" Is it made with chicken? It sounds so sweet and delicious. It's a pity she doesn't have any money, otherwise she would definitely buy a couple to try.
"Want some? I can buy it for you." Wu Xiutang appeared behind her out of nowhere. He recovered his composure very quickly and was now able to speak to her gently.
The sun rose in the west.
I just asked him for two coins and he acted like it was going to kill him, but now he's being so generous.
Shi Xianxue looked around but couldn't find Song Qingshu. She looked at him in surprise: "Buy it for me? I don't have the money to pay you back."
"No need to pay it back, consider it my treat."
That's even more terrifying.
Shi Xianxue shook her head like a rattle-drum: "No, I don't want to."
Wu Xiutang didn't say anything more. He stared at her with a deep gaze for a while, then walked away with an unfriendly expression.
Now it was Shi Xianxue's turn to be uncertain.
If he insisted on eating it himself, Shi Xianxue would have no doubt that it was a trap. But since he acted as if he had finally had a change of heart and didn't care whether she ate it or not, Shi Xianxue hesitated.
She was naturally greedy and had a big appetite; one steamed bun wasn't even enough to fill her teeth. So, smelling the strange sweetness in the air, she couldn't help but ask what it was.
The old woman, fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan, casually replied, "A rat fetus."
What?
What about rats?
Say it again if you dare, what is this?
"I caught them all myself. They were tiny, red baby mice that hadn't even opened their eyes yet. I fed them honey, and when they bit me, they made a squeaking sound, hence the name 'Honey Squeak'."
Baby mice? Squeaking?
Doesn't that mean these rats are alive?
Eating raw rats? Good heavens, is this even Chinese?
Shi Xianxue crushed the steamed bun in her hand.
Looking down, I vaguely spotted a long, thin, red tail wriggling in the remaining filling.
A wave of nausea surged through her stomach, and she gagged, leaning against the wall as she retched painfully.
Not far away, the Jade-Faced Fox swarmed onto Wu Xiutang's shoulder like a sand painting, coalescing into a paper-thin kitten, which mocked, "Master, she looks really stupid."
That's pretty stupid.
Wu Xiutang's lips relaxed, and a wicked, pleasurable laugh escaped his throat.
Teasing her seems more interesting than killing her.
The boy's smile was like a wild peach blossom, his eyebrows and eyes relaxed and beautiful, appearing completely harmless. He seemed to find Shi Xianxue's appearance ridiculous, and began to laugh at her without any mercy. The corners of his eyes were upturned in an extremely flamboyant arc, tinged with a faint hazy hue.
Despite the boy's exaggerated laughter, his face didn't look distorted at all; on the contrary, his features became even more vibrant because of his wild laughter, causing the women around him to blush and their hearts to race.
His laughter could be heard by Shi Xianxue even in Beiyong.
She was very angry, and she knew that Wu Xiutang was deliberately messing with him.
He's from Nanyue, how could he not know what "miji" is? Besides, it's strange that he would take the initiative to care about her and buy her things, which is contrary to his usual behavior.
Shi Xianxue really wanted to stuff the rat into his mouth.
As the sun began to set and the autumn wind stirred the flower branches, Shi Xianxue, caught between feeling humiliated and angry, suddenly caught a whiff of a familiar floral fragrance.
She arched her nose and looked around.
As she walked through the bustling city, she saw a red plum blossom cautiously peeking out from the floral window on the wall.
It's early autumn now, not the season for plum blossoms to bloom.
She felt like she'd smelled it somewhere before, just a short while ago.
Wait! She remembered.
Shi Xianxue broke off a sprig of plum blossom and ran over excitedly, "Wu Xiutang!"
Wu Xiutang's mood visibly improved, but when he saw Shi Xianxue preparing to approach him, he clicked his tongue in a warning tone and raised his chin: "Stop."
"Oh." Shi Xianxue obediently stopped a few steps away, waving the red plum blossom in her hand.
"I think I've found traces of the nine-tailed fox."
Inside the teahouse, Li Fuchao stared at the tightly closed door opposite him, his brows furrowed: "Yuehuaqing? Is this a music hall?"
"That's right. I was closest to the Water Mirror at the time and didn't know how to hold my breath, which almost made the Nine-Tailed Fox discover my presence. So, besides that smell, I also smelled a floral fragrance. At first, I thought it was the fragrance of crape myrtle flowers in the city, until I saw a bunch of red plum blossoms. Then I remembered that what I smelled was the fragrance of plum blossoms. This is not the season when plum blossoms are in full bloom. I think it must have been affected by the Nine-Tailed Fox's demonic power. Therefore, Yuehuaqing is very likely the hiding place of the Nine-Tailed Fox."
Music halls and dance halls welcome guests during the day, but now Yuehuaqing's doors are tightly closed, and it seems to have a strange sense of guilt.
"Let's not delay. Let's go."
Seeing that they were about to leave with their swords, Shi Xianxue hurriedly grabbed a handful of peanuts and was about to follow them when Song Qingshu stopped her: "Xiaoxue, you stay here."
Shi Xianxue knew that Song Qingshu was worried about her and was also afraid that she would hold them back, so she sensibly said, "Okay, I'll wait for you here."
Just then, the storyteller downstairs was recounting an ancient war between gods and demons.
Shi Xianxue peeled a peanut, rested her arm on the second-floor railing, and listened casually.
"Last time we talked about how the ancient war between gods and demons ended with the goddess sacrificing herself and the demon lord Zhu Ze being reduced to ashes. Among the three great artifacts, the Sun and Moon were used as seals and placed on Mount No Return to suppress the ferocious demon general. Today, we will talk about this pillar of heaven, Mount No Return."
Mount No Return, according to legend, is a pillar connecting heaven and earth, its surface covered with raging flames called the Mountain-Protecting Fire. Its power can burn all things, and rain cannot extinguish it, thus blocking many demons who sought to break the seal.
The audience members complained: "Everyone knows these things, so tell us something we haven't heard of."
The storyteller closed his folding fan, feigning mystery: "You only know about Mount No Return, but do you know that beyond Mount No Return lies a hidden paradise?"
The audience gradually quieted down, and the storyteller pointed upwards with his folding fan: "The towering mountains overlook the Wei River, and the green peaks pierce the distant sky. On the mountain of no return, there is a Taoist altar for worshipping immortals, filled with the spiritual energy of the immortals."
The gods and demons have long lifespans, while humans must experience birth, aging, sickness, and death. Floods and plagues can severely damage the human race's vitality. The goddess could not bear this, so she descended to the Wushan tribe in the ancient times and taught the human race cultivation methods. However, the human race has limited talent and is burdened by the seven emotions and six desires. Few people can break through the racial suppression and cultivate the Great Dao. Therefore, the goddess specially built a fast path for the human race to cultivate immortality and help them overcome tribulations and become immortals.
The former emperor Chongli ascended to heaven from here, three hundred feet away, and was utterly cut off from the world.
However, as Zhu Ze perished, he used his last bit of demonic power to destroy the Worship Platform. With the Worship Platform destroyed, the Heavenly Pillar was severed in the middle, which is what is meant by "severing the connection between heaven and earth".
So much so that since the fall of the gods, for tens of thousands of years, not a single one has ascended to immortality. If the demons were to return…
The audience members didn't take it seriously: "Although the gods have fallen and the human race's cultivation has been hindered, the demons of the demon realm have also been sealed under Mount No Return, and they have lived in peace for so many years."
"Yes, and besides, the lifespan of ordinary people is only a few decades. Even if Mount No Return collapses, it may not be in some past life. Those who should consider these issues are the cultivators who care about all living beings."
This remark drew a burst of laughter from the crowd.
The storyteller struck his gavel, signaling for everyone to be quiet.
"What if Zhuze hasn't completely disappeared?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
