Empty Hands
At daybreak, the wolf demon brought back two large pancakes from nearby, and its head was cracked.
It sneaked into the kitchen, was discovered by its owner, and was beaten twice, but it didn't utter a sound and ran back with its fluffy tail between its legs.
One large pancake per person, nothing else.
The wolf demon stared longingly at Rong Yan eating the pancake, his mouth watering.
Rong Yan, feeling perfectly at ease, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why are you looking at me?"
Its eyes were so pitiful. Rong Yan broke off a small piece and gave it to it, saying, "Here, this is yours. Don't look at me anymore."
The small piece of wheat cake was rolled into his stomach, and he couldn't even taste it. The wolf demon then turned his gaze to Lin Yueyao.
Lin Yueyao looked back at it, her eyes asking, "Want to be beaten?"
The wolf demon lay down on the ground, bullying small animals—there's no justice in this world!
We ate wheat cakes for breakfast and went fishing in the river for lunch.
Lin Yueyao stood on the riverbank and urged Wenqing to sink to the bottom of the water. Wenqing silently blended into the school of fish. As he chanted the incantation, his sword energy surged, causing the fish to scatter and leap out of the water.
Seizing the opportunity, the wolf demon leaped into the water, bit it, and tossed it to Rong Yan on the shore.
Rong Yan rolled up his trouser legs, used a cloth to catch the fish, and filled the bag to the brim.
The fish that Wenqing caught is called a red fish. It looks no different from a regular grass carp, except that its flesh is bright red, hence the name.
The fish that had been caught were handed over to Rong Yan to process. There were five fish in total; three were used to grill, and the remaining two were used to make soup.
While the charcoal fire was still warm, the wolf demon finished gathering the dry grass and hurriedly stoked the fire.
After cleaning the red fish's internal organs, making incisions, stuffing spices into its belly, and roasting it over a fire.
The wolf demon was in charge of checking the grilled fish, while Rong Yan cooked the remaining two fish.
The small pot was heated until it was red-hot, and then clear oil was poured into it. The oil was as smooth as silk.
Place the cleaned fish in the bottom of the pot and fry until golden brown. Once the bones are fried until crispy, mash them and add sweet spring water. Simmer the fish soup until it becomes thick and white.
The pot of boiling white fish soup was lacking a garnish. Rong Yan pondered for a moment, and a furry paw reached into the pot right under his nose, scattering a few tender wild grasses.
"Watch out for your fur."
The wolf demon chuckled憨厚ly, "I dug up some wild grass."
When it was time to eat, the wolf demon transformed into human form, sat by the fire, and imitated the two people's eating habits, slowly and methodically cleaning the fish bones.
The golden-brown grilled fish is served with a delicious fish soup, the original broth complementing the original food.
After eating and drinking to our hearts' content, we waited for nightfall.
Night fell as expected, and the fire gradually died down, fading into the darkness.
A wolf's howl echoed through the dense forest, startling birds and beasts into flight.
The moon emerged from the clouds, and the shadow at my feet gradually overlapped with the person beside me.
He was half a head shorter than his senior sister, but their shadows were almost identical.
The wolf demon muttered to itself, howling incessantly, circling on the ground, and drawing strange magic circles with its body.
"open--"
A gatehouse rises from the ground, and the interior is unfathomably deep.
"Let's go." Lin Yueyao started to move first, and Rong Yan followed her, noticing that the wolf demon hadn't moved. "Aren't you coming?"
"I'm not going," it shook its head. "The grilled fish is delicious. See you again sometime."
Rong Yan didn't say anything, but realizing that Lin Yueyao had gone far away and the road ahead was uncertain, he hurriedly followed.
The gatehouse closed the moment the two entered, and the wolf demon released its claws and disappeared into the depths of the jungle.
Beyond the gatehouse lies a wide avenue, wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side.
People came and went on the street, their faces bearing eerie smiles.
The people here are full of kindness; they always have a smiling look in their eyes, no matter who they see.
The two walked for a long time, until their legs were weak, before they saw a place filled with bright light.
Rong Yan pinched his thigh; his calves were sore and aching. He didn't rest for long before Lin Yueyao set off again.
Lin Yueyao stopped at a high place, and following her gaze, the people below looked like ants.
It was a bustling market, crowded and noisy, but devoid of any human presence.
The air was thick with demonic energy, making Wen Qing feel extremely uncomfortable. The crystal on the hilt of her sword shimmered with dazzling light. Lin Yueyao walked into the market and became the center of attention.
There are vendors on both sides of the road selling sesame oil, family planning products, and even cultivators with spiritual roots.
Rong Yan stopped.
"Genuine spiritual root, Golden Core stage cultivation." The stall owner was an old man with shifty eyes, constantly winking at Rong Yan, "Young master, buy some to take home."
Seeing this, Rong Yan hesitated. He had always dreamed of breaking the curse of the Void Spirit Root, but it turned out there really was a way.
Lin Yueyao floated past him, saying, "A Golden Core stage spiritual root carries the risk of the body exploding."
Senior sister is right. Since this kind of thing appeared here, it must have been forcibly taken from somewhere else.
As they walked on, the hawking grew louder, giving Rong Yan a headache. When they saw a stall selling magical artifacts, he quickly pulled her to stop.
"Senior sister, come here quickly." Lin Yueyao stopped as Rong Yan pulled her sleeve and dragged her to the stall.
"I have all kinds of weapons here, including swords, spears, halberds, iron hammers made from human bones, and the heads of cultivators. Which one do you want, little brother?" The proprietress's face was as white as snow, and she smiled as if she were wearing a mask.
These things are all too strong in flavor. My junior brother is young, but he has a rather strong palate.
Lin Yueyao blurted out, "You like it?"
It wasn't that he liked it, but he had his eye on a bracelet with colorful stones set in it, which he thought would look beautiful on his wrist.
He pointed to the stall and said to Lin Yueyao, "I want that one."
The proprietress smiled, but her smile became somewhat eerie when she went too far. "Young man, you have a good eye. This bracelet was left behind by Master Rong Nianci ten years ago. It has five-colored divine stones on it and a few strands of divine power. It can not only be used for self-defense but also as a magic weapon."
Upon hearing that he could use it as a magical artifact, Rong Yan's eyes lit up. He looked at her pleadingly, still clutching a piece of her clothing in his hand.
Lin Yueyao glanced at them and saw that they were just a few ordinary pebbles. "You really want them?"
"I really want it."
If it were truly Rong Nianci's property, it would have been collected by those people from Futu Mountain long ago. How could it have ended up here and been bought by Rong Yan?
Fine, if the child wants it, then buy it.
With a wave of her hand, several gold ingots appeared on the proprietress's table.
The proprietress beamed with joy and eagerly stuffed the bracelet into Rong Yan's arms.
"Let's go."
As Rong Yan walked further, his pace slowed down. Lin Yueyao looked back and saw that the child was unhappy. The bracelet he was holding was dull and lifeless, and the magic he had been using had only lasted until now.
"Senior sister..." His eyes filled with tears, his nose red and swollen, "She lied to me..."
Words of comfort are hard to say; one learns from one's mistakes.
“How could she do this…” He stepped forward silently, pale and powerless. “I was so stupid.”
“Not just him.” She stared at him intently. “There are people even more foolish than you.”
Rong Yan looked up at her, but couldn't understand.
Just after they left, the proprietress trembled with rage, the golden light faded, and the gold ingots in front of her turned into several broken stones.
The only good thing about Blackwater City is that you don't have to take responsibility for doing bad things, which also makes it easier to avoid being deceived.
There's no rush to acquire ritual implements; what's important is finding a place to rest.
The market was about the same size as those in the human world, and there were also taverns where people could rest.
Since earthly currency was useless, spirit stones were acceptable everywhere. Lin Yueyao paid for the room, chose two decent private rooms, and decided to stay for a few days.
The two rooms are connected, expensive, and very soundproof.
Not a breath of wind could be heard outside the room. After washing up, I went to bed.
Rong Yan lay on the bed, unaware of what his senior sister next door was doing at that moment.
The room was filled with a sweet fragrance; the tavern staff had coated the walls with spices, and the aroma permeated the room, causing me to unconsciously close my eyes and drift off to sleep.
Lin Yueyao, sitting at the table next door, was talking to a paper crane that could transmit sound.
The voice of the True Man Xuantong came from the paper crane—
"When you're out and about, you have to be careful. The weather is getting warmer and the sun is scorching, so wear more clothes when you need to and don't try to cool off."
Finally, the paper crane added, "Take good care of Rong Yan, and tell him not to worry about the assessment."
Lin Yueyao leaned in to listen and heard: "Don't worry about your teacher, I'm fine. It's just that it's a bit lonely without you all around."
"Thank you for your concern, Master." She replied, and the blessed paper crane fluttered its wings and flew out the window.
Xuan Tong Zhenren, who was thousands of miles away, received the paper crane, heard the words on it, and smiled faintly, "This girl."
As night deepened and it was time to rest, the tavern's oil lamps were made with mermaid oil, so the fire could not be extinguished by water and could keep burning even in water.
Since she couldn't extinguish it, she used scissors to cut the wick, making the flame burn even brighter.
She leaned against the bed, oblivious to the noise outside the door, and focused intently on trimming the flames.
At this moment, Wenqing was restless, so Lin Yueyao put away Wenqing, tucked her into the quilt, and lay down on the bed.
The next moment, someone boldly sneaked into the room.
He said as he walked, "This is it."
"Tell him to follow."
Judging from the footsteps, there seemed to be several people urging those behind them, "Where is he?"
Never mind, the group searched the room aimlessly, but finding nothing, they turned their attention to Lin Yueyao.
One of them was about to pull back the covers when the other stopped him, asking, "What if we wake them up?"
"Such a strong incense won't wake her up." The man reassured him confidently, then lifted the blanket, completely unaware that Lin Yueyao was still wearing her clothes and shoes.
He immediately noticed Wen Qing beside him.
The bird buzzed loudly, chirping, "It's going to be stolen!!"
Lin Yueyao remained as still as Mount Tai, lying motionless on the bed, completely deceiving the group.
"That's it." He reached out to touch Wenqing, but was bounced away as soon as he touched the edge.
Lin Yueyao continued to pretend to be asleep.
"What is that?!" the man who was thrown back shouted. They had seen this thing in the market and assumed it was a treasure, which was why they had followed it all the way here.
Unexpectedly, it was so strange that it sent him flying.
"I'll do it—" The burly man shoved him, reaching out again to touch him, when suddenly a bullet shot out, sliding off the wall and onto the ground.
The group, refusing to believe in superstition, all took action.
This time, instead of being flung away, his palm was pierced.
Black blood dripped down, and Wenqing was pulled out of the flesh with a swift, clean motion.
The man screamed in pain, clutching his hand and rolling on the ground, crying, "My hand!! My hand!!!"
"Your hand is ruined."
Lin Yueyao added coldly.
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