Jade and stone burned together
"Ahhh—"
"Fairy, spare me—"
"I'll never do it again—"
The screams echoed in the room. The soundproofing was excellent. Rong Yan was sleeping soundly, with soft snores coming from his nose and a sweet smile on his face, deep in a sweet dream.
In his dream, he was on a vast ocean, lying in a small boat with his face up to the sky. White waves rolled beneath the boat, and it swayed back and forth on the sea, feeling incredibly comfortable.
A strong wind soon picked up, causing the small boat to rock violently. A huge wave crashed over it, capsizing it and sinking it to the bottom of the water.
Rong Yan woke up with a start, his body trembling violently, the scenery on both sides rushing past rapidly, and his stomach was painfully chapped.
He was being carried on someone's shoulder, fleeing away. He reached out and touched something hard—a horn.
Looking down, it had hands, feet, and horns—what else could it be but a monster?
Rong Yan fainted again from fright.
The demons and monsters in the room were beaten black and blue by Lin Yueyao, tied up neatly, cleaned up, packed up and thrown out the window.
These monsters wanted to steal her sword. Luckily, she wasn't asleep. She wondered how Rong Yan was doing; hopefully, he wouldn't be woken up in the middle of the night.
Remembering my master's words of caution, I should go and take a look.
The room was right next door, just a turn away.
Lin Yueyao stood in front of the open door. The candles inside were still burning, and there were signs that the bed by the window had been overturned. The window was wide open, and there was a lingering eerie atmosphere in the air.
Unable to steal the sword, they robbed people instead.
They're really tired of living.
The question of feelings and the layers of murderous intent instantly vanished the demonic aura in the air.
She leaped out of the window, and the demon at the base of the wall fell unconscious, beaten to the point of near death. She picked on one of the demons who struggled the most, demanding, "Where is my junior brother?"
What junior brother? The demon couldn't understand a word. "Great Immortal, spare my life—"
"Speak!" She drew her sword, Wenqing, and held it in front of her eyes.
The demon trembled and nudged his companion, "Did you do it?!"
"Tell me quickly!"
"I don't know anything." His companion was shaken awake, his eyes swollen shut.
“Dead people don’t talk,” she threatened.
"I know, it's Lao Niu!! It must be him, he wasn't in the room just now."
Lin Yueyao turned her gaze to him, pointed her sword at him, and said, "Take me to him."
The old ox ran swiftly and steadily. Before it cultivated into human form, it was an extremely loyal water buffalo. Later, as it grew old, its owner also grew old, and its children and grandchildren discussed selling it.
Even if they were sold, they would still end up in the hands of the butcher. The owner couldn't bear to part with them, and after discussing it with his children and grandchildren, they decided that even if they were sold, they would still be eaten, so it was better to kill them for the New Year.
The old ox worked diligently for most of its life, accompanying its owner in plowing the land, from a single plot to hundreds of acres of fertile fields.
Toil your whole life, only to be killed in the end.
Who could tolerate that?
Animals have lives too; they bleed when they're injured. They know everything except how to speak.
The host couldn't stop his family's decision and could only let them start boiling water.
On the day it was killed, the youngest child in the family gathered around it, waving a twig near its mouth, imitating how adults feed animals.
The child said in a childish voice, "Old ox, old ox, it's almost over."
A careless slip of the tongue.
The tree branch tickled him, causing him to snort a few times, which drew a barrage of curses from the woman.
The old ox broke free of its reins and butted at the child, sending him flying.
The child's fragile body lay motionless on the roadside stone.
The family roared that they wanted to kill it, but it took a few steps back, pawed at the ground with its front hooves, and used its horns to push the people away.
They would bump into people and stomp on children.
The old ox went mad and ran over and killed an entire family.
The pot in front of the door was boiling, the water bubbling and gurgling. Today was its death day, and the owner hadn't prepared any food for it.
So it went outside, leaving hoofprints on the ground.
The child lay quietly by the roadside, and the starving old ox ate the child itself.
It was its first time eating meat, and because it was unfamiliar with it, it swallowed its own clothes and vomited them up in the middle of the night.
At midnight, the government officials came to kill it; livestock that had been involved in human deaths could not be spared.
Later, some unclean things appeared; they were of the same kind as it and enlightened it.
Even after learning to cultivate himself, the old ox could never forget the taste of human flesh.
Children's flesh is the most tender, their hands and feet are the best to eat, their skulls are too hard to suck out the brain marrow, and their bellies are all fat, which is the greasiest to eat.
Once you've tasted it, you'll never forget it.
It carried Rong Yan and laid him flat in the haystack. Even after transforming into human form, it couldn't shake its habit of sleeping in the cowshed.
After all that commotion, Rong Yan slowly woke up.
He propped himself up, the dry grass rustling softly as it rubbed against the ground.
"Sizzle—"
"Sizzle—"
Hearing the noise, Rong Yan got up, revealing his eyes, and saw the minotaur sharpening his knife in the courtyard.
How can a cow sharpen a knife? And how can it have hands and feet?
Rong Yan desperately covered his mouth to prevent himself from making a sound, and pinched his thigh hard to stay calm.
The old bull-man kidnapped him and brought him here, and now he's sharpening his knife, determined to eat him.
What should he do to avoid being eaten? Has his senior sister noticed that he was taken away?
The old ox in the yard stopped moving its limbs, and the sound of sharpening the knife also ceased.
Seemingly not satisfied, he spat on the blade and wanted to sharpen it again.
He couldn't just sit and wait to die. He was far enough away from the minotaurs that he could escape as long as he didn't make a sound.
Rong Yan bent over, moving cautiously step by step.
He tiptoed out of the cowshed, thinking he could finally escape, but he remained stuck in the same place.
Rong Yan turned his head and looked up. The minotaur was grabbing his clothes and said in a sinister tone, "I'm watching you."
"ah--"
He was thrown to the ground, and a straw stalk poked his eye, causing Rong Yan to cry out in pain.
The minotaur brandished his gleaming butcher's knife, his tall and imposing body casting a long shadow.
Enveloped in darkness, Rong Yan subconsciously swallowed.
"Brother Niu, please don't kill me! My flesh is sour and astringent, my mouth is full of hair, and it tastes bitter. It's not tasty at all!" He pleaded as he backed away, his hands and feet tangled in straw.
"Don't be afraid, it'll be done soon," the minotaur comforted him. Once his fur was shaved off and his neck was wiped, they could begin.
Hair must be cleaned thoroughly, otherwise it will easily get stuck in your teeth.
Just as the minotaur was about to make another move, his hind leg got tangled in something. He turned his head and saw a small gray wolf biting his heel.
"Where did this brat come from? Get out of here."
With a kick, the gray wolf howled and desperately bit the minotaur's foot again.
It continuously emitted wolf howls, which only demons could understand—
The wicked cow eats people and is utterly devoid of conscience.
Rong Yan recognized it and took advantage of the struggle to run away.
He ran out of the cowshed in one breath, and when he saw that the meat in his mouth had flown away, the minotaur quickly kicked the wolf demon over and got up to chase after the fleeing Rong Yan.
Rong Yan lacked the ability to protect himself, but his advantage lay in his speed; that's how he escaped capture by demons in Lanxi Town.
He ran with all his might, heard a wolf howl, and followed the sound, plunging headlong into the woods.
After successfully reuniting with the wolf demon, Rong Yan straddled the wolf demon's back and they traversed the jungle.
The minotaur is not good at running, and its vision is obstructed. It moos loudly, attracting its companions with its bellowing.
"Are you out of your mind?!" His companion, a horse-faced man with a human body, spoke the truth, "Do you even know who you've captured?"
"I don't care who he is! My dinner is gone!" The minotaur snorted and, in a fit of rage, rammed into a tree, its horns knocking down the trunk.
"He's that she-devil's junior brother! Hand him over right now, or your life is in danger!!"
"Do I look like someone you can befriend?!" Old Niu retorted angrily, and then everyone ran away.
"It's over, it's over." The horse-faced man paced back and forth, taking advantage of the fact that he had shaken off the female demon. "She hasn't caught up yet, I'd better run."
"Brother, take care." He transformed into his original form and ran away.
A fine horse is good for running, and this one is much better than an old ox.
Lin Yueyao got lost in the mountains. Rather than continuing to wander aimlessly, she decided to turn back.
She returned to the tavern and inquired about the few self-taught monsters. The tavern was run by a turtle spirit who was extremely slow.
Impatient with the wait, she leaped over the counter, took advantage of the chaos, and then slipped out the door.
Her junior brother was still young, without spiritual power to protect him, nor any magical artifacts to defend himself, and he didn't even know how to use a mere talisman. If he got lost in Blackwater City, he would only be eaten.
There are many people here, and none of them seem like nice guys.
She walked along both sides of the passageway, slashing at any demons she saw, fighting and killing her way through, overturning the stalls in the market.
Those who were offended by her didn't get angry; instead, they laughed and applauded.
She continued to create chaos, adding fuel to the fire since things weren't getting big enough.
The water-controlling talisman was unleashed, forming arrays in the air that replaced the rainwater with mermaid oil, causing a heavy downpour throughout Blackwater City.
A fatty aroma wafted through the rain, leaving everyone staring in bewilderment, something they had never seen before.
Some people even reached out to take it, filling their palms and then drinking it.
The talisman took effect, and Lin Yueyao unleashed flames. With a loud boom, the flames engulfed Blackwater City along the path where the Mermaid Oil was located.
This is her spiritual fire; it won't harm her, and she can walk freely among the crowd.
Some fled, some laughed; the roof beams were burned to charcoal; poisonous snakes burrowed into the ground; even the tavern's turtle spirit retreated into its shell.
The wandering Taoist priest pointed at her and cursed, "Hey, where did this demon come from, causing trouble here? I'm going to execute you right here and now!"
The independent practitioners, still possessing some sense, knew the fire originated from her and desperately tried to put it out, but after half a day of effort, it was all in vain.
The fire grew larger and larger, and Blackwater City was burned down, but no one took action to stop the fire.
She was waiting for someone, someone behind the scenes, someone who could step in and resolve her crisis.
Sure enough, a group of people floated out from the sky, all of them with their faces covered in black veils.
"The city lord wishes to see you, young lady, please come in."
Lin Yueyao followed on her sword and escaped from the sea of fire unharmed.
It was a gate of a mansion in Blackwater City. The person leading her concealed their figure, making it impossible to tell whether they were male or female.
Once the crystal doors on both sides are opened, the walls of the mansion are covered with pearls and gems, making it feel like being in a crystal palace.
The man behind the door slowly turned around, his face covered by a Nuo opera mask, his expression and mannerisms chaotic.
The attendants respectfully withdrew and closed the door.
"I have long admired the name of Fairy Qingyi."
Although it is unknown how he knew his identity, it is not surprising given that he is the powerful lord of Blackwater City.
“My junior brother has lost face on your territory. You are the city lord here. I threaten you with the lives of the entire city to find my junior brother’s whereabouts, or I will burn this cave down as well.”
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