Too eager to fight each other
Just as he had expected, the villagers lined the streets to welcome the four men back.
The villagers happily congratulated them on their return after completing their studies. The demons, naturally unrestrained in expressing their emotions, cut off their ears and drank their blood, and bit their arms to form a pact in their excitement.
Amidst the chaotic horde of demons, drops of blood splattered onto a smiling face, seemingly oblivious to the pain.
Rong Yan felt like vomiting.
The demon race has very few festivals. Apart from the Demon King's birthday, there is also the bonfire party when the four return.
The villagers were caught off guard by the sudden return, and the party was not yet fully prepared, which would take about four or five days.
Since the village chief died, Rong Yan has had a very low profile in the village. He will not ask the villagers for help unless he has no other choice.
He was young and grew up in the village. The villagers treated him like family. Knowing that he couldn't eat human flesh, they would often hunt wild game for him.
Grateful for the villagers' kindness, he started cooking for them. He learned through practice, and his culinary skills were improved through books and hands-on experience.
The four men, having heard that he could cook, captured a mortal from who-knows-where and imprisoned him in a thorn cage meant for mortals.
"Since Rong Yan can cook, let him handle this creature."
Ordinary people had their mouths and noses bound, and their hands and feet tied with hemp ropes soaked in medicine. There were demons and monsters everywhere, enough to scare anyone to death.
"Squeak—"
The door to the woodshed opened, and a beam of light seeped in. Being brought here, even the sunlight seemed so precious.
"Ugh..." The sunlight was blindingly bright, and the person at the door, whose expression was shrouded in darkness, was as bright as day.
As they walked further in, the door closed once more, the light emanating from Rong Yan slowly receded, and the surroundings returned to the grayness they had before the door opened.
"You..." The man in the cage struggled, his eyes wide open to their maximum extent, forming round shapes.
The little boy in front of me had two ordinary limbs, and apart from being covered in dirt, he didn't look as scary as the monsters outside.
Under his pleading gaze, Rong Yan tore off the restraints on his lips, freeing the man to exhale deeply.
"Young man, how did you get arrested?" The man's hands were tied behind his back, and his wrists were rubbed raw.
"I walked in."
The man didn't understand his words. Rong Yan glanced at him, then looked away and focused his gaze on the knives on the cutting board.
“I’m here to kill you,” Rong Yan explained.
"Young man, you can't just say things like that. We're the same kind of people, why would you kill me?!" the man retorted in a panic, pleading with Rong Yan to reach a consensus.
"We have to find a way to escape together!!" The man kept glancing at the doorway, but Rong Yan blocked his view, so he could only crane his neck.
"But if I go with you, and we get found out, we'll both die."
Seeing his reluctance, the man understood his unusual status. "How about this, if you don't want to leave, then let me go. Consider it a favor from your older brother."
“If I let you escape, I’ll be the one who dies.” Rong Yan was unwilling. He turned around and picked up the knife on the cutting board. The sharp blade reflected the face of the girl.
"So, you must die." And you'll be used as food. Rong Yan pondered how to kill this strong man.
"Good brother, please help me this once. I have elderly parents and young children to support. If my mother hadn't fallen ill, why would I have come to this godforsaken place to gather herbs?" The man wept with fear. This grown man knelt before a child in order to save his life.
The demon realm is located in a remote area and is home to many precious natural spiritual plants, which is why some people risk their lives to venture deep into it.
In order to capture humans, the demon race would plant one or two precious herbs in places they inevitably passed through, luring mortals into dangerous situations.
Rong Yan tilted his head, a sudden thought flashing through his mind, "You mean you know the way out?"
"Not only did I know, but when I was captured by the monster, I even remembered the direction." The man cried pitifully, trying to wipe away his tears, but his hands were tied. His tears soaked his chest and flowed into his mouth, tasting salty and bitter.
"Young man, let's escape together. Once we're out, we can look out for each other," the man tried to persuade him.
Rong Yan remained silent, seemingly having taken it to heart. He put down the kitchen knife and said, "Okay."
The man was immediately delighted, but then he said, "But I can't let you go yet."
"We have to do it when they're not looking," Rong Yan said, then left and closed the door.
The four men frowned, clearly displeased, upon hearing his explanation. "How long will it take?"
"That person is crying and making a scene; it will take about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn," Rong Yan explained carefully.
"So troublesome." The man clicked his tongue inwardly. "Find a few people, skin them alive first, I'll have them as a snack with my drinks tonight."
"There's no need for that," Rong Yan said with a smile, waving his hand. "There are so many of you, it wouldn't be good if you scared him."
"Get out of here, you useless piece of trash. You can't even handle a mortal." Several men shoved him aside. "We'll have to trouble you guys to step in."
"No." Rong Yan ran up to them and stopped them. "If you get scared, the meat won't taste good."
Hearing this, the group of brothers stopped in their tracks, realizing that Rong Yan's words made sense.
"Then I'll give you some more time. If you don't handle this well, you'll be the one who suffers."
Rong Yan smiled and saw them off. He then hurried back to the woodshed, cleaved the ropes with a single stroke, and opened the thorn cage.
She helped the man leave the hut.
Having been tied up for too long, the man's limbs were stiff, and his body swayed unsteadily. If Rong Yan hadn't been supporting him, the two of them would have almost fallen into the sand pit.
As darkness fell, the sky above the village was ablaze with light, accompanied by cheers, as the long-awaited party awaited its start.
The main course for the banquet and the chef both ran away.
They ran for an unknown amount of time when a strong wind arose, scattering the two of them.
The man was buried in the sand, but he managed to crawl out with sheer willpower, shaking off the sand. Luckily, Rong Yan was nearby.
He hid behind the rocks, and the man, risking being swept away, climbed to Rong Yan's side, shouting angrily, "Go—"
The howling wind and the tornado sounded like desperate cries.
The world was in turmoil, and this wind came strangely, suddenly.
Having honed his skills under the Fourth Prince, he indeed possessed some extraordinary abilities.
A fierce wind swept in, and the two were powerless to resist, eventually being buried by the yellow sand.
When he woke up, the man was tied to an iron pillar, while Rong Yan was lying on the ground.
The cheers have died down, but the flames are still burning fiercely.
Rong Yan slowly woke up and looked at the villagers' worried eyes. He knew that his secret had been exposed.
There's not much to say now, so he can only try his best to play the victim and gain the villagers' sympathy.
"Trying to take someone away from under my nose? Dream on."
The man had already woken up and found himself bound hand and foot and stripped naked. Ignoring his shame, he immediately began to curse, "Pah—you son of a bitch, you don't deserve to be called a human! If you eat me, you'll be reborn as a pig or a dog, but never as a human!!"
After the village chief died, the four men always wanted to replace him. In addition, they had the reputation and prestige of following the Fourth Prince and were greatly respected by the villagers. The leader was called the Big Boss, and so on.
The second-in-command was the first to be targeted, and he was to cut off the men's mouths.
The head of the village waved his hand to stop him, annoyed by the man's noise, and signaled to the villagers to set fire to the pile of firewood at the man's feet.
The villagers raised their torches and lit the pile of firewood.
A painful tearing sound came, and the chief laughed angrily, "Let him burn it all he wants."
The flames lasted for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, and the aroma of charred human flesh filled the air, making the villagers' mouths water.
"Rong Yan, are you alright?" one of the kind girls asked him with concern.
He shook his head to indicate that he was fine.
"He kidnapped you, he deserves to die, don't be afraid," the girl comforted him, thinking he was terrified.
As the flames died down, the person on the iron pillar was burned to a crisp. Peeling off the charred outer skin revealed tender, pink flesh inside.
The villagers cheered and crowded forward, waiting to share the food.
The girl received a hand and kindly offered it to Rong Yan, saying, "Rong Yan, you should have some too."
"I'm not hungry." He couldn't eat anything, his face was slightly pale, and he could vomit at any moment.
Fortunately, they thought he had been kidnapped; otherwise, the four leaders wouldn't have let him go.
Just as he was leaving, a hand landed on his shoulder and pressed him down.
"Which way?"
Turning his head, he saw the leader, one hand holding him captive, the other hand holding a bloody piece of human flesh, looking at him with a wicked smile, "Eat something before you leave."
A voice inside me was saying, "Run! Don't stop! This is wrong."
The hand on his shoulder was incredibly hard, like a rock; it could easily crush his shoulder if he resisted even slightly.
Killing himself was as easy as crushing an ant; Rong Yan had an extremely clear understanding of his own combat abilities.
"Eat it, and from now on you will be a member of the cannibal village. I will treat you like my own child, and no one else will dare to bully you again." The leader threatened openly and secretly, then suddenly leaned close to his ear, "If you don't eat it, this is what will happen to you."
Looking at the bright red, even bleeding, chunk of flesh, his stomach churned, and he felt an unbearable pain. He couldn't help but vomit.
Have you thought it through?
"Rong Yan, are you alright?" A villager reached out to help him up, but Rong Yan, supported by someone else, slowly straightened up, his gaze resolute and unwavering.
"Eat it!!" the leader ordered him.
Rong Yan, his face pale, stiffly reached out and grasped the greasy piece of meat.
Then, with a frown, he slowly stuffed it into his mouth, swallowing it without chewing at all, without changing his expression.
The head of the household was extremely pleased. He turned around and called on the villagers to sing and dance.
Rong Yan forced himself to stay awake and walked to a secluded spot. He suppressed his nausea and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
He spat out white stuff on the ground, and under his feet was a raised mound of earth; he had arrived at the old woman's grave.
Before his death, the village chief instilled in Rong Yan the idea that he was a human being, so after he learned to read, he used the old woman's clothes to make a tomb.
He tore a corner of his clothes, carefully picked up the pieces of meat, wrapped them up, dug a hole with his bare hands, and buried the bundle inside.
Rong Yan knelt before the grave, his body trembling, he was crying.
After the burial was completed, the villagers' cheers stopped sometime later, and the girl chased after him, telling him to run away.
“I drugged their drinks. They’re all asleep now. Hurry up and leave before they wake up,” the girl urged him.
"Then what will you do?" Rong Yan wiped away his tears, still reeling from the shock.
“I was born in a cannibal village, they won’t hurt me,” the girl explained with a smile.
Rong Yan was still worried. "Come with me."
"No, my parents are here, and I can't bear to leave them."
“Let’s go, Rong Yan. You don’t belong here. You are human, and we are demons. We are not from the same world.”
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