Broken Palace
The next morning, Xu Caiyou nervously carried a bucket of water to the backyard and saw He Wenwen walking out while holding onto the door.
"Senior Brother!! Aww... You're alright! That's great, aww..."
He Wenwen's ears hurt from his noise, and she frowned, "Where's Xiangxiang?"
"She left early this morning. Oh, and she left Master a bottle of antidote, saying that if you get up, Master can use the medicine, but..."
Xu Caiyou rattled off a whole bunch of things, but He Wenwen only heard one sentence: Ren Xiangxiang left because she was in a hurry to save another demon.
"Let her get out, and she really got out of there this time..." He Wenwen clutched the antidote, her heart heavy with unease.
The room was still dimly lit. There was an oil lamp and a bottle of antidote on the table. When He Wenwen arrived, Xu Jinnian had just woken up. In the past few days, he had not been able to eat anything. It seemed that he knew that his days were numbered, so he woke up more often and his spirits were much better than before.
Hearing footsteps outside, Xu Jinnian asked weakly, "Is that A-Wen?"
He Wenwen paused, lifted the curtain, and went inside. "How did you know it was me?"
Xu Jinnian couldn't help but smile. His gaunt face didn't look good when he smiled, but his gaze was gentle, like the warm sun in the morning light, instantly dispelling the gloom that clung to him.
He Wenwen looked at him and handed him the antidote that Ren Xiangxiang had prepared. "This is the antidote that Xiangxiang made. I have taken it before, and it can detoxify."
“It was the two of you, wasn’t it?” Xu Jinnian took the medicine, brought it to his nose and smelled it. “She told me everything.”
“She…” He Wenwen tensed up instantly, but then, as if remembering something, her expression returned to normal, and she calmly replied, “Thanks to her, otherwise it wouldn’t have been possible to get here so quickly.”
“Your abilities are already on par with mine, and I have nothing more to teach you.” Xu Jinnian looked at the medicine in his hand with considerable relief. “So, rest assured.”
"Master..."
An ominous premonition crept into her heart. Xu Jinnian raised her hand to stop him, put the medicine bottle back on the table, and took out a yellowed book from beside her pillow, handing it to He Wenwen. "This book records some past events. After you read it, you will know what those Gu worms were all about. The cause planted by the Demon Refining Elder has finally borne bitter fruit."
"Master... what do you mean by that?" He Wenwen asked in surprise, the book in her hands suddenly felt heavy, but her mind was racing. "Are you saying that the rat-head flowers that have been spreading everywhere lately are all because of the Demon Refining Elder from back then?"
Xu Jinnian closed his eyes and nodded.
"But..." He Wenwen panicked for a moment, then saw the medicine bottle on the table, immediately picked it up and poured out the antidote. "Master, you should take the antidote first. This matter is of great importance, your disciple..."
“You can do it.” Xu Jinnian interrupted him, looking at his nervous and helpless appearance. He suddenly remembered that when he was six years old, he appeared in front of him with the same expression, covered in bruises and looking very wronged, but he refused to say a word.
He knew it was those unpleasant rumors circulating outside, so after much hesitation, he decided to tell him anyway, "Ah Wen, do you... resent me?"
He Wenwen was slightly startled.
“I told you the truth back then because I was afraid that you would go to extremes if you heard too much gossip. But I never thought that everything I went through was caused by you. It was precisely because of you that I came to know myself again. So, stop blaming yourself.” This was the first time Xu Jinnian had mentioned the past to him, which made He Wenwen feel even more uneasy.
“Master, what do you mean? When have I ever resented you? If it weren’t for you, I would have died long ago, wouldn’t I? But it’s precisely because you took me in that you…”
“It’s not because of you.” Xu Jinnian interrupted him again, pulled his hand and made him sit down. “That was my choice back then. Actually, she… Wu Bing had already accepted you. I rejected her. She deserved a happy and peaceful life. Even if you hadn’t appeared, we wouldn’t have had a future.”
"But……"
"Have I not told you about your mother yet...?"
"I don't want to know." He Wenwen suddenly stood up agitatedly. "I don't want to know who she is, nor do I want to know why she doesn't want me. I don't want to hear anything about them. I only acknowledge you as my master!"
He Wenwen's eyes were slightly red, he was flustered and at a loss, and his back was burning with pain, but he didn't want to and couldn't show it. He almost pleaded as he handed over the antidote, "Eat it... Master..."
...
The once lush forest of Yanshi Ridge has been ravaged and sparsely cleared recently, especially the path leading up the ridge. It used to be lined with prickly weeds, but now only withered grass remains after Zhu Huoshi cleared it away.
The birds and beasts that lived here also disappeared completely in just a few months, except for the disgusting rat-head flower and the weeds that keep growing endlessly.
On a palm-sized vine leaf, a ladybug the size of a thumb rested quietly. Suddenly, a group of people walked over from a distance. The woman in red staggered and kicked the guard who was supporting her to the ground. The guard then knelt down with a thud, letting the woman step on his back. He sat on a slightly higher rock, leaning against a tree, which made the injury on his shoulder feel a little better.
"A bunch of useless trash, you can't even catch a demon, what use are you to me?" The Gu woman stomped the guard to the ground.
The wound on her shoulder had a deathly grayish-white look. She tried to move around and stood up again. The guard who was lying on the ground quickly got up to help her. His back was deeply dented, but he could still move freely.
"Where is the 'Hungry Ghost'?" The Gu woman gritted her teeth, and after taking two steps, she seemed to sense something and looked back. "What is that?"
Upon seeing this, the ladybug on the vine immediately spread its wings and flew away.
The Gu woman narrowed her eyes, then turned and left.
The ladybug flew down the hillside to a dense thicket of bushes, where there was a large shady area. A table was set up next to it, with a chessboard on it. A dark-skinned young man with a furrowed brow was nervously watching a quiet, thin boy opposite him. The boy had fair skin and a very delicate appearance, looking just like a little girl, but he was a real boy, only timid and somewhat cowardly by nature.
The boy, clinging to the white piece, carefully observed his opponent while hesitating to put it down.
But then he saw the other person's brows furrowed and he subconsciously started biting his nails.
"Senior Brother...we...we shouldn't play anymore...what if Master finds out..." His voice trailed off, his face turning bright red.
"It's alright, what are you afraid of? I'll take responsibility if anything happens. Besides, isn't Ah Chong keeping an eye on things?" the young man replied without looking up.
The two were Kou Qiyu's eldest disciple, Kou Huai, and his second disciple, Kou Xiaobai.
Kou Huai's servant demon is a ladybug with seven-spotted spots. It is not strong in attack, but its vitality is exceptionally strong. It is difficult for ordinary powerful demons to kill it. It is so ubiquitous that it is most suitable for scouting enemy positions.
Kou Xiaobai was abandoned by his family due to illness in his early years and his health has always been poor, but he has good talent. At a young age, he was able to control demons and had a servant demon, Xichi, a wild boar with a bad temper, but who was very gentle to Kou Xiaobai.
He had previously been handling affairs in Wenzhangmao, but later his master sent him here to guard Yanshi Ridge with his senior brother.
The formation at Yanshi Ridge has been patched up and is now in imminent danger. He has a fairly good grasp of formations, so he can deal with any emergencies at any time.
At this moment, the burly Boar was dozing off under a tree not far away, clutching his fanged knife, and seemed quite safe for the moment.
"I'll place my piece here!" Having figured out the strategy, Kou Huai placed his piece and looked confidently at the anxious Kou Xiaobai. "Junior brother, it's your turn."
"Can I admit defeat?" Kou Xiaobai asked softly.
“Okay, let’s play another round.” Kou Huai was eager to start a new game.
Kou Xiaobai lowered her head in despair and raised her hand to stop him, "If I win, can I stop playing?"
Kou Huai instantly became interested and said without thinking, "Alright! I don't believe you can beat me. Last time, the game wasn't even finished before Master predicted you'd win. If you do this—"
"I'll place my piece here." Kou Xiaobai placed a piece before he could finish speaking.
"You..." Kou Huai's words were abruptly cut off, because he clearly held an absolute advantage and was bound to win within five moves. Who would have thought that Kou Xiaobai's sudden move would break the impending defeat? Not only that, but judging from the current situation, all his previous arrangements had benefited the opponent. He was so angry that he wanted to bite his fingers.
"Wait, it's not over yet." Kou Huai persisted, frowning as he pondered.
A gust of wind blew by, and the pig-tooth that was dozing under the tree suddenly sat up. Kou Xiaobai saw this and quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
"You're back," Xichi said in a deep voice.
As they were talking, a ladybug landed on the chessboard. Kou Huai was concentrating on thinking of a strategy when he saw it and instinctively said angrily, "Move aside, move aside."
The ladybug suddenly flew away, transforming into a little girl about a meter tall, and hopping around as she reported, "I saw that crazy woman! She looks injured, and... she even spotted me..."
"It's so noisy, be quiet!" Kou Huai shouted angrily.
The ladybug immediately shut its mouth and flew away again.
"Senior Brother, Master instructed me to report immediately if I find anything about the madwoman. I'm going right now..."
"Come back! I'll be right back." Kou Huai persisted.
Kou Xiaobai was anxious. After Kou Huai placed a piece, he quickly placed another piece. "I won, senior brother. Look, I've blocked all these paths. You have nowhere to retreat."
Kou Huai was still immersed in the tension of the counterattack and hadn't come to his senses for a moment. Kou Xiaobai pushed his hand away, ran to a secluded place, released her mosquito-listening device, and replied to the ladybug's report in detail.
Behind the dense bushes, Kou Huairong stared at the chessboard for a long time before starting to play against himself. Just as he was engrossed in the game, Xi Chi, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly sat up, his hand on his scabbard, his killing intent rising.
Kou Huai's plank shattered, and he jolted to his feet. Suddenly, a dark figure darted out from behind the rustling bushes, accompanied by A Chong's shrill cry, "Master, run!"
A cold glint flashed overhead, and Kou Huai felt a kick to the stomach. When he looked up again, his boar-toothed blade blocked the opponent's claws. He saw that the newcomer had pointed ears, protruding fangs, and red eyes, looking like a half-human, half-demon. The newcomer roared and forcefully pushed aside his boar-toothed blade, charging towards him like a madman.
However, due to excessive force, he crashed directly into the boar's blade, blood splattering everywhere, his head splitting in two, yet he continued to attack the boar with brute force.
"She's spotted us! Run!" Ah Chong's voice came from the left.
Upon hearing this, Kou Huai reacted immediately, dodging the attack with a swift movement. When he looked up again, the rat-head flowers and mutated monsters covering the mountains and fields surged toward them like a tide.
"My goodness!"
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