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Thump, thump.
The summer night was sultry, but the wind in Yanshi Ridge carried a hint of chill. The half-open rat-head flowers looked like real rats dozing off, occasionally a couple of real big black rats would peek out, look up at the tall white flowers in front of them, and then quickly run away.
The large white flower, as tall as a person, resembles an enlarged rat's head flower, but it is still just a bud.
Beneath the giant flower, slender roots slowly wriggled, seemingly spreading outwards.
The roots penetrated deep into the soil, slowly pulling out a pale skeleton. The top of the skeleton, invaded by the roots, began to grow flesh and blood rapidly.
"Mother, I'm scared, Mother, Father..."
—What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and take Ah Wu away!
"Mother, no, Mother..."
Someone forcefully pried her hands apart. She trembled all over, but she refused to let go. A flash of fire appeared, and a blood-stained face with a hideous expression lunged at her.
—Hurry up!
A piercing scream exploded in her mind, and an overwhelming despair dragged her into the abyss.
She clung tightly to her only support, her eyes covered, and fragmented voices drifted into her ears.
"...Ah Wu, be good. Your sister-in-law is here. Don't be afraid. We won't hurt you..."
puff!
That was the sound of a sharp blade piercing through flesh. The hand covering her suddenly fell to its side, and what came into view was—
The woman sleeping in the soil suddenly opened her eyes, filled with terror, despair, and a brief moment of confusion. She was all white, a shocking white, except for her dark eyes, which stared blankly at the moonlight above her.
She leaned against the wall, stiffly lifting her foot as if it were the first time she was walking. After landing, she suddenly smiled, and her empty eyes regained some of their sparkle.
Memories of the past flooded into her mind like a tidal wave.
"So hungry, so hungry, so hungry... Why..."
Here, have some.
"I can't eat this, I can't eat this... I'm so hungry..."
—You'll die if you don't eat, you poor thing.
But I still died!
The woman's eyes were dim, tinged with a deathly gray, as she gently stroked the flower buds that were about to bloom, and asked in a low voice, "So, was it you who awakened me?"
Her voice was unexpectedly soft, with a hint of languor. As she was touched, her body gradually began to take on color. Her hair turned jet black, and her white dress quickly became as if it had been soaked in blood, turning a dazzling red. The alluring skirt brushed against the trembling rat-head flowers at her feet, and her eyes revealed a captivating smile.
She casually tied her hair into a bun and then plucked a rat-head flower to replace the hairpin.
A gust of wind rose, and it vanished without a trace.
The darkness outlined the contours of the mountains, and lights flickered in the dry caves of the rocks. This area of damp cliffs was the home of the Yue Shan clan. The Yue Shan clan had always been kind and did not like to fight. Over the years, much of their territory had been swallowed up by the neighboring Gong Yi clan. Now that they had nowhere to retreat, they rose up in resistance. Both sides suffered losses in the fight.
Since the Yin Palace Master ascended to the throne, elites from the five clans have gone to support him. While it is said to be support, it is also a way to check and monitor each other. Yue Shan was already dwindling in numbers, and now even he, who is seriously injured, has been brought out to handle clan affairs.
In the hot spring pool behind the wet cliff, Que Sang looked at the cold moonlight, a bitter smile on his lips, followed by another series of violent coughs, which made his chest ache.
Judging by the time, he should have sent someone to Liuwu Forest to fetch medicine by now.
He was pale-skinned, thin and frail, and had once been a handsome man. Unfortunately, his battle with the archer had severely injured him, and this injury had lasted for more than a decade.
He took a deep breath and slowly sank into the hot spring water, hoping it would make him feel better. He unconsciously recalled Shu Huixin's warning to him.
"Actually, with your cultivation level, you could have fully recovered by secluded cultivation for twenty years. On the contrary, relying on the medicine I prepared now is like drinking poison to quench thirst, which cannot last long."
“Twenty years… that’s too long…” He shook his head.
Shu Huixin seemed to chuckle silently upon hearing this, "You, a demon, actually find twenty years to be a long time. Shouldn't it be just a blink of an eye for you?"
He didn't argue, but nodded. "Yes, but it's still too long for me. I'm afraid it will..."
It's too late.
At that moment, he thought about many things, as if reviewing everything from childhood to adulthood. They knew each other and got to know each other, but they could not make a promise to each other. There seemed to be no obstacles between them, but it was like an insurmountable chasm.
He was afraid of missing out, but little did he know that he had already missed out over the years.
The frail young man in the hot spring sighed heavily and was about to put on his clothes and leave when darkness and misty water vapor filled the air. He squinted and saw a figure vaguely outlined behind a rock a few steps away, slowly walking towards him.
"Who?" He instantly became alert.
The figure who heard the question paused for a moment, then flashed in front of him.
A long, peach-pink dress trailed down the water's surface. Through the misty spray, a graceful figure emerged, delicate and charming, her eyes sparkling.
"Who are you?" Suddenly alarm bells rang in Quesang's mind. He quickly put on his clothes and was about to back away when, in a flash, the other person tackled him into the water.
Water splashed everywhere, instantly blurring his vision.
An indescribable fragrance filled his nostrils and throat, so strong it was suffocating. His head buzzed, and before he could react, a sudden chill ran through his chest as bright red blood began to seep onto the water's surface.
There was no demonic aura, no murderous intent; the last vestige of the lost soul's consciousness remained in the other's affectionate eyes.
The red color is breathtaking.
"My name is Gu Nu..." Her lips parted slightly, her voice lingering on his ear. Gu Nu slowly withdrew her hand from his heart, drawing a circle across the hot spring with her hands covered in blood.
...
Ren Xiangxiang was suddenly awakened and realized that she had fallen asleep under the tree. She breathed a sigh of relief. The moon was cold and the stars were few. The dense forest was full of ghostly shadows. Caowa was sleeping soundly on his back and did not wake up even after Ren Xiangxiang put him in the bamboo basket.
At night, the rat-head flowers all drooped their heads, their petals curled, and their fragrance was much weaker than during the day. But as soon as Ren Xiangxiang approached, these rat-head flowers suddenly seemed to come alive again, raising their heads and chirping incessantly.
Ren Xiangxiang burned as she walked, eventually following the trail of the rat-headed peanuts to the vicinity of the secluded path.
Quyou Path is a dense bamboo forest inhabited by the Gongyi tribe, who are snake demons. They have long clashed with the Yueshan tribe from the Shiqiao Rock region at the border, and the conflict between the two tribes has a long history.
Ren Xiangxiang burned the last three rat-head flowers, and the fragrance gradually became stronger. She looked up and wiped her sweat, only to find that the sky was already turning white.
The little grass doll in the bamboo basket opened its eyes groggily, "Xiangxiang...where are we?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a mosquito the size of a palm buzzed overhead. He'd seen these things a few times before but never had a chance to ask about them. Now that he saw one, he couldn't help but ask, "That...that?"
He was so anxious that he couldn't say the name. Ren Xiangxiang smiled and said, "Mosquito Listening, it can only be found in Qiling Mountain. It is said that it was made by an old demon-refining ancestor a long time ago. In the early days, it was only used in Yang Palace. Later, the demon race also started using it. It is mainly because it is very convenient."
"Where is that mosquito going?" Grass Boy asked eagerly, looking in the direction of the mosquito.
Ren Xiangxiang shook her head, "There's probably someone ahead!"
Inside the bamboo forest, a dark brown figure silently raised its head. With bright eyes and sparse eyebrows, its expression was indifferent and bland. Scales faintly gleamed behind its ears in the sunlight. Seeing a mosquito flying towards it, the woman grabbed it in her hand. Instantly, a line of text appeared in front of her.
—I have informed Xiu Shen that I agree to bring my people to submit.
The woman was stunned for a moment. Before she could think further, a voice suddenly came from behind her. She immediately waved her hand to erase the writing and shouted angrily, "Sneaking around like that, come out!"
"It's me!" Ren Xiangxiang hurriedly popped her head out, "Sister Lei Wan."
Ren Xiangxiang stood obediently in front of the woman. The woman's anger subsided slightly, and her brows furrowed slightly. "Why are you here instead of going to Yang Palace?"
The tension from before vanished instantly; why did everyone who saw her ask her that question?
Lei Wan could tell what was going on from her unwilling look, and sighed, "You can run away from the first day of the month, but you can't run away from the fifteenth. Unless you never come back to Qiling Mountain for the rest of your life."
How could that be? No matter how audacious Ren Xiangxiang is, she couldn't possibly do something so outrageous.
"Sister Lei Wan, was that mosquito repellent yours just now?" Ren Xiangxiang suddenly changed the subject.
Lei Wan's expression immediately turned serious. "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."
"Okay! So, is there anything else going on here?" Ren Xiangxiang asked tentatively.
Lei Wan sensed a hidden meaning in her words and asked疑惑地问道, "What are you trying to say?"
"Have you seen the rat-head flower?" Ren Xiangxiang asked directly.
Sure enough, Lei Wan's expression changed drastically. She pushed past her and quickly walked in one direction, leaping to a high place to look into the distance. Ren Xiangxiang followed closely behind, looking in the same direction.
From this vantage point, the vast expanse of white rat-head flowers seems to have expanded even further, threatening to engulf its surroundings.
"She suddenly appeared just two days ago, Sister Lei Wan, do you know what happened?" Ren Xiangxiang asked, looking up.
The winding path is located at a higher elevation than the wet cliffs, which are built in a basin. Yesterday, the rat-head flowers were some distance from the wet cliffs, but today they are right next to them.
“No wonder… he wanted to join forces? But there’s no need for that…” Lei Wan murmured to herself.
"Sister Lei Wan? Who wants to join forces?" Ren Xiangxiang's voice interrupted her thoughts.
Lei Wan shook her hand irritably, "It's none of your business. Why are you asking about this? Do you know something? Why don't you tell me?"
Ren Xiangxiang didn't expect to get anything out of her. Before Ren Xiangxiang was injured, Lei Wan, the archer, was always the undisputed leader of the archer clan, decisive and efficient in her actions. It was best to avoid talking nonsense in front of her. Until she met Yue Shan clan leader Hu Sang, who was eloquent, cunning, and ruthless, she didn't know how the God of Love had arranged things. These two people, who were clearly very different, ended up falling into each other's trap.
Lei Wan's right hand was crippled, and Hu Sang, as if punishing himself, refused to go into seclusion to recuperate. What was the point of all this?
Ren Xiangxiang sighed inwardly, but at this moment she suddenly realized that she had also brought trouble upon herself, and she gave a bitter smile for no reason.
"...According to you, the Rat-Head Flower can bewitch the mind and drive people mad, but people should all be able to come back, right?" Lei Wan muttered to herself. "For two days in a row, the disciples we sent out to patrol have disappeared without a trace, neither alive nor dead. Senior Brother just assumed they had fallen into the trap of the Lizang, but the appearance of the Rat-Head Flower is really strange. So far, we haven't even suspected anything?"
"So many rat-head flowers, didn't you investigate them?" Ren Xiangxiang found it unbelievable.
“I checked, but it was a bit far from us then. Besides, if Yang Palace and Shiqiao Rock clash, it would actually be a good thing for us, wouldn’t it?” Lei Wan said calmly. “The Yin Palace Master is just the Demon Lord with a different name. He’s an immature brat. Why should we be at his beck and call? It’s better for us to be kings ourselves right now.”
Why are we suddenly talking about the Lord of the Underworld again? Ren Xiangxiang couldn't understand it, but she could. A demon lord who suddenly appeared out of nowhere would indeed be difficult to win over the people, which is why Gong Yi and Yue Shan have been in conflict for so many years. Presumably, after swallowing Yue Shan, the next target would be the Flying Squirrel Clan.
But she dared not say anything.
"Sister Lei Wan, I think we should think of a solution right now?" Ren Xiangxiang reminded her.
"Hmm?" Lei Wan turned her head and stared at her. Although she didn't say a word, her gaze still sent chills down her spine.
Are you just passing through or did you come here specifically to find me?
Ren Xiangxiang's heart skipped a beat, but she decided not to hide it any longer and frankly admitted, "Sister Lei Wan, I want to ask you about someone..."
"That's it, Sister Lei Wan, have you seen it before?" Ren Xiangxiang asked cautiously.
Lei Wan glanced at her and shook her head. "Never seen him before. What's your relationship with this person? You described him so clearly, could it be because of him?"
"You shouldn't ask that," Ren Xiangxiang said, her cheeks slightly flushed, and quickly took her leave. "Since that's the case, I'm sorry to bother you. I still need to deliver medicine to Shiqiaoyan..."
"Wait!" Lei Wan's gaze turned cold. "For whom?"
Ren Xiangxiang wanted to slap herself, but she still honestly replied, "Sad."
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