Return
At this moment, in the forest at the entrance to the mountain, Ren Xiangxiang was struggling to squeeze herself and her basket into a narrow crevice in the rocks, and thoughtfully covered herself with a large patch of dense pine branches, hiding herself completely.
The young girl was in the prime of her life, with bright eyes, white teeth, an almond-shaped face, and peach-like cheeks. Her hair was black with a reddish tinge and slightly curled, adorned with a small flower hairpin.
She was dressed in a light green outfit, looking neat and capable. She carried a small bamboo basket about half her height on her back, which contained not only the herbs she had picked but also a small straw figurine.
“…Xiangxiang…” The straw man suddenly spoke, and the red agate inlaid on its head reflected the girl’s slightly nervous expression. Seeing that the other party did not speak, the straw man took a deeper breath and raised its voice towards the other party’s ear.
"Ren Xiangxiang!"
"Hiss... Grass Kid, be quiet! I can hear you!" Ren Xiangxiang rubbed her ears vigorously, and said without turning her head, "Wait a little longer, we'll be there soon."
Suddenly, colorful bubbles filled the area around them where they were stuck in the crack in the rocks. These bubbles moved with the wind and bounced off sharp branches without breaking.
Grass Boy didn't have that kind of patience. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "He won't come! If he were coming, he would have come long ago. He wouldn't have let me lead you out of the Demon Valley! So I'm still the best, Xiangxiang! Why are you always thinking about that big bad guy?"
"Watch out!" Ren Xiangxiang shoved down the little grass child's head, which was about to pop out of the head, and said, puzzled, "Who said I was waiting for him? It's you who came out with me again, sigh..."
"Just tell me, how could you leave the Valley of Other Demons without me!" Grass Boy retorted, prying her hands away. "And... you promised to bring me to Qiling Mountain! You broke your promise! Xiangxiang, you big liar!"
"Okay, okay, okay, I'm right, I admit I was wrong, alright?" Ren Xiangxiang pressed him down again forcefully. "Don't move, these bubbles will cause trouble if they touch them..."
This time, the little grass child didn't struggle. Instead, he clung to the edge of the bamboo basket and asked, "Isn't Qiling Mountain your home? And what are these bubbles?"
“This is a one-way formation, ineffective against humans and minor demons. We were fine when we came in, but we were triggered now, which means that the one that came might be a powerful demon…” Ren Xiangxiang pondered, and a thought flashed through her mind.
"...You still say you weren't waiting for that big bad guy? You're blushing!" Caowa shouted at the top of his lungs, tugging at the bamboo basket but not daring to peek out too much.
"I didn't!" Ren Xiangxiang quickly touched her face and retorted subconsciously.
"Yes, you are! You blushed, that's right... Xiangxiang has changed, Xiangxiang doesn't love Caowa anymore... Xiangxiang is a big liar, Xiangxiang is a big bad guy..."
"Shh... Grass Boy, listen to me..."
"I won't listen! You big liar! Xiangxiang, you big liar!"
"Little Grass Boy, look, someone's coming!"
Suddenly, a swarm of bubbles rushed toward the crevice where the two were hiding. However, because the crevice was too small, the bubbles bounced back after hitting the rock wall. Their heads were also covered by pine branches, so they were simply surrounded by bubbles and were not harmed at all.
Ren Xiangxiang stared intently through the bubble into the distance, vaguely seeing a dark mass of people approaching.
No, it wasn't him.
The joy that had just begun to rise in her heart was instantly doused with cold water, and a nameless sense of loss lingered in her chest, causing her waves of pain.
After their parting at Fox Mountain, though she had no choice in the matter, she ultimately didn't have the chance to see him one last time. Even if they had been mutually in love, it couldn't withstand an arranged marriage between their families; she had indeed been deluding herself.
That's enough.
Her turbulent thoughts returned to calm when she heard Caowa urgently call out beside her, "Xiangxiang, what should we do if so many people come? Aren't there Six Immortals outside Qiling Mountain? Will they come?"
"You even know about the Six Palaces Immortals?" Ren Xiangxiang feigned surprise.
Grass Boy puffed out his chest proudly and snorted.
The hazy black shadows in the distance grew closer, but Ren Xiangxiang remained calm. Her legs were numb, so she subconsciously moved her ankles and continued leisurely, "Only demon tamers could set up a one-way trip formation. Among the Six Palace Immortals, Yue Qing of the Night Red Clan and Shu Zhuo of the Flying Squirrel Clan are both demons, and they are far away. My mother, She Liuying, is a demon slayer, and my master, Shu Huixin, belongs to the old lineage of demon refiners, so it can't be them. The remaining two are indeed demon tamers, but Li Yi is also far away, and his mind is entirely focused on taming demon slaves, so it can't be him. The only one who would do this is Yu Ziyuan, but..."
At this point, Ren Xiangxiang suddenly fell silent, narrowing her eyes as she looked back in the direction she had come from.
"But what, Xiangxiang?"
“But he won’t come.” Ren Xiangxiang shook her head. “You were there too, Fox Mountain. He disappeared after he tricked the Fox Clan’s forbidden technique. I think he’s probably hiding away to do research and can’t afford to come here.”
"That……"
"Shhh."
Ren Xiangxiang grabbed Caowa and pressed him down. Just a moment ago, she seemed to have sensed the murderous aura emanating from the other party. He was no ordinary person and she was no match for him.
A large, dark crowd gradually came into Ren Xiangxiang's view. There were more than a dozen people driving horse-drawn carriages, with four or five boxes pulled behind them. Judging from their clothes, they seemed to be ordinary merchants.
There is a town inhabited by humans within Qiling Mountain, which has some dealings with Zhexian Town. So, these people are merchants from Zhexian Town?
No, the chilling killing intent suddenly pinpointed her hiding place with unparalleled precision. Ren Xiangxiang's heart skipped a beat. A demonic wind howled, shattering the illusion. Almost simultaneously, Ren Xiangxiang, carrying a bamboo basket, leaped out from the crevice in the rocks. Behind her, a boulder shattered with a deafening roar, and the shattered rocks, accompanied by the demonic wind, nearly swept her off the branch.
Ren Xiangxiang didn't dare to turn her head. She lightly touched the ground with her toes, took the opportunity to dodge, and quickly disappeared into the depths of the forest.
"They ran away..."
The wind carried a murmur that melted into the air, and the swaying branches outlined menacing shadows. It was dusk, and weary birds were returning to their nests.
"Xiangxiang... Xiangxiang... It seems, it seems they're not chasing us..." Caowa was almost thrown apart in the bamboo basket. She looked back again and again to make sure no one was chasing her before hurriedly calling for a stop.
Ren Xiangxiang was also tired from running, so she sat down by the stream, drank some water, and planned to rest for a while.
"I don't know what kind of people they are. If we keep going forward, we'll reach the territory of the Flying Squirrel Clan, and then someone will deal with us..."
"Then why were you hiding there watching? You must be doing this for..." Caowa started to speak, but immediately shut up when he met Ren Xiangxiang's eyes. He tactfully moved closer to her. "Xiangxiang... he... he's not good at all. Don't be sad. Caowa will be with you. Caowa will be Xiangxiang's best friend for life and will always be with Xiangxiang. Come on, let's pinky swear."
Ren Xiangxiang forced a smile, hooked her little finger with Caowa's, got up and picked up her small bamboo basket again, saying, "Let's go, we'll get there before dark."
"Xiangxiang...why have I never heard you mention your father?" Caowa asked on the road, unable to bear the silence.
As Ren Xiangxiang walked, she answered casually, "My father... well, I was found by him at the foot of Qiling Mountain. I heard he was almost dead at the time, so he found the Life-Extending Granny to extend his life. That's why I have his demonic energy on me, and that's how I survived. Later, he entrusted me to my mother to raise, and he rarely came back. Even when he did, he avoided my mother. Although I never asked, I vaguely heard some rumors that they had a child before, but the child died..."
"Wait..." Grass Boy suddenly stopped him, "Is your father a demon?"
Ren Xiangxiang nodded.
The little grasshopper suddenly perked up, "But your mother is a demon slayer, she's a human! How could they... how could they have a child... weren't they supposed to be half-demon..."
“Yes.” Ren Xiangxiang sighed, gazing at the lush forest as if she were caught in a vortex of the past. “Half-demons don’t live long… I heard that in the past, Qiling Mountain did not prohibit humans and demons from being together, so many half-demons were born. These half-demon children were all incredibly handsome and intelligent, but they all went mad after reaching adulthood. Because they could not control the demon blood in their bodies, they went into a state of demonic possession and eventually died suddenly. Later, Qiling Mountain prohibited humans and demons from being together, and naturally, there were no more half-demons. And my parents’ biological son… naturally died too… That’s why they tried their best to avoid seeing each other.”
"..." Caowa opened his mouth, then quietly closed it again. After a long while, he asked, "Xiangxiang, are you considered a half-demon?"
"Me?" Ren Xiangxiang pulled herself out of her distant thoughts. She had asked her father and master about this a long time ago. They both said that her situation was special. Although she had demonic energy and was a half-demon, her circumstances were different. In short, she should not go crazy or die suddenly.
She shook her head, offering no further explanation, and then heard the little grass doll in the bamboo basket let out an undisguised sigh of relief, "That's good, that's good..."
"Huh? What's that?" Grass Boy looked up.
Buzzing...
A mosquito the size of a palm flew towards them. Ren Xiangxiang reached out her hand, and the mosquito landed in her palm. Then, a line of text appeared in front of her:
"Xiangxiang, your mother has gone to the Yang Palace. Come here immediately."
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