Chapter 77 Thanks for the invitation, but I don't eat dumplings filled with rat meat...
The boatman led Xu Zangyu ashore, where spider lilies were everywhere, stretching endlessly along the riverbank. The houses were densely packed, and just as he had said, there were indeed busy demons and monsters.
The sky wasn't very bright, but the lanterns hanging everywhere cast a warm glow over this eerie place.
If you ignore the strange faces of these people, this place is actually very warm and cozy, full of everyday life.
The tavern was brightly lit, and on the high platform, someone leaned against the railing, drinking alone. Even in the deep of night, the red figure could not be erased.
It was him.
The boatman stopped and looked in the distance, his tone tinged with a hint of admiration, "That is our Lord of the Yellow Springs. Strangely enough, the Lord of the Yellow Springs was once a cultivator from a reputable sect. I don't know how he suddenly fell into demonic possession."
"Sigh, why am I telling you all this? Let's go."
The blood-red butterfly that had been perched on the roof beam suddenly flew toward the figure in red, finally landing gently on his fingertip. Xu Zangyu seemed to hear a soft laugh.
"Since you're here, why don't you come out?"
The sound of something cutting through the air flew towards the high platform, and the attacking arrow was knocked down by the wine cup in that hand.
Chu Shu didn't look in the direction of the sneak attack, but instead looked down at the blood butterfly on her finger.
The blood butterfly seemed startled and fluttered its wings as it tried to leave, but he protected it with his spiritual power and tucked it into his sleeve.
"Chu Shu, it's no use hiding here. Your father killed my son, so I killed his son."
"The Tianyi Sect has kept you hidden for so many years, and you've finally decided to come out."
People who had been hiding everywhere started to pop their heads out, and only then did Chu Shu dare to lift her eyelids and take a look.
"Enough with the nonsense. I've been waiting for you rats for ages."
The man seeking revenge changed his expression. "What do you mean?"
He saw Chu Shu lift her finger slightly, and the people he had arranged to hide were suddenly attacked.
Xu Zangyu saw a gilded fan, which was skillfully manipulated in the slender hand like a flying blade. Under the cold moonlight, blood droplets fell like rain.
The surrounding area was already in chaos.
The boatman had no choice but to take Xu Zangyu to avoid the storm, and the conspicuous rope on Xu Zangyu's hand was also untied.
"Behave yourself and don't run around."
"Don't worry, where can I run off to without spiritual power?"
The two hid in a secluded tavern. The boatman, holding a wine bowl, stared at Xu Zangyu with a puzzled look. "You really don't have any spiritual power?"
Xu Cangyu showed no remorse for being a prisoner, poured himself a bowl and clinked it against his, "Cat Lord, did your Master order you to arrest me?"
In those years, he wandered the poor streets and alleys, and because of his coarse appearance, he was often looked down upon, and being cursed and kicked was a common occurrence. Suddenly, upon hearing this title, he almost spat out his wine.
"It's no use trying to please me."
In fact, there was no hint of flattery on the boy's face; he was just staring intently at the ears on the top of his head.
It was missing a large piece, making it imperfect, which he often resented and felt inferior about.
"Just take it as me trying to please you, after all, no one dislikes cats."
"nonsense!"
The wine bowl slammed heavily on the table, and hatred flashed in her beautiful emerald eyes. "You humans love sweet talk the most, using a pretty face to hide a vicious heart."
"You've come here to kill the Ferryman, haven't you?"
Xu Zangyu pointed at himself blankly: "...Me? You really think highly of me."
"I'm not lying to you. I'm here to see my friend. Otherwise, why would I dare to come alone?"
"Hmph, you'll understand once you see the Ferryman. Even if the Ferryman doesn't kill you, I'll still cut open your heart and liver."
"But we don't have any grudge against each other, do we?"
"Nobody's a good person!"
Besides hatred, there was also resentment in that eye, and the face that was revealed was still young, so the original owner must have just come of age.
"Alright, alright, people are all bad, Cat Master."
"Don't call me Cat Master."
"Then you have to tell me your name."
"You've asked so much, are you planning to seek revenge later? I might as well tell you, my name is Copper Coin."
"Pfft—" When the green eyes looked over, Xu Cangyu immediately stopped laughing. "Copper Coin is a good name, what a cute one."
"What do you mean, cute or not?" The sharp teeth in the copper coin's mouth were exposed, and it hissed threateningly at Xu Zangyu. Its face was very fierce, and Xu Zangyu restrained his hand that wanted to pet the cat's head, pretending to be frightened.
Copper Coin didn't have a name before. He was an unlikable black cat who lived in a garbage dump and survived on scraps.
Later he learned that everyone liked the thing called copper coin and that it could be used to buy fish, so he decided to name it Copper Coin from then on.
What benefits will you get from handing me over to the Ferryman?
Emerald Cat narrowed its eyes: "You want to bribe me?"
"I just want to see what my worth is?"
"Are you here to kill the Ferryman like those other people?" The boy's nonchalant attitude made him uneasy. If he had really arrested the wrong person, it would only cause more trouble.
“I know your Lord of the Rivers, why would I kill him? If you don’t believe me, I’ll go over and call your Lord of the Rivers over here.”
Copper Coin's hair stood on end warily, and a hand blocked his way. "Don't be nervous. I just want to know what your Lord of the River is asking for."
"A demon core," the copper coin said dejectedly.
"Just one demon core?" Xu Zangyu said, "How do you know I can't afford to buy a demon core?"
“What’s the use of having money? Do you think the demons hiding here don’t want to leave?” Copper Coin said angrily. “When I was a child, I was picked up by someone who seemed kind and friendly.”
Back then, the little copper coin cat thought it had finally found salvation and met someone who loved it. Even when it was dizzy and its vision was blurry, it tried its best to please its future owner and hide the ear that had been damaged from its wanderings.
It fears that its disability will make people dislike it.
"But this person gouged out my eyes and peeled off my skin."
"The last thing I heard was, 'It's a pity this piece of leather is so small and torn that it won't fetch a good price.' At that time, I still had a breath left, and out of resentment, I became an evil spirit and killed that person in the same way."
“But then the heavenly lightning struck,” a tear welled up in Emerald’s eye, “why is it that you cultivators, who have committed countless sins and acted recklessly, can still be transformed into immortals, while demons cannot?”
"The human world cannot accommodate me; if I go out, the heavenly lightning will follow. Only this place can provide me with temporary refuge."
The boy remained silent, listening to the accusations, but suddenly his eyes flashed with excitement, "You mean even the Heavenly Dao can't control this place?"
Although Tongqian felt strange, he still nodded. "Huangquan Ferry is not within the Six Realms, so the Heavenly Dao naturally cannot control it."
Xu Zangyu held his hand and said sincerely and excitedly, "Thank you, I finally understand."
The anger and hatred that Tongqian had just been brewing dissipated because of his interruption. She disdainfully shook off his hand and retorted irritably, "What do you know now?"
"Naturally, it is the method to overcome tribulation."
He still has a tribulation to overcome before reaching the Nascent Soul stage, which is why it has been delayed due to an accident. Once his cultivation is restored, he might still be killed by the Heavenly Dao.
With this bug, it's like automatically activating the jamming device, so he might have a chance to ascend.
"Liar, you even said you have no spiritual power." Copper Coin pulled him up and said, "Come with me to find the Ferryman."
Whether this person is telling the truth or not, let's try our luck first.
The owner of the steamed bun shop, carrying a plate, blocked their way. Xu Zangyu couldn't stop in time and almost bumped headfirst into the pig's face.
"Would you like to try some of our newly made steamed buns? Free samples available."
Xu Zangyu had just reached out when a copper coin slapped his hand away. "You eat things stuffed with rat meat?"
"Ah... haha, oh right, I don't eat mice."
Pig Boss: "You're a cat demon, you don't eat mice?"
Xu Zangyu: "What's so strange about it? After I became rich, I stopped eating such lowly creatures a long time ago."
The pig boss stared at Xu Zangyu with his two huge eyes for a long time, then suddenly grinned and said, "So you're a rich man. Brother, you're quite handsome."
The copper coin said in a strange voice, "He's just a pretty good skin that's transformed."
"Really? Don't you know that pigs have the most sensitive noses? I could smell the human scent on him a long time ago."
The enormous pig eyes almost popped out of his face. Tongqian suddenly narrowed his eyes, took a step back, and a pig-slaughtering knife grazed his neck, almost causing his head to fall to the ground.
"You're in such a hurry to claim your reward from the ferryman? Can you handle this reward? I want his head."
The butcher's knife suddenly turned and slashed down hard at Xu Cangyu's neck. Xu Cangyu remained unmoved, unfolded a folding fan, and gently held it against his neck.
"Thump—"
The butcher's knife struck as if hitting iron, sparks flying everywhere. The huge body was sent flying, smashing through the roof, causing chaos and panic.
Copper Coin suddenly turned around, staring at him in horror: "You let me catch you on purpose."
"Don't panic. I'm new here and don't know much about the place. I just want to talk to someone."
Xu Zangyu dared to come out alone, naturally he had made sufficient preparations. The hairpin in his hair, the clothes on his body, his boots, his fan—every single item was a protective magic weapon, not to mention the various miscellaneous items in his Qiankun bag. It was absolutely impossible for a mere demon to take his head.
The other lesser demons were startled and all gathered around to look at Xu Zangyu.
He waved his fan and said, "Stop looking, you can't beat me."
"Oh, what about me?"
The voice seemed to come from above. Xu Cangyu turned around abruptly and saw a person holding a golden fan approaching on the wind.
She landed gracefully in front of him, not a single strand of her hair was disheveled, making it hard to believe that she had just gone through a fierce battle.
Those deep black eyes were now tinged with crimson; Chu Shu had truly fallen into demonic possession.
"Senior brother."
The gilded fan's sharp edge pressed against his neck: "How do you want to die?"
Xu Zangyu: "..."
He took out a blood butterfly wrapped in spiritual energy from his sleeve. After removing the spiritual energy, the blood butterfly flew around his finger once, and then impatiently ran to Xu Cangyu's shoulder, where it stayed motionless.
"I wondered who had placed the blood pact with me, it turns out it was you. And now you even dare to deliver yourself to my doorstep."
Xu Zangyu: "Do you still remember who I am?"
"I don't care who you are." Chu Shuye glanced sideways, her eyes dismissive, and moved the fan handle a little closer.
"Then go ahead and do it, you'll suffer the backlash anyway."
Chu Shu gave a cold smile: "Threatening me with a blood pact?"
She folded the gilded fan and pressed it against his chest. "I have plenty of ways to make people wish they were dead."
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