Chapter 42 The Beauty Trap
It turned out that the girl was quite formidable; she silenced the middle-aged woman with her sharp retort.
"That girl's tongue is so smooth, I have to admit defeat," Huan Ni couldn't help but exclaim.
Shi Yuan and Gu Linyuan exchanged a glance and laughed at the same time. This girl must be incredibly eloquent; even Huan Ni was impressed.
After chatting and laughing for a while, it was lunchtime. Gu Linyuan asked Shi Yuan what she wanted to eat, saying he would go to the restaurant to buy it. Shi Yuan thought that since they were already on a green train, she might as well experience a train restaurant, so she said she would eat at the restaurant.
Huan Ni and Shi Meili transformed into butterfly hairpins that entangled Shi Yuan's hair by her ear, and they went with her.
In those days, many people would bring their own food when traveling, and many who had never traveled far from home had no idea that there were restaurants on trains, and that you didn't need tickets to buy food there.
So when they arrived, there weren't many people in the train restaurant. Of course, this was in comparison to the outer carriages; in fact, it was almost full.
Gu Linyuan shielded Shi Yuan from being pushed around and sat down in an empty seat in the corner: "Wait here for a while, I'll go buy some food."
"Okay." Shi Yuan didn't say what they wanted to eat. Lately, they often devised plans to get revenge on the Wu and Gu families while eating, and they knew each other's tastes.
Sometimes, when he doesn't want to socialize, he habitually looks out the car window.
Suddenly, a shrill middle-aged woman's voice rang out in the restaurant: "Who? Who stole my wallet?"
Seeing everyone's attention turn to them, the middle-aged woman's voice raised again, "Who stole my wallet! Hand it over now, and I'll pretend nothing happened. Otherwise, I'll call the train police!"
There were many onlookers, but no one responded or offered to help.
"Hey, isn't that the middle-aged woman who got yelled at earlier?"
Shi Yuan turned his gaze from the car window to the young woman standing on the bench.
She was an ordinary-looking middle-aged woman with a haggard face, worn down by life, but her eyes were bright and seemed to hide hooks when she looked at people, fierce and menacing.
Shi Yuan withdrew his gaze, and that was that.
The middle-aged woman looked around and spotted the girl who had confronted her earlier. She immediately strode over aggressively and pulled the girl up, demanding, "Was it you?"
"You're such a bad guy! I was just trying to be nice to you and even brought you some local specialties from home, and you not only scolded me, but you also stole my money!"
"You're talking nonsense! I didn't!" The girl struggled a few times but couldn't break free. In a panic, she quickly denied it.
The middle-aged woman didn't argue with her; instead, she started playing the victim to the people in the restaurant: "My poor husband is waiting for this money to save his life!" She began to cry and shed tears.
"Young man, if you accidentally took it, please return it to this old lady." Someone, hearing it was money meant to save a life, couldn't help but speak up, "Look how anxious she is!"
"Yes, it's money that could save a life!" "These days, no one has it easy. Young comrade, you're still young. Don't make such a fundamental mistake."
The girl was frantic: "I told you I didn't take her money!"
"She took it without asking, but where's the proof?"
Huan Ni whispered to Shi Meili in Shi Yuan's ear, "Is this some new trick?" But she just watched the show from the sidelines, no longer shouting like before that she wanted to teach the suspected human traffickers a lesson.
The girl forcefully pulled her hand away and said to the people in the restaurant, "I really didn't take it!"
"I don't know this old lady either!" she said, taking out a few banknotes and stuffing them into the middle-aged woman's hand. "Auntie, I understand you're anxious because you lost your life-saving money, but let me explain again, I didn't steal your money!"
"This is a small token of my appreciation. I hope you, my husband, recover soon." After saying this, she left the restaurant without eating.
"This young man is very sensible and doesn't seem like the type to steal money. Ma'am, why don't you look again?" The person who spoke thought for a moment, then took out a few bills from their pocket and handed them over. "Hope this helps."
Those who can afford to eat in the train restaurant are not necessarily from wealthy families, but their families are certainly not poor either.
People in this era are mostly warm-hearted and helpful. In just half an hour, the middle-aged woman's hands were stuffed full of money and bills.
She looked at everyone with gratitude, bowing repeatedly, and saying kind words constantly.
Most people have a herd mentality, and seeing this, more people offered help to the middle-aged woman, some of them quite generous.
"Wow, that must be close to a hundred!" Huan Ni exclaimed, staring at the middle-aged woman. "This money came way too easily!"
The middle-aged woman thanked them repeatedly, wiped away her tears, and left the restaurant.
Gu Linyuan came over with the lunchbox just as Shi Yuan had turned her gaze away from the middle-aged woman.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "Is there something wrong with that person?"
Shi Yuan chuckled: "Am I some kind of superhuman? Can I tell at a glance whether someone has a problem or not?"
Gu Linyuan laughed, "You're much better than those with fiery eyes." This guy is someone who can beat up a ghost king with his bare hands.
He opened the lunchbox and laid it out: "I heard the chef makes the best lionfish, you should try it." Shi Yuan preferred fish to meat.
Shi Yuan was indeed very interested and immediately picked up her chopsticks. At this moment, the butterfly hair clip beside her ear had disappeared.
"I had He Tian book the Peace Hotel in Haicheng; the night view there is quite nice."
"Peace Hotel," Shi Yuan nodded, took another bite of lionfish, and her mood soared.
The green train, the Peace Hotel—it felt like she was randomly flipping through old photos and taking a time tour.
"Did you bring a camera?" she asked.
Yes, do you want to use it now?
Shi Yuan shook her head: "No, I want to take some photos of Haicheng."
"Then shall we go together?" Gu Linyuan casually invited, his grip on his chopsticks tightening.
“Okay.” Shi Yuan didn’t think much of it. Gu Linyuan was a very easy person to get along with and had a good sense of propriety, so he wouldn’t bother others unnecessarily. She thought he would be a great partner, whether it was for revenge or travel.
When it came to revenge, she lowered her voice and said, "Do you think he can recover?"
Gu Linyuan understood immediately and lowered his voice, leaning slightly towards Shi Yuan: "It's difficult, but the old man should be able to find a way." After thinking for a moment, he added, "Maybe that Prince has a way." His tone was tinged with sarcasm.
Thinking back to Gu Zhao in the cave, from pleading, "My wife is also a dodder, we are from the same root, please let me go," to roaring, "She is the Queen of the Demons, please let me go, or she will not let you go!"
Shi Yuan almost burst out laughing; she was so embarrassed for others that she almost made a fuss!
Let's put it this way: even at the height of her power, Huan Ni didn't dare call herself the King of the Otherworldly Demons.
Or to paraphrase Huan Ni's own words, which were twitching at the corner of her mouth: "Who would dare to claim such an empty title? If they did today, they'd be ganged up on and beaten up tomorrow!"
The two ate and talked quietly, occasionally glancing around at each other; the atmosphere was very harmonious.
This harmonious relationship continued until Huan Ni and Shi Meili returned.
Huan Ni was clearly furious. She muttered fiercely in a low voice, "Shi Yuan, I'm telling you!"
"You'd never guess that the middle-aged woman and the young girl were actually in cahoots!"
"What a waste of my genuine concern that the girl would be kidnapped! They're all bad news!"
"What's wrong?" Shi Yuan tilted her head slightly and asked in a very low voice.
Huan Ni was so angry she didn't want to talk, so Shi Meili recounted how she had just seen the middle-aged woman and the young girl pass each other by to meet up, saying they would find a secluded place that night to divide the loot.
After finishing, she concluded, "This is what they mean by 'you can know a person's face but not their heart'!" Then she exclaimed, "Humans are so resourceful!"
That's a lot...
Shi Yuan felt ashamed and could only offer a few words of comfort.
Huan Ni said angrily, "I'll keep an eye on them tonight!" "Meili, you're coming with me. We'll scare them to death!"
"No problem, boss!"
Shi Yuan thought for a moment and said, "The passengers on the train have complicated backgrounds, so please be careful. If anything unexpected happens, come back immediately." She wouldn't restrain Huan Ni and Shi Meili, but she would always emphasize safety issues several times.
"Don't worry, Shi Yuan, I'm here, everything will be fine." Shi Meili patted her chest to assure them. So far, she hadn't met a worthy opponent. Thinking of this, she glanced guiltily at Shi Yuan and silently added: "Except for Shi Yuan."
When Shi Yuan attacked the alien plants, she held nothing back, striking with every move aimed at killing them, but she was also incredibly kind to her own demon.
Shi Meili felt that she was a lucky alien plant to have met such a good person as Shi Yuan.
While Shi Meili was still sighing, Shi Yuan said, "Shi Meili, my scalp isn't itchy, please stop scratching it, thank you."
Shi Meili: ...This person, even if someone else asked me to scratch him, I wouldn't do it!
Night fell as scheduled. In the private room, Shi Yuan and Gu Linyuan were still awake. During dinner, they talked about the Gu family and decided to review what had happened before and then make plans for the next step.
Gu Linyuan had already spoken to Gu Zhao beforehand, promising to let him experience the transformation into a demon next time, and he couldn't go back on his word.
Moreover, Gu Linyuan's ultimate goal is the entire Gu family. Although the Gu family is in decline, the old master Gu's ability to steer the ship is undeniable; otherwise, they would not have been able to weather these turbulent ten years unscathed.
The two meticulously planned and gradually identified and addressed any shortcomings.
Old Master Gu was wrong about one thing: Gu Linyuan would definitely take action against the entire Gu family before Old Master Gu passed away.
He confessed to Shi Yuan: "Old Master Gu is going to die tomorrow. I will do whatever it takes to bring down the Gu family today. At the very least, I will send other members of the Gu family to Old Master Gu's grave."
"Don't you think I'm being too ruthless?" Gu Linyuan asked nervously, pinching the fabric of his pants on his thigh.
Since he reappeared in the public eye, everyone has said that he is a gentle and refined gentleman, that he is strong yet humble. The funniest thing is that even the old master Gu thought he was such a person, and even considered handing the Gu family over to him!
But he was no saint; he was a demon who crawled up from hell. Without his master, he would not abide by the rules of the human world, as evidenced by the enormous black market he created.
His master is the person he respects most, his benefactor. He is willing to abide by the rules for his master's sake, but outside of the rules, he can do whatever he wants.
Then he met Shi Yuan.
Shi Yuan's first impression of him was contradictory, very contradictory.
Despite his apparent weariness and world-weariness, his actions were full of vitality, and he inexplicably called out to people.
Thanks to this serendipitous turn of events, his life gained warmth!
He wanted to gradually reveal himself to Shi Yuan, but he was also worried that she might be afraid of him.
"So what?" Shi Yuan asked lightly. "You're getting revenge, of course you can do whatever you want." It's not like you're on a blind date where you have to please the other person.
Gu Linyuan felt a sense of relief and released the trouser leg that he had been gripping so tightly: "Yes, it's all about revenge!" He couldn't help but smile, and then smile even more.
"Shi Yuan, Shi Yuan, something terrible has happened! Shi Meili is missing!" Just as the two were about to refine their revenge plan, a colorful butterfly with phoenix patterns and fluorescent light flew in.
"Don't rush, tell me slowly." Shi Yuan immediately stood up, and Gu Linyuan picked up his coat and handed it to her.
"Just now, Shi Meili and I scared the mother and daughter who were taking advantage of people's sympathy and made them return the money they had cheated them out of."
"Then, as soon as I turned around, Shi Meili suddenly disappeared!"
“We like to joke around, but we wouldn’t joke like that,” Huan Ni said anxiously. “Shi Yuan, you’re right. The people on the train are a mixed bag. I shouldn’t have been so confident and taken Shi Meili around like that!”
"Don't worry, I'll definitely find her!" Shi Yuan put on her coat. "Let's go check where Meili is."
"I'll take you to the empty carriage next to the boiler room!" Huan Ni's wings danced, leaving afterimages.
Shi Yuan couldn't help but remind her, "Huan Ni, butterflies don't fly fast."
Huan Ni then came to her senses, flapped her wings a few more times, and transformed into a pitch-black bird amidst a beautiful glow, a color that is safest in the darkness.
Shi Yuan and Gu Linyuan thoroughly searched the empty carriage, but found nothing except some odds and ends.
"What should we do, Shi Yuan?" Huan Ni was somewhat at a loss. After spending so much time together, she had long regarded Shi Meili as family. After forming a contract with Shi Yuan, he treated her like a child. So when something happened, she instinctively wanted to rely on Shi Yuan.
"Don't worry, Shi Meili is very powerful. Ordinary people and strange demons can't do anything to her." Shi Yuan patted Huan Ni's head reassuringly. "Tell us again, what happened before and after Meili disappeared?"
“Nothing special happened.” Huan Nizi carefully recalled the scene at the time. “She and I saw through that mother and daughter swindlers.”
“They deliberately create conflict to arouse suspicion, and then, depending on the situation, one of them will accuse the other of stealing money, make up an excuse that they urgently need money, and then use various methods to encourage onlookers to give them money.”
Shi Meili is a master of supernatural trickery, and with Huan Ni, who can weave illusions, dealing with ordinary people is a piece of cake.
Before they could even exert any effort, the mother and daughter con artists were already running away in terror, begging on their knees not to take their money. They immediately returned the money and even went to the train police to explain the situation.
Huan Ni and Shi Meili have a great understanding. At this moment, they will definitely exchange glances, letting each other see the smugness in their eyes.
"But when I turned around, Shi Meili was gone!"
"Without making a sound, it just suddenly disappeared."
"But I've confirmed it, there were no spatial fluctuations at that time." In other words, it's impossible that some powerful being tore through space and kidnapped Shi Meili.
The key point is, they don't have such a powerful enemy!
Where was beauty back then?
"Here," Huan Ni paused in mid-air, "she's pretending to be a ghost to scare that con artist mother and daughter!"
Shi Yuan looked at Gu Linyuan, who shook his head. Neither he nor Lin Feng could see anything.
"Lin Yuan, is there any record of such an event in the 'Records of Strange Demons' of the Seventh Division?"
Gu Linyuan thought about it seriously for a moment, then shook his head: "No."
Shi Yuan looked at Huan Ni again, and Huan Ni calmed down. If anyone in the world was most familiar with the types and habits of strange demons, it would be Huan Ni.
Once she calmed down, Huan Ni rested on Shi Yuan's shoulder, recalling the scene as she searched her mind for otherworldly creatures with similar habits of dissolving into darkness and tearing through space.
“I’ve got it, it’s Yin ginseng!” Huan Ni said.
"What?" Shi Yuan was puzzled. Ginseng is ginseng, but there is such a variety as Yin ginseng?
"Everyone knows that ginseng is a highly nourishing food," Huan Ni said casually, then changed the subject and looked at Shi Yuan, "Have you heard a saying?"
Without waiting for Shi Yuan to answer, Huan Ni continued the conversation herself: "A long, long time ago, you had to tie a red thread when digging for ginseng. Do you know why?"
At this time, I wish to know: "I'm afraid the ginseng will run away."
Huan Ni shook her head: "No, it's a mark. It marks that this ginseng has an owner, to prevent Yin Renshen from trying to steal it."
"What is Yin ginseng? Is it a variety of ginseng?" Just like Changbai Mountain ginseng and Korean ginseng.
Huan Ni shook her head again: "No." She seemed to be avoiding the topic, and after a few moments of silence, she told Shi Yuan and Gu Linyuan about the story of Yin Ginseng.
"To be honest, Yin ginseng is indeed a type of ginseng, but it is extremely rare." So rare that even in an era when powerful beings were everywhere, there was only one Yin ginseng ever born.
"Becoming famous" here refers to making a name for oneself, such as with a phoenix, dragon, or unicorn.
"About every ten thousand years, each race will produce a prodigy who will make their race famous."
For example, who knew about the dragon and phoenix clans that we just mentioned?
It was only because the two races' prodigies caused such a commotion that everyone realized, oh, so the Dragon Clan can control clouds and rain and is incredibly powerful, and so the Phoenix Clan can actually be reborn from the ashes!
"The ginseng family is extremely low-key." Of course they're low-key!
This stuff is a great tonic now, but back in Huan Ni's era, it could enhance cultivation and repair hidden injuries. It was something that could be taken directly without refining and had no toxic side effects!
Tell me, who in the ginseng family dares to step forward?
Yes, there really is!
Then let's use ginseng.
Yin ginseng, as the name suggests, is the opposite of yang ginseng in every way; it is ginseng in the universal sense.
Yang ginseng can bring the dead back to life and heal flesh and bones, while Yin ginseng can kill without shedding blood; once consumed, there's no need to prepare any corpse-dissolving liquid.
Nobody knows how this thing grows.
After he grew up, he didn't think about becoming famous. He just stayed in the shadows, occasionally eating some powerful demon cultivators to improve his cultivation.
But it looks exactly like Yang ginseng!
Sure enough, a powerful figure tracked it down for months, used every means to catch it, ate it, and then... nothing more.
"According to unreliable legends, Yin Ginseng is best at concealing its whereabouts and transforming into all sorts of demon cultivators it has eaten."
“According to another unreliable legend, this thing’s greatest achievement was eating a phoenix and gaining the ability to be reborn.” Huan Ni added, “This may have allowed it to escape that catastrophe back then and survive like me.”
"So far, all I know of is that this one Yin ginseng has been produced."
"But after the catastrophe, the world is no longer suitable for immortals, demons, monsters and beasts to live in, and it is even more impossible for something like Yin Ginseng to be born."
"In other words, if it was Yin Renshen who took Shi Meili away, then it's very likely the one you know," Shi Yuan concluded.
"I don't recognize it, thank you." Huan Ni thought of something and grinned wryly.
Shi Yuan remained silent; she was a little worried about Shi Meili.
"Is there any way to find it, or lure it out?" Shi Yuan asked.
Huan Ni was a little surprised by Shi Yuan's decisiveness. She asked her, "The Yin Ginseng is so terrifying, are you still going to find Shi Meili?"
“Of course!” Shi Yuan replied, “I will never abandon my family.”
Gu Linyuan turned to look at Shi Yuan. Although it was inappropriate, his heart was pounding. He also wanted to become Shi Yuan's family!
So he actively participated in the rescue operation.
Huan Ni was both touched and thought Shi Yuan was a fool. In their era, who would care about the life or death of contracted beasts? Many contracted beasts were even used to withstand heavenly tribulations.
However, she was more happy than anything else, and she was glad that Shi Yuan was the Shi Yuan she wanted to be!
Then, she looked at Gu Linyuan.
Gu Linyuan: ...?
He immediately declared, "I will do everything in my power to help rescue Shi Meili."
"That's wonderful!" Huan Ni said. "I'll thank you on behalf of Shi Meili."
Gu Linyuan suddenly had a bad feeling: "...No need to thank me?"
Huan Ni turned to Shi Yuan and said, "Yin Renshen has no weaknesses in her life, except that she likes men. I heard that she was willing to be captured by that powerful person at first."
They've all reached a high level of power, so how could they be bad-looking? The Nascent Soul stage allows for the reshaping of the physical body; who wouldn't want to create a beautiful and handsome face for themselves?
It's said that in that era, the higher one's cultivation level, the more beautiful they were.
Shi Yuan also looked at Gu Linyuan.
Gu Linyuan refused. Everyone knew that he was the kind of gay man whose body was scarred by his family of origin, and he was absolutely certain of his feelings for Shi Yuan. He wouldn't use his good looks to seduce her.
If you're lucky enough to succeed in pursuing her someday, this might become a dark chapter in your life!
But he just said he would do everything he could to rescue Shi Meili.
And what if! What if it's not some kind of ginseng with a dark, unpleasant smell?
He couldn't back down at this point, otherwise Shi Yuan would think he was afraid of dying and refused to save Shi Meili, and then what future would he have?
"What should I do?" Gu Linyuan tried his best to appear calm, but he didn't dare to look Shi Yuan in the eye. He first tried to justify himself by saying, "I almost never interact with women." Except for you, so he knew nothing about the "handsome man" tactic.
Absolutely innocent!
Seeing his nervous yet trying-to-appear calm demeanor, Shi Yuan couldn't help but chuckle. The longer she spent with Gu Linyuan, the more she realized how different he was from her first impression of him as a "gentleman from afar."
However, she didn't know how to use her good looks to seduce men. Before, she only knew how to fight zombies, and now she didn't have any of the usual "class smell" about her. When she had a mission, she would go out on a mission if she wanted to, and if she didn't want to, she would just lie down. She had never thought about men.
Shi Yuan looked at the knowledgeable Huan Ni, who immediately became interested: "I know this, listen to me!" She was indeed very knowledgeable!
Her era was full of infatuated men and women, whose love and hate entangled for tens of thousands of years, sometimes even going to the ends of the earth. Otherwise, there would be a love story spanning three lifetimes, and occasionally a tragic love between a celestial being and a demon. It was quite a lively affair!
Huan Ni looked at Gu Linyuan's outstanding appearance and gave him the most sincere advice: "Unbutton your top button, yes, show your collarbone, preferably in a subtle way."
Gu Linyuan's fingers trembled almost imperceptibly as he unbuttoned his shirt, then he calmly unbuttoned it all the way to his chest, turning the collar of his white shirt up to reveal his collarbone and his chest muscles.
Huan Ni continued to instruct: "Roll up your sleeves, show your arms, yes, show your muscles."
Gu Linyuan glanced at Shi Yuan, his ears turning slightly red, and gritted his teeth as Huan Ni instructed, he rolled up his sleeves.
“Hair, and more hair.” Phantom Wings stroked his chin. “Make it a bit messy, yes, a few stray hairs on the forehead, very good. Eyes, make them a bit melancholy, like someone who worries about the country and its people.”
"That's right!"
"Will it work?" Shi Yuan asked uncertainly.
What do you think?
Shi Yuan glanced at Gu Linyuan, who looked completely different from usual, her eyes flickered, and she said in a low voice, "I think it can work."
I think so too.
"Should we avoid this?"
"No need. Yin Renshen is fearless and ruthless. If she really has her eye on Gu Linyuan, she will definitely come."
When Gu Linyuan noticed Shi Yuan's occasional glances as she spoke to Huan Ni, he subtly lifted his clothes a little wider.
Shi Yuan whispered to Huan Ni, "If we guess wrong and it's not the Yin Renshen, do you think Gu Linyuan will be angry?"
Huan Ni glanced at Shi Yuan but didn't answer. She thought to herself, "Gu Linyuan is practically peacocking in front of you, okay? Forget about being angry, if you look at him even once more, he won't be able to pretend to be melancholy anymore!"
Fortunately, their efforts were not in vain, and there was some activity from Gu Linyuan's side.
If Shi Meili's abduction was unexpected and a case of being caught off guard, then now they were prepared to wait for her to come to them, but Yin Renshen was more difficult to deal with than they had imagined.
The main problem is that the other party can appear anywhere in the dark from time to time, making it impossible to guard against.
They didn't dare to use the light. Huan Ni said that the Yin Ginseng would immediately flee when it was exposed to light, that was its nature. Even if the Yin Ginseng wasn't afraid of them, it would still flee to a place they couldn't find.
As night deepened, all the passengers on the train, whether in their compartments or hard seats, had fallen asleep. Apart from the train's whistle and the sound of the train rubbing against the tracks, only Shi Yuan and his companions' carriage was the most lively.
Although the night was pitch black, one could still see a few streaks of green and bursts of golden light in the occasional moonlight that shone into the carriage.
To those unaware of the situation, this might be a rare sight, but for Shi Yuan, it was a bitter pill to swallow.
The answer is simply that I feel frustrated!
Fearing that she might cause a commotion and alert people, she had to throw the talismans one by one very carefully, and she also had to control herself so that they didn't hit the train wall. If she caused any damage and caused a safety problem for the train, then she would be in big trouble.
Shi Yuan was extremely frustrated in this battle, but fortunately Gu Linyuan was very helpful. He wielded the Peach Leaf Whip with great force and fought Yin Renshen to the death.
Of course, the Yin ginseng was specifically targeting him, and he bore the brunt of the heat.
Just as Huan Ni said, Yin Renshen was very powerful. Even when Shi Yuan and Gu Linyuan joined forces, they were unable to defeat her quickly. But just as Huan Ni predicted, because of that catastrophe, Yin Renshen, like Huan Ni, had her foundation damaged.
Even so, Yin Renshen fought them two-on-one and held her own, not losing a single battle.
In retrospect, Shi Yuan insisted that the environment limited her performance, and that at least 70% of her strength was suppressed!
Yin Renshen got tired of fighting for a while and took the opportunity to slip away. This man was good-looking, but too troublesome. Oh well.
Huan Ni seemed completely out of it from the moment Yin Renshen appeared, her whole body was in a daze. Fortunately, she had transformed into a pitch-black bird this time, and Yin Renshen was preoccupied with Shi Yuan and Gu Linyuan and didn't notice her.
She finally came to her senses, her beady eyes sparkling in the darkness.
"Found it, the net of heaven and earth!" Huan Ni shouted, and a large golden net swept over Yin Renshen.
Yin Renshen exclaimed "Damn it!" and vanished into nothingness, drifting out of the car window. The net of heaven and earth barely covered half of its body.
As the phantom bird opened its beak, a beautifully crafted palace lantern slowly came to rest above the carriage, emitting a soft, ethereal glow.
Shi Yuan: ...Didn't they say that if you have the Time Ginseng, you can escape?
Yin Renshen: ...Guess why I didn't run away!
When the dim light filled the entire carriage, Shi Yuan finally saw the situation of Yin Renshen, a situation that was probably a bit embarrassing for it.
Half of its body was sticking out of the car window, while the other half was wrapped in a net. Its roots tried to pry at the window to free the other half of its body, but to no avail.
"Mirage Beast, we have no grudge against each other, why are you arresting me?" Yin Renshen accused first, "What do you want? Do you want to be my enemy?"
"I'm telling you, I'm not someone to be trifled with!"
"Don't get agitated," Huan Ni soothed her gently. "Don't break the roots in your excitement, or it will be hard to recover now."
Yin Renshen stopped struggling as expected: "Why are you grabbing me?"
"You arrested my friend first!"
"Your friend?" Yin Renshen paused for a moment, then realized, "That little flower."
"Fine, for your sake, I'll give you back my snacks." As soon as she finished speaking, Shi Meili appeared beside it. Shi Meili didn't dare to move and just huddled there, looking at Huan Ni with pleading eyes, which made Huan Ni feel very sorry for her.
What did you do to her?
"What can you do? I was just about to eat it."
As soon as Yin Renshen finished speaking, the carriage fell into a deathly silence.
Shi Yuan and Huan Ni exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with relief. Fortunately, they had acted quickly and used their beauty to lure out the Yin Ginseng.
They all looked at Gu Linyuan at the same time, this time with gratitude in their eyes, thanking him for sacrificing his charm.
Although it wasn't a misunderstanding, Yin Renshen released Shi Meili, and Shi Yuan didn't make a fuss. It wasn't that she didn't want to seek justice for Shi Meili, but mainly because Huan Ni gave her a "we'll talk about it later" look, and she trusted Huan Ni, so she held back.
Furthermore, Yin Renshen is quite powerful, and if they were to fight to the death, it would definitely alert the people on the train, and things would get complicated.
Fortunately, Shi Meili is back safe and sound; we can deal with other things later.
Huan Ni stopped on the palace lantern, neither too close nor too far from Yin Renshen, and chatted with Yin Renshen.
"What are you doing on the train? Shouldn't you be holed up on some mountain, ruling like a king?"
"Don't even mention it. I was so bored earlier that I tried to refine some roots to play with, but I messed it up and it rebelled and ran away."
"You know how tough it is for any of us these days," Yin Renshen sighed. "You know about the Seventh Division, right?"
"hold head high!"
"I was afraid that thing would cause me trouble, and then the Seventh Division would come after me, so I came out to find her." Yin Renshen said dejectedly, "You'd better hurry up and take down this damn net!"
"I'll take it all in, you're getting impatient." Huan Ni said, pulling in the net, but made no move whatsoever, as if asking casually, "Then why did you arrest my friend?"
"I'm feeling down, I'm going to find something to eat."
Shi Meili: ...*&%￥%%！ ！ ！
"I'm right here, you did this on purpose, didn't you?"
"I didn't see you. I don't need that snack." "I just saw something I could easily do."
That's true. Huan Ni thought for a moment and then asked her, "Now that I've closed the net, what are your plans?"
"Where are you going?" Yin Renshen asked instead of answering.
"This train is going to Haicheng, where do you think we're going?"
"I'm going to Haicheng too, let's go together."
Shi Meili: ...No, no!
“If you’re in a hurry, fly there yourself,” Huan Ni refused.
"I don't want to. There's a train to catch, why bother with all that?" Yin Renshen struggled slightly, signaling Huan Ni to quickly close the net, or she would get angry.
Huan Ni put the net away; Yin Renshen was straightforward and wouldn't lie.
"Let's go," Yin Renshen said, shaking his body.
Where to?
"Following you guys." "Hurry up, it's time to sleep!" As she said "sleep," she glanced at Gu Linyuan, seemingly unintentionally.
Gu Linyuan's lips twitched. He fastened his top button and tightened his grip on the peach leaf whip. He had to protect his innocence.
"Let's go then." Shi Yuan glanced at Yin Renshen, thinking that if she let it run around in the train and cause any trouble, it would be better for it to stay with them.
Gu Linyuan shared the same thought. As the director of the Seventh Division, he knew that the safety of the people was the top priority when a strange demon appeared on the train.
Although this strange demon doesn't seem to be causing trouble right now, it's still safest to keep it by my side.
Then, a ginseng root appeared in the private room in Haicheng.
Fortunately, this little guy wasn't making a fuss; he took over a bed and slept like a log.
Shi Meili clung to Huan Ni and whispered, "She won't eat me, will she?"
"Don't worry, she's an omnivore and not picky about food."
Hearing Huan Ni say this, Shi Meili felt even more threatened. She cautiously whispered, "Why can't we just..." She made a throat-slitting gesture.
Huan Ni sighed, "I can't kill him." Even the Cataclysm couldn't kill him.
Yin Renshen is different from her. She is very weak now, and if she is really killed, she will be gone. But Yin Renshen can be reborn. Even if you go to great lengths to kill her, she will come back to life not long after. This kind of enmity is not easy to settle, it will never end.
That's why she didn't let Shi Yuan do it.
Shi Meili understood and panicked even more. She clung to Huan Ni and refused to leave.
"It's okay. I have some influence with her, so she won't take advantage of you. Don't worry."
Shi Yuan hesitated for a moment, but couldn't resist joining the conversation, asking in a low voice, "Does she eat people?"
Huan Ni looked at Shi Yuan and asked, "Why ask such a redundant question? I already said it's omnivorous."
Shi Yuan looked at Gu Linyuan to see what he would say.
Gu Linyuan glanced at the sleeping Yin Ginseng and had some other guesses. He shook his head at Shi Yuan, indicating that he needed to think about it carefully.
According to the regulations of the Seventh Division, once a strange demon appears in the world, it must be under the jurisdiction of the Seventh Division. Those who do not wish to be under its jurisdiction either become public property of the magic artifact storehouse or are sent to Changbai Mountain to live with the heavy snow.
This Yin ginseng, though seemingly unruly, is capable of undergoing rebirth, and it will likely require a great deal of effort to resolve.
And then there's the strange demon in Haicheng; things seem to be getting tricky.
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