Chapter 124 How could our benefactor be disrespectful to the Black Panther Immortal! ...
Yun Tianjiao closed her eyes and meditated intently in the room, circulating her spiritual energy to minimize the damage she was taking for the black panther. Gradually, more and more cold sweat seeped from her forehead, and her expression became increasingly painful. She no longer had time to care about the Ghost-Slaying Blade.
Zhiwei noticed that the seal on the knife had disappeared, and he was finally free to move around. But this time, he didn't go anywhere. He just stayed by the bedside, watching the pale-faced girl.
Back then, he carried Yan Meng to the Xuanxiao Gate, but was so badly injured that he was almost killed and could only survive by entering the body of a black panther. At that time, he lived in a daze until he gained spiritual power and gradually awakened his consciousness, remembering his past with Yu Meng.
He never remembered how he gained enlightenment and the opportunity to cultivate, only that Yu Sishu had put in a lot of effort for it.
Little did they know that all of this was achieved at such a terrible cost to her.
Bloody wounds began to appear all over Yun Tianjiao's body. These wounds healed quickly as she circulated her spiritual energy, but as soon as the old wounds healed, new wounds would reappear.
Her clean clothes were stained red, and blood was flowing from the corner of her mouth, clearly indicating that her internal organs had also suffered severe damage.
Zhiwei stood guard beside her, wanting to get closer, but he was now just a blade, unable to offer her warmth or comfort. He didn't even dare touch her, afraid of causing her further harm. He could only watch helplessly, his heart breaking, powerless to do anything.
This is Zhu Jing's memory, and also their past; all the experiences are already established facts.
Before anything happened, the ignorant black leopard in the mountains was also powerless to protect the little girl named Yu Sishu.
As dawn broke, the news had already spread throughout the entire Blackwater County.
It turns out that the source of this trouble that night was the result of the Beast Hunting Gang's own actions.
The Beast Hunting Gang has been hunting and selling ferocious beasts in the Blackwater County area for many years without incident. But just yesterday, a merchant from out of town approached the Beast Hunting Gang, saying he wanted to choose a wild beast to keep as a pet and asked the gang to handle it for him.
The members of the Beast Hunting Gang initially thought this customer was just like the others, wanting to choose a wild beast to keep as a pet. However, after talking to him, they realized that he wanted them to choose a wild beast to torture and kill, as he wanted to see the process of the beast being tortured and killed.
It is said that Heaven cherishes life. Whether it is skinning, eating meat, or cutting materials for medicine, as long as the beast dies quickly and painlessly, it is understandable. After all, beasts also eat people, and when they eat people, it is not forbidden to kill. It is all for better survival.
But if it's about cruelly torturing and killing people for fun, that's a different story.
The members of the Beast Hunting Gang were initially hesitant, but the merchant offered too much, so the gang leader gritted his teeth and agreed immediately.
The merchant carefully selected a black panther and demanded that the hunters cut off its ears, nose, and mouth in front of the other wild animals, then chop off its four claws and tail, gouge out its eyes, cut off its tongue, and then carve off its flesh piece by piece until only a bloody skeleton remained, all while ensuring the panther remained alive.
This almost perverse fetish drove the Beast Hunter Gang's executioners to the brink of madness, resulting in over a dozen people being taken on to carry out the torture.
The black panther's mournful howl echoed through the sky, but since the sun had not yet set and the city was bustling with its evening market, few people paid any attention.
The other wild animals that witnessed the massacre gradually fell silent, their initial fear turning into terror. Trapped in cages, they stared with their dark eyes at the executioners of the hunting gang and the merchant who grinned from ear to ear.
Until their black eyes turned blood red, the beasts, consumed by immense resentment and rage, went berserk.
The monsters easily broke free of their cages and, in a tit-for-tat manner, tortured and killed the merchant in the same way. They then took revenge on the members of the Beast Hunter Gang who had aided and abetted the evildoers.
After slaughtering all the members of the hunting gang, they stormed into the homes of those who had hidden animal hides and bones, treating the homeowners as enemies who had harmed their own kind, and began to kill them indiscriminately.
The fortune teller investigated the cause of the incident and began spreading the word throughout the city, urging everyone to discard any animal products they kept in their homes to avoid retaliation from the monsters. However, some people were unable to do so in time and were unfortunately visited by the monsters.
Blackwater County was plunged into despair until a black panther appeared. It ran out of the city and took away all the rampaging monsters.
The officers guarding the city immediately ordered the city gates to be closed and recruited a group of cultivators at great expense to defend the city together, fearing that the demonic beasts might return.
People have always remembered the black panther that lured the trouble away, but they also know that its departure this time is likely to be fraught with danger. To this day, no one understands why such a black panther would step forward to protect the city's inhabitants.
As dawn broke, the city, which had been ravaged by a night of terror, gradually returned to its usual order. However, people would still occasionally inquire about each other's news amidst their busy lives, asking if any messages had been sent back from the city gates.
The young guard at the East Gate, basking in the midday sun, began to doze off. Suddenly, he jolted awake and saw a dark shadow slowly approaching the gate in the distance.
The young guard rubbed his eyes, then looked more closely, and suddenly his face lit up with joy: "Look! It's that black panther! The black panther is back!!! It's back alive!"
The black panther's fur was disheveled and had lost its previous shine. It seemed to be exhausted. When it saw the city where its master was, it finally exhausted its last bit of energy, collapsed softly to the ground, and closed its eyes.
Meanwhile, Yun Tianjiao, who was meditating on the bed inside the inn, suddenly slumped over and fainted.
Yu Siran had actually been awake the whole time, but she was controlled by her sister's magic and unable to move. Now that her sister had lost consciousness, the magic on her body naturally dissipated.
"Eldest sister!!" Yu Siran rushed over to support her sister, checked her breathing, and was slightly relieved to see that she had just fainted. She helped her lie down, covered her with a blanket, and channeled some spiritual energy into her.
Seeing her sister covered in wounds, Yu Siran felt extremely distressed.
She now understood her sister's intentions and thus took her anger out on the black panther. But since the black panther wasn't around, she could only mutter to the Demon-Slaying Blade, "She's gone mad. My sister has gone mad for that black panther."
Yeah, it's really insane.
Zhiwei silently agreed in her heart.
Before long, the sound of gongs and drums came from outside the window.
What's wrong now?
Worried about disturbing her sister's rest, Yu Siran irritably pushed open the window and looked out. She saw a long procession approaching from a distance, even more grand and lively than the lion dance troupe during the Lunar New Year.
In the very center of the procession, on a palanquin held high above the heads of the crowd, lay a large, dark, furry ball—none other than her sister's beloved black panther ancestor!
People had already found out that the black panther's owner was a guest at the inn, so they carried the unconscious black panther all the way to the inn.
The city's top physician, whose services were extremely rare and expensive, volunteered to personally examine the black panther. After examining it thoroughly, he was delighted and announced to everyone that the heroic black panther was simply exhausted and had fallen asleep. He was perfectly fine and hadn't even suffered any scratches on its fur.
The crowd cheered, and in their excitement, they marveled at the sight.
Facing so many ferocious magical beasts, this black panther fought against a hundred of them single-handedly, not only escaping unscathed but also without a scratch, which is no small feat!
That's right, this is definitely not an ordinary black panther, it's a celestial being!
It was this Black Panther Immortal who saved the people of our city!
Connecting this to the fact that the previous victim was also a black panther, the group began to fabricate a story.
It is said that the Black Panther Immortal descended to the mortal realm to undergo tribulations, was brutally murdered, and then repaid evil with kindness, saving all living beings and ultimately achieving perfect merit.
The story was told by everyone, one after another, in a vivid and detailed manner. It gradually took shape and was even written into a storybook by the owner of the book and painting stall, which sold like hotcakes.
When Yun Tianjiao woke up, she heard a commotion downstairs at the inn, along with the sound of tables and chairs scraping the floor. No one was in the room; Si Ran was nowhere to be seen, and even the Ghost-Slaying Blade was gone. So she got up, pushed open the door, and went outside. She saw the innkeeper and several staff members in the lobby, working hard to move the Rat Immortal shrine that had originally been placed in the hall.
"Yes, yes, put it here. Be careful, be careful not to choke on it. We can't offend the Rat Fairy." The innkeeper instructed the waiter to handle it gently.
On the other side of the main gate, a dozen or so people carried in an even larger shrine. Yun Tianjiao glanced at it and was astonished to find that the statue inside the shrine had turned into the head of a black panther.
"Alright, alright, put it here, right in the center!" the boss shouted, making sure the new black panther shrine was placed properly before stopping.
Seeing Yun Tianjiao walking down the stairs in a daze, the boss greeted her with a big smile, "Princess Yun, you're awake?"
Princess En...
What kind of ridiculous name is that?
Yun Tianjiao found it amusing, but she also knew that her plan had succeeded. Her black panther had indeed become a revered hero throughout the city, and now even had a shrine dedicated to him.
"Where's my black panther?" Yun Tianjiao asked. She scanned the lobby but couldn't find Yu Siran or the black panther.
"Don't worry! My benefactor is perfectly fine. After returning from outside the city, it was so tired that it slept for half a day. Now it's full of energy again and looks very spirited!"
Yun Tianjiao naturally knew that Black Panther was doing well, because she had endured all the bad things.
Where is it?
"Ah, over in the west wing, your sister is there too. The government has sent a painter who is painting a portrait of our benefactor from Blackwater County!"
Yun Tianjiao went to the west wing, where the entrance was packed with people who had come to see what the leopard immortal who had saved the entire city looked like.
Inside the west wing, the black leopard was placed on a bench, and an artist was painting its portrait opposite it. But the leopard was very restless and kept trying to sneak away to go back to its owner.
Yu Siran stood guard beside the black panther, holding the demon-slaying sword. Whenever the black panther tried to run away, she would slash at it with the sword to stop it. Each time she did this, the black panther would behave for a while, but it would also draw condemnation from the onlookers.
"How can you be disrespectful to the Black Panther Immortal!"
"My apologies, my apologies, the little girl is young and ignorant."
"The Black Panther Immortal is magnanimous; please don't stoop to the level of a mere child!"
Yu Siran's face turned red with anger. She puffed out her cheeks, covered her mouth, and blew her bangs upwards repeatedly.
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