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墨書 Inktalez
After San Niang finished speaking, she raised an eyebrow and stopped looking at me.
I pushed open the large door and rushed toward the deep entrance I had seen before. The scene inside was still the same as when I first laid eyes on it: a waterfall cascading into a lake. However, the rising mist was no longer a terrifying blood-red; instead, it resembled a delicate white veil.
There were even a few girls present, who trembled in fright at my sudden entrance. They turned to look at San Niang behind me, and only then did they calm down. Yet their expressions remained uneasy. One young girl, still quite small, stumbled through the white mist and ran out.
“San Niang, Xiao Qi didn’t come today!”
She was the child I had seen in the crowd earlier. At that time, her gaze toward Xiao Qi had been strangely complex, but there was no malice in it, which made me pay attention to her. I never expected to see her here.
San Niang’s nonchalant demeanor suddenly changed as she calculated with her fingers. “Damn it! That filthy Taoist is still not giving up!”
Her anger flared, but she still remembered to comfort the girls. “You all stay here; I’ll be back shortly.” With that, she prepared to take off into the air, but I grabbed her sleeve and frowned.
“You said Xiao Qi was taken by that Taoist? How do you know?”
Even if this was all just an act for my benefit, this situation seemed too serious. These girls were real people; they bore no trace of demonic energy.
San Niang didn’t have time to explain in detail; she pulled me along as she headed out. Along the way, she explained, “These children are all homeless; I usually help them out from time to time. But ever since that filthy Taoist arrived, these girls have been disappearing one by one. I discovered that he’s been using their flesh and blood to concoct pills.”
As she spoke, her anger surged even more. “I can’t believe he’s so audacious as to target Xiao Qi!”
From San Niang’s few words, I pieced together this particularly ironic truth: a human Taoist was slaughtering people while a demon… was saving them. Especially upon seeing the overwhelming blood energy emanating from that Taoist’s lair, San Niang’s words became even more credible.
“So back then, you were exhausting your own demonic power to save her?” I murmured, accepting the reality she presented.
San Niang charged forward without holding back her demonic energy and stormed into that filthy Taoist’s alchemy room. Xiao Qi lay nearby in an unknown state of life or death while Immortal Chen was busy fiddling with his Dan Furnace.
Occasionally, chilling howls echoed from within the furnace; outside it hung repulsive flesh and blood that had been dried into husks by the high temperature, piled up on top.
“Fox Demon San Niang, we’ve never crossed paths! Why do you keep ruining my plans?”
Upon seeing San Niang, Immortal Chen appeared flustered but quickly shifted his gaze to me, a glint of cunning flashing in his eyes. He then set aside his work with the Dan Furnace and stroked his beard.
“If you hand over your companion Willow Demon, I’ll show mercy and let you go! I won’t hold your rude intrusion against you!”
The developments that followed truly caught me off guard.
San Niang first spat out some disdainful words, fiercely reprimanding Immortal Chen with righteous indignation. However, as the conversation progressed, she suddenly added, "And you must return Xiao Qi to me!"
The Daoist readily replied, "Deal."
With my guard completely down around San Niang, she struck out and pushed me to Immortal Chen's side.
"Hahaha! You demon clan are nothing but this!"
Immortal Chen seized my throat and began to mock the shallow friendship between San Niang and me. Meanwhile, San Niang caught the unconscious Xiao Qi and turned away without a second thought.
"San Niang! You..."
"You demon clan are truly despicable, willing to betray even your own friends."
Immortal Chen continued to rant, venting his frustration from being scolded by San Niang.
"Oh? Is that so?" I replied lightly, a smirk forming at the corner of my mouth.
I swiftly struck out at Immortal Chen's chest, breaking free from his grasp. But soon enough, that old scoundrel had a new idea; instead of continuing to fight me, he dashed toward a wall and aimed to press down on a protruding stone.
"Quick! Stop him!"
San Niang's anxious voice reached me, and I realized what was happening. But I was still a step too late. That foul Daoist roared, "Two demon clan members conspiring against me! I want you to watch her die!"
With that, he slammed his hand down on the stone.
Boom!
The Dan Furnace erupted violently, and shattered pieces of the furnace wall came hurtling toward me. I couldn't dodge in time and ended up with numerous bloody wounds all over my body.
I sprinted toward San Niang, trying to evade the debris. But suddenly, black walls rose around us, and intense heat radiated from all sides. A single strand of my hair touched the flames and instantly turned to ash.
"Watch out behind you!"
I heard San Niang's voice abruptly stop as she pointed tremblingly behind me. It was that furious old Daoist again. However, he now looked quite disheveled; his once snow-white beard was singed down to half its length, and his Daoist robe had several large holes in it.
I was about to dodge when it seemed he was determined to kill me. He bit his finger and cast a binding spell on me. There was no way to escape; I could see my life slipping away.
Just then, a familiar figure charged through layers of flames without hesitation—Yun Yi.
I couldn't fathom how he had awakened and escaped the protective barrier I had set up around him. At that moment, my heart raced in my throat.
"Run! Yun Yi! What are you doing here?!"
I had intended to face death calmly, but now I was completely unsettled.
My frail and helpless master stood tall in front of me, even wearing a hint of a reassuring smile as he turned to look at me. The blazing flames engulfed their figures, and a tremendous shockwave surged like a tide, sweeping me away and extinguishing the surrounding walls of fire, safely delivering me to San Niang's side.
“No—! Master, don’t! Yun Yi!” I screamed, my voice hoarse as I reached out with my palm toward the front, but I grasped nothing. Yun Yi and that Immortal Chen perished together right before my eyes.
In an instant, memories of my time with Yun Yi flashed through my mind like a fleeting panorama.
“Xiao Liuzi, I promise this time I’ll only take one sip. Please, just let me have a little rest…”
“I uphold justice; next time we encounter danger, you take the lead, and I’ll go first!”
“Hey, is there still some reward money left from last time? No, no, no! How could I dare to ask for a drink? I'm just trying to help out; isn’t that the kid who buys Peach Blossom Brew from Dong Fang?”
“Rascal! Scoundrel!” I cried out in anguish. This time, why didn’t you run first? What are you pretending to be a hero for?
Tears as big as beans rolled down my cheeks, carrying with them an indescribable sense of emptiness. I felt my body grow light and then fainted.
In my daze, it seemed I saw Yun Yi again. But this Yun Yi was entirely different from the one I had spent every day with; he held a swaying willow branch in his hand, looking at me with a stern smile. Behind me, there were actually several willow branches swaying gently.
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