Without giving Song Yao a chance to refuse, she turned and walked away.
The group walked through a dense pine forest. The fog gradually thickened, and the path beneath their feet turned into a muddy mountain trail.
The entrance to the demon realm was located beneath a cliff on the northern foothills of Mount Tuling. Though called an entrance, it was actually just a patch of fog much denser than the surrounding area.
Zhu Zhao came to a halt up ahead. “Stay sharp. Once we're inside, don't wander off. If anything happens, you're on your own.”
With that, she took the lead and stepped into the grayish-white fog.
The mist swirled around her before quickly closing back up, as if swallowing her whole.
The disciples exchanged glances. Ming Ran was the first to step forward, her pace quick and urgent, with the other disciples hurrying after her.
Song Yao lagged at the very back, leisurely stepping into the fog.
The mist was cold and damp. The green glow of the Bishui Sword barely illuminated a three-foot radius around her feet.
After walking about a dozen paces, her vision suddenly cleared, revealing rows of low, mud-brick houses.
This was likely the trapped village.
“Why are there only two of us?!”
Ming Ran's voice came from behind, laced with uncontrollable tension.
She stood three paces away from Song Yao, cradling her sword as she looked around in a panic. “Where is everyone else?”
Song Yao shook her head. “I don't know.”
Some demon realms had unstable energy fields, meaning the teleportation at the entrance would indeed scatter people randomly.
“Forget it, the village is only this big. Let's go look for them!”
This wasn't Ming Ran's first time hunting demons. Calming down slightly after a moment, she drew her sword and said, “Let's go. Maybe I can kill the demon before anyone else does!”
After taking a few steps, she felt something was off.
She whipped around and saw Song Yao squatting in a corner, her eyes shining. “Wow, Qiuqiu Grass.”
Ming Ran: “What?”
“Qiuqiu Grass. One stalk can sell for five spirit stones.”
It could be used for both talismans and pill-making.
It was rare within the territory of the Nine Saints Hall, yet there was so much of it here.
Five stones a stalk meant forty stalks would be two hundred. That was equivalent to a whole month's allowance. It was hard not to be tempted.
Ming Ran: “?”
Were Second Senior Sister's words just now meant for dogs?
She had explicitly said it was dangerous, dangerous, dangerous, and that they must not covet treasures.
Yet here she was, coveting some Qiuqiu Grass worth five spirit stones a stalk?!
And to think she had actually regarded this girl as a formidable rival!
Ming Ran hesitated to speak, but finally swept her sleeve and said coldly, “Then don't run around. I'll come back for you once we break the demon realm!”
“Okay.”
Song Yao nodded half-heartedly, then earnestly implored her, “If you see more Qiuqiu Grass elsewhere, could you come and let me know?”
Ming Ran: “...Fine.”
...
Perhaps nourished by the demonic energy, the Qiuqiu Grass here grew exceptionally well.
Song Yao buried her head and dug diligently for a while when she suddenly felt a chill down her spine.
It was completely silent—no footsteps, no breathing, not even the rustle of fabric. Yet she could clearly feel two pairs of eyes staring straight at her.
The sensation of being watched sent a shiver from the back of her head all the way down her spine.
She whipped her head around, her nose brushing against the nose of the person behind her.
A young boy and a young girl stood extremely close, slightly bent over and practically pressed against her back. They stared unblinkingly at her movements, who knew for how long.
The moment their eyes met, the two children stood up straight and took half a step back.
The boy's eyes instantly turned red, and his voice was thin and trembling with tears. “Sister, can you help us?”
The girl stood behind him, clutching the corner of his shirt. Her eyes were pitch-black, her pupils so large that the whites of her eyes were barely visible. “Mother fell into the well.”
Song Yao stuffed the Qiuqiu Grass into her robes, stood up to brush the mud off her knees, and glanced into the distance.
She hadn't noticed earlier, but this demon realm had actually begun to expand.
Had Second Senior Sister and the others already dealt with the twin sister demons so quickly?
In that case, these two villager children were undoubtedly here to hunt her down.
She remembered that these villagers were transformed from arachnid demons. Their courtyards were their spiderwebs; if one stepped inside, escaping would be extremely difficult.
There was no time to lose. She needed to meet up with the others first.
Just as she was about to move, her eyes caught the gold lockets hanging around the two children's necks, and her footsteps halted.
Wait.
These demons had lured and killed so many cultivators; they must have amassed a hoard of treasures left behind by their victims.
The two children watched as the cold, indifferent young cultivator before them instantly changed her expression, displaying an incredibly warm and gentle smile. “I love helping people the most! Which well did your mother fall into?”
The boy stammered, “...J-Just in our courtyard.”
“Lead the way.”
The children's home was at the end of the village, where a cluster of low houses and courtyards were crowded together.
As Song Yao stepped onto the village path, secretive gazes peered from the houses on both sides, like wild beasts lurking in the dark.
Creak—
A door was pushed open.
Simply dressed villagers emerged from their courtyards one after another, their gazes glued to Song Yao.
Before long, the village path was packed with people silently trailing behind her.
By the time Song Yao stopped at the courtyard gate with the two children, a massive queue had formed behind her.
Song Yao glanced back, genuinely shocked.
Was this some kind of hunger marketing?
She was the only prey, yet there were so many hunters.
The young boy clearly noticed this too. He hurriedly pulled open the courtyard gate and urged, “Sister, please come in quickly. My mother is still in the well.”
Before he could finish, an old man squeezed out from the crowd.
“Oh, Daoist master!”
He stretched out his withered hands, lunged toward Song Yao, and stumbled to the ground in front of her. “Daoist master, my son's leg is injured and bleeding constantly! Please come and help me look at him first!”
Once one started, the others followed. The villagers suddenly seemed to come alive, crowding around Song Yao and wailing.
“Daoist master, what about me? My elderly mother is sick and feels like she's about to pass away! Please help!”
“M-My house seems to have a demon too. Please come inspect my house for demons first!”
“Daoist master, my daughter-in-law is about to give birth!”
“...”
The scene fell into utter chaos as hands grabbed at Song Yao, pulling her this way and that.
Song Yao coughed loudly twice and stepped forward to maintain order. “Calm down, calm down. I won't leave anyone to die, you can rest assured. However...”
The situation was finally brought under control. The villagers held their breath, listening to her intently.
Song Yao continued, “However, as you all know, we cultivators value karmic affinity above all else!”
She glanced at the jade bracelet on the wrist of the woman in front of her, then added unhurriedly, “Naturally, whichever family offers the most 'affinity,' I shall visit first~”
Following her gaze, the woman instantly understood. She slipped the bracelet off her wrist and placed it in Song Yao's hand. “Daoist master, come to my house first! We have more, so much more at home!”
The others dithered for a brief second before quickly catching on. They stripped off all sorts of valuable treasures and stuffed them into Song Yao's arms. “Daoist master, I have some too! Look at this, mine is of much better quality!”
Rate on N.U.
