Chen Zhou glanced at the stone door; it wasn't far.
He slowly retreated.
Jiao Mu Jiao stood still, staring motionless at the increasingly dim light.
Until the last wisp of light extinguished.
The mushrooms burned to ashes, falling to the ground in a small pile of black dust.
Jiao Mu Jiao paused, then lowered his head, staring at the pile of black dust for a long time.
Then he looked up at Chen Zhou, his amber vertical pupils returning to their hollow state.
“Retreat.”
He raised his vine sword, ready to charge again.
But Chen Zhou had already retreated to the stone door, stepping through it and disappearing into the passage.
Behind him, Jiao Mu Jiao’s exasperated voice could be heard.
“Retreat.”
“Die.”
“Retreat. Retreat. Retreat.”
The sounds grew fainter and more indistinct.
Chen Zhou returned inside the door, and the little demons swarmed around him.
“Adult is back!”
“Adult, are you alright?”
“Did you defeat that monster? Can we go out now?”
The little demons chattered excitedly, their eyes filled with adoration.
Chen Zhou pressed his hand down, signaling for silence, then said to Yang Dingding, “Gather more mushrooms, and everyone can leave.”
The little demons cheered upon hearing this.
“We can leave!”
“This is great, this is great!”
“Finally, we can see the sun!”
Yang Dingding turned to rush out. “What are we waiting for? I’ll go pick mushrooms now!”
Tao Tuantuan grabbed him. “What’s the rush?”
She looked at Chen Zhou and asked seriously, “Adult, how many mushrooms do we need?”
Chen Zhou thought for a moment. “The more, the better.”
Tao Tuantuan nodded, then turned to the little demons behind her. “Form groups of four, don’t go too far, and come back once you’ve gathered them.”
“Everyone rarely comes to this exit, so there should be plenty of mushrooms nearby. Everyone will surely be able to gather many, and we’ll definitely be able to leave smoothly and meet True Lord of Purity and Filth.”
The little demons nodded and scattered, scurrying into passages in various directions.
“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s quickly gather mushrooms!”
“Tuantuan said we can gather many mushrooms, so we definitely can.”
“Right, right, Tuantuan has spoken! I really want to meet Lord Purity and Filth soon. I wonder what he looks like; I only heard from my grandpa’s grandpa that Lord Purity and Filth is very benevolent.”
After the little demons dispersed, Chen Zhou found a spot to sit and closed his eyes to rest.
Jian Huaishuang stood beside him, silent.
Before long, a system notification suddenly rang in Chen Zhou’s mind.
【Your Wing Constellation Spirit has been activated.】
Chen Zhou was startled.
What was activated?
He opened his eyes and pulled out the two bone carvings from his embrace.
The jiao-shaped one was still the same, grayish-white, with a smooth, warm surface, looking like an ordinary bone.
But the other snake-like bone carving had changed, taking on a brilliant red hue.
The red permeated from within the bone carving, making the entire carving translucent, like a ripe cherry, or clouds illuminated by the evening glow.
The previously rough patterns on its surface were now clear, making the entire bone carving vivid and lifelike, as if watercolors had been applied to a raw piece.
Chen Zhou examined it repeatedly, frowning.
How was this activated?
...
On the other side, the stone forest.
At the entrance of the underground cave, a pile of little monsters huddled together, craning their necks to peek outside.
“They’re here, they’re here!”
“They really came!”
“Quick, quick, move aside, don’t block the way!”
The little monsters chirped excitedly, as if it were New Year’s.
In the distance, several figures were approaching.
Leading the way was Wu Gou, swaying as he rode Diting.
Diting was still lively and energetic; days of rest had restored its vigor, and it would bounce every few steps, making Wu Gou wobble precariously on its back.
“Little treasure, can you be a bit steadier?” Wu Gou patted Diting’s head.
Diting turned its head, chirped twice at him, then continued to bounce.
Behind Wu Gou, three figures followed.
A woman in green, with a gentle demeanor and delicate features. A petite girl in white, her face a bit pale. And a shriveled corpse, hopping left and right, excited like a child on its first long journey.
Chan Yi stood at the very front of the cave entrance, and seeing Wu Gou and the others approach, he quickly went to greet them.
“Master Wu Gou, you’ve finally returned!”
After speaking, he looked at the three figures behind Wu Gou and bowed respectfully. “Sirs, you’ve traveled a long way; it must have been arduous.”
Su Xue smiled faintly. “It was no trouble.”
Nie Chaoxi was a bit nervous, imitating Su Xue’s gesture, and also bowed. “Th-thank you for the welcome.”
Chan Yi quickly waved his hand. “No, no, please come in, sirs.”
He stepped aside and gestured for them to enter.
Su Xue walked into the underground cave and looked around.
The underground cave was very spacious, much larger than it appeared from the outside.
Some glowing moss was hung on the cave walls, likely placed there artificially, illuminating the entire space with a faint glow. Dry grass covered the ground, and a pile of miscellaneous items sat in a corner, with a few little demons tidying up.
Deep within the cave were several other passages, leading in different directions.
Su Xue nodded slightly. “It’s well organized.”
Chan Yi followed behind, and hearing this, his face broke into a wide smile. “Thank you for the compliment, Adult. My subordinates did it all themselves.”
He paused, then added, “Adult, please rest first. I’ll go prepare some food.”
Su Xue waved her hand. “No rush. Let’s check on the injured first.”
“I heard from Master Wu Gou that some little demons caught the plague from the hundred corpse patchwork. Please take me to see them.”
Chan Yi blinked, a wave of warmth rising in his heart.
“Thank you, Adult.” Chan Yi bowed deeply. “Please follow me.”
He led Su Xue further inside.
Lian and Nie Chaoxi followed behind.
Wu Gou didn’t follow; he squatted at the cave entrance, playing with Diting.
The Plague Rat scurried out of the cave, its eyes lighting up when it saw Su Xue.
“Little Four, you’re finally here!”
He darted over in a few steps, grabbed Su Xue’s sleeve, and pulled her inside.
“Quick, quick, help Brother Rat look at those little brats! They caught the plague from the hundred corpse patchwork, and they’re burning up like hot coals!”
Su Xue stumbled a few steps from his tugging, a wry smile on her face. “Brother Rat, slow down.”
The Plague Rat ignored her and continued pulling. “And over there, Chan Yi, that big fat cicada, was injured by the underground filth energy. Old Man Purity and Filth already drew out the poison for him, but could you check him again to see if he’s alright?”
Su Xue nodded and followed him into a stone chamber.
Inside the stone chamber lay several little demons, all injured earlier by the hundred corpse patchwork. They lay on dry grass, their faces pale, bodies burning hot, some even delirious.
Su Xue walked over, squatted down, and placed her hand on a little demon’s pulse point.
A moment later, she stood up and flicked her sleeve.
A small mountain of herbs appeared out of thin air on the ground.
Red, green, yellow, white—all sorts of colors and shapes, piled high.
The Plague Rat’s eyes widened. “My goodness, did you empty the medicine shops of the City of the Wrongfully Dead?”
Su Xue smiled. “Miss Hong Ling asked me to bring them. She said there’s a shortage of medicine here, so I brought extra as a backup.”
Rate on N.U.
