Yun Qingxue understood and shared her speculation with him:
“The King of the Underworld suppressed that demon under the River of Forgetfulness precisely to drain its power with the river’s waters. Now, though the demon somehow escaped, after a thousand years, its power must have been greatly diminished by the river…”
“Right,” Hua Yin nodded.
Yun Qingxue sighed. “What if we forcibly break through the city gate’s barrier?”
“Too risky. The cultivators in the city reinforced the barrier after realizing the demon’s formidable power. Breaking it would draw their attention, and it would consume immense energy. If we’re pursued afterward, escaping would be extremely difficult,” Hua Yin analyzed objectively.
Yun Qingxue bit her lip, her mind in turmoil, an indescribable bitterness spreading through her heart.
“Hua Yin…”
Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. It seemed fate had turned treacherous and perilous ever since Zhou Dao betrayed her in her past life…
Hua Yin frowned, staring at her intently. He clearly saw her eyes reddening.
“Are you afraid?” He gave a bitter smile, his tone tinged with faint disappointment.
Afraid?
Yun Qingxue frowned as well. What good would fear do? As long as she lived, she had to face it!
And she wasn’t afraid—she was just tired…
The sorrow lasted only a moment. When she looked up again, her eyes were filled with determination and resolve. “Hua Yin, I want to live! I want to become stronger!”
Hua Yin looked at her in surprise, unable to comprehend how her emotions had shifted so quickly. Just moments ago, he had seen her reddened eyes and glistening tears…
Yet in the blink of an eye, her gaze had become so clear and steadfast, brimming with vitality.
She stood there, her appearance still unremarkable, yet she resembled a lotus blooming on a snowy mountain—proud and graceful despite the storm.
Hua Yin smiled.
His smile was as warm and gentle as a spring breeze melting winter snow. “I’ll protect you! You must survive, you must grow stronger!”
“Ha!” Yun Qingxue laughed too. “I didn’t say that to seek your protection. Those were my true feelings.
Hua Yin, we’re not family…
If real danger comes, run if you can. Save yourself…”
Hua Yin opened his mouth but said nothing. Yun Qingxue turned and entered the house.
The night passed just like that.
At dawn the next day, loud knocking echoed from outside.
Yun Qingxue stepped out of her room to find Hua Yin already standing in the main hall.
The person outside pounded on the door while shouting, “Old Niu, come out quick! Your Erbiao is in trouble!”
Yun Qingxue glanced at Hua Yin. The sudden situation left her at a loss—after all, the elderly couple in the house were still under Hua Yin’s illusion. Even as the knocking grew frantic, the old couple remained fast asleep.
“What do we do?” Yun Qingxue asked.
Hua Yin didn’t answer. After a brief, thoughtful silence, he pushed open the door to the couple’s room. Moments later, he slipped back out, pulling Yun Qingxue to hide somewhere in the house.
No sooner had they concealed themselves than a response came from the couple’s room. “Coming, coming!!!”
Soon, the door creaked open, and Old Niu’s voice rang out, “What did you say? What happened to my Erbiao?”
“Old Niu, you must stay strong!” The messenger’s voice was heavy with sorrow and pity.
“Speak! What—what happened to my son?” Old Niu’s voice trembled, the messenger’s tone filling him with dread.
“Old Niu… Erbiao, he… he…”
The messenger stammered, his voice choked with emotion.
The more he hesitated, the more frantic Old Niu became. “Out with it!!!”
“Erbiao… he… he was eaten by a monster!” The messenger finally delivered the cruel news.
“Heavens! My son!!!” A wail came from the old woman, followed by silence.
“Wife! Wife!” Old Niu stumbled toward his spouse, the messenger following in distress, calling, “Aunt Niu! Aunt Niu!”
Old Niu sat on the ground, cradling his wife, slapping her cheeks and pinching her philtrum to revive her.
After a moment, the old woman stirred, only to burst into fresh sobs. “My son!! My son!!!”
“Wuuu—” Old Niu joined her in mournful weeping.
The messenger stood by, shedding tears as well. What tragedy could be worse than parents burying their child? And though Niu Erbiao had been rough around the edges, he was known throughout the town as a filial son, treating his parents with unwavering devotion.
Niu Erbiao made his living slaughtering pigs and selling meat. After marrying, he rented a shop in the southern market, where his wife and children lived with him.
Regularly, he would bring the finest cuts of meat to his parents. Rice and flour were delivered without fail, and when the shop wasn’t busy, he’d return home with wine to share a drink with his father. If his parents fell ill, he would close the shop to tend to them at their bedside.
Yet such a devoted son had been taken by a monster, leaving his parents to mourn him in their old age!
The elderly couple wept bitterly, the messenger offering tearful but hollow comfort—words like “Accept fate” or “Don’t let Erbiao worry about you in the afterlife” rang painfully empty.
“My son died so cruelly! Not even a body remains! Wuuu—”
“That damned monster, why didn’t it take me instead! Wuuu—my poor child!”
The old couple beat their chests in grief, their cries wrenching Yun Qingxue’s heart.
After a long bout of weeping, the couple forced themselves to stand, supporting each other.
Old Niu turned to the messenger. “Take us to see Erbiao! Wuuu—”
What was there to see when the monster had left nothing behind? The messenger sighed but helped the couple out the door, leading them toward Niu Erbiao’s shop in the southern market.
The courtyard fell silent again. Hua Yin and Yun Qingxue emerged from hiding.
“We need to leave quickly,” Hua Yin said grimly. Even without a body, Niu Erbiao’s parents would surely hold a funeral—perhaps even erect a cenotaph.
With mourners coming and going, this place was no longer safe.
Yun Qingxue nodded solemnly, her heart aching for the elderly couple. Before leaving, she took some silver from her spatial ring and placed it in their room. Then, with Hua Yin’s help, she scaled the wall and departed.
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