013 Little Bunny and Big Doggy.
As soon as these words were spoken, the surroundings fell into complete silence.
But the silence didn’t last long, because the dead souls continued charging relentlessly toward Xie Diao, only to turn into ashes in an instant, letting out heart-wrenching screams.
Xie Diao seemed annoyed by the piercing noise. He hissed softly, rubbed his temples impatiently, and then looked down to meet Nan Yao’s expectant gaze.
He smiled: “What do you think?”
Since he asked…
“I think it’s fine.” Nan Yao, clearly unaware of her own audacity, still kept her eyes barely open. She cautiously shuffled closer to Xie Diao, looked him up and down, and asked somewhat awkwardly, “So… how are you planning to carry me?”
Xie Diao just stared at her.
He could sense the human aura emanating from her—unlike the countless demonic creatures and monsters, human energy was pure and clear, yet fragile and easily shattered.
But she seemed completely oblivious to her situation, like a bold little bunny hopping recklessly in front of a big gray wolf, even demanding to ride on its back and sleep, without a care that she might be devoured in one bite.
It made one wonder: Was this bunny abnormal, or was she just foolish enough to mistake the wolf for one of her own?
“Sure.” After a long silence, Xie Diao finally spoke with a smile, “So… how much are you going to pay me?”
Nan Yao froze.
Although she was a rich second-generation heiress, that didn’t mean she was generous.
Not only was she not generous, but she had also inherited Ms. Nan Yuqing’s habit of pinching every penny.
So when Xie Diao mentioned “payment,” Nan Yao instantly fell silent. She stood still for a moment, closed her eyes, turned her head away, and continued feeling her way around like a blind person: “Well… I’d better be more independent.”
But Qi Guyuan no longer wanted to be independent: “Brother Xie Diao! I can pay you—as much as you want! Please carry me instead!”
Xie Diao ignored him and kept his eyes on Nan Yao’s retreating figure.
Although Nan Yao wasn’t weak, she wasn’t powerful enough to perceive every blade of grass and tree around her with her eyes closed. So, deprived of her sight, she could only rely on her basic judgment and senses to navigate.
She reached out and groped around until she touched a tree; she turned and continued feeling her way, only to bump into Yu Chichi; after Yu Chichi let out a frightened scream, Nan Yao turned again and stumbled into Qi Guyuan, who no longer wanted to be independent; Qi Guyuan, terrified, scurried away like a rat, shouting, “Brother, carry me!”; Nan Yao, feeling awkward, turned once more and continued feeling her way—until she smacked right back into Xie Diao.
…What was this?
Nan Yao kept groping around until someone grabbed her wrist.
“Let me give you a warning.” Xie Diao pulled her hand away with a hint of threat in his tone, “If you keep touching me like this, it won’t be as simple as just paying extra.”
Wh-what?!
Nan Yao quickly retracted her hand in fright.
She cracked her eyes open slightly again and glared at Xie Diao. To cover up her embarrassment, she lashed out like an angry little bunny: “Why did you purposely stand in my way? Are you trying to force a deal?!”
Xie Diao: “You walked in a circle.”
“…Sorry.”
The people over there had finished their conversation, while on this side, Qi Guyuan, terrified, was stumbling around wildly with Duan Cuo on his back, shouting as he ran, “Are you done talking? Can Brother Xie Diao hold me now?”
Duan Cuo struggled frantically, trying to get off Qi Guyuan’s back: “Let me down! The direction you’re heading has—”
Before he could finish, faint rustling sounds echoed around them.
The wild grass in the forest had grown waist-high, and though there was no wind, it swayed unnaturally, as if something was crawling along the ground toward Qi Guyuan.
Of course, Qi Guyuan heard the unmistakable noise too. His spine tingled, and he froze in place, not daring to move: “Wh-what is that?”
Duan Cuo lowered his voice: “The path we were on earlier only had dead souls, but this area… is filled with corpse walkers—either possessed by dead souls or controlled by murderous intent energy, living only to devour human blood and consume livers.”
As soon as he spoke, a furious roar erupted from the grass nearest to Qi Guyuan. Immediately after, a corpse walker with a ghastly green face, fanged teeth, and emaciated limbs—its fingers caked in black blood—leapt up and lunged straight for Qi Guyuan’s head.
Just as its claws were about to crush both Qi Guyuan and Duan Cuo’s skulls, a violet-glowing sword flew out of nowhere, cleanly severing the corpse walker’s wrist. The sword circled in the air and returned to Nan Yao’s hand.
Seizing the opportunity, Qi Guyuan hastily dodged, his grip loosening and flinging Duan Cuo off his back. Both of them crashed heavily to the ground, landing apart.
Qi Guyuan, relieved to have survived, patted his chest: “Thank you, Miss Nan Yao!”
Duan Cuo, moved to tears, exclaimed: “Miss Nan Yao, I knew you wouldn’t stand by and do nothing. From the moment I first saw you, I could tell you were such a pure, kind, brave, and sincere young woman.”
Nan Yao shook the blood off her sword: “That may be, but I still need payment. It’s an emergency now, so we’ll settle up together later.”
“…” You’re learning from Xie Diao too!
Xie Diao shot her a glance.
Nan Yao justified herself confidently: “This is called earning a fair income through one’s own labor to recover resources.”
But the moment Nan Yao turned around, the corpse walker sprang up from the ground and lunged at her, its sharp claws aimed straight for the back of her neck. If she failed to dodge, it would tear her to shreds.
Xie Diao, leaning against a tree and watching the scene, slightly lifted his gaze. He made a grasping motion in the air, summoning a branch from the ground, twirled it between his fingers, and then sent it flying.
The branch, infused with spiritual power and cutting through the wind, pierced through the corpse walker’s skull from the back of its head to its forehead, finally embedding itself in a tree trunk.
The corpse walker’s eyes widened, its body stiffened, and it collapsed with a heavy thud.
After doing this, Xie Diao looked at Nan Yao and leisurely repeated a word she had just used: “Recover resources?”
“…I understand.” Nan Yao’s expression turned pained. “Fine, I’ll give you all the money I earn from them.”
Qi Guyuan: …Guess who’s the big sucker.
As if hearing a particularly amusing joke, Xie Diao let out a low chuckle, his chest vibrating slightly. After a moment, he lazily straightened up and brushed the wood chips from his clothes.
Corpse walkers began lunging toward the group one after another.
Xie Diao drew his blade, gripping it horizontally in his hand.
Although the blade remained sheathed, a powerful surge of spiritual energy erupted from the sword, sweeping through the area with overwhelming force and instantly devouring all the dead souls in its path.
“…”
The deep forest fell into complete silence, not a single sound to be heard.
Was that it?
Were they all eliminated already?
Qi Guyuan stood dumbfounded, then began cheering with raised arms in his astonishment.
Yes.
No more walking with eyes closed.
Nan Yao couldn’t share the enthusiasm: …Damn, so many corpses—this looks really expensive.
*
The Blessed Tree stood deep within Demon-Guarding Mountain.
The tree was easily recognizable because before Demon-Guarding Mountain fell into peril, people would frequently come to tie red ribbons on its branches while making wishes.
Now, while all other trees on Demon-Guarding Mountain had withered overnight, only the Blessed Tree remained lush and green, its red ribbons still swaying in the wind.
With monsters like Xie Diao and Nan Yao in their group, the dead souls and corpse walkers they encountered along the way posed no real threat. Within just two hours, Duan Cuo had led the party to the Blessed Tree.
Beneath the tree, nearly ten people leaned against it in disarray, most appearing listless and dispirited. Hearing the approaching footsteps, they tensely rose to their feet, grabbing their weapons nearby and adopting defensive stances.
Only when they recognized Duan Cuo did they relax slightly.
However, the leaders among them didn’t drop their serious expressions. Gripping hunting forks, they immediately blocked Duan Cuo at the boundary of the Blessed Tree’s area: “Why have you brought so many people back again?”
Duan Cuo froze, clearly embarrassed: “These are friends I met along the way…”
“Friends?” The leader sneered, “Divine Physician Duan, how kind of you. Our group here is already running out of provisions and barely surviving, yet you bring back more mouths to feed. What? Do you want us all to starve to death here?”
Nan Yao observed the nearly ten people by the tree, all wearing guarded expressions. None had lowered their weapons, maintaining defensive postures as they eyed the uninvited guests.
It was evident this group had been stranded on Demon-Guarding Mountain for too long.
Perhaps they had supported each other initially, but as provisions and water sources gradually dwindled and the constant threat of dead souls and corpse walkers persisted, trust among them had become unreliable.
…Outside the Blessed Tree’s protective range lay numerous white bones.
Nan Yao glanced up at the Blessed Tree.
Though it appeared lush at first glance, when the wind blew, one could vaguely see some yellowish leaves mixed in.
It seemed the Blessed Tree was nearing its limit too.
Under such circumstances, most dead souls and corpse walkers, detecting the scent of living humans, would converge toward the Blessed Tree’s area. At this rate, they might eventually breach the tree’s protective boundaries someday.
Therefore, they had been sending out a few people daily as sacrifices—both to reduce food consumption and delay the dead souls’ advance.
Duan Cuo had likely been unable to bear watching them turn against each other, which was why he volunteered to search for water and provisions.
But no one had expected Duan Cuo to return.
Now, the people blocking the front regarded Duan Cuo as if he were some monstrous threat, brandishing their weapons and refusing to let them take another step forward.
Qi Guyuan indignantly interjected: “Who wants to eat your provisions? We have our own.”
Yu Chichi chimed in: “Exactly! And does this tree have your name written on it? Why won’t you let others enter?”
Before the words were finished, a scream rang out: “Watch out!”
It was a fierce tiger that had caught the scent of humans and was controlled by murderous intent energy. It bared its fangs and brandished its claws, pouncing fiercely toward their group.
Nan Yao was also within the range of the tiger’s sharp claws, yet she seemed completely unaware, stroking her chin as if deep in thought.
The enormous dark shadow loomed over the group. Xie Diao yawned sleepily, lifting his eyelashes to glance in the tiger’s direction—
With just one look, the tiger was torn apart alive. Countless cracks appeared on its hide, blood splattered everywhere, and it crashed heavily to the ground like a pile of mud.
The group stared wide-eyed at the tiger’s corpse on the ground, speechless.
Qi Guyuan immediately felt a sense of pride. “Did you see that? My big brother Xie Diao isn’t just for show. He just saved your lives. He’s incredibly strong.”
Xie Diao frowned slightly.
His gaze swept over Nan Yao, noticing she still wore that pensive expression and hadn’t moved an inch.
The leader’s expression shifted. He glanced at Nan Yao and the others, then at Xie Diao. “Fine, if you’re willing to offer food, we can let you in. But—”
He raised a finger, pointing at Xie Diao. “Not him.”
Despite being so blatantly targeted, Xie Diao showed no reaction. He merely rubbed his neck without even lifting his eyes.
Duan Cuo was taken aback. “Brother Zhang, he just helped you.”
“But he’s so strong. What if he wants to monopolize this place? What would we do then?”
“Exactly, exactly.”
“I think we should keep an eye on him. What if he gets possessed by dead souls? Wouldn’t that bring us great trouble?”
Amid the arguments, Nan Yao finally looked up.
Qi Guyuan watched with anticipation.
Had she finally reached her limit? Was she about to unleash her fury and engage in a decisive battle with these people?
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Nan Yao opened her spiritual pouch and rummaged through it.
Qi Guyuan thought: It must be some earth-shattering magical artifact.
Then everyone watched as she pulled out… a bag of rice?
She poured out a mountain of pastries from the spiritual pouch.
She hauled out a large bundle of vegetables cultivated in the Immortal Realm.
She produced some stinky tofu.
She grunted and strained as she dragged out a large pot from the spiritual pouch.
Qi Guyuan: ?
Qi Guyuan: How does your spiritual pouch have everything?
The leader reached out to take the items, but Nan Yao slapped his hand away.
Xie Diao watched as Nan Yao completely disregarded entering the Blessed Tree’s shelter. Instead, she found a spot opposite the group, set up firewood, placed the pot on it, lit a fire, and began cooking porridge. She even spread a small picnic cloth on the ground, neatly arranging piles of grains, pastries, and appetizers.
After finishing her preparations, she grabbed Xie Diao’s sleeve, forced him to sit by the makeshift dining area, and called out to Qi Guyuan and the others, “Let’s eat dinner before arguing.”
Xie Diao looked at Nan Yao as if she were a monster. “So you were thinking about this the whole time?”
Nan Yao gobbled down an osmanthus cake in one bite and mumbled indistinctly, “Yep, I was thinking about what to have for dinner.”
Author’s note:
Little Bunny: Rations…? …Oh, oh! I almost forgot! Food! Food! Time for dinner!
I rewrote this chapter three or four times, I’m really kneeling in apology for being late.
Sending red envelopes to all comments within 24 hours.
Not only did I kowtow, but I also forced Qi Guyuan to kowtow with me. I originally planned to make Xie Diao join us, but considering the male lead needs to maintain his character image, I abandoned that plan.
I swear I won’t be late tomorrow. If I am, I’ll update twice—I promise.