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QT Cannon Fodder's Record: Dekachapter 236
🕑 Added 2023-04-02 18:16:43 +0000 UTCChp 2351: Eat It Raw?
Yi Liang’s skin was previously sallow due to malnutrition. Now, since all of his impurities had been cleaned, his skin had become clear.
His skin looked fair with a healthy flush. His good skin condition also made his facial features look much better.
Truly, fair skin was enough to overshadow all other ugly features.
Ning Shu stared expressionlessly at the rabbit, which was still kicking and trying to get away. There was no fire, so could it be that they’d have to eat it raw?
Ning Shu wanted to say that even though she was an animal now, she didn’t have such a hardcore taste.
Yi Liang gruelingly skinned and gutted the rabbit.
Meanwhile, Ning Shu dug a pit under the snow and buried the entrails Yi Liang had gutted out. The bloody smell might attract other carnivores, such as wolves.
Ning Shu also didn’t know if there were any monsters around.
Yi Liang, who had dealt with the rabbit, finally realized the problem. He didn’t have a flame stick with him.
He had been in a hurry to escape the town and forgot to bring a flame stick with him.
Yi Liang stared in confusion at the bloody rabbit.
He then decided to take two stones and collided them, trying to make a spark.
Ning Shu lay on the side and watched as Yi Liang struggled.
He tried for a while, but still couldn’t make a fire, so he tossed the stones aside.
Yi Liang stared at the rabbit again. He then ripped off the rabbit’s leg and placed it in front of Ning Shu.
He then tore off another leg and brought the bloody thing to his mouth.
Ning Shu: …
Wow, he was really going to eat it raw!?
Yi Liang lifted the leg to his mouth several times, but he didn’t have the courage to actually eat it.
“Xiao Hei, I want to go home and grab something,” Yi Liang told Ning Shu.
Yi Liang used to think that he had a miserable life, but in this situation in which he didn’t even have a fire, he actually didn’t feel like things were currently that bad.
People really need company.
When Ning Shu heard Yi Liang say that he was going to head back, she was speechless. If he headed back now, he’d definitely die.
They didn’t even know when their pursuers would start searching the mountain, but Yi Liang actually wanted to head back towards them.
She bit Yi Liang’s clothes. There was no way he could go back. If he was that hungry, he should just eat the snow.
"Don't..." Ning Shu revolved air through her chest and abdomen, vibrated her vocal cords, and finally threw a word out of her nose.
The word was very vague, though.
Still, Yi Liang was startled and looked around. “Who’s that?”
Seeing Yi Liang look like he’d just seen a ghost, Ning Shu gave him a paw and said, “Me.”
“Little fox, you can speak?” Yi Liang quickly grabbed Ning Shu’s two front legs and lifted her up.
Ning Shu was forced to expose her white furry belly and two small teats.
Ning Shu: What the hell…
Ning Shu put a paw on Yi Liang's face and broke free.
“Little fox, was it you who spoke?” Yi Liang, who now had a paw print on his face, looked at Ning Shu excitedly.
Ning Shu nodded.
Yi Liang started to uncontrollably laugh. He then said that it was great.
Yi Liang couldn’t eat the bloody rabbit and ended up burying the rabbit under the snow.
He then took two handfuls of snow instead, and swallowed it, making his body shiver. Afterward, he returned to the cave.
Yi Liang sat down next to Ning Shu and asked, "Are you a monster?"
"Yes." Ning Shu's voice sounded strange.
"Then what's your name?"
Ning Shu wasn’t very used to talking like this, so she didn't answer him.
"Then, are you a male or a female fox?" Yi Liang asked curiously.
Ning Shu: →_→
Never thought you were this kind of person, Yi Liang.
Realizing Ning Shu's contemptuous gaze, Yi Liang's face flushed, and he stopped talking about Ning Shu’s gender. He turned to look at the vast snow-capped mountain view outside.
TL: Kaho
MTL Editor: Ran
Chp 2352: When Will We Get Out of Here?
Yi Liang's expression was a little anxious. If they continued not eating and drinking like this, they’d soon starve to their deaths.
Meanwhile, Ning Shu only continued to practice controlling the flow of air with her diaphragm and familiarizing herself with ventriloquism.
It was getting darker and colder outside. Yi Liang sat close to Ning Shu, feeling the warmth from her body radiate to him. He felt very warm that way.
"Xiao Hei, when will we get out of here?"
Yi Liang didn’t really expect Ning Shu to answer. He was simply thinking out loud.
Ning Shu had many things to consider in her mind. She had to think about Yi Xue’s group, but she also needed to think about the three cultivators she had stolen the flame fruit from.
She didn’t know what had happened to them after she left.
With her current strength, she wouldn’t be able to beat those three cultivators. Moreover, she also would have to look after Yi Liang, who would be a total deadweight in a fight.
After Yi Liang had fallen asleep beside her, Ning Shu started to cultivate. The surrounding spiritual energy gathered near her.
Yi Liang woke up at dawn the next day, yawning.
He then went outside the cave to grab some snow to eat.
"Yi Liang," said Ning Shu.
Because she was using ventriloquism, Ning Shu's voice was unusually low. It was undeterminable whether her voice sounded like a male or female’s voice.
Yi Liang threw away the snow in his hand and walked into the cave. His voice was gentle and affectionate as he asked, “You called me?”
“I have a secret manual that I inherited. I’ll pass it on to you.” Ning Shu stammered a bit, mainly because she kept running out of air while speaking.
Ning Shu also had some cultivation secret manuals, but who knew if Yi Liang had any spiritual roots.
After considering it for some time, Ning Shu decided to give him the Unsurpassable Martial Arts. After all, it’d work for anyone, regardless of their foundations and spiritual roots.
“But I don’t have spiritual roots. When I was younger, my mother said I didn’t have any.” Yi Liang looked a little excited.
Sure enough, he had no spiritual root.
"Sit down," Ning Shu said.
Ning Shu slowly explained the Unsurpassable Martial Arts method to Yi Liang. Each time, after she’d talked for a while, Ning Shu had to rest a bit, otherwise, she’d be gasping for breath. Ventriloquism was really difficult.
Under Ning Shu’s guidance, Yi Liang sat cross-legged and started to cultivate.
Probably because he had just cleansed his body of impurities, his meridians weren’t blocked. Therefore, he could absorb spiritual energy very quickly.
It didn't take long for Yi Liang to feel the spiritual energy entering his body.
“That’s so amazing.” Yi Liang opened his eyes and squeezed his fists. “Thank you, Xiao Hei!”
Ning Shu nodded. “I didn’t come up with this method. It was just passed down to me by my ancestors.”
Ning Shu didn't want Yi Liang to think of her as an inexhaustible treasure.
She meant to only pass on the Unsurpassable Martial Arts to Yi Liang. It should be enough for him to protect himself.
Ning Shu herself had been cultivating the Unsurpassable Martial Arts this whole time
“Xiao Hei, thank you! Now I can go find my parents and my sister.” Yi Liang’s eyes were slightly red.
“I can go back to my house.
"And I want to find that demonic cultivator..."
"..."
Yi Liang rambled on. Before, without any strength, he didn't dare to think of these things.
Now, however, he had hope. The child, who was previously at a loss, now had found his purpose. He started to calm down, but his determination only became stronger.
Yi Liang wiped his tears away and started to cultivate again.
Ning Shu said, “Maintain an inner calm.”
Yi Liang slowed down his breathing and gradually entered a good state.
Once Yi Liang experienced the joy of cultivating, he started to cultivate without taking a single break, not even pausing to eat or drink. A layer of spiritual energy surrounded him.
Ning Shu also felt relieved that he’d started cultivating. It would take some time, but he’d eventually become strong.
As she cultivated, Ning Shu's ears twitched. Because she had cultivated the Unsurpassable Martial Arts, her senses were sharper. There was also the fact that she was currently a fox.
She sensed that someone was coming, and vaguely heard a dog barking.
Ning Shu pushed Yi Liang, interrupting his cultivation. Yi Liang opened his eyes and asked, "Xiao Hei, what's wrong?"
“Someone’s coming.”
“Has Yi Xue and the others come to chase us down?” Yi Liang stood up. When he moved, his bones cracked audibly like fried beans.
“Senior Brother, there are fluctuations of spiritual energy here,” said someone from the entrance of the cave.
TL: Kaho
MTL Editor: Ran
Chp 2353: Always Poured Cats and Dogs for Her
"Senior Brother, there are fluctuations of spiritual energy, so there must be some treasure in here."
“I never would’ve imagined that this little place could hide so many good things.”
When Ning Shu heard someone talking at the entrance of the cave, she inwardly cursed.
It never was just a drizzle, was it? It always poured cats and dogs for her.
They already got Yi Xue chasing after them, and now there were cultivators here too.
Ning Shu couldn’t help but look at Yi Liang. This kid couldn’t actually be a jinx, could he?
How could his luck be this sh*tty???
“Yi Liang,” Ning Shu said in a low voice, “Let’s run out of the cave.”
Ning Shu and Yi Liang ran out of the cave in a flash.
Above the cave, two cultivators were flying with their swords. They saw a person and a fox suddenly running out of the cave.
“Senior Brother, that’s the fox who stole our flame fruits,” one of them pointed at Ning Shu.
“Chase!” the other said in a low voice.
The two of them flew towards Ning Shu and Yi Liang with their swords.
Yi Liang had just begun cultivating the Unsurpassable Martial Arts. Although he was already very light and fast, he was still no match for the flying cultivators who used their swords.
Soon, Yi Liang and Ning Shu were stopped by the two cultivators.
"Hand over the flame fruits!" one of the cultivators said sharply. His voice suddenly boomed in Ning Shu and Yi Liang’s ears.
His voice made them extremely uncomfortable and made their internal organs tremble.
Yi Liang was just a kid. Facing two immortals, he was a little scared. He recalled the fruit that Xiao Hei gave him yesterday and pressed his lips together tightly without saying anything.
Ning Shu crouched in position, ready to attack. All the fur on her body was standing on end as she glared at the two cultivators.
They were obviously still a trio yesterday, but now only two of them were left. The other must’ve suffered an accident.
Perhaps these two were behind it.
A cultivator had to seize any treasure they could to improve themself, after all.
To get their hands on those resources, it didn’t matter if they had to kill someone else.
However, she never thought that these cultivators would act the same way even to their own sect siblings.
Ning Shu was a little confused. Wouldn’t these kinds of actions generate inner demons?
Few people managed to walk to the end of the path of cultivation.
Spiritual roots, which were inherent, already filtered out countless people. The state of mind a cultivator must attain also sifted out most of the rest.
Everything had a cause and effect.
“Kid, hand it over.” The cultivator looked at Yi Liang oppressively.
Yi Liang's body trembled a little. He clenched his fists tightly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t take anything from you.”
Yi Liang, who was obviously afraid, stubbornly held out. It could make people find him pitiful, but also hilarious.
“You clearly don’t know what’s good for yourself.” The more temperamental cultivator was about to directly attack.
“Hey, Junior Brother.” The other cultivator stopped him and took out a golden ingot.
“Kid, give us the fruit that the fox took away before, and this ingot will be yours.” Despite trying to coax Yi Liang, the long-browed cultivator still had an extremely arrogant expression on his face.
Yi Liang had never seen such a large ingot of gold before. He was stunned for a while.
He was a worldly person, after all. For Yi Liang, gold and silver were very precious things. To the cultivators, however, gold was worthless. It would only be useful, occasionally, for refining tools.
Instead of gold, cultivators used spirit stones as their currency.
Yi Liang looked away from the gold, then sincerely said, “Immortal, I really don’t have any fruit.”
“I saw that fox take it!” the irascible thin-faced cultivator said immediately.
Meanwhile, Ning Shu’s ears were twitching. The people from the town were also coming towards them now.
Soon, she heard the sound of barking dogs mixed with human voices approaching them.
TL: Kaho
MTL Editor: Ran
Chp 2354: He’s Betrayed Our Family
“Haha. The dogs are so excited. It must be nearby.”
“They can smell the stink of a fox from miles away.”
The voices got closer and closer. Eventually, more than ten people appeared. They all came to track Yi Liang down.
“Immortal,” the people immediately shouted respectfully, as soon as they saw the cultivators flying on top of their swords.
Several of the people were holding the leashes of the few black dogs in their hands. The dogs seemed to know how powerful the cultivators were and hid behind the people’s backs while whimpering.
The cultivators looked proud. “What’re you doing here?”
“Respectfully, Immortal, we’re here to arrest this child, because he’s betrayed our family.”
“Wait a minute. This person has something we want,” the thin-faced cultivator sternly said.
“Immortal, your matter is clearly more important, then.”
Ning Shu took a deep breath.
With these two groups together, they didn’t have a high chance of escaping.
“When I say run, just run and don’t look back,” Ning Shu told Yi Liang in a low voice.
Yi Liang nearly started crying.
Ning Shu roared fiercely, told him to run, then jumped and attacked the two cultivators.
“Stupid, weak monster.” The long-browed cultivator sneered with incomparable contempt.
Yi Liang turned around and ran quickly. Having absorbed spiritual energy, his body was as light as a swallow and he also ran very fast.
Originally, the two cultivators wanted to toy around with the fox first. When they saw the child running so quickly, however, they immediately chased after him.
Ning Shu swiped her paw, and a dragon-shaped energy roared towards the cultivator.
The cultivator slashed it with his sword and it disintegrated into thin air.
Ning Shu’s paw slapped the sword heavily, and the thin-faced cultivator groaned.
“Hurry, catch him!” the long-browed cultivator shouted to the stunned crowd that stood beside him. He was dealing with several transparent dragon-shaped energies.
“Oh, yes…” Only then did the onlookers react, pulling their black dogs to chase after Yi Liang.
Ning Shu roared with murderous and malicious intent. She bared her teeth and grinned at the dogs, making her look extremely vicious.
Suddenly, the black dogs became so frightened that they whimpered and fled with their tails between their legs. Not even their leashes were able to stop them.
Instead, their holders were dragged away by them through the snow.
For a while, some people were even dragged around on their backs.
“Trash!” the two cultivators scolded when they saw the group of people being such a mess.
At the end of the day, mortals were indeed just mortals.
Meanwhile, Ning Shu didn’t know how far Yi Liang had already run.
Dealing with the two cultivators was very difficult for Ning Shu.
“Damned beast!” The thin-faced cultivator was short-tempered. He had become infuriated, and he sent a fire dragon rushing toward Ning Shu.
No wonder this guy was so short-tempered. He cultivated fire-element techniques!
Although Ning Shu managed to avoid the fire dragon, sparks still splashed on her body. Some of her furs were burnt black and they also smelled burnt.
“Don’t worry about this beast. Chase that kid!” The long-browed cultivator dissipated the energy of several dragons. The energy returned to Ning Shu’s dantian.
Ning Shu was a little tired, but she was determined not to let these two chase Yi Liang.
Look at her being such a pitiful mama bear~
Ning Shu frantically used the Unsurpassable Martial Arts, compressing the spiritual energy absorbed into her body into a liquid form. A water dragon slowly rose from behind Ning Shu.
The water dragon roared silently in the sky, and its huge body swept towards the two cultivators.
The two defended against the water dragon together and cut off the water dragon's body with their swords. However, the severed body only returned to its original state.
Ning Shu’s muscles and veins were aching. She had suddenly compressed her spiritual energy, and thus terribly distorted her meridians.
Ning Shu didn’t plan to personally fight the two cultivators. While they were occupied with the water dragon, she dashed away in Yi Liang’s direction.
Since its master would be far from it, the water dragon would gradually weaken, and it eventually would turn back into spiritual energy.
TL: Kaho
MTL Editor: Ran
Chp 2355: Soul Tracking Mark
Ning Shu shook off the two cultivators and chased in Yi Liang’s direction.
As she ran, she smelled the faint smell Yi Liang left in the air.
The two cultivators, meanwhile, had just finished dealing with the water dragon made of spiritual energy. The thin-faced cultivator cursed, “Shit! That damned beast got away.”
“What’s the hurry? I left a soul tracking mark on that child. He won’t be able to escape,” the long-browed cultivator said lightly. He was in no hurry at all.
“Senior Brother really thinks of everything.”
The two of them then flew after Ning Shu and Yi Liang.
Ning Shu had to run a long way before she caught up to Yi Liang.
When Yi Liang saw her, he hugged Ning Shu and started crying. He grabbed Ning Shu’s neck tightly and cried, “Xiao Hei, I thought you’d never come back. You scared me to death.”
Yi Liang had left Ning Shu behind so he had felt both worried and guilty. Now that he was reunited with her, he couldn’t help but cry.
Yi Liang’s current feeling was the same as that of the original Bai Sanniang. To receive help did not necessarily feel any better than giving it.
Ning Shu was really tired now. Her body was also sore. She whispered to Yi Liang, “Let’s go. I’m afraid they’ll chase after us.”
“Okay.” Yi Liang wiped away his tears. Seeing Ning Shu’s shaking limbs, he hugged her and said, “I’ll carry you while I run.”
Ning Shu didn’t object. Muscles all over her body were aching like crazy. Every step she took felt like she was walking on a knife. It’d be better for Yi Liang to carry her.
Yi Liang carried Ning Shu on his shoulders and quickly ran.
After running for a long time, they’d actually gone quite a far distance away. However, Ning Shu’s danger alarm was only ringing stronger and stronger.
After going through so many transmigrations, she’d developed some level of sense for danger.
“Stop,” she said.
At least one of them was probably being tracked. Cultivators had a lot of special techniques, and it was difficult to guard against all of them.
"What's wrong?" Yi Liang asked Ning Shu.
Ning Shu looked at her body and didn't see any marks. Her body was clean.
Ning Shu looked at Yi Liang. She put her claws on his body and released a trace of energy that wandered around every corner of Yi Liang's body.
Finally, she found something like a mark on the back of his neck. Her energy turned into a dragon-like shape, swallowed the mark in one bite, then isolated it.
"I can’t sense the mark anymore." The long-browed cultivator who had been following after them closely frowned and stopped.
"If the cultivator’s level isn’t as high as mine, they wouldn’t be able to undo the mark." The long-browed cultivator looked a little concerned.
“Who is it that’s messing with us?” said the thin-faced cultivator, who was annoyed. “Then, should we chase after them or not?”
“If the cultivator’s level is too high… We might offend that person if we continue chasing after them like this. If that person’s a crazy weirdo, we might just end up losing our lives, too.” The thin-faced cultivator was concerned.
“No matter what, we can’t give up those two flame fruits.” Whether they were eaten or sold, they were each worth a considerable fortune.
In the end, the two cultivators decided to continue chasing after them.
Ning Shu frowned. Her spiritual energy could only isolate the mark. It couldn't completely destroy it.
She had no choice but to slowly melt it away with her spiritual energy, but who knew when that process would be completed?
It was like they were carrying a ticking time bomb.
“What’s wrong?’ Yi Liang touched the back of his neck and asked Ning Shu.
"Someone placed a tracking mark on you. It was probably those two cultivators," Ning Shu said honestly.
Yi Liang’s eyes widened. He quickly touched his neck. "Really?"
“We’re not in danger, for now. Let’s leave first,” Ning Shu said.
TL: Kaho
MTL Editor: Ran
Chp 2356: Run
Yi Liang nodded, put Ning Shu on his shoulder, and began to run.
Ning Shu: …
She didn’t like being carried like this. All the shaking made her want to throw up.
Yi Liang carried Ning Shu around for a while as he ran. By the time he stopped running, he no longer knew where he was.
Ning Shu jumped off Yi Liang's shoulder and looked around.
Truthfully speaking, regardless of where they were, their situation wouldn’t be much better. They were now just wandering around aimlessly.
Moreover, this was no longer the area that Ning Shu was familiar with.
Ning Shu sniffed the smell in the air, trying to analyze what animals might be around.
However, it was snowing, so many of the smells had been masked.
Yi Liang was so tired that he lay on the ground, gasping for breath. He then grabbed the snow and stuffed it in his mouth.
Ning Shu’s whole body was aching all over. She had to cultivate and use spiritual energy to repair her twisted meridians.
"We need to go find a resting place now. I'm injured," Ning Shu said.
"Xiao Hei, where are you injured? Is it serious?" Yi Liang nervously asked when he heard that she was injured.
“Let’s just slowly find a place to spend the night in.” No one’s body would be able to withstand being outside at night in this kind of weather.
“Alright.”
Yi Liang carried Ning Shu, wandered in the forest, and finally found a cave. However, the cave was smelly, and a blind bear was hibernating in it.
When Yi Liang saw the blind bear, he turned around and ran away.
Yi Liang didn't think he could beat a bear. He had only cultivated for one night. Yi Liang didn't think that he had turned that powerful in one night.
Yi Liang hugged Ning Shu and found another new place, which was a small cave. Ning Shu and Yi Liang squeezed into it. They couldn't even stretch out in the slightest.
Ning Shu lay on the ground and started to slowly absorb the spiritual energy, then started to cultivate. Her meridians throbbed.
The spiritual energy in the body started to slowly repair the twisted meridians.
Yi Liang watched Ning Shu cultivate and followed suit. The surrounding spiritual energy gathered towards the two of them.
Yi Liang had eaten a flame fruit before, so his meridians were free of impurities. He absorbed the spiritual energy without a hitch, and he also cultivated very quickly.
Ning Shu used all her spiritual energy to repair her meridians. Although it was still twisted and still ached from time to time, it was already much better.
The next morning, Yi Liang stopped cultivating and touched his groaning stomach. He felt that he hadn't eaten for a long time.
“Xiao Hei, we should find a place to eat. Otherwise, we’d starve to death.” Yi Liang hugged Ning Shu and climbed out of the cave.
Ning Shu licked a few mouthfuls of snow.
Yi Liang also grabbed some snow and stuffed it in his mouth. He then carried Ning Shu on his shoulder again to rush out.
The more he cultivated, the brisker his movement became. He ran quickly with Ning Shu in his arms. Beside them, it seemed like the trees were retreating.
Ning Shu checked the back of Yi Liang's neck. The mark was still there and still wrapped in energy. She didn't know when it would completely dissipate.
Yi Liang was worried about being discovered by the two cultivators, so he ran as quickly as he could.
Heaven wouldn’t turn their backs on people who worked hard, and indeed, Yi Liang finally discovered a house.
It was a thatched hut, placed by a pond. Despite the season, there were actually lush flowers blooming on its fences.
As soon as they walked in, they smelled a strong floral scent.
“Xiao Hei, we’ve found a house. We finally don’t have to stay in caves anymore.” Yi Liang was, after all, still just a twelve-year-old. As soon as he saw the house, he was overjoyed.
Ning Shu wasn’t quite as optimistic. This house was the only one around, and its occupant was also nowhere to be seen. She suspected that it was an illusion.
TL: Kaho
MTL Editor: Ran
Chp 2357: Definitely Not Normal
Even at first glance, the house didn’t look normal at all. It was covered with snow, yet flowers were blooming in its front yard.
“We’re not going there,” Ning Shu said to Yi Liang. “That house is definitely not normal.”
Yi Liang paused. It was easy to imagine why Yi Liang would be attracted to the house, considering where they found it.
When Yi Liang heard Ning Shu say that, he struggled with the thought of not going in.
Most importantly, he hadn’t eaten for a long time. His stomach was empty.
“Guests outside, you may come in.” A woman’s voice clearly came from inside the house.
“Xiao Hei, since we’ve already been invited in, why don’t we go in?” Yi Liang asked.
Before Ning Shu could respond, the voice inside already spoke again. "Come on in."
Yi Liang carried Ning Shu towards the house. Ning Shu was tense and extremely vigilant.
She had reason to suspect that the owner of this house was a monster.
Yi Liang opened the door and saw a woman sitting at the table, dressed in white brocade clothes, holding a simple and elegant teacup with her beautiful jade fingers. White smoke was billowing from the teacup.
This woman had a face like a hibiscus, with bright eyes and white teeth. Her skin was fragrant and tender. She was extremely pretty.
The house looked like a thatched cottage from the outside, but inside it was a woman’s elegant boudoir.
As soon as they opened the door, they could smell a fragrant aroma. There was even incense lit in the room.
Seeing such a beautiful woman was a first for Yi Liang, so he became polite and quickly took two steps back.
The woman put down her teacup and looked at Yi Liang. “Come in, young man.”
The woman glanced at Ning Shu, who was still on Yi Liang’s shoulder, and her lips curved slightly, which only made her more attractive.
“Thank you.” Yi Liang walked into the room and instantly felt warmer. When he smelled the fragrance in the air, he became even more reserved in his behavior.
"Please excuse my intrusion."
The woman stood up and said kindly, "It’s alright. Since I’m usually alone, I’m glad I finally have a guest.
"I'm Hong Ji."
"I'm Yi Liang. This is Xiao Hei." Yi Liang said, his stomach rumbling as he spoke.
Yi Liang's face turned beet red.
Hong Ji was very understanding. "Sit down, I'll go get you something to eat."
"Thank you." Yi Liang immediately smiled when he heard that there was something to eat.
Ning Shu stared at Hong Ji's back. She felt that Hong Ji wasn't a human being. She might be a monster in disguise. This entire place might even be just an illusion.
If a monster could transform into a human form, that indicated that it was quite powerful.
Hong Ji could probably see that Yi Liang and Ning Shu were very hungry, and thus prepared several dishes.
Ning Shu sniffed the food to see if it was poisoned. She then said to him, “Eat.”
Hong Ji looked at Ning Shu with an unreadable expression. However, she didn’t say anything. She just watched as Ning Shu and Yi Liang ate.
Yi Liang hadn’t eaten for a few days. Now that he had something to eat, he nearly devoured the food and swept it clean.
After eating and burping, seeing Hong Ji staring at him, he said embarrassedly, "Thank you for your hospitality."
"I'm going to clean up your room, and you two can sleep here tonight," Hong Ji said. "To be honest, I want to keep you guys around, mainly because it’s so lonely to live alone here. It feels good to have someone to chat with…"
"Thank you." Yi Liang couldn't help thanking her.
Hong Ji tidied up a small room with a simple bed, but Yi Liang felt like it was heaven. It was undoubtedly much better than a cave.
Ning Shu looked at Hong Ji with a flat expression. It was really strange for a woman to live in such a deep mountain.
Thus Ning Shu was suspecting that she was a monster.
Those who seemed so eager to offer help for no reason, if not bandits, then were thieves.
TL: Kaho
MTL Editor: Ran
Chp 2358: Your Flawless White Fur Is Pretty Good
Hong Ji was very eagerly attentive to Ning Shu and Yi Liang.
"Why are you staring at me?" Hong Ji felt Ning Shu's gaze and turned to look at her.
Ning Shu said lightly, "Because you’re beautiful."
Hong Ji couldn't help but smile. Her face looked as dazzling as a flower in full bloom.
"Naughty little thing, you are very good at talking." Hong Ji leaned over slightly and booped Ning Shu's black snout. "You’re pretty too. Your flawless white fur is pretty good."
Ning Shu: …
Did this woman want to skin her for a scarf?
Ning Shu took a couple of steps back. "It must be quite lonely to live here. Why don’t you go out?”
Hong Ji touched her face. "With this kind of face, I’d cause disaster wherever I go. I’d be known as a calamitous beauty.”
Ning Shu’s face was indifferent. Whatever made her happy.
It was getting dark outside. Yi Liang, who hadn’t slept for a few days, fell asleep as soon as he laid down in bed.
Ning Shu curled up by his side. She looked around as she cultivated.
If this was all an illusion, it felt too real.
But if it wasn’t, then Hong Ji must definitely be a monster occupant of this mountain.
Her beautiful looks might also just be a part of this illusion.
Although they were in a thatched cottage, and the cold wind was howling outside, the house’s inside was very warm and no wind was blowing in.
Under such circumstances, Ning Shu didn’t dare to relax at all.
Although the blanket was warm, and she really wanted to sleep too…
In the middle of the night, Ning Shu heard the creaking sound of the door opening. She then heard the door being closed with a small sound.
There was no sound of footsteps and no light from a lantern, and it was like the person who entered had instantly floated over to their bedside.
Hong Ji leaned over and sniffed Yi Liang’s body.
Ning Shu said quietly, "What are you doing?"
In the dark, Hong Ji smiled sweetly and said, "I figured I’d take a look at the little boy and see if he’d kicked away his blanket. This is an important growing period for him, after all."
She sure was something else, to be able to get out of bed in the middle of the night, at this ungodly hour and on such a cold day at that.
Moreover, she said she just wanted to fix Yi Liang’s blanket. Even his birth mother might not be able to do that.
“I’ll cover him. Thank you for your concern,” Ning Shu said lightly, not believing Hong Ji's words at all.
Hong Ji turned and left.
Ning Shu frowned. They must leave at dawn tomorrow. They couldn't stay in this place.
There must be something about Yi Liang that attracted Hong Ji.
The storyline was now unclear, too. Everything that’d come after this was completely unpredictable.
This was because Bai Sanniang and Yi Liang’s storyline had come to an abrupt end when they were separated.
From that point on, Bai Sanniang was busy cultivating. Yi Liang’s fate, meanwhile, was completely unknown.
After Hong Ji left, Ning Shu stepped up her cultivation and repaired her damaged meridians. If she was powerful, she’d be able to calmly face various events and changes.
Yi Liang slept all the way until dawn and woke up with a glowing complexion. He stretched, and when he saw Ning Shu on the other side of the bed, reached out and touched her head.
“It’d be great if I could live like this forever,” Yi Liang said with a sigh. It was comfortable, he didn’t have to hide, and he also got to sleep on a soft bed.
“You don’t want to find your parents and your sister anymore?” Ning Shu asked lightly.
YI Liang sighed. “I didn’t mean it like that. Even if I were to live this kind of life, it’d still have to be together with my family.”
Yi Liang walked out of the room and saw the blooming flowers on the fences. He was amazed, but he also found it weird.
TL: Kaho
MTL Editor: Ran
Chp 2359: A Celestial Consort
Flowers were meant to bloom in different seasons, so how could so many kinds of flowers, all crowded inside the fences, bloom together like that, without regard for the current season? Even at first glance, it looked wrong.
Yi Liang stood at the door and stared at the flowers within the fences. The door creaked open, and Hong Ji stood at the door. She was dressed in a white dress with lotus flowers painted on it. It was an extremely beautiful sight.
She was indeed a picturesque, captivating beauty.
Yi Liang glanced at her, then quickly retracted his gaze.
“Little boy, you’re awake?” Hong Ji turned around and walked towards Yi Liang. With every step she took, it seemed like a lotus flower bloomed. It was so beautiful to watch.
Ning Shu came out of the room and stood in front of Yi Liang, between him and Hong Ji.
Hong Ji was thus forced to stop in her tracks. She glanced at Ning Shu, and then said to Yi Liang, "I'm going to make breakfast, what do you want to eat?"
"I’m simply a guest. That’s up to the host," Yi Liang said politely, his ears turning red as he spoke.
Yi Liang used to be alone all the time, so he wasn’t good at communicating with people.
Now that he was talking to a celestial consort-like woman, he was nervous and shy. He was even sweating like he was being pricked by needles.
Hong Ji smiled gently and turned to go to the kitchen.
Ning Shu followed behind Hong Ji and entered the kitchen. How were Hong Ji’s white, complicated clothes even remotely suitable to be used for cooking?
Hong Ji lit a fire with a flame stick, then cooked without paying Ning Shu any mind.
Ning Shu narrowed her eyes as soon as she saw the flame stick. She had to figure out how to get her hands on one of those. Otherwise, while they were on the run, neither she nor Yi Liang would be able to eat.
They couldn’t eat before all because there was no flame stick.
Hong Ji made meat porridge. Its smell alone could make people salivate before they even had a bite.
Hong Ji served Yi Liang a bowl of meat porridge, and Yi Liang hurriedly took it. "Thank you."
As Yi Liang ate the porridge, Hong Ji stared at him. Because of this, Yi Liang blushed and said loudly, “You should eat some too.”
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Hong Ji lightly replied.
Hong Ji then glanced at Ning Shu. “Is this your pet?”
She smiled slightly and asked Yi Liang, “Has this fox always been by your side?”
Yi Liang nodded. "Xiao Hei has always been by my side. She’s been very kind to me and has also saved me several times."
Ning Shu was a little puzzled. Why did the topic suddenly turn to her?
When she saw the inexplicable smile on Hong Ji's face, Ning Shu knew that there couldn’t be good intentions behind it.
Ning Shu was really speechless. She’d met all kinds of people here. After finally breaking free from the Yi clan, they ran into cultivators.
Now they had encountered the mysterious Hong Ji too. The only thing that was certain was that she was no ordinary person.
“Then, do you know something?” The corners of Hong Ji’s mouth hooked up. As she spoke, her cherry lips moved slightly, revealing her white teeth.
Yi Liang, as a child, was naturally curious. He asked, "What?"
Hong Ji glanced at Ning Shu, propped up her chin, and said lazily, "Unlike human cultivators, it’s very difficult for monsters to cultivate enough power to transform into a human form.
"However, the foxes of the spirit fox clan could transform into a human form by eating human hearts."
Ning Shu: …
TL: Kaho
MTL Editor: Ran
Chp 2360: Eat People’s Hearts?
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Ning Shu coldly scolded Hong Ji.
Hong Ji laughed softly and stretched out her tender fingers, which were long and slender. She drew a circle around Yi Liang's heart and said, "A strong heart, in particular, can give a fox powerful strength and gorgeous looks.”
Yi Liang took a step back in horror. "No way..."
Ning Shu glared at Hong Ji, this damned witch was deliberately trying to ruin her relationship with Yi Liang.
Eat people’s hearts? Ning Shu wouldn’t do anything that hardcore.
Humans would eat monsters, and monsters would, in return, be interested in a cultivator’s body, since it’d help a little in their cultivation. It was indeed a chain of mutual predation.
However, she definitely couldn’t get powerful strength and great beauty like how Hong Ji described.
“Stop trying to sow discord between us,” Ning Shu said in a low voice. She then called out to Yi Liang, who was a little out of it. “Yi Liang!”
“Xiao Hei, do you want to eat my heart?” Yi Liang was a little scared. His expression was a little frightened, but he tried to calm himself down.
Ning Shu sighed inwardly, and firmly said, "Why would I eat your heart? Your heart’s not even that strong. Others could shake your trust in me with just some words. What kind of powerful heart is that?
“Eating people’s hearts could allow me to transform into human form? What nonsense. Power is something that’s accumulated bit by bit. What kind of power could a lump of meat give me?” Ning Shu’s voice became deeper as she went on.
“Moreover, tell me, has any human become powerful after eating a powerful monster’s flesh?” Ning Shu was speechless.
Yi Liang’s face relaxed. “You’re right, Xiao Hei. Sorry. I can’t believe I actually doubted you.”
Hong Ji covered her mouth and giggled. Ning Shu looked at her contemptuously. What was she laughing at?
When she saw Hong Ji like that, Ning Shu really wanted to claw her to the point that she was so disheveled and disfigured that not even her own mother would be able to recognize her!!!
Hong Ji glanced over sweetly. “Kiddo, people say that it’s a secret technique of the spirit fox clan. Only they have this kind of secret technique. A lump of meat has no power, yes, but what they eat is their victim’s blood essence.”
Ning Shu: ...
She looked at Hong Ji with a cold expression and said, “Would you quit it already?”
“Aren’t you just following this kid because of his ethereal spirit physique? This body isn’t bad and it has no impurities. Plus it’s also full of spiritual energy,” Hong Ji said with an intoxicated expression.
"You want to eat me?" Yi Liang pointed at Hong Ji in horror.
Hong Ji shook her head. "It’s not that I want to eat you, it’s this little fox who wants to. I don’t eat human meat.”
"This little fox is following you just to get your heart and transform into a human being," Hong Ji drawled as she lazily propped her chin.
Ning Shu just lay on the ground, silently looking at Hong Ji. Her expression clearly said ‘I’d like to see how long you’d be able to keep this up.'
“Xiao Hei…” Yi Liang called out to Ning Shu, who just snorted.
“Let’s see what else she can come up with.”
“You don’t believe me?” Hong Ji pouted. “Truthfully, I’m also a fox, but I’m a red fox.
“I just ate the heart of a scholar. He was a brilliant person with a good reputation, and he composed splendid literature. It was after I ate his heart that I was able to transform into a human being.” Hong Ji exposed her flaming red tail as she spoke.
Hong Ji touched her face. “That’s why I have such a beautiful face.”
Although this world was a cultivation world, the number of people who could cultivate was like a drop in the ocean compared to the total population. Becoming a scholar was still the main way to bring honor to one’s family.
When Yi Liang heard that Hong Ji had eaten a scholar’s heart, and saw her tail swinging around, he immediately fell off his stool with a thud.
“You, you’re a fox spirit,” Yi Liang stammered.
Hong Ji tilted her head and stared at Yi Liang. “Is it that surprising that I’m a fox spirit?”
TL: Kaho
MTL Editor: Ran
