So he looked toward the direction of Wuzhuang Temple, gritted his teeth, and said, "Zhen Yuanzi!" Then he turned to leave.
Lin Fang hurriedly called out to him, asking, "Where do you plan to go?"
"To the north, in Luzhou in the North, there is a Great Chun King who will protect the homeless members of the Demon Clan. I will wait there, wait for the day when all gods decline," said the Old Demon softly.
"This land has long been divided between Buddhism and Taoism; it is too hard for our Demon Clan to live on this land. If one day you, too, have had enough of this place, then come to Luzhou in the North. Although the climate is harsh there, it is a paradise for our clan."
Having said this, a green light shimmered on his body, and immediately a branch grew from his shoulder with two pink flower buds that bloomed, quickly yielding two peaches.
The Old Demon, with peaches grown, seemed a bit weakened. He plucked the peaches and handed them to Lin Fang, saying, "Thank you for everything you've done. I have nothing with which to repay you. These peaches were brought forth by my mana; they can enhance mana and prolong life. I give them to you as a gift."
The Old Demon left without looking back, his lonely figure gradually disappearing into the dense forest. Lin Fang and his companion held the peaches in their hands, staring blankly at the vanishing figure, as an air of desolation spread between them.
Lin Fang thought that in the years to come, the Old Demon, who had transformed from a peach tree, might live forever in hatred. He would keep his eyes wide open, watching the immortals in the sky, waiting for their end.
But could such powerful immortals and gods really meet their end? They have ruled this world for countless years without showing any signs of weakness. Perhaps the Old Demon would never see that day.
"Let's go," said Lin Fang, tousling the still dazed Little Fox's hair into a mess before speaking softly.
However, Little Fox did not squirm or complain as usual, but just stared blankly in the direction the Old Demon had left. At that moment, he truly felt the deepest darkness of this world.
After leaving the bounds of Wanshou Mountain, Lin Fang continued his Journey to the West with Little Fox. They traversed one rugged mountain range after another, and the mountain roads gradually became more difficult. Little Fox, however, gradually recovered his spirits. Being young, his sorrow came fast but also faded quickly, and so his lively laughter echoed through the mountains once again.
Lin Fang looked at Little Fox, who had become lively once more, and a knowing smile appeared on his face. In this dark world, there is still a dazzling light that warms a heart covered in scars.
Inside him, a warm current continuously circulated, each time further strengthening his already formidable physique. It was the purest vitality, a gift from the Old Demon.
The peach, imbued with half a lifetime of mana from the Old Demon and containing terrifying vitality, was extraordinary; though not as powerful as the Ginsheng Fruit, it was indeed remarkable. Ever since he had eaten it, the vitality had been ceaselessly refining his physique, making Lin Fang's body even more robust.
Speaking of which, Lin Fang gave Little Fox a glance; the little fellow, despite being taught for half a day, couldn't grasp the threshold of Leaklessness. Most of the peach's effects had leaked out through his pores, yet even so, Little Fox had gained tremendous benefits; at least he was no longer the youngster who only knew how to flee.
"Big brother Lin Fang, why is there not a single soul in sight here?" Little Fox asked, holding a green vine and constantly whipping the roadside plants with it.
"How could there be people living in such deep and wild mountains? Not to mention the Mountain Spirits and Wild Monsters, even jackals, tigers, and leopards would be enough to claim their lives," Lin Fang said, gazing into the distance.
However, reality always slaps you in the face when you least expect it. No sooner had Lin Fang spoken than he saw a man running for his life in the distance. The man's face was filled with terror, as he staggered forward, occasionally looking back in fear, as if he was afraid of something.
"Someone's coming. Hide your ears and tail quickly," said Lin Fang in a low voice, trying to shift away from his own embarrassment.
Little Fox showed a radiant smile, his ears drooped down and soon disappeared, and at the same time, he managed to hide his tail behind him well.
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This was the reward he reaped after eating that peach. He had successfully learned how to hide; at least he wouldn't be recognized as a monster at first glance anymore.
Soon, the panic-stricken young man ran up to Lin Fang. On seeing the Daoist robe on Lin Fang, the man seemed to have grasped a lifeline, throwing himself onto Lin Fang's legs and shouting, "Taoist priest, save me, Taoist priest, save my life!"
Lin Fang tried to pull his leg away but found it tightly grasped by the young man, showing no intention of letting go.
"Young brother, speak slowly of your troubles, but please let go of my leg first," Lin Fang said softly, his voice subtly imbued with mana, having a deterrent effect.
The effect was very obvious. Under the influence of the mana, the young man quickly calmed down, hurriedly released his hands, and rather embarrassingly got up from the ground.
"The Taoist priest must be laughing, I'm just so scared, my apologies, my apologies," said the young man, awkwardly touching the back of his head.
"No harm done; it's only human. But was something chasing you that made you so afraid?" Lin Fang asked.
"It seems that the demon didn't follow me here." Saying this, the young man became even more embarrassed.
"What demon, please explain in detail?"
"You might not believe it, Taoist priest, but that demon is actually my sister." Fear flashed across the young man's face as he spoke slowly.
"My home is in Baijia Village, less than a hundred miles from here, where there are fewer than ten households, all of whom have fled from disasters. The weather has been favorable recently, and with no excessive taxes or levies, life has been bearable. But then, an incident occurred a while back."
"Old Man Li's cow in our village died unexpectedly, as if all its blood had been sucked out by something. Then more innocent people died tragically. Many villagers left because of fear. My father, however, was unwilling to leave; after all, we're concealed households. Caught by the authorities in the outside world, we'd face certain death. Having no relatives to turn to, we had to bite the bullet and stay."
"The livestock is vital labor for us, so my father and I would guard them day and night, determined to find out what was attacking them. It happened to be my turn to watch one night."
"It was deep into the night, everything pitch-black, I was dozing off on a roof beam when I suddenly heard someone's voice—it was my sister coming."
"She called out my name as soon as she arrived. I didn't respond right away because I was groggy from sleep, but to my shock, my sister showed an evil smile. She leaned over the neck of our cow and started to gulp it down voraciously. I watched, horrified, as the cow was drained dry, covering my mouth tightly to keep from making a sound."
"After drinking the blood, my sister had a happy smile on her face. She gently wiped the blood from her lips and slowly left the house. I was terrified and slipped down from the beam. Not daring to return, I could only run desperately. In the darkness, it seemed I saw my sister's smiling face, her smile so eerie."
The young man slowly recounted the events to Lin Fang and then pleaded, "Please, Taoist priest, have mercy and save our villagers."
Lin Fang thought about it and realized that this demon was a bit unusual—it seemed to have transformed from a human to a demon, and even those good at hiding couldn't detect it, implying it hadn't been a demon for long. Such an opponent didn't scare him, and besides, he had never heard of such a monster before. He was curious about what kind of monster she was since it didn't seem right to call her a "human demon" or "demon."
"Lead the way then!" Lin Fang said softly.
Overjoyed at the response, the young man quickly led the way for Lin Fang, and together they headed towards Baijia Village.
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