Hundred miles away, Five Miles Temple.
The great fire had been extinguished.
At this time, two figures shrouded in large robes, with eyebrows and eyes hidden in the shadows, stood in front of the pile of severed heads.
The one at the forefront was also wearing a black Evil Ghost mask.
"Have you found the head of the one in the black robe?"
A voice like metal scraping against metal squeezed from the person's throat, exceedingly grating.
"Reporting to the Temple master, we did not find the head, only the corpse."
The person behind reported back.
"Waste, I asked you to stay and guard the sub-forum, yet you didn't even catch a glimpse of a shadow."
"It seems that person took it away!"
"Search for me. Check what happened in the nearby regions, who came here."
"Two protectors died, we're short on manpower, unable to complete the ritual. When the Venerable from the Main Altar comes, neither of us will have a good outcome,"
"Yes!"
The person behind bowed their head and retreated.
The figure flickered and vanished.
Meanwhile, the person wearing the Evil Ghost mask, looked towards the direction of Qingshan County, their voice sinister and piercing.
"Sooner or later, this Temple master will drag you out!"
But just then,
Outside the village, at the base of the mountain,
Came the sound of urgent horse hooves.
Far off, across the river,
A brown magic horse, with mane like flowing clouds, was actually treading on the river surface, moving upon the water.
Astride the horse, a flash of red, like the fierce blaze of the sun.
Transformed into a scarlet streak, speeding through the greenscape of Qingshan.
Passing the boundary of Five Miles Temple, the Red dress atop the horse clearly sensed something, a startled glance, piercing through the forest leaves, looking towards the mountain.
Their eyes met with that of the person wearing the Evil Ghost mask.
Those were eyes that could make the beauty of Chunjiang pale in comparison!
Afterward, no longer lingering, disappeared amongst the lofty mountains and steep ridges.
"Such keen perception!"
On the mountain, the figure with the Evil Ghost mask softly muttered.
This woman, seems to be heading towards Yunlu!
..............
On the other side, Eight Hundred Miles Langdang Mountain.
In a forest near Qingshan County.
The setting sun dipped in the west, drawing near twilight.
Birds returned to their nests, and insects fell silent.
Yet in a patch of the forest,
Came a chattering noise.
A white fox with a bushy tail was biting a Golden Flower Squirrel, placing it on top of a rock.
Then emitting a "whining" sound,
And that Golden Flower Squirrel, around a foot in size, "chirped" back at the fox, seemingly very displeased.
Subsequently, it turned into a golden blur, running outside.
The White fox let out a strange cry, quickly turned back to chase, and bit the squirrel to bring it back.
It seemed extremely anxious, the fox weirdly picked up a tree branch nearby, and with one paw, awkwardly clutched it, swinging at the air a couple of times.
Then toward the Golden Flower Squirrel "whined" strangely.
Next, baring teeth and grimacing, making a fierce face.
As if saying, there's something very fierce outside, absolutely do not go out.
The Squirrel "chirped" non-stop, its two fluffy front paws akimbo, showing off its two big teeth, and then pointed at its own belly.
Having finished speaking, it opened its mouth to inhale, and its little stomach instantly swelled up.
The whole squirrel swelled to the size of a balloon, turning round and plump.
Then it floated up, leisurely drifting down the mountain.
The White fox, seeing this, frantically spun around on the ground, shrieking at the Squirrel monster flying into the sky.
But soon, the Little squirrel floated down the mountain.
Gliding and drifting, the Little squirrel arrived at a mountain hollow.
In the sky, the home-bound birds saw it, seemingly very curious.
Several birds pecked curiously at that inflated belly.
The little squirrel was tumbled through the air as though it were a kicked ball, rolling about,
with a squeak of anger, trying to drive away these stinking birds.
But because its belly was too full, and its limbs furry paws could only flail like a turtle trying to flip over, achieving nothing.
Just then, from the sky above, came a loud eagle cry.
A majestic eagle, with silver feathers like cast metal, spread its wings that spanned three to four meters, plummeting down
like a swift arrow.
The birds scattered in fright in an instant.
And the little squirrel, upon seeing the great eagle, let out a terrified shriek.
Its swollen belly deflated like a ball losing air, plummeting rapidly from the sky.
A massive shadow loomed overhead in a second.
A pair of claws, shining with a golden iron gleam, swooped down to no avail.
But the Golden Flower Squirrel fell from the sky, luckily buffered by the fluffy treetop.
During the fall, the little paws hastily grabbed a branch. It wobbled before steadying its small body.
Then, the squirrel flipped over and crouched on the branch.
Next, it squeaked at the eagle circling above and waved its paws as if irate.
Soon after, it skillfully leaped through the dense forest.
Heading out towards the edge of the wilderness.
Approximately half an hour later, the little squirrel stood on a big tree and saw the outline of a city.
At this time, the sky was growing dark.
Only the last shred of the setting sun outlined the eaves of the city wall's watchtower.
As the last light disappeared and night fell, the little squirrel turned into a dark shadow, leaping up and down, and darted inside the city wall.
It quickly made its way to a rice shop in Guilin Square as if it knew the route well.
Meanwhile, inside the rice shop, there were lights.
The chubby Shopkeeper and his clerk guarded the rice vat, staring aimlessly at each other.
They trembled slightly, as both were terribly afraid.
Strange things had been happening in the shop for several days.
They would inexplicably find the storage of rice drastically reduced.
At first, when the clerk told the Shopkeeper, the shopkeeper thought it was the clerk's mischief.
But later, even when he personally watched over the shop, the rice still dwindled, and that sent him into a panic.
This must be haunted!
Today, come evening, he lit the lamp oil and stayed up with his clerk, each holding something for self-defense.
They dared not sleep easily.
It was their livelihood on the line.
Just then, the fat Shopkeeper, with bags under his eyes, paced nervously in the flickering candlelight shadows; the quiet atmosphere scared him senseless, prompting him to nudge the clerk who was leaning against him.
Yet, the clerk was unresponsive.
This sent a shiver down his chubby face.
Upon turning his head, he saw the guy had fallen asleep.
Furious, he smacked the clerk on the head, "Sleep, sleep, sleep. I haven't slept yet; sleep again, and your wages are docked."
The clerk, in aggrieved silence, could only sit there with a sullen face, fighting off drowsiness to keep watch through the night.
At this moment, neither man was aware that a shadow had silently entered the rice vat.
The heaped rice slowly caved in a fair bit.
Minutes later, a plump figure emerged from the rice.
Crawling out from beneath the vat, it moved towards the exit.
But, this figure appeared heavier, and a rustling noise came from above as it climbed,
which startled the fat Shopkeeper.
Quickly lifting his lamp to check.
There was nothing there.
Yet, this check revealed the rice vat now half-empty.
At once, he squealed in anguish like a pig.
Outside, a plump shadow adeptly crawled out of the rooftop.
Just as it prepared to make a clean getaway,
suddenly, a hand grabbed its neck.
Lifted by the neck, a face that seemed to be smiling, yet not, appeared.
"Rice-stealing thief, so it's you, you little creature."
The little squirrel instantly let out terrified squeaks.
Scared to death, little squirrel!