Chapter 28: The Truth Unveiled

Bai Jiujiu watched helplessly as everything unfolded before her eyes, unable to do anything but lower her hands. Now, she was merely observing past events, even though she desperately wanted to tear that family to shreds, she couldn’t change anything. This was all just a dream, and she was merely a spectator.

Long Zhi lay motionless in the bushes, the bloody wind brushing against its face. The rich, spirit-filled blood made it slightly intoxicated, and its front fur seemed to be damp.

Blood-red leaves fell from the trees, landing on its head, which was splattered with blood from the wind.

Long Zhi tilted its head, looking puzzled at the empty space before it, where a skull wrapped in hair lay. It recognized this as Li Qibao’s head, knowing that she was already dead, her remains resembling those of a beast’s meal.

At that moment, the woman who had pulled out her daughter’s corpse could no longer hold back. She took a rope from her pocket with a vacant stare and hung it from a tree.

‘Sorry… little seven, sorry…’

Her sorrow and anger were mixed with self-loathing for her own cowardice.

The woman lifted her head, her disheveled hair matted with blood, and her patched, worn clothes stained with food crumbs, making her look utterly disheveled. She formed a noose from the rope and hung it from a branch. The woman stood on her tiptoes, pushing her head through the noose.

As death approached, her body instinctively struggled, trying to break free. But it was too late. With her tongue sticking out and her legs stiffening, her life force faded away.

Creak… creak…

In the silent blood forest, fresh bones, a hanged corpse, and an empty skull all appeared on the blood-soaked land.

Long Zhi angrily lifted its head. It had finally made a human friend who was kind to it. It planned to wait until the Queen woke up so it could prove to her that it had grown up and made a friend on its own!

But why…

Who ate Li Qibao?

Was it a monster?

Only monsters like itself would eat humans…

Rustle…

Suddenly, a figure in a black cloak stepped onto the blood-stained leaves and appeared before Long Zhi.

Who!

Bai Jiujiu immediately became alert, but remembering this was Long Zhi’s memory, she realized her alertness couldn’t change anything. She relaxed her stance.

The person’s face was hidden by a hood, preventing Bai Jiujiu from seeing their features. Long Zhi also didn’t sense any presence, as if it were a wisp of smoke—visible but disappearing upon touch.

‘Who are you?’ Long Zhi asked warily.

‘I?’ The unexpected response came as the black-cloaked figure removed their hood, revealing pale hands. A cascade of green hair fell to their waist, and a serpent-scale chin appeared. The woman’s alluring face had one green vertical pupil and one blue, five-pointed star-shaped pupil, both gleaming with curiosity as she looked down at the small monster.

‘Seven should have told you, I’m Xiao Qing, just like you, from the Cloudfall Mountain a thousand miles away.’

Yes, the woman before them, or rather, the serpent demon, was Bai Jiujiu’s second apprentice, Qingqing, the sea serpent.

Long Zhi was confused, but Bai Jiujiu’s mind was in turmoil.

‘You’re… the Xiao Qing that Li Qibao talked about?’

‘If there’s only one Xiao Qing in this world, then yes, it’s me.’

‘Why are you here?’

‘My presence isn’t important. What matters is, do you want to know how Li Qibao died?’

‘…’

‘She was eaten by a monster called Huo Xian.’

‘Huo Xian?’

Long Zhi was familiar with that name. The soul it had fused with had also been eaten by a monster in this very forest!

Long Zhi realized that the soul it had fused with, also from Chongxi Town, was sold as a fourteen-year-old offering three hundred years ago to a non-existent Huo Xian. That soul was pure, unaffected by the later absorbed vengeful spirits, and its last memory was of lying on red-brown earth with closed eyes.

‘Yes, it’s the Huo Xian that bought you and killed you!’

‘Huo Xian?’

‘This monster is powerful, causing chaos in Chongxi Town for two hundred years.’

‘Two hundred years?’

Long Zhi sensed that this monster was also from Cloudfall Mountain, just like itself, and immediately lowered its guard. As the saying goes, ‘Fellow townspeople meet, tears flow freely.’

‘That’s right!’ Qingqing raised an eyebrow and smiled, her pure smile hinting at anticipation and madness.

‘What you need to do is absorb Li Qibao’s spirit. After all, you were killed by Huo Xian, and Seven was good to you. Now, she’s been killed by Huo Xian too.’

‘Didn’t your Queen teach you to repay kindness with kindness and grudges with grudges?’

‘Yes! Yes!’

Under Qingqing’s misdirection, Long Zhi believed that ‘itself’ and Li Qibao were both killed by a monster named Huo Xian. This Huo Xian had a grudge against itself and had killed its newly found human friend. It needed to avenge itself and repay Li Qibao’s kindness!

Long Zhi nodding vigorously, fully agreeing with Qingqing’s interpretation of the Queen’s teachings.

Qingqing feigned regret. ‘But that Huo Xian is very strong. With your current strength, you’re no match for it.’

Long Zhi’s expression changed, knowing its strength was at the bottom among peers.

‘But you can absorb Seven’s soul. Although her spiritual root was taken, her soul still holds great potential. Absorbing her will allow you to absorb more vengeful spirits, quickly enhancing your strength.’

‘But the Queen doesn’t recommend absorbing souls…’

Qingqing reached out with her left hand, grabbing Li Qibao’s skull and pulling out a faint, pristine soul. With her right hand, she gathered demonic energy and pressed it onto the soul, then offered it to Long Zhi.

Her tempting voice echoed in its mind. ‘As long as you become stronger, what does it matter? Don’t you want the power to kill Huo Xian and help the Queen overcome her insomnia?’

These words struck Long Zhi’s heart. Wasn’t it too weak, leading to abandonment? Besides, the goal of descending the mountain was to become stronger! Since this monster was also from Cloudfall Mountain and had saved Li Qibao once, Cloudfall Mountain demons wouldn’t deceive it.

Long Zhi made up its mind, but it still had a doubt. ‘But I haven’t sensed any other demons…’ It had been hiding in the corner since then, and apart from itself and Qingqing, it hadn’t detected any demonic energy.

‘You sure about that? I can sense another demon here~’ Qingqing instantly moved in front of Long Zhi, forcing it to look up with a finger under its chin, staring down at Long Zhi, or rather, at Bai Jiujiu, who was viewing the memory through Long Zhi’s eyes.

Qingqing stood with her back to the moon, the moonlight like a veil on her body. Her left star-shaped pupil slowly rotated, the five points changing positions, pointing in different directions.

For some reason, Bai Jiujiu felt her bond with Long Zhi growing stronger. Previously just an observer, she now felt more like a participant. Her ethereal body seemed to completely replace Long Zhi’s original form.

What was happening?

Long Zhi’s small, quadruped body seemed to disappear, replaced by a naked, alluring body with skin as red and smooth as jade. As Bai Jiujiu stared into Qingqing’s rotating star pupils, she felt her body becoming more real. Finally, Qingqing, who had been lifting her chin, transformed into another demon.

Seeing this change, a barely perceptible smile played on Bai Jiujiu’s lips, as if she had known all along. She reached out with pale hands, cupping Bai Jiujiu’s chin, her light blue lips pressing against Bai Jiujiu’s ear.

Her breaths, soft and teasing, stirred Bai Jiujiu’s skin. Sometimes, a forked tongue would lightly tease her earlobe, and other times, sharp fangs would gently nibble her cheek.

Qingqing’s green hair fell on Bai Jiujiu, each strand seeming to transform into snakes, wrapping around her like ropes, rendering her motionless. They left unknown fluids on her body, and finally, all the snake heads surrounded Bai Jiujiu, staring into her wide eyes.

‘Isn’t that right, my infidel master?’