Chapter 31: Dragon’s Leap Valley and an Unexpected Reunion

Lijiang, as a vibrant tourist city, is a favored destination for many young couples embarking on pre-wedding journeys, boasting an array of captivating attractions.

Yulong Snow Mountain, situated in the southernmost part of the Northern Hemisphere, remains perpetually covered in snow and ice.

Legend has it that a divine dragon resides on its peaks, which no one has ever successfully scaled.

Beneath Yulong Snow Mountain lies Blue Moon Lake, a breathtaking expanse of water that seems like a lost jade pendant dropped by God into the jungle.

Its waters merge seamlessly with the sky, creating a scenery so pristine it resembles an earthly paradise.

While undeniably beautiful, these two locations are not Lijiang’s most renowned attractions.

When it comes to the most popular spot, that title belongs to the majestic and perilous Dragon’s Leap Valley.

Dragon’s Leap Valley, as its name suggests, is a valley nestled in Lijiang.

There’s a particular reason why it bears the name ‘Dragon’.

It is widely known that dragons are perceived as unattainable, mythical beings dwelling among the clouds.

Thus, for Dragon’s Leap Valley to be bestowed with such a name, its towering height is naturally implied.

However, its other unique characteristics are what truly make its name distinctive.

If tourists take the cable car from Lijiang, they only need to spend 100 yuan to reach the vicinity of Dragon’s Leap Valley’s peak.

At first glance, this might suggest that Dragon’s Leap Valley isn’t particularly high.

Yet, upon arriving and gazing down, one quickly understands the origin of its name.

The valley plunges into a bottomless black abyss.

For the first few hundred meters, one can still discern some features within.

Beyond a thousand meters, however, vision is swallowed by a profound darkness, an extreme blackness that instills a primal fear of falling just by looking down.

Adding to its mystique, strange sounds from the demonic creatures below occasionally echo up from the valley.

Consequently, Dragon’s Leap Valley gradually became revered as a trial ground for testing one’s courage.

Beyond its reputation for bravery, a good tourist attraction often requires a unique backstory.

The reason Dragon’s Leap Valley surged to become Lijiang’s most famous location is quite simple.

It was here, twenty years ago, that the legendary battle between a Magical Girl and an Evil White Dragon unfolded.

But now, two decades later…

As if history were repeating itself, a Magical Girl once again appeared before this dragon valley.

Only, the Evil White Dragon that had once soared from the depths of Dragon’s Leap Valley had been replaced by a colossal demon beast with fleshy wings.

BOLING~

The pink Magical Girl wand, adorned with a scarlet heart emblem, left a vibrant circle in the air as it was wielded by the Magical Girl’s slender, delicate arm.

If Ye Yu had been present, he would have been astonished by how familiar that Magical Girl wand was, even recalling playing with one when he was a child.

Distinct rays of light intertwined within the circle, and as the lines connected, a five-pointed star array was completed in an instant.

“In the name of Light!”

A young girl’s spirited cry rang out.

The next moment, the array shot forth a multicolored beam, like a laser, streaking towards the head of the lion-tiger demon.

The demon, having just underestimated the Magical Girl and lost a wing, was still struggling for balance and had no time to dodge.

Just as the beam was about to strike, a frail, stooped figure, easily overlooked, moved atop the majestic head of the lion-tiger demon.

He calmly reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of something.

Then, with a flourish, he scattered a pinch of red powder into the air.

If Ye Yu had been there, he would have recognized him instantly.

This person was none other than Elder Gu, the librarian he had met just that morning.

The pink medicinal powder also bore a striking resemblance to the marks stained on the flyleaf of the book he had borrowed.

As the pink powder diffused through the air, the lion-tiger demon’s eyes grew even more bloodshot.

At that moment, the five-pointed star’s light reached the old man’s eyes.

The next instant, something utterly inconceivable occurred.

As the five-pointed star’s light entered the medicinal powder, the brilliant luminous curtain vanished without a trace, as if it had been swallowed by the bottomless abyss of Dragon’s Leap Valley!

Witnessing this unbelievable sight, the Magical Girl, with her pink twin ponytails and her ‘Love’s Radiance’ Magical Girl wand, furrowed her exquisitely delicate brows in deep consternation.

Just then, an aged voice slowly emerged from the medicinal powder’s mist.

“Old friend, your way of saying hello is quite unique!”

Hearing the familiar tone and the address of ‘old friend’, the Magical Girl, suspended in the air, gave a soft snort through her dainty nose.

Dodging the lion-tiger demon’s overwhelming claw attacks, her movements never ceased, her Magical Girl wand frequently flicking out, sending pink counter-attacks soaring.

While retaliating, her clear, youthful voice also carried across.

“Heh, I don’t have monster friends like you!”

Monster?

Hahahahaha.

Upon hearing the Magical Girl’s description of him, the aged figure standing atop the demon’s head erupted into an exaggerated peal of laughter.

The laughter carried a demonic essence, chilling listeners with a sense of eerie wickedness.

Mid-laugh, the old man slowly raised his right hand, and as it reached his head, he tore at his face with vicious force.

The skin peeled away like sandpaper, revealing a monstrous face devoid of basic human features.

The old man gently stroked his cheek with his right hand, feeling the contours that were unmistakably not human.

His previously benevolent expression vanished, replaced by a pair of eyes that glared like enraged horseflies, filled with madness and mockery, as his neck twisted to a grotesque 180-degree angle.

“Ha, you call me a monster, but isn’t it *you* humans who turned me into one? Hahahaha!”

As he spoke, a plume of orange-yellow poisonous gas shot from the old man’s sleeve, aimed directly at the Magical Girl.

Watching the Magical Girl, who had summoned wings and moved as agilely as a bird in the air, dodging left and right, Elder Gu, now transformed into a monster, seemed to recall something, his emotions surging as he continued.

“Twenty-five years ago, it was you humans who threw me down from this very place. What a pity, Magical Girl, I’m not like you; I don’t have wings and can’t fly. Do you know how I survived back then?”

As Elder Gu spoke, his emotions grew increasingly volatile, and various colorful poisonous powders continuously erupted from his body, shooting towards the agile Magical Girl.

Amidst the continuous spray, Elder Gu’s monologue didn’t cease.

“Hahahaha, do you know? The Gu tribe saved me, but they didn’t treat me as a human! Look at this arm; it’s fused with a venomous snake. This eyeball… haha… hahahaha.”

Listening to Elder Gu, now a monster, reminisce about the past and describe the horrific state of his body, Ye Changqing, in his Magical Girl form, felt no pity or regret.

He remembered the full scope of what had happened twenty-five years ago with vivid clarity.

Elder Gu, whose full name was Gu Pengzhe, had grown up in an orphanage.

Without parental backing, he was constantly bullied during his school years.

At sixteen, during a school field trip, he accidentally awakened his ‘Poison Master Ability’ while being bullied.

Overwhelmed by rage and youthful impulsiveness, he, who had suddenly gained power, could not control himself.

He instantly transformed the ten classmates who had tormented him and the accompanying teacher who had always favored them into poisonous liquid.

Because Gu Pengzhe’s ability was so malevolent and its consequences so dire, he was subjected to the extreme punishment of being thrown into Dragon’s Leap Valley by humans.

Reflecting on the past, Ye Changqing conceded that the bullies were excessive.

However, he firmly believed that such a crime, costing dozens of vibrant lives, was unforgivable.

Regardless of the circumstances, he would not condone Gu Pengzhe’s actions.

Therefore, the Magical Girl remained unmoved by the monster’s tragic self-pity, her exquisite, fair, and tender face utterly devoid of emotion.

Perhaps Ye Changqing’s face failed to display the expression he craved, for Gu Pengzhe, already volatile after his transformation, escalated his tone of grief and indignation, his eyeballs seeming to bulge from their sockets.

“The Gu tribe raised me like a Gu worm; they made me fight Gu insects, hahahaha. But they never expected I had the Poison Master Ability. I still remember their shock and terror when I killed them, as if silently asking, ‘Huh, why is this pet resisting?’ Hahahaha!”

As Gu Pengzhe recounted his story, recalling his revenge against the Gu tribe, his monstrous body began to tremble with excitement.

However, this excitement quickly subsided, as if he remembered something else, and his tone softened, imbued with an unknown tenderness.

“But life without ‘enemies’ was truly boring, until one day, I met my true love.”

“Like me, it was a monster abandoned since childhood. We grew together, modified our bodies together. Though we couldn’t speak the same language, I knew it understood me. It understood my sorrow and wanted to avenge me!”

But here, his tone abruptly sharpened, his eyes turning blood red as he stared at Ye Changqing, like a patient suffering from a severe dissociative disorder.

“But all of this was ruined by your appearance, Magical Girl!”

“You personally destroyed my Little White right before my eyes.”

“Do you know how I’ve spent these past twenty years?”

“Every day, I thought about how to exact my revenge on you, and finally, today, all of it will come to a close right here. I want you to taste what I felt back then!!!”

At this, Gu Pengzhe stomped fiercely on the demon’s head.

With that stomp, the ‘lion-tiger demon’s’ dazed, bloodshot eyes suddenly blazed with a crimson glow.

The next moment, a deafening roar echoed across the land.

Under the sonic assault, countless trees snapped, fleeing travelers fell into a daze, and even the serene Blue Moon Lake rippled with waves.

Yet, the Magical Girl, Ye Changqing, did not dodge this sonic attack; she absorbed the full impact, merely swaying slightly, before speaking with a hint of confusion.

“Twenty years ago, your Little White Dragon was far stronger than this tiger demon in every aspect. Are you sure you can truly defeat me?”

Facing Ye Changqing’s question, Gu Pengzhe did not immediately offer an explanation.

Instead, he pulled out a token.

It was a purple token inscribed with the word ‘Fool’.

Seeing that purple token, a sense of foreboding suddenly washed over Ye Changqing.

The Fools was an organization composed of a group of disillusioned individuals.

Their primary goal was to seek revenge on humanity, dedicated to bringing disaster upon mankind!

Every time they appeared in a city, it was highly likely to plunge that city into crisis.

Thus, the Fools, as a group, were public enemies of both the Demon Hunter Guild and every city and its people.

Within the Fools organization, there was a strict hierarchy, indicated by red, purple, blue, and black tokens, in ascending order of rank.

The fact that Gu Pengzhe possessed such a token, and a purple one at that, indicated he had accomplices.

Realizing this, Ye Changqing and the Demon Hunter Guild members who had arrived as reinforcements at Dragon’s Leap Valley all grew wary.

As everyone remained on guard, Gu Pengzhe, now a monster, looked towards the setting sun, his face filled with anticipation.

“Magical Girl, twenty years ago, you could hide your ability, but your unborn son cannot! Hahahaha!”

Three kilometers away, in the outskirts of Dragon’s Leap Valley…

Ah-choo~

“Don’t lick my face, it tickles, meow, hah-hah-hah!”

In the forest, Ye Yu, who had just formed a contract and was promptly pinned to the ground by the White Demon Tiger, suddenly let out a massive sneeze.

‘Why do I feel like I’ve been set up, meow!!!’