Passing through two large carved wooden doors, Li Zhaoye gripped Luo Luo's wrist so tightly it hurt her bones.
He stepped out ahead of her.
Blazing sunlight washed over them, and as she looked up at his figure, warmth and security filled her chest.
"Second Brother Li..." The young servant Miao shut his eyes, steeled himself, then turned and followed Luo Luo and Li Zhaoye across the threshold. "I—I'm leaving!"
The scorching sun poured down like molten fire.
The air shimmered with heat, waves of hot wind baking their faces.
"Where is this place?"
Though they had escaped the murderous den of Nanfeng Tower, their spirits had not yet returned to their bodies.
Luo Luo turned to look behind her—the carved wooden doors were gone. Instead, a merciless sun hung high in the sky, casting its light over a barren, crimson land stretching endlessly.
Not a trace of green could be seen.
Many knelt by the nearly dried-up riverbed, scooping up muddy water to drink. Tree bark and roots along the roadside had been stripped clean.
A phrase surfaced in Luo Luo's mind:
A year of disaster. Famine.
Countless emaciated figures trudged south with heavy steps.
"Guangling Prefecture has relief grain," a woman rasped, comforting the child in her arms. "If we get there, we'll be saved!"
Dongyu Province, Guangling Prefecture.
Nanfeng Tower was located in Guangling.
Luo Luo understood. "We're still trapped in his hell."
The other "her"—the one who had taken Qing Xu's place in enduring punishment—had once said: Last time, I was nearly eaten and had to kill. What fresh misery awaits this time?
Even then, Luo Luo had vaguely guessed it might be famine.
Not far away, a group of gaunt, menacing men began closing in on the woman holding the child, their eyes gleaming with a feral hunger.
"Good sister," one sneered, "if you want to live, hand over the meat."
The woman shrieked, "I don’t have any meat!"
The men chuckled darkly, grabbing the child from her arms. "Isn’t this your precious little morsel?"
The child wailed as the woman screamed for help, her voice tearing through the air.
But under the relentless sun, her weak cries barely carried before being swallowed by the cracked earth.
No one paid attention. No one came to her aid.
All around, similar scenes played out.
After devouring every last wild vegetable, leaf, bark, and root, the terror of starvation had stripped people of their humanity.
The weak had slowly become food for the strong.
Luo Luo wanted to help the woman, but the moment she moved, an overwhelming weakness flooded her body.
"So... hungry..."
Surprised, she glanced down at her stomach.
Since achieving bigu (fasting immortality), she had only ever felt cravings—never hunger. Yet now, her insides twisted with a burning emptiness.
Her limbs felt boneless, devoid of strength.
"This is bad," Luo Luo muttered, stunned. "I can't even play the hero anymore."
Just speaking those words drained her further. She truly had no energy left even to talk.
Li Zhaoye pressed a hand against her, signaling her to stay put.
Luo Luo fretted. "Do you still have the strength to fight?"
Li Zhaoye leaned forward, his face—cracked like shattered porcelain—looming eerily close as he fixed the men with a ghostly stare.
"What the—"
"GHOST! AAAAAH!"
The men abandoned the mother and child, fleeing in terror.
Luo Luo: "..."
Truly, Li Zhaoye’s face could both enchant and terrify.
Having chased off the thugs, Li Zhaoye took Luo Luo’s hand and pressed onward.
In the distance, a valley came into view.
Those who still had some strength were desperately heading there, likely hoping to find food.
But the journey was grueling.
Across the vast, lifeless expanse, the scattered crowd moved like ants—slow, fragmented.
Every so often, Li Zhaoye lifted a hand to shield Luo Luo’s eyes.
Holding onto his sleeve, she whispered, "You don’t need to."
Her ears were already filled with weak, anguished cries. She could imagine the horrors unfolding across this land.
Li Zhaoye asked, "Did you see? The killing? The cannibalism?"
He had acted quickly, so she hadn’t witnessed much.
Not wanting him to waste energy covering her eyes, she murmured, "I’m fine."
Li Zhaoye: "I was worried it might make you hungry."
Luo Luo: "..."
She mustered what little strength she had left to glare at him.
In the sunlight, his spirit-manifested body resembled a pale, fractured figurine.
Luo Luo grumbled, "If I get hungry, I’ll eat you."
Li Zhaoye laughed. "Bold words!"
Too tired to engage, she slowly scanned their surroundings.
That man’s methods were godlike—no, demonic. He could drag souls into his "hell" and reduce her and Li Zhaoye to such a pitiful state.
If he transformed into a giant again to devour people...
Luo Luo imagined herself wriggling away like a helpless insect.
She sighed quietly and resumed searching for Qing Xu.
Nothing... nothing... still nothing...
At first, withered corpses lined the roads.
Later, only shattered bones remained.
Near a small mound, someone discovered a sticky, pale clay.
When she bit into it, there was a faint aroma of beans and flour. Gulping it down in large mouthfuls, her stomach instantly felt heavy and full—the gnawing hunger was gone.
"That's Guanyin clay, used for pottery," someone cried anxiously. "You can't eat too much—it'll kill you!"
"Stop eating! Stop! It'll bloat you to death, kill you from the inside!"
Yet the crowd continued shoving handfuls of the white clay into their mouths without pause.
Starved beyond reason, they had long abandoned logic. Even a fleeting moment of satiety was worth any price.
Soon, the slope of Guanyin clay was stripped bare.
"...Burp."
One man straightened up, clutching his swollen belly, his face brimming with satisfaction.
Luo Luo watched them for a long while.
So people really would eat dirt when starving.
Li Zhaoye nudged her. "Look, that kid."
Luo Luo: "Hm?"
Following his gaze, she recognized a familiar face.
The child—Miao.
After leaving Nanfeng Tower, Miao had disappeared. Now he was back with his parents.
But Miao looked even smaller than before, withered like a shriveled bean sprout from hunger.
His parents shielded him carefully.
His mother cradled him in her arms, while his father gripped a sickle, warily eyeing anyone who approached.
Seeing the blade in his hand, the opportunistic crowd kept their distance.
Miao clung to his mother, whimpering softly now and then.
Trembling from hunger, he spotted a pot boiling on the riverbank—chunks of red-and-white meat swirling in the water. His throat convulsed, eyes widening as he tugged at his mother, sobbing.
She hastily covered his eyes.
"Mom… Miao’s so hungry…"
"Hush, just hold on a little longer."
"Why won’t Dad take some of that clay?"
"That’s Guanyin clay. It’s not food," his father sighed. "Your uncle died from eating it… ah!"
He tightened his grip on the sickle and pressed forward, clearing a path for his family.
Luo Luo exchanged a glance with Li Zhaoye and quietly followed them.
Miao had once said Qing Xu saved him.
Stick with this family, and they might find Qing Xu. And finding Qing Xu was their only way out.
The journey continued.
Every stumbling figure on the verge of collapse drew a pack of ravenous stares.
Li Zhaoye turned Luo Luo’s face away. "We’re not eating that. Be good."
Luo Luo: "..."
She wasn’t going to! She wasn’t!
But his low, soothing "Be good" dissolved her protest before it formed.
Ahead, a valley loomed.
Those who had managed to fill their bellies surged forward, leaving the weaker behind like wolves sprinting toward prey.
The starving couldn’t keep up.
"There must be food in that valley."
"By the time we get there, nothing’ll be left…"
A chorus of despair rose from the crowd.
Hope dangled just out of reach, their frailty rendering it useless—a cruelty worse than starvation.
Some made a grim decision: trading children to eat.
A gaunt man, head bowed, approached Miao’s family.
"My boy’s taller than yours. Swap?" His face was shadowed as he pointed to a mother and child huddled by a dirt wall.
Miao’s eyes widened.
His parents froze—his mother silent, his father wordless.
"Dad… Mom…"
Whispers slithered around them.
"Survive this, and you can always have more later."
"We gave them life. Taking it back is only fair."
"Can’t do it to your own… trade, just trade."
Amid the devilish murmurs, Miao was wrenched from his mother’s arms.
"Dad… Mom…"
The thin man dragged him away effortlessly.
At the wall, Miao was shoved toward a weeping woman, who in turn pushed her own child forward—a lanky boy.
The thin man brought the boy to Miao’s parents and placed him in their hands.
The adults kept their eyes downcast.
Darkness pooled in their gazes.
Luo Luo studied the boy and nearly missed it.
Sallow, hollow-cheeked, with brittle hair and cracked lips—nothing like the radiant youth he’d become.
Luo Luo sighed softly and gripped Li Zhaoye’s hand.
Just as they’d hoped: following Miao’s family led them to Qing Xu. Qing Xu and Miao—two unlucky boys traded by their parents to be eaten.
The thin man’s face stayed hidden in shadow.
Miao’s father rasped, "You’ve watched Miao grow up… make it quick."
The man nodded. "Understood, Brother Li."
What happened next was no surprise.
The boy, Qing Xu, seized the sickle when Miao’s parents least expected it.
Two slashes. Two throats split.
Too weak even for a violent end, their blood seeped sluggishly into the parched earth.
Luo Luo glanced at Li Zhaoye in silent understanding.
After killing, the young Qing Xu showed little fluctuation in his expression.
He cast a faint glance at the two still twitching bodies, tossed the blood-stained sickle in his hand, and slowly turned his gaze toward the earthen wall.
There, a couple—one covering Miao’s mouth and nose, the other gripping his throat—were restraining him.
Qing Xu approached silently, sickle in hand.
The crescent blade swept from behind, one slash each—clean and decisive.
The rescued Miao lay on the ground, staring dazedly at the murderous youth. "Li Er-ge... they were your parents..."
Qing Xu curled his lips. "If I didn’t kill them, would you die instead?"
Miao’s lips trembled slightly as he tried to push himself up, only to slip suddenly.
Looking down, his palms and fingers were smeared with blood.
He whimpered, stifling the urge to cry, his trembling gaze shifting elsewhere.
Qing Xu chuckled lightly. "Your parents... I killed them too."
Miao choked back another sob.
He wanted to crawl over and see for himself, but his hands only grew bloodier.
"Do you hate me?" Qing Xu yanked him up. "Do you want to kill me? Do you want revenge? Say it! Do you? Do you? Do you, do you, do you—?"
Miao squeezed his eyes shut, letting out hoarse, wordless cries.
He shook his head desperately.
"Good." Qing Xu smiled. "When it’s life or death, there’s no such thing as parents or family. Understand?"
Miao nodded through his tears.
Qing Xu grinned. "Alright, let’s fill our bellies first."
Miao blinked in confusion. "Is there food?"
Qing Xu ran a finger along the blade, his gaze slowly settling on the motionless corpses.
Li Zhaoye silently tightened his grip on Luo Luo, retreating step by step.
The sunlight vanished behind the distant mountains, darkness swallowing the land.
Amid the sounds of slicing and chewing, Qing Xu’s silhouette swelled, transforming into a towering giant.
Soon, screams erupted one after another from the nearby crowd.
"Ahhh—! Monster!"
"Rip—rip—crunch—crunch."
The shadow in the darkness grew ever larger.
Li Zhaoye and Luo Luo had retreated just in time, narrowly escaping the slaughter before the giant Qing Xu noticed them.
The night wind carried thick, metallic waves of blood.
Luo Luo dragged her leaden legs forward with effort.
Her heart was heavy. "He seems even harder to deal with now!"
Back at South Wind Pavilion, Qing Xu had one obvious weakness—the white blindfold over his eyes.
Now, he was unharmed.
Luo Luo searched for a weakness. "Hmm... he looks hungry."
Li Zhaoye: "You think hunger is a weakness?"
Luo Luo: "..."
For a monster that ate people, hunger might... be a buff.
Li Zhaoye waved a hand. "Let’s eat first."
As he spoke, he led her through the shortest path to a valley ahead.
The valley’s roots had long been stripped bare by others; not a speck of green remained.
Luo Luo was so disappointed she could’ve eaten dirt.
Stepping into the valley, a strange familiarity washed over her.
The deeper they went, the stronger the déjà vu.
"Huh?"
"You forgot already?" Li Zhaoye raised a brow. "That thing you loved so much."
Luo Luo: "?"
"Tch." He gave her a reproachful look. "Took me all night to make it, nearly killed me."
Luo Luo gasped. "Ah! That awful-tasting pancake!"
Li Zhaoye stared at her darkly. "Bite the hand that feeds you, huh?"
Luo Luo: "..."
Oops. Spilled the truth.
He grabbed her by the scruff and hauled her up the mountain.
Too exhausted to climb, Luo Luo let herself be carried, saving some energy.
People were on the mountain.
The group that had been snatching children earlier rested in a cave, digging up roots and dragging along a few corpses.
Li Zhaoye kept a cautious distance.
He didn’t want to ruin his appetite.
As they slipped into a hidden cave, a weak, piercing shriek echoed from the valley below.
Someone had fled into the valley—and the giant Qing Xu had followed.
Luo Luo pressed against the cave wall, her heartbeat pounding loud enough to fill the entire space.
She quietly straightened, putting some distance between herself and the wall.
"It’s fine," Li Zhaoye reassured her. "As long as those idiots don’t lure him up here."
Luo Luo: "..."
That sounded like a jinx if she’d ever heard one.
She stayed silent—anything she said would probably make it worse.
Li Zhaoye grabbed a sturdy branch and ventured out, returning with a pile of roots. He crushed and ground them against a rock, effortlessly shaping them into pancakes.
With a smirk, he leaned in.
One pancake was shoved into Luo Luo’s mouth.
He stared at her, brow arched expectantly, waiting for her verdict.
Luo Luo: "Mmm..."
The sudden intrusion left her heart feeling just as stuffed.
Even if this pancake was terrible, back when she was alone in the underworld, she’d truly missed it.
She took a small bite, steeling herself to declare it delicious no matter what.
But after a chew, she froze.
She’d never tasted anything so good in her life!
The pastry was crispy, with a charred bitterness carrying a faint fragrance. One bite sent her entire body into raptures.
Luo Luo's eyes sparkled as she devoured the cake in a few quick bites. Without hesitation, she snatched the half-formed dough ball from Li Zhaoye’s hand.
Li Zhaoye: "…"
He stared at her, speechless.
After a long pause, he let out an exasperated laugh and turned back to making more cakes. "Go on, act tough again. Let’s see."
Luo Luo giggled foolishly. "Heh heh heh."
She sidled up to him, swiftly swiping a handful of batter from the "stone mill." She ate one piece and fed him another.
Chewing on the crumbs, he drawled lazily, "Show some sincerity."
Luo Luo blinked. "Huh?"
He shot her a sidelong glance. "Only grabbing the big pieces, are we?"
Luo Luo’s conscience pricked her. "…"
Tilting his head, he commanded, "Behave. Feed me properly."
Luo Luo, mouth full of a large chunk of cake: "Oh…"
They were already close, and in her daze, she instinctively leaned in.
He turned to bite the cake from her, but in his haste, his teeth caught her lower lip instead.
Unaware, he treated her like the pastry—gnawing and nibbling.
Luo Luo: "…"
She held back a sound, frozen in place, her lips stinging and her heart pounding.
When his grip finally loosened slightly, she managed to reclaim her mouth, her pulse racing wildly.
He turned away to fetch some roots.
In the shadows where she couldn’t see, the corner of his lips curled imperceptibly.
Rose cakes—truly addictive.
With her lips still sore, Luo Luo dared not hog the larger pieces anymore. She dutifully split them fairly—one for him, one for her—until they were halfway full.
On reflection, she realized the cakes were actually pretty awful.
:)
Li Zhaoye began sharpening a stick against a stone.
The hard branch was honed to a razor-sharp point, its edge glinting coldly.
Deadly as it looked, it clearly wouldn’t be enough to kill the giant Qing Xu.
Luo Luo asked, "Is this for killing someone?"
Li Zhaoye: "Clever girl."
Luo Luo: "…"
Was that all it took to be clever? Her bar for intelligence must be very low.
Li Zhaoye suddenly froze.
He yanked her up, pressing her against a recess in the cave wall.
Almost simultaneously, Luo Luo heard a strange gust of wind scrape past the entrance.
"Whoooosh…"
A massive shadow swept by, the air it stirred thick with the stench of blood.
Moments later, muffled screams erupted from the direction of the cave where those men had taken shelter.
"AAAAAH—GHOST—!"
"Who told you to light a fire?!"
"Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!" someone wailed in a shrill voice. "There are others hiding on the mountain—fresh and tender, way tastier than me, I beg you—"
The plea cut off abruptly.
Luo Luo: "…"
Of course. Murphy’s Law in action.
Those idiots had not only lured Qing Xu up here but also ratted out everyone else hiding on the mountain.
With the mountain stripped bare of branches and grass, leaving the cave would mean instant exposure to Qing Xu’s gaze.
"BOOM!"
The giant Qing Xu bounded across the valley.
Judging by sound alone, each leap covered hundreds of feet.
"THUD! THUD! THUD!"
He zigzagged between the cliffs, plucking out one hidden person after another.
The screams came in bursts—sometimes near, sometimes far, always brief.
Li Zhaoye shoved Luo Luo behind him.
"Our cave’s low," he murmured, a thrill in his voice. "If he wants to peek inside, he’ll have to shrink first."
Luo Luo: "Oh…"
If Qing Xu reverted to human size, that sharpened stick could actually stab him.
See? I am clever!
She gripped a rock, tense and ready.
Every time the noises outside paused, she held her breath, her heart stuttering in sync.
Only when the rumbling resumed did she dare exhale.
Gradually, the screams faded entirely.
Luo Luo felt as if a taut wire were strung between her ears, slicing back and forth with razor precision.
"Eeeek—"
"CRASH!"
Her heart plummeted.
A colossal shadow blotted out the cave entrance.
"Hmmmm…"
The giant lowered its head, peering inside.
Li Zhaoye leaned in, pinning Luo Luo flush against the stone wall.
Bodies pressed together, heartbeats tangled.
Thud-thud! Thud-thud-thud!
From the shifting shadows, Qing Xu was angling for a better view of the cave’s hidden corners.
Don’t see me don’t see me… Wait, no—don’t see Li Zhaoye!
She glanced up at him, afraid her frantic pulse might bruise him through their closeness.
"Whoosh."
The giant withdrew from the entrance.
Before Luo Luo could relax, a massive hand thrust inside.
Their alcove should’ve been out of reach—or so she thought.
Then Qing Xu’s grip came into view, clutching a small child.
His voice drifted in, eerie and detached: "Miao, tell me… are there people inside?"
Luo Luo rose on tiptoes, locking eyes with the child—Miao.
For a heartbeat, time and air seemed to freeze.
Miao’s face was ghostly pale, lips trembling.
Qing Xu pressed, "Miao, why so quiet?"
Luo Luo blinked at Miao urgently.
"N-no one…" Miao stammered. "No one! There’s no one inside!"
A gust of wind roared past.
Qing Xu withdrew his arm, taking Miao away with him.
"Then we can go to Guangling Prefecture," Qing Xu said with a playful smile. "I'll sell you to the Nanfeng Pavilion—how about feasting on delicacies and living in luxury?"
Miao trembled as she replied, "Okay."
The commotion outside had long since faded.
Li Zhaoye took a step back, pulling Luo Luo free from the cave wall.
"Guangling Prefecture," he murmured thoughtfully. "Once we enter Guangling Prefecture, we should be out of 'hell.'"
Luo Luo nodded silently.
For the refugees at this time, Guangling Prefecture—where the imperial court was providing disaster relief—was a warm haven in the human world.
Luo Luo and Li Zhaoye descended the mountain overnight, heading for Guangling Prefecture.
Guangling Prefecture was heavily guarded.
Refugees arrived in waves, undergoing inspections outside the city walls before passing through the gates and entering.
Luo Luo and Li Zhaoye exchanged a glance.
There was no sign of Qing Xu nearby—he must have entered the city under an ordinary identity.
Since they were already here...
Li Zhaoye broke off a sharp "spear tip" and concealed it in his sleeve.
When they reached the checkpoint, he deftly shifted the "spear tip" between his hands, slipping past the inspection without issue.
The two entered the city gate. The gate was massive, its passage stretching twenty zhang deep.
Walking beneath it, their footsteps echoed faintly.
Halfway through, the arched exit ahead glowed with light—freedom was within reach.
The closer they got, the louder the echoes grew.
Near the exit, a figure stood motionless at the center of the light.
Backlit, his face was indiscernible, but his smile was unmistakable.
Li Zhaoye let out a long, quiet sigh.
What was meant to come would never be avoided.
He gripped Luo Luo’s hand briefly, pressing the hidden "spear tip" into her palm before turning back to give her a look that said, You know what to do.
"I’ve been waiting for you," came Qing Xu’s sighing laughter as his body stretched upward, blocking the passage.
Li Zhaoye said, "Let’s go."
He strode toward Qing Xu, then after a few steps, lunged forward in a swift dash.
Even without his cultivation, a well-fed Li Zhaoye was still a formidable fighter.
Qing Xu’s laughter reverberated beneath the city walls.
With a single sweeping strike, his palm shattered an entire row of massive bricks along the wall.
Li Zhaoye barely dodged, kicking off the wall to flip backward, his heel slamming hard into Qing Xu’s elbow.
Debris rained down in a crashing cascade.
Behind Qing Xu, the child Miao covered her face, crying helplessly, "Don’t kill anyone… please don’t..."
Luo Luo ducked under a flying stone and rushed toward Miao. "Don’t be afraid—I’ll take you into the city!"
The corner of Qing Xu’s lips curled. He drove his elbow into Li Zhaoye, smashing him into the ground—the stone tiles shattered on impact! Seizing the moment, Qing Xu formed his fingers into a claw and brought his palm down in a lethal strike.
His strength was overwhelming, his speed inhuman—no mortal could withstand it.
"You want to buy her a chance to live? Then die!"
This single devastating blow would be fatal without fail.
