Mu Ran walked along the bustling street, listening to the cries of the hawkers, feeling lighthearted.
It seemed that Yue Qingfeng's worry about a demonized cultivator causing devastation to the world's creatures was not going to happen.
If such a beautiful scene in the human world were turned into scorched earth, it would indeed be a great pity.
Seeing freshly baked mung bean cakes at a pastry stall, she subconsciously walked over to buy a portion. But when she stood in front of the stall and smelled the aroma of the mung bean cakes, she belatedly realized something.
There was no longer anyone by her side who loved eating mung bean cakes.
And the person who originally belonged by her side, even if he wanted to eat mung bean cakes now, would have someone else to buy them for him.
Mu Ran felt a sense of melancholy again. She shook her head, tossing away those messy thoughts until her mind was clear, and then breathed a sigh of relief.
She had stayed on Mount Chongyang for a long time, and seeing the good weather today, she thought of coming out for a stroll and buying some necessary materials. Unexpectedly, she saw a familiar figure in a teahouse and ran over to greet him.
"Daoist Yue, you also came down the mountain to play today."
Yue Qingfeng's face looked a bit strange. "Miss, I don't know you. Please leave quickly."
Just as Mu Ran was feeling confused, two burly men walked over. Their eyes lit up when they saw Mu Ran.
"Goudan, is this the beautiful wife you mentioned at home?"
Hearing the word Goudan, Mu Ran's eyes also turned strange.
Looking at Yue Qingfeng again, he was not wearing his Daoist robe, but dressed in rough hemp garments. However, his handsome appearance was not affected, only lacking the transcendence of a cultivator and adding a bit of approachability.
Yue Qingfeng wanted to deny it, but the two burly men had already enthusiastically put their arms around his shoulders.
"You should have brought her to show us earlier! With such a pretty wife, we would definitely take you up the mountain and treat you as an honored guest."
"Yeah, sister-in-law, Goudan is planning to join our Wutong Mountain. You should come along with him!"
Yue Qingfeng said, "No, big brothers, actually she is still sick. I'm afraid it's not suitable for her to go up the mountain now."
One man said dismissively, "It's just a minor illness, nothing serious. As long as you enter our Wutong Mountain, you are one of us. We can get you any miraculous pills and medicines!"
"Yes, little brother, if we don't set off now, the mountain gate will close. Hurry, let's return to the mountain!"
Yue Qingfeng was pulled up by the two men. It would have been easy for him to resist, but right now he couldn't reveal any flaws, so he could only let them drag him along.
The man with a full beard turned his head and smiled lecherously. "Don't just stand there, sister-in-law, come up the mountain with us!"
It seemed that if Mu Ran didn't move, they would impatiently use force.
Mu Ran followed and walked together with Yue Qingfeng. Their eyes met, and they communicated silently in their minds via voice transmission.
"Daoist Yue, what's going on?"
"Recently, a sect calling itself Wutong Mountain has emerged. Under the guise of teaching cultivation, they trick people up the mountain and then sell them. Their lair is too remote, and it took me a lot of effort to make contact with them."
An apologetic look appeared on Yue Qingfeng's face. "To deceive them, I had to lie that I had a beautiful wife at home and wanted to sell her to them in exchange for their trust to take me into Wutong Mountain. I'm sorry, Miss Mu, I've implicated you."
Mu Ran understood and replied, "It's not really an implication. It was my lack of tact that almost ruined your plan. Anyway, we're in the same boat now. No matter what, let's finish acting out this play and eliminate the evil. It can be considered a good deed."
She had a good attitude and didn't complain at all.
Yue Qingfeng felt apologetic, but now he could only take things one step at a time.
Wutong Mountain was hidden in continuous mist. The mountain path was rugged, and along the way, there were scenes of dilapidation with wild grass reaching up to the knees. How could there be any atmosphere of a sect's pure cultivation?
Yue Qingfeng followed the agreed-upon pledge of allegiance, walking submissively behind the leading men. When they reached a hidden stronghold gate halfway up the mountain, the gatekeeper verified the secret signal. Then, two burly men with fierce faces stepped forward and grabbed Mu Ran's arm.
"Be gentle!" Yue Qingfeng feigned anger and was shoved hard by the man, stumbling and nearly falling.
"A guy selling goods dares to talk too much?" The burly man spat and dragged Mu Ran towards the depths of the mountain belly. "With her looks, she can definitely fetch at least tens of thousands of spirit stones. Keep her locked up well, don't let her escape!"
Mu Ran was dragged through the messy courtyards. Finally, she was pushed into a cold and damp woodshed. The wooden door slammed shut and was locked.
"This girl looks top-notch in figure and appearance. I heard the mountain lord will inspect the goods tonight and sell her off. Maybe we brothers can get some benefits too."
"What are you afraid of? The terrain of Wutong Mountain is treacherous, and it's impossible to escape. Once we sell her, we'll go down the mountain and kidnap a few more."
Listening to the commotion outside, Mu Ran unhurriedly found a place to sit down. Not knowing how long Yue Qingfeng would be busy on his end, she simply picked up a few dry straws and played with them by weaving.
Yue Qingfeng was led to a simple but heavily guarded hall at the top of the mountain. The room was filled with smoke, and seven or eight burly men sat around. In the center sat the fierce-looking Mountain Lord of Wutong Mountain.
"You said you're willing to send your wife up the mountain?" The Mountain Lord narrowed his eyes to size him up, his tone carrying scrutiny.
Following his prepared script, Yue Qingfeng lowered his eyes submissively, putting on a greedy and cowardly appearance. "Yes, my family is really destitute. I only hope to exchange her for some money to make a living."
A burst of roaring laughter instantly echoed around.
"Not bad, not bad. This wife is really beautiful and can be sold for a sky-high price."
"Inspect the goods tonight, and pack her in a box to take away tomorrow morning!"
The men chimed in one after another, all spouting dirty transactions, as if talking about a piece of merchandise.
Yue Qingfeng's fingertips had quietly gripped the sword hidden in his sleeve. His face darkened, and just as he was about to launch a sudden attack and reveal his identity, at this very moment, the world suddenly turned freezing cold.
A dense, unresolvable demonic energy crushed up from the bottom of the mountain like a tsunami.
Fierce winds shattered the window lattices, black mist poured in, and the lights in the hall were instantly extinguished.
Everyone's laughter came to an abrupt halt.
The Mountain Lord's face changed drastically. "Who is it—"
Before he could finish his words.
A blue chill pierced through the air, so fast that only an afterimage remained.
There was no boom, no extra commotion, only a series of crisp, cold thuds of things hitting the ground.
The bandits who had just been clamoring to sell a person all had their heads roll off simultaneously, their blood splattering all over the walls.
The previously noisy hall instantly fell into a dead silence.
Yue Qingfeng drew his sword to resist this chilling coldness. When he looked up again, amidst the churning black mist, a figure with white hair and black clothes stepped forward slowly. Demonic energy rolled around him like ink waves, utterly terrifying.
Those scarlet eyes were so cold that they lacked any trace of humanity. Sweeping over the rolling heads and fresh blood on the ground, it was as if he had just trampled to death a nest of ants.
It was Cangshu Bai.
He had become a demon!
Yue Qingfeng's heart tightened.
A person who has fallen to the demonic path recognizes neither family nor friend, let alone Cangshu Bai, whose demonic state was far more dangerous than anyone else's. In this frenzied, demonic condition, he would kill anyone in sight. Perhaps even Mu Ran would face certain death.
He gritted his teeth, raised his sword horizontally, and stepped forward to block Cangshu Bai's path.
Cangshu Bai, you have fallen to the demonic path, you cannot keep slaughtering innocents—
Before he could finish speaking, Cangshu Bai did not even seem to move; only the demonic aura surrounding him suddenly pulsed.
An invisible, immense force slammed into Yue Qingfeng's chest. As if struck by a heavy blow, his longsword slipped from his grasp, and he was sent flying backward. He crashed violently into a pillar, spat out a mouthful of blood, and was left completely unable to rise.
In the next instant, he appeared at the door of the woodshed.
The two bandits guarding the door were already frightened out of their wits. With a heavy thud, they fell to their knees, kowtowing repeatedly and begging for mercy.
Spare us, my lord! Spare us! That little wife brought by Goudan, we will offer her to you right now. You can do whatever you want with her, just please spare our worthless lives—
A little wife brought by someone else.
These words pierced Cangshu Bai's ears, causing a sharp ache.
In an instant, his demonic aura surged, and his murderous intent reached the heavens.
It was colder, more ruthless, and more insane than when he had massacred the entire hall just moments ago.
Inside the woodshed.
Mu Ran listened to the ceaseless screams outside and stood up in shock.
At the same time, the wooden door of the woodshed was suddenly shattered by a tremendous force, sending wood splinters flying in all directions.
A sky-obscuring black mist poured in, chilling to the bone.
She looked up, only to see a figure with white hair dressed in black, standing backlit in the doorway. He was surrounded by a malevolent aura, looking as if he had just returned from hell.
Those crimson eyes pierced through the dust and smoke, unblinking, fixing dead upon her.
She had never seen Cangshu Bai like this before.
His hair was as white as frost, his dark robes stained with blood, and those scarlet eyes seemed to hold a terrifying power capable of devouring everything, like a vengeful spirit crawling out of the deepest abyss.
She realized that he had succumbed to his demons.
He was approaching step by step, and the stench of blood was growing increasingly thick.
Mu Ran subconsciously shrank back, her spine pressed tightly against the cold wall. Her throat tightened, unable to let out the slightest sound.
She did not know what he intended to do now that he had fallen into madness.
Was he going to kill her?
After all, the overwhelming demonic aura rolling toward her was truly terrifying.
Mu Ran's face turned slightly pale.
However, the apocalyptic hostility rapidly receded in an almost pathetic manner the moment it touched her trembling figure.
He looked at the unease in her eyes, and a fragile crack suddenly appeared deep within his own gaze. All the frenzied slaughter melted away, leaving behind only a helpless, bewildered pleading.
Cangshu Bai did not dare to take another step closer. His eyes looked as though they could weep blood at any moment.
Ran Ran, he called her name in a hoarse, strained voice.
Then, the blood that seemed ready to pour from his eyes appeared to turn into tears.
He said, Hug me, please?
