◎"By the way, you just said your surname is Wu. Can I call you Little Wu?"◎
While all sorts of thoughts flashed through the shopkeeper's mind, the weapon refiner remained sitting upright like a bell.
The black-robed weapon refiner, or rather, Yan Luoyue, had been carefully cultivating this alter ego over the past few years.
As the exchanges with Zhaoxin Residence became more frequent, in order to show friendliness, both sides tacitly entered into in-depth communication. One of the steps in this communication was to exchange names.
Zhen Zhuo'er, as the daughter of the Ruyi City Lord, had already revealed her biggest card in front of Yan Luoyue.
But Yan Luoyue couldn't just tell her, "Hello, my name is Yan Luoyue, the same name as the little girl you saw that day.
In fact, from my master to my senior and junior brothers and sisters in our sect, we all have the same name. Well, have you guessed that they are all played by me?"
In this situation, Yan Luoyue definitely had to carefully create the persona of the black-robed weapon refiner, and the first thing to fabricate was the weapon refiner's name.
Actually, as the attendant in the Silver Light Arena said, the simplest way to come up with a false name was to add corresponding antonyms and synonyms based on one's own name.
So the first false name Yan Luoyue came up with was "Mo Shengtian".
"Mo" was the antonym of "Yan", "Sheng" was the antonym of "Luo", and "Tian" and "Yue" were common scenic objects with similar parts of speech.
But for some reason, after Yan Luoyue silently repeated this name twice, she always felt that the picture it conveyed was rather gloomy.
Moreover, the name she reported to the leading cultivator at that time was "Yan Erzha". This name passed the detection of the Ruler Artifact, which meant that the black-robed weapon refiner at least had the surname Yan.
After a little thought, a second false name emerged.
So the next time they met, the black-robed weapon refiner told the shopkeeper, "My name is Yan Bixin."
The shopkeeper was slightly taken aback and, as expected, asked, "Then what about your junior sister...?"
"Yan Bixin" remained calm and replied, "Her name is Xing Biguo. Both of us were given our names by our master."
—The master was herself, so this statement was not wrong.
The shopkeeper stroked his beard and felt that he had to say something: "Ah, well... Hehe, your master is really open-minded and humorous."
The black-robed weapon refiner nodded slightly.
She decided that from now on, this would be how she introduced herself when going out.
Based on the probing of the shopkeeper in the previous days and Zhen Zhuo'er's attitude towards the black-robed weapon refiner, Yan Luoyue had already guessed that they had associated her alter ego with the Guiyuan Sect.
Zhen Zhuo'er, the owner of Zhaoxin Residence, had seen Yan Luoyue's real self and knew that the real name of "Xing Biguo" was actually Yan Luoyue, but it didn't matter.
In the future, whether it was her or others, when investigating the junior sister Xing Biguo, they might trace it back to the identity of Yan Luoyue. Then they would soon find that she had close interactions with the disciples of the Guiyuan Sect.
This exactly matched the script written for her by others.
In addition, Yan Luoyue also carefully crafted the persona of Yan Bixin.
Considering that the black-robed weapon refiner had once run away at the city gate, being extremely timid, Yan Luoyue tailored a script for herself: "This weapon refiner is clearly super powerful but overly cautious."
Just like now.
The black-robed weapon refiner pushed the sample magic weapon cards to the shopkeeper, signaling him to examine them first.
As for himself, he leaned back slightly in his seat, resting his elbows on the table. His fingertips protruded from his cuffs, overlapping as he propped up his chin.
Out of the corner of his eye, the shopkeeper noticed that the refiner's fingers were covered with a thin layer of silver silk shark weave.
It was only after getting along with this master for a long time that he discovered that although the master was extremely talented, his temper was rather cold, his disposition was very cautious, and he even had a somewhat rigid quirk.
Even though they were so familiar with each other, Yan Bixin still refused to let even a glimpse of his true appearance be directly exposed, not even a fingertip.
Or rather, precisely because they were so familiar, Yan Bixin would wear silver silk gloves in front of him.
The shopkeeper guessed that during their first few meetings, Yan Bixin should have worn more concealed and thinner transparent flesh-colored gloves.
He would not take even a bite of any refreshments that had once left his sight.
Every time he came to Ruyi Tower to discuss business, Yan Bixin always sat by the window on the top floor. This seat was by the window but not completely exposed.
His figure was hidden behind the wall beside the window. In case of any unexpected situation, he could break through the window and escape at any time.
However, if someone were to peek in from outside the window, they would never notice Yan Bixin's figure pressed closely against the wall.
There were many such details.
The shopkeeper thought to himself, "To be honest, this is the first time I've met such a master who... well, I mean, such a master who cherishes his life so much."
Watching the shopkeeper finish examining the set of magic weapon cards, Yan Bixin slowly asked, "So, is there anything that doesn't meet the requirements?"
The shopkeeper quickly smiled and said, "We're more than happy that you're willing to continue providing us with standardized magic weapons. How could we have any other demands?"
Since Zhen Zhuo'er took over the Lu Family as a widow and established a firm foothold in Ruyi City, Yan Luoyue had stopped supplying mass-produced storage bags and swords to Zhaoxin Residence and Lu's Tower.
There were two reasons for this. Firstly, the mass-production method was bound to disrupt the current market order.
Secondly, the area around Yunning Great Marsh could only accommodate a limited number of cultivators, and its ability to absorb goods was also limited. There was no need to oversaturate the market.
The mass-production card could be used from time to time, just like this time.
But before finding the right opportunity, there was no need to keep it running all the time.
Yan Bixin slowly said, "I've had the young men practice with this set of magic weapon cards hundreds of times. The cards operate smoothly and are quite popular. However, even so, you should find dozens of reliable and tight-lipped people to test-play this set of magic weapon cards."
It was like how movies would organize pre-screenings for audiences before their official release.
And new games would also organize pre-tests for players before their launch.
The shopkeeper stroked his beard and nodded in agreement, thinking that the master was indeed as cautious as ever.
"Please rest assured, master. We're old acquaintances, and I definitely won't let you down."
"Um." Yan Bixin responded reservedly. Even at the most relaxed moment, his back was as straight as a ruler.
The shopkeeper added, "Also, this is something our boss asked me to hand over to the master."
Looking at the box in front of him, the black - robed weapon refiner felt a slight heaviness in his palm. He first ran a wisp of spiritual energy along the seam of the box.
After confirming that the box was clean, he opened it through his gloves. There, on the soft satin, lay a bright red invitation.
"So it's Fellow Daoist Zhen's birthday banquet," he said.
"Yes. Please do grace the occasion, master."
Yan Bixin nodded slowly.
He was always very cautious and didn't like to be too certain about future events. He simply said, "I see."
Hearing this, the shopkeeper felt half - relieved.
He knew that as long as no special circumstances occurred, Master Yan would definitely come.
Seeing that the shopkeeper had nothing else to say, Yan Bixin stood up.
A faint spiritual energy emanated from him, like a gentle breeze, passing over the chair he had sat on, the table he had touched, and the teacup he had picked up, sweeping away all traces he had left there.
In addition, a barely noticeable flash of fire flickered in the crack of the floor under their feet.
It was Master Yan controlling his strange fire to burn a hair he had shed.
After finishing these follow - up tasks, Yan Bixin nodded to the shopkeeper and floated downstairs like a dark cloud.
Only after watching Yan Bixin's figure leave Zhaoxinju did the shopkeeper let out a long sigh.
It wasn't that he didn't admire Master Yan's skills, nor did he have any complaints about Master Yan's way of doing things.
But every time he made a deal with Master Yan, he had the illusion that their deal seemed to be something shameful, like they were taking risks and engaging in illegal and criminal activities...
This feeling was really strange. After all, Zhaoxinju always abided by the law and even rushed to pay taxes!
Today, Yan Luoyue also maintained Yan Bixin's persona as usual.
The school had a one - day holiday every ten days. In short, it was nine days of study and one day of rest.
Yan Luoyue spent the morning negotiating business with Zhaoxinju.
As for the afternoon, Yan Luoyue had made an appointment with Shen Jingxuan in advance to accompany the young nun to search for spiritual herbs in the Yunning Great Marsh.
Shen Jingxuan's cultivation had reached the peak of the Qi - refining stage and stepped into the threshold of the half - Foundation - building stage. All she needed was a Foundation - building Pill as a catalyst to smoothly advance to the Foundation - building stage.
She had been a coach for the turtle clan for three years. Although most of the money she earned was donated, she still had a little salary saved up, which was enough to buy a Foundation - building Pill.
But perhaps because she was a religious person and lived a simple and thrifty life, Shen Jingxuan still wanted to pick the main ingredient for the pill, the "Foundation - building Grass", by herself.
"Although we disciples should abide by the precept of forsaking attachments, live simply, and not be greedy for luxurious things like gold and silver, I'm looking for the Foundation - building Grass not for this reason."
Yan Luoyue's turtle body had grown a bit, but Shen Jingxuan could still hang her on her shoulder with a relaxed expression.
She explained to Yan Luoyue, "I accidentally got acquainted with an alchemist. She is willing to refine Foundation Establishment Pills for me and told me that the best material for alchemy is the Foundation Establishment Grass growing within the area where I usually move around."
On her shoulder, the little turtle slowly moved its paw and spoke in human language, lost in thought.
"... So it's a custom - made one."
The alchemist asked Shen Jingxuan to look for the Foundation Establishment Grass near herself because the medicinal properties of such grass are easier to digest.
There is a similar principle in artifact - refining. One can tailor - make a handy magical artifact according to a cultivator's usual combat habits.
But custom - made services are generally quite expensive. I wonder how much Shen Jingxuan spent to hire the alchemist.
"I didn't spend any money," Shen Jingxuan clarified. "I just got lost and saw that benefactor being pestered by two scheming cultivators. Then I..."
Yan Luoyue automatically added the sound effect, "Da da da da da da da."
"Yes," Shen Jingxuan was glad that Yan Luoyue understood what she meant.
When in the turtle form, Yan Luoyue's body temperature was lower than when in the human form.
On the contrary, Shen Jingxuan had a strong internal fire and was like a warm stove. Her shoulder warmly heated Yan Luoyue's little belly.
As the little nun swayed along, Yan Luoyue's eyelids felt heavy and gradually she couldn't keep them open.
After she woke up from a pleasant little nap, she stared blankly at the wilderness all around.
"... Jingxuan, where are we now?"
Shen Jingxuan replied very calmly, "In the Yunning Great Marsh."
Yan Luoyue took a breath and asked, "No, I mean, how did you end up in this place?"
Shen Jingxuan confidently raised her hand and pointed in the direction where the sun rises. "I've been walking north all the way and might have made a few turns on the way."
Yan Luoyue: "..."
She corrected Shen Jingxuan's hand which was pointing east but claiming to be north, and the little turtle on her shoulder slid down along the fabric of the nun's robe.
Before her feet touched the ground, the little turtle transformed into a delicate - featured little girl and bounced on the ground to cushion the fall.
Yan Luoyue pricked up her ears and looked around.
Suddenly, that feeling of being watched came again.
Yan Luoyue instinctively looked at Shen Jingxuan and asked, "Jingxuan, do you have the feeling that someone seems to be watching us?"
That feeling was extremely brief, lasting only for an instant, just like a single hair gently brushing against the shadow of one's back.
As a Buddhist monk, Shen Jingxuan could even detect the worldly aura from the arena on her body. Her perception must be better than others.
But she shook her head and said firmly, "No."
"Maybe I was wrong," Yan Luoyue murmured.
After all, since she occasionally had this feeling, the interval between the two times of being watched was at least three or four months. There had never been such a short interval before.
Forget it. Don't mention it. Yan Luoyue tugged at Shen Jingxuan's sleeve and asked, "Did you bring the compass I gave you?"
Given that Shen Jingxuan was such a natural and invincible road - idiot - this person even got lost around a reed stack in the turtle clan's territory for three whole days.
Therefore, Yan Luoyue specially crafted a pointer for her.
The green magnetite of the pointer was attracted by its other half and always pointed to Shen Jingxuan's bedroom in the Turtle Clan.
From then on, when the little nun went out alone, even if she got lost, everyone wasn't as worried.
Hearing this, Shen Jingxuan reached for her collar and pulled out the round pointer that resembled a pocket - watch. "Here it is."
Yan Luoyue immediately heaved a sigh of relief. "Great, then let's follow the direction of the pointer first."
It was unknown how Shen Jingxuan had walked before.
The reed marsh where they were currently located was filled with lush grass and rustling reeds. The bushes had withered in the autumn wind, and the shallows were covered with dense rocks.
When the long - flowing wind by the water blew through the holes in the strange rocks, it made a mournful sound, carrying an indescribable sense of desolation and sorrow.
After walking for a while following the pointer's guidance, the two walking side by side suddenly felt their feet get stuck at the same time.
Shen Jingxuan initially thought it was a normal thing when stepping into the mudflat and that she just needed to pull her foot out.
But because Yan Luoyue had been teleported by Brother Tang before, she was more sensitive to formations and the like.
She immediately sensed something was wrong. Looking down, sure enough, there were faint halo patterns flickering.
In the reed marsh, who would always look down at their feet?
Moreover, both of them were novices in formations, and this formation was extremely skillfully arranged.
Hidden by the rocks, wild grass, reeds, and dry tree trunks, it blended seamlessly with the surrounding environment.
If they hadn't stepped right into the center of the formation, even if Yan Luoyue strained her eyes, she would never have noticed anything strange here.
Letting out a muffled grunt, Yan Luoyue wondered in surprise, "... Another teleportation formation?"
No, the patterns were different.
Moreover, the suction of this formation was clearly greater than the one she had encountered before.
In the blink of an eye, the soft mudflat caved in, like the earth opening a huge whale - like mouth. No matter how they struggled, they were firmly swallowed up.
After Yan Luoyue and Shen Jingxuan disappeared from the spot, a third figure suddenly appeared in the reed marsh.
The height of this mysterious person was between Shen Jingxuan and Yan Luoyue, about four fingers taller than Yan Luoyue.
His dressing was extremely strange. Although his figure should have been lean and agile, he wrapped himself layer upon layer and then put on a loose outer robe.
If someone made a hasty judgment, they might think that this person's real form was a chubby little brown bear.
The weapon - refiner Yan Bixin was already cautious enough, but this strange visitor was even more so.
Not only did he not expose his skin to the air, but he even covered his eyes with a translucent white gauze and was completely wrapped from head to toe in that old - looking cloak.
This newly - appeared unknown person circled around the outside of the formation like a little ant around a flowerpot.
Not detecting the slightest flaw or loophole, and even the previous auras of the two were gradually fading. The unknown person stamped his feet and then jumped into the center of the formation all at once.
The wetland mudflat churned again and soon returned to its previous calm.
Scattered rocks, wild grasses, reeds, and the blowing water breeze... Everything seemed the same as usual.
A semi - circular depression appeared on the ground, dragging Yan Luoyue and Shen Jingxuan into it.
During this process, Yan Luoyue felt the scorching gale brush across her cheeks, forcing her to close her eyes. When she opened them again, the two had arrived in another space.
"How strange."
"This place is so strange."
Shen Jingxuan and Yan Luoyue spoke simultaneously.
Strange, eerie, and unusual. This was the first impression this space gave them.
According to their memory, they had sunk here from the edge of the muddy shallows. Logically, this should have been a soft, wet, and hard - to - escape shallow water pit.
But in fact, in this eerie space, the light flickered on and off, the gale came and went, and the air felt a bit dry.
The sky was a very dirty purple, and the clouds were swirling vortices.
The color of the sky blended with the purplish - red soil color of the earth. At first glance, it was almost impossible to tell whether one was standing on the ground or hanging upside down in the sky.
This land was so miraculous that Yan Luoyue almost thought she had traveled into a Van Gogh painting.
After looking around for a few moments, Yan Luoyue's head began to feel dizzy.
She withdrew her gaze, pinched the bridge of her nose, and let out a soft groan of pain: "No, I can't tell which way is north, south, east, or west."
The young nun calmly added beside her: "Yes, it can't either."
In Shen Jingxuan's hand was a pointer disc like a pocket watch.
Normally, no matter where Shen Jingxuan was, the emerald - green pointer would firmly point to her bedroom in the Turtle Clan.
But this time, the pointer was swaying back and forth like a headless fly, with its speed varying from fast to slow.
At its craziest, the pointer was swaying so violently that it was like a rotating fan, and one almost worried that the thin long needle would break off suddenly.
"So this is what it feels like to be unable to tell directions," Yan Luoyue murmured. "Is this the world you've always seen, Jingxuan?"
Shen Jingxuan:?
Why did she feel something was off?
"It's okay. I don't have much of a feeling. Apart from those vortices making me a bit dizzy, everything else is the same as usual," Shen Jingxuan said confidently, pointing at one of the vortices. "Let's go. That way is north."
Yan Luoyue suddenly realized: "Oh, I see. So that way isn't north."
Shen Jingxuan:??
Huh? She clearly said that way was north.
Yan Luoyue's eyes lit up, inspired by the young nun. She smiled and gently pulled Shen Jingxuan's hand:
"Come on, Jingxuan. Where else do you think that way might be? We just need to rule out two more wrong options."
Shen Jingxuan:???
Great confusion. Are you being polite?
It has to be said that setting up a formation in the wilderness is as irresponsible as stealing manhole covers in a bustling downtown area or randomly spreading pesticides in a residential community without warning. It's an act that shows a complete lack of public safety awareness.
Shen Jingxuan recalled for a long time and finally remembered where this despicable method originated.
"This should not be a randomly set - up formation. It's a trap left by the Demon Race in the human world during the Demon - Suppression War back then."
She had read the corresponding records in the nunnery. A thousand years ago, many cultivators were often captured by the same method.
"…It's not a trap," a muffled voice suddenly came from behind the two of them. "This is their home."
Before this voice appeared, neither Yan Luoyue nor Shen Jingxuan had noticed that there was a third person behind them.
In an instant, Yan Luoyue and Shen Jingxuan were startled.
They turned around simultaneously, one to the left and the other to the right, assuming defensive postures and taking in the appearance of the newcomer.
This was a... little weirdo who was very tightly wrapped up.
The moment Yan Luoyue saw this person, a line of words automatically popped up in her mind: "Reject excessive packaging and oppose extravagance and waste."
The newcomer stretched out his empty hands towards Yan Luoyue - his hands were also wrapped in layers of cloth strips - indicating that he had no intention of attacking.
The little weirdo was standing about five steps away from them.
It was a distance that wouldn't arouse excessive suspicion nor seem too unfamiliar.
Yan Luoyue blinked and tentatively struck up a conversation: "What did you just say?"
The little weirdo's eyes were covered with a thin veil, and the lower half of his face was also wrapped in many bandage - like strips, hiding his appearance.
When Yan Luoyue spoke, the little weirdo stood still, facing her direction.
Hearing Yan Luoyue's question, he patiently repeated: "I said, this is not a trap set by the Demon Race. This is their relocated home."
The little weirdo's tone of speaking was a bit odd.
His pronunciation was very standard, but his attitude was too solemn and formal when speaking. He pronounced each word very clearly, as if he didn't usually communicate with people very often.
Hearing his answer, like a flash of enlightenment hitting her mind, Yan Luoyue instantly understood.
"Wait, is this the Demon Realm?"
The little weirdo nodded.
The strips of cloth wrapped around the lower half of his face fluttered with this movement: "A part of the Demon Realm."
Combining the answers from Shen Jingxuan and the little weirdo, Yan Luoyue pieced together the final truth.
"This was a Demon Race stronghold during the Demon - Suppression War. The demons used a special method to move a part of their Demon Realm space to the human world, right?"
To use a modern computer software analogy, the Demon Realm was originally a complete picture.
During the Demon - Suppression War, some demons used a screenshot tool to cut off a corner of it, copy and paste it into the human world, and then put this small screenshot into a compressed package.
As for Yan Luoyue and Shen Jingxuan... they were just extremely unlucky to have stepped on the decompression button of the compressed package.
Seeing that she understood his meaning, the little weirdo nodded again, and the bandages on his chin fluttered.
The first question, "Where am I?", had already been resolved.
Then the second question they faced was...
"Excuse me, who are you?"
Judging from the voice and the height, this mysterious visitor seemed to be a child.
But generally, which child would dress like him, wrapping his whole body layer by layer with strips of cloth, covering himself up so that even his eyes were not showing.
If it weren't for the fact that there were no pyramids in this world, Yan Luoyue would have suspected that he was a little mummy who had run to the wrong set.
Speaking of which, she had made so many monster cards by herself, and she really hadn't recorded this type of monster.
However, it was also possible that some monsters with obvious and suspicious features deliberately wrapped themselves up to dispel others' suspicions.
"I am..."
The little weirdo opened his mouth, and then seemed not to know how to answer this question. His voice unconsciously dropped.
Maybe it was just an illusion of Yan Luoyue, but for a moment, she actually felt a bit of confusion and grievance from the other party.
Pursing his lips, the little weirdo said, "My surname is Wu."
Yan Luoyue: "The Wu like the crow?"
What kind of monsters might be related to this character?
— The black - eyed demon? The throat - sealing crow? The walking jet aconite?
"No." The little weirdo shook his head, raised his eyes covered by white gauze, and looked in Yan Luoyue's direction. "It's the Wu with two forks."
It took Yan Luoyue a full half - minute to realize that the "two forks" in the other party's mouth actually referred to the two "ren" characters in the Chinese character "Wu".
Yan Luoyue: "..."
Ah, this...
Such a unique way of description made the possibility that the other party was a monster even higher!
It wasn't that Yan Luoyue was overly sensitive or judging people with prejudice.
But it was obvious that this child had completely missed the nine - year compulsory education!
Yan Luoyue exchanged a silent look with Shen Jingxuan.
The next moment, Shen Jingxuan murmured to herself, "I wonder how we can get out."
When Shen Jingxuan was speaking, the little weirdo wouldn't focus all his attention on her.
He replied calmly, "In the Demon Realm, this kind of 'dwelling' is as common as a cave in the human world. Generally, there are two natural entrances and exits. Since this is the entrance, we just need to find the exit."
Shen Jingxuan asked further, "Then may I ask, sir, how can we find the exit?"
The little weirdo tilted his head, as if he found this question a bit strange.
"Just... look for it."
Shen Jingxuan: "..."
The little nun's hands hanging by her sides silently clasped together in front of her chest.
She deliberately had a few more exchanges with this boy - like little weirdo.
He would answer one question at a time and never say an extra punctuation mark.
In Yan Luoyue's opinion, he was just like a trigger - type artificial intelligence that hadn't been maintained since the day its program started running.
But she clearly remembered that just now, when talking to herself, this person wasn't like this!
After listening for a long time, Yan Luoyue finally couldn't help but speak up. "Friend, it seems that you know a lot about this 'nest dwelling'."
The little weirdo was stunned for a moment, and his body spontaneously assumed the standing posture he had at the beginning, facing Yan Luoyue seriously.
Yan Luoyue thought to herself: I knew it. He was clearly like this all the time just now!
This mysterious guest paused for a moment, as if he had discerned the implied meaning in Yan Luoyue's question.
He said slowly, "Because I... I once went to the Demon Realm."
Probably he himself knew that this sounded really suspicious, so the little weirdo quickly added another sentence.
"Really."
He said it was really a long - time ago.
He was born in the Demon Realm and hatched from his egg there.
Before he had much wisdom, he had already observed and memorized the customs and practices of the Demon Realm.
And all this happened even earlier than the first time he met her.
In addition, in his inherited memory, apart from the surname "Wu", there was not a single clue about his own origin.
Even learning to speak was a stuttering and difficult process for him from the very beginning.
The vast library of inherited memories mostly contained all kinds of information about the demons.
Customs, people, demon beasts, demon plants... There were countless varieties, filling his mind to the brim.
Yan Luoyue stroked her chin, non - committal.
This explanation was not flawless, but if this person could really lead them out, there was no need to dig into his past.
She only had two concerns now.
One was that this suddenly appeared mysterious guest was a demon beast, and the other was that although he was not a demon beast, he might be the one who activated the formation.
If he was really a demon beast or related to the Demon Realm, then he must have some ulterior motives for catching them.
It would be better to go with the flow, lure the snake out of its hole, and deal with the situation as it developed.
But if he was really just a kind passer - by...
Then they could work together to find the exit.
Yan Luoyue said, "I understand. Since you've been to the Demon Realm and have seen this thing called 'nest dwelling', I'll have to trouble you a lot for the rest of the journey."
"Yeah. I'll lead you... lead you all out."
Yan Luoyue smiled and nodded at him.
"By the way, you said your surname is Wu. Can I call you Xiao Wu?"
For some reason, although the little weirdo's standing posture didn't change at all, she just felt that the mental state of the person opposite suddenly perked up.
"Sure... Sure you can."
"Great, Xiao Wu. You can also call me Luoyue."
Yan Luoyue waved to the two of them. "In your opinion, which way should we go next?"
This time, Xiao Wu didn't give an immediate answer.
Under the layers of wrapped bandages, his lips seemed to open and close, forming the shape of two words.
But after careful observation, Yan Luoyue realized that the shape was clearly not indicating a direction.
"What?" She instinctively leaned a little closer. "Which side?"
The eyes of the turtle people are usually quite round and come with natural eyeliner.
When those big eyes focused and looked over, they were like two clear and innocent pools of crystal - clear spring water. And his own figure was reflected at the bottom of the spring, among the large cobblestones.
In the girl's pupils, there was a reflection of his own shabby figure wrapped tightly with rags. Xiaowu hastily took a step back.
He felt ashamed of himself.
Shen Jingxuan didn't notice this little episode. She resolutely pointed in the direction she had in mind: "Let's go north!"
Yan Luoyue: "..."
She was quite sure that this time, the direction Shen Jingxuan pointed out as "north" deviated by at least 180 degrees from the "north" she had pointed out before.
Great.
Now they could rule out two wrong answers.
Regarding Shen Jingxuan's behavior of pointing every direction as north, even Xiaowu didn't know what to say.
He hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth to correct her: "That direction might be west."
Yan Luoyue was very interested when she heard this: "Really? How did you figure it out?"
There seemed to be a spring - like switch on Xiaowu.
When Shen Jingxuan spoke, he would relax a bit, but when Yan Luoyue spoke, he would unconsciously tense up.
"You need to look at the whirlpools," Xiaowu taught Yan Luoyue the technique in detail. "When there are two or more whirlpools in the sky, extend the tails of the whirlpools and draw lines. Generally, the intersection of the two tails is the direction of the west."
"Got it. Thank you," Yan Luoyue nodded, enlightened. Suddenly, she asked out of the blue, "So you can see."
"Yeah," Xiaowu pressed the white veil covering his eyes.
"My eyes... don't look good and can't be exposed to light, so I cover them up."
Thinking of something, he quickly added, "I can see and lead the way. I won't hold you back."
Following Xiaowu's method of identifying directions, the three of them walked west for a while.
During this time, Yan Luoyue brought up the issue of their rations.
Xiaowu listened silently, tilting his ear.
After a short while, he suddenly bent down.
"This is edible," Xiaowu pulled out a potato - like... no, a head - like root from the ground along a hair - thin leaf tendril.
Yan Luoyue: "..."
Shen Jingxuan: "..."
Yan Luoyue took a cautious step back and tried to evaluate this plant in a neutral and objective tone:
"I feel like it's staring at me."
In fact, saying it was "staring" was already a filtered description.
Mainly, this plant root had a blood - smeared color and an outer contour that extremely resembled a screaming head.
The "head"'s eyes were wide - open and bulging, as if it were a resentful Kayako who, after being suppressed for five hundred years, finally saw the light of day and let out a shrill scream at the world.
It's not that Yan Luoyue was being biased, but the appearance of this plant was truly beyond what humans could bear.
Moreover, she finally understood why in "Journey to the West", Monk Tang firmly refused to eat the ginseng fruit.
For something with such an extremely human - like appearance, not to mention taking a bite out of it.
Even just thinking about it in one's mind would make one feel spiritually polluted.
Yan Luoyue cast a suspicious look at Xiaowu again:
"Um... Are you sure this is really a plant and not the remains of a monster's leftovers buried here?"
It is said that practice is the best proof.
Xiaowu may not have known this saying, but he immediately reached out and broke off a piece on the spot.
Crack! It was the crisp sound that cucumbers, potatoes and other vegetables made when they were broken.
Xiaowu showed the broken end to Yan Luoyue.
Thankfully, only the outer skin of the plant's rhizome was blood - red, while the pulp was a water - rich white.
"What's the name of this plant?" Yan Luoyue asked with a spirit of inquiry, "Is it the 'Unclosed - Eyes Fruit' or the 'Regret - in - the - Underworld Melon'?"
Xiaowu concentrated and recalled for a moment: "It's called the Lover's Fruit."
"… What?" Yan Luoyue asked in shock.
Xiaowu nodded affirmatively: "Yes, the Lover's Fruit."
Yan Luoyue: "…"
Was it that the mate - selection criteria in the Demon Realm were just too abnormal, or was it that all the lovers in their realm were actually more like 'fated enemies' even though they were called 'lovers' on the surface?
If the appearance of this fruit were filmed in a domestic movie, even the film censorship authorities wouldn't let it pass!
"According to the marriage customs of the Timid Demons, adult male Timid Demons should dig up two hundred Lover's Fruits on their own, build a nest with them, and spend a night in it."
Yan Luoyue weakly raised a hand: "Wait a minute. I'd like to ask, what if they can't dig up two hundred?"
Xiaowu lowered his head and thought seriously for a while before answering:
"Lover's Fruits are very common in the Demon Realm, so generally, it's not possible that they can't dig up two hundred. If they can't, it's mostly because they were scared to death during the digging process. This kind of situation is also quite common."
Yan Luoyue: "… Then what if they do dig them up?"
Xiaowu: "After digging them up and spending the night in the nest, they should push the built nest to the door of the female they fancy. The next morning, when the female wakes up, if she isn't scared to death by the nest - oh, it's also quite common for females to be scared to death by the nest - then this pair of Timid Demon couple can become lovers."
"This practice helps them give birth to braver offspring."
After all, Timid Demons are very prone to death. A thunderstorm can scare a few to death, a strong wind can scare a few to death, and a flash flood can also scare a few to death.
In short, this species has managed to survive until now. There must be more survivors than the dead.
Yan Luoyue: "…"
Yan Luoyue fell into a long, long silence.
She really wanted to ask what kind of hellish marriage custom this was.
Also, this so - called Timid Demon she was hearing about, why did it sound so much like the Demon Realm version of the ocean sunfish?
After finishing the story of the Timid Demon, the Little Sorcerer naturally broke the Lover's Fruit in his hand into half again. In this way, the Lover's Fruit was divided into three parts.
He first handed the largest piece to Yan Luoyue.
"Have something to eat first."
Yan Luoyue: "..."
Yan Luoyue declined politely.
Even though it was called the "Lover's Fruit", even though it really looked like a kind of plant, and even though it might be edible...
Yan Luoyue still felt that after eating this Fury-in-the-Nether Fruit, one would probably never be saved!
She gave a polite smile and very honestly reached for the storage pouch at her waist. She took out a packet of pastries from it and shared them equally with Shen Jingxuan and the Little Sorcerer.
These were the vegetarian cakes she had bought at the Yueming Market. She had originally planned to eat them as snacks when going to school, but unexpectedly, they came in handy at this time.
As soon as Shen Jingxuan got the vegetarian cake, he ate it right away.
After all the fuss, Yan Luoyue was already a bit hungry and quickly ate two pieces of the pastries.
While eating, she observed the Little Sorcerer's movements out of the corner of her eye.
She saw that he held the vegetarian cake and was in a daze for a while. Instead of eating it in a hurry, he put the pastry aside, picked up the broken Lover's Fruit and took a bite.
Huh? Why didn't he want to eat it?
Was he unwilling to eat it or unable to eat it?
Thinking of a possibility, Yan Luoyue squinted her eyes silently.
In many folk stories, the living are not allowed to eat things from the underworld. Once they do, they will be forever trapped in the netherworld. Similarly, besides incense, ghosts cannot enjoy the food of the human world either.
She wondered if the same principle would apply to the Demon Race.
Before Yan Luoyue could fully let her imagination run wild, the Little Sorcerer had already eaten a large piece of the Lover's Fruit. He ate very fast, almost swallowing it the whole time.
After finishing, as if worried about something, the Little Sorcerer even secretly looked back.
Yan Luoyue quickly lowered her head and focused on eating the pastries, pretending not to see anything.
When she stole another glance out of the corner of her eye...
Huh?
She saw that the Little Sorcerer took out a handkerchief from somewhere, carefully wrapped up the pieces of vegetarian cake, and finally stuffed them into his bosom gingerly.
Seeing this scene, Yan Luoyue was stunned.
Could it be...
He didn't refuse to eat it, but just wanted to keep it for as long as possible?
I've been stubborn all my life, never, never... Wow! I can't hold back my tears! QAQ
