Chapter 676

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Main Character:

Shen Yao

"If one didn't know this was an abandoned old site, one would truly believe it was the real Sha Xi Zhen."

People coming and going, buildings stretching continuously, and even warm, hospitable commoners.

Although Changsheng Daozhang was busy with Qixing Cheng matters and couldn't immediately join up with them, the few disciples sent by the Dao Guan earlier were still arranged into the team by Changsheng Daozhang.

In Changsheng Daozhang's words, even if they couldn't handle the Qixing Cheng matter, they still had some ability when it came to other yao calamities.

Lin Xingzhi and the others going out would inevitably run into trouble; Changsheng Daozhang considered the safety issue and gave these few disciples some defense methods.

Now

Shen Yao sized up the oblivious Dao Guan disciples not far away a few times, thinking to herself that Changsheng Daozhang's painstaking efforts were probably of little use; hopeless is hopeless, talent and comprehension are what they are, there's no way around it.

"Host, do you really want to go in?"

The system panicked, thinking this was a major bandit den; inside, besides bandits there were only yaos, not a single good person/yao.

"Since we've come all this way, we have to go in and take a look; besides, we went out on the Emperor's business, and even if this is an abandoned old site, it still belongs to Li Guo's land."

Since it's Li Guo's territory, what reason do they have not to go in?

Bandits or yao calamities, Shen Yao didn't feel the other party's ability could do anything to her; it was just the right opportunity to open her own people's eyes a bit, so they wouldn't be completely without vigilance; after all, they still had half the journey before they could return to the capital.

System:...

Fine, the Host's reasoning is too strong; this Artificial Intelligence indeed can't persuade her.

Moreover, this Host's ability has undergone real, verified detection; mere bandits and yao calamities aren't even enough for the Host to pick her teeth with.

Shen Yao:...

Looking at the system that had suddenly swollen up with pride, Shen Yao didn't know what to say.

Sigh

Let it be like this then.

"Cheng Qing, don't you feel something's off here?"

"Senior Brother, did you discover something?"

"Hush, just feeling a bit uneasy; the Sha Xi Zhen we're going to this time is said to have relocated several times, how can we be sure what's before our eyes is real?"

"Senior Brother, Sha Xi Zhen has people; relocated towns are all abandoned, no one lives there, right?"

"..."

Several Daoists sat alone in one carriage, so when they spoke it was more like whispering.

It wasn't that no one inside realized where the problem lay, but fundamentally, their cultivation wasn't up to par.

Since they started cultivating, they had never truly left the Dao Guan's sight and sphere of influence; even with decent Dao arts, the things they'd experienced were ultimately limited.

They couldn't uncover the hidden situation concealed inside this Sha Xi Zhen; in the end, they just looked at each other, you look at me, I look at you, shut their mouths, and entered the city with the main force.

Oh

Before entering the city, they had also reminded each other to be extremely careful; the team were all ordinary people, Uncle Master had ordered beforehand that they must guarantee the safety of the Prince, Princess Consort, and the Eldest Misses.

The few people's quiet conversation was relayed to Shen Yao by the system, making Shen Yao nod in satisfaction, "At least they're not truly ignorant;" whether they discover it or not is another matter, having this kind of vigilance proves these few aren't naive sweethearts.

They can be weak, cultivation lacking — go back and practice harder; but they can't be stupid, truly thinking that relying on the Imperial Court and the Emperor's name, a Prince can just wander all over Li Guo's land — then they might as well not cultivate, return to secular life and go home; who knows, their days might even be more leisurely.

"Keep a close eye on these few, and also on this Sha Xi Zhen," with this flock of fat sheep delivering themselves to the door, I believe those bandits and yaos' resolve — they're probably already rubbing their hands in anticipation of a good meal tonight.

Hehehe, these are prime fat sheep!

"Boss, let's move tonight, can't let them get away!"

"Yeah Boss, we finally caught such a big ticket, the brothers are all starving."

"Here, there are only a few sunny days a year; only outside merchant caravans have anything worth robbing."

"..."

In a manor located in the northeast of Sha Xi Zhen, a few burly, imposing men were offering strategies to the man sitting in the centermost chair.

They are the owners of this Sha Xi Zhen, and also Sha Xi Zhen's greatest evil, the Black Sand Gang.

All are bad people who fled from other cities, with nowhere to settle, so they chose an abandoned town to set up camp; as they operated on and on, they unexpectedly became quite flourishing.

Every time a merchant caravan heading for Sha Xi Zhen mistakenly entered their territory, at best they lost money to avoid disaster, at worst they lost their lives; relying on such fierce and evil methods, the Black Sand Gang continuously expanded, recruited soldiers and bought horses, and had already become the number one threat giving surrounding cities a headache.

"Quiet! What are you rushing for? Since they've already settled into the city's inn, without our nod of permission, they won't walk out of Sha Xi Zhen."

The man sitting in the central, highest position finished speaking, raised his eyes to glance around, and waved his hand signaling them to sit down quickly and stop being an eyesore.

"Sha Xi Zhen isn't our Black Sand Gang's place; this matter also can't be handled by us alone."

Relying on just us rough men who don't understand management — how could we handle governance? We still need another force's mutual cooperation to make it work.

"Boss, you're going to see Hei Niangzi?" That's Sha Xi Zhen's infamous poisonous Widow; the men who died at her hands number no less than eighty if not a hundred, terrifying!

The man called Boss heard this and glared at the little brother who only knew how to shout, "Shut up!"

If he doesn't go see the Black Widow, is he supposed to let these simple-minded, brawny brothers go deliver themselves as food? They'd probably end up in the Black Widow's bed before exchanging two sentences.

That's a spider yaojing; don't be fooled by her alluring, moving beauty — her heart is black without a trace of mixed color.

"This new group isn't an ordinary merchant caravan; from their clothing and walking posture, you can tell they're not people ordinary folks can afford to offend.

Our Black Sand Gang isn't afraid of them, but the brothers' lives can't be thrown away for nothing.

Hei Niangzi has always known outside news and situations; I'll go ask her, see how to move most safely."

The Boss rarely explained his business of going to find Hei Niangzi in such a patient, gentle tone.

Learning the Boss's ultimate purpose was still to confirm the target, the brothers set their minds at ease, all hoping the Boss would go and return quickly; they were already impatient to eat their fill.

Eldest Brother: ……

Eldest Brother despised his own brothers for being useless, little knowing he himself was suffering quite terribly.

After all, making a bandit who had spent years robbing endure restraint — that was more unbearable than killing him.

"You've come over, what for?" The woman wearing a thin gauze veil had a pair of seductive, soul-hooking eyes; a mere slight lift of them made one's heart race.

He secretly thought this demoness truly was no good thing — she actually coveted his body (literal meaning).

"Hei Niangzi, the people who entered this time aren't simple; should we still cooperate and act like before?" The man's "cooperation" meant Hei Niangzi's subordinates provided venom, while they handled the capturing.

Hei Niangzi was known as the Black Widow; her true form was a spider the size of a stone plate — one could see what her subordinates must be, undoubtedly all kinds of spiders.

When Hei Niangzi came to the door back then, the man, seeing her appearance, wasn't without wicked thoughts — after all, one couldn't expect a bad person to have principles; burning, killing, looting, and plundering were their old trade.

But her very first move was a killing stance that would drain a person into a human husk; no matter how beautiful the skin, it couldn't block the threat to his own life.

The man instantly lost all lust and nerve, not even bothering to haggle over Sha Xi Zhen's jurisdiction and the post-robbery split — he handed over a full half to her without a word.

One could see that in the matter of reading the times, even the most heinous bad people were quite reasonable.

"You mean King Jing?"

"King Jing?!"

The man's surprise aroused Hei Niangzi's interest; originally several meters apart, the two instantly came face-to-face.

Man: ……?!!!

The man watched those slender jade fingers slowly caressing his cheek, cold sweat breaking out all over his body.

Gulp, gulp

Compared to Hei Niangzi's face and devilish figure, his own little life was most important; the man wasn't one of those lust-addled little brothers who ran off to die — the ones who truly died couldn't be deader, and when sent back only a thin sheet of human skin remained. That feeling of a cold wind up the back and scalp going numb — the man didn't want it to ever fall on his own body.

"Hei, Hei Niangzi, we're allies, this, this isn't right."

"Pfft"

Hei Niangzi lowered her fingers, simultaneously tapping the man's cheek lightly, her pair of charming eyes seeming to hold infinite tenderness, "Truly a fool~"

What's bad about her? Isn't it often said: die under the peony flower, even as a ghost you'd be romantic?

She's far more bewitching than that bunch of stupid flower demons who only know how to pretend; truly doesn't understand romance.

Man: ……Indeed, I don't dare — after all, a person has only one life.

Hei Niangzi circled the room twice, finally facing the light coming in from the window side, examining her fresh red cinnabar rouge, "Temporarily don't act yet; let me go observe, observe.

King Jing is not only a current royal prince, but also deeply favored by the Emperor and Imperial Court; at his side are several Daoren with profound Dao arts.

Tsk tsk tsk

Even for a demon, it's not easy to handle~"

After all, Hei Niangzi only thought the sky was high and the Emperor far away; hiding in the distance eating more people to cultivate — she never thought to clash head-on with the whole Imperial Court.

King Jing

Curved his finger and tapped the tabletop.

"Then, lose money to avoid disaster, let them leave?" The man gave a proposal that wasn't a suggestion.

Hei Niangzi heard this and sneered once, expressing how could someone be so stupid — lose money to avoid disaster? Did he take King Jing for a merchant in the surrounding cities?

"The things in their hands, if taken out, could scare you to death; you should know Hei Sha Bang are wanted criminals by the prefecture — isn't this walking into a trap?"

Thinking a generous gesture could make King Jing pretend not to know and let it go? Naive!

"Then, simply go all the way, take their lives — what then!"

Even if the Imperial Court were willing to send a great army to press the border for revenge, they'd have long since fled far away.

Here yellow sand fills the sky; easy to enter, hard to leave.

Hei Niangzi's expression turned upward, her face pleased — clearly satisfied with the man's words — but still the same as before: she had to go probe the bottom first, then decide how to act.

But King Jing's people certainly can't escape; once they've entered her Black Widow's territory, there's absolutely no reason they can get out.

Unless the other side can finish them all off — but pity, the ox-nose Daoren didn't come; a few little Daoren are still too young — self-preservation is more than enough, saving others is lacking.

The rest of those people are all her Hei Niangzi's grain!

Unconsciously licking her lips, Hei Niangzi felt she had tasted so many people, yet never eaten a royal clansman — this time she must taste what a royal clansman tastes like.

Lin Xingzhi, currently being coveted by a demon: ……

Shen Yao, with the System as an insider watching the whole time: ……

Not that it needs saying, but this Hei Niangzi truly looks at the appetite and it's indeed not bad — she even wants to taste a royal clansman; she's a demon talent!

"Host, you're still here foolishly happy, not reminding them?"

The System was huffing angrily, as if it had become a tendon again — encountering trouble it ululated and called out in all sorts of ways.

Shen Yao explained good-naturedly that no reminder was needed; that side also hadn't taken immediate action — wasn't Hei Niangzi coming over first to probe the bottom?

"When the time comes I'll also meet Hei Niangzi face to face; I believe it will certainly understand the principle that mixing with Hei Sha Bang has no good outcome."

System: ……

The System felt the Host's "meet face to face" certainly wouldn't be too simple; who knows, in the middle there might be a scene of forcing a good woman into prostitution.

But then again, they are the righteous, the other side is evil.

Evil cannot suppress the righteous — how is it forcing a good woman into prostitution? Clearly it's using sincere heart to transform.

The more the System thought, the more it set its mind at ease, because it discovered its own Host was indeed safe — once the Host is safe, others won't have accidents.

As expected, it's still my own eye for choosing a Host that's strong! Great!

The group stayed at the inn in Sha Xi Zhen; although the inn was off everywhere, after days of travel fatigue they indeed needed to rest well.

When Hei Niangzi crept over at nightfall, including the few little Daoren, none discovered danger had already arrived.

Hei Niangzi wore a suit of pitch-black clothes; if not for that exposed face, one would have thought a shadow had entered.

Lin Xingzhi on the bed slept sweetly; Hei Niangzi drew closer for a look and instantly her eyes went straight.

Hmm.

The original plan to use her as grain was shelved, and Hei Niangzi felt she might as well have a husband; this Crown Prince of Li Guo was so handsome, except he already had a Wang Fei.

Oh, what about the Wang Fei?

"Are you looking for me?" An abrupt female voice appeared behind Hei Niangzi.

Her neck twisted a full one hundred eighty degrees, Hei Niangzi's gaze turned sharp; she did not know when she had been exposed — clearly, under invisibility, ordinary yaoguai could not discover her.

"Don't be nervous, I just want to know why you trespassed into someone else's residence for no reason."

"You are the Jing Wang Fei? Truly rude of me; this little yaoguai failed to recognize Mount Tai, and begs the Wang Fei to forgive my offense."

Hei Niangzi lowered her head, bowing her head respectfully to admit fault.

Shen Yao did not mind, moving her fingers to seal the surroundings even more tightly, to prevent the inn from being demolished if they exchanged blows in a moment.

After a long while, having received no answer, Hei Niangzi raised her head again.

The anger in her eyes was clearly visible; after all, in so many years she had never suffered such a setback — Hei Niangzi's title of Black Widow was not earned for nothing.

"Go die!"

"That depends on whether you have the ability!"

Without further words, the two exchanged blows; the entire room was filled with their figures everywhere.

Traces of magic technique attacks constantly fell onto the surroundings, only to be dissolved one after another.

One was probing with intent, the other striking with intent; with neither holding back, Hei Niangzi was unsurprisingly knocked down by Shen Yao.

Pfft—

Turning her head, she spat a mouthful of black blood; Hei Niangzi's human form could barely be maintained, and she had no choice but to open her mouth and beg Shen Yao for mercy once more.