Chapter 36: Demon (II)

Outside Ximen Prefecture.

Walking on the road, Wang Wu kept silent, and Wu Lian did not speak either. The two walked in silence like that, Wang Wu behind, Wu Lian ahead.

Until about four or five minutes later, Wang Wu spoke:

"Your strength far surpasses mine, but you are being tightly controlled by that Xi Men Pei."

Wu Lian still said nothing, only letting out a light sigh.

"You wanted to repay Sun Fei's kindness back then, probably not because that rich household took you over without harming a hair, right? Moreover, this matter was probably arranged in advance, wasn't it?"

Facing Wu Lian's silence, Wang Wu didn't mind and continued to ask.

"Yes."

But this time, Wu Lian did not stay silent; she lightly answered.

"Can you say it?" Wang Wu asked.

"I…" Wu Lian opened her mouth, seeming to organize her words. After a pause of over ten seconds, she continued:

"Twenty years ago, I was pursued by enemies and had to revert to my true form to escape. Yet even so, those enemies caught up, grievously wounded me, and left me in Wang Gu Lin."

"And the elder uncle at that time found me in Wang Gu Lin. As a demon race, even in my true form my size already far exceeded ordinary foxes. Yet the elder uncle still saved me."

"Back then he wasn't selling steamed cakes in He Dong Xian, but hunting outside Wang Gu Lin to make a living."

"Actually you could call him big brother or elder brother," Wang Wu said, "Usually only in writing you call him elder uncle, but it doesn't matter."

Then Wang Wu added, "But he's just an ordinary person; how could he have saved a dying you?"

"Of course he couldn't save me," Wu Lian also smiled, but with sorrow in her smile, "He built me a shelter in the wild and applied some medicinal powder."

"Even though he knew I was a demon, he said, 'Never mind, it's still a life; the rest depends on your fate.'"

"So you survived on your own?"

Wu Lian nodded, "I also had a pill on me then, which saved my life."

"After that, I kept wanting to repay my elder brother. I waited in that forest for a long time, but never saw his figure again."

"Until ten years later, I wanted my wounds to heal faster, so I risked entering He Dong Xian under the alias Wu Lian."

"I suppose the young hero also knows that some demon races awaken divine powers that let them bypass the city's gate great formation, the Monster-detecting Stone, and even the Demon-reflecting Mirror."

"And I possess such a divine technique, allowing me to blend into human society."

"I understand," Wang Wu nodded, "So your identity was seen by Xi Men Pei? Then he got leverage over you, making you his…"

Wang Wu didn't finish his sentence, but it wasn't necessary; the other obviously understood his meaning.

Even though Xi Men Pei didn't say it, Wang Wu obviously knew that since Wu Lian could be summoned by him at will and dismissed likewise, and given Xi Men Pei's attitude toward demons, she would inevitably be …

"Yes." Wu Lian's smile remained, but with added bitterness.

"So how did you later marry Sun Da? After all, you were first married to Sun Da by that rich household, right?" Wang Wu was now curious; since his identity was first discovered by Xi Men Pei, how did he later marry Sun Da and Sun Fei?

"When my identity was exposed, I was restrained by people the other side sent. At that time, to escape, I thought of telling them that I had once…"

Then Wu Lian's next words made Wang Wu unable to listen further; he waved his hand, "Enough, enough, I get it."

One can only say, demons really are like that.

The rules of the demon world are simple: the primal law of the strong preying on the weak. Most of the time, they have no scheming.

Or rather, their scheming is all directed at killing, for example seizing a mountain stronghold.

Knowing how to use a beauty trap on the opposing mountain's demons, then suddenly striking to kill them during a truce, that's already the Zhuge Liang of demons.

They have almost no contact with human society, and most demons do not live in a highly socialized environment. Thus, demons can be said to be very simple, extremely simple.

They are also honest, only eating, killing, and staking.

Of course, if they blend into human society for a long time, they naturally learn quickly, since demons were merely inexperienced before, not truly stupid.

"One says you gain wisdom from danger, but for Wu Lian's situation and environment, she has no chance to gain wisdom."

One fall means endless ruin, being squeezed to death.

"So your later marriage to Sun Da was also Xi Men Pei's arrangement?" Wang Wu asked.

"No, I asked Lord Xi Men myself," Wu Lian said.

"So he agreed?" Wang Wu asked again.

Wu Lian nodded.

"Fool." Wang Wu said, looking at her; even though he felt a bit sorry for her, he could only shake his head.

"If you were just Xi Men Pei's concubine, like that silkworm lady, with your strength you might still have a chance to escape. But you insisted on telling your benefactor's matter to him, harming yourself, and also harming him…"

Wang Wu looked at the woman before him and sighed deeply.

Wu Lian said nothing, only a bitter expression.

Clearly she also knew her past actions were too foolish. But now, regret is meaningless.

"Do you love him?"

After walking a short distance, Wang Wu asked again.

"Huh?" Wu Lian's body froze, then she looked at Wang Wu.

"Do you love Sun Da, or Sun Fei?" Wang Wu looked into Wu Lian's eyes; her eyes held some bewilderment and a hint of doubt.

"I mean romantic love, not familial love," Wang Wu added, but seeing Wu Lian's expression he knew she likely couldn't distinguish the two.

"Seeing Sun Da and his wife's love as solid as a mountain, what does my heart feel?" Wang Wu rephrased and asked.

"Very happy," Wu Lian said.

"If your husband Sun Fei fell in love with another woman, planned to divorce you and marry her, and was willing to die for her, what would you…"

Wang Wu's second question stopped before finishing, because there was no need to continue; seeing her expression, he already had the answer.

Wu Lian certainly loved Sun Da and Sun Fei, but her feelings toward them were perhaps more like familial affection, whether toward Sun Da or Sun Fei.

After a moment of silence, suddenly, she wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him into her embrace.

The two bodies instantly pressed tightly together, and both could clearly feel the other's exhaled heat.

In that moment, Wang Wu felt a brief stiffness emanating from Wu Lian, and a hint of resistance in her eyes.

But what was more was bewilderment, and a desire that was being strongly restrained.

She is a monster, and monsters are beings driven by intense desire.

Most monsters have no concept of loyalty, except for a few that were monogamous before being transformed, such as various birds.

But it seems Wu Lian is not like that.

"It seems you've learned a lot in human society," Wang Wu smiled, loosening his grip on Wu Lian's waist.

At this point, the two had already arrived at a place not far from the Wang Clan. They walked quickly, after all neither of them was a mere mortal flesh.

"Let's go back," Wang Wu said, looking at her, waving his hand, "Since everything has already happened, there's nothing I can do."

"But I must say, humans and monsters walk different paths. Your excessive closeness to the Sun family may ultimately bring disaster."

"Alas…"

If it were within his power, Wang Wu actually wanted to help his own kind.

After all, one should support one's own kind. Moreover, Wang Wu's impression of Sun Da's family was already good; he would certainly help if he could.

"You don't need to follow me any longer; let's part here, Miss Wu Lian."

Having said that, Wang Wu no longer paid attention to the stunned Wu Lian standing still, and walked toward the Wang Mansion.

"Dong dong dong—"

"It's me! Wang Wu!"

In no time, the Wang Mansion gate opened, and a warm voice of a Wang Clan servant came from inside: "Ah? Young Hero Wang has returned? Please come in, come in!!"

"Bang—"

The gate closed, and the street outside the mansion fell silent again.

A gust of wind blew, lifting the hem of Wu Lian's skirt as she still stood there. She stared blankly at the Wang Clan's tightly shut gate, and moments later, two streams of clear tears slid down her cheeks.

The next day, outside He Dong County.

Wang Wu rode a dark‑red steed, accompanied by a group of tall, sturdy armored soldiers, each bearing various weapons, all clad in heavy armor and helmets.

Wang Wu, Li Yuan, and two others dressed as cultivators were surrounded by the armored men in the center. The party of twenty moved slowly along the Guan Dao outside the city.

"Wang Miss, are you sure you want to go with us there?"

Wang Wu, still on his horse, looked ahead at a woman riding a white horse and asked.

She turned her head, a scarred face breaking into a smile, "Of course I must go; after all, that batch of silver is in my hands."

"That place is very dangerous," Wang Wu said, "The ghosts and monsters run rampant in Wang Gu Lin, and moreover…"

"Brother Wang is right; the matter of your clan losing the silver isn't that simple, it must be the opponent's deliberate act. If you go, you'll likely fall right into their trap."

At this moment, Li Yuan also urged.

"Yes, indeed! Little Lan, why don't you just go back…?" said the cultivator surnamed Lu.

When the Lu cultivator finished speaking, Wang Wu glanced at him, then looked at Li Yuan. Their eyes met, each knowing what the other wanted to say, yet both held their tongues.

That fellow, aside from everything else, certainly has enough perseverance.

But love… isn't something you get just by licking.

"Thank you all for your concern, but it's fine." Wang Lan clasped his hands to the few, solemnly saying, "My father also advised me, but… my mind is made up."

Seeing Wang Lan's resolve, the others ceased their urging. Then the steed beneath his hips accelerated, galloping along the Guan Dao.

These mounts, including Wang Wu's, were all clad in heavy armor, standing over 1.5 meters at the shoulder; together man and horse weighed nearly three thousand jin, making them living tanks of the cold‑weapon era.

The iron‑clad horse herd thundered across the ground, producing a roar like thunder.

Meanwhile, in Wang Gu Lin.

The massive pit was littered with corpses, entangled with death energy and resentment, countless pale figures wandering and lingering in the nearby woods.

They were dead souls, their grudges lingering, unwilling to fully dissipate.

Far from the pit, on a massive branch of a giant tree, Zhu San Niang clasped her hands, leaning against the trunk, her scarlet eyes scanning the countless withered branches ahead toward the great pit.

There, a dozen or so people gathered; some were setting up equipment, while a few stood outside the pit, apparently conversing.

Zhu San Niang's expression remained cold; she neither approached nor intended to do anything.

(End of Chapter)