Chapter 17: The Door

All the sounds blended together, wild thoughts clashing and tearing against the last shred of the fox spirit's reason. Yu Sheng heard Hu Li's painful whimpers in his ears, yet his mind roared with more chaotic voices—the fox spirit's near-uncontrollable hunger, a starvation that felt like having one's heart gouged out, the seduction of chaotic darkness, and... the cry urging him to flee.

Yu Sheng gasped sharply, crouched low, and charged toward a gap between the fox spirit and that monster, but he did not flee as Hu Li urged. Instead, he casually grabbed a broken green stone slab from the ground, hugged it, and rushed toward the monster's side.

Of course, he knew he likely still couldn't defeat this monster, but he understood even more clearly that human legs alone could never run out of here. Moreover, the ruins were everywhere, blocking the way, and the only open exit leading outside the ruined temple was completely blocked by the monster's massive body. In such a situation, a reckless escape would probably only lead to a faster death.

It was better to grit his teeth and charge. He couldn't win a fight, but since he wasn't afraid of death, he might still trade some results before dying. And if he happened to distract that monster, perhaps Hu Li would have a chance to break free from those terrible bindings. She was still struggling to maintain her reason; if she truly had a chance to get free, there might even be a chance to fight back...

All these thoughts flashed by in an instant. Yu Sheng knew his thinking was far from thorough, but he couldn't worry about too much. With no other choice, he went all out. This body once again erupted with immense power that confused even himself, hurling the heavy green stone slab like a cannonball at that flesh-and-blood beast.

The next second, he had no time to confirm the "results" of his strike. A huge warning surged from the depths of his heart. Yu Sheng "saw" the monster's counterattack a second early, and his body leaped violently to the side.

A shadow like a steel whip struck fiercely at the spot where he had just stood. It was a snake tail that had suddenly split from the monster's body. In an instant, earth and stones flew, and the solid green stones and broken bricks and tiles were all turned to dust. In mid-air, Yu Sheng felt a powerful impact; gravel struck his body like bullets with a pitter-patter, even making a sound like metal striking metal.

Yu Sheng paid no heed to the pain in his body. After landing, he rolled quickly, dodging the pursuit of that snake tail, while his peripheral vision swept toward where Hu Li was.

The silver-white fox spirit struggled violently amidst countless black spikes and bone fragments. The eerie blue spiritual fire burning near the fox tail flickered wildly, as if it would lose control and explode in the next second.

Yet she was still tightly trapped—the things binding her seemed custom-made for her. Yu Sheng's interference from the side had no effect at all.

In fact, Yu Sheng could tell at a glance that this fox Miss was countless times stronger than himself, but before that monster, she had absolutely no room to fight back. Between that monster and her, there was obviously a very clear... "suppression."

But at the very beginning, on the open ground outside the ruined temple, she had still rushed over without hesitation to try to "save" him. Although she ultimately failed to save him, she had truly wanted to help back then.

The memory flashed by. Yu Sheng gritted his teeth hard, wanting to charge up again, to try if he could use the old method of trading life for life to chew off a few more parts from that monster.

He didn't know where the extra strength and recovery ability in his body came from, but he remembered that before these changes first appeared, he had bitten a piece of flesh off that monster.

He wasn't sure if there was any connection between these two things, but with no other path open now, and since he wasn't afraid of death, he might as well try every bold guess in his mind.

"Don't... don't worry about me!" Just then, Hu Li's voice came again. "It can't kill... me. You, run quickly!"

"It's fine, it can't kill me either," Yu Sheng spat out a mouthful of blood foam. That was an injury from being hit on the chin by gravel in the air earlier. He turned his head to look at the silver-white fox spirit, a pleasant smile on his face. "In a moment, I might die, but don't worry. I will come back to find you."

Hu Li's struggling movements paused for a moment, as if she had fallen into confusion for a time.

Yu Sheng didn't explain anything, just stepped forward toward that monster. His steps were light, and the smile on his face grew even more obvious.

That smile carried a joy like attending a banquet.

"Don't you like persuading people to eat?" He looked at the flesh-and-blood beast ahead, muttering to himself. "Fine, this old man is here to eat!"

He leaped into the air, pouncing on that banquet table like a hungry wolf.

The dozens of eyes all over that flesh monster trembled violently. For the first time, a trace of hesitation and... fear seemed to surface in those chaotic and wild eyes.

Indistinct roars came from its many giant mouths. Then, several tentacle-like "snake tails" with black scales split from that flesh-piled body, stabbing at Yu Sheng in the air.

Yu Sheng felt his body pierced. Fatal wounds, he didn't know exactly how many. He felt his life beginning to flow away; warm blood was carrying away the vitality within his body.

But that indescribable... "hunger" had already surged from the depths of his heart. He ignored the pain in his body, ignored all resistance and unease regarding death. He hugged a snake tail that had pierced his abdomen, his mouth split open, and he lowered his head to bite down—

The monster let out a strange and sharp howl, suddenly whipping that snake tail as if trying to shake off a deadly poisonous insect clinging to it.

However, Yu Sheng held onto that tail tightly, refusing to let go no matter how fiercely the other party whipped. He was thrown to the ground by the snake tail, then smashed into a rotten wall nearby. His tough body was not injured by this fatal impact; instead, the pain made him even more alert.

And just then, that snake tail rose high again, whipping toward a certain collapsing large hole in the ruined temple wall.

A strange flash of golden light suddenly passed the edge of his vision.

Amidst the whistling wind in his ears, Yu Sheng struggled to raise his head. He saw that golden flash approaching him rapidly. Before he could carefully distinguish what it was, he instinctively raised his hand to block. His hand grabbed something—it was a handle.

Yu Sheng: "..."

A slight creak mixed with the whistling wind. In Yu Sheng's mind, the image of a door suddenly appeared—a plain, ordinary large door, leading somewhere, leading to...

The moment a location he subconsciously thought of formed in his mind, that door was pulled open by him.

The next second, Yu Sheng and that black-scaled snake tail instantly fell into the door. Then, accompanied by a piercing creak, the large door slammed shut.

The flesh monster's snake tail was severed directly by the door that suddenly appeared and then suddenly vanished. A cacophony of howls, enough to drive a listener mad, echoed through the valley. This wound seemed to drive it insane. It roared in the ruins of the broken temple, charging wildly, and frantically gnawed at everything within its line of sight, even including its own body. Then, after an unknown amount of time, it slowly calmed down, its body once again turning into a shadow of dark void, gradually melting away into the night.

Those black spikes and bone fragments vanished silently. The scarred silver-white fox spirit fell to the ground, motionless, as if dead.

After a few minutes, Hu Li finally slowly opened her eyes. She looked around blankly; the gold-red in her eyes seemed to have completely lost the "human" spirit.

After a while longer, her gaze finally focused on a certain spot in the ruins.

It was the steps where she and the "Benefactor" had sat together before.

!.

Dragging her massive fox body, she slowly moved over. Seeing the scattered plastic bags and leftover vegetables and rotten leaves under the steps, she lowered her head, making whimpering sounds while swallowing all those things into her belly.

But she was still very hungry.

That seductive voice, like an indelible demon, whispered to her from the deepest depths of hunger—

"Eat. You know where there are still things to fill your stomach...

"You buried them in Lin Zi...

"Bones, meat, and blood...

"Go, eat. Eat and you won't be hungry..."

The fox spirit lowered its head, emitting whimpers like crying. Then it curled up under the steps, slowly stretching out its neck, gnawing on the broken bricks and rotten tiles nearby, digging up the earth and rotten wood beneath the ruins, and slowly stuffing them into its mouth, chewing and chewing.

"I'm not hungry... I'm not hungry... Someone gave me food... He will be back soon to bring me more food... I'm not hungry..."

She chewed like this until, just like in many past years, she gradually fainted into unconsciousness.

The sensation of constantly falling woke Yu Sheng from his daze. The "feeling" of holding the door handle remained in his hand, but the next second, he realized he had crossed a certain boundary.

He opened his eyes in shock, seeing himself lying by the roadside. In his line of sight were familiar streetlights, utility poles, and the low, old, dilapidated houses on Wutong Road.

The old exterior wall and large door of No. 66 Wutong Road stood not far ahead, standing in the faint morning light.

He turned his head with difficulty again, just seeing the shadow of a large door gradually dissipating. Deep within the shadow, one could still vaguely see the valley shrouded in night, the ruins of the broken temple, and...

The white fox struggling to move its body in the ruins.

Yu Sheng tried to reach out his hand toward that white fox.

But the last remaining shadow dissipated before his fingertips could touch it.

Explanation regarding future updates: From now on, Monday through Friday will be double updates, Saturday and Sunday will be single updates. This is the limit for an old person like me...

(End of Chapter)