Chapter 203

What a coincidence.

This was Ling Yue's first reaction; the place she was headed to was Dragon Tiger Mountain. Ling Yue even wondered whether this gang of traffickers had any collusion with the Mysterious Gate Association.

After all, once the state discovered the Mysterious Gate Association's conspiracy, it was completely exposed from the shadows and labeled an evil cult.

The Mysterious Gate Association had only a few experts to rely on; before the vigorous state machinery, they were as fragile as rotten stalks, and now the association is utterly scattered, incapable of forming any climate.

Getting sidetracked, Ling Yue pondered a moment, but still felt it was fine.

First, harvest and dismember; a killing intent rose in her heart—the law couldn't make them pay a heavy price, but an 'accident' could.

These people are clearly after profit and money; furthermore, if they truly cooperated with the Mysterious Gate Association, the little fox could never have brought Jiao Jiao to dig a tunnel and escape.

Recalling that perilous experience, the little fox patted its chest in fear; its anthropomorphic gesture drew a soft chuckle from Jun Jun, who glared at this handsome human and said, 'What are you laughing at?!'

'At that time I was almost desperate; it was Jiao Jiao who helped me bite through the rope. Without Jiao Jiao, I would have long been caught by those people and roasted to eat!'

Jun Jun: '……'

His status meant nothing before the clever, lively little fox, which couldn't sense it at all—this was because Jun Jun deliberately restrained his aura.

Yue Yue told him that members of the Mysterious Gate Association would also be here, so he couldn't cause Yue Yue any trouble.

So the little fox was very bold, hands on hips, refuting him with an arrogant and daring attitude.

Jun Jun crossed his arms, gazing meaningfully at the little fox, his eyes sweeping from tail to head; the little fox's fur looked not bad……

For some reason, the fox Xue Duo suddenly felt a chill run down its back, shivering involuntarily.

What a frightening feeling.

Just a little bit would be enough to immobilize it, freezing it in place.

Ling Yue tugged at Jun Jun's sleeve: 'We've arrived.'

So, don't scare them.

Her gaze lingered; a warm, strong hand instead grasped hers. Jun Jun said, 'The mountain path is rough—I'll hold your hand.'

He didn't believe this little fox could find a good route; sure enough, from the starting point they saw only a rugged narrow trail—even trained police would find it arduous. Though no snow had fallen on the mountain, a thin frost coated it, and untreated shrubs or branches often blocked the way.

Ling Yue, however, walked as if on level ground, lowering her gaze slightly to watch their joined hands, warming then heating; she seemed to hear the other's heartbeat.

The little fox led everyone up the mountain, light as a cloud hanging on the mountainside, walking and stopping, cheering: 'Come on, everyone! We'll be there soon!'

Ling Yue licked her lips: 'Xue Duo, I remember you said that twenty minutes ago, and this is the umpteenth "we're almost there"?'

The fox Xue Duo's movement stalled; it gave an embarrassed hehe laugh, standing on a small wooden stump and raising its fox paws: 'I swear! This is the last time—I really am almost there!'

"Don't think my mountain path is rugged—it's the newest trail up the mountain, and I guarantee those villains won't discover it; this is my secret passage!"

Ling Yue: '……'

In other words, it knew just how rugged this path was and deliberately led them here.

Ling Yue thought, turning to look behind; as a cultivator, she had already completely shaken off the police, unaware of how many people's thoughts, just like the earlier mountain-climbing Officer Zhou.

The captain was nevertheless composed; he belonged to the Special Safety Bureau, that most mysterious department, and he had only recently received the notice: anyone holding a Special Safety Bureau ID must be fully cooperated with!

Speaking of which, we should also thank the Mysterious Gate Association; originally hidden in the dark, it was suddenly exposed, and the state then learned how many heinous deeds they had committed relying on their cultivation. The Special Safety Bureau took charge of arrests, bringing them into the light.

On one hand it's a reward, on the other hand supervision—not guaranteed to be perfect, but at least ninety percent must be under the state's watch, so that such affairs as the Mysterious Gate Association's never happen again.

The captain caught his breath; he was in his thirties, still a man's prime golden years. Beside him, the spry policewoman wiped sweat from her forehead, her legs sore, yet even so, from start to finish she never uttered a word of bitterness or fatigue.

The group trudged forward like ants, the only thing unyielding being a pair of eyes, steadfast enough to break one's heart.

What could be more important than saving lives? They donned these uniforms, and the first line they recited was 'To serve the people.'

Suddenly, the policewoman widened her eyes, as if discovering something, and shouted: 'Ling Yue is missing? The fox is missing too?!'

The captain had just hung up the phone when he heard this, and couldn't help laughing: 'Don't worry, she just called me; she went ahead first, and will leave markers along the road for us to follow.'

His words were light and breezy, making his subordinates glance at him several times, thinking: 'My captain, have you gotten something wrong? Is this really the point?!'

The spry policewoman said: 'Captain, we're the police; Miss Ling Yue is just a delicate girl—even if she has a companion, the criminals they face are utterly vicious!'

As she spoke, she touched the bulge at her waist—indeed, the shape of a gun.

It's not that they're overly cautious; rather, traffickers like these can actually say things like 'harvest and dismember,' and laying hands on children proves they've lost all humanity.

The chance they're armed is very high!

Hearing the policewoman's doubt, the captain let out a faint sigh, his gaze sweeping over the subordinates, and he gave a wry smile: 'What weak woman—have you ever seen a delicate girl whose speed and physique surpass ours?'

He took a deep breath; his cigarette craving was getting annoying, and he rubbed his yellowed fingertips from the smoke: 'She's someone sent from above.'

Upon hearing this, the others widened their eyes, doubting their ears: 'What? She's not some internet celebrity big streamer, is she?'

After reacting, each one showed an expression of awe: 'So this is how it is—long live the fatherland!'

The captain said, actually feeling a bit uncertain inside: 'Miss Ling Yue is unfathomable; a delicate girl certainly has nothing to do with her, but these bandits are indeed utterly vicious given the situation.' Otherwise they wouldn't hide in such remote mountains; he said, 'Let's speed up, striving to catch up and support them!'

'Good!'

Everyone responded in unison, suddenly feeling endless vigor welling up—after all, they were facing a band of ruthless villains, at least a dozen strong; even with state backing, the two of them made people unable to help worrying.

Though it seemed only two people, in reality it was Ling Yue and Jun Jun, a person and a divine beast, who after shaking off the police surged to maximum speed, not forgetting to leave markers along the way.

But the little fox, panting from exhaustion, upon seeing the familiar little wooden cabin, collapsed onto the ground and gasped: 'We're here, we're here!'

Their position was quite clever: surrounded by a ring of wildly growing shrubs, and in the shadow behind the little wooden cabin, basically no one would notice.

Ling Yue's ears twitched; being close enough, she even heard voices from inside the cabin—it sounded like they were playing cards, along with a few people's rough discussion.

Inside the cabin, four muscular men sat in a circle, their cards snapping as they were thrown down, discussing while they played.

"Old Four, when do you think they'll be back?"

"Three of spades! What? Big Brother, you're talking about Uncle Bo and them? I reckon it's soon—I got a call earlier saying I'd found a big buyer; this batch of goods has been in our hands for a while, and now we can finally sell it!"

He cursed: 'This damn place—I can't stay another day! My goodness, whose idea was it to stash the goods here? I'd freeze to death!'

"Hahaha." The other two instantly burst out laughing.

"Old Brother said: 'We've made money—Big Brother will take you to the Little Red House to have some fun?'"

"All right, thanks, Big Brother!"

Lao Si instantly beamed with joy; the little red house is their rented place's brothel, inside there are many lovely women, making Lao Si drool.

The other two also chimed in: 'Big brother, you're playing favorites; why don't I and Lao San get any?'

"All go, all go! This batch of goods is quite a lot!"

As he spoke, his greedy gaze almost stared a big hole into the children in the house; the children, most sensitive, trembled with fear like frightened little beasts, huddling together and shrinking into a ball.

Wuu-wuu-wuu, it's so scary, Mom, Mom, save me.

After this period of torment, the children already knew how terrifying these few big bad guys were; they didn't like them making noise, so even their crying was silent tears.

One child had a swollen face, silently wiping tears; at home he was a little devil who didn't do homework or read books, just played games, often making his parents jump with anger; now he really wants to go home!

Wuu-wuu-wuu, Mom I was wrong, I want to go home, I will study hard wuu-wuu-wuu~

Unfortunately, no one can hear their wishes in their hearts.

The children shrouded in the men's shadow are pitiful, like fish meat on a chopping board.

Ling Yue heard the group's conversation clearly; hearing that they would leave today, her face grew solemn, accompanied by faint weak sobs, she had already guessed it should be those kidnapped children.

Listening to their words, Ling Yue sensed there might be other lines; considering their lives and testimonies, her planned action took a detour.

She wanted these people to wish they were dead!

Ling Yue touched the jade bracelet on her wrist; in an instant, that exquisitely crafted ouroboros jade bracelet 'came alive', the spirit snake gu jade coiled around her wrist.

The little creature had previously fallen into a slumber, but as soon as its master Ling Yue called, it would wake up immediately.

The jade raised its snake head, looking at her: 'Master, what's wrong?'

Ling Yue tapped its head: 'Help me do one thing: remove the toxins from the venomous snakes and insects within a ten-li radius that are too poisonous, and summon those animals that don't die from poison; I have a use for them.'

The spirit snake gu nodded happily, its tail quietly curling around her fingertip: 'Sure!'

For it, this was nothing but a piece of cake.

Although it didn't know what the master needed it for, it still summoned them; thus, as far as Ling Yue could see, it was a black mass, all kinds of poisonous creatures gathered together: poisonous scorpions, long-legged giant centipedes, limp poisonous snakes, some with soft earth piled on their heads.

They must have just awakened from their hibernation caves.

Whoosh—

Jun Jun's bags of pet food were poured out; after learning the benefits of pet food, Ling Yue had always kept some, and later Jun Jun found out and actively asked for it.

The scroll that originally sealed Jun Jun, although now ineffective, is undoubtedly a treasure; its interior space can easily hold a thousand catties of pet food.

Seeing the pet food piled like a small hill, exuding a rich, fragrant aroma, the poisonous creatures' eyes went wide!

They didn't know what it was, but their instincts told them it was edible, delicious, and especially good for them!

Ling Yue unleashed the King of Beasts aura, intimidating these small creatures; the poisonous insects that previously looked down on humans stared at her, the timid ones already trembling, yet despite their fear, they refused to leave easily, their greedy gazes fixed on the pet food piled like a hill.

Ling Yue asked with a smile: 'Do you want to eat?'

The poisonous creatures were startled, then reacted; a powerful human was speaking to them, and a chorus of chattering voices rose instantly: 'Want to eat! Want to eat! Can humans give us something to eat?'

"I want to eat too! So fragrant! So fragrant!"

Ling Yue: "You can, but before that, you must help me do one thing; once it's done, all of this will be yours!"

A little scorpion wagged its tail excitedly, as if a pie had fallen from the sky, tears welling up, it immediately said without hesitation: 'I'll do it! I'll do it!'

The other poisonous creatures shouted, eager to try, their eyes glued to the pet food.

What is hibernation? Is it better than this fragrant delicacy? They can all sense the benefit of the pet food for themselves, and none of them want to give it up!

During this, the gu worm jade on her wrist made a 'zizi' sound, staring at them droolingly: 'It really smells good—mm!'

Ling Yue, quick-eyed and quick-handed, stuffed it with a mouthful of high-purity pet food; the flavor, hundreds or thousands of times richer, instantly left it dazed, with no time to think of those bland little snacks.

During this time, Ling Yue began to integrate the poisonous creatures; her gaze at the little wooden house was obscure and hard to read.

These people really deserve to die!

The ground was covered with countless poisonous creatures, at least hundreds or thousands, all staring at her, waiting for Ling Yue's command for the poisonous beast army to charge forward with howls.

Ling Yue said they could not harm the children, only bite the adults; under the lure of the pet food, their tiny brains remembered this clearly!

Just then, Ling Yue suddenly heard a chaotic footsteps.

She raised her hand to signal the poisonous beast army to stop, then looked over; within a few seconds, a large group of over a dozen people came over, each vigorous and fierce-eyed, some even carrying killing intent.

Before they even entered the door, the burly man inside rushed out, warmly welcoming them; the leading man was the most burly, one eye showing a white shadow; when he saw people, only his other good eye moved, so Ling Yue was certain his other eye was blind.

For some reason, she suddenly felt a pang of anxiety.

The one-eyed man didn't even have time to drink water, he hurriedly said: 'Quickly take out those goods; we're leaving this place right away; I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling.'

"Anyway, we're about to deliver the goods; in these remote mountains, no one will come; the truck to receive the goods is just parked on the road."

His intuition is truly sharp.

Ling Yue smiled silently; as for leaving, don't even think about it!

She walked straight out of the bushes, suddenly seeing a big living person; the group was stunned, then reacted quickly: 'Damn, how is there still someone in this godforsaken place!'

"Damn, she must be a tourist coming up the mountain; hurry, give her to me—" he said, then paused, his lecherous eyes scanning Ling Yue's appearance; the words that should have been 'kill her' turned into: 'Seize her! Grab the women, kill the men!'

What they didn't expect was that the delicate, pretty girl showed no fear at all: 'Begin the attack!'

What does that mean?

The dense black poisonous beast army launched an attack; the leading black creature gave a slap, flicked its tail, and its forked tongue hissed: 'The master said, let them wish they were dead!'

Seeing the poisonous beast army, everyone's faces changed: 'Holy shit, so many snakes, and scorpions too!'

If they were ordinary people, they'd have been scared to lose bladder and bowel control, but these people are not ordinary; they are blood‑licking villains, and seeing such a horrifying scene only stirred their bloodlust!

"Kill her for me!"

"Take her out!"

The boss directly pulled out a gun, the dark muzzle aimed at Ling Yue, his face still wearing a vicious smile: 'Go die!'

Whether human, ghost, or anything else, one shot will take her out!

Ling Yue flicked her fingertip in midair; centered on her, within half a meter a transparent barrier appeared.

Bang— the bullet shot out, and a terrifying thing happened—there was no imagined bloody slaughter; the bullet seemed to hit an invisible barrier and instantly turned to powder.

Holy shit, what the hell is this!

Run!

They abandoned the children and chose to flee; according to Ling Yue's calculation, they had only one road—the road to execution!

The dense swarm of toxic creatures had already surrounded the men; each bug took a puff and injected venom, capable of grinding even the toughest bone to powder.

The scene was extremely gruesome and horrifying.

Ahhh, it hurts!

Don't come over, don't crawl, ahhh I'm dying of pain!

Before the police arrived, they already heard continuous wails and screams; the team members looked at each other, facial muscles twitching: "Something happened!"

They drew their sidearms one by one, but by the time they arrived, the ground was littered with a pile of pig heads, covered in arrogant snakes and insects that almost made them scream.

So many snakes and scorpions!

On the other side stood Ling Yue, spotless and without a speck of dust, forming a stark contrast with the wailing criminals.

Help! Help, officer, she's a monster!

A man crawling over had a large flowered snake coiled around his leg, and he lunged at his chest with a bite: "I'll bite you to death, you're the monster! Pighead!"

Ahhhhh!!!

Other officers: "......"

Is this guy's brain broken? This is Ling Yue, the master!

Their admiration for Ling Yue now knows no bounds, especially after the captain identified the one-eyed dragon as the fugitive killer the police were after; this scene isn't scary at all—it's quite a sight!

The criminals in agony crawled and rolled, trying to grab the policewoman's leg, while the poisonous scorpions on them shook loose with the movement, mainly because they were tired from biting.

Seeing this, the policewoman almost screamed; seeing his outstretched hand, she stomped down hard on it.

Ahhh!!!

Seeing the situation turn bad, the toxic creatures had already fled cleverly; the man who was stepped on screamed repeatedly.

Policewoman: "......"

It's not her fault—who let this guy, covered in poisonous bugs, dare to approach her? Why didn't he go find someone else, pick on her? Persimmons are for squeezing the soft ones.

With her explosive temper, how could anyone tolerate it!

Moreover, looking at his full-bodied vigor, he definitely won't die anytime soon!

Before the children came out, Ling Yue recalled her toxic army; the small animals cheered as they rushed toward the pet food pile, and in no time the spot was spotless, nothing left.

As for this group of poisoned bandits, after being filtered by the jade, they at most feel painful numbness; most lie on the ground like corpses, in agony to the point of exhaustion!

For the police, it's incredibly convenient—almost like a delivered third-class merit! Moreover, seeing these people's miserable state brings an indescribable sense of satisfaction; it's truly gratifying.

Ling Yue sensed scorching gazes; she turned her head and saw, on a narrow door crack, a pair of large eyes staring at her intently. When she looked back, the children burst into tiny screams.

Ahhh, she, she's looking at us!

At this moment, Ling Yue standing in the crowd is practically their goddess!

Ultraman didn't come to save me; I no longer believe in light—it's the goddess sister who saved me!

Wuu wuu wuu, Mama, I want to go home, Mama~

When Ling Yue approached and opened the door, the children swarmed out; fortunately the toxic troops had already left, otherwise she'd truly fear accidentally scaring them.

The little ones, still knee-high, clung to Ling Yue, not knowing where they'd learned the word, constantly calling her goddess; their chubby soft faces resembled round, plump, soft glutinous rice balls.

Afterward, the police dispatched over a dozen vehicles—some to transport the criminals, some to take away the dozens of children; the children reluctantly bade her farewell.

Ling Yue waved her hand, hadn't spoken yet, when her phone rang—it was a call from the Special Safety Bureau.

Zhou Ziyan got straight to the point: "I got word you've just finished up here; I have good news—the team members sent to assist you have taken the high-speed rail and already arrived at Longhu Mountain; you can go straight up, and lodging has been prepared for you there."

Ling Yue nodded; she wasn't surprised that they knew her situation, with so many watching, how could there be no news?

Hearing Zhou Ziyan's call made her delighted; she had originally planned to come down the mountain today and return tomorrow, but they'd already prepared everything, so she didn't need to make the trip back and forth—though it wouldn't be tiring, the hassle was real.

At that moment, the sky was dim; the little fox bade them farewell, and after learning Ling Yue's plan, it pointed out a small path: "Go through there, and that's the tourists' route up the mountain—I often see lots of people heading up; now in winter there may be fewer."

Ling Yue nodded, then suddenly noticed it was too quiet around her.

She turned her head to see Jun Jun with his head drooping; Ling Yue knew what was up with him—nothing more than that he hadn't been able to help earlier.

But—

Ling Yue took the initiative to hold his hand; Jun Jun froze, then after a while reacted: "I didn't help at all."

Ling Yue fell silent for a moment, because this was her request; she shook their joined fingers: "For this matter, my intervention is enough; later is when you'll need to act on the big thing!"

Hearing those words, Jun Jun's ears perked up instantly, his eyes shining as he gazed at her.

Ling Yue explained: "Didn't you hear earlier? The Mystic Gate Association is up to something on Longhu Mountain; we're currently responsible for the mountain's safety, and I can't handle it alone—I need your help, Jun Jun."

Are you willing?

Jun Jun almost immediately said: "Of course I'm willing!"

During this time, he learned a word—'climax'; the most important things often appear later. Is it possible that Yue Yue not letting him act is exactly this mindset?

She regards me as very important.

Jun Jun's usually radiant smile took on a hint of shyness.

Ling Yue didn't know what he was thinking, but she could see Jun Jun's complexion visibly improving; he chuckled now and then on the way up the mountain, looking quite happy.

Well, this is it now.

She hadn't even had a chance to ask when the footsteps behind her suddenly halted; at first Ling Yue didn't pay much attention, assuming they were mountain tourists.

The next moment, she heard a scream: "Ahhh, ghosts, ghosts!"

The tourists' companions jumped: "What's going on?"

I—I just heard a creepy hehehe laugh; it's too, too scary—I'm not watching the sunrise anymore! I want to go down the mountain!

Ling Yue: "……"

She couldn't hold back, she poked the teenager's waist: "Let's go quickly."

Ling Yue feared that if this continued, tomorrow on the plank road of Longhu Mountain, some strange stories would spread.

When they reached the summit, the sky was already pitch black, a crescent moon hung in the night sky.

Ling Yue held the verification number sent by Zhou Ziyan, and on the mountain's guesthouse she saw the assisting team members.

It was actually Team Captain Jiang Ye leading the team!

There were also several teammates she didn't know; counting her and Jun Jun, that made four men and two women. Jiang Ye said with a solemn expression: "Do you feel anything? Is there something abnormal here?"

Ling Yue shook her head; she felt nothing at all, it looked like an utterly ordinary tourist spot—could it be that her cultivation is too low?

At this moment, Ling Yue inexplicably felt a sense of urgency.

Upon hearing her words, Jiang Ye didn't speak, instead changed the subject and directly told her the truth—

The Xuanmen Association intends to release the ferocious beast that has been suppressed for ten thousand years on Longhu Mountain!

Ling Yue shuddered in shock; time slowly passed, and in a blink it was the next day.

They split into three teams, disguising themselves as ordinary tourists, searching on the summit of Longhu Mountain.

Ling Yue and Jun Jun formed a team, wearing masks on their faces, just like the most ordinary tourists; suddenly, a crowd surged toward one direction, Ling Yue and Jun Jun exchanged a glance—something was up!

She strongly suspected the Xuanmen Association was behind this.

When they actually arrived at the site, the whole person was stunned.

The surrounding tourists' bustling voices drifted into their ears: "Hurry, wife, come quick—we've really struck luck this time, we actually get to see a Daoist wedding!"

Ling Yue: "⊙﹏⊙"

She instinctively looked at Jun Jun, who was also looking at her; recalling her earlier excitement, Ling Yue wished she could find a crack in the ground to hide in.

It turned out not to be an accident, but a wedding.

Ling Yue's cheeks were slightly red; because they were in such a hurry, they even squeezed to the very front, and the view was still quite open.

Jun Jun gazed at the ceremony site, somewhat puzzled: "Aren't Daoists not allowed to marry?"

Speaking of this, Ling Yue was clear; when she originally studied the classics, she had gathered much Daoist history, so she understood well, and explained: "Daoism has many schools; among them are two major sects, Zhengyi Dao and Quanzhen Dao. Quanzhen Dao prohibits marriage, while Zhengyi Dao permits it."

"Then this must be Zhengyi Dao, right?"

Ling Yue nodded: "Exactly, the ancestral master of Longhu Mountain, Zhang Daoling, is still the founder of Zhengyi Dao; originally his descendants inherited the position of sect leader of Longhu Mountain."

Ling Yue thought for a moment and said: "Actually, Daoists should all be allowed to marry; Daoism believes that solitary yin does not grow, solitary yang does not arise; one yin and one yang constitute the Dao. Daoism does not forbid marriage, it just doesn't particularly approve."

Ling Yue thought: "Recently, a Quanzhen Dao disciple married a Longmen Dao disciple."

"Oh, also, a Quanzhen Dao disciple who marries cannot hold a high position."

After Ling Yue finished speaking, she heard a chorus of gasps; looking up, she saw everyone staring at her. While many know that Daoists can marry, few know it as detailed as Ling Yue does; today everyone really broadened their horizons.

Ling Yue didn't notice, but in the crowd a couple far away nodded at her; the husband wore a Daoist robe, the wife plain clothing—obviously, this is also a Zhengyi Dao priest who came today with his wife to observe the ceremony.

Suddenly, the previously quiet crowd, like cold water splashing into hot oil, began to boil with a crackling sound.

"The newcomers have arrived!"

Ling Yue curiously looked over——,,.