Yefutidaolu

Chapter 242 Encounter
Returning from the Imperial Academy, Dansha carried Gao Jian on a flight.

Cinnabar shivered involuntarily.

Ever since that day when Canghai told her to be careful about various things in the capital, Dansha has always felt a chill down her spine.

They might be easily frightened, but there's nothing we can do about it.

Death... is terrible.

To be honest, Dan Sha is very afraid of dying.

She had died once and knew what that felt like.

It's like... a flower being pressed into a pot of boiling oil.

The oil temperature in the pan is not high, so it doesn't produce that "deep-frying" feeling. Instead, it slowly extracts the vitality and aroma from the flowers.

Or you could use something else, like scallions or garlic.

This method of frying produces scallion oil and garlic oil.

Cinnabar, on the other hand, prefers to be associated with the meaning of 'flower', since they are all pretty much the same anyway.

During this soaking and frying process, the fragrance and various substances are separated from the flower. Through stirring and separation, the flower quickly loses most of its fragrance and color.

Oils, on the other hand, acquire fragrance and color, and are generally referred to as 'aromatic essential oils'.

This means that the fragrance of the flower has been transferred to another medium. But the process is not yet over. It still needs to be thoroughly filtered through gauze to remove the finest oil particles, and then slowly distilled over a low flame.

Finally, the fragrance of millions of flowers vanished, and the vast ocean of blossoms was exhausted. Every petal was soaked, leaving only essential oil.

But what happened to the flower itself?
It's like cinnabar.

Everything was removed.

Her fragrance and her colors were painlessly extracted.

There is no pain sensation, because the sense of pain has long been isolated. What follows is only an endless sense of emptiness, just like after a person dies, their internal organs, brain, and bones are all gradually removed.

It wasn't very painful, but... it was unbearable.

It's like when a strong feeling of hunger strikes.

The hunger was truly intense, which brought about an extraordinary physiological response; the desire to eat instantly overwhelmed everything else.

Eating is the first priority for survival. This instinct is firmly etched into every living thing. No living thing can suppress its desire to eat. A creature may be able to suppress its instincts through willpower, but that requires extremely high willpower and psychological preparation.

When this hunger struck, Dan Sha almost lost control.

It's painful, empty, without light or color, taste or sound.

I need to fill myself up; I want to fill myself up.

Such hunger overwhelmed Dansha's mind at that time, tormenting her to the point that she lost all ability to think, leaving only instinct, the impulse to devour, and succumbing to the most primal desires.

This emptiness is actually universally present in all 'ghosts'.

Why do ghosts eat people? Why do the spirits of the dead absorb yang energy? It's because of this intense feeling of emptiness, exhaustion, and depletion that can cause a kind person in life to lose their mind and completely transform into a man-eating demon.

Dansha would tremble involuntarily whenever he thought of that feeling.

will die……

She was terrified of death, terrified of it all, even the slightest possibility of it would give her that feeling.

So... that's why she's always stayed by Takami's side.

It wasn't that she lacked self-respect, nor that she didn't understand how easily her actions towards Gao Jian could cause misunderstandings; moreover, she understood exactly what her uncle, Shun Jingjiang, was worried about.

After all, sleeping together is a bit too much.

However, she couldn't calm down without doing so.

I feel more at ease when I'm with Gao Jian.

She... was scared.

“Cinnabar?” At this moment, Gao Jian’s voice came: “Why are you stunned again? Head east, diagonally down, we need to take a detour to that large residential area, and then turn back to pick up Long.”

Dansha turned around and immediately said, "Wait, now that you mention it, I remember you brought a horse back, didn't you? How come I'm practically your mount? Can't you ride a horse yourself? I can just fly next to you, why do I have to be ridden by you?"

Dansha suddenly realized this.

At the same time, she also discovered something else.

When speaking with someone with insightful opinions... I'm not afraid.

Because he has undergone many trials.

He has no ill intentions, he doesn't lie, and... even if someone slept next to him, he really wouldn't mind.

Very relieved.

Don't be afraid.

He's a very strange person; Dansha has only encountered one like him so far.

Being around someone with such insightful views is especially... reassuring.

On the other side, Gao Jian smiled and remained noncommittal: "That makes sense, but Zou Long isn't here. Let's talk about it later."

Shu Jian didn't care about any of that, but Shu Shu just looked worried: "So, what should we do? If we can't get into the Imperial Academy, it's a small matter if we can't get what we want, but we'll probably still be hunted down afterward, without this layer of protection..."

"Don't worry, let's find out the details first."

"Where should we go to find out the details?" Shu Jian frowned.

“We know people, don’t we? We came to the Imperial Academy together, didn’t we? There’s also Shui Cangcang, right?” Gao Jian smiled. “But we have to get Zou Long on board first. We haven’t brought him along these past few days. I wonder if the stables in Yangjing are doing well.”

"You're going to find Shui Cangcang?" Shu Jian asked with some concern. "He probably won't be able to help you much, will he?"

“I don’t need their help. As I said, the main thing is to find out the details. Shui Cangcang can’t help me with anything else, but the Shui family definitely knows more about the situation of the Four Barbarian Tribes than I do. Just go and ask them. Besides, the Shui family’s residence should be in the same area as the Four Barbarian Tribes. They are all nobles, so it’s normal for them to live in the same area,” Gao Jian said.

This route offers the opportunity to visit Shui Cangcang and also to inquire about the situation of the four barbarian tribes along the way; perhaps we can discover something along the way.

"Oh, no wonder we had to go this way. I knew it," Dansha said, suddenly realizing.

"What can you do with the information about the four barbarian tribes? We're in Yangjing, and you can't possibly go there. Besides, even if you did, it probably wouldn't be very effective, right? What use would it be for the current situation?" Shu Jian asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Elder Shu is overthinking it. If the Four Barbarian Tribes were truly this powerful, what would they be called 'barbarians'? Wouldn't they have already become the legitimate rulers of the Divine Dynasty? His attempt to suppress me and vent his anger is probably not that simple," Gao Jian said with a smile.

"Okay... then I'll listen to you. You have a lot of ideas." Mouse nodded, agreeing with the brilliant idea.

It's well known that Gao Jian has a brilliant mind; it's indeed quite sharp.

As he spoke, cinnabar flew through the air, passing through the streets, where the houses were extremely luxurious.

This place is the residential area of ​​Taiwei Enclosure, where many nobles live. The young master of the Taotie tribe and Shui Cangcang are both in this area. Passing through here would be a good opportunity to check the situation. However, at this moment...

"Sniff... such a strong smell of blood, and so many different smells. What are they doing here? Slaughtering pigs for the New Year?" Dansha looked down with some doubt.

Then she saw below, a mansion, standing openly in the courtyard without any attempt at concealment.

The remains of many different kinds of children were laid out there, and... there were a lot of human remains.

Humans are the most intelligent of all beings, possessing more innate energy, which is also easier to obtain, so... they have an exceptionally large amount.

They prey on livers and brains, cut off the flesh from arms, gouge out eyes and ears, taste noses and tongues, eat all kinds of cooked bones and pillows, eat meat, pickle livers, and drink blood, without distinguishing between kinds or differences, all of which are laid out there for them to enjoy.

The aura emanating from the Taotie was not strong, but it did not conceal itself, clearly revealing its form. The clouds in the sky were affected by this aura and turned into Taotie patterns.

Cinnabar flew right next to the Taotie pattern and happened to witness what was happening below.

"It's that young master of the Taotie tribe again." Dansha looked down and frowned slightly.

Gao Jian looked down and saw that the other party was walking into a cage, seemingly preparing to extract the brains of young boys and girls and give them medicine. Then, behind him, a 'Taotie Dharma Image' rose up, with the body of a sheep and the face of a human, its eyes under its armpits, tiger teeth and human claws.

The Taotie sect's methods all revolve around 'eating'.

The type of practice one follows the same dietary guidelines; food is a crucial part of the practice and a source of spiritual progress.

This is spiritual practice.

Without even thinking, Gao Jian's body had already started moving before he even considered anything.

Shu Jian was carried on his head and rushed down with him.

Before the mouse could figure out what was happening, the sudden fall made it grab Gao Jian's hair and scream, "What's going on?! Can't you stand up?!"

But being a seventh-realm demon, the rat had already seen what was happening below when it was halfway down.

The mouse didn't react much to the eating of various cubs. He was startled when he saw Helensabao. His golden fur stood on end, his arm muscles bulged, and his body swelled up!
The mouse suddenly transformed from an adorable golden hamster into a muscular giant mouse with sixteen abs!
As they landed, they saw many protective barriers rise into the air from the mansion.

Suddenly, many phantom images appeared on the walls of the mansion, and these phantom images were all shaped like seahorses.

Seahorses, also known as "fallen dragons," are believed to ward off evil spirits and protect the home, making them a common protective animal in these residences.

These seahorses opened their mouths and spewed out a torrent of energy, producing a series of soft bangs.

The strange beast made a cracking sound, and a thunderous roar came crashing down on us like a torrential downpour!

The golden energy formed a barrier, protecting Gao Jian and himself!
Gao Jian drew his sword, and silver light poured out, turning into a ball that formed a ring around his body.

What appears to be a ball is actually a rapidly swirling blade, completely enveloping the entire body! With terrifying speed, it deflects all incoming attacks.

The clanging and clattering sounds came, but they did not offend Gao Jian.

It was truly impenetrable, and the wind from the blade even created vortexes around it. It seemed that if he hadn't swung it in a circle but instead waved it above his head, he might have flown up like a helicopter.

This can be considered a way for martial artists to fly.

The rusty knife has no blade now, so it's just a rusty iron rod. It's not very powerful and can't even cut paper, but it's still hard enough to stop these things.

However, Gao Jian's hand began to bleed from the tiger's mouth.

These marbles are not only fast-firing, but each one is also an extra-large caliber!
Although the exact numerical value is unknown, judging from its power, just one bullet can break a person's limbs, and two consecutive hits can cut a person in two.

How many are there in front of us now?
I don't know, but it's probably over a million.

This thing, with its density design, can even tear apart boulders, turn people into a bloody mist, and even "saw" a building or even a 'mountain' in half!

The attack lasted only one second.

Because a second later, Shu Jian was already ready.

He shielded Gao Jian, and the flying bullets hit Shu Jian's golden hair, but didn't leave a mark. The bullets, which were clearly capable of splitting stone and breaking monuments, were no different from raindrops falling on a wall. There was only movement, but no damage.

He exhaled golden energy, which transformed into a golden thread. In an instant, all the illusory seahorses collapsed.

No sooner said than done, the whole thing took only two seconds.

After destroying the illusion of the seahorse, Takami landed in the middle of the mansion.

The rusty knife fell.

Helensabao abruptly pulled away, throwing the infant in his arms aside.

Gao Jian stopped pursuing, stepped back, and held the baby in his arms.

As for Shu Jian, he was already standing in the middle of the courtyard, raising his golden energy to block the guards. The middle-aged woman who was a seventh-realm cursed witch had also arrived, and Shu Shu was confronting them!

At this moment, Gao Jian handed the baby over to Dan Sha.

Dansha was taken aback, but still hurriedly caught it.

She was somewhat at a loss. A small child was suddenly handed to her by Gao Jian. She didn't know whether to take it or not, but in the end she took it anyway, stiff as a table, letting the child lie in her arms.

At this moment, the situation finally became clear.

Inside the courtyard, guards stood outside, along with a seventh-realm sorcerer skilled in curses, whom Shu Jian had stopped at the door.

In the courtyard, there was a pile of infants from various races. Some of them had already been eaten, but there was still some left, which should be reserve food, most of which was for humans.

Gao Jian and Helun Sabao stood in the middle, while Dan Sha held a child behind them, his body stiff as an iron plate.

"Insightful... It hasn't been long, and you're here again. Is this time to apologize to me?" The gluttonous image behind Helunsabao remained unchanged, but drool began to drip from its mouth.

There was no other reason than that he saw cinnabar.

That smell... Hmm, it's not the smell of dragon meat, it's perfume and rouge... Ugh, I'll wash it clean before eating it, rouge and such things are too disgusting.

After vomiting, Helensabao was able to resist the temptation of his appetite and began to take Gao Jian seriously.

Your insight is profound.

The rusty knife is now completely dull; it's definitely not good for cutting people. It's better to put it away.

However, he looked at the young master of the Taotie tribe with a cold expression: "Helunsabao...you eat people."

Helensabao was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly couldn't hold back and burst into laughter: "Haha...hey, I thought you were going to say something else. Look, aren't there baby elephants and kittens over there? I'll eat those, and then you won't say anything?"

What's the difference between people and those things?

"No, you're really hypocritical. I eat animal meat, so what? What difference does it make? Haven't you ever eaten meat? What's wrong with tigers and wolves devouring lambs?" Helunsabao sneered at Gao Jian.

"The law of the jungle prevails, it's a matter of course, and even the sages believed it. And yet you use that to criticize me? And you're so angry about it."

"Are you... stupid?"

(End of this chapter)