Starting with the titmouse, seventy-two transformations

Chapter 300 Past Events, Grandma, Yu Niang (Please Subscribe)
The night was deep, and the mountain wind howled.

A dozen torches were strung together, their flames leaping and illuminating the way ahead.

The group of people, reunited after a long separation, shared their experiences and were filled with mixed emotions.

Liu Sheng rode on Xiao Biao's back, swaying back and forth quite violently.

It wasn't that he didn't care about it, but the little guy insisted on carrying Liu Sheng on his back, otherwise he would lie on the ground and refuse to get up.

"After that imperial flow of liquid, the growth of heaven and earth accelerated. The cave where we hid changed every day. Sometimes, when we woke up after a nap, it was a whole size bigger than before."

All the methods you devised have failed.

A few days later, some spirits followed the scent and came looking for them.

It was the female knight you left behind who intervened and saved us from this calamity.

In the following month or so, more and more monsters were found, and they became more and more powerful. Many of the surrounding plants, trees, and wild animals became spirits overnight.

For example, the vines in our cave originally intended to ambush us and devour our blood, but Xiao Biao discovered them and warned us.

Then the imperial court surrounded the mountains and searched the forests, conscripting laborers to build cities and repair roads, leaving us no choice but to flee...

The journey was bloody and terrifying, but we were fortunate to have that heroine risked her life to save us many times.

She stayed behind to cover our retreat until we accidentally stumbled upon the Thunder Rat's lair, and then she never returned.

Fortunately, Xiao Biao and the five strange snakes you left behind also benefited from the Emperor's Essence, their bloodlines were enhanced, and they became stronger day by day, risking their lives to protect us.

We survived in the end and gained many opportunities, but at a heavy price. Xiao Biao's hind leg was injured when he was attacked and bitten by a poisonous centipede. This made us miss the appointed time and we had to have our leg amputated to survive..."

Old He followed Liu Sheng, rambling on and on about the past, sighing with emotion.

They escaped from the mountains, but were discovered by the imperial army searching the mountains. They were recorded as refugees, conscripted for corvée labor, and made to repair the city of Shanyang Prefecture.

Even Xiao Biao and the five-headed snake spirit were not spared, and they had to carry bricks, ram earth, and transport materials every day.

This hard labor lasted for more than half a year.

They originally thought that once the city of Shanyang was repaired, they could take a break, but they ultimately underestimated the bottom line of the bureaucrats.

As for cattle and horses, if they won't die from overuse, then overuse them to the point of exhaustion.

Less than three days after the new city was completed, they were summoned and were to be escorted deep into Black Wind Mountain to build a military town.

They had experienced firsthand how terrifying Black Wind Mountain was; even just the edge of the mountain had brought them to the brink of death.

If they really had to cross the road, how could that group of elderly, weak, women and children possibly survive?
Just then, the White Lotus Sect was in rebellion, and they gritted their teeth and willingly got "coerced" into it.

"Later, the rebellion grew bigger and bigger, and the imperial court sent troops to suppress it. The Suspended Mirror Bureau and the Demon Suppression Bureau joined forces to launch a surprise attack, killing almost all the leaders of the rebel army."

The imperial army seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack, sparing no one, determined to use our heads to gain promotions and wealth, leaving us no way out.

Left with no other choice, we led a group of people and fought our way out in the chaos, managing to survive by sheer luck.

In that battle, Xiao Biao's stomach was ripped open, his intestines spilling out onto the ground. He fought to the death against a commander, and then the Five Snakes went berserk, spewing venomous water, which frightened the pursuers, allowing us to escape into Crouching Tiger Ridge.

At this point, he reached out and scratched Xiao Biao's chin, filled with emotion:

"Xiao Biao was seriously injured that time. He was in a coma for several months and almost died several times, but he eventually survived and made great progress in his cultivation. However, due to insufficient resources and severe injuries, he was stuck halfway and failed to become a demon."

"Roar!"

Xiao Biao let out a low growl, indicating that everything was fine. It had been building up its strength for several years and could break through the pass in one go.

"A few years is too long... I want you to speak within three days."

Liu Sheng rubbed the back of its neck, looking on with a sigh.

Who would have thought that the little guy who couldn't even walk steadily would eventually become the guardian angel of the old lady and her family?

The story of a three-year-old tiger cub guarding its family is truly heartwarming.

"Three days?"

Old He understood the implication in the words, paused for a moment, and remained silent, only glancing at Liu Sheng with suspicion.

Only demons can speak human language, which means that Xiao Biao's bloodline must undergo another transformation within three days, allowing him to break through the barrier and become a demon.

It had failed once before, getting stuck halfway through, making it much more difficult to become a demon again than before.

Could it be that Brother Sheng obtained some extraordinary divine favor in the ruins, which is why he is so confident?

Liu Sheng smiled faintly, offered no further explanation, and instead inquired about the situation at Wohu Village.

"Back then, when we fled into Wohu Ridge, we relied on the treacherous terrain and the Five Snakes to deal with the imperial court."

Over time, its reputation spread.

Many scattered rebels, desperate civilians, ruined powerful families, refugees, and miners flocked to join them. Their numbers grew like a snowball, attracting the attention of influential figures within the church and garnering increasing support.

With more people, there are more ideas, and with the added emphasis on 'importance' mentioned above, the current situation has emerged.

We lack the strength; Yue'e alone has established her foundation and entered the Dao, and those she has gathered are all impoverished people who can't survive, unlike others.

My words naturally lack the assertiveness of others, which has caused you, Sheng-ge, to suffer.

Old He chuckled self-deprecatingly, and was about to recount the situations of Qiao She, Ling Gongzi, Sun Kening, Han Santong, and the Zhang brothers, when an urgent shout rang out from ahead:
"Where is my precious grandson? Quickly, bring this old woman there!"

His voice was old and hoarse, with a hint of tears in it.

Grandma!

Liu Sheng's breath hitched, his heart felt like it had been struck hard, and he couldn't help but shudder.

Scenes from the past instantly flooded my mind—

He knelt down and kowtowed to the landlord and his servants, begging for his life.

Pressing his stomach, he said he wasn't hungry, saving him a bowl of porridge.

He swallowed his pride and asked people for grain, only to be met with cold words and ridicule. He returned empty-handed and sat on the doorstep in a daze.

To conceal the fact that he had become an apprentice, he forced Yu Niang to become his concubine by wielding a knife.

……

These scenes, though seemingly recent, are like faded old photographs, vividly recreating bygone days, enduring and timeless.

Liu Sheng felt a lump in his throat, leaped off Xiao Biaozi's back, and rushed forward with lightning speed.

A dozen or so feet away, an old woman in gray, leaning on a cane, walked briskly along the mountain path, stumbling and falling several times.

Behind her, a young woman tried to help her up, but she forcefully shook her off.

It's Grandma and Yu Niang!

"Grandma, your grandson is here!"

Liu Sheng's eyes reddened, and he stepped forward and knelt down with a "plop".

"Grandson, my dear grandson...is this really my grandson...the voice sounds so much like his..."

Grandma Liu reached out and tremblingly touched Liu Sheng's face:

"These eyebrows, these ears, this nose... chin, he's a descendant of my Liu family, truly my precious grandson!"
Grandma's back! I missed you so much!

Where have you been for the past three years? The world is in such chaos, you must have suffered a lot.
Look at you, you've gotten so thin!

She squeezed Liu Sheng's full, muscular shoulder and sighed:

"It's a pity I'm blind and can no longer see your face, but thankfully I've finally waited for you to come back!"
Even if I die now, I'll have the face to go and meet our ancestors.

"I just couldn't see the Crown Prince..."

Tears welled in her graying old eyes, she mumbled incoherently, her voice gradually fading, and then she collapsed.

"Grandma!"

Liu Sheng was shocked and immediately hugged her slender body. After a moment of sensing her body, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The elderly person was frail and overjoyed, and fainted.

A little adjustment will do the trick.

As for going blind...

With mango pomelo sago available, everything is not a problem.

“…Sheng-ge’er, give it to me, Grandma.”

At this moment, Yu Niang stepped forward and carefully took the old woman from her, keeping her head down and not daring to look at her.

Liu Sheng, with his keen senses, reached out and pinched her chin, lifting it up—

Five centipede-like scars, crisscrossing and crawling all over his face, the scars and flesh grotesque, like evil spirits, can stop children from crying at night.

Liu Sheng's breath hitched, and after a moment of silence, he said softly:

"Who did it?"

In an instant, the air froze, as if we had fallen into an ice cellar.

(End of this chapter)