Chinese animation: Starting with Bad Guys

Qin Chuan's lips curved into a barely perceptible smile.

He bent down, picked up the demon-repelling talisman he had torn off from the ground, and naturally stuck it back onto his arm.

The talisman's dark red glow returned, as if it had never been torn off.

Then, he calmly sat back in the cage, closed his eyes again, and calmed his breathing, as if he had never made any move.

Inside and outside the dilapidated temple, only the crackling of the bonfire, the Taoist priest's snores, and Tu Shan Rongrong's suppressed sobs remained.

Time passed slowly amidst the oppression.

After an unknown amount of time, the small figure curled up in the corner moved.

The young Taoist quietly sat up, glanced warily at the sleeping older Taoist, and only after confirming that the snoring was still going on did he tiptoe out of bed.

The scars on his face appeared even more distorted in the flickering firelight, but his eyes shone brightly in the shadows, filled with determination and an almost sacred sense of mission.

He walked silently to the red iron cage of Tu Shan, muttering something so soft it was almost inaudible: "My senior brother is asleep... that makes things easier..."

Tu Shan Hong Hong's muscles tensed up instantly!

As she saw the young Taoist priest approaching, his eyes flickering in the firelight, she immediately thought of the lewd gaze of the older Taoist priest she had seen before.

The idea that "all humans are evil," instilled by Feng Xi, instantly flooded his mind.

What is he going to do? Be like that beast?!

A chilling killing intent instantly condensed in Tu Shan Hong Hong's eyes!

Even if her demonic power was almost completely suppressed by the demon-suppressing talisman, and even if using her remaining power would subject her to torture-like pain again, she would never allow herself to be defiled!

Her fingernails quietly sharpened, and the last trace of demonic power within her body gathered desperately at her fingertips, ready to strike with all her might the moment the young Taoist priest made any improper move!

The young Taoist priest seemed oblivious to the deadly threat that was right before his eyes.

He cautiously reached out, his movements somewhat clumsy, but his target was not Tu Shan Honghong, but the demon-slaying talisman on her wrist that was flashing red!

His fingers trembled, yet he gripped the edge of the talisman with unusual firmness.

A soft "sizzle" sound!

The demon-repelling talisman on Tu Shan Hong Hong's wrist was actually torn off by this young Taoist priest!

The restraints were instantly lifted! A faint yet liberating sense of demonic power surged back into his body!

However, this sudden "freedom" did not bring joy, but instead became the fuse that ignited murderous intent!

The restraints suddenly disappeared, and Tu Shan Honghong felt her demonic power surge within her body. Almost instinctively, she gathered her demonic power at her fingertips and, with a sharp gust of wind, stabbed it toward the little Taoist's heart!

The hatred she had been instilled with for so long, coupled with her protective instincts towards her sister, caused her to lose her judgment under the intense pain and stress.

A suppressed, sharp shout was forced out of her throat!

Her arm transformed into a crimson afterimage, carrying claws imbued with all her remaining demonic power, resentment, and fear, and with lightning speed, it viciously stabbed towards the heart of the young Taoist priest who was standing right next to her!

The cold glint of his fingertips shimmered with the chilling light of death in the firelight!

The young Taoist priest was completely stunned!

He tore off the talisman, intending to set her free, but what awaited him was a deadly claw!

The color drained from his scarred face instantly, leaving only utter terror and bewilderment. He even forgot to dodge, forced to watch helplessly as the deadly fingertip pierced his heart.

The shadow of death loomed over them in an instant!

At the critical moment!

A long, strong hand, like an iron clamp, firmly gripped Tu Shan Hong Hong's wrist!

The ferocious claws that stabbed out were less than three inches away from the young Taoist's heart, but were frozen in mid-air!

Tu Shan Honghong turned her head in astonishment and saw that Qin Chuan had silently stood beside her cage at some point, one hand reaching through the gap in the iron bars to firmly restrain her.

His eyes were calm and serene, devoid of reproach, but possessing a profound insight that seemed to see through everything.

Time seemed to stand still.

Tu Shan Honghong was breathing heavily, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.

Looking at her claws that had nearly pierced the human's heart, and then at the little Taoist priest who was terrified and limp on the ground, a chill suddenly shot up her spine to the top of her head!

He wasn't trying to assault me... he wanted to... let me go?!

The thought exploded in her mind like a thunderbolt! That young Taoist priest, whom she regarded as a member of the vile human race, had actually taken a huge risk and torn off the demon-repelling talisman to save her?!

"Sister...Sister?"

Tu Shan Rongrong was also stunned by this sudden turn of events, her face turning deathly pale.

The young Taoist priest slumped to the ground, panting heavily, his whole body drenched in cold sweat. His eyes, as he looked at Tu Shan Honghong, were filled with lingering fear and indescribable sorrow.

He saved her, but she almost killed him.

Tu Shan Honghong's hand fell limply to her sides, the sharpness at her fingertips fading.

She looked into the pure, untainted sorrow in the young Taoist's eyes, and then recalled Qin Chuan's bet about the "kind human race"...

At this moment, the first clear and huge crack appeared in the seemingly indestructible world of hatred that Feng Xi had built for her!

Shock, bewilderment, disbelief... a complex mix of emotions surged violently in her reddish-brown eyes.

She spoke with difficulty, her voice extremely dry:

"Why...why did you save me? I...I'm a demon!"

She couldn't understand it; it completely overturned everything she had been taught.

The young Taoist priest supported himself on the ground, slowly stood up, and patted the dust off his Taoist robe.

He looked at Tu Shan Honghong, then at Tu Shan Rongrong in the cage beside him, who was also staring at him in shock. In her not-so-large eyes, there was no anger, only a deep sorrow, like that of an ancient well.

“Because…” His voice was low, with a painful sense of reminiscence, “a long time ago… when I was very young… there was also a little fox spirit, probably… about your age.”

"Back then, everyone thought I was ugly, that I had scars on my face, and nobody wanted to play with me. Even the dogs barked at me."

His fingers unconsciously traced the hideous scars on his face, his voice trembling slightly:

"Only her... only that little fox spirit, she didn't despise me, she would secretly come to talk to me, pick wild fruit for me... she was the only one... who was willing to smile at me..."

His eyes reddened, and his voice choked with emotion: "But... later... she was discovered by others... they said she was a monster, that she would harm people... and then... and then she..."

He couldn't say anything more, he just closed his eyes in pain, and two streams of turbid tears slid down the grooves of his scars.

The dilapidated temple was deathly silent, save for the crackling of the campfire and his suppressed sobs.

After a long while, he took a deep breath, vigorously wiped his face, and when he opened his eyes again, his eyes held an almost devout determination:

"So, from that day on, I've been thinking... If one day, humans and demons could be like her and me, without fear or hiding, able to talk and laugh together... wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"My only wish in life is for that day to come."

He looked at Tu Shan Honghong with clear and earnest eyes:

“I don’t know if I can do it, but at the very least, I can’t watch you become the next her.”

Kind-hearted humans truly exist.

The victory was so complete and so awe-inspiring.

Tu Shan Honghong stared blankly at the ugly, weak but holy little Taoist priest in front of her, looking into his eyes filled with sorrow and hope.

The wall of hatred that Feng Xi had built in her heart collapsed with a bang.

It turns out that humanity is not a monolithic entity of ugliness; it turns out that beneath those ferocious faces lies such pure souls; it turns out that there truly is pure kindness in this world that can transcend racial barriers.

Her long-held beliefs were overturned, and the enormous shock left her speechless for a moment. She could only stand there blankly, her mind in turmoil.

Qin Chuan released his grip on Tu Shan Honghong's wrist, his gaze falling on the young Taoist priest with a hint of gentle approval:

Kindness deserves to be remembered. Ugliness, on the other hand, needs to be eradicated.

His tone was calm, yet it contained an undeniable determination.

After saying that, he stopped looking at the sisters and the little Taoist priest in the cage, turned around and walked straight towards the dilapidated wooden door of the temple.

His steps were steady, as if he were just going to retrieve something.

Chapter 3 Dawn Appears, Light Breaks Through the Darkness

"Squeak-"

The sound of the long-neglected wooden door being pushed open was particularly jarring in the quiet night.

The young Taoist priest was startled awake by the footsteps. He opened his eyes abruptly and saw Qin Chuan walk in. His expression changed drastically, and his hand instinctively reached for a cloth bag at his waist. He said sternly:

"What a cunning wolf demon! It actually managed to break free of the demon-restraining talisman! But it's alright, I was prepared! Heavenly Net, activate!"

In an instant, dozens of hidden yellow talismans on the ground, walls, and beams of the dilapidated temple suddenly lit up with dazzling golden light!

Countless golden rays of light, composed of runes and as fine as a spider web, instantly intertwined to form a massive "net of heaven and earth," carrying a powerful suppressive force as it descended upon Qin Chuan as he stepped into the temple!

This was a trap he had secretly laid!

"Kneel down before me!"

The young Taoist priest roared triumphantly, as if he could already see Qin Chuan bound by the talisman net, howling in pain.

However, faced with this sudden talisman net that was powerful enough to suppress powerful demons, Qin Chuan didn't even lift his eyelids.

He simply raised his right hand casually the instant the golden light enveloped him.

At the fingertip, a pure, pale golden light quietly gathered, like the first morning star illuminating the night sky.

There was no earth-shattering roar, only a faint, soft sound like glass shattering.

The magnificent and dazzling net of talismans was instantly shattered like a soap bubble by Qin Chuan's casual touch, and the runes that made up the net broke and disappeared inch by inch!

The powerful suppressive force vanished as if it had hit an invisible barrier!

"What...?!" The young Taoist's sinister smile froze instantly, replaced by utter shock! How could this be?! This was his trump card, the Demon-Trapping Talisman Array!

His shock lasted only a moment.

Because Qin Chuan's figure, like a ghost, appeared in front of him in a single step, covering several meters in the afterglow of the shattered talisman net!

It was moving so fast that it was beyond his line of sight!