Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
Advance chapters available for patrons on Patreon. And a chapter can be sponsored by buying me a ko-fi
Fear surged through her body like an electric current, slowing the flow of blood wherever it passed. Her heart, weary from the ordeal, clenched tightly, and the violent contractions caused a sharp, physiological pain that made Xiao Xiaoyu’s legs buckle and she collapsed to the ground, almost unable to move.
Her face was pale, and large beads of sweat streamed down her forehead. And her eyes were wary and fearful as she looked at Bai You, who was all smiles. She clenched her teeth tightly to keep from letting out a humiliating tremor of fear.
Bai You looked down at her, a faint dark red glint in his black pupils.
“Still able to stay conscious here…you’re not my fan, are you?” He looked Xiao Xiaoyu up and down with amusement, not in a hurry to deal with her: “How did you get in?”
“Spending time with family or friends?”
He easily guessed why Xiao Xiaoyu had wandered in, but what he said next was not pleasant: “People have wandered in before and seen things they shouldn’t have. I had no choice but to let them stay and keep my little pet company.”
Xiao Xiaoyu immediately thought of those tall red figures, and her body trembled slightly.
Bai You enjoyed her fearful expression, and with a hint of pleasure, he narrowed his eyes and continued with a smile, “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt you too much.” He tilted his head and said playfully, “Just like those little fans, they don’t know anything, and then, bam, it’s over in no time.”
“Shameless!”
Xiao Xiaoyu’s fingers clenched in spasm, and she grabbed a handful of sand and threw it unexpectedly at his face. Taking advantage of the gap when Bai You dodged, she scrambled to her feet and ran forward.
“If you refuse a toast, you’ll have to drink the penalty.”
Bai You dodged the sand and dirt, his smiling face turning completely gloomy. He watched as Xiao Xiaoyu staggered away, a thick red mist extending from behind him, rapidly enveloping her.
Xiao Xiaoyu ran forward desperately without looking back, but in just two or three minutes, the eerie red mist spreading from behind trapped her. The thick red mist enveloped her completely, damp, cold, and slippery, as if she had sunk into an endless swamp, making it increasingly difficult to breathe.
The suffocating feeling of lack of oxygen and the despair of having nowhere to escape finally overwhelmed her. Her eyes widened in a daze, and her pupils gradually dilated…
—In the dim eyes, the tentacles, as dense as silk threads, danced within the red mist.
Seeing that she gave up struggling so quickly, Bai You curled his lips in boredom. Just as he was about to absorb her, the ground beneath his feet and the air beneath him suddenly trembled violently. He warily retracted his tentacles into a defensive stance and then met Jiang Lan’s gaze as he barely caught Xiao Xiaoyu.
“It really is you.” Jiang Lan supported Xiao Xiaoyu with one hand and carried the receptionist, who was now just a head and a torso, with the other.
Bai You habitually flashed a gentle smile, his soft voice masking his exasperation: “How did you find me here?”
His gaze then fell on the red shadow in Jiang Lan’s hand, and he asked, “Did he lead the way for you?”
Jiang Lan gave a nonchalant “hmm,” somewhat annoyed that the receptionist was inconvenient to carry, and said quickly, “There’s no use keeping this kind of traitor around, I’ll just deal with him for you.”
After saying that, he smiled at Bai You and swallowed the red shadow whole in front of him.
Bai You: …
He paused for a moment, then his smile vanished. He looked at Jiang Lan with a stern face and said, “Considering you’ve helped me twice, I don’t want to have a conflict with you. You can take this girl and leave.”
At this moment, he could tell that Jiang Lan seemed to know Xiao Xiaoyu. He was annoyed that he had run into Jiang Lan, but he also had to find a way to smooth things over.
At least for now, he didn’t want to clash with Taotie.
However, Jiang Lan didn’t appreciate his gesture and went straight to the point, making his point perfectly clear.
“Weren’t those two times deliberate traps you set? What did you want by trying to get close to me?”
“…”
Bai You remained silent.
He always thought his plan was flawless and his reason for approaching Jiang Lan was perfectly reasonable, but he never expected that Jiang Lan had already seen through his tricks.
Seeing that he didn’t speak, Jiang Lan frowned and said with some disdain, “You can’t really be interested in me and want to be a third party in my relationship, can you?”
His face clearly said, “I knew you weren’t a good person, but I didn’t expect you to be so shameless.”
Bai You had never been ridiculed like this before. His expression thus turned cold, and the corners of his mouth curled down in a gloomy manner: “Since you’ve already discovered it, then there’s no need to waste words—” Before he finished speaking, red mist rose up, enveloping Jiang Lan and Xiao Xiaoyu.
Xiao Xiaoyu cried out “Watch out!”, only to see Jiang Lan suddenly leap into the air with her, tearing off a large chunk of the thick, tangible red mist with a single grab and tugging on it.
The torn red mist continued to writhe. Xiao Xiaoyu stared intently, then gasped in shock— this wasn’t red mist at all, but countless red tentacles as thin as hair. They were practically miniature versions of the “devices” of those red shadow monsters.
But this was just the beginning; something even more shocking was yet to come. A phantom beast head appeared behind Jiang Lan, and with a single, deep breath, it devoured the torn-off tentacles.
Jiang Lan, on the other hand, wore a satisfied expression.
Xiao Xiaoyu: …
She stared at Bai You’s contorted and grotesque face, then at Jiang Lan, whose face seemed to say, “It tastes good, I want to eat more,” and her mind went blank.
It seemed inappropriate to worry about anyone; it would be more peaceful to just die on the spot.
She closed her eyes in despair, not wanting to see this heart-wrenching scene anymore.
“As expected of an ancient ferocious beast.”
Bai You clutched his left arm, his expression gradually becoming serious, with a hint of madness in it. He twisted his neck from side to side, a smirk playing on his lips: “The Taotie’s strength is indeed remarkable. No wonder the Jinyun Clan placed their hopes on you. It’s a pity that all their efforts were in vain, only to benefit others. Taking you back today will save us trouble later.”
After he finished speaking, his body twisted and stretched, instantly transforming into a red bear three or four meters tall, with thick limbs, two sharp fangs protruding from the corners of his mouth, and a faint crimson light flowing in his eyes.
Within this self-contained little world, red mist surged in from all directions, all of which was absorbed into Bai You’s body.
Jiang Lan hadn’t figured out what he meant by suddenly mentioning “Jinyun Clan” when he saw his real back and was stunned for a moment before exclaiming, “Oh, it’s you!”
Then, with a surprised look, he asked, “Didn’t they say that after Gonggong was defeated, he smashed down Buzhou Mountain, abandoned his troops, and fled? Didn’t you die of anger after hearing the news?”
The great battle between Gonggong and Emperor Zhuanxu was the subject of much debate and differing interpretations.
Jiang Lan had heard several versions of the story.
Gonggong, the water god, was a descendant of Emperor Yan. In the past, the struggle between Emperor Yan and Emperor Huang ended with Emperor Huang’s victory and Emperor Yan’s retreat to the mountains. Emperor Yan’s former followers either left on their own or were taken under Emperor Huang’s command, including Gonggong’s father Zhurong and his maternal clan, Jinyun.
Later, the Yellow Emperor abdicated, and Zhuanxu succeeded him, carrying on the Yellow Emperor’s will. He overruled the objections of the majority and cut off the road to heaven. Gonggong was one of the most vehement opponents.
He then led his troops in a great battle against Zhuanxu, but was defeated and fled, crashing into Mount Buzhou, causing the heavens to collapse and the earth to sink, resulting in devastating floods. Later, it was only through the combined efforts of Nuwa and several other sorceresses that this cataclysmic disaster was averted.
The collapse of the heavens and the sinking of the earth, along with the raging floods, originally had little impact on the great demons who roamed the world. However, at that time, the path to heaven had been severed, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was blocked. After this great disaster, the already scarce spiritual energy in the lower realm became even more depleted, and the demon race fell into an even more difficult situation.
This indirectly led to the fall of many powerful demons.
Therefore, many powerful demons were dissatisfied with Gonggong at that time, and Gonggong’s most capable subordinates were Xiangliu and Fuyou.
After Gonggong’s defeat, Xiangliu switched allegiance to Zhuanxu. Fuyou was said to be loyal to Gonggong, but because Gonggong’s defeat was too humiliating, and because he had indirectly harmed many demons by breaking Buzhou Mountain, a powerful demon who harbored resentment went to him and mocked him, challenging him to a duel. Fuyou couldn’t stand it and died of anger.
Of course, there was another version of the story, which said that he was so ashamed and indignant that he committed suicide.
In short, regardless of the process, Fuyou was supposed to be dead.
But now, for some reason, it had come back to life.
Jiang Lan looked Bai You up and down and found that he did not look quite like the rumors.
What was said unintentionally was taken seriously by the listener.
Jiang Lan’s question was just a casual remark, but it struck a nerve with Bai You.
This matter had been Bai You’s most infuriating and unsettling thing over the years.
This was his Achilles’ heel; touch it and you will die.
His body swelled up again, and countless thick tentacles extended from his feet, like veins and blood vessels rooted in the ground.
Jiang Lan leaped into the air to avoid the tentacles, his line of sight just level with Bai You’s.
He innocently replied, “I was just asking casually. If you don’t want to answer, that’s fine too.”
Why are you so angry?
Having been a top influencer for several years, how come they lack even the basic qualities of an influencer?
They get angry even from casual gossip.
Wouldn’t that mean spending all day glued to Weibo watching haters’ comments and feeling utterly powerless and furious?
Bai You let out a furious roar, and countless tentacles extended from his claws, reaching out to grab him—
At the same time, the red fog in the air grew thicker and thicker, obscuring the sky and making it almost impossible to see the surrounding environment.
The red mist surged wildly from the direction of the hotel. Jiang Lan glanced to the side and saw a dozen or so people standing in front of the hotel. They were probably all Bai You’s fans. They stood there stiffly like statues, with tall red figures standing beside them who looked seven or eight parts similar to them.
But at this moment, the solidified bodies of those red figures had dissipated, turning into wisps of red mist that converged towards Bai You’s direction. Meanwhile, the ordinary fans, having lost the support of the red figures, collapsed one after another.
Jiang Lan’s gaze swept over the blank, lifeless faces of the girls, and when he looked at Bai You, his gaze turned cold.
He was too lazy to waste any more words with Bai You and prepared to finish the battle quickly.
Those fans were still alive; if he acted quickly, he might be able to save them.
He landed back on the ground and used brute force to dig a pit in the ground covered with red tentacles. He then placed Xiao Xiaoyu in the pit, plucked two scales from his body and gave them to her, instructing her to stay in the pit and not move.
Xiao Xiaoyu looked around at the constantly contracting and surging red tentacles and nodded while suppressing her fear and nausea.
Jiang Lan smiled at her and said, “Don’t worry, everyone will be fine,” before turning and walking quickly toward Bai You. His pace quickened, and he was almost upon Bai You in an instant. He then turned his hands into claws, pressed down on the writhing tentacles that were attacking him, let out a low growl, transformed back into his original form, and bit down on the thick tentacles.
He tore off the tentacle with a flick of his head, then tilted his head back and swallowed the severed limb whole.
He ate a bit too quickly and didn’t really savor the flavors.
But it was much chewier than what you get at the counter.
When Jiang Lan looked at Bai You again, her gaze became even more intense, filled with longing.
He licked his lips, let out a low growl, and with a powerful push from his strong hind legs, pounced on Bai You…
Guys, ads are my only source of revenue, so please do not turn on the AdBlock when you are accessing this website…. Thank you, this would be a great help…
You can buy me a ko-fi and sponsor a chapter on: https://ko-fi.com/midnightrambles
Or become a Patron or access advance chapters on: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=45665005
If you support me, I would be able to provide more chapters….
Previous • Table of Contents• Next