Chapter 030: Another Wave of Turmoil

Deep in the night, the world was silent. Ma Zengsan was not asleep; instead, he was in the guest room conversing with Hao Jingming, accompanied by a maid named Qian'er.

In Hao Jingming’s eyes, he was no longer the brave demon-slayer, but someone else entirely. "Ma Zhong," Hao said, addressing him by a different name, "how is that boy faring?"

Ma Zengsan replied, "Boss, I couldn't bring myself to kill him. He is about the same age as my own son. My heart softened."

Hao Jingming sneered, "Back when the Yellow River in Henan flooded, corpses were strewn everywhere, and people were trading children to eat. Ma Zhong, you were one of those who fled to Cangzhou during that famine, weren't you?"

Ma Zengsan lowered his head, refusing to speak.

Hao Jingming continued, "I heard he fell from the sky. They say immortals have feathered robes, and if a mortal wears one, they can ascend to become an immortal."

Qian'er interjected, "Master, the clothes Xiao Bugui is wearing were bought by me. They were burial robes." Fearing her master might not understand, she explained the entire sequence of events.

Having heard Qian'er, Hao Jingming looked at Ma Zengsan and changed his tone. "I run a pharmacy; I am a healer. Once the boy recovers, let him go. I will give him two fast horses and a thousand taels of silver for his journey."

Ma Zengsan kept his head bowed. "Thank you, Boss."

Hao Jingming added, "These past few days, I have had you secretly protecting my daughter, and you have worked hard. After you send that foolish boy away, come back and stay by my side."

Ma Zengsan pleaded, "Boss, after I send him off, I would like to take a long leave."

Hao Jingming ignored him, turned with a sweep of his sleeves, opened a hidden passage, and left.

Time passes with terrifying speed. If you are an ordinary soul, in a daze, you will find yourself transformed from a carefree, innocent child into an old man covered in stubble. Everyone has been young, and everyone ages quickly. Ma Zengsan held a mirror and used a blade to shave; he had shaved yesterday, yet new stubble had already sprouted today.

Life is like a dream, lasting no more than thirty thousand days, and the two days passed even faster. Xiao Bugui had regained his health and strength. Hao Meili never came to see him again. He said to Ma Zengsan, "Uncle Ma, we shall leave today. I would like to bid Miss Hao farewell."

Ma Zengsan replied, "Miss Hao is not at home; she has gone to the Changle Palace. Let us just go."

Xiao Bugui had no choice but to leave without saying goodbye. The two mounted their horses and galloped all the way to Wen Family Village.

It was broad daylight, and the sun burned like fire. The streets of Wen Family Village were completely empty; the Wen family were all rat demons, who hid by day and came out by night.

Facing the aimless walk, Ma Zengsan asked, "Where shall we look for them?"

Xiao Bugui said, "Let's find an inn first. I'm thirsty."

Walking from the south end to the north, there were no inns open on the market street. Xiao Bugui simply dismounted, walked up to an inn, and began pounding on the door, shouting, "Is anyone there? Is anyone there? Is anyone there?!"

A commotion sounded from inside, accompanied by grumbling: "Damn it, what are you doing running to a rat's nest in broad daylight?" After opening the door, the thief-eyed Manager Wen put on a smiling face and said, "Young master, are you here to stay?"

"Yes," Xiao Bugui replied.

"Come in, come in! A warm welcome to you," Manager Wen said.

Ma Zengsan dismounted as well. Having heard the manager’s earlier grumbling, he remarked, "We’ve come to stay in your 'rat's nest' in broad daylight. You don't mind, do you, Manager?"

Manager Wen replied, "If you are here to deliver silver, I naturally welcome you warmly. In this day and age, demons may not like humans, but they love silver."

Thirsty, Xiao Bugui asked, "I'm parched. Do you have tea? What is there to eat?"

Manager Wen yawned and said, "We don't eat during the day. Even the cook is at home sleeping. I’ll go brew a pot of tea and bring you both some snacks. Once you've eaten, go upstairs to the guest rooms and rest. When night falls, I'll call you for dinner."

Xiao Bugui asked again, "Manager, have a few people come by lately? They are demons, and they ride a large black pig."

"Haven't seen them," the sleepy-eyed Manager Wen replied bluntly, yawning as he went to boil water.

Xiao Bugui asked Ma Zengsan, "Senior Ma, where do you think they could be?"

"No rush," Ma Zengsan said. "We'll search again when night comes."

Xiao Bugui remained troubled. "Where could they be hiding?"

Ma Zengsan looked up inadvertently and saw a pattern of five bats carved into a pillar. He smiled and said, "Five blessings descend upon the house; perhaps they are sleeping in the guest rooms upstairs."

Xiao Bugui was confused, so Ma Zengsan pointed it out to him, explaining, "The Demon Cult has this symbol at all their gathering places throughout the martial arts world."

Knowing they were there, Xiao Bugui was overjoyed. He ran upstairs and shouted, "Hu Jiao, are you here? It's Xiao Bugui!"

Fearing there might be other guests resting, Ma Zengsan called out from below, "You foolish boy, keep it down! Be careful someone doesn't come out and beat you."

Xiao Bugui continued to call out, but fortunately, no guests came out to scold him.

Hu Jiao was indeed sleeping in a room upstairs. She heard someone calling her name and thought she was dreaming, but because Xiao Bugui kept shouting, she walked out of the room with messy hair, eyes bleary with sleep. Seeing Xiao Bugui downstairs, she smiled and said, "Xiao Bugui, why are you here?"

Xiao Bugui grabbed Hu Jiao’s left hand and said, "I came to help you. I was afraid you might be in danger."

Hu Jiao used her right hand to push his hand away. "I’m a girl; mind your manners."

Xiao Bugui blushed and scratched his head. "I'm sorry."

Hu Jiao said, "From now on, call me 'Sister,' and don't be so rude again."

"Sister," Xiao Bugui asked, "where are Zhu Sha and the others?"

Hu Jiao yawned. "We drank all night long last night, and they are all in their rooms snoring! I'm exhausted too. I'm going to sleep; we'll talk tonight."

Xiao Bugui wanted to say more, but Hu Jiao simply closed the door. Realizing he had been too forward, Xiao Bugui had no choice but to return downstairs, face burning with embarrassment.

A woman's heart is the most mysterious thing; despite coldly closing the door, Hu Jiao leaned against it, listening to Xiao Bugui’s footsteps as he walked downstairs.

Downstairs, Manager Wen had brought snacks and tea. Yawning, he said, "I really must go to sleep now. Here is the key; the 'Jia' room is yours. It’s one tael of silver a night."

In Wen Family Village, no matter who you were, everyone wanted to sleep during the day. Everyone had to adapt to the nocturnal life, sleeping when the sun was up.

Ma Zengsan ate and drank a little, then went upstairs to rest. Xiao Bugui, having already lain in bed for two days, could not sleep. Feeling bored, he left the inn to walk the streets.

To his surprise, he found he was not alone. Walking toward him along the silent street was a woman dressed in red and green. Most striking were her exquisite cherry lips, each lip a different color: the upper, a jade-like emerald; the lower, a vibrant green. Her beautiful eyes were also green, and in the center of her forehead was a third eye, which, when opened, was red. Yet, this extra eye did not detract from her beauty; instead, it emitted a captivating allure that made anyone who met her gaze unable to help but feel a sudden fondness. She wore eight jade bracelets on her arms, and her figure was graceful and alluring. She walked with the light, rhythmic grace of a cat.

Xiao Bugui could not help but ask, "Sister, you must be a cat demon, right?"

The beautiful woman was cruel in her ways. She replied coldly, "I am here to kill rats. If you run into me, consider it your misfortune to die."