Chapter 103
Chapter 103: Desperate Situation
***
The large door slowly opened, revealing an old man with graying hair standing behind it, his face covered in wrinkles.
Yet his physique was surprisingly robust, nothing like an ordinary elderly person.
The old man’s gaze fell upon Lin Muyu. As she examined the old man, he was also quietly sizing her up.
When he clearly saw Lin Muyu’s appearance and the Daoist robe she wore, a strange glint suddenly flashed in the old man’s murky eyes.
“I am a disciple of Qinglan Sect. I’ve come here to investigate the ‘man-eating demon’ incident that the village reported.”
Lin Muyu keenly noticed the peculiarity in the old man’s gaze, and her wariness increased by several degrees. She wrinkled her nose and stated her purpose directly.
“So you’re a fairy from Qinglan Sect! Please come in, please come in!”
Seeing Lin Muyu’s face show some disgust, the Village Chief immediately restrained his gaze, his face breaking into an enthusiastic smile as he stepped aside to let her enter.
“Mm.”
Seeing that the Village Chief didn’t avoid her like the other villagers, Lin Muyu felt slightly relieved and followed him into the house.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, she heard some commotion from the kitchen.
Then, an old woman wearing a coarse cloth apron emerged from the kitchen carrying a basin of steaming vegetables. Seeing Lin Muyu beside the Village Chief, she paused and asked:
“Old man, who is this?”
“She’s a fairy from Qinglan Sect, here specifically to help our village solve our troubles. We must treat her well.”
The Village Chief said with a smile, his tone carrying deliberate courtesy.
Lin Muyu followed the Village Chief into the main hall.
The main hall was kept very clean, with a square table placed in the center. Several dishes were already set on the table, fish and meat, filling the air with appetizing aromas.
A sturdy middle-aged man and a woman holding a child were sitting at the table. When they saw the Village Chief bring Lin Muyu in, both stopped their chopsticks and looked at her.
From this scene, they appeared to be having dinner.
“Fairy, you’ve traveled far and must be tired. Please sit down and eat something first. We can talk while we eat.”
The Village Chief said cheerfully, turning to fetch a clean stool from the corner and enthusiastically inviting Lin Muyu to sit.
“That’s not necessary, Village Chief.”
Lin Muyu quickly waved her hands in refusal.
“Please tell me about the ‘man-eating demon’ first, so I can begin my investigation as soon as possible.”
She was very clear in her mind that when doing missions outside, the most taboo thing was eating food offered by strangers.
If the food was poisoned, with her current cultivation level, she couldn’t resist it at all.
Moreover, she had come on this mission alone, without any fellow disciples to watch her back, so she had to be extra careful.
“Oh my, fairy, what are you saying? Eating won’t delay anything.”
The Village Chief wouldn’t take no for an answer, forcibly pushing the stool behind Lin Muyu, his tone carrying an undeniable enthusiasm.
“Let’s eat and talk at the same time. Perfect opportunity for you to try our village’s home cooking.”
Seeing an elder personally bringing her a stool with such enthusiasm, Lin Muyu really couldn’t bring herself to refuse so adamantly.
However, before sitting down, she quietly took out a detoxification pill from her bead, and while no one was looking, quickly popped it into her mouth.
“Village Chief, about the mission…”
After sitting down, Lin Muyu brought up business for the third time.
She looked at the Village Chief with determined eyes. If he continued to stall and refuse to explain clearly, she could be almost certain that this Village Chief definitely had impure motives.
Fortunately, this time the Village Chief didn’t interrupt again.
He picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of vegetables, then let out a heavy sigh, speaking in a grave tone:
“Sigh, fairy, you don’t know, it’s all because of that damned wolf demon!”
…
“Stop! How dare you steal something Lord Wolf Demon has his eye on! You ignorant cat demon, you certainly have guts!”
In the forest where dusk was deepening, branches rustled as someone ran swiftly through them. A group of hunters in coarse cloth tunics, wielding long knives and wooden clubs, were relentlessly pursuing and surrounding the girl ahead.
The girl had snow-white hair with two cat ears sticking up, and when she ran, a fluffy tail swayed behind her.
She was the half-cat demon they were chasing.
“Stop your lies! I clearly found this fruit first!”
Lin Xiaoyun nimbly dodged between the scattered trees while shouting angrily over her shoulder.
Her ankle had been scraped by a branch while dodging, drops of blood staining her light-colored dress, but she didn’t slow down at all.
“What do you mean you saw it first?”
The hunter pursuing most closely spat and spoke roughly.
“Lord Wolf Demon spotted this fruit half a month ago! He was just waiting for it to ripen fully before making his move! You little demon, how dare you steal the lord’s property, you must be tired of living!”
Before he finished speaking, two more hunters flanked her from the sides, their long knives nearly grazing Lin Xiaoyun’s sleeves.
She quickly spun around, using light cat steps to leap onto a boulder. When she landed, her paws curved slightly like those of a feline, steadily absorbing the impact and once again opening up some distance.
“Boss, this little demon runs too fast! If we can’t get that fruit tonight, Lord Wolf Demon will really eat us alive!”
A short, fat hunter was panting heavily, cold sweat streaming down his face from his forehead, his voice full of terror.
The lead hunter was burly, with a knife scar extending from his brow bone to his jaw.
He squinted at Lin Xiaoyun’s retreating figure, speaking with certainty:
“What’s the panic? She can’t escape. Brothers, listen up, drive her toward the cliff! I’d like to see if she can grow wings and fly!”
At his command, the pursuing hunters immediately changed formation. Instead of charging blindly, they flanked left and right, deliberately forcing Lin Xiaoyun’s escape route toward the western cliff.
Lin Xiaoyun quickly noticed their intention, her heart tightening sharply.
She knew there was a cliff nearby.
Legend said that beneath the cliff was bottomless cloud and mist, and no demon or human who fell down had ever returned alive.
But if she changed direction now, she would run straight into the hunters’ encirclement. Then not only would she lose the fruit, but she herself would likely meet a terrible fate.
The setting sun’s afterglow was gradually swallowed by the mountains, and the forest wind grew cold.
In less than half an incense stick’s time, Lin Xiaoyun reached the cliff.
She stopped and turned around to see seven or eight hunters had formed a circle, slowly closing in on her.
Seeing this, the scarred hunter’s face showed a triumphant smile. He wasn’t in a hurry to strike, instead looking Lin Xiaoyun up and down with greedy eyes:
“Run? Why aren’t you running anymore? Surrender now, hand over the fruit, and apologize to us brothers properly, maybe we’ll spare your little life.”
“Boss, look at her, skin white as snow, ears and tail so soft and cute. She’s much more beautiful than those village girls!”
The tall, thin hunter beside the scarred leader licked his lips, his gaze so lecherous it seemed like he wanted to devour Lin Xiaoyun whole.
That perverted look made Lin Xiaoyun’s stomach churn.
The scarred hunter nodded approvingly, a flash of amazement in his eyes as he clearly harbored ill intentions too.
Looking at these men’s disgusting gazes, Lin Xiaoyun’s heart sank bit by bit.
She instinctively stepped back half a pace, her heels already hanging over empty air. Cold wind from below the cliff, carrying clouds and mist, blew her hair and dress hem constantly.
She glanced once more at the bottomless cliff, her heart trembling slightly.
Jumping down might mean certain death.
But if she didn’t jump and fell into these men’s hands, the consequences would probably be worse than death.
“Sister…”
Her voice trembled lightly, her eyes slightly reddening.
“Xiaoyun might… never see you again.”
“Stop dawdling there!”
The tall, thin hunter shouted impatiently, his evil intentions almost overflowing from his eyes.
“Surrender quickly! With your looks, if you serve us brothers well, maybe we’ll be in a good mood and let you go!”
The smiles on these hunters’ faces grew more and more obscene, as if Lin Xiaoyun had already become their plaything.
In their minds, whether human or demon, when pushed to the brink, they would abandon dignity for survival.
After all, that’s what they themselves would do.
“Ha, keep dreaming.”
Lin Xiaoyun suddenly raised her head, the hesitation in her eyes vanishing completely, leaving only determination.
She tightly gripped the Moon Soul Fruit in her hand, and without any hesitation, turned and leaped off the cliff.
“Don’t jump…”
Seeing this, the scarred hunter’s pupils contracted sharply. He knew that if he couldn’t retrieve the fruit, he was finished too.