Chapter 28
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As Zouyu finished speaking, he suddenly furrowed his brows.
It seemed someone had passed a message to him. Zouyu listened for a moment, and whatever he heard made his expression darken. His handsome face took on a gloomy look, and even the peony embroidered on his chest seemed to exude crimson sap.
Zouyu raised his eyes and gave a meaningful look to the unattractive ugly demon before retracting his celestial binding rope. Without saying a word, he turned to leave.
However, before he could take a few steps, his expression changed abruptly. He quickly dodged backward. In an instant, his subordinates who hadn’t reacted in time let out cries of agony, clutching their wounds as blood flowed freely, staining the ground.
Zouyu’s eyes filled with a fierce and resentful look. He looked up at the people on the upper floor.
Looking down from above, Zhuyou observed him. Although he had concealed his flood dragon horns and demon markings, his black eyes had turned into vertical pupils, and his gaze was like that of someone looking at inanimate objects.
Zouyu suddenly felt a familiar sense of danger deep in his bones. He fiercely lowered his brows and said, “Let’s go.”
In less than a moment, the members of the Flower Brocade Sect’s demon cultivators had escaped cleanly.
They left in haste, leaving behind a gradually thickening scent of blood in the air. Huayue muttered, “They’re lucky they ran fast.”
Ah!
Why didn’t Lord Zhuyou tell him before he took action? The fox was almost scared out of his wits!
Over the past few days, Pei Yunshu had almost forgotten that Zhuyou was a rare flood dragon among creatures. It was only now that he suddenly realized that Zhuyou was indeed a formidable creature with advanced cultivation.
He turned his head to look at Zhuyou, the flood dragon’s expression cold and indifferent. His captivating profile, tainted with a hint of charm, even without the demon marks, exuded a sinister aura.
He remained calm and unaffected, as if killing these demonic cultivators would be a matter of seconds for him. It seemed simple to him, and he suppressed his urge to kill, allowing these demonic cultivators to leave.
In the eyes of the powerful, was Zou Yu also insignificant?
Pei Yunshu suddenly felt a slight palpitation, as if a strong desire had burst out from his heart, only to be instantly suppressed. He composed his breathing, gripping his hand tightly within his sleeve, and exerted great effort to softly say, “Let’s go.”
***
The night passed in chaos, and by the time they had dealt with the fragrant situation in their room, dusk had already fallen on the horizon.
Inside the Demon Ghost Market, there was no daytime, only dusk, and the red moonlit black night. Pei Yunshu and his companions left the inn, ready to find the ghost doctor mentioned by the old abbot in the vast Demon Ghost Market.
They had no knowledge of the doctor’s appearance or name, but if the ghost doctor was so famous, they hoped it wouldn’t be too difficult to find.
No one expected Zhuyou to be able to get any useful information, so the fox and Pei Yunshu split up, while Zhuyou stayed close to Pei Yunshu. However, along the way, whenever they approached a group of people, they would scatter in fear after seeing Zhuyou. Not to mention asking for directions, they didn’t even dare to get close.
Pei Yunshu had no choice but to ask Zhuyou softly, “Zhuyou, do you have a way to make these people not fear you so much?”
Zhuyou looked at him and suddenly touched the wound on his lip, but Pei Yunshu couldn’t tell if he was pretending or not. “It hurts.”
Pei Yunshu looked at him in silence, the grotesque mask concealing his features. Zhuyou, unperturbed, gazed back at him. After a moment, he raised Pei Yunshu’s hand and transformed into a small serpent-shaped hoop, about the size of a bracelet, resting on Pei Yunshu’s hand. When not in motion, it resembled a genuine snake-shaped bracelet.
Fortunately, this bracelet didn’t have the slippery and cold feeling of a real snake. Pei Yunshu breathed a sigh of relief and then continued to inquire about information. Zhuyou wasn’t by his side, so he managed to gather some information. As he asked questions, he inadvertently arrived in a secluded and desolate place with few people around.
Moss covered the ground, and dew was heavy on the vegetation. Pei Yunshu carefully walked on the slippery stone surface in the dimly lit alley. He suddenly felt a chill on his neck as a drop of water fell from above.
These eaves just happened to block out the twilight glow, making this small and damp alley look terrifying and eerie, as if it belonged to the ghost realm. Pei Yunshu paid attention to the surroundings and couldn’t help but recall the stories he had heard.
It was said that ghosts and monsters liked to hide behind or in dark corners and sometimes took the form of beautiful women to deceive travelers.
With this thought, Pei Yunshu quickened his pace. He couldn’t help but feel like someone was watching him from behind, and a chill rose from his back.
When he reached the end of the alley, he noticed a small door beneath some moss. Pei Yunshu raised his hand and knocked on the door. “Is anyone here?”
The door creaked open in response, and Pei Yunshu hesitated for a moment before retracting his hand. He spoke, “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
Inside, a strong medicinal scent wafted through the air. Several small rooms of varying heights were haphazardly placed around. Pei Yunshu walked toward the room with a flickering light and smelled a bitter medicinal odor. At the door, a curtain was hung, and he could vaguely see a figure standing by the stove.
“Are you the Ghost Physician?” Pei Yunshu asked.
The person inside the room let out a slight cough, turned to look at Pei Yunshu, and in a hoarse voice asked, “What do you want?”
This ghost physician had a pale complexion and an unremarkable appearance. He looked closely at Pei Yunshu, but his gaze remained unaffected, as if the black and white ugly ghost in front of him was no different from anyone else.
Pei Yunshu replied in a low voice, “I have a gu inside my body and was wondering if you could help remove it.”
The ghost physician paused for a moment and deliberately glanced at Pei Yunshu before saying, “Come in.”
Pei Yunshu lifted the curtain of the door and stepped inside. He felt a chilling coldness underfoot. There was no light in the room except for a stove where medicine was being brewed. A simple table was the only other furniture.
The ghost physician instructed him to sit down, and Pei Yunshu complied. As he waited patiently, he could smell the lingering scent of herbs. Unconsciously, he touched the small flood dragon bracelet on his wrist, and his fingertip brushed against the two small horns on Zhuyou’s head. He calmed his thoughts.
The ghost physician continued brewing medicine until it was almost dark outside. Pei Yunshu sat upright and didn’t rush him. Only when the physician finished preparing the medicine did he come to the table and say to Pei Yunshu, “Give me your hand.”
Pei Yunshu extended his hand, and the ghost physician lightly placed his blue-tinged fingertips on his pulse. After a moment, he said, “I can treat this.”
Pei Yunshu’s expression brightened.
The ghost physician released his hand and stood up slowly, coughing a few times in a low voice. Then, he continued, “Come tomorrow evening. I need to prepare some medicinal ingredients first.”
Pei Yunshu sincerely thanked him and asked, “Is there anything I can do in the meantime?”
The ghost physician gave him a sidelong glance and said, “The price will be your gu. Are you willing?”
Pei Yunshu replied, “I never needed it in the first place.”
The ghost physician gave a strange smile and pointed a bony finger in the direction of the door. “Leave.”
Pei Yunshu had more questions but the ghost physician didn’t say anything more. He had no choice but to bid farewell and step out of the room. As he left, he glanced back and saw the ghost physician starting to brew another pot of medicine by the stove.
In the end, not knowing the physician’s name or what method was needed to draw out the Emotion Bound Gu, Pei Yunshu sighed, placing his hope on tomorrow. He hoped that the physician’s words of being able to treat him would prove true, and then he could be free from his worries.
When that time came, he could roam freely, as the sea is vast and the sky boundless.
There would be no more worries.
***
After Pei Yunshu left, the ghost physician continued to brew one cup of medicine after another. When the flames in the furnace extinguished, he finally ceased his work. He picked up a messaging talisman and murmured, “You mentioned that your Junior Brother was exceptionally handsome. Why do I only see the ugliest of the ugly?”
The messaging talisman glowed briefly before disappearing. After a short while, another messaging talisman flew back to the physician. He crushed it and heard a voice from within.
“My Junior Brother is indeed a stunning beauty. You mustn’t mistake the person.”
The ghost physician asked, “Isn’t the Emotion Bound Gu your possession?”
The response came after a moment of contemplation. “I will arrive at the Demon Ghost Market tomorrow. If my Junior Brother is there, please take good care of him.”
“As for the Emotion Bound Gu, you know it belongs to me. Don’t meddle with my possessions.”
***
Last night was the opening of the Demon Ghost Market, so it wasn’t the first night there. It was only this evening, as night fell, that they truly experienced their first night in the Demon Ghost Market.
It seemed like Zhuyou had developed an affection being the tranquil bracelet on Pei Yunshu’s wrist. He continued to stay in his serpent form after leaving the ghost physician’s place. Pei Yunshu didn’t press him to change, and when they communicated through voice transmission to Huayue, he filled him in on the details of the ghostly physician’s visit in-person.
This journey had gone surprisingly smoothly. Initially, Pei Yunshu had thought that Huayue would be the one to find the ghost physician first or that they would need to spend a few more days searching. In the end, he was the one who found the physician first.
Huayue’s face lit up with joy, and his amber eyes seemed to sparkle. “So, Beauty Yunshu, does that mean you’ll be able to get rid of that gu tomorrow?”
Pei Yunshu smiled and nodded.
Huayue couldn’t contain his excitement and jumped in place for a while. Suddenly, he grabbed Pei Yunshu’s hand and led him toward the center of the market. The sight of an imposing old fox dragging an ugly demon through the streets was quite comical, and Pei Yunshu couldn’t help but laugh at the scene.
It wasn’t just them heading toward the center of the market. People from all the streets were converging in the same direction. By the time they arrived, the open space was crowded with people. Pei Yunshu felt that almost the entire market had gathered there.
Although he didn’t know where Lord Flood Dragon had gone, and rare as it was for him to be absent, Huayue stole a glance at Pei Yunshu. His lascivious heart couldn’t help but stir, and he whispered in Pei Yunshu’s ear, “Beauty, the first night of the Demon Ghost Market is when the demons and ghosts have their revelry. Later, many powerful demons will appear. You must stay by my side so that other demons won’t bully you.”
An imposing fox’s face suddenly showed a shy expression, and Huayue added, “How about you let me hold your hand?”
Pei Yunshu chuckled and asked, “Can you really tolerate how I look right now?”
Huayue paused, staring at him blankly.
The ugly ghost was completely unattractive, with black and white features, eyebrows that were merely two curved lines, and a mouth that was also a curved line. There was no beauty to speak of. So how could he still be considered a beauty?
At first glance, people have no interest in looking at it again.
The fox whispered, “But this isn’t your appearance.”
Pei Yunshu, however, rubbed his red-furred ears and pointed to a few beautiful people not far away who were chatting and laughing. “Huayue, do you think those people are beautiful?”
Those beautiful individuals included both men and women, fragrant and charming, with lustrous hair and exquisite faces. Their smiles could make hearts flutter.
That was the kind of beauty the fox liked.
Huayue’s eyes reddened instantly, but he didn’t know why he felt so uncomfortable. He could only look at Pei Yunshu with teary eyes and said, “Beauty, I feel so uncomfortable.”
If he had his original appearance, he should have been pitiful and adorable when crying, with tears in his pear blossom eyes. However, now, wearing a mask, the tall and imposing red-furred fox looked funny and poignant when crying.
Pei Yunshu asked, “Why do you feel uncomfortable?”
Huayue just shook his head, feeling wronged in his heart, but he didn’t know why he felt that way.
The fox sniffled and reached for Pei Yunshu’s sleeve to wipe away his tears. However, when he raised the sleeve, he saw a small black flood dragon coiled inside. The flood dragon’s eyes glowed with a deep light, and its sharp, poisonous eyes stared straight at the fox.
The hand that lifted his sleeve abruptly stopped. Huayue awkwardly smiled and tugged at Pei Yunshu’s sleeve, not sure if he should lower it to continue wiping his tears or leave it up. “Lord Zhuyou, I didn’t expect to find you here.”
The small flood dragon spat out a snake-like signal from its mouth, coiling around Pei Yunshu’s wrist and slowly moving towards the edge of the sleeve.
Huayue suddenly felt as if a gaping, bloodthirsty mouth was rushing towards him. He quickly let go of the sleeve and took a few steps back, almost stumbling. After steadying himself, he clutched his heart, and tears welled up in his eyes from fright.
Pei Yunshu was puzzled. He lifted his sleeve and looked inside, only to see Zhuyou with two small horns coiled on his wrist, sound asleep. The little claws seemed to be holding onto a few strands of the sleeve’s thread, as if afraid of falling off.
It turned out that Zhuyou had fallen asleep in his sleeve.
Pei Yunshu lowered his sleeve and smiled, “Huayue, Zhuyou is asleep. Why are you afraid of him doing anything?”
Huayue’s face turned pale, but he praised, “Lord Zhuyou’s scales are truly bright and shiny. Even in his original form, Lord Zhuyou is the most majestic among all the demons. Looking at Lord Zhuyou’s sleeping face makes me feel very ashamed. Although I’m considered beautiful, I can’t compare to Lord Zhuyou’s beauty. There are so many great demons in the world, but even if they all come here, they can’t match Lord Zhuyou’s single claw. How could I be afraid? It’s just a heart full of admiration for Lord Zhuyou.”
The tail of the flood dragon at the sleeve’s cuff swayed.
Huayue, with tears in his eyes, saw it and immediately changed his words, “They all can’t match a small small scale on Lord Zhuyou.”
He hadn’t finished speaking when he suddenly saw several figures flying towards them from the distance. They were probably the great demons Huayue had mentioned earlier.
The great demons landed in a high position, and as soon as the music started, the graceful female demons carried alcohol and meat to the center of the open space.
The flames roared, and the golden drums resounded, dyeing half of the sky red.
Huayue’s words of admiration for Zhuyou were interrupted as he looked towards the stage. After seeing it clearly, he couldn’t help but gasp.
“In the middle is actually a fox!”
Pei Yunshu also looked towards the central figure.
Several great demons were rising from the ground where they sat. They had smaller demons accompanying them, and they were serving alcohol to the great demons.
Sitting in the center, a great demon was wearing silver armor, with long hair tied up high behind his head. He had a handsome and vigorous appearance.
He didn’t have the same stunning beauty as Huayue. Instead, he had sharp eyebrows and narrow eyes, exuding an aura of self-confidence and charm. With just one glance, it was clear that this person was quite ostentatious.
Pei Yunshu was about to turn his attention to the other demons sitting beside the great demon when he heard Huayue’s small “hmm.”
He followed Huayue’s gaze and saw that Huayue had taken out the key hanging around his neck. The simple-shaped key in Huayue’s hand began to tremble gently.
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