Chapter 5: Human
Zhou Yan and Li Zhiwei’s shouts quickly drew the attention of the minor demons in the estate. It was the middle of the night, and they hadn’t yet figured out the situation when they saw the house, which had somehow burst into raging flames.
Then, with a jolt, they immediately sobered up.
“How did it catch fire?!”
“I don’t know.”
The demons had a strict Rank system. The Fangzhu, being powerful demons, couldn’t be bothered with a small house fire, but responsibility would still be sought later. The minor demons frantically mobilized, busy with firefighting.
In their panic, it was even harder to distinguish friend from foe, and the demons ran back and forth.
Zhou Yan, with Li Zhiwei, naturally slipped out. Li Zhiwei had not anticipated this development. She watched Zhou Yan, the one who started the fire, talking to the approaching demons with a look of extreme anxiety, unease, and fear, completely concealing his actions.
“We’ll go outside and find more help to put out the fire!”
With that, Zhou Yan and Li Zhiwei hurried forward.
They walked one shoulder-length apart, one behind the other.
They had reached the passageway leading to the exit. Only now did Zhou Yan finally let out a slight sigh of relief. As he walked, he suddenly thought of something and casually asked:
“Just now, when you were caught by that Hungry Ghost, why didn’t you call for me to save you?”
Li Zhiwei’s eyes were wide. She thought for a moment and replied:
“Because if I called out, you would definitely be exposed.”
“If you were powerful, you would save me if you wanted to, without me needing to call; if you didn’t want to save me, my calling out would only displease you.”
“And if you were just caught like me, it must have been very difficult for you to escape. If I called you and exposed you, I would only be harming you.”
“So, I didn’t call out.”
Zhou Yan felt that this little girl spoke very logically.
He asked with a smile, “Then weren’t you afraid?”
Li Zhiwei glanced at him and then whispered:
“I was afraid, but I saw that you were also very afraid at the time.”
Yes, he was afraid, terrified, but beneath this natural fear, he performed acts of great courage. The bravery born from fear was rather astonishing.
Zhou Yan fell silent, then slapped his leg and sighed:
“I am afraid. My legs are a bit weak right now.”
Li Zhiwei asked seriously, “We don’t know what the situation is like outside. It could be a butcher shop, or a ‘Ghost Market.’ It’s still a bit dangerous. Do you know what to do once we get out?”
Zhou Yan said, “We’ll take it one step at a time. It’s better than being made into meatballs here.”
He originally wanted to say, “When a man dies, his spirit goes to heaven; if he doesn’t die, he lives for ten thousand years.”
He had already chopped down so many demons; it was always worth it.
But he felt it wasn’t very refined.
“Oh.”
Li Zhiwei lowered her head, thought for a while, and then offered, “I have a way to send a distress signal, but I don’t know if it will work. If it does, and if they can make it in time, someone should come looking for us.”
Zhou Yan asked, “Are you confident?”
Li Zhiwei said, “I actually used it once before I was captured. If they truly came, they should already be in this vicinity. If I find a way to use it again now, I can tell them our location.”
“At least, there are no other options.”
Zhou Yan said, “Good.”
From the little girl’s demeanor and calmness, he had already guessed that she was at least not of ordinary origin. If reinforcements arrived, first, they could escape, and second, he could naturally enter human society. His spirit somewhat relaxed.
The two began walking side-by-side. Li Zhiwei took out a talisman-like object from a hidden pocket sewn inside her sleeve and dripped a drop of blood onto it.
At this moment, Zhou Yan’s breathing hitched slightly.
… … … … … …
In the Green Mountains, a middle-aged man in golden Heavenly King armor, wielding a long-handled battle saber, subtly tensed, looking at the Eight Trigrams jade plate at his waist.
“Found them.”
He moved his feet, like a soaring Dragon.
Under the cliff on the other side, a man in dark, mountain-patterned armor remained silent, gripping the horizontal saber at his waist. A faint light emanated from the bronze token on his waist, indicating a response.
“Someone is in distress.”
They moved from different directions.
… … … … … …
The talisman in Li Zhiwei’s hand glowed faintly.
Then, two faint lights appeared on the talisman, one after another.
A faint smile appeared on Li Zhiwei’s face.
She was still young, her face smudged with black, but this smile held a trace of beauty and charm. And, from the sense of relief in that smile, one could glimpse the intense fear that had been hidden beneath her outwardly calm demeanor.
“Someone!”
“There are two… They responded to me in a special way, and they are not too far away now. We can be safe once we get out.”
She closed her eyes, her chest rising and falling.
Then she made up her mind and put the talisman into Zhou Yan’s hand.
Zhou Yan was stunned: “This is…”
Li Zhiwei took out another one, also dripping her own blood onto it, and whispered softly, “I still have this talisman, but we don’t know what the situation is like outside. If it’s dangerous, we can split up and run. With this talisman in your hand, you can also be found.”
Zhou Yan was overjoyed. He grabbed the talisman, raised his hand, and ruffled Li Zhiwei’s hair, saying:
“You’re quite capable, little girl.”
Li Zhiwei said, “Judging by your appearance, you’re not more than a year or two older than me, yet you speak so maturely.”
Zhou Yan touched his face and only then came to his senses.
Ever since he inexplicably arrived in this world from the mountain, he seemed to have become much younger. He didn't know how old he looked now. He clutched the talisman and said, “It’s about time. Let’s sneak out while it’s chaotic.”
Li Zhiwei nodded, then suddenly remembered something. She followed closely behind Zhou Yan, took something out of her second hidden pocket, and put it into Zhou Yan’s hand, whispering:
“My name is Li Zhiwei, Zhi as in ‘knowing,’ Wei as in ‘Dao Heart.’”
“Wei as in Dao Heart?”
“Dao Heart alone is subtle,” Li Zhiwei smiled softly.
“My family taught me to always remember kindness. I have nothing to give you. This jade book ring was given to me by my mother. Please accept it.”
Everyone she had met before would politely accept her gratitude.
But they wouldn’t take her things.
However, the young man before her, with a somewhat wild and heroic demeanor, accepted it without a second thought. After grabbing it, he casually put it in his pocket:
“Good!”
Li Zhiwei was stunned.
Eh???
Eh eh eh?!!
She almost forgot to keep walking.
Zhou Yan stopped and turned back, asking in confusion, “Walk, what’s wrong?”
He understood and said with a smile, “Reluctant to part with it?”
Li Zhiwei slightly raised her head, then lowered it, paused, and then said softly and firmly:
“No!”
They had been walking and talking in low voices.
Because of this inexplicable large fire, the multitude of demons was in disarray. Even the demons at the entrance were frantically carrying buckets of water to help. The two were delighted and rushed out.
They were already at the edge of the forest, and the exit was just ahead.
They could get out.
Zhou Yan’s consciousness touched the jade book within his mind. Ahead, the jade book detected no suppressible Qi, meaning there was no Demonic Qi. Zhou Yan felt relieved; it seemed that all the demons nearby had been drawn away by the fire.
Zhou Yan grabbed Li Zhiwei, who was hesitant and worried about the situation outside, and strode forward.
After walking a dozen steps, or about twenty to thirty breaths of time, his gaze swept across and he saw a familiar face.
He said familiar, but he had only met him once.
It was one of the people who had been tied up when he was captured by Zhao the Butcher. This person seemed to still be alive, tied with grass ropes, his face ashen. The demon who was supposed to guard him had all been lured away by the big fire Zhou Yan set.
This place was safe.
Seeing someone else in the same plight, Zhou Yan decided to help within his capabilities.
They were already at the entrance here.
After leaving this place, everyone would go their separate ways.
That person also saw them—this was natural, as there was only one path leading outside, straight and direct, which no one could avoid seeing.
Then, this numb person saw Zhou Yan’s face.
Perhaps there were too few people who, when being sold, could deliver a flying kick directly to a butcher’s face, leaving a deep impression. He recognized him instantly.
Then his eyes widened, just like Li Zhiwei’s at that time.
Zhou Yan gestured for him not to speak, but the man’s expression twisted, he paused, and then opened his mouth. He strained his voice, letting out a sharp sound, mixed with fawning and anger:
“Someone is escaping!!!”
“Someone is escaping!!”
His face was ashen, but his eyes were bloodshot from fear and excitement, staring blankly at Zhou Yan, his breathing quick and heavy, his expression contorted.
In the same Hell, sinking together!
How can you run?!
How dare you run?!!
I will drag you down, drag you down!
Die together, die together! If I catch you, I can live. Step on your corpse, eat your corpse, I can live, I can live!
The man hadn’t considered the possibility that the other party came to save him. With red eyes, he shouted loudly, with a sharp, angry, unwilling, yet humble and fawning tone—
“Someone, no—”
“A meat-sheep! Not a person, a meat-sheep!!”
“A meat-sheep is trying to run!!!”
Zhou Yan looked ahead.
As seen by the jade book, there was no Demonic Qi.
But, here, ahead.
Were there truly no demons?