Chapter 258: The Principle of Demons Eating Humans, Humans Eating Dragons
A single arrow pierced through the clouds.
Then, the lakeside fell silent once more.
The demon woman named Liu Wan, looking at the woman pinned between Zhexiu's fingers, sighed and said, "Milord, although you acted willfully and were wounded due to underestimating the enemy, we cannot simply watch you die like this."
She turned her gaze to Chen Changsheng, a gentle smile reappearing on her face as she said sincerely, "Little friend, what do you think about a trade?"
With her words, the middle-aged demon man named Teng Xiaoming slowly turned around, shifting the carrying pole that had been behind him to the front.
Chen Changsheng and Zhexiu could clearly see that on the face of the unconscious human woman, there were faint traces of tears.
Zhexiu's expression remained impassive. As was his habit, he never did anything meaningless on the battlefield, nor would he put himself in danger.
No matter what identity the demon beauty currently pinned between his fingers held, as long as she had truly used the Peacock Feather earlier, she was qualified to be their protective talisman.
As for that unconscious human woman—whether she was a female disciple from some reclusive Eastern sect—what did that have to do with him?
Chen Changsheng also wouldn't do anything meaningless, but his thinking differed from Zhexiu's. He believed that if they could keep that human woman alive, it would hold some significance.
Yet he was well aware that when it came to combat or dealing with demons, he was far less experienced than Zhexiu. So he remained silent, not interfering with Zhexiu's decision-making.
"If we trade, you can kill us," Zhexiu said, looking at the demon couple.
Liu Wan'er looked at him very seriously and said, "You are destined to die in the Garden of Zhou. I swear by the name of my ancestors. But I can also swear that if you agree to the trade, I will give you half an hour to leave first. If I break this oath, may heaven and earth destroy me."
Zhexiu's expression remained unchanged. "The oaths of demons and the oaths of humans are the same—both are..."
Liu Wan'er said calmly, "How can we make you believe us?"
Zhexiu replied, "First, you must make us believe that this woman we've captured is worthy of your respect for an oath."
Liu Wan'er glanced at her husband, then said, "She is Lord Nanke..."
"I don't believe it," Zhexiu interrupted before she could finish. "If she were Nanke, no matter how well prepared Chen Changsheng and I were, we would have died in the lake just now."
He said this, and he was certain of it in his heart, but he was still puzzled. He had already checked the hair of the woman in his arms and confirmed there were no demon horns—a demon woman so powerful and proud that she dared to underestimate him and Chen Changsheng, yet had no horns. Who else could she be but the legendary Nanke?
Chen Changsheng didn't know who Nanke was. He noticed that when the name was mentioned, the demon general couple's expressions became respectful, and Zhexiu's breathing behind him grew slightly erratic.
"Those human cultivators in the Garden of Zhou—were they poisoned by you?"
He looked at the large iron pot in Liu Wan'er's hand and the carrying pole on Teng Xiaoming's shoulder, suddenly thinking of this matter.
Liu Wan'er didn't directly answer his question. Instead, she looked at him gently and earnestly and said, "From the moment you entered the Garden of Zhou, we've known your location. The ones we want to kill are you. After we kill you, we'll leave. If you want fewer people to die, you might as well cooperate."
Cooperate? How? Cooperate by letting her kill him? Or kill himself? It was clearly absurd, but spoken with such earnest sincerity, it somehow gained an inexplicable persuasiveness. Chen Changsheng was taken aback and asked, "How many people did you infiltrate the Garden of Zhou to kill? Just the two of us?"
Liu Wan'er gave the impression of holding nothing back. "The Military Advisor said you are the future of humanity, so you must die. Besides you two, there are other targets, but I cannot disclose them."
Chen Changsheng said, "Two of the Divine Kingdom's Seven Laws have come—Liang Xiaoxiao and Qi Jian. You'll definitely want to kill them."
Liu Wan'er smiled and said, "Reasonable."
Chen Changsheng continued, "Although some seniors at the upper level of Penetrating Obscurity have also entered the Garden of Zhou, they are older, and their chances of breaking through are slim."
Liu Wan'er nodded. "Correct. These old and useless fools—the Military Advisor wouldn't bother with them."
Upper level of Penetrating Obscurity—in the cultivation world, that should be considered expert level by any measure. Even if it took many years to reach that realm, how could they be called old and useless? Chen Changsheng was speechless. "Since the targets are concentrated on the young, the candidates for this year's Grand Examination must be your focus... Zhuang Huanyu?"
Zhong Hui and Su Moyu had stayed at the Heavenly Book Mausoleum, so he could only think of the name Zhuang Huanyu.
"Who is Zhuang Huanyu?" Liu Wan'er frowned, looking at her husband beside her.
Teng Xiaoming replied honestly, "A student of Mao Qiuyu from the Heavenly Dao Academy. Not bad."
Liu Wan'er smiled and shook her head, then looked at Chen Changsheng. "If I can't even remember the name, how could the Military Advisor?"
Chen Changsheng said, "To be remembered by the legendary Lord in Black... I don't know if I should feel honored or afraid."
Liu Wan'er smiled. "The Military Advisor wanted to kill Princess Luoluo, and you ruined his plans. How could he forget you?"
Chen Changsheng remained silent.
"Let's just make the trade quickly," Liu Wan'er urged him sincerely. "Having half an hour to flee means at least half an hour more to live. If we run into those two kids from Li Mountain on our way to chase you, you might even live longer."
"If... she really is Nanke."
Zhexiu glanced at the dying demon beauty in his arms, his expression blank. "Then no matter who the woman in your load is, what right does she have to trade for Nanke?"
Liu Wan'er said, "You should have guessed by now—this young girl is a disciple of that reclusive Eastern sect. In terms of seniority, she's of the same generation as the Pope. Isn't that qualification enough?"
Chen Changsheng said nothing. Zhexiu said coldly, "I don't believe in religion. The Pope has nothing to do with me. A trade—I only care about fairness."
Liu Wan'er said seriously, "Fairness? Reasonable... You tore her clothes off, so naturally, this young girl can't keep hers either."
As she spoke, without any visible movement, there was a series of tearing sounds. The undergarments of the unconscious beauty in the carrying pole split like butterflies and fluttered into the air.
In an instant, the woman was completely naked, revealing her youthful, fair body like a white lamb.
She curled up with her knees hugged, shrinking into the basket—a scene of indescribable allure.
Chen Changsheng turned slightly away, not looking directly.
Zhexiu showed no reaction, staring at the scene as if seeing nothing.
Their common point was that they were both very calm, without any panic.
Liu Wan'er still smiled, her expression gentle, but inwardly she was somewhat surprised. After a moment, she continued slowly, "Just missing clothes... still not fair."
Chen Changsheng thought of something, his expression shifting, and he tried to speak to stop it, but it was too late.
A dazzlingly beautiful blade light appeared by the lake.
A spray of fresh blood shot out.
The right hand of the beauty in the basket was severed at the wrist.
With a slap, the severed hand fell to the ground.
Teng Xiaoming slowly crouched down to pick it up and said to Liu Wan'er, "Boil it for dinner or fry it?"
This was the second sentence the demon general had spoken today.
He was talking about eating human flesh.
When he said it, his expression remained honest and simple, as if discussing something ordinary.
Liu Wan'er thought for a moment, then said, "Boil it in plain water—it's more fragrant."
She was also very calm, very casual, just like earlier in the forest when she talked about how to make braised pork or hand-grabbed meat.
Chen Changsheng's face turned pale, his body stiff.
Zhexiu remained calm. He knew the rumors about this demon general couple, known for their simple and honest demeanor but even more famous for their cruel deeds.
And on the snowy plains, he had also eaten certain meats that shouldn't be eaten.
Liu Wan'er smiled and said, "See? Isn't it fair now?"
Chen Changsheng and Zhexiu had cut off one hand of the demon beauty.
Now the demon general couple had cut off one hand of the human beauty.
It seemed fair.
In Chen Changsheng's eyes, the demon woman's once kind and sincere smile suddenly became terrifying.
He looked at her, was silent for a moment, then said very seriously, "Could you please not eat human flesh?"
Liu Wan'er was stunned. She had thought of many ways these two human youths might react—bluffing with bravado, vomiting in disgust, or coldly ignoring it—but she never expected Chen Changsheng to seriously advise her not to eat human flesh.
She could see that Chen Changsheng was sincere, so she became more serious than ever.
Some seriousness in the world is worthy of admiration.
She looked at Chen Changsheng and asked, "Do you eat meat?"
Chen Changsheng said, "Yes."
She said, "What have chickens and ducks done wrong?"
Zhexiu suddenly said, "The strong prey on the weak."
Liu Wan'er smiled. "We are stronger than you humans. Why can't we treat you as food?"
Chen Changsheng said, "We all have intelligence, can speak, and can communicate."
Liu Wan'er looked into his eyes very seriously and said, "But you humans once ate dragons."
Chen Changsheng was silent. He truly didn't know that someone had once eaten a dragon.
Just then, he felt the hilt of the short sword tremble slightly.
"I am human, so I must advise you not to eat human flesh."
He was silent for a moment, then said, "Just as if I were a dragon, I would naturally stop humans from eating dragon meat."
"So in the end, it's a matter of perspective," Liu Wan'er said with a smile.
Chen Changsheng shook his head. "I wouldn't eat a dragon that could speak, no matter how many benefits there were... I think the person who ate that dragon might not count as human... at least in my eyes."
Hearing this, Liu Wan'er was silent for a moment, then sighed. "That person truly is no longer human."
As this demon general, who looked like an ordinary housewife, reminisced about the past, Chen Changsheng and Zhexiu exchanged a glance.
Then Chen Changsheng took a step back.
The two youths stood side by side.
Then, Chen Changsheng moved the short sword in his right hand behind his back.
An extremely thin black shadow emerged from between his thumb and forefinger.
(To be continued)