C6 A Calamity Was Brought down from the Sky!

"Why are you all talking about this? My daughter is still in there."

The village chief, in a flurry of worry, hurriedly ushered the Taoist priest inside.

As the Taoist priest passed Changshun, he flashed him a cryptic smile.

Changshun was tempted to follow and get some answers, but the thought of Xiuxiu inside and the potential for further misunderstandings held him back. He couldn't afford to complicate things further.

With a troubled expression, Changshun walked home alone, his mind a whirlwind of chaotic thoughts. He remembered sharing a bed with a strange woman the night before, the enticing vision of Xiuxiu undressed, the Taoist priest's enigmatic grin, and Wang Mo's deranged demeanor.

Changshun couldn't pinpoint his thoughts as he passed a sweet potato field, impulsively digging up two sweet potatoes. After washing them clean in a nearby pond, he retraced his steps.

As he approached the spot where he had encountered Wang Mo earlier, Wang Mo burst out from hiding.

Drooling and disheveled, Wang Mo seemed even more wretched than before.

"I'm hungry. So hungry," he mumbled incoherently.

Without hesitation, Changshun tossed him a sweet potato.

Wang Mo caught it deftly and began to gnaw on it hungrily, as if he hadn't eaten in ages.

As Wang Mo devoured the first sweet potato, Changshun threw him the second one.

Taking advantage of Wang Mo's distraction, Changshun tried to slip by unnoticed.

Suddenly, Wang Mo grabbed hold of Changshun.

Startled, Changshun couldn't break free. Despite Wang Mo's frail appearance, his grip was incredibly strong, and he dragged Changshun toward the mountains.

"Let go, let go!" Changshun protested, struggling the entire way. The mountain path was treacherous, and he stumbled and fell.

Wang Mo, seemingly mindless, didn't care whether Changshun was in pain and continued to drag him along the ground.

After several jolts, Changshun's head struck a rock, and he lost consciousness.

When Changshun came to after some time, he realized Wang Mo was still dragging him by the leg.

It was pitch black outside, with the trees growing denser by the minute, a clear sign that they had ventured deep into the wilderness.

Changshun felt as though his body had been run over by a vehicle, the pain was excruciating.

Unable to endure the agony, he clung to a large tree, refusing to release his grip.

"Kill... Kill..."

Wang Mo turned and bellowed at Changshun with a ferocity akin to a wild animal.

"Wang Mo, it's me, Changshun, your Shunzi. Please, stop dragging me; you're killing me."

"Kill..."

"What are you talking about? There's nobody here. Who's going to kill?"

Changshun didn't get to finish his sentence when a large tree crashed down, and two shadowy figures streaked over his head.

"Ah!" Wang Mo, apparently startled, darted into a thicket, leaving his backside exposed.

Changshun's eyes bulged in disbelief at what he had just witnessed.

Could there be humans with tails in this world? Or... was that actually a ghost?

"Stupid boy, why are you just standing there? Do you want to get killed?"

As Changshun turned to get a clearer view, someone smacked him on the head.

He looked up to find Xiuxiu, the girl who claimed to be his fiancée, crouching before him.

"I..."

He attempted to speak, but she quickly covered his mouth with her hand.

Changshun caught a whiff of a subtle, sweet scent from her palm, not recognizing the fragrance but considering it the most delightful he had ever encountered.

However...

The next moment, Changshun found himself inexplicably lifted off the ground.

This impossible occurrence terrified him to the point of being unable to scream.

"Ah! Monster, monster!"

Following the sound, Changshun saw Wang Mo looking up at him, his face stricken with terror.

Changshun's Adam's apple bobbed, but before he could utter a word, a creature leaped in front of Wang Mo and, in an instant, ripped him to shreds.

The raw, animalistic power of the attack knocked Changshun unconscious.

When he came to, he was no longer in the mountains but in a cave that was identical to the one from his dreams, complete with spider webs, dust, and an overpowering stench of decay.

He sprang up from the ground with haste.

"Thank goodness, it was only a dream. I mean, how could anyone have a long tail? And Wang Mo..."

The thought of Wang Mo being ripped to shreds made Changshun's stomach turn. He bolted to the stone wall and started to dry heave.

With the recent flurry of activities and mourning his grandfather's passing, he hadn't eaten much. As a result, he retched up nothing but bile after a while.

"How about that? You're on your feet already? Looks like you're pretty resilient."

A woman's soft, gentle voice startled Changshun from behind. He spun around to find no one there.

But this was becoming familiar to him. In every dream, he never managed to see the speaker.

Yet, when his eyes landed on the jade box, he felt an irresistible force compelling him to walk towards it.

Changshun was petrified, his limbs moving beyond his control as if possessed by some specter.

The words of the Taoist priest flashed through his mind, sending him into a frenzy.

Could the peculiar beauty actually be some mountain demon?

Was this the day he was destined to perish?

In terror, Changshun shut his eyes. But then, a pair of delicate, boneless hands encircled his waist.

The hands crept upward, their touch like a cat's claws, causing Changshun's breathing to quicken.

What was once a horrifying atmosphere had somehow taken on a hint of sensuality.

Changshun began to feel euphoric, even wishing those tender hands would explore his entire body.

"Ah!"

A sudden shriek jolted him back to reality, his mind sharp with pain as if pierced by a needle.

He regained control of his limbs and turned to see the belle sitting on the ground, gazing at him with a pitiful look.

"You... What's wrong?"

She was his betrothed. Instinctively, Changshun moved to assist her.

"Don't come any closer."

The belle's expression turned icy.

"You... What's this about?"

"What do you have on you? I thought you were just a naive boy, but it turns out you were scheming against me."

Changshun looked down at himself, feeling wronged.

"I... I didn't do anything."

How could he have schemed against her?

He hadn't even had time to enjoy the moment.

The belle remained silent. She stood up, turning her back to Changshun.

With no other option, Changshun bowed his head and began to search his person, hoping to discover something.

To his surprise, he actually pulled out a triangular yellow talisman from the inner pocket of his coat.

"What's this? I'm sure I didn't have it before... Could it have been that Taoist?"