The place ahead was a hollow deep within the dense forest. On three sides of the hollow stood wooden frames made from ten-thousand-year-old submerged wood, arranged in the shape of a cross. Iron chains with clasps hung down from them. They appeared to be three execution platforms.
In the middle of the hollow, a huge blood pool had been dug. Corpse bones were piled upon corpse bones in that pool, skeletons tangled with skeletons. The people who had died over thousands of years all drifted and sank within this blood pool.
Above the blood pool, the Fire Bat Clan had built a waterside pavilion, with floor-standing palace lanterns lit by faint, flickering flames. The craftsmanship was extraordinarily beautiful, but upon taking a closer look, it was almost enough to make one vomit—
The ground of fine sand and pebbles had been paved with countless human teeth. As for the palace lanterns, their handles were made from spinal columns, while upside-down skulls served as their bases…
This waterside pavilion was actually built from white bones!
Mo Xi: “…”
Gu Mang: “Look at the center of the pavilion!”
Mo Xi looked over. In the central pavilion of this earthly hell sat a beautiful middle-aged woman who appeared to be around forty by human standards. She wore a cicada-thin blouse and a scaled belt, with an abundance of pearls and jade ornaments glittering upon her. A gold-inlaid jade clasp and pendant adorned her forehead. Her bearing was extremely noble and dignified. Numerous bat demons stood around her like stars surrounding the moon, serving her nervously and fearfully.
“Looks like that’s Wu Yan.” Gu Mang murmured, “Strange. She looks neither as breathtakingly beautiful as the first rumor claimed, nor like an old demoness as the second rumor described. She looks like quite a normal queen.”
Mo Xi knew that by “normal,” he meant only her appearance, not anything else. Because at this moment, a female official dressed in military attire was kneeling before Wu Yan. Two attendants held her down from either side. Half of the woman’s face was covered in blood, and one of her sharp bat ears had been chopped off.
As for Wu Yan, she was casually twirling that bloody severed ear between her fingers. She even dipped it into the blood that trickled down and smeared it over her glossy fingernails as though applying crimson nail polish.
“You’ve searched for so long,” Wu Yan said indifferently while playing with the severed half-ear. “You haven’t found a single trace of them. Instead, you let someone steal away my medicinal catalyst. What use is there in keeping those keen ears of yours?!”
The female official trembled like a sieve. “Your Majesty… please, Your Majesty, show mercy…”
“I have already shown you enough mercy. You were responsible for guarding the alchemy chamber, yet you lost my most important blood source.” Wu Yan narrowed her eyes, their corners painted with a flush, and said ominously, “Do you know that this is a capital offense?”
The female official trembled violently and could not even form a complete sentence.
Wu Yan raised a hand. A flame suddenly ignited in her palm, and the fierce fire quickly burned the severed ear to ashes.
“Someone.”
“Present!”
Wu Yan raised her little finger and examined the nail she had just painted. Then she pointed at the female official kneeling on the ground.
“The Keen-Eared One failed in her duties and committed a grave mistake. Throw her into the cauldron… Boil her alive.”
Hearing such a cruel punishment, both Gu Mang and Mo Xi’s faces went deathly pale.
The female official immediately began screaming hysterically.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty, spare me!!! Please allow me to atone by rendering meritorious service! I will definitely capture A-Rong and those little ruffians who trespassed on the island and bring them back! Your Majesty—Your Majesty—!”
Wu Yan ignored her completely. The female official was dragged away by the two attendants, her screams like claws piercing through the dark forest, violently tearing at the night.
Only after a long while did the screams finally disappear.
Wu Yan sighed.
“For the past hundred years, I’ve been too kindhearted. That is why I’ve raised such useless deadweights who can’t get anything done.”
As she spoke, she lifted her eyes toward another female bat official kneeling beside a pavilion pillar.
“You’re the Keen-Eared One’s disciple, aren’t you?”
The bat demon let out a terrified squeak.
Wu Yan said, “Did you see what happened to your master?”
“S-saw it! I saw it!”
Wu Yan smiled. “Want to end up like her?”
“No, no, no! I don’t! I don’t!”
Wu Yan’s smile suddenly twisted.
“Then why aren’t you hurrying to gratefully get lost and join the other squads in searching the entire island?!”
“Yes, yes!”
The female official stumbled to her feet and fled in a panic.
After scolding the female official, Wu Yan closed her eyes and leaned against the soft cushion to rest for a while. Then she raised a hand and said, “A-Fang, come here.”
Her personal maid, A-Fang, hurried forward and curtsied.
“How many Blood Spirit Pills do we have in reserve?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, Miss Rongrong fell ill a few days ago, so her blood could not be collected for use. Therefore, only two remain.”
“Two…”
Wu Yan repeated the words, followed by a sigh.
“Forget it. I won’t take one today. The yin energy around this blood pool is heavy. It should at least help me hold out a little longer.”
Gu Mang secretly listened until this point and whispered, “So that’s how it is.”
Mo Xi turned to look at him.
Gu Mang said, “I was wondering earlier why, after such a major incident occurred on the island, Wu Yan didn’t personally come out to search for us and instead merely ordered her subordinates to hunt us down across the entire island. Now I understand.”
“Hmm?”
“Presumably because Wu Yan once recklessly cultivated the path to immortality and damaged her vitality. She probably has to rely on Blood Spirit Pills every day to alleviate her pain. Now that her medicinal catalyst is gone, and she doesn’t know when she’ll be able to recover it, she definitely won’t immediately use up the two remaining Blood Spirit Pills. Instead, she’s choosing the next best option and reducing her own energy expenditure near this blood pool, where the yin energy is abundant, rather than running around everywhere.”
As Gu Mang reasoned this out, he suddenly raised his elbow and nudged Mo Xi.
“Hey.”
“What?”
“The life crystal that can show whether Yue Chen Qing is alive or in danger—is it on you?”
Mo Xi said, “It is. Why?”
“I figure that since the queen has no intention of personally searching the island yet, Murong-ge should have no trouble dealing with the other demons.”
Gu Mang paused before continuing.
“We came here to save someone, not to cause trouble. If we can avoid fighting, we should avoid it. We have only two objectives. First, ensure that Yue Chen Qing successfully removes the curse. Second, escape from this island safely.”
“So given the situation right now, why don’t we blend in beside the queen and keep a close eye on everything she does? She’s already placed a barrier over the entire island to prevent us from escaping, right? But every barrier has weak points. I plan to sound her out and find out where the barrier is weakest. When the time comes, we’ll escape from there. You just need to keep an eye on Yue Chen Qing’s crystal and make sure he’s safe.”
Mo Xi thought for a moment and felt that the plan was feasible.
“How are you going to sound her out?”
“I have to say, sometimes the spells of Liao really are much more convenient than those of Chonghua.”
With that, he snapped his fingers. A tiny flame sprang from his fingertip. Gu Mang tossed the little flame into the air, and it instantly scattered into countless colorful butterflies that surrounded the two of them.
“…”
Mo Xi lowered his voice and hissed angrily, “You cast Liao’s dark magic on me?!”
Although Mo Xi’s voice was almost inaudible, Gu Mang still preferred to be cautious. He raised a hand and lightly touched Mo Xi’s lips.
“What are you making such a fuss about, little beauty? Listen to big brother and keep quiet.”
Mo Xi: “…………”
Gu Mang continued, “Spells are spells. As long as they aren’t harmful to heaven and morality, who cares whether they were created by Liao or Chonghua? If they work, that’s all that matters. Why are there so many rules?”
As more and more glowing butterflies gathered around them, dazzling light rose from both their bodies. Fortunately, Gu Mang had prepared in advance and laid down a concealment spell, so the commotion did not attract the attention of the Fire Bat Clan.
The light radiating from the butterflies’ wings grew stronger and stronger, so bright that it was impossible to keep one’s eyes open.
When the light finally disappeared, Gu Mang smiled.
“Look at me.”
The person standing before him had already become a female servant of the Fire Bat Clan, with pointed ears and a cluster of red markings between her brows. She had a handsome, sharply defined face. A pair of blue eyes were moist and bright, their outer corners long. Her nose was tall and straight, while her lips naturally curved upward into a mischievous expression even when she was not smiling.
This bat demon possessed a naturally flirtatious air between her brows and eyes, but upon closer examination, all of her features had clearly been transformed using Gu Mang’s own facial features as the model.
Mo Xi: “…”
“Phantom Butterfly Disguise Technique. I invented it myself.” Gu Mang said as he took a small bronze mirror from his Qiankun pouch. “Now take a look at yourself.”
Mo Xi grabbed his wrist, almost gnashing his teeth.
“You turned my face into a maid’s too?!”
Gu Mang merely smiled without answering. He raised the bronze mirror.
Mo Xi had absolutely no desire to look at such a terrifying disguised reflection. He abruptly pushed it down.
Gu Mang raised it again.
Mo Xi pushed it down again.
After repeating this several times, Gu Mang finally could not help saying, “All right, I know your temper. I turned you into a guard. You have nothing to be angry about.”
He raised the mirror once more.
Mo Xi glanced into it and saw that his appearance had indeed changed. Two sharp bat ears had grown from his head, his skin had taken on an almost deathly pale color, and his lips were red as though he had just drunk blood.
Then he looked down and saw that his black military attire with gold trim had also been transformed into clothing identical to that worn by the guards of Bat Island.
Gu Mang patted his shoulder.
“Let’s go.”
There were many low-ranking bat demons around the blood-pool pavilion. The two hid behind a tree and, when the opportunity arose, knocked unconscious a pair of female servant and guard companions who happened to walk by.
Gu Mang dragged them to a secluded spot and searched them, finding two waist badges.
“Put these on. Then we’ll be completely safe.”
Each of them took one badge and hung it at their side. They concealed their human aura and blended into the crowds of passing bat demons.
They had not gone far when a large, broad-shouldered female bat demon suddenly shouted angrily at them—
“Stop! What’s wrong with the two of you? Why aren’t you doing any work?”
This female bat demon had a face covered in fierce-looking flesh, and she held a whip in her hand while standing with her hands on her hips.
“His Majesty the Queen is already in a bad mood tonight, and you still don’t know enough to be smart about things? Are you waiting to have your blood sucked dry and be hung up like dried meat?!”
As she spoke, she flicked her wrist. The pale flesh of her elbow jiggled violently, and the whip shot out like a swift snake, lashing directly toward the two of them.
Seeing the long whip about to strike Gu Mang in the face, Mo Xi abruptly raised his palm and forcibly caught it!
“…”
The coarse whip tore open Mo Xi’s palm, and blood slowly seeped across his entire hand.
The female bat demon shouted angrily, “What are you doing?! You dare fight back?!”
Mo Xi raised his eyes.
“You said it yourself. Her Majesty is already in a bad mood tonight. What if she sees that some maid’s face has been injured for no reason and finds it inauspicious? I’m afraid all of us would be hung up and dried.”
The Fire Bat Clan was not exactly a clever race to begin with. After hearing him say this, the female official stared blankly, unable to refute him.
Finally, she said, “Fine. I’ll let you off this time. But if there’s a next time, just you wait…”
Gu Mang immediately chimed in with a smile.
“Sister is absolutely right. I’ve remembered it all. I’ll never dare do it again.”
The female bat demon was indeed not very bright. She gave two smug snorts before abruptly retracting the whip and holding it at her waist.
Gu Mang continued flattering her.
“Sister, actually, we’re not loafing around either. It’s just that our other companions are too quick with their hands and feet. If we’re even a little slow, they snatch up all the work. If Sister is willing, just assign some tasks to me. I’d be happy to help ease Sister’s burden.”
The female bat demon looked him up and down several times.
“You little girl certainly have a sweet mouth.”
After thinking for a moment, she waved her hand.
“All right. Go sort these melons and fresh fruits, arrange them on trays, and deliver them to the inner courtyard of the waterside pavilion.”
“As for you…”
After ordering Gu Mang around, the female bat demon glared at Mo Xi.
“It’s not time to rest yet. Don’t get all warm and well-fed and start thinking about lust, endlessly thinking about fooling around with female demons. Go patrol!”
In this life, Mo Xi had not never fallen on hard times. He had experienced being ordered around by others before.
It was simply that no one had ever dared to order him around while simultaneously throwing the words “fooling around” and “warm and well-fed, thinking about lust” straight at his head.
Mo Xi’s face was practically turning green. He glared at the female bat demon.
“Why are you glaring at me? You’re just a little guard. Don’t tell me you’re going to rebel against heaven itself?”
Gu Mang hurriedly said, “Sister, don’t blame him. He was born with that asking-to-be-beaten, asking-to-be-punched expression. It looks like he’s provoking you, but actually he thinks what Sister said makes a lot of sense.”
The female bat demon looked doubtful.
“Really?”
Mo Xi’s face was icy. After remaining silent for a moment, he forced out two cold words.
“…That’s right.”
The female bat demon still looked somewhat distrustful.
Gu Mang gave him a look, signaling him to keep going and say a few more words.
Thus Mo Xi could only grit his teeth and say,
“Senior’s golden words are truly wise. From now on, I will definitely… conduct myself properly. I have learned my lesson.”
—
After finally fooling the female bat demon into leaving, the two began acting separately.
Since the inner courtyard of the waterside pavilion was the queen’s private quarters, the guards, who were all male bat demons, were originally forbidden from entering.
Thus Mo Xi went to patrol another part of the blood pool, while Gu Mang carried the fruit tray and walked deeper into the waterside pavilion, stepping across stairs piled with human bones.
Gu Mang had walked alone to a corner when he saw a group of attendants filing out.
The bat demon leading them glanced at Gu Mang.
“Here to deliver fruit?”
“Yes.”
“Take it to the side of the Agate Pool. Her Majesty is there.”
Although Gu Mang had no idea where the Agate Pool was, when that bat demon spoke, she subconsciously raised her chin slightly.
Gu Mang was clever and immediately caught that tiny detail.
He smiled.
“All right.”
Carrying the fruit, he followed the direction toward the Agate Pool.
The so-called Agate Pool was actually a bathing pool filled with blood.
The Fire Bat Clan did not know what method they had used, but they had somehow kept the human blood accumulated over a thousand years from drying up or rotting. Like a hot spring, it slowly released mist into the air.
Queen Wu Yan was sitting beside the Agate Pool. Her clothes had already been removed, and she casually wore only a bright-red bathrobe. Her snow-white shoulders and much of her full chest were exposed. A pair of breasts, white as splashed milk and astonishingly delicate, rose and fell softly as she touched the surface of the thick blood with the tips of her toes, sending up strings of blood droplets like red beans.
Her personal maid, A-Fang, was arranging her hair so that she could enter the pool to bathe. Catching sight of Gu Mang from the corner of her eye, she said to Wu Yan,
“Your Majesty, the fruit has arrived. Would you like to soak in the pool first, or eat some fruit to stave off your hunger?”
Wu Yan said unhappily, “So many troublesome things happened today. I’m already full from being angry. Why would I eat?”
A-Fang gestured with her eyes for Gu Mang to put down the fruit tray.
Gu Mang did so, setting down the tray before lowering his eyes and retreating to one side.
He had no interest in watching a woman bathe. Besides, although Wu Yan had taken good care of herself, there were already fine wrinkles around her waist and neck. Even if she was a female demon, he still felt that peeking at someone’s privacy like this was inappropriate.
But he had no other choice. Every move Wu Yan made might reveal the clues he needed, so he could only observe her while deliberately avoiding certain areas.
Wu Yan removed the red silk robe covering her body and slipped completely into the blood pool. She closed her eyes and let out a low, comfortable sigh. Then she stretched out both arms and leaned against the side of the pool while her maid used a small bamboo tube to scoop up the flowing, warm blood and carefully pour it over her shoulders and back.
And very soon, something that left Gu Mang astonished happened right before his eyes.