The second leopard-patterned demon pouted.
The young man withdrew his gaze, which had been on the sidelines watching the show, and looked back at the black-clothed yincha. "Sir, is there a back door here?" he asked.
The black-clothed yincha tilted his head back, looking at the sky, which was gradually shrouded in red mist. "I think I understand," he said.
"Understand what?" the boy asked.
The black-clothed yincha glanced down at the boy and said, "We've been trapped. Damn it," he clenched his fist. "I was careless. Actually, I thought that guy was strange from the moment you all came in. If I had been more decisive," he lowered his eyelids, "none of this would have happened."
"Sir, why are you blaming yourself again?" the young man asked the black-clothed yincha with a helpless expression.
The black-clothed yincha said, "They've already escaped, while the yincha and those guys were fighting."
Upon hearing this, the boy looked up at the sky, which was glowing red, his eyes widening. "Strange, why is the sky this color?"
"The place where two hundred and fifty demon souls are held is a forest. The barrier will be removed within a quarter of an hour once it touches the key. Now," the black-clothed yincha looked up at the gradually dispersing red mist, "it's too late."
"If two hundred and fifty demon souls get out, is there no other way but to become demons?" the young man asked, recalling what the demon souls had said in the prison earlier.
"Yes, all of them," the black-clothed yincha glanced at the boy and the young man. "This mission is now assigned to you. You should also bring Mu Anxiao. If she refuses at first, tell her there's a reward."
"Understood," the young man replied with a determined expression.
The boy's eyes flickered.
The black-clothed yincha sighed. "I'm going to confess."
Hearing this, the boy quickly looked at the black-clothed yincha and asked, "Will you be alright?"
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," the black-clothed yincha said, turning to the demons beside him. "But before I go there, I need to lock you up first." As he spoke, he spread his hand and conjured a golden rope, then tossed it towards them. The moment the golden rope touched their bodies, their demon souls floated out one by one, and their bodies instantly vanished.
The first leopard-patterned demon looked sideways at his disappearing body and then at the black-clothed yincha. "Didn't you say it would be very painful? Why do I feel nothing?"
"Yes, us too," the other demons said in unison.
The boy looked at the confused expressions of the demons and said helplessly, "They tried to reduce your pain, and you're still unhappy about it. What are you asking about?"
The first leopard-patterned demon looked down at the boy, then at the black-clothed yincha, who was no longer as terrifying. "Please tell us why. Did we not make any mistakes at all?"
"This is my new magical artifact. I wanted to try it out today. Since you want pain, I'll grant you your wish," the black-clothed yincha said, conjuring an axe with his hand.
They stared in horror.
"Sir, what is this?" the young man asked.
The black-clothed yincha said, "Since you felt no pain after leaving your physical bodies, I will make your souls suffer." He then swung the axe a couple of times casually.
Following that, they all began to cry.
"No need, sir."
"Yes, yes, we spoke out of turn. It was our fault. Sorry, sorry."
"Don't do this. We should go to the prison."
Hearing the demons' pleas, the young man couldn't help but smile wryly.
The black-clothed yincha snorted, retracted his axe, and looked at the young man. "You take them," he said, pointing at the boy, "you come with me."
"Okay." The boy was still affected by the yincha's departure, his face still looking haggard.
The young man patted the boy's head. "Don't be too sad."
The boy ignored him.
The young man didn't mind and said to the demons, "Let's go to the adjacent cave."
The black-clothed yincha, seeing that the young man knew the place, didn't say anything and turned to walk ahead.
Thus, they parted ways.
In the end, this matter successfully implicated Hei Feng.
In the dark hall, the Ox-Head and Horse-Face on both sides glared fiercely at Hei Feng, who walked in with ease, saying nothing.
Hei Feng cautiously looked at them, cleared his throat, walked up to the boy's side, and smiled. "Yo, there's a kid here!" he said, looking at the black-clothed yincha and waving. "Hello, big brother."
The black-clothed yincha ignored him.
In the front, the judge sitting in the Grand Tutor's chair was looking sternly at Hei Feng, who was greeting everyone. "Hei Feng, do you know your mistake?" he said sharply.
Hei Feng blinked and asked, "What mistake have I made?" He pointed at himself.
"You're asking me? Why didn't you hand over the Vine Demon you captured years ago?" the judge asked angrily.
Hei Feng's eyes darted. "I originally wanted to use that chain to capture more demons, but who knew that the chain could only hold one demon soul. After that, I forgot until..."
"Until it escaped, and then you remembered," the judge interrupted.
Hei Feng dared not speak.
The black-clothed yincha glanced at Hei Feng. "This guy is always glib, but his relationship with Mu Anxiao is indeed the closest."
"I know her too," the boy said excitedly.
The black-clothed yincha's expression stiffened. He lowered his eyes and smiled at the boy. "I forgot until you mentioned it. You know her too."
"Big brother, are you helping me or harming me?" Hei Feng said helplessly.
The black-clothed yincha glanced at Hei Feng, then at the judge. "Judge, this is still my fault. I was careless."
"Let's not talk about you yet. Who brought the Vine Demon in?" the judge asked.
The black-clothed yincha glanced at the boy, who had finally emerged from his shadow, his eyes sinking. "It was an unknown yincha, but he died saving me." His expression revealed sadness.
"Then it's all his fault," the judge suddenly said.
Upon hearing this, the boy quickly raised his face. "Sir, you can't say that. If you ask me, the person who tied the knot must untie it. This matter should be traced back to the first yincha who released the Vine Demon." He intentionally glanced at Hei Feng.
Hei Feng looked down at the boy who insisted on pinning the blame on him and sighed. He then turned to the judge. "Since it has come to this, I am willing to accept punishment."
"Good. Then you will follow him from now on," the judge said, pointing at the boy.
The boy remained silent.
Hei Feng's mouth twitched. "No, this is just a little brat. Moreover, he's a soul spirit over there, and I'm a yincha. Making me follow him..." He glanced at the boy with disdain. "I'm not convinced."