On the way back, the more I thought about it, the more something felt wrong. Bai Ling'er had talked with the leader of the white-haired mountain demon for over ten minutes. How could she only translate a few short sentences for me after their conversation? This seemed highly illogical!
I didn't know if their language was compatible with human languages, but judging by the duration, they must have exchanged many words.
Another point was the white-haired mountain demon leader's attitude towards Bai Ling'er. Although they fought fiercely, I felt more often than not that Bai Ling'er was going easy on the mountain demon leader.
Furthermore, after the white-haired mountain demon leader said something, Bai Ling'er actually showed surprise. If they didn't have secrets between them, I wouldn't believe it even if I were beaten to death.
However, getting this secret out of Bai Ling'er would be difficult. Through our interactions these past few days, I knew that if she didn't want to say something, no amount of promises or benefits could pry it from her little mouth.
But Bai Ling'er wasn't without her weaknesses; she loved to hear compliments and, even more, loved good food. If I combined these two points, I didn't believe I couldn't get her to open up.
However, before that, I needed to get closer to her, to avoid her discovering my intentions right away.
"Ling'er, you ate the fake lightning-struck wood. Are you alright now?"
Bai Ling'er, who was flying ahead, stopped. She tilted her head and looked at me for a while, then circled me twice before stopping in front of me.
Her emerald-like eyes flickered with an intermittent glow, finally settling on me as she stared and said, "What do you mean? Do you wish for this young lady to die after eating those蛊虫?"
"Cough, cough..."
I almost choked to death on her words. Who did she learn this from? I was clearly asking out of concern, but why did it sound like I wanted to harm her for personal gain?
"What are you talking about? Do you see any hint of me wishing you dead in my eyes? Ling'er, I'm more wronged than Dou E."
Bai Ling'er did not appreciate my 'sophistry.' She let out a contemptuous sound and continued to fly forward at a leisurely pace.
"Showing unsolicited kindness is either a plot or theft."
This time, I was utterly speechless. If I had a mirror, I would have taken a good look at myself to see what was wrong with me.
I had only said two sentences, and Bai Ling'er had retorted twice. Was my desire to know the intent of their conversation so obvious?
"Ling'er, aren't I just concerned about you? You ate lightning-struck wood and the Yin Iron Wood Ruler. I was just afraid you'd eat something that would cause trouble! You can't mistake my good intentions for ill will!"
"Tsk! Aren't you just trying to ask what this young lady said to that white-haired mountain demon just now? If you have something to say, just say it. Why beat around the bush? No wonder that old white-haired mountain demon said you weren't a good person. It seems it was absolutely right."
This time, I was completely silenced. She had indeed guessed my intentions. Although I was curious how she guessed it, seeing that Bai Ling'er wasn't overly repulsed, I quickly decided to ask what they had discussed.
I wasn't too annoyed that Bai Ling'er had guessed my thoughts. After all, she had lived longer than me, so it was understandable that she could guess what was on my mind.
"So, what exactly did you discuss? It couldn't have just been a warning for me, right?"
Bai Ling'er, flying ahead, suddenly stopped, and I also halted, preparing to face the 'storm.'
"It said many things, but most of them are irrelevant to you. Some things are not for you to know at your current stage, so I won't tell you. It's just that you..."
Bai Ling'er's eyes flickered twice before she continued, "It warned you that you'd best not proceed further. The path ahead is beyond your imagination. Even if you reach your destination, death awaits you."
I was stunned by Bai Ling'er's words. I wanted to ask if it was true or false, but she had already flown far away. I lost the opportunity to speak with her further. As soon as I approached her, she flew away. Only when we were nearing the cave where we were staying did she stop.
I gasped for air, lacking the strength to even lift my arm. I could only glare fiercely at her to vent my dissatisfaction.
Seeing this, Bai Ling'er merely snorted coldly, leaving behind a sentence, "I don't like seeing outsiders. Go back by yourself!" With that, she turned and disappeared into the night.
After resting by a tree for over half an hour, I managed to stand up, enduring the soreness in my body. I couldn't sleep here tonight, or I'd catch a cold and have a stroke by morning.
Before I could reach the cave entrance, I saw clusters of lights gathering not far away. Upon closer inspection, the crowd was divided into two groups: one led by Zhang Dabiao and Yue'er, and the other by Li Jian, Fang Niubizi, Kang Pangzi, and the bodyguard team led by Heizi.
At this moment, they were at each other's throats. Zhang Dabiao held the cleaver he carried, pointing its tip at Kang Pangzi, who was hiding behind Fang Niubizi.
"You fatso, if you're a man, get out from behind Niubizi. I'm telling you, if you don't explain this to me today, even the King of Heaven can't save you."
Yue'er, standing beside them, remained silent, but her gaze was exceptionally cold, fixed on Kang Pangzi. It seemed she was ready to make a move at any moment.
Kang Pangzi poked his head out from behind Fang Niubizi. He first glanced at Yue'er. Seeing that she made no move, he then waddled out from behind Fang Niubizi, his large belly preceding him.
"Zhang, don't try to scare me. Haven't you heard of me, Kang Pangzi? Am I someone who gets scared easily? Even if I say it ten more times, it's the same: your brother ran too slowly and was caught by the Mountain Demon King. As for what happened, you can figure it out yourselves."
As soon as Kang Pangzi finished speaking, Zhang Dabiao swayed unsteadily, and his face contorted with rage.
"You're spouting nonsense! My brother had a secret medicine on him, how could he be caught by a mountain demon? You must have harmed him! Today, I'll make you pay for it with your life."
As the words fell, Zhang Dabiao flicked his wrist, and the cleaver in his hand swung upwards towards Kang Pangzi. If this strike had landed, Kang Pangzi would have been disemboweled.
Ding——
The scene of snowflakes scattering did not occur. Fang Niubizi's steel sword was already drawn, directly blocking Zhang Dabiao's attack.
"Fellow Daoist Zhang, do not act rashly. As the saying goes, to catch a thief, you need evidence; to catch an adulterer, you need proof. Acting solely on your judgment now is somewhat inappropriate."
Li Jian also stepped forward, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, Fellow Daoist Kang and I are old friends. I can guarantee with my character that he would never betray the team."
"How much is your character worth? If my brother suffers any misfortune, I'll deal with you old man as well."
These words immediately stirred up a hornet's nest. Heizi and the other bodyguards directly aimed their guns at Zhang Dabiao, ready to turn him into a honeycomb at a moment's notice.
Seeing this, how could I dare to continue hiding behind the tree? I quickly emerged from behind it.
"Brother Zhang, I'm here."