"You mean Bai Ling'er has also transformed into a human? What exactly is going on? What did you encounter in Beishan Mining Town? Don't tell me ghosts sealed your mouths." I grabbed Huang San by the neck and lifted him up.
What a joke. Did they really think it was still ancient times with abundant spiritual energy, where one could cultivate into a human just by meeting certain conditions? If that were the case, the gorillas in the zoo and the mischievous, people-loving monkeys would have all become human by now.
Huang San's four small legs flailed, struggling. After a couple of attempts and realizing he couldn't break free from my grip, he panicked and bit down on the tiger's mouth of my hand. Feeling a sharp pain, I immediately let go.
"Huang San, you dare bite me?"
"Cough cough... Young Master Song, if I don't bite you, I'll lose my life. It wasn't easy for me to transform into a human, do you know how hard it was? Cough cough..." Huang San explained to me while coughing.
However, his small eyes darted around constantly. If I made any further threatening moves, he would flee the room the next moment, and I certainly wouldn't be able to catch him again.
Seeing the fear in Huang San's expression, I softened my stern face and asked, "Where is Bai Ling'er?"
Once he felt safe, Huang San first turned his body and then transformed back into his human form. "Miss Bai is still in the process of transforming her body, so she won't be back until later."
"She can also transform into a human? What exactly did you encounter?" I asked Huang San again, frowning.
Normally, I should have been happy to know that Bai Ling'er could transform into a human, but why did it feel like there was a conspiracy involved?
Why transform now and not earlier or later? She chose to transform precisely when I was surrounded by numerous vengeful spirits and ghost generals. If this were a coincidence, it would be too much of a coincidence. Moreover, around Beishan Mining Town, there were only ghosts and no living people active in that area. Who sealed their mouths?
It's important to know that asking for a mouth seal carries karma. Bai Ling'er and Huang San were relatively kind wild spirits. If they had encountered a malicious one, it could lead to financial ruin at best, or the entire family's demise at worst.
After wild spirits cultivate into human form, they naturally wish to repay those who sealed their mouths. However, wild spirits are, after all, beasts. Even if their intelligence is comparable to humans, there are still discrepancies.
They lack the ability to earn money. The most basic way to repay those who sealed their mouths is to steal gold and silver treasures from tombs. To prevent their tombs from being dug up, ancient people often coated their gold and silver treasures with potent poisons. Thus, repaying a kindness would turn into causing a death.
Furthermore, humans are greedy. No one would ever complain about having too much money; more is always better. This endless pursuit of more would also make the wild spirits frenzied, leading to the demise of their entire families, which was the karma for most.
Bai Ling'er and Huang San would naturally not harm people, but how should this karma be repaid? Huang San is easier to handle; although I have some connection with him, the karma isn't significant. But what about Bai Ling'er? She is my spirit pet. If someone comes to claim this karma, I wouldn't even know how to repay it.
Huang San's eyes, sharp as ever even after transforming into a human, didn't miss the change in my expression. After a moment of contemplation, he explained.
"Young Master Song, you're asking me, and I don't know how to answer. Anyway, Bai Ling'er and I were waiting at the foot of the mountain for your summons, but somehow we fainted. When we woke up, I had already become like this. At least let me change my appearance! Look at me..."
Faced with Huang San's rambling, I felt a vein throbbing on my forehead. He used to be better, not very talkative. Now that he's transformed into a human, why is he like a broken bicycle, with everything making noise except the bell?
"Enough!"
At my shout, Huang San shivered and instinctively hid behind the door, his small eyes darting around. It was clear he was preparing to bolt if he sensed trouble.
Seeing that he was still as timid as ever, there was no point in getting angry with him. "When will Bai Ling'er return? Give me a definite time."
Huang San lowered his head and pondered for a moment before replying in an uncertain tone, "I can't say for sure. Miss Bai is quite special. She should, perhaps, possibly, be fully transformed around dawn, or it might take two or three days."
"Two or three days? Why does she need so much time?" I asked, frowning.
Logically, Bai Ling'er's strength was far superior to Huang San's, so she should have transformed faster. Could there be other issues involved?
"How would I know? Anyway, when I returned, Miss Bai just told me she needed some time to transform. She didn't say why."
Seeing his sincere expression, I lost the inclination to ask further questions.
"Find a room and rest. Remember to keep your disciples and grandchildren in line. When Ling'er returns, have her come find me."
Huang San acknowledged with a sound and left the room.
Just now, I had learned about my master's whereabouts from Sun Chuang. He had taken my father into the southern Shifang Mountains. Was it to treat my father?
However, as far as I knew, the Shiwandashan was a barren land, filled with miasma and poisonous insects throughout the forests. I had also never heard of any particularly famous sects existing there.
Although my master had mentioned that he had a friend in the south who could help my father, he had never sought them out. Could it be that the friend my master mentioned lived within the Shiwandashan?
As I was lost in thought, Sister Zhang's voice came from outside the window.
"Qingyun, are... are you asleep?"
I quickly responded, "No," and asked her what was wrong. Had Brother Zhang woken up?
"Yes! He just woke up and asked me to come call you. He has something to say to you."
I acknowledged with a sound, put on my clothes, and shuffled out of the room in my slippers.
Entering the room, I saw Zhang Dabiao leaning against the headboard, his face pale. He was covered with a blanket and his body was still trembling.
This was a typical symptom of severe depletion of yang energy. He would only be able to alleviate it by getting plenty of sunlight once dawn arrived.
"Brother Zhang, didn't you say you were going out to scout? How did you end up like this?"
Zhang Dabiao sighed, his face flushing slightly as he spoke with embarrassment, "I ran into Sun Chuang. I was injured by the people he brought with him."
"You ran into Sun Chuang? Injured by him?" I stood up abruptly, asking in surprise.
"What? Do you think Brother Zhang disgraced himself?" Zhang Dabiao looked at me with a hint of displeasure.
Only then did I realize my tone was not quite right. I quickly explained, "Brother Zhang, that's not what I meant. Not long after you went out, Sun Chuang came with Fox Soul Ghost Generals to break down the door. You also said these injuries were inflicted by Sun Chuang. Is he Sun Wukong, who can split into countless clones..." Then, I recounted the entire incident of Sun Chuang breaking down the door with the Fox Soul Ghost Generals, not even hiding the fact that I had fallen into a dark space.
After all, he was Zhang Dabiao, my savior. Besides my master and father, he was the closest person to me. There was nothing to hide.
After listening to my account, Zhang Dabiao's mouth also gaped open in surprise, and he remained stunned for a moment.
I knew he wouldn't lie, and he also understood what I meant. No matter how capable a person was, they couldn't do two things at the same time unless they were an immortal.
But was Sun Chuang an immortal? Su Dan Novel Network
He was just an ordinary person.
Zhang Dabiao frowned and said in a deep voice, "That's strange. As soon as I went out, I saw him leading a few people towards your place. Before I could even ask him what he was doing, he attacked me... When you saw me, I had already knocked him out. I just woke up and was about to tell you the news."
"Where did he faint?"
"On the Shihua Road leading to your house."
"..."