Tianshiyuan's Chaotic Zone

Chapter 37: The Chaotic Zone of Tianshiyuan

Su Yun and the four little demon children arrived under the crooked-neck willow tree.

Beneath the willow tree, there was only a lone grave buried in snow, with no thatched hut and no Uncle Cen.

Su Yun looked up. After the heavy snow, the sky was like a washed canvas, deep and azure. There was no bustling marketplace in the sky, as Uncle Cen had described.

He turned to look at the snowy ground, at his own small "house." There was no house there, only a small mound of earth in the snow.

The mound had been opened, revealing a tiny coffin. This was the small "house" from Su Yun's childhood memories.

At that time, he was blind and trapped in an incredibly small space, struggling, banging on the door, and screaming in despair.

The seven-year-old boy truly felt despair and helplessness.

Just as he was panicking, he heard a rustling sound, and his "door" was opened. Uncle Cen took his hand and pulled him out of the "little house."

As Su Yun recalled this past, his heart was filled with countless emotions he didn't know how to express. In the end, he bowed to Uncle Cen's desolate grave in the snow, then rose and continued forward.

He looked back at Tianmen Town one last time, seeing the solitary Heavenly Gate standing in the distance.

In a daze, the boy who had left home seemed to hear Uncle Qu's unique, desolate, and mournful tone, the tone of an old Shuofang native, along with the slightly monotonous and weathered sound of the Qiang drums.

"Who can say what the future holds!"

Dong! Dong! Dong!

"There isn't a single hero in this world!"

"Not a single valiant warrior!"

Dong! Dong! Dong!

Su Yun and his group passed through Snake Ravine and arrived at Huang Village.

The Great Wilderness Graveyard was riddled with holes. Weasels stood before the entrances to their burrows, watching in all directions, guarding against enemy attacks. Some scurried around in the snow, playing and frolicking. A few others went behind trees, transforming into young men before emerging, practicing their magic.

"You little rascals of Huang Village!"

Hua Hu cupped his hands to his mouth like a trumpet and shouted at the weasels of Huang Village: "We're going to the city! We won't beat you up today! When Grandpa Hua comes back from the city for the holidays, we'll beat you up then! Don't miss us—"

Whoosh—

The air was filled with dried dung balls and droppings, flying towards them. Hua Hu burst into laughter, and he, Su Yun, and the others turned and ran.

After the lively interlude, they returned to Huqiu Village. The smile on Hua Hu's face gradually faded as he went to the graves of the Huqiu Village villagers and paid his respects.

Su Yun went to Mister Wild Fox's grave and solemnly paid tribute to his enlightened teacher.

Uncle Cen, Uncle Qu, Aunt Luo, and the others had shown him great kindness. Uncle Cen had saved his life, while Uncle Qu and Aunt Luo had raised him. But Mister Wild Fox had enlightened him, opened his mind!

Without his intellectual enlightenment, without his spiritual awakening, he would have been a wild child of the mountains, no different from beasts.

Mister Wild Fox had opened the eyes of his heart, teaching him to distinguish right from wrong, teaching him how to be a person.

They left Huqiu Village and passed by the Village School. Su Yun and the four little demon children went inside to clean, clearing away the dust. They sat in their respective seats, as if they could still hear Mister Wild Fox's voice, as if they could still see the figures of their classmates.

Tianping Bridge.

Su Yun raised his hand, and his Blood Essence transformed into a Flood Dragon that flew out. Its Dragon Claws gripped the raised end of the bridge, pulling it down.

They stepped onto Tianping Bridge and walked towards the opposite bank. A flock of Paoxiao flew overhead, calling out: "Is the Su family's little brat leaving? The city is dangerous!"

Su Yun looked up and waved to the residents of Linyi Village.

A Paoxiao landed on the bridgehead in front of them. Its round face was very serious, and it gestured with its wings: "Our countryside is a forest, but the city is a steel jungle, extremely perilous! City folk eat people, bones and all!"

The Paoxiao in the sky flew away, their cackling calls echoing as they beckoned him.

The Paoxiao at the bridgehead flapped its wings and flew off, its voice drifting from the air: "Isn't it good to stay and be a monster? We are monsters in your eyes, but you are also monsters in our eyes! Why must you go to the city?"

Su Yun smiled. "I don't want to live a muddled life, that's why I'm going to the city."

"The city is a hundred times more dangerous than Tianshiyuan! Coo coo, be careful, coo coo!"

The Paoxiao landed on the opposite bank. Su Yun and the four little demon children walked off the bridge. It was a snowy day, and Huangji Town was much quieter. Hua Hu led them to visit Old Gou's family. Old Gou and his wife's fur had turned white, and they looked quite aged.

"Going to the city so soon?"

Granny Gou ladled a bowl of hot soup for each of them, frowning. "Why not wait until after the New Year to go to the city? It's dangerous to go alone now."

Hua Hu said, "Auntie, Little Yun can see now and was driven out of Tianmen Town. There isn't much worth remembering in Tianshiyuan, so we plan to go to the city to make a living and find our enemies for revenge."

Granny Gou was about to say more when Old Gou raised his hand and shouted: "A grown male demon must go out into the world and forge a career. What do you, a female demon, know? Go, add more pepper to my soup!"

Granny Gou went off in a huff.

Old Gou looked at Su Yun with a serious expression. "You are human, and we are demons. When you go to your human territory, you must take good care of Little Hua and the others."

Su Yun nodded solemnly, holding the bowl of soup awkwardly as he drank.

Old Gou continued, "It's safe east of Huangji Town, but west of Huangji Town, things are uncertain. Thirty-five li west of Huangji Town is the Tianshiyuan post station. From the post station, take a Candle Dragon into the city. But the heavy snow has blocked the roads, making travel difficult. You'll likely have to spend the night on the road and won't reach the post station until the next day. On the road..."

Old Gou's eyes twitched, and his voice became hoarse. "West of Huangji Town is the chaotic zone. You must be careful! At night, you absolutely must not camp outside. You must find the temples of the Old Saints and rest within them!"

Fear, an unconcealable fear, flickered in his eyes. "And one more thing, never let the bonfire in the temple go out! Remember, never let it go out! If you hear someone calling you from outside at night, do not go out. Absolutely do not go out!"

His face was grim and terrifying, and he almost roared at Su Yun, Flower Fox, and the others in a threatening tone.

Su Yun and Flower Fox nodded quickly.

Old Gou's expression returned to normal. He held his bowl and drank soup, saying, "It's cold, drink it while it's hot. Go out after you've broken a sweat. Old woman, did you bring the pepper powder? Go and toast some more Luomou to soak in the soup, toast a lot, the little brats will have them as dry rations on the road! Put a few eggs in the Luomou!"

Su Yun and the others ate their fill at Old Gou's house, feeling warm all over, and then set out.

Hu Buping praised, "Grandpa Gou is so tough, he scolded Auntie so much that she didn't dare to say another word. He's a role model for us men!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard the sound of a cast-iron pot hitting someone's head from behind. Granny Gou's voice, lowered and exasperated, could be heard: "You think you're something, don't you? You think you're too good for this city? You want to go out and make a name for yourself? Isn't the soup I made delicious? And you still act tough in front of me..."

Then came the sound of a head hitting a door panel, interspersed with Old Gou's pleas: "The children haven't gone far yet, wait until they're gone before you hit me..."

Hu Buping was as silent as a cicada in winter, lowering his head and not daring to speak, following Su Yun and the others towards the outskirts of town.

The snow stretched endlessly. Outside Huangji Town, one mountain range connected to another. The snow was beautiful, but after walking in it for a long time, it became somewhat monotonous.

The snow was deep and hadn't melted yet, covering the roads. One could easily fall into a snowdrift.

Fortunately, they all had extraordinary abilities and strong Origin Energy cultivation, so they didn't have to worry about danger. However, walking on the snowy road was very strenuous, so their progress was not fast.

"At this speed, we might not even reach the Tianshiyuan post station by dark."

Su Yun looked into the distance. There were ditches on both sides of the snowy road, which made it possible to distinguish the path. However, if they accidentally fell into a ditch, they would likely get their clothes wet and shiver from the cold.

After walking for about six or seven li at this pace, the sun had moved to the western half of the sky. Although the sun was visible, its rays seemed to carry a chilling cold, with no hint of warmth.

Ahead was a hillside dotted with low, red houses, about thirty to forty households.

Flower Fox jumped up, wanting to get a closer look, but he wasn't tall enough. Su Yun picked him up and placed him on his shoulders, and Flower Fox could finally see clearly.

The snow on the red houses on the hillside had been shoveled away, and the snow on the official road had also been cleared, revealing a bridge about five to six zhang long, wide enough for a carriage, spanning a small river.

"Grandpa Gou said everyone west of town were scoundrels. Why do I feel like he was badmouthing them?"

Flower Fox jumped down from Su Yun's shoulders and laughed, "Grandpa Gou probably had a bad experience here."

Su Yun smiled, "A demon that can make Grandpa Gou suffer is someone we must be wary of."

Flower Fox's heart grew solemn.

As they walked forward, they saw ape-men sitting at both ends of the bridge, holding knives in their arms. These ape-men were strong and robust, wearing only vests even in the heavy snowfall of winter.

Su Yun observed from a distance. The ape-men's backs were much wider than a human's. Through their vests, he could see their muscles, which were more numerous than a human's.

"If a human had so many muscles, they would be considered exceptionally gifted. But ape demons are born with such talent!"

Su Yun marveled. Such talent was beyond envy.

They took a few more steps forward and saw a stone tablet standing by the road, with the words "Yuanjia Ridge" inscribed on it.

Su Yun glanced at the red houses on the mountain and raised an eyebrow, "It seems the mountain is inhabited by ape demons. Such great talent..."

"Crossing the bridge?"

The ape demon sitting in the lounge chair at the bridgehead glanced at them. He raised his limp arm and said, "Two Five Zhu Coins per person."

Hu Buping was indignant, "Why should we give you money?"

The ape demon stood up unsteadily, stretched, glanced at him, and said lazily, "The road in Yuanjia Ridge was paved by our village, the bridge was built by our village, and we cleared the snow too. Isn't it reasonable to charge a fee?"

Hu Buping was about to say more, but Su Yun smiled, "It's reasonable." He then took out his money pouch and counted out ten Five Zhu Coins.

The ape demon took the money and lay back down.

Su Yun and the others crossed the bridge. When they reached the other side, another ape demon was lying there, lazily saying, "The toll for crossing the bridge is two Five Zhu Coins per person."

Hu Buping was furious, "We already paid! Why do we have to pay again?"

The ape demon sat up and chuckled, "That was the toll to cross the bridge. This is the toll for getting off the bridge."