Scholar Song, Do You Want a Woman or Not

"Have you always lived here?"

Song Chengan looked back.

This was a desolate village, overgrown with weeds.

Most of the houses were nothing but crumbling walls, and the only one in decent shape was where First Boss Bai lived.

That was also where Song Chengan taught these monsters.

The exposed buildings in the weeds were charred black, as if they'd been through a great fire.

"No, I live in the mountains."

The black cat in front of Song Chengan spoke.

It was his favorite among the monsters—probably because it was the only domestic animal.

First Boss Bai and Second Boss Huang could technically count as domestic too, but the problem was they were Shapeshift or half-Shapeshift monsters... compared to them, this black cat was much cuter.

First Boss Bai had sent the black cat to see Song Chengan out.

"Only First Boss Bai and Second Boss Huang live in the village."

The black cat continued.

"Scholar Song! Scholar Song!"

"Do you want a woman or not!"

The ground shook.

Then a black bear came charging toward Song Chengan, carrying a sack over its shoulder.

"How about it, Scholar Song? Like her?" The black bear opened the sack.

Song Chengan stared at the woman inside, dumbfounded.

"This Old Bear knew you'd like her."

"Grey Squirrel said you wanted to leave here, and This Old Bear figured you must be missing women."

"See? Now you don't want to leave, right?"

The black cat's eyes went wide too: "Bear, the Boss said no eating people and no bothering people. You went down the mountain to bother someone—I'm telling the Boss!"

The black bear's face changed: "No bothering, this one came willingly. Insisted on following This Old Bear up the mountain."

"You, human, speak up—isn't that right?"

"Yes... yes, spare me, Great King. This little woman will do whatever you want!"

The woman nodded frantically in fear.

Song Chengan's mouth twitched.

If he were this woman, seeing a terrifying black bear standing nearly three meters tall and speaking human words, he'd say he was willing too.

"Scholar Song, hehe, not leaving now, huh?" The black bear leaned in with a grin.

Song Chengan sighed helplessly: "I've already said goodbye to Boss Bai. I'm heading out of the mountains now."

The black bear's face fell: "Isn't this mountain good?"

"There's honey to eat, rabbits to eat, mountain fruit... and most of all, you haven't finished telling me—what happened to that Black Bear Spirit in the end?"

Heh, that last part was the real point.

"Did that Great Sage kill him with one club strike?"

"The Great Sage's powers are vast—surely he wouldn't tolerate that troublemaking black bear."

Song Chengan smiled: "Old Bear, don't worry."

"Even though I'm going home, I've promised First Boss Bai I'll come to Mount Luo once a month to teach everyone."

The Black Bear Spirit's face finally showed a bit of a smile: "That's good, then."

But that smile on a three-meter-tall black bear's face was still pretty scary no matter how you looked at it.

Luckily, Song Chengan was used to it.

"So what about this human woman?"

"I'll toss her into the woods."

The black bear said, reaching for the woman.

Song Chengan quickly stopped him: "I'm heading down the mountain anyway, so let her come with me."

Song Chengan told the black bear to put down the woman, whose face was pale with terror.

This woman... she was braver than him—at least she hadn't fainted outright.

He'd have to stay away from that stupid bear in the future. What if one day the bear decided he liked some Immortal Sect's heir or saintess and went to snatch her? Then he'd be in deep trouble.

"Miss, may I ask where you're from and what your name is?"

Song Chengan and the black cat walked along the road, with the still-shaken woman following behind.

"K-King... I'm from the Zhao Family Village."

"Oh, oh. Named Zhao Yuan'er."

"Oh, oh."

"Miss Zhao, no need to be afraid. I'm not some monster."

"I was also taken here against my will. Luckily, these demons aren't the vicious kind."

"N-No... I'm not... scared." Zhao Yuan'er didn't look convinced.

"Good, then." Song Chengan said, looking at the pale-faced Miss Zhao.

Zhao Family Village?

That's some distance from Lingqiu.

Lingqiu's so big, I probably won't run into her again.

This stupid bear.

Song Chengan cursed inwardly.

If Miss Zhao saw how familiar I am with these demons and blabbed when she got home...

Colluding with demons—that's a serious crime.

If the Demon Suppression Division found out, Song Chengan would be in deep trouble.

"Follow me, or you'll get lost."

As Song Chengan was thinking, the Black Cat spoke.

Song Chengan looked up.

Ahead was a dense forest, impenetrably thick.

On closer inspection, it was eerie and menacing.

"This is..."

The moment Song Chengan followed the Black Cat into the forest, he was stunned.

Just one step in, and it felt like entering another world.

All he could see was thick fog.

Visibility was only a few meters.

Truly bizarre.

"Follow me, or I won't be able to find you either."

The Black Cat spoke.

Song Chengan didn't dare be careless; he quickly stuck close to the Black Cat.

The Zhao girl, terrified, grabbed Song Chengan's sleeve.

After who knows how long, the fog cleared.

Song Chengan looked up—they had already arrived at the foot of Mount Luo.

They always said the deep mountains outside Lingqiu City were crawling with demons. He used to think it was an exaggeration, but now it seemed like an understatement.

They were all demons.

"I'm off."

Song Chengan turned back.

The Black Cat glanced at him, then turned and walked into Mount Luo, vanishing in an instant.

First Boss Bai's true form was a goose, Second Boss Huang was a big yellow dog. Black Cat, weasel, fox, rat...

First Boss Bai and Second Boss Huang were probably the first to become demons, then taught the others to attain the Dao.

First Boss Bai had the highest talent.

Demons becoming spirits required an opportunity.

Could there be some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures in this abandoned village?

But even if there were, it had nothing to do with me.

I couldn't outfight First Boss Bai anyway.

A Shapeshifted demon.

Just thinking about it made Song Chengan's scalp crawl.

"Miss Zhao, let's go."

"O-Okay."

Out of Mount Luo, with no demons around, Zhao Yuan'er wasn't so scared anymore.

"Stone Bridge Town isn't far ahead now."

"Here's some money, Miss Zhao—you can hire an oxcart to take yourself home."

Song Chengan said, pulling a few dozen Copper Coins from the Tao Guan.

"Young Master Song... I can't accept this!"

"Take it."

Song Chengan insisted, pressing them into Zhao Yuan'er's hand.

He hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

"Miss Zhao."

"In the Chen Kingdom, colluding with demons is a grave crime."

"We're both common folk. If anyone finds out we were taken by monsters and returned unharmed, the authorities will surely come to interrogate us."

"When that happens, we won't be able to explain ourselves. Under torture, even if we're innocent, they'll brand us as collaborators."

"You need to come up with an excuse to brush it off."

Zhao Yuan'er's face went pale.

Then she took a deep breath: "I understand, Young Master Song!"

"Young Master Song, I've got it!"

After racking her brains the whole way, she finally thought of a reason.

But when she turned back, there was no trace of Song Chengan.

At some point, he'd already slipped away.

"This new Phantom Body ages slower—is it because my cultivation extended my lifespan?"

Song Chengan looked at the Phantom Body forming in the Ancient Mirror Space.

It aged more slowly than the first one.

"Probably. In this era where sixty or seventy is considered long-lived, the Dao Seed Realm grants a lifespan of one hundred and twenty."

"Should I condense another Phantom Body to cultivate the Summoning God Technique?"

Song Chengan acted on the thought, and instantly another Phantom Body coalesced in the Ancient Mirror Space.

As soon as it appeared, it formed hand seals, practicing the technique from the Daoist Book over and over.

The Summoning God Technique!

Song Chengan withdrew his consciousness from the Void Heaven Mirror's space.

"Song Chengan, where have you been these past few days?"

Song Chengan lived in a modest courtyard in the east of Lingqiu City.

He used to live there with his mother, but she passed away seven years ago, leaving him alone.

His mother's face had grown blurry in his memory, which saddened him.

But only for a moment—she had died of old age, a peaceful end.

As for his father, he'd gone to collect grain years ago and vanished. They'd searched for years, but the man had simply disappeared.

Eventually, they gave up, assuming he'd met a Villain somewhere. They set up a cenotaph and called it done.

Song Chengan's family had fled to Lingqiu City from Sanjiao Prefecture.

Word had it that a flood of unprecedented scale struck Sanjiao Prefecture back then, drowning several counties.

His family must have had some wealth.

As soon as they arrived in Lingqiu County, his parents bought dozens of acres of fertile land, a three-courtyard mansion, and opened Song's Restaurant in town.

But what a pity.

All those assets were eventually gambled away by Song Chengan.

Looking back now, he suspected he'd been set up.

Otherwise, how could an honest man like him have lost everything in just a few years?

"Song Chengan, I'm talking to you."

Song Chengan snapped back to reality.

It was the son of Uncle Zhou, the fisherman next door—Brother Dan.

The little brat was gnawing on a sugar-coated hawthorn and asking him.

"Went out to play. Don't ask so many questions, kid—go play somewhere else."

Song Chengan said, snatching his sugar-coated hawthorn and taking a bite.

The little brat burst into loud wails, and Song Chengan quickly pinched his lips shut with two fingers.