After returning home and resting for a while, Zhou Yi changed into casual clothes and headed to the Provincial Governor's Office. After asking Uncle Du for leave, he went to the stables and led out the black horse that had accompanied him before.
After simply packing his luggage, Zhou Yi mounted his horse and left Luoshi City through its gates, hurrying along the official road toward Bai Feng City.
Since he had set out at noon, Zhou Yi had to reach a post station before the sun set, so he did not pause for even a moment.
After riding for a long time, a post station finally appeared before Zhou Yi. Once he had checked in, he took out the blue Talisman Paper he had exchanged last time. He was going to attend an auction—he could not do that without money.
He drew until midnight. Only after his mind grew hazy did Zhou Yi lie down, ready to sleep. But just then, a wisp of white mist slipped into his room and slowly took the form of a woman before his eyes.
"Sir! Sir!" the woman called softly, until Zhou Yi woke up.
The moment Zhou Yi opened his eyes, he saw a woman looking at him. Before she could say anything further, Zhou Yi came to his senses and threw a punch. The woman immediately scattered into smoke and vanished.
Zhou Yi slapped his forehead. He had lived in Luoshi City for so long that he had actually forgotten to set up the Three Talents Formation, allowing that strange creature into his room. The thought sent a chill through him. Fortunately, that strange creature had only been Soul Grade. If a Crimson Grade strange creature had entered his room while he was fast asleep...
Thinking of this, Zhou Yi hurriedly got up. Only after setting up the Three Talents Formation did he continue sleeping.
At first light, Zhou Yi rose early. After leaving the post station, he discovered that a light rain had begun to fall outside. With no other choice, he rode through the rain. After a while, however, it grew heavier and heavier. Zhou Yi had no choice but to stop. Finding a ruined temple, he tied his horse nearby and walked toward it.
Pushing open the temple doors, Zhou Yi entered. After glancing around, he found a relatively clean patch of ground and sat down. Then he circulated the blood and qi throughout his body, evaporating the moisture on himself. Stream after stream of white mist rose from his body.
A few minutes later, all the dampness on Zhou Yi had completely dissipated. Just as he was about to take out some dried rations to fill his stomach, he heard a set of footsteps.
Then the temple door opened. The person who entered had clearly not expected someone else to be inside. After cupping his hands toward Zhou Yi, he walked to the other side of him and sat down.
After sitting, the man began observing Zhou Yi, while Zhou Yi also studied the scholar-like man before him.
The scholar had a fair, clean complexion, but several patches dotted his long robe. He was likely someone living in straitened circumstances.
After taking two looks, Zhou Yi stopped paying attention. He took out some dried rations from his bundle and began eating in great mouthfuls. Such table manners naturally drew the scholar's attention. Just as the scholar was about to say something, the temple doors opened once more.
This time, two women entered. Zhou Yi's brows furrowed. He had not heard either of their footsteps. He looked toward them and saw that their clothes had been soaked through by the rain, the faintly visible fabric clinging tightly to their skin. Their little faces were somewhat pale, whether from the cold or something else.
Seeing this, the scholar beside him quickly turned his head away.
After sizing up Zhou Yi and the scholar, the two women walked toward the scholar. The older woman said, "This humble girl is Liu Bai. My younger sister and I came out to have some fun today, but who could have known such heavy rain would suddenly fall? Might this young master have a fire starter, so that we can light a fire and dry our clothes?"
Though the woman was speaking to the scholar, he acted as though he had heard nothing. He then turned his head back, only then putting on a startled expression, as if he had just noticed people in front of him. Then he began babbling incoherently.
Zhou Yi could not help laughing at the sight. This scholar's acting was far too poor.
At that moment, the two women were drawn by Zhou Yi's laughter. After exchanging a glance, they walked over to him. Once they reached him, before the woman could speak—
Zhou Yi said, "You want a fire starter, right? I'll give you one."
He took a fire starter from his clothes and handed it to the woman before him.
The woman revealed a brilliant smile and said to Zhou Yi, "Thank you, young master."
She reached out and accepted the fire starter, then ran to the side to start a fire. Before long, flames lit up, adding a trace of warmth to the ruined temple. Then the two women came running back before Zhou Yi. The younger sister spoke, "Young master, do you have any clean clothes here? These rain-soaked clothes are truly uncomfortable to wear."
As Zhou Yi said that he did, he took out two long robes from his bundle. After the women accepted them and bowed to him, the elder sister said prettily, "Young master, you mustn't peek."
Zhou Yi hurriedly nodded, indicating that he was a gentleman of upright character.
Then the two sisters ran behind the statue to change clothes. Rustling sounds came from behind it.
At that moment, the scholar slowly moved to Zhou Yi's side. His steps were extraordinarily light, as though he feared someone might discover him.
After reaching Zhou Yi's side, the scholar plopped down beside him and whispered, "Brother, I think these two women aren't quite right. In such heavy rain, two women suddenly appear—don't you find that suspicious?"
Zhou Yi nodded, then whispered back, "I think it's suspicious too. So what should we do?"
The scholar continued in a low voice, "We'll walk quietly. Once we reach the door, you follow me and run."
Zhou Yi nodded and said, "All right." But unexpectedly, the rustling behind the statue abruptly ceased, and the entire temple fell deathly silent.
Then the two women emerged from behind the statue, long tails dragging behind them. Their nails had become extremely sharp as they prepared to pounce on Zhou Yi.
At that moment, the scholar beside Zhou Yi shouted, "Run! Follow me!"
He reached out to pull Zhou Yi away, but Zhou Yi remained seated on the ground without moving. The scholar thought he had not used enough strength, so he pulled with all his might. Yet Zhou Yi still did not budge an inch.
Zhou Yi suddenly laughed and said to the scholar, "Have you acted enough?"
Only then did the scholar release Zhou Yi with a stunned expression and ask, "How did you figure it out?"
Zhou Yi looked at the scholar as if looking at a fool. "In such heavy rain, only your clothes are wet. There isn't even a trace of water on your shoes."
Unexpectedly, the scholar clasped his hands behind his back and nodded. "I've been taught. A brain as clever as yours—I'll definitely save it for last."
Yet Zhou Yi showed no fear. Instead, he asked the scholar curiously, "Since you have the ability to eat people directly, why go through so much trouble to put on this performance?"
The scholar shook his head and said, "I never expected someone as clever as you to fail to think of such a simple question. Of course it's because... it's fun. Every time those people think they can be saved by escaping with me, I reveal my true form and quietly admire the despair in their eyes. That is truly an ultimate delicacy!"
As the scholar spoke, his expression gradually twisted.
Yet Zhou Yi still remained calm as he said, "I see."
The scholar was somewhat shocked by Zhou Yi's attitude, so he said, "I never expected you to be so calm even when you're about to die. I truly admire that. But when I swallow you down mouthful by mouthful, will you still remain so calm?"
Hearing this, Zhou Yi burst into loud laughter. In the end, he laughed so hard that he began coughing. After recovering, Zhou Yi grinned savagely at the scholar before him. "That is exactly what I wanted to say to you."
The scholar instinctively felt that things had gone somewhat beyond his control, so he decided to strike first. But though he was fast, Zhou Yi was even faster. Before the scholar could react, Zhou Yi had already mobilized all the blood and qi in his body and activated the Indestructible Golden Body, then punched the scholar in the face.
The scholar flew backward and crashed directly into the temple wall. No one knew what the temple had been made of, but the wall did not crack. When the two sisters at the side saw that things were going badly, they tried to sneak away. Before their feet could touch the ground, they heard Zhou Yi say—
"Whoever leaves, dies."
The two sisters immediately pulled their feet back. By then, the scholar had also climbed up from the ground. After wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he looked at the human who had suddenly grown over two meters tall and said calmly, "Very good, you've succeeded... ah..."
Before the scholar could finish speaking, Zhou Yi charged at him and punched him in the face again. Before the scholar could fly away, Zhou Yi grabbed him back and struck his face with punch after punch, saying as he beat him, "What I hate most is people showing off in front of me."
By now, the scholar's face was bruised and swollen. Zhou Yi flung him away and said, "Don't you know how to transform? Transform and let me see."
The two sisters beside them had already been frightened stupid. Were they the strange creatures, or was Zhou Yi the strange creature? they wailed inwardly.
After hearing Zhou Yi's words, the scholar lying on the ground could not help roaring at him. Then his body began to convulse.
Riiip—
A tiger crawled out from the scholar's skin and grew with the wind, becoming a full head taller than Zhou Yi in an instant.
Zhou Yi clenched his fists. "Good. This way, it'll feel better when I hit you."
Upon hearing Zhou Yi's words, the tiger immediately pounced at him. Zhou Yi raised both hands and caught its two enormous paws. Man and tiger began wrestling in strength. In the end, the tiger was forced back step by step by Zhou Yi's pressure, letting out unwilling roars.
Finally, with nowhere left to retreat, the tiger could only open its bloody maw and bite toward Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi tilted his head aside and dodged the tiger's bite.
Before you continue