The dangers Auspicious Cave were lurking, but that didn't completely silence the people Auspicious Cave; many were whispering amongst themselves.
Occasionally, some monks would bring in scattered civilians, which would cause quite a stir.
Ultimately, these are all ordinary people, and conversation is the best way for them to comfort each other. Most of them have never actually witnessed the terror of evil spirits, and they were obediently brought here by the monks to hide.
In their minds, this was far from a hopeless situation; they even clung to the hope that it was no different from natural disasters like earthquakes and floods, and that they could simply hide here and wait for the disaster to pass.
So much so that in many crowds, some people secretly used their saved food as stakes to play rock-paper-scissors. The managing monks tacitly approved of such relaxed behavior, since everything has its limits, and suppressing the people's emotions would not do any good.
Even more remarkably, an old man in a long robe, holding a folding fan, began to read a story in a low voice.
The location wasn't far, right next to You Su's group, which also attracted Liu, Huang, and the others. As for You Su and Ji Lingruo, being cultivators with keen hearing, they didn't need to sit that close to hear clearly.
You Su was very familiar with the story the old man told; it was the second half of the Legend of the Legend of the White Snake, which he and his junior sister had collaborated on.
The old man spoke with great enthusiasm, and the audience listened with rapt attention, but You Su felt increasingly uneasy...
When did Xu Xian and Xiao Qing become involved? And when did Lady White become the victim?
Xiao Qing played a savior-like role, rescuing her sister and brother-in-law from Leifeng Pagoda, that's true. But how did the ending turn into Xiao Qing and her brother-in-law living happily ever after, while her sister was left to dutifully raise their child?
The romantic scenes felt forced and bizarre, leaving You Su completely bewildered. He couldn't help but whisper to Ji Lingruo:
"Junior sister, how come the storyteller's version of 'The Legend of the White Snake' is so different from the one I told you?"
Ji Lingruo was listening to the story with a look of utter delight, but paused after You Su asked a question:
"Huh? Is that so?"
"I clearly told you that Xu Xian and Lady White were the original couple, how did it suddenly become that the brother-in-law and sister-in-law were the ones who truly loved each other?"
"Perhaps... perhaps I've remembered it wrong?"
Ji Lingruo smiled awkwardly.
You Su thought about it and didn't find it strange. His junior sister wasn't very bright. He basically only told her each story once before asking her to write it into a book and sell it. It was normal for her to make mistakes and add changes.
I never imagined that such a nonsensical plot could make a bookseller praise its sales? The spiritual entertainment of people across the world shouldn't be this impoverished.
The storyteller closed his folding fan, took a reluctant sip of water, maintaining the elegant demeanor of a scholar, and began in a clear voice:
To find out what happens next, please read the next chapter.
At this moment, someone in the crowd laughed and said, "Master Xue, why is what you're saying different from what I've read? Could it be that Master Xue skipped around while reading?"
Master Xue's old face stiffened, and a blush even appeared on his cheeks. He forced himself to remain calm and said:
"I am a scholar, and such licentious matters are beneath my notice. I only see the dramatic love stories between humans and demons in books, not the lust you wish to hear about."
Some men who bought the latest edition of "The Legend of the White Snake" immediately understood the implication, their eyes full of mockery as they looked at Master Xue, thinking to themselves:
What's with all this pretense from men? The author, whose pen name is 'Junior Sister is Number One in the World,' certainly creates captivating and meaningful stories. But isn't the real reason for his book's popularity simply the vivid and sensual descriptions of lovemaking?
However, these longtime readers didn't bother Master Xue anymore, since they would still need Master Xue's storytelling to keep them entertained.
You Su raised an eyebrow. He had never read, nor could he read, the books that Ji Lingruo had written using his stories, so he knew nothing about the specific contents of the books.
He had always assumed that the books he sold should be almost identical to the content he told. Upon hearing Master Xue's explanation, he couldn't help but wonder where the lewdness in his stories came from. Even if there were some scenes unsuitable for children, he would automatically censor them when he recounted them to his junior sister.
Just as they were about to ask Ji Lingruo for the reason, a scream rang out throughout the cave, attracting everyone's attention.
You Su looked up in response and saw a woman's figure appear in his murky eyes. A blood-red, octopus-like evil spirit was attached to her head, making her look crazed and bizarre. Her body rapidly withered and was soon drained by the evil spirit.
It was clear that You Su wasn't the only one who saw her; everyone in the cave did too. They all screamed in terror, their footsteps echoing as they fled. Some even tripped and fell, howling in pain as others trampled them underfoot.
One moment the Auspicious Cave was considered a safe haven by everyone, the next moment a terrifying evil spirit appeared, turning the Auspicious Cave into chaos in an instant.
You Su had no choice but to protect Ji Lingruo, and they hid together in a corner. The sudden change caught him off guard, and he could only nervously observe the octopus's movements.
Ji Lingruo also frowned slightly, looking at the evil spirit.
The cultivators reacted swiftly, immediately surrounding the evil spirit. The two sect leaders stationed there also rushed to the scene, leaving the suddenly appearing evil spirit nowhere to escape.
In You Su's eyes, the evil spirit had mysteriously grown several times larger, managing to withstand the formidable power of the Technique Method. You Su frowned, his mind filled with doubts.
The protective measures at this Auspicious Cave are excellent; the fog inside is so thin that it's almost invisible. So how was this evil spirit able to break free of the fog and appear here?
You Su could only think of one possibility: this evil spirit did not come from this fog at all!
He turned to look at Ji Lingruo again, and a guess flashed through his mind like lightning: It's the Dream-Eating Ghost!
The Tai Sui and the Dream-Eating Ghost are not evil spirits born from this fog. This blood-red octopus is very likely the work of the Dream-Eating Ghost!
The battle in the arena was becoming increasingly fierce. This evil spirit was different from the lower-level evil spirits hidden in the mist, and it was actually fighting the two sect leaders to a standstill.
Suddenly, several desperate screams rang out from the fleeing crowd, and two more evil spirits, exactly like the blood-red octopus from before, sprang out from the two surging crowds!
The fleeing crowd, like waves bounced off rocks, turned back and fled again.
These evil spirits are like wild beasts that prey on those they choose to devour. Cultivators are sucked up and swallowed whole, while ordinary people are casually tossed to their deaths.
The Auspicious Cave, which served as the main base for the people of Chuyun City, was secretly invaded by evil spirits and transformed into a hellish scene.
No! It wasn't done secretly!
You Su suddenly grabbed Ji Lingruo's hand, thinking angrily to himself, "They came in openly with Wu Cheng!"
These foolish cultivators, having defeated the seemingly invincible Qi Daodong, underestimated the risks that Wu Cheng could pose!
Just then, someone exclaimed in surprise:
"The cave entrance has opened! Run!"