Water Ghost Sister Flowers

The Canine Demons circled nearby, sitting with their hind legs tucked beneath them like hunting dogs. They gaped their bloody maws and lolled long tongues, their whole bodies reeking of a disgusting stench.

There had originally been eight of them, but after circling the nearby mountain peaks, only four remained.

What kind of place was this? This was Ghost Witch Mountain!

They were carrying out a "mountain sweep" here... The eerie creatures would gladly take that as a feast.

Of course, to the people of the Pingtian Society, these Medicine Beasts were expendable. They didn't feel the slightest bit of regret.

The Pill Cultivator issued a command, and the remaining four Medicine Beasts shot into the forest like arrows loosed from a bowstring.

Saint Aunt straightened her skirt. Before proudly giving chase, she planted a foot on the central "vital spot" of the humanoid thing on the ground. To her surprise, it crumpled under the blow and shattered completely with a crack!

Twenty li away, Xu Yuan's heart stirred. They found it...

That meant they had already begun the chase.

Xu Yuan stood on a boulder beside a small river. The rock stood three zhang high, and many such boulders lined both banks. Hardy shrubs grew in the cracks between them.

Ahead stood a tall, steep cliff. The river curved around its base, and over thousands of years, its waters had silently carved a groove into the rock.

Xu Yuan hopped from one boulder to the next, moving with practiced ease.

He rounded the cliff, and a burst of playful, coquettish laughter suddenly reached him. Behind it lay a pool, where two gleaming white figures frolicked in the water.

Out of habit, Xu Yuan gave them a couple of glances. The Water Ghost Sister Flowers saw him and couldn't even be bothered to keep up the act. They spat in annoyance. "That scoundrel again!"

"Every time, he watches the show without buying a ticket."

"Our lives are so miserable..."

"We never meet a good man..."

Xu Yuan let his gaze sweep over their pale, smooth skin once more before looking away. "I've got a deal for you. I can bring you a whole bunch of Blood Food. In return, tell me where I can spend the night in the mountains."

"Giggle, giggle..." The older Water Ghost Sister Flower covered her mouth and laughed coyly. "Would you dare go to a place we pointed out?"

Xu Yuan considered it. "You don't want this to be a one-time deal, do you? If I make it through tonight, I can bring you more business in the future."

The younger sister saw right through him. "The Blood Food you want to bring us are the people hunting you, aren't they? You want to borrow our hands to get rid of your enemies?"

The older sister sneered too. "We've lived for hundreds of years. You're just a little brat, and you think you can play this trick on us?"

The younger sister groped her sister's chest. "Don't talk nonsense. You're eighteen this year, and I'm only sixteen."

"Right, right!"

Xu Yuan made a show of turning to leave. "Suit yourselves. If you don't want them, I'll take them to Blind Tiger next door."

Whether those people were my enemies or not, they were rare Blood Food.

You're holed up here, using the same trick of luring men over and over. The people in town have long since figured you out, and you don't dare mess with the villagers. If you miss this chance, who knows how many centuries you'll have to wait before you get another hot meal?

"Wait!" The younger sister couldn't hold back. "How many people?"

"Men and women, eight in all."

The sisters couldn't help licking their lips.

Then they sank beneath the water and discussed it in a flurry of bubbles.

After a while, the sisters surfaced again. "We'll take the deal!"

Xu Yuan nodded, unsurprised. "Tell me where I can spend the night."

"We can't tell you yet. We'll tell you after we've eaten those people."

Xu Yuan nodded. "I'll hide first."

The older sister pointed to the Old Plum Tree beside the pool. "Hide in the hollow."

The Old Plum Tree was so old that no one knew how long it had been alive. Its trunk was wider than a person. Only after the older sister pointed did Xu Yuan notice a hollow at its base.

He'd been here many times before, yet never noticed the hole.

...Maybe because he'd been too busy looking at other things.

Xu Yuan hid inside. As soon as he'd squeezed in, a strange barking sound reached him.

The barking sounded a little like a wolf's howl, and rapidly drew closer from afar. Soon, it had reached the other side of the cliff.

In the pool, the sisters had been striking poses, ready to put on a grand show. Now their faces turned pale, and they trembled like sieves. "There's a dog—"

Their voices changed, and then they bolted from the pool without a second thought, squeezing into the hollow in a flash!

Xu Yuan immediately felt two furry things burrow into his arms, while a strong stench filled his nose.

He understood at once. "You're afraid of dogs—you're not water ghosts, you're..."

This was a bit of a problem.

Xu Yuan had lured Saint Aunt here hoping to see her bewitching arts go up against the Water Ghost Sister Flowers, and find out which side was more seductive.

But these sisters were useless. They'd cowered in fear at the mere sound of a pack of dogs before even seeing Saint Aunt.

Xu Yuan gritted his teeth. "I'll deal with these dogs—get ready!"

"Okay, okay!"

"Ehehe, a man like you is the best, little brother!"

Several furry little paws shoved Xu Yuan out.

Once outside, Xu Yuan first listened closely. He quickly made out four of them.

When he was little, there had been a few stray dogs in his alley, so Xu Yuan had some experience dealing with them.

But these four were clearly different. Their roars carried a savage fury, and the speed at which their voices drew nearer was much faster.

Xu Yuan slipped into the pool.

Soon, four Canine Demons darted to the water's edge. The hollow in the tree fell utterly silent. Even the hollow itself disappeared!

The two furry creatures huddled inside, trembling. Those four "dogs" were bigger than people, with blood-red eyes and crisscrossing fangs in their bloody maws. Their whole bodies exuded a terrifying aura that instinctively filled them with fear.

"Can that guy handle them...?"

The Canine Demons began circling the pool, lowering their heads to sniff the ground repeatedly.

They snorted in irritation, clearly bothered by the many smells left behind.

One Canine Demon sniffed its way to the edge of the pool, then looked down into the water.

The surface was as still as a mirror.

The Canine Demon had just let its guard down when, with a splash, a powerful hand shot out of the water, grabbed it by the neck, and dragged it under in an instant!

The other three Canine Demons were startled and quickly retreated from the water's edge.

The Canine Demon in the water struggled violently. Splash! Crash! It churned up a mass of spray, but finally sank little by little.

Underwater, Xu Yuan clamped his hand around the Canine Demon's neck and dragged it into the depths of the pool.

Thick water plants grew there. Xu Yuan wrapped the Canine Demon in them, then quietly swam toward the other side.

The harder the Canine Demon struggled, the tighter the plants wound around it. Gradually, its legs began twitching nonstop. Each twitch made it swallow another mouthful of water, sending a string of bubbles floating up.

The three Canine Demons on shore watched the bubbles rising and grew even more reluctant to approach the pool.

But they spread out around it, staring fixedly at the water. Whatever came surging out, they would pounce on it and tear it apart at once.

The bubbles rose four or five times, then the water grew still again, and the forest fell into utter silence.

The Canine Demons grew even more wary. That thing was about to come up.

Suddenly, a soft plop sounded somewhere in the pool, and a shadow shot out of the water.