The Storm Approaches, A Friend

She smiled brightly, looking like a lively young girl, a stark contrast to her cold sternness moments before.

He reached out a delicate hand and patted Lu Li's head, teasing, "Why are you so timid?"

"Those three were powerless, and you were so scared you didn't dare move."

Lu Li chuckled sheepishly, not replying.

There was no point in revealing that he had only intended to catch the enemy off guard; it would only make him seem pretentious.

Therefore, there was no need.

"Alright, I, Huang Rongyue, act with discretion. I won't let you few risk your lives, but you mustn't let your guard down either."

"If Niu Kai comes looking for trouble again, tell me, and I'll stand up for you." She patted her chest and abdomen, full of heroic spirit.

"If the enemy breaks through your position and you haven't noticed at all, then I, Huang Rongyue, won't let you off lightly either."

"That's all. Go back, tidy yourselves up, and tell your families not to worry."

With that, she turned and left, her steps hurried as if she had something urgent to attend to.

Li Qing, however, looked at Lu Li in astonishment and stammered, "Lu... Lu Li, is what you said true?"

Lu Li nodded gently and smiled, "Why would I lie to you?"

"When are we eating? I'll watch."

Li Qing's expression shifted between joy and sorrow. He scratched the back of his head and laughed it off, "I'll head back first."

With that, he took two steps at a time and fled in a panic.

He never imagined that such an absurd event could actually happen.

And it was the Huang Family's young lady who saved Lu Li.

Why did such good fortune never fall upon him?

He hated Lu Li to the bone.

If he had known, he shouldn't have boasted about eating shit.

It was a minor matter, and Lu Li didn't dwell on it.

His mind was still preoccupied with making money.

After consuming the Purple Sun Pill and his strength surging, his craving for potent medicine grew even more intense.

Soon, he made up his mind and decided to head to the Wind and Rain Pavilion again to see if there were any assassination missions within Changfeng County.

Soon, Lu Li followed the bluestone path to the outer city.

The streets, once clean and tidy, were now littered with filth and garbage.

A faint, undetectable stench wafted through the air.

If it were midsummer, it would likely make one dizzy and faint.

However, due to the pretense of the various families providing porridge and disaster relief, the number of deaths from starvation wasn't excessively high.

But the crowds still moved like walking corpses, their bodies emaciated and devoid of life.

They were lost about the path ahead, seeing no hope.

Lu Li turned to look at the porridge stall and saw that the eldest young lady, Huang Yuerong, was also among them.

She patiently ladled out porridge, personally delivering it to the disaster victims' bowls, a smile gracing her face.

Suddenly, someone collapsed, lying in the icy snow, no longer breathing.

Immediately after, someone with a sinister grin and a glint in his eye shouted in feigned terror, "I'm starving, I want porridge, I want to live..."

He charged towards the porridge stall, reaching for the porridge bucket.

As he lunged, Huang Rongyue's expression changed drastically, and she quickly stopped him, "Step back, don't snatch, everyone will get some!"

"I'm dying, I'm dying!" the man roared, his face contorted.

This shout caused the people in line to stir, and they began clamoring and rushing towards the porridge bucket.

They plunged their heads into the buckets, drinking porridge like pigs.

Everyone scrambled and fought, creating utter chaos.

Soon, the porridge bucket was knocked over, spilling the thick white porridge onto the ground.

The crowd then prostrated themselves on the ground, licking it up.

Huang Rongyue's face was grim, her hands clenched, and her lips pressed tightly together.

Soon, the white porridge on the ground was licked clean, and the crowd, still unsatisfied, turned their gaze to Huang Rongyue.

"Eldest Young Lady, be careful!" The guards immediately blocked Huang Rongyue, escorting her away.

Lu Li stood in place, gazing at Huang Rongyue's desolate retreating figure.

He could clearly feel that the smile on Huang Rongyue's face as she served the porridge was genuinely pure, by no means feigned.

He couldn't help but fall into thought.

He then looked at the first person to rush towards the porridge bucket. Though his face was gaunt, his eyes shone brightly amidst the crowd.

He was also looking at Huang Rongyue, a sneer curling at the corner of his lips.

Lu Li's heart stirred, and he immediately understood.

The struggle between the Huang Family and the Wang Family had begun at this very moment.

Lu Li found Hu Niu.

She was sprawled on her back, her plump, snow-white belly exposed, fast asleep amidst a pile of crushed bones.

Her ears twitched like butterfly wings, as if sensing someone's arrival. She opened her clear, foolish eyes.

"How's your realm consolidation coming along?" Lu Li asked with a smile.

Hu Niu nodded, her voice excited, "No problem, it's stable now. I'm an Organ-Refining Realm demon-spirit too!"

She opened her mouth wide, revealing her fangs. To others, the Mountain Lord baring her fangs might seem fierce and imposing.

But through the Demon-Spirit Communion Technique, hearing Hu Niu's soft, girlish voice, it felt jarring and utterly unthreatening.

"Master, you're such a good person, much better than that Black-Robed Man." Hu Niu excitedly circled Lu Li a few times, comparing him to the Black-Robed Man.

Lu Li smiled, considering his own strength and Hu Niu's simple, somewhat ignorant nature. He felt a pang of compassion.

He pressed down on Hu Niu's head. "Stay still."

He silently recited, and a strange syllable entered Hu Niu's mind.

Hu Niu felt a discomfort in her head, as if something was wriggling inside.

But with absolute trust in Lu Li, she didn't move, staring at him in confusion.

Soon, a small, jet-black worm, shaped like a cicada pupa, emerged from Hu Niu's nostrils.

Lu Li pinched the worm. Its body rapidly shriveled, as if it had been exposed to the sun for forty-nine days.

This was the dehydrated state of a Demon-Controlling Gu.

Once exposed to the outside, the Demon-Controlling Gu would dehydrate itself to prolong its life.

Under normal circumstances, it could survive for decades this way.

Lu Li gently placed the Demon-Controlling Gu in his embrace.

Demon-Controlling Gu were rare; he didn't have a second one, making it exceptionally precious.

"How is it?" Lu Li asked with a smile.

Hu Niu shook her head, feeling a clarity in her mind, as if a parasite that had resided there for a long time had suddenly vanished.

Hu Niu's ears twitched. She looked at Lu Li in disbelief, tears of gratitude welling up in her eyes. "Master, you removed the thing controlling me?"

"Yes, we're friends now." Lu Li said softly, reaching out to ruffle Hu Niu's furry head.

"Friends? I heard my parents say that people I play with are called friends."

She suddenly remembered something sad, her tone becoming dejected. "When my parents were around, I had so many friends."

Lu Li's hand paused on her head. He sighed and rested his forehead against Hu Niu's fluffy head.

What Hu Niu had experienced before was now all too clear.

"It's okay, you have a friend with you now," Lu Li comforted her.

After a while, Hu Niu's mood improved, and Lu Li took her towards the Wind and Rain Pavilion.

He could clearly feel Hu Niu's growing dependence on him, as she often turned her head to see if he was still on her back.

Soon, they arrived at the Wind and Rain Pavilion.