A Storm Is Brewing, Friend

She smiled brightly, looking like a lively young girl, a far cry from the cold severity she had shown just moments ago.

She reached out and patted Lu Li on the head with her delicate hand, teasing him. "Why are you so timid?"

"Those three couldn't hurt a fly, yet you were so scared you couldn't move."

Lu Li wore an awkward grin and said nothing.

He didn't explain that he'd only wanted to catch the enemy off guard. There was no point, and it would only make him sound like he was showing off.

So there was no need.

"All right. I, Huang Rongyue, know my limits. I won't make you risk your lives, but you can't let your guard down either."

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

"If the enemy breaks through your position and you fail to notice, then I, Huang Rongyue, won't let you off lightly."

"Enough. Go back and get ready, and talk to your families. Don't let them worry."

With that, she turned and left, hurrying as if she had something urgent to attend to.

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

Lu Li gave a slight nod and smiled. "Why would I lie to you?"

"I'll be watching when you eat it."

Li Qing's expression shifted uneasily. He rubbed the back of his head and gave an awkward laugh. "I'll head back first."

Then he took off, fleeing as if his life depended on it.

He'd never imagined that something so absurd could actually happen.

And the one who'd saved Lu Li was none other than the young lady of the Huang Family.

Why couldn't something that good ever happen to him?

He was so angry at Lu Li his teeth practically itched.

If only he'd never bragged about eating shit.

It was a trivial matter, so Lu Li didn't dwell on it.

His thoughts were still on making money.

After taking the Purple Sun Pill, his strength had surged, and his hunger for powerful medicines had only grown.

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

Soon, Lu Li followed the bluestone road to the Outer City.

The streets, once clean and orderly, had become filthy, strewn with garbage.

A faint stench hung in the air.

In the height of summer, it would have been enough to make people dizzy.

Still, since the various families were putting on a show of handing out porridge and providing disaster relief, not as many people had starved to death.

But the crowds still shambled about like walking corpses, their bodies gaunt and lifeless.

They had no idea where to turn and couldn't see a glimmer of hope.

Lu Li turned toward the porridge stand and spotted the young lady, Huang Yuerong, among the people there.

She patiently ladled out porridge, personally handing bowls to the disaster victims, a smile spreading across her face.

Then someone suddenly collapsed, lying in the icy snow, never to move again.

Right after that, a man with a sly grin glanced around and shouted, feigning terror. "I'm starving to death! I need porridge! I want to live!"

He charged toward the stand and grabbed for the porridge pot.

Huang Rongyue's expression changed. She hurriedly stepped in front of him. "Get back! Don't grab. There's enough for everyone!"

"I'm dying! I'm dying!" the man roared, his face twisted in a grimace.

His cries threw the people in line into chaos. They shouted and surged toward the pot.

They plunged their heads into it and drank like pigs.

Everyone fought and shoved, and the crowd descended into utter chaos.

Before long, the porridge pot was knocked over, spilling the thick white porridge across the ground.

The people dropped to their hands and knees and licked it up.

Huang Rongyue's face was grim. Her hands clenched tight, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Soon, they had licked the ground clean. Still unsatisfied, the crowd turned their eyes toward Huang Rongyue.

"Miss, watch out!" A guard immediately stepped in front of her and escorted her away.

Lu Li stood where he was, watching Huang Rongyue's solitary figure recede.

He could clearly tell that the smile she wore while handing out porridge came from the heart. It wasn't an act.

He couldn't help but ponder.

Then he looked at the first man who'd charged the porridge pot. Though his face was gaunt, his eyes gleamed brightly amid the crowd.

He was watching Huang Rongyue too, the corner of his mouth curled in a sneer.

Lu Li suddenly understood.

The struggle between the Huang Family and the Wang Family had begun.

Lu Li found Hu Niu.

She lay on her back, all four limbs in the air, her round, snow-white belly exposed as she snoozed away. Piles of bones were scattered around her.

Her ears flapped like butterfly wings. Sensing someone's approach, she opened her clear, vacant eyes.

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

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

She opened her mouth wide, baring her fangs. To other people, the Mountain Lord baring her fangs might have seemed fierce and intimidating.

But with the Demon-Spirit Communion Technique, hearing Hu Niu's gentle, girlish voice made the contrast so striking that she had no menace at all.

"Master, you're such a good person, much better than that man in the black robe." Hu Niu excitedly circled Lu Li a few times, comparing him to the man in the black robe once more.

Lu Li smiled. Thinking of his own strength and Hu Niu's simple, rather naive nature, he couldn't help feeling a little sympathy for her.

He held Hu Niu's head in place. "Don't move."

He murmured an incantation, and a strange syllable sank into Hu Niu's head.

Hu Niu felt uncomfortable inside her skull, as if something were wriggling around in there.

But she trusted Lu Li completely, so she stayed still and looked at him in confusion.

Soon, a small, jet-black bug, shaped like a silkworm chrysalis, wriggled out of Hu Niu's nostril.

Lu Li pinched it between his fingers. Its body quickly shriveled, as though it had been left under the sun for forty-nine days.

This was what a Demon-Controlling Gu looked like after it had dried out.

Once a Demon-Controlling Gu was exposed to the air, it would dehydrate to extend its lifespan.

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

Lu Li gently tucked the Demon-Controlling Gu into his clothes.

Demon-Controlling Gu were rare. He didn't have another one, and this one was exceptionally precious.

"How do you feel?" Lu Li asked with a smile.

Hu Niu shook her head. Her mind felt clear, as though a parasite that had lived inside her head for ages had suddenly disappeared.

Hu Niu's ears twitched. She stared at Lu Li in disbelief, moved to tears. "Master, you took away the thing that was controlling me?"

"Mm. We're friends now." Lu Li's voice softened as he reached out to rub her big head.

"Friends? I heard Mom and Dad say that people who play with me are called friends."

She suddenly remembered something sad, and her voice grew downcast. "When Mom and Dad were still here, I had lots of friends."

Lu Li's hand paused on her head. He sighed and rested his own head against Hu Niu's furry one.

It was now painfully clear what Hu Niu had been through.

"It's all right. You still have a friend with you now." Lu Li comforted her.

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

He could clearly feel that Hu Niu was growing more dependent on him. She often turned her head to check that he was still on her back.

Soon, they reached the Wind and Rain Pavilion.