As Before? Feelings Change with Circumstances

The moment the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad landed, the strong tremor from the ground nearly knocked over several groups of guards nearby.

At this moment, the drumsticks in their hands had all been replaced with their own special magical Law Artifact.

The Law Artifact used by the Qi Refinement cultivators, carefully selected by the Fei Household to serve as guards for Fei Shuhe, were of a high grade, at least First-Tier Superior-Grade.

These guards, some armed with knives and shields, others with swords and spears, formed a three-person formation, hiding behind Nanny Sun and confronting the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad. Although each of them showed fear, they showed no intention of retreating.

Although they were all fellow villagers who had followed Fei Nanying all the way from the capital, they were different from promising cultivators like Deng Baichuan and Xu Yingshi.

If these guards truly possessed any extraordinary Dao Path or abilities, they wouldn't have stooped so low as to serve as servants to this wealthy and powerful family.

Although their skills far surpassed those of ordinary Rogue Cultivator, they still couldn't help but feel fear when facing a Second-Tier Middle-Grade Demon Beast. If it weren't for Nanny Sun, a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator, backing them up, they would never have had the courage.

Seeing the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad pounce on them, it stuck out its tongue and quickly dispersed a small formation of Qi -Qi Refinement guards who were protecting themselves. Just as it was about to eat another person as a snack, a dove-shaped staff came from the side and struck the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad's tongue.

The seemingly soft tongue collided with the menacing dove-shaped staff, but the latter was slightly weaker and was flung back into Nanny Sun's hand.

The guards who were targeted by the Vermilion Toad were not saved and were swallowed into its mouth. Their robes and magical Law Artifact were also wrapped in the Vermilion Toad's mouth for a while before being swallowed whole.

With the fresh meat in his stomach, the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad, who was even better than Nanny Sun, flashed a very human-like look of smugness.

In its long years of cultivation, this was not the first time it had interacted with fellow cultivators.

Although these cultivators were all cunning and despicable, they were all blinded by their own seemingly soft tongues, each believing that their tongues would be their Achilles' heel and that they would suffer some losses because of them.

These self-proclaimed intelligent two-legged creatures never consider that if that were truly the case, how could they dare to use their weapons against an enemy?

The Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad had already refined its long tongue to be no less powerful than an ordinary Spirit Artifact, as evidenced by its clash with Nanny Sun's Spirit Artifact, the Dove Staff.

It's not just cultivators who are clever in this world; even beasts that cultivate can use all sorts of ingenious ideas and methods to make up for their shortcomings.

While the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad was gloating, Nanny Sun was also hatching a plan.

"We can't retreat!" Nanny Sun muttered to herself. In just one exchange, this beast had swallowed two guards whole. If this continued, and another three or five were lost, the guards' morale would be severely damaged, and they would be too discouraged to advance.

She, a mere Foundation Establishment Middle Stage old woman, certainly couldn't defeat this Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad.

Fei Shuhe is indeed the legitimate daughter of the Fei Household, but she is not some outstanding talent or a promising future for the clan. Nanny Sun is not a remarkable protector either; she is merely an inconspicuous Green Leaf Foundation Establishment in the Capital Circuit.

It was only because Nanny Sun was Fei Shuhe's mother's dowry maid that she stayed by Fei Shuhe's side.

Sima Fei has quite a few capable Foundation Establishment under his command, including several from Ice Leaf.

However, their Dao Path is far ahead, and it would be unwise for Sima Fei to ask them to protect Fei Shuhe, as that would be an insult to a talented person and not the act of a wise man.

Of the remaining Foundation Establishment available, none were as capable as Nanny Sun, nor as loyal, so Sima Fei had no intention of replacing her.

With a flick of her magic hand, Nanny Sun raised her dove-shaped staff and sent it flying, transforming into a small green-scaled dragon that fought alongside the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad.

"Bind Artifact and Transform Spirit" is a common Daoist technique used by everyone within the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty, from Qi Refining Qi Refinement to Nascent Soul Ancestors. It has no distinction of rank.

Although this technique is widely known, it is easy to learn but difficult to master. Nanny Sun was clearly quite skilled in this art, and the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad she conjured was able to fight the green-skinned toad to a standstill for a time.

Seeing the situation had become so dire, the Qi Refinement guards on the field mustered their courage and began to harass the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad with their magical Law Artifact from afar.

These attacks from Qi Refining Qi Refinement were not taken seriously by this Second-Tier Middle-Grade Demon Beast.

If it weren't for the old woman's troublesome Spirit Artifact, although their Three Talents Formation had some merit, the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad would have surely caused widespread suffering if they had fought seriously for even a short while.

Time passed slowly, and several more guards died during that time. The Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad also suffered several horrific wounds from the bites of the Green-scaled Dragons, leaving it in a rather disheveled state.

The Sect Leader Kang Da was watching the battle from the sidelines, was slightly surprised by what he saw. Compared to the Second Tier Gold-Devouring Rat that he had fought alongside Kuai En and others, this Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad was undoubtedly much more powerful.

If I had been cornered by this Demon Beast back then, I probably wouldn't have survived until my Uncle Black Shoes came to my rescue; he would have devoured all my fat...

"Oh, no, I still have the gourd, so I won't die." Just as Sect Leader Kang Da was thinking this, looking at the fresh, hot blood flowing from the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad, he suddenly remembered the old man.

The former sect leader had mastered a skill in cultivation that he was quite proficient in, namely, talisman making.

Back then, in order to purchase a small jar of Second Tier Vermilion Toad Essence Blood to make talismans, the old sect leader even sold a magic Law Artifact that he found quite useful to use.

In his final moments, he used this jar of Essence Blood to make several life-saving talismans, which enabled Sect Leader Kang Da to survive with his two junior brothers at the very beginning.

Unfortunately, not only did his three disciples lack talent in talisman making, but at that time, there was no one in the entire Chongming Sect who could inherit the mantle of the old sect leader.

His only daughter, having observed the old sect leader making talismans since childhood, stumbled through the process and learned a few basic skills, barely qualifying as an entry-level talisman master.

A few years ago, Kang Dabao had a sudden urge to pick it up again and give it a try, but it was all in vain, and he lost another sum of money.

"If only the old man were still here, regardless of whether the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad escaped or was captured by Green Lotus Courtyard and her group, we wouldn't lack Essence Blood today."

Sect Leader Kang Da sighed inwardly, then secretly glanced at the Daoist Black Shoes beside him, "What exactly happened that caused Uncle Black Shoes and the old man to fight that battle?"

Kang Dabao didn't have time to think it over for long before something unexpected happened.

Even First Tier Demon Beast are not lacking in intelligence, knowing how to avoid being killed; Second Tier Demon Beast must be even more intelligent.

The Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad had cultivated for far longer than Nanny Sun, a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator. Although its intelligence was somewhat inferior to that of a cultivator, it was by no means a mindless fool.

First, dozens of Law Artifacts and war drums attacked, forcing it to break free of the pool; then dozens of cultivators desperately besieged it, disregarding casualties.

Anyone with a modicum of common sense could see that this was specifically targeting them.

The beast's eyes blazed with fury, and it suddenly let out a "quack" that pierced the ears of the surrounding cultivators like a sharp sword, causing them to freeze for a moment.

The Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad, having already devoured the Green-scaled Dragon, flicked its long tongue. This time, however, it did not eat any more cultivators. Two or three small formations of cultivators were all struck by its attack, and five or six people were immediately sent flying, their fates uncertain.

A large gap immediately appeared in the formation besieging the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad, causing the surrounding Qi Refinement cultivators to fall silent in fear.

Nanny Sun's expression changed instantly; she knew something was wrong.

When the young lady was getting married, she wanted to speak when guards were assigned to her in the hall.

It's one thing that not a single person was selected from the Ying Mountain Army, but to the extreme that not a single one of the favored servants was chosen, and only useless men were transferred. This is not the treatment a legitimate daughter should receive when she gets married.

This shows that after the young lady married into this poor family, she indeed lost her status in the Fei Household's She Mountain Hall.

The gentlemen in the hall wouldn't place their hopes for bringing glory to their families on her, so naturally they wouldn't be willing to invest any more money.

Her subordinates were incompetent, and Fei Shuhe, who was standing to the side, looked unwell from exhaustion. However, she simply couldn't bring herself to give the order and force these Qi Refining Qi Refinement to risk their lives to keep the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad alive.

Therefore, we can only rely on Nanny Sun to risk her life.

Seeing that the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad was about to escape, the surrounding Qi Refinement guards were all terrified and dared not stop it.

A Dao seal appeared between Nanny Sun's Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad, and the green-scaled dragon, which was relentlessly pursuing the Green-skinned Vermilion Toad, immediately transformed into its original form as a dove-staff. Its entire body shimmered with spiritual light, and its speed visibly increased, as it fiercely lashed out at the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad.

The Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad, though in pain, did not turn around but leaped into the pool without looking back.

Demon Beast value their lives and know how to seek advantage and avoid harm. Seeing that the enemy is powerful, they naturally know to avoid its sharp edge.

The Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad escaped, and the Daoist Black Shoes and Sect Leader Kang Da remained calm. The Qi Refinement Guards, who were still breathing, breathed a Fei Shuhe and Nanny Sun had unpleasant expressions.

Especially Nanny Sun, her fierce attack consumed a lot of the staff's energy, and it would be difficult to recover without using some rare spiritual materials and spending several years.

I thought I could at least severely injure this Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad with its back completely exposed, but unexpectedly, the beast still managed to escape back into the pool.

"We've delayed Miss's business, this is terrible..." Nanny Sun frowned as she looked at the Qi Refinement Guards who were either dead, injured, or terrified. Even if there was only one capable one among them, it wouldn't be this bad.

Now there are huge casualties, and even the drum formation that the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad used earlier can't be used anymore.

If it really came down to a fight in the water, this Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad would be like a fish in water. On the Nanny Sun hand, Granny Sun probably couldn't even use 60% of her full strength, and her Qi Refinement guards were even more useless. How could they possibly fight that green-skinned toad?!

Thinking of this, Nanny Sun first turned her gaze to the Daoist Black Shoes, and then looked at her young mistress.

Fei Shuhe had lost her previous confident demeanor and now looked worried and sad.

The Daoist Black Shoes chuckled and stepped forward, "Fellow Daoist Sun, since you can't do anything to this Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad, then perhaps I can step in?"

"Black Shoes Road" Nanny Sun paused, having no reason to argue but not wanting someone else to get the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad Fei Shuhe stopped Nanny Sun, after all, she was the one in charge and it was not good to make things difficult for Nanny Sun.

Fei Shuhe said softly, "Green Lotus Courtyard has already made its move. Since they have gained nothing, they certainly wouldn't dare to stop Senior Black Shoes. Please do as you please, but if you do gain anything, please consider selling some to me."

"Haha, if you want to buy something, don't come to me. That chubby kid next to you is the peddler!" The Daoist Black Shoes was just being polite. Among the cultivators present, who could or dared to stop him?

After teasing his nephew's wife for a while, the Daoist Black Shoes examined the deep pool before lightly touching the ground with both feet and falling into it.

Upon hearing the words of the Daoist Black Shoes, Fei Shuhe looked troubled. She glanced at Kang Dabao, who stood at the edge of the pool and seemed quite honest and upright. The words of pleading rolled on her lips, but she ultimately couldn't bring herself to say them.

These two people, who should have been the closest in the world, are now worse off than strangers who met by chance, which is rather regrettable.

Even without looking, Sect Leader Kang Da knew what Fei Shuhe looked like, yet he felt no resentment. Any noble lady in Fei Shuhe's situation wouldn't treat him much better.

However, he wouldn't empathize with Fei Shuhe for long. Kang Dabao had been looked down upon many times, which made him have a very good mindset.

The confident demeanor of the Daoist Black Shoes put Kang Dabao at ease, and soon he shifted his attention to it.

Ignoring his wife standing right behind him, Sect Leader Kang Da thought to himself, "If I hadn't been betrothed by Sima Fei back then, would I have been able to marry the youngest daughter of the He Household? In that case, I wouldn't have been able to have any children."

Kang Dabao didn't lose focus for long. Fei Shuhe was indeed reluctant to ask for help due to various reasons, but Nanny Sun beside her knew how important this "Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad heart" was to her young mistress.

Just as she was about to speak, leaning on her Kang Dabao, a heart-wrenching roar suddenly erupted from the nearly calm pool, startling everyone present.

Previously, when the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad was besieged by many cultivators and appeared in such a wretched state, it had never let out such a shrill roar.

Could it be that the Daoist Black Shoes, all alone in the pool, managed to corner the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad in such a short time?!

Nanny Sun's eyes immediately showed a thoughtful expression; the strength of this Daoist Black Shoes was truly unfathomable.

Among the Fei Household members in Cloud Horn Prefecture, only Fei Nanying can truly surpass him; the other patriarchs are probably worlds apart from him.

Just as Nanny Sun was about to speak to Sect Leader Kang Da, the pool water began to steam, sending plumes of white vapor into the air, followed by another series of shrill and tragic screams.

The Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad was the first to leap out of the pool. At this moment, its mouth opened and closed, and as blood seeped out, the root of its tongue could also be seen in its mouth.

At this moment, there was no trace of smugness in the beast's eyes; they were filled with fear and terror.

In its long years of cultivation, it seemed that it had never seen such a fierce swordsman. Its usually invincible tongue was sliced off by this scruffy-haired Daoist with a single sword strike.

Under the intense pain and terror, the various Daoist techniques that the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad was used to were completely ineffective against the Daoist Black Shoes. No matter how many techniques he used, the Daoist Black Shoes only needed to use one sword to fight it so badly in the Vermilion Toad's home turf that it screamed in agony. If it hadn't run away, it would have died in the pool immediately.

In its ferocious rage, no one dared to confront the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad directly.

The guards, who had just been somewhat courageous and formed a defensive formation, began to panic, ready to "act according to the situation" at any moment.

As expected of a shrewd man, Sect Leader Kang Da disregarded Fei Shuhe's icy gaze and moved closer to her.

The Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad appeared for a while, but the Daoist Black Shoes was nowhere to be seen following closely behind.

Nanny Sun, wary of the raging Demon Beast, tried to stop it with her dove-shaped staff. Though the beast had lost its tongue, its physique was still astonishing. Nanny Sun's staff, weakened by its own power, was no match for it, and in an instant, it crushed another guard with its claws.

"Indeed, it has become even more ferocious." Nanny Sun sighed, no longer daring to plot against the Vermilion Toad heart alone. She quickly retreated to Fei Shuhe's side, protecting her and Kang Dabao behind her.

Unexpectedly, another mist rose from the pool, and the Daoist Black Shoes, dressed in black robes without getting a drop of water on him, emerged from the pool.

"Croak, croak, croak," the tongueless Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad roared rather strangely, but in its panic, it ran towards Fei Shuhe in the middle of the field.

"Run!" The battle-hardened Sect Leader Kang Da made a decisive move, and as always, he was kind enough to tug at Fei Shuhe's sleeve before fleeing, as a reminder.

He just didn't control his strength well, and he accidentally pulled Fei Shuhe's shoulder, exposing a bit of it. Poor Kang Dabao, at this moment, didn't care about the beautiful scenery and ran away as fast as he could.

Fei Shuhe was taken aback by his reaction. She was a typical noblewoman who had grown up in seclusion and had never experienced the joys of love.

In her eyes, cultivation was always about gathering qi and consuming elixirs, without the slightest danger. Although occasionally she would hear of the deeds of a Daoist priest or nobleman who slayed a dragon or captured a tiger, she couldn't help but feel a longing for it.

For Fei Shuhe, being on the scene of a beast hunt was truly an unprecedented experience. If it weren't for the fact that the heart of the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad was so hard to find, Nanny Sun would never have taken Fei Shuhe into such danger.

As Fei Shuhe watched her guards fall one by one into the jaws of beasts, she realized that she had not yet learned the cold-blooded attitude of those in power. She could feel sadness and fear, but she had not yet learned to run away!

Nanny Sun held her dove-shaped staff horizontally and conjured a talisman. The bronze shield formed from the Second Tier talisman was shattered by the terrified and startled Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad.

Nanny Sun turned around and shouted, "Miss, hurry up!" She then went to meet them with her dove-shaped staff. Unexpectedly, the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad was startled by the Daoist Black Shoes, and its potential burst forth, making it almost incomparable to its previous state.

A bluish light emanated from the beast's body, and the flesh and blood at the wounds that had previously looked horrific were now visibly sprouting new flesh.

When Nanny Sun struck with all her might, it felt as if she had struck refined gold, making Granny Nanny Sun's hands go numb. On the other hand, the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad went berserk, its two thick forelimbs suddenly growing much longer, slapping Granny Sun away to the left and right.

The guards present only saw that Nanny Sun's robes were torn and slammed into the nearby mountain wall, with no reaction.

This scene terrified some people, extinguishing any remaining thoughts they had of rushing to Fei Shuhe to save them.

All of this sounds like a long story, but it actually happened just as the Daoist Black Shoes was about to emerge from the water. Before many people could even react, the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad was about to pounce on Fei Shuhe.

"Miss, the sword talisman!!" The older maid who always accompanied Fei Shuhe reminded her urgently.

"Yes, yes, the sword talisman given to me by my parents and uncle!" Fei Shuhe's face paled as she reached into her Storage Bag, but she couldn't find the sword talisman for a long time.

Just as the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad was about to slap Fei Shuhe and her maids to death, an old woman who looked like she had gone mad returned.

She blocked the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad's furious attack. The toad itself was exhausted and bleeding from its mouth, but it still flicked its dove-like staff and stabbed the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad in the right eye. The beast roared again, and its two front paws glowed with blue light, sending Nanny Sun flying.

At this moment, Fei Shuhe and her several beauties not only hadn't released the sword talisman yet, but were still standing there in place!

Two beams of Golden Light struck the staff that Nanny Sun Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad, finally causing the beast to stop in its tracks, fall to the ground, and gasp for breath.

"You old hag! Run! Did you waste all your Qi Refinement Ninth Layer on a dog?!"

Isn't Sect Leader Kang Da afraid? Only a fool wouldn't be!

As for why he fled back to save people, it was because he was afraid that Fei Shuhe really died here, he would be held accountable by Sima Fei!

Otherwise, what's the point?! To win Miss Fei's heart?! What good is that?! She's not even as alluring as Huo Ying's pubic hair!

Strangely enough, after hearing Sect Leader Kang Da's curse, Fei Shuhe sobered up. With a flick of her slender, fair fingers, the talisman ignited, and a sharp sword light slashed across the back of the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad, leaving a long trail of blood.

The Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad, in pain, rolled over again. Kang Dabao, standing nearby, cursed, "You spendthrift woman! Why don't you aim for the vitals!"

Just as Sect Leader Kang Da was cursing, Fei Shuhe raised her sword talisman again, grazing past Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad's arm. Kang Dabao was too lazy to even curse anymore.

Two Delusion-Breaking Golden Eyes flashed out, but the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad dodged them all, drawing the beast's attention. When Sect Leader Kang Da was stared at by its scarlet eyes, he trembled slightly.

"Master Uncle, save me!" Kang Dabao cried out in horror. He had just summoned the Garrison Earth Azure Origin Shield to block the attack when it collided with the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad. It was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot; the shield shattered into dust.

This beast now seemed to be in so much pain that it had lost its mind, and even its instinct to escape had diminished considerably. Yixin it wanted to do was slap the sect Sect Leader Kang Da to death first.

This did not work. A long rainbow shot over, Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad turned around and folded its two forepaws, which were covered in blue light, in front of it to block. However, the flying sword pierced through it as if it were made of paper.

Before the Green-Skinned Vermilion Toad could roar any longer, the flying sword left a terrifying hole in its forehead, allowing the Daoist Black Shoes to see all the white, red, black, and yellow images in its mind.

With a loud rumble, the two-zhang-tall behemoth suddenly collapsed to the ground, the ground trembled, and when the dust settled, Fei Shuhe saw the two trembling, panting Sect Leader Kang Da.

He slumped to the ground, utterly devoid of composure, his eyes no longer Fei Shuhe the graceful figure of the noblewoman Fei Shuhe, but filled only with the joy of surviving a calamity.

He still looked the same unremarkable and shabby as when we first met, with sweat dripping down his forehead, leaving white streaks on his dark, round face, making him look exactly the same as when he was carrying the big locust tree on his shoulder.

But in Fei Shuhe's eyes at this moment, it seemed to be somewhat different.

Thanks to Boring 2333, Don't Abandon, Don't Give Up 100, Hearsay, Reading According to Death, Bai Si Book Friends 20240602044554600, Shujian Enqiu and several brothers' monthly votes.

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