Chapter 342 - Protagonist: Please Teach Me
Large black clouds gradually sailed into the calm sky from the west, accompanied by a dull thunder.
Rumble...
The streets were so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Liang Zhu, Ye Waner, and the others looked up at the palace wrapped in Hu Mu's demonic power. No sound or movement could break through this demonic power, and they could not know what was going on inside.
The battles between Void Returning cultivators had been recorded in the history books. Cultivators at the Immortal Matriarch and the Emperor's level could turn a thousand miles of land into scorched earth in an instant.
Liang Zhu couldn't help but sweat for Ye Anping and Pei Lianxue. The two Foundation Building cultivators were now under the feet of two Void Returning cultivators. If they were not careful, there wouldn't even be a whole corpse left.
But Ye Anping had promised that he would safely rescue the Empress from Nangong Cheng.
Boom---
A golden light penetrated Hu Mu's spirit shield condensed with demonic energy and shot straight toward the silver moon in the sky like a reverse meteor, leaving a trail in the night sky.
A cloud of smoke and dust immediately exploded on the moon, and perceptible even to the naked eye, it was deflected by an inch by this golden light.
Xue Tianqiao was standing next to Liang Zhu, tightly holding onto his clothes, when suddenly, her cute fox ears stood up on her head, as if she was also startled. Her eyes widened slightly and she called out to her master above. "Whoa~ Master!! Your spirit shield was broken in one go!!!"
"..."
Hu Mu, floating in the air with his tail swaying in the wind, heard the shouting below and fiercely glared at his disciple as if to say: ---Master is not blind!! You, sly little fox, could you stop saying that? You make it sound as if Master's spirit shield is so vulnerable.
Hu Mu took a deep breath, exhaling the idea of making a stew of his disciple. He looked toward the palace and did not repair the spiritual shield pierced by the golden light. Instead, he retracted his demonic power, flew down from the sky, and landed with his hands behind his back.
"The golden light just now was Nangong Cheng's expelled original spirit. Since he cast out his original spirit, it means that he is at the end of his rope, and the dust has settled."
His words were addressed to Liang Zhu and Ye Waner, who were standing by. The subtext was that it was not that his spiritual shield was not powerful but that Nangong Cheng's attack was a full-strength attack that gathered all his life's cultivation, and no one could block it.
When Liang Zhu heard this and saw Hu Mu's fierce eyes, he hastily cupped his hands respectfully. "Thank you for your help, Your Excellency. I still have a mission to complete, so I will take my leave."
"Thank you, Your Excellency..."
Ye Waner also withdrew her sight from the distant palace and cupped her hands, saying goodbye.
After Hu Mu nodded, they summoned their flying swords and rushed toward the palace.
After watching the two fly away, Hu Mu slowly turned his eyes back to Xue Tianqiao and immediately reached out to grab her collar, lifting her up. "Keep your stinky mouth shut!! Or else..."
At these words, Xue Tianqiao shrank her neck slightly and quickly drew an X in front of her mouth before whimpering. "Woo... woo woo woo---"
"..."
Hu Mu's eyes twitched seeing his disciple suddenly become obedient. There was something wrong here; most likely, she had something important to say.
He stared at Xue Tianqiao's clear aquamarine eyes for a moment, then said, "Speak."
"Hehe..." Xue Tianqiao grinned as if her prank had succeeded. "Master, I smell roasted chicken. I want to eat roasted chicken."
"..."
Hu Mu's teeth were grinding, but the next moment, Xue Tianqiao added a sentence that made him freeze. "I can also smell the Heavenly Dao Scroll."
"...Where?"
Xue Tianqiao, who was being held by the collar, raised her hand and pointed forward. "Where the roasted chicken is."
Hu Mu looked in the direction where her finger pointed, and suddenly, his eyes shrank into a vertical line. Using the Distant Vision Technique, he allowed his vision to quickly traverse the streets forward. After turning two corners, he saw a small pavilion beside a river in the city.
...
The black clouds in the west slowly passed over the city walls and pressed down on the sky above Heavenly Gate City while bursts of muffled thunder shook the sky and the earth.
Rumble---
Xiao Yunluo stood under the eaves of the pavilion with her sword in hand, watching the two flying swords heading toward the direction of the Imperial Palace. She knew that the palace matter should have been settled.
Liang Zhu and Ye Waner were now going to take things out of the secret vault of the Imperial Sect.
Common sense said that it was a good thing that the dust had settled, and she should relax, but Xiao Yunluo was a little reluctant.
---She didn't help Ye Anping this time either and just stood idle the whole time.
When Hongyu rushed to the inn to announce that the Empress had been captured, Ye Anping asked her to go and help her mother. But when she ran over, she only found a few imperial guards lying on the ground, barely breathing, and no one else was there.
Afterward, when Ye Anping, Lianxue, and Feng Yu Die went to the Justice Division Office to help Yue Xuanming escape, she was left to wait in front of the palace gate.
After waiting for the three of them to come over and was ready to show off her talents, Ye Anping simply sent her to accompany Feng Yu Die to buy roasted chicken and find a place to rest, while he and Lianxue sneaked into the Imperial Sect's secret vault to get the Nine Dragons Heavenly Seal.
And now...
Xiao Yunluo narrowed her eyes, looking in disdain at Feng Yu Die who was now sitting in the pavilion, holding a large roasted chicken and had her mouth full of grease.
Seeing her looking over, Feng Yu Die thought that she also wanted to eat roasted chicken. After a short hesitation, she reluctantly pulled off one of the chicken legs and slowly handed it over. "...Sister Xiao, do you want it?"
"..."
Xiao Yunluo looked at the roasted chicken leg and took a deep breath through her nose as veins bulged at her temples.
Everyone had something to do!!
But what about her?
Now she had to take care of the second idiot! Accompany her to eat roasted chicken here!!
She would rather accompany Liang Zhu to retrieve things from the Imperial Sect's secret vault. Although it might be a bit strange for the Young Lady of the Black Star Sect to steal things from someone else's secret vault, it was still better than accompanying the second idiot to waste time here.
"No!"
"Oh..."
Feng Yu Die shrank her neck, not knowing why Xiao Yunluo suddenly got angry. She didn't do anything, but anyway, she didn't care. She hurriedly picked up the chicken leg and stuffed it into her mouth.
Floating above her head, Xiao Tian suddenly sighed. "Yu Die, Miss Xiao feels that everyone else has something to do, but she is the only one babysitting here, so she feels a little unreconciled."
"Babysitting..." Feng Yu Die nodded but then felt something was wrong, and she whispered back, "Where is the baby?"
"Here. Baby Yu Die."
"...Get lost!"
Feng Yu Die waved her hands in annoyance to drive her away, but Xiao Tian was like a mosquito, darting here and there, as if she was having fun, spinning around in the pavilion.
Xiao Yunluo turned to look at Feng Yu Die swatting flies and suddenly felt tired.
At this moment, another lightning flashed across the sky.
Boom---!!!
The sudden thunder above the black clouds was deafening. Xiao Yunluo and Feng Yu Die both subconsciously straightened their backs. Even Xiao Tian covered her ears with her hands and looked up at the sky.
"What a big thunder! It's going to rain hard."
As soon as she finished speaking, a drop of water as big as a finger fell into the river nearby, stirring ripples.
Big and small water beads fell one after another on the dark street.
Feng Yu Die frowned slightly, as if she felt something. She stood up from the stone bench, looked around the pavilion, and shouted, "Sister Xiao..."
"What is it?"
"I feel something is wrong."
"Something..."
Xiao Yunluo was slightly puzzled, but seeing Feng Yu Die's expression, she quickly took out the sword she had bought a few days ago from her storage bag and carefully observed the surroundings.
Feng Yu Die also took out the emerald green sword that had belonged to Xiao Yunluo.
Seeing that sword in her hand, Xiao Yunluo froze for a split second and suddenly widened her eyes.
She hadn't paid attention before, but now that she looked at it closely, why did she feel that the sword in the second idiot's hand was very much like the one that was stolen by the Immortal Thief?
"Second idiot, where did you get this sword?"
Feng Yu Die paused for a moment before replying, "I bought it from Young Master Ye. Sister Xiao, go and argue with him. I spent money on it, so it's mine now."
"?"
Stunned, Xiao Yunluo took a deep breath.
"You mean this is really my sword..."
Suddenly, a thunderbolt flashed.
Boom---
Then, two figures appeared ten feet outside the pavilion.
The two figures, one tall and one short, each had a furry tail that made people want to touch it, and a pair of pointed ears on their heads.
Pitter-patter---
The rain poured down, but it seemed to avoid the two people, not a drop wetting their clothes at all.
Xiao Tian squinted at the two, then immediately widened her eyes and warned. "Yu Die, that's the Demon King, Hu Mu. The little fox demon beside him should be the vixen that Anping mentioned."
"..."
Hearing this, Feng Yu Die frowned slightly, feeling a little puzzled. Ye Anping had told her several times before that she should save her spiritual energy to deal with a vixen and said that she could handle it.
So here she was, eating roasted chicken while waiting for the vixen to come; after all, Ye Anping also said that the vixen would come to her.
But...
Why was it the Demon King who came to her?
Ye Anping wouldn't let her deal with a fox in the middle stage of Void Returning, right? How could she deal with it... Even if she sacrificed the Holy Emperor's dragon body, she would still not win.
Feng Yu Die's gaze stopped at Xue Tianqiao, thinking that she should be able to deal with this little vixen, but what was the reason?
Hu Mu stared at Feng Yu Die and took a step forward with his hands behind his back.
When his step fell, a black mist suddenly expanded.
The waves in the river suddenly calmed down, and the big and small water drops stopped in mid-air.
A black shadow emerged from Hu Mu's tail and turned into a giant fox several times larger than Feng Yu Die. It opened its mouth and swallowed Feng Yu Die whole, then retracted into Hu Mu's tail.
Xiao Tian froze for a moment, then panicked. She immediately rushed at Hu Mu, punching and kicking his head, and pulling his ears. "Spit her out!! Don't eat Yu Die! Yu Die is not delicious!!! You stinky fox, spit her out!!"
Crash---
The plate of roasted chicken that Feng Yu Die had been holding fell to the ground and shattered, pulling Xiao Yunluo out of her stupor.
She looked at the porcelain pieces shattered on the ground, her pupils slightly shrinking into small dots as she tentatively asked, "Second idiot?!"
Rumble---
Thunderbolts flashed through the black clouds that were pressing down on the city, and countless twisted electric snakes spread across the sky.
Water drops as big as soybeans hit the top of the pavilion and slid down the eaves, making crackling sounds.
Xiao Yunluo looked at the two fox demons standing in the rain in front of her but not getting their clothes wet. She was stunned for a long time before she finally realized that the male fox demon was the Demon King.
At the same time, she understood that Hu Mu had used his tail spirit to swallow Feng Yu Die's entire body into his stomach.
"What..."
She was overly panicked, and her right hand holding the sword couldn't help but tremble slightly.
Suddenly, she recalled what Ye Anping said to her that night.
---"When the Demon King and Sister Feng are fighting, you have to help Sister Feng."
At that time, she didn't think too much, because, since Ye Anping said so, it meant that he thought she could do it, so she didn't need to think too much.
But now...
In just an instant, the second idiot was eaten, and she hadn't even seen Hu Mu's tail spirit, let alone stop it.
How was she supposed to help?
"..."
Xiao Yunluo shook her head and forced herself to calm down.
There was no point in questioning the Demon King now. Even if she rushed forward with a sword, she couldn't save the second idiot. The difference in cultivation was too great.
Before the idiot was "digested", she had to find a way to make Hu Mu spit her out.
"Your Excellency, I am Xiao Yunluo, the Young Lady of the Black Star Sect. I am honored to meet you. Please return my sister to me, otherwise I will report this to the Sect Matriarch. The person you swallowed is the Matriarch's personal disciple..."
Hearing this, Hu Mu suddenly frowned, and his originally calm eyes revealed a hint of murderous intent, causing Xiao Yunluo to pale and take a step back.
Why did everyone press him with that old lady?
Xue Tianqiao, who was standing by, heard this and covered her mouth with her hands, laughing like a silver bell. "Master, everyone knows how you respect the old and cherish the young..."
"..."
Hu Mu glared at Xue Tianqiao, took a deep breath, and returned his gaze to Xiao Yunluo's face. After a careful look, he raised an eyebrow. "Xiao? Young Lady? Are you the daughter of the Black Dragon?"
"Black... Black Dragon?"
It was the first time that Xiao Yunluo heard this name and was a little confused. She didn't know whether this "Black Dragon" was a name or something else, but she quickly returned to her senses.
Now was not the time to dwell on this. She didn't know how long the second idiot could last in Hu Mu's spirit tail, but this matter couldn't be delayed. The sooner Hu Mu could spit her out, the more chances to live she would have.
Xiao Yunluo took a deep breath, clenched the sword in her hand, and took a step forward, shouting, "Sir! I will not repeat what I said before. Please be careful. If there's any mishap with my sister..."
Just as she said this, a golden light suddenly appeared on Hu Mu's originally black fur tail. Xue Tianqiao glanced at it and pointed at his tail. "Master, your tail is glowing..."
?
Hu Mu was stunned for a moment, then turned his head to look behind him. His eyes fell on a golden light at the tip of his tail, and the next moment, a green spiritual sword came out of his tail and pointed directly at his forehead.
Hu Mu narrowed his eyes, and the dark spiritual energy instantly wrapped around the tip of the sword.
However, a golden light emerged from the sword, breaking off his protective aura.
Swish---
As the sword light flashed, a strand of hair fluttered down from Hu Mu's ear, and at the same time, Feng Yu Die bounced straight out of his tail. After landing, she rolled more than ten times and inserted the sword in her hand into the ground, barely stabilizing herself.
"Bah..."
Feng Yu Die looked up at Hu Mu who was ten feet away, spat out a mouthful of bloodied saliva to the side, and took a deep breath to calm down her somewhat chaotic breathing.
Xiao Tian, who was pulling Hu Mu's ears and yelling, saw Feng Yu Die come out by herself, and hurriedly flew over, grabbed her shoulders, and shouted to the sky, "Old Dragon!!"
Golden spiritual energy instantly surged out of Feng Yu Die's body, turning into a golden dragon, coiled above her head.
Hu Mu raised his eyes slightly and looked at the golden dragon, but he didn't care at all, and said in a cold voice, "Give me the Heavenly Dao Scroll, otherwise you will die."
Hearing this, Feng Yu Die understood that he intentionally did not kill her just now.
If the Demon King really wanted to kill her, she wouldn't even feel death coming.
It turned out that his goal was Xiao Tian.
But the question was, how did the Demon King know that she had the Scroll?
Since she left the mountain, this was the first time she met someone who wanted to take the Scroll from her. Even the last time, in Moon Shadow Sword Sect, Yun Kunwu didn't know that she had the *Heavenly Dao Scroll *and took Xiao Tian away by mistake.
Feng Yu Die was slightly puzzled, but she didn't show it. Instead, she pretended to be terrified and asked in a low voice, "What Heavenly Dao Scroll?"
"..."
"Your Excellency, I really don't know what the Heavenly Dao Scroll is. Did you mistake me for someone else? I..."
Xiao Yunluo also rushed to Feng Yu Die at this moment and pulled her behind her. "Your Excellency, the Heavenly Dao Scroll is a cause-and-effect matter, how could it be in my sister's possession? My sister is stupid, she only knows how to eat roasted chicken. If she had the Heavenly Dao Scroll, would she still be so stupid?"
?
Feng Yu Die froze for a moment, a bit offended, but right now didn't have time to dwell on it. She also nodded her head in a hurry. "Yes, Your Excellency... If I had the Heavenly Dao Scroll..."
Listening to the two people singing the same tune, Hu Mu frowned slightly, tilted his head to look at the half roasted chicken on the ground, and finally turned to look at Xue Tianqiao, his eyes conveying, Did you just want to eat roasted chicken, and that's why you said she had the Scroll?
Understanding her master's look, Xue Tianqiao shook her head and said seriously, "Master, she really has it."
"..."
Hu Mu looked into Xue Tianqiao's eyes, was silent for a while, then looked back at Feng Yu Die and Xiao Yunluo. "Hand over the Heavenly Dao Scroll. I'm telling you one last time for the sake of the Black Star Sect leader."
Feng Yu Die observed the interaction between the two and looked at Xue Tianqiao in disbelief. Xiao Tian was also surprised and hurriedly came forward, waved in front of Xue Tianqiao, and made faces.
However, Xue Tianqiao did not seem to be able to see her, as Ye Anping did.
Xiao Yunluo continued to defend Feng Yu Die. "Your Excellency, my sister usually only practices swordplay and has fun. I have never seen her read books. I have also looked in her storage bag, and there is really no Heavenly Dao Scroll you are looking for."
Hu Mu raised his head slightly. "Daughter of the Black Dragon, this matter has nothing to do with you. As long as she hands over the Heavenly Dao Scroll, I will leave immediately."
Seeing that Hu Mu was so certain, Xiao Yunluo didn't know what else to say. She only hoped that she could stall for time until her mother arrived.
Only her mother could stop this fox now.
Big and small water drops fell from the sky, gradually wetting the long hair and clothes of the two girls. Feng Yu Die pursed her lips and took a step forward, holding her sword. She stepped in front of Xiao Yunluo and simply told the truth. "Your Excellency, the Heavenly Dao Scroll is indeed with me, but I can't give it away even if I want to."
Xiao Yunluo was slightly surprised to hear this, but she thought that Feng Yu Die was also stalling for time, so she stopped talking.
Hu Mu was silent, but he also gave Feng Yu Die a chance to continue speaking. "...Continue."
"The Heavenly Dao Scroll is a companion spirit of mine. Other than me, no one else can see it. So, it's not that I don't want to give it, but I don't know how to."
Hu Mu looked at Feng Yudie coldly. "A companion spirit, that means the Heavenly Dao Scroll has chosen you. Heavenly spiritual roots, the bloodline of the Holy Emperor..."
After thinking for a while, Hu Mu flicked his finger slightly, and a black mist instantly wrapped around his body. Feng Yu Die became alert immediately and signaled Xiao Tian with her eyes to let the golden dragon in the sky be ready.
But the next moment, when the black mist dispersed...
Hu Mu's figure was reduced in an instant as he turned into a young fox, although his eyes were still fierce.
Xue Tianqiao saw that her master had become as tall as her, and she was surprised. "Wow, Master, you have become my brother now..."
Before she finished her words, the rain that was originally unable to touch the two of them immediately turned her and Hu Mu into two drowned foxes.
Xue Tianqiao shook her head and quickly ran into the pavilion, covering her head with her arms, and began to wring her tail.
Xiao Tian, who was floating beside Feng Yu Die, saw Hu Mu like this and said, "Yu Die, he seems to have sealed off most of his cultivation."
Hu Mu seemed a bit nostalgic as he looked up at the rain falling on him. He then turned to look at Xue Tianqiao in the pavilion. "Little Qiao, give me your spirit sword."
"Master, can you warn me next time... my tail is soaked."
Xue Tianqiao puffed up her cheeks and complained. Then, with a wave of her hand, she brought out a curved spirit sword from her storage bag and sent it to Hu Mu.
Hu Mu raised his hand holding the hilt of the sword and swung it to the side, pointing diagonally toward the street.
Dense raindrops fell on top of the sword, and then slid down the blade, forming a line of water at the tip of the sword.
Feng Yu Die was silent, and with a very rare seriousness, she stepped forward and swung the sword in her hand to the side. "Sister Xiao, wait by the side."
"Ah..." Xiao Yunluo widened her eyes. "You don't really want to..."
Feng Yu Die nodded and replied, "Young Master Ye said I can handle it. I think he had expected this to happen."
"..."
Then, she took a deep breath, looked at Hu Mu, and cupped her hands while holding the spirit sword, saluting. "I am Feng Yu Die, a disciple of Master Taixu. Please teach me."