Chapter 1248: Spirit of Water and Wood

How many demons were in the Hongyuan Realm?

No one could truly say.

Moreover, very little news ever spread about the Demon Lord of the Hongyuan Realm. People had only heard the name; they had never seen the person.

Rumor had it this Demon Lord was named Baijin, meaning "without any taboos." Even among the demons of the Hongyuan Realm, few had ever laid eyes on this exceptionally mysterious ruler.

Along the way, Yu Hongdou encountered quite a few demons.

But few dared to approach. The faint Sword Intent radiating from Jing Wuya alone was enough to make them tremble in fear.

"That demon earlier mentioned there was a formidable Fish Demon over in Yan County, which reminds me of something. Since we're passing by anyway, we might as well go take a look."

"What is it?"

"The person who gave me my name used to live there in her early years. She fell ill a while back and went to the Immortal Realm, then returned once her injuries healed. I've never gone to visit her, so I don't know if the demon they mentioned is her."

"Oh..."

"Hongdou? You'd have been better off without a name. It sounds like a girl's."

"It's Yu Hongdou. I was ignorant back then and took her surname."

"Huh?"

Jing Wuya froze for a moment upon hearing this, then burst into loud laughter.

"You idiot, doesn't that mean you acknowledged her as your father?"

"Cough, cough..."

Yu Hongdou coughed and said, "How was I supposed to know all that? I didn't even have a name back then. Besides, she was just a little girl."

"A little girl?"

Jing Wuya let out a sound of disbelief, then slapped his thigh and roared with laughter.

The laughter grated harshly on Yu Hongdou's ears.

Utterly speechless, Yu Hongdou shot him a glare and muttered, "Stop laughing."

Jing Wuya ignored him, laughing so hard he couldn't close his mouth for the rest of the journey.

...

Upon arriving in Yan County, they didn't see a single person.

Yet the auras of demons in the surroundings were growing denser.

Yu Hongdou frowned. "Why are there so many more demons in these mountains than before?"

Jing Wuya shrugged. He had no idea.

"The roads are blocked, and there's no one around. Let's grab a demon and ask for directions."

"That works."

"I'll go."

Yu Hongdou stepped forward and vanished into the mountains like a wisp of smoke.

He emerged a mere moment later, carrying a struggling little Monkey Demon by the scruff.

The Monkey Demon's eyes were filled with terror.

Yu Hongdou pinned his limbs. Seeing this, Jing Wuya said, "Little monkey, we want to go to Oulianfang. Point the way. If you give us clear directions, I'll let you go. If you don't, I'll crack your skull open and use it as a wine cup."

The Monkey Demon's face instantly drained of color. He stopped struggling and began to shiver uncontrollably.

Yu Hongdou's mouth twitched. "You've terrified the poor monkey. How is he supposed to point the way now?"

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare!"

The Monkey Demon hastily spoke up. "I know where Oulianfang is! I know! I'll show you the way!"

A smile curled Jing Wuya's lips. "See? He's doing just fine."

Yu Hongdou let out a soft sigh and let the monkey lead the way.

Along the way, the Monkey asked, "Are you really going there? There's a very fierce Fish Demon living there. The lords told us all to stay away from that place."

"Oh?" Yu Hongdou asked. "Then why are there so many demons in the surrounding mountains?"

"I-I heard that the demons of the Hongyuan Realm are specifically guarding this place," the Monkey Demon replied. "Those lords are afraid of that Fish Demon too, so they have to keep watch."

"You're not a demon from the Hongyuan Realm?"

"No. They don't even want a minor demon like me."

"You really are quite weak."

Trembling, the Monkey Demon asked, "C-can I not go over there? I don't dare. I really don't dare."

"Seeing as you're a timid demon and haven't committed any evil deeds, I'll let you off the hook. Just don't follow us in."

"Thank you, my lord! Thank you!"

Relieved of a heavy burden, the Monkey Demon pointed out the direction as they neared the place, then quickly ran off.

Yu Hongdou didn't make things difficult for him. He turned and headed toward Oulianfang.

Yu Hongjin had been very busy these days dealing with her wine. Sha Tang was a demon of his word; he had indeed collected and delivered a hundred jugs of wine later on.

Most of this wine came from the Southern Domain. There was some from other places, but not much. It was likely all scavenged by Sha Tang and the other demons from the Southern Domain.

When Yu Hongjin saw those hundred jugs, she couldn't help but mutter, "Truly devoid of all conscience. This Hongyuan Realm of yours is going to be finished sooner or later."

The demon who delivered the wine only dared to be angry in silence. He fled in a panic, too afraid to say another word.

Yu Hongjin certainly didn't have the strength to clash directly with the Hongyuan Realm. She had made some inquiries; she could handle demons like Sha Tang, but if they were any stronger, it would truly be troublesome.

It was all because she had neglected her Divine Abilities and Daoist arts. She had immense physical strength but nowhere to apply it, which always left her at a disadvantage. Furthermore, her injuries weren't fully healed. Although the qi destiny in her body had stabilized, she couldn't tap into it. She had to be careful, naturally preventing her from making any large movements.

Helpless, she could only stay put and guard her little patch of territory.

"Sigh..."

Staring at the empty Oulianfang, Yu Hongjin felt deeply depressed.

Without people around, it just wasn't any fun.

It was far too deserted here.

Over the past few days, she had done nothing but drink or sleep. She couldn't even see a ghost of a person.

Snake Seven, however, suffered immensely. Sometimes, the more Yu Hongjin thought about it, the unhappier she got, and she would randomly slap him, leaving him howling in pain.

"It's all because of you demons! This place was peaceful for decades, but the moment you arrived, everything was ruined!"

"Damn you all."

Snake Seven had lost count of how many times he had been beaten. Sometimes Yu Hongjin struck so heavily that he couldn't recover for seven or eight days. It was a fate worse than death.

"Sooner or later, I'm going to slaughter every last one of you demons."

Yu Hongjin was ranting angrily when she suddenly heard a burst of footsteps outside.

She looked up, only to spot a familiar face.

Yu Hongjin's eyes immediately lit up. "Wow! Little Hongdou, is that you, Little Hongdou?"

Yu Hongjin rushed over and pinched Yu Hongdou's cheek.

"It feels so real! Weren't you just this tiny before? How did you get so big?"

"What brings you here?"

Yu Hongjin circled around Yu Hongdou, sizing him up, completely ignoring Jing Wuya.

Jing Wuya glanced at Yu Hongjin and said, "A Spirit of Water and Wood?"

Yu Hongdou blushed slightly and muttered, "Alright, stop staring. There's nothing different about me."

Yu Hongjin chuckled. Stroking Yu Hongdou's face, she said, "Oh, you even know how to be shy now! What's wrong with Big Sister touching you a bit?"

She paused, shifting her gaze to the side.

"Hm?"

"Speaking of which, who's this old man? Why is he with you?"

Jing Wuya suddenly paused, leaning in for a closer look.

After pondering it left and right, he noticed something unusual.

Jing Wuya remarked, "The Magical Power on you... it feels a bit familiar."