Chapter 922: The Green Crab Blocks the Way

Chen Changsheng's words startled Xiao Er.

After a brief moment of shock, Xiao Er hurriedly shook his head. "You shouldn't go."

Chen Changsheng looked up at him.

Xiao Er said, "What you just said makes perfect sense. Whether there are demons in that mountain or not, if we don't provoke them, they won't provoke us. You understand the logic yourself, so why do you still want to go?"

"I just want to take a look," Chen Changsheng said.

Xiao Er sat back down. "Quite a few martial artists have gone in before. Even people with that kind of skill didn't make it out alive. You look so frail and weak—are you stronger than them?"

Chen Changsheng thought for a moment, then picked up the teacup on the table.

After a brief pause, he poured water into it.

"What's the meaning of this?" Xiao Er asked.

Under Xiao Er's watchful gaze, Chen Changsheng flipped the full teacup upside down onto the table.

Xiao Er jumped in surprise, his eyes going wide.

Not a single drop of water spilled from the cup.

But he quickly recovered his wits. "A cheap parlor trick like that won't fool me."

Chen Changsheng smiled calmly. "I must ask you to point This Chen in the right direction."

Frowning slightly, Xiao Er said, "Why won't you listen to reason?"

"Nothing will happen."

Xiao Er looked helpless. Seeing how stubborn the man was, he gave up trying to persuade him. "Go out the door and turn right. When you see a stream, follow it into the mountain, and you'll be there."

Chen Changsheng nodded, then placed two copper coins on the table.

"Thank you."

With that, he stood up and walked out of the small tavern.

Xiao Er watched the man leave, staring after him for a moment before shaking his head.

"What a strange guy."

Xiao Er waved a dismissive hand. He had done his good deed; whether the man listened or not was his own business.

Muttering to himself, he collected the two copper coins from the table.

Just as he was about to find a spot to sit and rest, he remembered something.

He turned his head, his gaze landing on the teacup flipped upside down on the table.

Blinking, Xiao Er fell into thought.

He strode back to the table.

Reaching out, he gripped the cup and lifted it slightly.

He expected the tea inside to spill out instantly.

But to his utter shock, not a single drop leaked onto the table.

"Huh?"

Stunned, Xiao Er flipped the cup completely over.

Looking inside, he saw the cup was still perfectly full. Not a single drop had been lost.

He stared blankly at the brimful teacup, frozen in disbelief for a long time.

When he finally snapped out of it, he pursed his lips and flipped the cup upside down again.

Tea splashed all over the table.

A realization washed over Xiao Er, and he muttered, "So that guy actually had real skills!"

.

.

Following Xiao Er's directions, Chen Changsheng found the stream.

The water was crystal clear, and fish and crabs could be faintly seen swimming within.

Chen Changsheng stopped in his tracks, his gaze falling upon a green crab resting on a rock.

Seeing Chen Changsheng, the green crab raised its pincers as if showing off its might.

He smiled and asked, "How did a green crab like you end up in a stream?"

The crab's waving pincers suddenly paused.

A cloud of dust abruptly billowed up.

When the dust settled, the sunbathing green crab was gone. In its place stood a young girl in a plain green dress.

"Where do you practice your cultivation?" the young girl asked.

Chen Changsheng looked her up and down. "To think you've already assumed human form."

The little girl rolled her eyes at him. She raised her hand, revealing a giant pincer aimed right at Chen Changsheng. "Speak, or I'll pinch you to death!"

Chen Changsheng laughed out loud at the little girl's fierce posturing.

"Don't laugh!"

Without wasting another word, the little girl snapped her pincer shut around Chen Changsheng's arm.

Chen Changsheng didn't bother dodging.

The giant claw clamped down on his arm, but she immediately yanked it back.

"Ow, ow, ow..."

She shook her massive pincer, staring at him with wide eyes. "Why is your arm so hard?"

"This Chen has skin of copper and bones of iron," Chen Changsheng said. "I'm not afraid of your crab claws."

The little girl frowned and stood up tall. "I am the market-guarding general of the Qishan Demon Market! I don't care who you are, but if you know what's good for you, you'd better leave right now. Only demons are allowed here, no humans!"

As she spoke, both of her hands turned into pincers and thrust toward Chen Changsheng's neck.

She did look rather intimidating.

"Hmm?"

The pincers advanced another step, a silent threat.

Chen Changsheng reached out and gently pushed the claws aside. "This Chen only wishes to go inside and take a look. I'm not here to cause trouble."

"That's still a no! You can't even look!"

The little girl scowled, her pincers snapping open and shut with loud clicks.

Chen Changsheng glanced at the girl, then lifted his eyes toward the mountain depths.

"You must be a member of the Tongtian River Aquatic Tribe, right?"

The little girl's frown deepened. "What's it to you?"

Chen Changsheng thought for a moment before asking, "Are you under the Second Crown Prince, or the Dragon Maiden?"

Her brow furrowed even further at those words.

She finally took a careful look at Chen Changsheng.

Searching her memory, she realized she had never seen this man before.

"You know our Lady?"

Chen Changsheng understood immediately. "Your Lady actually calls me Uncle."

"Bah!"

The little girl flew into a rage.

"Eat my claw!"

She launched a vicious snap right at Chen Changsheng's head.

Clang!

A crisp, ringing sound echoed out.

"Waaaaah."

The recoil sent a stinging pain through the little girl's claw. She cradled the giant pincer and hopped up and down.

Her eyes instantly rimmed red.

She looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment.

Chen Changsheng rubbed his head. "Hmm, it doesn't hurt. It seems your claws aren't as hard as This Chen's head."

But the little girl was in absolute agony.

Clutching her claw with teary eyes, she cried, "You stinky jerk! What kind of evil cultivation art do you practice? Why is your head so hard too?!"

Chen Changsheng let out a hearty laugh. "Alright, I'll stop teasing you."

"This Chen is just heading into the mountain to take a look and have a little chat. I'm not here to start a fight, so you don't need to worry about anything."

With that, Chen Changsheng walked forward.

Startled, the little girl scrambled to block his path.

She lunged forward, but grasped nothing but thin air.

"Huh?"

"You can't go in!"

"You can't go in!"

"Come back here!"

But as the little girl gave chase, she found she simply couldn't catch up to Chen Changsheng. In the blink of an eye, the man was already several zhang away.

The little girl stood frozen in place, her two giant pincers smashing into the ground and shattering the rocks beneath them. "I'm doomed, I'm doomed! How am I going to explain this?!"

After a brief moment of panic, she hastily picked herself up and chased after him into the mountain.

Chen Changsheng stepped into the thick blanket of fog.

He glanced around his surroundings.

Raising his hand, a wisp of golden light transformed into the shape of a small bird, guiding him forward.

The mist ahead grew denser, but signs of it thinning gradually began to appear.

A lively, bustling clamor began to drift through the air.

It was getting closer and closer.