CFRSIO Chapter 33

Shi Ren and Chu Shi had tried to escape several times on the way, but were besieged several times.

Shi Ren, who was fighting evenly, suddenly turned pale and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Chu Shi, worried about his condition, was also caught off guard and stabbed in the stomach by a small demon’s long sword.

Both of them were injured and became somewhat disheveled.

Although Shi Ren had spat out blood, his expression had become much more grim, indicating that something had happened.

Damn it! Those useless guys! How could something happen? Who is it? Who wants to ruin my good deeds!!

Shi Ren couldn’t stand it anymore. He had made many plans along the way, but now things were going wrong one after another! It was clear that someone was against him.

When did things start to go wrong? Oh, it was after Qingyun Demon King kicked Chu Shi out.

Did Chu Shi betray him?

Shi Ren could no longer be sure if this person was sincere.

Chu Shi, despite his injuries, rushed forward to support Shi Ren. He didn’t see the suspicious and doubtful look on Shi Ren’s face.

Seeing that person cared so much about him again, Shi Ren felt it was unlikely.

However, things were really strange in this matter. He had to figure it out, otherwise, all their years of planning would be in vain!

“Shi Ren! Are you okay? Come,” he said, helping him up. “I’ll take you out of here!”

“Let’s go!”

He took out a talisman. That talisman was drawn by Qingyun Demon King, specifically for Chu Shi to save his life. Now that both of them were injured, it was the best time to use it.

Seeing the talisman, Shi Ren’s gaze was dim and unclear. He was jealous of Qingyun Demon King’s power, jealous that he could be so carefree and unrestrained.

At the same time, he was also greedy. If he could turn Qingyun Demon King’s abilities into his own, he would become the number one demon hunter. Then, it would be easy to develop this place into their home planet!

However… things had gone wrong one after another, and his injuries had never healed. This made him a bit irritable.

After escaping, he finally couldn’t help it and pushed Chu Shi away.

Chu Shi looked at Shi Ren in surprise. “Shi Ren, you…”

“Lin Yunliang really treats you well,” Shi Ren said. He had felt it when the talisman was activated. “A talisman with his demon power.”

“He’s really willing to give it to you.”

“Have you also made him your lover? Otherwise, why would he treat you so well?”

“I didn’t!” Chu Shi explained. “He and I have never had any relationship!”

“Shi Ren, I did it for you…”

“What for you! Didn’t you do it for yourself too?” Shi Ren said.

The disappearance of companions and the constantly sabotaged plans had driven Shi Ren to the brink of collapse, his expression clearly showing a hint of madness.

“Do you think I don’t know? Aren’t you just calculating? If Lin Yunliang dies, you’ll follow me again. If Lin Yunliang doesn’t die, you can continue to be his demon queen!”

Chu Shi’s eyes widened, disbelieving that the person in front of him saw him this way. “I didn’t!”

“I never thought like that!”

“Shi Ren! What do you mean by that! I, Chu Shi, may have become a demon lure, but I still have backbone!”

“Besides, if we really planned like that, why would Lin Yunliang kick us out before closing the mountain!”

“Why would I come to this harsh land with you! You looked like that just now, I could have just left you! But I didn’t!”

“Shi Ren, saying that is too hurtful.”

Shi Ren’s body stiffened. He belatedly realized what he had done, and his face turned pale.

After a long time, he finally managed to say, “I’m sorry, I spoke out of line.”

Chu Shi knew that Shi Ren was always proud. It was good enough that he apologized first, so he didn’t dwell on it.

“You rest here for a while. I’ll go find some herbs. I’ll bandage your wounds later.”

After saying that, he left.

After Chu Shi left, Shi Ren’s condition was still not good. After repeated hesitation, he decided to use his essence blood to contact others.

He didn’t believe that all the worm people in the world would die overnight!

Cang Shu rushed over and pushed open the door. After looking at each other for a moment,

He honestly retreated and knocked on the door again.

This behavior was speechless, and it made Lin Yunliang even more inclined to beat him up, but he dared not do so in front of Zhang Qing’an, so he could only hold back for now.

Zhang Qing’an’s ears turned red, and his mind was filled with messy emotions. Cang Shu’s interruption helped him regain his composure.

As he spoke, he pulled down his pants.

“Aren’t you going to let him in?”

He thought it came just in time. When the person returned from outside, he not only brought him a stack of storybooks but also bought a jar of medicine.

He said it was good for his leg. He also said that even though he couldn’t walk now, he should take good care of his legs so that he could recover sooner when he went to Ping Town for treatment.

As he said that, he was about to give him a massage.

Zhang Qing’an knew that this person had no ill intentions, but such an intimate act was too much for him to accept.

His ears were so red that he was hesitating whether to stop him when Cang Shu barged in. It was a great help to him.

“Okay,” Lin Yunliang said.

He wasn’t in a hurry to let Cang Shu in. After all, this kid was so rash, he had to make him suffer a little.

He still squatted down, tidied up the hem of his pants, then washed his hands. When he returned, he held a thin blanket and covered Zhang Qing’an’s legs.

Then he gave him a storybook and sent him into the room.

Only then did he have the mood to attend to Cang Shu.

“Come in.”

Cang Shu pushed open the door but didn’t dare to walk in immediately. Instead, he stuck half of his head in. After confirming that only Lin Yunliang was inside, he walked in.

“Demon… Brother Lin,” Cang Shu said.

“I received some news.” Cang Shu had rushed over because he had received news. He didn’t know that the person inside was just…

However… Cang Shu only dared to glance at Lin Yunliang, then quickly averted his gaze. He really didn’t expect the Demon King to be so considerate.

Kneeling on one knee and massaging him devoutly was truly unexpected.

“It’s from Snow Cotton Demon King.”

The reason Cang Shu was so excited was that Shi Ren and Chu Shi were currently in the northern region. Secondly, Cang Shu could feel that the power of the person sending the message should not be weak.

Cang Shu was different from them. He grew up with the demons of Qingyun Mountain and did not feel any malice from them, which shaped his personality.

Moreover, he was indoctrinated from childhood with the idea that the Demon King was their heaven and that whatever the Demon King said was right. Therefore, when he saw Lin Yunliang acting, he didn’t think anything was wrong.

He even thought that the Demon King was doing the right thing.

At the same time, he did not hesitate to tell Lin Yunliang all these things.

“Snow Cotton Demon King?”

“Snow Cotton Demon King is the Demon King of the north.”

Speaking of the north, Lin Yunliang understood. “You think it’s related to Shi Ren?”

“You don’t know either.” Cang Shu’s eyes were very innocent. “I haven’t had any contact with them.”

“I grew up in Qingyun Mountain.”

“Demon… Brother Lin, what are your plans?”

If it was really Shi Ren… then they would inevitably encounter Chu Shi later. Although Lin Yunliang should have no feelings for Chu Shi now, judging by Lin Yunliang’s attitude towards Zhang Qing’an and Chu Shi, even he could see that Lin Yunliang clearly favored Zhang Qing’an.

But… if they really encountered Chu Shi… Cang Shu was worried that he wouldn’t be able to bear to strike.

He clearly overestimated Lin Yunliang’s temper.

“Can you respond?”

“Yes.” You’re not really still thinking about Chu Shi, are you? Cang Shu’s eyes changed, as if he were looking at a scumbag.

Lin Yunliang looked up, and Cang Shu immediately lowered his head guiltily. Lin Yunliang knew that the previous incident of “Qingyun Demon King forcibly marrying” had caused a great stir. Even though he had decisively thrown Chu Shi out when he reappeared, as long as Chu Shi was involved, they would still think that he was infatuated with Chu Shi.

“Then tell him you will continue with the original plan.”

“But I don’t…” Cang Shu mostly stayed in Qingyun Mountain, and indeed had little interaction with them. It was normal for him to not know, but when Lin Yunliang’s gaze fell on him, he cowered.

“Yes, I understand.”

“One more thing.”

Cang Shu stood still, looking at the person in front of him blankly.

Seeing this, Lin Yunliang fell silent for some reason. After a moment, he still said, “From now on, use your original form when you appear in front of Zhang Qing’an, understand?”

Although Cang Shu’s original form was a wolf, he was not really a wolf, and he was still very deceptive. Moreover, a small animal could not speak unless it was a demon. The young demons of Qingyun Mountain were quite confident in hiding their identities.

Tell people to say less nonsense in front of Zhang Qing’an.

“Oh.” Cang Shu, who had 100% trust in the Demon King, dared not say anything. He could only nod honestly.

Siam was watching them from the side. At this moment, he felt that Cang Shu was quite good. He could find A Jin later and recruit Cang Shu to be his subordinate.

Siam would not say that this was the key.

They were here, and Lin Yunliang had already ordered Kui Hua and two others to go to the area where the Zhang family was located. The Zhang family was a wealthy region, and it was said that all the land and shops there belonged to the Zhang family. They had expected to see a lively scene when they arrived, but the scene they saw was somewhat unexpected.

White cloth was hanging at the entrance of the Zhang family’s house, and a group of people were mourning, indicating that the situation was not right. Not only at the entrance of the Zhang family, but they also saw white cloth hanging at the entrance of many other houses along the way.

“What’s going on?” Qing Shui asked, looking around curiously.

The three of them looked rather conspicuous. Kui Hua was the first to notice something was wrong and immediately pulled them into a small alley. The figures of the three quickly disappeared.

Only then did they not attract any attention. Kui Hua suggested that they return to their original forms to gather information.

Qing Shui could transform into his fish demon original form. In the water, he might be able to hear some useful information.

Hu Jiao and Kui Hua could also transform into weeds by the roadside, perhaps hearing useful information.

They were lucky enough to find out what was happening there. It turned out that the old master of the Zhang family suddenly learned of his youngest son’s accident and died of anger.

This old master of the Zhang family was a good and kind person. He often went to give porridge and help the poor. He had a good reputation in the county, and many people knew him as the great benefactor of the Zhang family.

This attracted the people of a county to spontaneously hang white cloth at their doors to mourn the passing of this great benefactor of the Zhang family. This matter should have been a great thing, but perhaps because the ideas of the demon race and the human race were different, the three demons did not think it was a particularly admirable thing.

Especially since many humans had goals before doing something, and very strong goals. This person, this Old Master Zhang, according to what they said, did good deeds without complaint. Did such a benevolent person really exist in the world?

They didn’t believe it anyway.

As expected, a storm soon arose.

A man appeared with a saber, tore off the white cloth at the door, and swung his saber at the Zhang family’s main gate. The guards at the Zhang family’s gate were naturally not useless. They immediately rushed forward to catch the man who suddenly appeared.

However, this person was holding a sharp saber, which made the guards a bit hesitant.

But at the same time, someone else made a move, and it was against the troublemaker. Someone holding a wooden stick from who knows where swung it at the man with the saber, hitting him hard on the back without any mercy.

With a cry of pain, he instinctively turned his head to look. It was during this distraction that he was apprehended by the guards.

“Damn fellow! How dare you cause trouble at Great Benefactor Zhang’s funeral!”

“That’s right! He deserves to die!”

“Isn’t this guy Gao Da Tou from Dong Village? Why is he causing trouble here?”

“Da Tou, I know you’re sad about your brother’s death! But how can you implicate innocent people like this!”

Gao Da Tou struggled desperately. Hearing someone recognize his identity and mention his brother, Gao Da Tou, who was already agitated, struggled even more fiercely.

“What great benefactor! Pfft! Shameless!”

“He’s a scumbag! My brother died because of him!”

“It’s because of this scumbag! He deserves to die! To die!”

Quite a few villagers from Gao Da Tou’s village were among the crowd. They knew some things about Gao Da Tou’s family and knew that his brother had died tragically. Moreover, he was Gao Da Tou’s only relative. So, they could understand why Gao Da Tou was a bit emotionally unstable.

However, his current false accusations against others made them all angry.

“What nonsense are you talking about! If it weren’t for Great Benefactor Zhang, you wouldn’t even be able to afford a coffin for Shu Sheng!”

“That’s right! Thanks to Great Benefactor Zhang! He even found a Taoist priest to perform the funeral, praying that Shu Sheng would be reborn into a good family! If you don’t thank him, you actually came to Great Benefactor’s funeral to cause trouble!”

“Bullshit! My brother was killed by him! He’s clearly guilty!”

“If it weren’t for him, my brother wouldn’t have died!!”

Seeing that the man was stubborn and continued to speak disrespectfully, he successfully angered a group of people. Without anyone beckoning, they grabbed him and dragged him aside.

Rather than being angry about Gao Da Tou’s disrespect towards Old Master Zhang, the group was more upset that someone who could provide money and food had died, and they were unsure if there would be another big-hearted benefactor in the future. This matter would have a considerable impact on their future lives.

Therefore, they had to put on an angry act and beat him severely to prove their determination. They also hoped that such behavior would encourage the Zhang family to continue doing good deeds.

Gao Da Tou, who suddenly appeared, was a bit strange. The three demons slowed down and followed him. With a little trick, they made people think they were beating Gao Da Tou, but in reality, they were only hitting air.

They surrounded him tightly and beat him to their heart’s content.

Gao Da Tou hugged his head and curled up on the ground. When being beaten, he had to protect his head as much as possible. Gao Da Tou thought, I can’t die, I can’t have an accident. I haven’t avenged my brother yet! I want to let them know what a hypocritical scumbag Zhang Quan is!

But the blows he expected didn’t fall, and there was no sound in his ears. He initially thought he had temporarily lost his hearing due to the violent struggle during the dragging, so he heard no sound at all.

But after waiting for a while longer, he didn’t feel any pain. Only then did he slightly raise his hand, reveal a gap, and open one eye to look outside.

He saw that he was not in his original place. Three people stood in front of him. They were three strangers. He didn’t recognize them at all.

“Gao Da Tou, right?”

“How much do you know about Zhang Quan?”

Gao Da Tou looked at the person in front of him doubtfully. “Do you believe what I say?”

It was no wonder he was so doubtful. He had actually told the elders and the village chief about these things, but their attitude was too strange. It also made him realize that something was wrong. Gao Da Tou was very angry, so he ran over without regard.

“Tell us, maybe we will believe you.”

The three demons exchanged glances. In fact, they already believed him by half. They had also interacted with Zhang Qing’an for a period of time. Even if they didn’t understand his character, they could figure out some things were wrong. Zhang Qing’an’s methods were not very clever, and the old man of the Zhang family did not stop him. Moreover, Zhang Qing’an had also said that he rarely went out.

This also made people wonder. The Zhang family was so wealthy, and Zhang Qing’an was a man. Why would he be confined to his home?

Gao Da Tou didn’t know these things, but his heart was filled with resentment, so he poured out everything like pouring beans from a bamboo tube.

Gao Da Tou’s family was quite well-off in the early years. The whole family was diligent, and his parents had accumulated some family property. His younger brother also had a talent for reading, but it was not easy for a farming family to cultivate a scholar! So, the family’s money was always insufficient.

His parents went out to earn money and unfortunately encountered mountain bandits. After that, only he and his brother were left at home.

At that time, his brother was only ten years old and still a child, but he was sensible. Besides reading, he also helped to copy books to earn money to subsidize the household.

This kind of life continued for more than two years. Four months ago, his brother Gao Shui Sheng excitedly returned and told him that he had found a good job, which was to copy books for Zhang Quan in town. He could earn three taels of silver a month.

How could ordinary farmers like them earn that much? Moreover, Zhang Quan’s reputation in town was excellent, so he was overjoyed and lost his mind, thus failing to realize that something was wrong. What kind of copying would earn someone three taels of silver a month? There was no free lunch in the world.

In the beginning, Gao Shui Sheng’s face was always smiling. He often told him that the Zhang family was benevolent and that the copying work was not troublesome. He had also seen many useful books, and he would definitely pass the imperial examinations in the next session.

However, such good days did not last long. After only a month, the smile on Gao Shui Sheng’s face clearly diminished. But their family’s life had indeed improved.

Gao Da Tou also regretted why he hadn’t paid more attention to his brother back then. If he had paid more attention, he could have saved his brother.

After only four months at the Zhang family, on a dark night, Gao Shui Sheng drowned himself. No one knew why. Gao Da Tou only had this one relative now, and it was his sensible and capable brother since childhood. How could this not drive him to despair?

What made it even more desperate was that when Gao Da Tou was collecting his brother’s body, he found many unspeakable marks and wounds on his body. There were many people who liked men in this world, and it was not a shameful thing. But his brother was only twelve years old!

A twelve-year-old child, still a child! To be treated like this, how desperate would he have to be to choose to jump into the river! To choose to leave his doting brother alone in the world!

Gao Da Tou was initially furious. Gao Shui Sheng had only been copying books at the Zhang family during that time and had not even returned home. Then, who was the murderer was obvious, right? Furious, he was about to go find someone to settle the score.

But he was held down by the village chief and the li zhang. Gao Da Tou told them these things, hoping that they would stand up for the villagers and also to remind them. There were many children of the same age in the village, and it was not guaranteed that they would not be targeted. If that were the case, it would be truly despairing.

Who would have known that the village chief and the li zhang’s reactions were strange? They also persuaded him, saying that since the person was dead, why continue to dwell on these matters? At the same time, they brought a sum of money, saying that the Zhang family felt pity for the person who encountered such a situation at such a young age and knew that Gao Da Tou had no money to arrange a funeral, so they gave it to him.

Gao Da Tou was furious and unwilling to accept the money. If he accepted it, wouldn’t that be selling his brother? He hadn’t studied much, but he couldn’t do such a thing.

The three demons used demonic arts to make the man fall asleep. Whether they believed this matter or not, they could not just listen to Gao Da Tou’s one-sided account. Moreover, Zhang Quan’s death was sudden, and the Zhang family was now left with the eldest son Zhang Qing’an and Zhang Quan’s remarried wife.

If the Demon King were to bring Zhang Qing’an back later, it was hard to say that they would not be targeted. Moreover, even before they returned, as long as the news of the person being alive spread, Zhang Qing’an would definitely not let them go.

“Should we intervene in this matter?” Qing Shui asked. Although they were demons, they also knew how much humans valued their reputation.

If all these things were true, then it would damage the reputation of both the Zhang family and Zhang Qing’an. Whether to investigate or not was a matter worth considering.

“Understand the current situation of the Zhang family and report everything to the Demon King.” Kui Hua said.

Cunningly planning to leave all the complexities of these matters for Lin Yunliang to deal with.

The three demons easily infiltrated the Zhang family’s residence. They had originally thought it would take some effort, as wealthy families would usually hang talismans to block demons. Even passing by would be affected by the talismans.

However, this kind of mark, in their opinion, was like an itchy rash that would appear on their bodies sometimes; scratching it would make it pass.

The Zhang family’s courtyard was very large, but now it exuded a cold atmosphere from the inside out. The three demons decided to act separately. The courtyard was too large, and if they gathered together, it would be difficult to discover anything useful.

Kui Hua went to the backyard. Only one person lived in the backyard, Zhang Qing’an’s mother, Zhang Quan’s remarried wife. However, she did not expect to see a man come out of the main house in the backyard.

This person… Kui Hua did not recognize him.

Entering the room and seeing the madam on the couch, Kui Hua guessed who she was. Zhang Qing’an had some resemblance to this person, which indicated her identity.

But why was there someone else intruding here? The air was even filled with a lingering scent. Kui Hua could guess what had happened.

This made her even more confused. She could tell at a glance that the beauty on the couch could not move her legs, which meant she needed the care of a servant. In this situation, it was already a conspicuous matter for a strange man to come and go. But now, no one had noticed, and there were no servants around.

This Zhang family seemed to have more secrets than they thought.

Hu Jiao went to the front hall. The front hall had already been set up with a mourning hall, and a huge red sandalwood coffin inlaid with gold was placed in the center. Around it were men and women who were mourning, and a person in a Taoist robe was mumbling something incessantly.

Hu Jiao did not want to be discovered, so she lingered outside for a while and deliberately released some demonic energy, wanting to test the Taoist’s skills. Many demon hunters also worked as Taoist priests; she knew this and had seen it before.

However, seeing that the Taoist had no reaction, she knew he was just a dabbler. Only then did she feel relieved and walk in. She was not interested in those people; instead, she went directly to the coffin.

She looked at the person inside. After looking for a long time, she felt that something was strange. She couldn’t figure out what it was at the moment.

Zhang Quan had a kind and benevolent face, looking like a truly great benefactor.

However, Hu Jiao knew that in this world, whether it was a demon hunter or a demon, they all had their own selfish desires, let alone humans who were always cunning. Human appearances were always the most untrustworthy.

Qing Shui went to the study. Someone was already waiting there. Qing Shui originally thought that there would be nothing useful. As he was about to leave, he heard the person waiting there speak.

“Young master.”

Young master? Wasn’t the person who schemed against Zhang Qing the one called young master in the Zhang family? Turning his head to look, if Kui Hua were here, she would recognize that this person was the man who had come out of Zhang Qing’an’s mother’s room.

Seeing the person, Qing Shui did not leave. Instead, he stayed and listened to their conversation.