After the group simply tidied up, the old man came to call them for dinner. Yong Shanling held Mu Yijie's hand and clung to him like a little tail.
When they arrived, they saw three simple dishes and rice. Fortunately, the portions were large enough; otherwise, there wouldn't be enough for six people.
"Goodness! There's no meat at all. It's all green food," Li Zhuo exclaimed, his face turning as green as the cabbage, greens, and tofu in front of him. He used to hunt in the wild and had never been short of meat.
Hou Hua sneered and picked up some food with her chopsticks, starting to eat. "Green food is good. It's healthy and delicious. Do you think everyone is a carnivore like you?"
Mu Yijie took a bite, paused for a moment, looked up at the one - eyed old man across the table who was wolfing down his food, and then continued eating.
While eating, Yong Shanling curiously asked the old man, "Grandpa, why did such a nice mountain villa go to waste? And what's the deal with that monster?"
The old man's hand stopped. He stared at Yong Shanling with his only eye, his gaze filled with a depth she couldn't understand. "You want to know? Haven't your family ever taught you that curiosity killed the cat?"
"Why would curiosity kill a cat? I've only heard of people being killed by others or by monsters. I've never heard of someone being killed by curiosity," Yong Shanling said, her big round eyes full of confusion and her delicate face remaining still.
Hearing her words, the old man paused for a moment and then burst into laughter. "Haha, you're right. It's not curiosity that kills people; it's desire."
Then the old man told them the story of the mountain villa. It turned out that the owner of the villa was the only son of a wealthy family from the foot of the mountain. He built it for fun and to make some money. Later, he met a female monster, and they fell in love.
However, a monster - hunter named Yun Shan, the one they were looking for, came and captured the monster, sealing her away. The rich young man, suffering from the weakness caused by his lover's sealing, wanted to save her but was sent to a mental asylum by his family.
As for the old man, he owed the rich young man a favor, so he came to guard the mountain villa for him.
After hearing his story, everyone fell silent.
"Can those two have baby monkeys? If they can't, why are they together?" Hou Hua asked the old man, utterly confused.
Li Zhuo, who had been deeply touched, rolled his eyes helplessly at this child - centered remark. "Sis, not everyone gets together just to have kids. They're in it for love, okay?"
"Are there any more monsters around here?" Yong Shanling asked the old man, remembering the monster they had encountered earlier and tapping her toes.
"In these deep mountains, there might be monsters, but I've never seen any," the old man said, then put down his chopsticks and left first.
After dinner, they decided to take a stroll to observe the surroundings. It would be safer if they were together.
Not long after, they felt sleepy and went back to their rooms to sleep.
As soon as they entered the room, Mu Yijie rushed straight to the toilet, looking extremely anxious.
"So even Uncle can go to the toilet," Yong Shanling remarked, surprised that a domineering CEO could be just like an ordinary person. She shook her head with a clicking sound.
Mu Yijie, who had just come out of the toilet feeling nauseous from vomiting, heard this and closed his eyes. His previous strange reactions must have been just coincidences.
"There were sleeping pills in the food," Mu Yijie said, crossing his arms and looking at the little girl.
"Oh, I know. But it doesn't affect us cultivators," Yong Shanling replied seriously.
Mu Yijie was at a loss for words. Then he heard the little girl proudly say, "Uncle, you have a good sleep. If there are any monsters, Hou Hua and I will definitely be able to handle them."
Hearing her words, Mu Yijie felt both warm - hearted and annoyed. He walked forward, sat opposite Yong Shanling, looked into her eyes, and said seriously, "Little girl, although Uncle may not be able to help much, I at least want to be with you. And I'll hide well so as not to hold you back."
Yong Shanling blushed slightly and lowered her head. She was sure it was because she was touched. "I just want you all to be safe. I can deal with the monsters. I won't do things on my own in the future. I'll discuss everything with Uncle."
Looking at the obedient little girl, Mu Yijie sighed and ruffled her hair.
Yong Shanling's dark eyes rolled. She whispered, "That monster should not be weak. If it had really been weakened by the formation, there would be no need to reinforce it. Unless—"
"Unless someone is helping it, and that person is very likely the one - eyed old man," Mu Yijie continued her words, his tone turning solemn.
"Yes. And the fastest way to maintain the monster's power is to devour humans. It can not only replenish energy but also satisfy its hunger," Yong Shanling said, a look of disgust on her face.
Mu Yijie's expression remained unchanged. "Then the evil aura on the old man makes sense. As for his contradictory behavior, we'll ignore it for now. The most important thing is to get through these days safely."
At night, a faint mist gradually enveloped the large manor, obscuring the distant scenery, as if something was brewing.
Something was crawling on the mottled ground with a rustling sound. An old man outside a door looked at the pitch - black mist, his face twisted with a crazy and fanatical expression.
"Susu, we'll definitely succeed this time."
On the carved bed, Yong Shanling, who had been sleeping, suddenly opened her eyes, and a little doll also sat up. She gently moved her fingers, and two rays of spiritual light entered her and Mu Yijie's bodies. She got out of bed silently, tiptoed to the door, and peeked out through the crack.
However, she saw nothing. She frowned and made a magic gesture to look again, but was suddenly shocked.
"Uncle, be careful!"
She quickly turned around and saw a tree root, the same color as the roof beam, suddenly reaching out towards Mu Yijie.
Yong Shanling's heart skipped a beat. Without thinking, she threw a flying dart. At the same time, Mu Yijie, who had been sleeping soundly, did a backflip and rolled towards Yong Shanling.
The tree root missed its target, and Yong Shanling's flying dart arrived.
"Monster, if you don't focus on your cultivation, I'll capture you today!" Yong Shanling's usually sweet face was now full of determination. She continuously made magic gestures, and the flying dart fought with the tree root. However, the tree root was extremely hard, and Yong Shanling's flying dart couldn't cause serious damage.
Mu Yijie gasped and stood behind Yong Shanling, keeping an eye on the surroundings and giving her warnings.
The tree root proudly raised one of its branches and made a smug rustling sound.
However, the next second, Yong Shanling's eyes curved, and she licked her little tiger teeth.
"Capture it!"