"Father?"
This address...
To Yan Ruyu, it was so novel.
He clearly knew that the child might have been so terrified that she had grabbed at the first straw of hope and blurted it out randomly.
But somehow...
When the child called him "Father", there was a strange feeling deep in Yan Ruyu's heart.
Yan Ruyu picked up Feng Qiuer and walked to the entrance of the cave. He turned around and said to Baize, "Get rid of it completely."
"Okay." Baize's voice came.
Yan Ruyu nodded, then held Feng Qiuer in his arms and flew away.
The moon was hidden, and the wind was howling. The trees swayed in the darkness.
Was the Emperor Venerable really angry just now? For a child? And it had stirred his heart, which had been calm for decades.
Weishe let out a roar and rushed out. "Put that child down. She's my property."
Property?
In the distance, Yan Ruyu frowned slightly. Looking at the child in his arms, she was injured, frightened, and huddled into a ball. There was still blood on her fair and delicate face.
This child was really beautiful. She had wanted to reach out to him before.
The longing and joy on the little girl's face before she fainted had deeply pierced Yan Ruyu's heart. He tightened his hold on the child in his arms.
For some reason, looking at the seriously injured child, his heart ached involuntarily.
Weishe slithered out of the dark and damp cave but was blocked by Baize.
At that moment, Weishe showed a fierce look on its face. "Baize, we're both beasts. You shouldn't block my way."
Baize didn't even blink an eye. There was cold mockery in his eyes. "You, a deformed monster that's neither a snake nor a dragon, and swaggers around with two heads. You're a disgrace to the beast world."
Weishe tried to rush out, but Baize moved. A sky - blue light shrouded them.
Weishe rammed into the protective shield formed by the light, and its whole body trembled as if struck by lightning. It quickly retreated to the front of the cave. The arrogance in its eyes disappeared, replaced by deep fear.
It... Wasn't it just Baize? How could there be such a strange being?
"Who... Who are you?" Baize smiled and walked slowly forward. He was spotlessly white, as if bathed in holy light, making people not dare to look down on him but only to worship.
"I've told you, old friend. Long time no see."
This tone, this demeanor... The Baize in front of him slowly overlapped with the Zhujuyin in his memory. Weishe took another step back into the cave.
It couldn't be! It was impossible!
"You—"
"Thousands of years ago, I let you escape. Now you don't know how to restrain yourself and even dare to swagger around everywhere."
It was really him. But why... The legendary Zhujuyin now appeared in the form of the docile and auspicious divine beast Baize.
Zhujuyin had always been the direction that Weishe pursued. In its heart, Zhujuyin wasn't like this. He was unruly, despising all living beings. His appearance wasn't ferocious, but he would never be as gentle as he was now.
"Are you... Lord Zhujuyin?"
"It seems that your memory hasn't faded with time."
Weishe retreated. It knew Zhujuyin's methods well. He was merciless when killing. Even when facing his own kind, he could wipe them out.
"Lord Zhujuyin, you... You're going to kill me? For a little girl? You're not so kind - hearted and merciful. We're of the same kind. Why are you on the side of humans?"
Baize's indifferent eyes remained calm. "Blame yourself for offending the wrong person."
Weishe was shocked. Remembering the purple - robed and white - haired man who had appeared before, it felt a sense of unease.
"You... You've recognized a master and signed a contract?"
Baize didn't confirm or deny it.
"You're the leader of the evil beasts. How could you be willing to sign a contract with a human?"
"Do you think he's an ordinary person?"
The jade flute, the white hair, the cold face, and the red lotuses blooming under his feet as he walked... Was it the thousand - year imperial teacher Yan Ruyu, the third son of the Feng family?
"Lord Zhujuyin, I never intended to offend the Emperor Venerable. Please spare me just this once because of my ignorance. Ignorance should be excused."
Baize took a step forward. "It's too late."
Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, Weishe immediately tried to escape. But how could Baize let it succeed?
He slightly moved his mind and blocked all the possible directions for Weishe to escape.
Thousands of years ago, Weishe wasn't a match for Zhujuyin. Now, it still couldn't defeat him.
Weishe fought desperately but couldn't withstand Baize's ten moves.
Baize successfully repelled Weishe. Its huge body swayed and fell at the foot of Qingcheng Mountain. For a moment, the whole Qingcheng Mountain trembled.
Looking at Weishe's unwilling eyes before its death, Baize walked over coldly.
Thousands of years ago, he had wanted to completely destroy Weishe. But this Weishe was really cunning. At that time, taking advantage of Zhujuyin's inconvenience, it had used thousands of children as shields and fled.
Baize admitted that he wasn't a good being when he was Zhujuyin, but he would never touch those infants in their swaddling clothes.
Just like in the beast world, children were a mother's support and the hope of a family.
But this Weishe... Its favorite thing was to devour newly - born infants. And many years ago, in a different plane from the Kyushu Continent, there had been no small number of children who had suffered at its hands.
Although Baize didn't know how it had escaped to the plane of the Kyushu Continent, as long as he saw it, he wouldn't let it leave alive.
Weishe's body was covered with wounds. Its skin was thick, but it was easily cut open by Baize's sharp horn. Green blood gushed out.
From Weishe's body, there were many old clothes of children. Since they were made of linen, they hadn't been corroded by Weishe's stomach acid after a long time.
It was just so pitiful... Those children had all become Weishe's food.
Baize stepped forward, took out a Yuan Dan from Weishe's body, and swallowed it.
"Trifling skills. Overestimating yourself."
Baize took one last glance at Weishe. Weishe's body quickly withered and turned into something like tree bark, falling to the ground.
Baize left. At the foot of Qingcheng Mountain, there was only a pool of green blood, mixed with some swaddling clothes.
In addition, there was a shoe made of coarse cloth with blood on it.
It seemed that when Weishe had come into contact with Feng Qiuer before, in a hurry, it had swallowed her coarse - cloth shoe.
Just a moment later, about a moment after Baize left, a woman rushed over in a hurry. But all she saw was a pool of green blood and those tattered rags.
It was Zhao Shuning. She saw Weishe's corpse, which was as small as tree bark.
Weishe was killed? Who had such ability?
Where was Xiao Qiuer?
"Xiao Qiuer? Xiao Qiuer, where are you?"