Chapter 133: Su Yuxian
The daylight had already broken completely.
It was now the morning of the second day of the Lunar New Year.
Song Yue remained extremely calm.
Hiding in the rolling clouds, the cloaked flying saucer quietly observed this New Year's spectacle presented by the horde of demons.
The group of demons was still locked in intense combat.
The hunchbacked old man had revealed his true form, which was a gigantic dromedary camel!
With a single casual stamp of his hoof, vast swathes of towering ancient trees were crushed into dust, and the sonic boom generated by his roar could even flatten a mountain peak!
The young boy wearing a red bellyband had also revealed his true form, which turned out to be a terrifying giant red centipede. Stretching over five hundred meters in length, it slithered through the valley, its iron-forged body brimming with explosive power.
The burly man was a silver-furred fierce tiger, also over five hundred meters in length, possessing peerless and ferocious combat strength.
The wretched-looking middle-aged man was a badger-like creature over three hundred meters long, with glossy fur and exceptionally swift movements.
As for the women, once they revealed their true forms, they were actually a flock of colorful golden pheasants!
The two sides quickly turned the region upside down, causing mountains to shatter and the earth to crack, yet they all carefully avoided the area where the waterfall was located.
At the same time, they did not stray far; despite the fierce fighting, their eyes were constantly fixed on the waterfall.
Presumably, they were worried that Sister Wang might take advantage of the chaos to escape.
Listening to the conversation between the two sides, Song Yue felt a surreal sense of fantasy.
The old camel was called "Old Jackal" by the other major demons, while the blood-red centipede was addressed as "Little Immortal."
The one proficient in poison... turned out not to be the centipede, but rather the group of spirits that had evolved from colorful golden pheasants!
Logic suggested that a centipede should be a heavily venomous creature, yet it had been outwitted by the poison of the golden pheasants.
Chickens... capable of using poison?
Song Yue found this utterly bizarre.
He recalled the "encyclopedias" of the cultivation world he had been reading over the past few days, which actually contained detailed records of these demon clans.
While reading them, however, he had not dared to believe them entirely. Now, seeing it with his own eyes, he realized that the demon clan had nothing in common with ordinary animals of similar appearances.
At this moment, casualties finally occurred below.
While a giant golden pheasant was using its claws to scratch the giant badger, it was bitten squarely by the red centipede, instantly letting out a miserable and piercing cry.
Although several other huge golden pheasants rushed over frantically to reinforce their companion, they were still a step too late.
The golden pheasant, whose body was gripped in the jaws of the giant centipede, had its neck bitten by the pouncing silver tiger, and fresh blood spurted out on the spot.
A chicken had died!
The remaining golden pheasants frantically unleashed poison.
A cloud of pink mist filled the scene.
Even from a great distance, according to the data gathered by the flying saucer, that pink mist contained terrifying and potent venom.
Having suffered losses earlier, the four major demons—the tiger, the dromedary camel, the giant centipede, and the badger—were now on guard, and the ubiquitous pink mist could not come near them.
Gradually, the remaining golden pheasants began to struggle.
The leading chicken spirit spread its wings and flew toward the sky.
The remaining golden pheasants quickly followed suit, soaring high into the firmament.
Down below, the major demons reverted to their human forms once more.
Glancing at each other, they saw that their injuries were quite severe. The combat prowess of both factions had been evenly matched from the start; although they had driven away those insidious chickens, they themselves had suffered heavy injuries.
The burly man was stained with blood, with a deep claw mark across his back.
It was a wound inflicted by the sharp claws of a golden pheasant, and blood was welling out continuously.
The hunchbacked, elderly man coughed violently, spitting out mouthful after mouthful of blood.
The young boy was also in a miserable state, covered in scars, with numerous claw marks deep enough to expose his bones.
The wretched-looking middle-aged man had the lightest injuries, with only one arm scratched. He looked toward the other three major demons and said in a deep voice, "Shall we... stop fighting?"
The hunchbacked old man coughed up another mouthful of blood and said, "No more fighting. If we keep going, we really won't be able to subdue that little fox."
The young boy narrowed his eyes, stared at the waterfall, and shouted loudly, "You've been watching for so long, your injuries should be mostly healed by now, right? Are you coming out for a fight to the death, or are you waiting for us to go in and drag you out?"
Behind the waterfall, it was dead silent, without the slightest movement.
The young boy grew somewhat impatient; the fierce battle just now had stirred up the raw demonic nature in his bones, and he said coldly, "Don't push your luck. I know you attach great importance to that human boy, the one you raised since he was little, and you're deeply attached to him, aren't you? If you don't behave, I'll turn around and go to Hangzhou to eat him!"
At that moment, the cool, aloof voice came from behind the waterfall: "If you have the ability, go ahead! Why are you talking big to me here? I'm not mocking you, but you lot only dare to hide in the deep mountains and old forests to play as mountain kings. If you've got the guts, go be arrogant in the human world!"
The young boy sneered, "You think I haven't been? I was even adopted by kind-hearted humans once! In the end, I ate them both, fulfilling their filial piety!"
"Beast!"
Sister Wang's angry voice echoed from behind the waterfall.
"Do you really think of yourself as a human?" The young boy said, glancing at the others. "What are you waiting for? Are you waiting for those chickens to go back and fetch reinforcements?"
The wretched-looking middle-aged man, the hunchbacked old man, and the burly man exchanged glances, their eyes filled with a trace of mutual vigilance.
This group of demons had gathered together purely for profit, and now that the prize was within reach, everyone wanted to monopolize it, and everyone feared being backstabbed.
At that moment, a voice suddenly came from behind the waterfall: "Forget it, I can't protect this item anyway. How about whoever comes in first gets it? How does that sound?"
Whoosh!
No sooner had the voice fallen than the young boy in the red bellyband rushed out first!
The little fox demon was no match for this group of major demons to begin with. A mere entry-level minor demon posed no threat to him whatsoever, even if she were uninjured.
Therefore, regardless of whether her words were true or false, as long as he seized her first, he would gain the initiative!
Boom!
The burly man swung his blade at the boy in the red bellyband.
Simultaneously, the hunchbacked old man and the wretched-looking middle-aged man launched attacks on the boy as well!
The moment they struck... it was a fatal blow!
The attacks were even more ferocious than the ones used against the golden pheasants moments ago!
Fast as the boy in the red bellyband was, he still failed to withstand the combined assault of the three major demons.
He immediately manifested his true form, and the colorful, terrifying giant centipede went mad, lunging to bite the burly man.
Boom!
The huge pool downstream of the waterfall exploded completely.
A huge splash of water soared thousands of meters into the air.
The blood-red centipede was struck squarely on the body by the burly man's blade, carving out a massive wound.
It was then struck by the respective divine abilities of the hunchbacked old man and the middle-aged man, suffering severe injuries on the spot.
Issuing a roar of resentment, it plunged deep into the water and fled wildly along the current like a giant mudfish.
Only three major demons remained. The burly man transformed into a silver tiger and lunged at the badger.
"You mere badger, what qualifications do you have to contend for the Beast King Scripture? Die!"
The old man, reverting to a dromedary camel, kicked savagely at the silver tiger with his hoof. "Do you really think you are the king of beasts? Die!"
At the final moment, even without the instigation of the fox behind the waterfall, these major demons could no longer coexist peacefully.
Carried by that fox was the supreme treasure of the demon clan—the Beast King Scripture!
Legend had it that upon mastering it, one would not only become peerlessly powerful and ascend as a true demon king, but also command all demons across the world, becoming the true King of Ten Thousand Demons!
Who would want to share such a treasure with others?
Song Yue had originally intended to intervene, as he was eager to head back and visit the Qian family with his family.
Unexpectedly, these major demons had started slaughtering each other again, so he decided to continue watching the show.
At the same time, occupying the high ground, he could see much further away.
Although those golden pheasants had flown away, they hadn't gone far, choosing instead to hide on the summit of a towering mountain hundreds of miles away to observe in secret.
The blood-red centipede, having escaped along the waterway, hadn't gone far either; after drifting a few dozen miles, it had crawled ashore.
It stayed there, treating its injuries while lingering nearby.
Everyone wanted to be the final mantis stalking the cicada!
The pool area was exceptionally lively as the three major demons, having reverted to their true forms, engaged in a ferocious and frantic battle.
The badger seemed to share some rapport with the dromedary camel, launching a synchronized attack on the silver tiger with tacit understanding.
The tiger gradually found itself on the defensive. Suddenly, it let out a roar: "Little fox, help me take down these two, and I'll let you go!"
A string of giggles came from behind the waterfall: "Aren't you the king of beasts? Do you still need my help? Besides, I'm so weak, how could I ever be a match for you lot?"
Boom!
Boom!
Two terrifying beams of light struck the body of the silver tiger once more, causing a massive outflow of blood.
Even this formidable tiger was beginning to struggle.
Yet, with only the three of them remaining, to make it bow out at this juncture was something it could never reconcile itself to.
The silver tiger suddenly lashed its tail at the badger, forcing it back, and turning to roar at the dromedary camel, it spat out a glowing golden inner core, hurling it viciously at the camel.
The sheer, boundless energy was palpable even to Song Yue, who sat within the flying saucer high above in the sky.
When major demons who had cultivated in the mountains for long ages fought to the death, it was truly terrifying.
Seeing the golden core hurtling toward him, the dromedary camel panicked slightly.
The tiger was fighting for its life!
Yet the camel had no desire to die here.
Still, the golden core moved too fast, and dodging it completely was no longer an option.
Instantly shifting his body, he used his mountain-like hump to block the attack.
Bang!
A deafening crash echoed.
Blood sprayed everywhere!
That colossal hump was blasted to pieces by the tiger's golden core!
Taking advantage of the moment, the badger—which had just retreated—pushed forward, opened its mouth to reveal terrifying, sharp canine teeth, and bit fiercely into the camel's throat!
Blood spurted in torrents!
Boom!
The old camel's mentality completely shattered!
He had never expected that the badger, with whom he had secretly allied, would suddenly turn on him at such a moment and deliver a fatal blow.
Under these circumstances, survival was out of the question.
He let out an enraged, desperate roar: "Shameless wretches, all of you, go to hell with me!"
A terrifying, destructive aura erupted instantly.
Watching the spectacle from the sky, Song Yue immediately sensed something was amiss. Piloting the flying saucer, he dove downward, instantly dashed past the waterfall, and yanked Su Yuxian—who was heavily injured and had almost entirely lost the capacity to resist—into the vessel.
Simultaneously, he whispered into her ear, "Sister, it's me!"
With a flick of his mental energy, the flying saucer transformed into a streak of light and soared into the high heavens.
Just then, a terrifying cataclysmic explosion erupted below!
Knowing he was doomed, the old camel went completely mad, unhesitatingly detonating his inner core.
The mountain peak housing the waterfall was completely leveled, and a blinding light shot straight into the firmament.
The terrifying energy blew away the rolling dark clouds in the sky, forming a massive mushroom-shaped energy shockwave.
Everything within a radius of dozens of miles around that area... was reduced to fine powder.
Even the blood-red centipede, which had been hiding downstream ready to stage a comeback, was caught in the blast.
At the moment of the explosion, it unhesitatingly plunged its head into the earth and fled desperately into the distance.
The silver tiger and the giant badger, caught right at the epicenter of the golden core's detonation, let out shrieks of extreme terror, utterly devoid of time to escape.
Struck by a fatal blow, their bodies exploded violently, and their inner cores sent flying one after another.
Until the moment of their deaths, the two major demons never even caught sight of the flying saucer that had appeared and vanished in a flash.
However, the golden pheasants perched on the distant mountain peak saw it with crystal clarity.
Though the flying saucer had flickered past in an instant, they still caught sight of it!
They let out shrieks of intense fury.
Indeed, they had waited!
The old camel had gone mad at death's door, dragging the tiger and the badger down with him in mutual destruction.
Yet they had failed to emerge as the final mantis.
The Beast King Scripture... had been intercepted halfway by someone else!
"That's a flying saucer!"
"Only humans pilot flying shorts!"
The alluring female leader stared fixedly at the sky, speaking coldly, "It must be the human protector of that fox!"
The expressions of the other female pheasants turned gloomy as well.
"Go to the human world and find him!"
"Kill him!"
Even as they spoke, the flying saucer that had just vanished came speeding back in their direction.
It appeared in their line of sight instantly.
Before the golden pheasants could even react, a chilling mental telepathy was transmitted over—
"I've grown tired of seafood, but mountain delicacies are rare. I wonder how you big wild chickens... taste?"
Boom!
An energy cannon blasted fiercely toward them.
The mountain peak exploded instantly, sending soil and rocks flying everywhere!
Several giant colorful golden pheasants fluttered their wings and shot into the sky.
From the suspended flying saucer in mid-air, a figure leaped out, raising his hand to deliver a blade strike. A terrifying, ribbon-like blade Qi instantly swept toward the highest-flying pheasant.
The edge of the blade was sharp beyond measure, and its speed was unimaginably fast!
Although this colorful golden pheasant was similarly formidable and instantly unleashed a terrifying toxic fog, its chicken head was still sliced off in a single stroke.
The remaining golden pheasants were paralyzed with terror on the spot, frantically beating their wings to fly high into the firmament in a desperate bid to escape.
The demon clan disdained contact with the human world and looked down upon so-called high technology. The disadvantage of being disconnected from the internet for a long time was vividly demonstrated at this very moment.
Though they had roughly guessed Song Yue's identity, they had never expected him to be this terrifying.
Had they paid even the slightest attention to human news on ordinary days, they would never have regarded Song Yue as a pushover they could casually manipulate.
Now, they were dumbfounded. One of them had been hacked to death with a single strike, and the remaining ones were so frightened out of their wits that they wished they had been born with an extra pair of wings.
Inside the flying saucer hovering high in the sky, Su Yuxian stared blankly, her gaze fixed on the real-time combat footage presented on the virtual light screen.
She was on the verge of losing her capacity for thought.
Was this Song Yue?
The moment she was dragged into the flying saucer just now, she had almost mustered all her strength to unleash a final desperate strike.
She would rather die than be captured alive.
She knew the habits of these major demons all too well; once caught, not only would she lose the Beast King Scripture, but she would also die without an ounce of dignity!
Yet the voice whispered into her ear at that moment made her freeze completely and abandon all resistance.
Even now, she found it hard to believe this was real.
When Song Yue leaped out of the flying saucer, he had tossed back a remark: "Sister Wang, stay here and don't move, I'm going to catch some chicken for you to eat!"
Su Yuxian felt it was utterly absurd.
How could this be?
How could he possibly appear in this place at a time like this?
Watching Song Yue dispatch a golden pheasant in the blink of an eye on the virtual light screen, Su Yuxian was struck with a shock that left her cognitive faculties hanging by a thread.
Months ago, upon parting ways, she had half-jokingly said to the handsome young man she had watched grow up: When you truly become a man who can stand on his own and a grand martial saint, sister will come back to lean on you!
Yet that really... had only been a joke.
Knowing Song Yue to be a deeply sentimental person, she had merely wanted to spare him excessive grief at the time.
In truth, Su Yuxian had already sensed back then that she would likely never have the chance to see Song Yue again.
Not that she couldn't, but that she didn't dare!
As her identity was exposed, the moment she surfaced in the human world, countless members of the demon clan would target her.
In a sense, whoever she got close to would suffer misfortune!
Even after leaving the human world and never approaching any metropolis again, the major demons hunting her down could still use Song Yue to threaten her... for the sake of the Beast King Scripture, those crazed monsters would stop at nothing.
Under such circumstances, how could she dare step foot in the human world?
How could she dare go see Song Yue?
Ever since parting with him, she had been constantly on the run.
Too many factions of the demon clan pursued her!
Moreover, remaining constantly concealed within deep mountains and ancient forests left her with no energy to pay attention to worldly affairs in human society.
In her mind, cared for by the Master and his wife, Song Yue would surely grow smoothly, his strength increasing day by day, and then a few years later, he would marry a young and beautiful girl and live a happy life.
Thus, she felt quite reassured about Song Yue.
She had never imagined that Song Yue could grow this powerful in such a short span of time.
Were it not for the form and voice that she could never mistake for anyone else's, she would never have believed that the fierce executioner "slaughtering chickens" outside was the same Song Yue she had raised since childhood.
For some reason, Su Yuxian couldn't help but let out a giggle.
You little brat, catching chickens for me to eat?
Must a fox necessarily love eating chicken?
The golden pheasants flying in the sky were completely mentally broken at this point.
This terrifying human had beheaded their leader the moment he struck. Though unable to fly, he relied on high-tech human flight gear to chase them down frantically.
In the blink of an eye, two more golden pheasants were brought crashing down from the heavens by Song Yue.
Before they could even plummet to the ground, they were collected by Song Yue into the Yuxu Tongtian Stele.
He said he was going to eat chicken, and he meant it without the slightest ambiguity!
The very last one fled wildly, dodging Song Yue's pursuit as it soared toward the higher firmament, vanishing from sight in an instant.
Its courage had been thoroughly shattered!
Using his personal flight gear, Song Yue flew back above the previous pool and discovered that both the silver tiger and the giant badger had been blasted to pieces by the old camel's golden core.
The scene was a bloody mess, making it nearly impossible to tell which flesh belonged to the tiger and which to the badger.
Song Yue could only salvage the tiger bones, which could be used to brew medicinal wine—though regretfully, he failed to find the tiger whip...
After expending considerable effort, he managed to retrieve the two demon inner cores.
The inner cores of entry-level major demons were genuine treasures!
Regrettably, the Tongtian Stele showed not the slightest reaction to such fine items, forcing Song Yue to search for quite a while.
As for the blood-red centipede, sensing that the situation had turned sour, it had long since made its escape.
Finding nothing else of use, Song Yue returned to the flying saucer with a hint of lingering regret.
Seeing Su Yuxian in her weakened state, Song Yue felt a twinge of heartache mixed with annoyance. "Why haven't you contacted me even once in all this time? Look at the miserable state you're in now. If I hadn't shown up today, were you planning to take your own life?"
Su Yuxian looked at Song Yue with a beaming smile, her eyes filled with boundless joy. "My precious boy has grown up!"
Song Yue: "..."
Had she spoken those words wearing Sister Wang's face, he wouldn't have thought much of it.
Right now, however, Song Yue felt as though those words sounded more like flirtation...
Realizing how it sounded, Su Yuxian blushed slightly and proactively changed the subject. "How did you know I was here? If my memory serves me right, these past couple of days are the Lunar New Year, aren't they?"
With a mock expression of annoyance, Song Yue tossed her a vial of pills. "You still remember the New Year? All right, hurry up and take these, we'll talk on the road!"
Catching the pill bottle without a shred of defensive wariness, Su Yuxian uncorked the stopper and swallowed two pills.
Then, looking at Song Yue, she said, "I've taken the medicine, but I can't go with you. After you take me far away from this mountain range later, find a deserted island far from here and drop me off there..."
Song Yue frowned.
With a solemn expression, Su Yuxian said, "Even though you've become very powerful now, the influence of the demon clan in the human world is beyond your imagination. The ones walking about in human society are merely minor demons; the truly top-tier major demons are either dormant in the mountains or slumbering in the depths of the ocean."
"For the sake of the Beast King Scripture I carry, the entire demon clan will go mad. No matter how powerful a demon faction is, they will not let me go."
Song Yue stared at her. "And so?"
Su Yuxian smiled. "So what? You silly child! Sister loves you so much, how could I possibly drag you down with me? Be a good boy, let's leave right now, lest the commotion here attracts other demonic entities. Once they see the flying saucer, they'll inevitably think of humans, and thinking of humans... will nine times out of ten lead them straight to you."
Song Yue replied, "One wild chicken got away, and a centipede too. They've already seen it."
Su Yuxian looked at him. "That's all the more reason I can't stay with you! Lest you get implicated."
Song Yue curled his lips. "Cut the crap. I've got two more demon inner cores here..."
With that, he took out the two hard-earned inner cores, placed them in his palm, and extended his hand toward Su Yuxian. "These should be useful to you, right?"
A look of emotional warmth flickered in Su Yuxian's eyes, but she shook her head in refusal. "These would be useful for you too."
Song Yue grabbed her hand, placed the two golden cores in her palm, and closed her fingers over them. "They're for you."
Pondering for a moment, Su Yuxian didn't decline further. Looking at Song Yue, she said earnestly, "Back then, I was able to hide in the human world for so many years because your master and his wife helped me. They've both left now, haven't they? I heard the major demons hunting me down boast that the Master has already ascended, and no one in the human world can protect me anymore..."
Song Yue answered, "I can."
Su Yuxian smiled brightly. "Indeed, I never expected you to grow to such a stage, but it's still far from enough. We are family, so I won't stand on ceremony with you. Being able to see you here today is the greatest comfort to me."
Song Yue gazed at her quietly; her gorgeous face was etched with fatigue and devoid of color.
Her grime-covered clothes were stained with blood, and her frame as she sat there was slender enough to tug at one's heartstrings.
Sighing softly, Song Yue operated the flying saucer, silently melting into the clouds.
Heading to a deserted island was out of the question.
Given her current injuries, heading to the capital wasn't suitable either; Song Yue directly piloted her back to his home in Hangzhou.
Returning here after several months, Su Yuxian experienced a complex whirl of emotions. Looking at Song Yue, she said, "The demon clan won't let me go. Bringing me home means endless trouble will follow, and you'll end up implicating many innocent people. By then, countless people will surely curse me as a homicidal vixen!"
Song Yue smiled. "Don't you know how many women in this world wish someone would curse them as a vixen?"
Su Yuxian chuckled, then resumed her solemn expression. "Xiaoyue, I really can't stay in the human world..."
Song Yue looked at her and said, "The most dangerous place is the safest place. Those demons won't expect you to return to the city. Just stay here to recuperate first. I'll leave a flying saucer for you later and teach you how to operate it. If you ever encounter danger, pilot it to escape and contact me."
"This is a top-tier flying saucer from the Tianyue Star. Given your current realm, flying it out of the Earth and into the outer atmosphere will pose no problem whatsoever."
"So you don't need to go to any deserted island; just recover right here."
"If danger arises, you can leave at any time."
Looking at Su Yuxian, Song Yue added, "Once you've recovered, I'll take you away from the human world. Before we leave, whoever bullied you, we'll go beat them up!"
Su Yuxian's eyes sparkled as she looked at Song Yue. After a long moment, she sighed softly, "You really have grown up!"
Song Yue rolled his eyes. "Classmate Su Yuxian, could you please stop talking to me in Sister Wang's tone?"
Su Yuxian looked at him. "But I am your Sister Wang!"
"You look too pretty right now. This isn't the kind Aunt Wang I remember..."
"How do you know my name?"
Song Yue looked at her. "I sat up in the sky quietly watching a bunch of idiotic monsters fight for half the night; they mentioned your name plenty of times."
Su Yuxian burst into a laugh. "You little brat, hiding my name was my fault, sister apologizes. Oh, how are things going with the little girl from the Qian family?"
Song Yue smiled. "Pretty good. I'm going over to her house for dinner later. If she knew you were back, she'd be thrilled."
Pondering for a moment, Su Yuxian said, "In that case... I'd better change back into Sister Wang's appearance later, lest that young lady see me like this and misunderstand."
As she spoke, her features began to shift gradually, and the familiar Sister Wang of Song Yue's memories reappeared before his eyes.
Looking at the familiar face, Song Yue remarked, "Indeed, this looks much more natural!"
"Is the vixen not pretty?"
"She is, but it's a bit hard to get used to..."
Su Yuxian smiled. "As long as my young master is happy."
Being far too familiar with Sister Wang meant that even after such a long separation, reuniting brought no sense of strangeness.
The same went for Su Yuxian. To her, Hangzhou was home, and this villa was home.
Song Yue said, "Your room has been kept just as it was, and everything else... hasn't changed much. Oh, I'll leave you some seafood later. It was harvested from the Northern Sea just yesterday, extra fresh."
Su Yuxian: "..."
Home was still the same home, the "young master" was still just as handsome, but everything... seemed to have changed.
Seafood from the Northern Sea?
Are you serious?
Subsequently, Song Yue recounted several recent events to Su Yuxian, leaving the older sister utterly dumbfounded.
By the end, she looked at Song Yue with deep emotion and said, "I never expected you to change so drastically within a single year."
"Am I capable of starting to protect you now?" Song Yue asked with a smile.
Su Yuxian laughed, though her smile was laced with a trace of bitterness as she sighed, "You heard the conversation among those monsters. As long as I draw breath, they will never let me go. Ah, let's not dwell on that. I'll stay here to recover, you go take care of your business..."
Song Yue looked seriously at Su Yuxian, who had reverted to Sister Wang's appearance. "Sister, although we have no blood relation, you are just like my own flesh-and-blood sister. Rest assured and recover here; don't overthink anything else. When I said I'll take you away from the human world when we leave, I mean it—I can definitely take you with me!"
"And that day... is not too far off!"
Su Yuxian nodded gently. "I believe you."
Song Yue then produced another flying saucer, teaching Sister Wang how to harness her mental energy to pilot it and activate the cloaking mode.
Within moments, the flying saucer wobbled as it lifted off from the courtyard.
Su Yuxian played with it happily and soon began shooing him away: "All right, I'm more familiar with this house than you are. Hurry back to your family and go have dinner with your little girlfriend!"
Without dragging things out, Song Yue tossed her a storage ring containing a massive quantity of giant seafood.
He had already left a similar storage ring with his mother.
Otherwise, ordinary freezers could at most hold a bit of seafood "meat"—no freezer in existence could accommodate whole seafood.
"I'm off, stay in touch!"
The flying saucer piloted by Song Yue vanished in a flash.
Standing in the courtyard, Su Yuxian gazed at the direction where the flying saucer had disappeared, lost in thought for a long time.
Then she let out a soft chuckle, morphed back into her exquisitely charming visage, and opened her delicate, fair palm. Two glowing golden inner cores rested in her hand, radiating boundless, terrifying energy.
She murmured softly, "I protected you for ten years, will you protect me for a lifetime?"
...
Song Yue piloted his flying saucer back to his home in the capital.
Upon meeting his mother and sister, before they could even ask, he took the initiative to recount the whole sequence of events.
"Little Wang... she's a fox demon?"
Startled for a moment, Xiao Mei remembered clearly that it was the Master and his wife who had introduced Little Wang to care for Song Yue.
At the time, Xiao Mei hadn't thought much of it, assuming that since she was recommended by the Master, her martial cultivation must be decent.
Naturally, she and Song Yue's father had no reason to decline.
She simply hadn't expected that Little Wang... turned out to be a demon, and a princess of the fox clan at that?
Looking at Song Yue with a hint of worry, Song Yu asked, "Will this... cause any problems?"
It wasn't that she disapproved of Song Yue's actions; Sister Wang had looked after Song Yue for so many years with utmost dedication, pouring more devotion into him than even his own mother. Now that she was in distress, they naturally couldn't stand by and refuse to help.
The problem was that the entire demon clan in the human world was hunting her down, and once her trail was discovered, they would surely refuse to let her go.
Though her younger brother was already immensely powerful, how could a single person fight the entire demon clan of the human world?
Xiao Mei, on the other hand, quickly regained her composure. Glancing at her daughter, she said, "Song Yue did the right thing. Even if those demons come looking for trouble, so what? We are no longer the ones who can be bullied at will."
Though Song Yu's cultivation had progressed rapidly, she lacked combat experience, let alone the mindset of a powerhouse. Without a reminder, she almost forgot that she was now a grand cultivator herself.
Still, the thought of potentially crossing paths with the entire human demon clan made her feel a bit uneasy.
Song Yue smiled. "Don't worry, the primary target of those monsters is Sister Wang..."
He didn't mention that Sister Wang's real name was Su Yuxian, nor that she was a stunning fox beauty, precisely to spare his mother and sister unnecessary fretting.
"I left her a flying saucer. If she really encounters danger, she can instantly escape far away. No matter how powerful those demons are, very few have the ability to fly out of Earth's atmosphere, and even if they could, they couldn't linger there for long."
"So her safety shouldn't be too much of an issue."
Nodding, Xiao Mei said, "I'll give her a call to check on her."
Xiao Mei felt deeply grateful toward Sister Wang.
Had Sister Wang not cared for Song Yue all these years, she wouldn't have been able to run her business ventures in the capital with such peace of mind.
As for Sister Wang being a fox demon, to Xiao Mei—who hailed from a prominent clan in the Nine Passes World since childhood—it was even less of an issue. Both the Xiao and Song clans had quite a few members married to demon clan members.
Reproductive barriers were matters concerning ordinary living beings; to powerful cultivators, they were non-existent.
Often, the children of human-demon unions turned out even more outstanding!
Of course, Sister Wang wouldn't do; age aside, her appearance was somewhat lacking. The two girls from the Qian and Wen families were much better!
After chatting with Su Yuxian for a while, Xiao Mei hung up the phone and remarked with some emotion, "I never imagined that one day, our family would become a cultivation lineage again..."
Song Yu had never known her family's background or origins. Hearing her mother speak thus, she couldn't help asking, "Mom, you've never told us what our family's background really is, and the three of us siblings... don't have a single extended relative!"
Song Yue glanced at her. "We do."
Song Yu: "..."
Eyes widening, she looked back and forth between Song Yue and her mother. "You mean nobody knows?"
Song Yue: "Big Brother doesn't know either."
Song Yu was unsatisfied. "That won't do either! Big Brother is light-years away, so it's normal that he doesn't know. Mom, aren't you showing favoritism here? You told my younger brother but not me? Does this stuff only pass down to males and not females?"
Xiao Mei shook her head with a smile and looked at Song Yue. "You tell your sister."
Casting a sympathetic glance at his sister, Song Yue sighed, "Actually, not telling you and Big Brother was out of fear that you wouldn't be able to handle it..."
Song Yu flared up. "Handle what? What do you mean we couldn't handle it? You can handle it, but we can't?"
Sighing, Song Yue said, "It's the New Year, and I didn't want to bring you down, but since you're so eager to know..."
"Spit it out!"
"Fine. Well, it was a snowy night, Dad and us were out on a walk, when suddenly we heard weeping... Listening closely, it wasn't just one voice, but two different crying sounds..."
"Song Yue, I'm going to beat you to death!"
"All right, all right... I surrender. Actually, the reason I didn't tell you is primarily because of a rule. You see, you... lack the qualifications to know..."
"Song Yue, you better get over here right now. I promise I won't beat you to death!"
After teasing his sister for a bit, Song Yue finally revealed the family's origins to her.
"The Nine Passes World?"
With a complex expression, Song Yu retrieved a small stone stele from her person. "The world you enter through this?"
Song Yue: "..."
Xiao Mei: "..."
Life is full of pleasant surprises everywhere.
Who could have guessed that Song Yu possessed a Tongtian Stele as well?
What surprised Song Yue even more was that Song Yu had acquired the stele much earlier than he had!
"I obtained this thing ten years ago, and I've been to that world a few times. The place where I entered was very desolate and terrifying, and the mosquitoes in there were over ten meters long..."
With lingering fear, Song Yu recounted, "Later, through my own exploration, I learned about the uniqueness of that world, and I understood a lot through the chats that occasionally appeared in the inner space of the stone stele."
"But I felt no affinity for that world, nor did I understand why I had inexplicably become a warrior."
Gazing with complex emotions at Song Yue and Xiao Mei, she said, "To think that our family... actually originated from that place."
Song Yue was speechless as well. Who would have thought his sister, whose cultivation had always been mediocre, was also a warrior?
Though her talent was exceptional once she made up her mind to cultivate, leading to rapid realm progression, the question remained... how did the Tongtian Stele know?
What was its selection mechanism?
Song Yue had a hunch that if he could one day crack this mystery, he would likely master all the secrets regarding the ancient divine war.
10:30 AM.
Qian Qianxue called to remind Song Yue that it was time to set off.
She specifically instructed him to bring his mother and sister, and to arrive through the front door so as to give the household a chance to welcome them properly.
Hanging up the phone, Song Yue muttered, "Brother Qian is actually starting to care about these kinds of details now..."
Still digesting the revelation that her entire family was linked to the Nine Passes World, Song Yu teased from the side, "That's because she's afraid you'll drop in from the sky in your usual reckless manner! Oh? What did you just call Xiao Xue? Brother Qian?"
"No, you heard wrong!"
Song Yue wore a look of utter innocence.
Since it was the New Year, the drivers were all on holiday, so Song Yu personally drove a commercial sedan—neither too high-profile nor too shabby—heading toward the Qian family estate.
On the way, Song Yue sent a message of thanks to Little Seven, telling him to drop by the capital to pick up some seafood when he had time.
Unsurprisingly, Little Seven did not reply immediately.
Members of grave-robbing families were always busy; even during the New Year, some were active in deep mountains and forests.
Admirable!
When the car arrived at the Qian family gates, a group of people was already waiting there.
Nearly all the high-ranking figures spending the New Year at the estate had turned out. The protocol was exceptionally high and grand, leaving Song Yue's family of three somewhat embarrassed.
Qian Qianxue, however, walked over gracefully, took Song Yu's hand, and began chatting with a smile.
Seeing this, members of the Qian family who had once held prejudices against her could only sigh inwardly that the Qian family had finally produced a proud daughter of heaven, only for her to bear the surname Song before long.
On the whole, everyone spent the New Year in high spirits.
On the fifth day of the New Year, Song Yue returned to Hangzhou with Qian Qianxue.
During the dinner at the Qian family, he had privately mentioned Sister Wang's situation to Qian Qianxue. Brother Qian couldn't sit still anymore, as she herself liked "Sister Wang," who cooked so well, and felt somewhat anxious, chiding Song Yue for leaving Sister Wang alone in Hangzhou and wondering what might happen if trouble struck.
Thus, on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, dragging Song Yue along, Qian Qianxue returned straight to Hangzhou.
In truth, Qian Qianxue's return to Hangzhou wasn't solely out of concern for visiting Sister Wang; she was also finding it hard to stay at home.
From being ignored by everyone to suddenly becoming the center of attention, neither extreme was a feeling she enjoyed.
By comparison, she preferred returning to the quiet city of Hangzhou to visit Sister Wang.
Upon arriving home, after a few days of recuperation, Su Yuxian's complexion had improved significantly.
Seeing Qian Qianxue, she beamed with pleasant surprise and was deeply moved.
During the New Year, both of them had left their respective families behind to hurry back, and she could certainly feel the sincerity behind that gesture.
Seeing that everything was fine on this end, Song Yue made a trip to the Management Bureau to supply Old Lang with another batch of seafood.
As a result, he unexpectedly learned an important piece of news from Old Lang.
"Did you rescue your family's nanny a few days ago?"
The moment they met, before Song Yue could even produce the seafood, Old Lang looked at him with a serious expression and asked.
"Word got to you this fast?"
Song Yue was somewhat surprised.
It seemed that what Su Yuxian had said about the entire demon clan in the human world frantically searching for her was indeed true.
"It really was you! I guessed it!" Old Lang sighed, then looked at Song Yue with utmost seriousness. "Big trouble is coming. Over the past few days, a few truly top-tier major demons in the human world have issued an ultimatum to find her at all costs."
"You have a starship, don't you? Since you've already rescued her, take my advice: pack up her and your family, and leave Earth immediately!"
Looking at Old Lang, Song Yue asked, "How strong are those top-tier major demons...?"
With a grave expression, Old Lang replied, "They are beings that have broken through the ceiling of human worldly laws. You are no match for them!"