Chapter 41
Chapter 41
The old wooden house was small and had only one worn bed. Li Que had Lin Xiaoyu and Qin Shiyu share it while he slept on the floor.
It was the best arrangement they could manage.
The thought of lying beside an anomaly who had become a demigod made Qin Shiyu’s scalp prickle. She almost offered to sleep on the floor with Li Que instead.
In the end, she restrained herself.
She lay down beside Lin Xiaoyu.
Suddenly, Lin Xiaoyu’s nose twitched.
“Big Sister Qin.”
Qin Shiyu tensed. “Yes?”
“You smell wonderful.”
Qin Shiyu stared at her in confusion.
“I couldn’t smell it before. Now I can. You really do smell wonderful.”
Lin Xiaoyu moved closer on her own, nestled against Qin Shiyu, and fell asleep just like that.
Listening to her even breathing, Qin Shiyu froze.
Was this truly a demigod?
She seemed no different from an ordinary young girl.
Qin Shiyu could even feel genuine warmth in Lin Xiaoyu’s body.
“What exactly is he trying to do…?” she murmured.
Every student in Li Que’s class was an anomaly above S-class. Now that he had made Lin Xiaoyu a god, what about the others?
Could every anomaly in his class eventually walk the same path?
That would be earth-shattering.
…
Early the next morning.
Birds chirped outside, and Qin Shiyu woke from a deep sleep.
Lin Xiaoyu was gone. When Qin Shiyu heard the birds, she jolted in surprise, threw on her coat, and hurried outside.
Lin Xiaoyu stood beneath the flagpole. A small bird was perched above her, preening its feathers.
Qin Shiyu stared in amazement.
Because that bird…
It was a real bird, not an anomaly!
Qin Shiyu had visited Five Dragons Mountain before and knew that Five Dragons Village was an anomaly-infested place. It had long been completely lifeless, without a single living person.
Even birds refused to enter. It had been a land of death.
Yet a bird had flown into the village now?
Had every anomaly here disappeared?
“You’re both awake?”
Li Que’s voice came from behind them. He stepped out of the main hall and stretched.
“Let’s wash up, then go find Xiaoyu’s aunt.”
He had checked on Gao Shen, who remained unconscious and could not be awakened. Li Que decided to leave him alone.
He would finish the home visit first and deal with this mess afterward.
Qin Shiyu was his witness. Gao Shen would not be able to twist the facts.
Qin Shiyu and Lin Xiaoyu nodded. The three drew water from an ancient well nearby and washed briefly. Li Que handed out bread for breakfast, then they left the old wooden house.
Lin Xiaoyu led them along the flagstone road and out of the village.
They did not see a single villager, yet the settlement brimmed with life. Flocks of birds flew inside, and wild rabbits darted between the houses.
Qin Shiyu’s expression was complicated. Li Que remained oblivious.
Beyond the village began a rugged, winding mountain path scattered with goat droppings. The difficult terrain made Li Que sigh.
Children in mountain villages had truly hard lives. Whether working in the fields or attending school, they had to walk narrow paths like this. It was far too difficult.
…
Meanwhile, deep in the mountains, a wooden courtyard stood beside a winding trail.
Auntie Miao rose early and carried a basin to the fenced pen, where she added fodder for a herd of black goats.
Strange maggots writhed throughout the feed.
“Eat. You’ll only grow plump after you’ve eaten enough flesh.”
Auntie Miao smiled brightly at the goats.
They hesitated, terror visible in their eyes.
“Hm. You’re the strongest, so you eat first.”
Auntie Miao selected the strongest goat and cracked her whip. The animal immediately went blank, stepped forward, and silently began eating.
Sure enough, once it finished the fodder, its body grew noticeably fatter.
“Now you’ll taste right.”
Auntie Miao dragged the goat out, slaughtered and skinned it on the spot, then hung the rich meat from a wooden rack for later processing.
The remaining goats trembled in collective terror at the fate of their companion.
“Is this Auntie Miao’s home?”
A man’s voice suddenly sounded outside.
Two of the black goats inside the pen jerked their heads up, excitement flashing through their eyes.
Auntie Miao stopped butchering the meat. She slowly turned toward the voice, her gaze darkening.
Three people stood outside the courtyard. Li Que was in front, carrying two cases of pure milk. Qin Shiyu stood beside him with several gifts, while Lin Xiaoyu silently followed them.
Auntie Miao opened the gate and revealed a gaunt, darkened face. Her gaze swept across the three visitors before abruptly settling on Lin Xiaoyu.
Black mist flickered in her eyes, followed by boundless violence and fury.
Lin Xiaoyu could no longer conceal her state as a demigod. Auntie Miao had clearly sensed it.
Qin Shiyu noticed the thin layer of black mist in “Auntie Miao’s” eyes and stiffened in shock.
The black mist had not dissipated completely. Part of it still remained inside Auntie Miao?!
Her heart leaped into her throat. She instinctively stepped in front of Lin Xiaoyu, then remembered that she was probably the weakest of the three.
“You must be Xiaoyu’s aunt.”
Li Que stepped forward with a warm smile. “We’re teachers from her school. My name is Li Que. We came today for a home visit.”
Auntie Miao could not help staring blankly at his words. A home visit? What was that?
At the same time, she gave Li Que a look. Once she confirmed that he was nothing more than an ordinary person, her eyes turned even colder.
Still, she did not attack at once. Instead, she opened the gate.
“Come in.”
The three entered the courtyard.
Li Que glanced at the meat hanging from the wooden rack and asked in surprise, “Xiaoyu, did you tell your aunt we were coming?”
Why else would Auntie Miao have slaughtered a goat in advance?
Killing an entire goat to entertain them was incredibly lavish.
More importantly, Auntie Miao’s family did not appear well-off. That pen of goats was probably the only thing of value she owned.
There was really no need to slaughter one just to host them.
Lin Xiaoyu shook her head.
“That goat isn’t for you.”
Auntie Miao spoke coldly. “Xiaoyu, sit with your teachers. I’ll make you something to eat.”
With that, she entered the kitchen.
Two goats in the pen abruptly began bleating, sounding agitated. Auntie Miao immediately came back out and lashed each of them twice. They fell silent at once.
Qin Shiyu was startled by the sight. She studied the black goats in the pen, suspicion and uncertainty filling her eyes.
Could this be… Beastmaking?!
A chill crept through her heart.
Could someone truly turn living humans into livestock?
“When goats misbehave, a few lashes will straighten them out.”
Auntie Miao turned and gave Qin Shiyu and Lin Xiaoyu a sinister look before slipping back into the kitchen.
That single glance sent a chill through Qin Shiyu.
Li Que frowned inwardly. It seemed Auntie Miao was not an easy person to get along with.
Then again, that was understandable. A woman living alone in these mountains, isolated from everyone else, would naturally develop a somewhat eccentric personality.
The thought made him feel even sorrier for Lin Xiaoyu. From the looks of things, she could not expect much affection from her only relative either.
“Xiaoyu, did you come here often before?” Li Que asked.
Lin Xiaoyu nodded. “Auntie used to treat us very well… She’s a good person.”
Yet a trace of anger now lingered in her eyes.
She, too, had already noticed that something was wrong with Auntie Miao.
Li Que nodded.
Just then, Auntie Miao emerged from the kitchen carrying a large plate of freshly stir-fried food.
It was a plate of insects!
There were stick insects as thick as thumbs, plump centipedes, and all sorts of other things. Every one of them had been fried in oil until glossy and looked surprisingly appetizing.
“Xiaoyu, try your auntie’s cooking.”
Auntie Miao distributed chopsticks to the three of them with a smile that never reached her eyes. Her gaze remained fixed on Lin Xiaoyu.
After all, Lin Xiaoyu appeared to be the strongest among them-a demigod.
Lin Xiaoyu held her chopsticks without moving and looked toward Li Que.
Qin Shiyu did the same. Her body trembled faintly as she stared at the insects.
She had already recognized them. Every last one was a gu insect!
Worse, if she was right, Auntie Miao’s possession by the black mist had affected the gu insects as well. They were anything but ordinary.
Even an S-class anomaly wielder would be unable to withstand eating a single one!
They would probably end up like Shi Xuan and the others-turned into livestock and kept in a pen.
Li Que, however, clicked his tongue in fascination. He had heard that people in certain regions ate insects.
Insects were good food, too. They might look strange and frightening, but they were high in protein. Fried until crisp, they had a satisfying crunch and made a rare local delicacy.
It was only natural for Lin Xiaoyu and Qin Shiyu to be afraid of eating them. They were both young women, after all.
Li Que did not hesitate. He picked up a fried centipede with his chopsticks and placed it in his mouth. After a single chew, he could not help exclaiming,
“Delicious! It’s incredibly fragrant!”
Qin Shiyu froze at those words. Even Lin Xiaoyu looked at him with curiosity and confusion.
Auntie Miao froze as well. Then her face instantly darkened. She stared gloomily at Li Que, a trace of uncertainty flashing through her eyes.
Even a demigod like Lin Xiaoyu should have been unable to endure this gu insect. Why was an ordinary man completely unaffected?
“If they’re so delicious… have some more!” Auntie Miao said heavily.
“Sure!”
Li Que did not stand on ceremony. This was clearly good food. Their host had brought it out especially for them, and refusing to eat would have been disrespectful.
He picked up several more insects in quick succession. The more he ate, the better they tasted. Some were soft and rich, some fragrant and crunchy, while others had tender, savory flesh.
In moments, Li Que had polished off more than half the plate.
The other three stared at him in utter shock.
Lin Xiaoyu’s delicate face brimmed with curiosity and admiration. Sir was so fierce-so incredible!
Qin Shiyu wore a complicated expression, as though she were looking at a monster.
Auntie Miao was completely stupefied. She rubbed her eyes without thinking, unable to believe what she had seen.
Had she brought out the wrong insects?
But the plate clearly held her gu insects!
Any one of them could overwhelm an S-class anomaly.
Yet an ordinary man had just wolfed down more than half the plate?!
Was this bastard even human?!
Just what kind of anomaly was Li Que?!
Li Que finally paused. Finishing the entire plate would have been rather impolite. He set down his chopsticks and smiled.
“Auntie Miao, you’re an amazing cook!”
“Thank you!”
Auntie Miao was speechless.
…