Chapter 11

Chapter 11

I summoned every ounce of strength I had and ran for my life.

Hua Yuling had called forth every snake, insect, rat, and ant she could summon, but there were simply too many Wild Men. There was no telling how long they could hold them back.

“Dammit, let go of me-”

I burst out of the valley entrance and looked back. Wang Cuiping was clutching Jiang Haoyan’s arm in a death grip. Dragged down by her weight, Jiang Haoyan hadn’t made it far; the two of them were practically still in the same spot.

What a pain. I had no choice but to run back and grab Wang Cuiping’s other arm.

Between the two of us, we were practically dragging Wang Cuiping forward. Behind us, the constant buzzing of insects and the savage roars of the Wild Men echoed through the air.

I didn’t dare look back again. We ran for an unknown amount of time until Hua Yuling tripped over a protruding tree root and slammed into the ground, suddenly coughing up a large mouthful of blood.

“Hua Yuling, are you okay?”

I hurried over to help her up. Her face was as white as a sheet, and she gave a weak wave of her hand.

“I can’t run anymore. I’ve used too much energy. Let’s rest for a bit.”

We sat down against a tree trunk and took water and food out of our bags. I finished my bottle of mineral water, then walked over and knelt on the ground, using the bottle cap to scrape the blood Hua Yuling had just spat out into the bottle.

“Qiao Moyu, what are you doing?”

“You have the Golden Cicada Gu inside you. This blood shouldn’t go to waste. I’ll smear it on my Seven-Star Sword later to deal with evil spirits.”

Hua Yuling: “…You’re certainly… frugal.”

With insects fluttering around us, Hua Yuling told us that there was a small wooden cabin not far ahead, likely a temporary shelter used by herb gatherers in the mountains.

We found the cabin, and I set up a simple Formation nearby to mask our presence. By then, the sky had turned pitch black.

Everyone was exhausted. I lit a bonfire inside the cabin, and we huddled around the flames to rest. Wang Cuiping clutched her stomach and went behind the cabin to use the restroom.

I recounted everything that had happened over the past two days. Hua Yuling, who had been dozing against the wall, suddenly sat bolt upright.

“‘Gui Gu, the ghost aunt, joined in eternal union’?”

“No wonder! Those Wild Men… they’re actually Xiaoyang!”

According to the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, the kingdom of Xiaoyang lies to the west of Beiqu. Its people have human faces with long lips, black bodies covered in hair, and feet that point backward. They laugh when they see humans and hold a tube in their left hand.

The so-called “holding a tube in the left hand” refers to the bamboo tubes they often grip. This was because people in the past, knowing their habits, would slip bamboo tubes onto their own wrists to trick and trap them.

The Xiaoyang are also known as the Gan Giants. Like the Gui Gu, they were once subordinates of Chiyou.

“You should be more familiar with the Gui Gu deity than I am-she’s the legendary Ghost Mother!”

“The Gui Gu tribe and the Xiaoyang have intermarried for generations. If a woman becomes pregnant, there’s a certain chance her bloodline will awaken, and she’ll become a Ghost Mother. Once a Ghost Mother appears, ten thousand houses fall silent. All of us combined couldn’t even beat one of her fingers.”

Hua Yuling had started out speaking with a smile, but as she went on, her expression tightened. She swallowed hard, her voice trembling.

“Qiao Moyu, where did you say you found Wang Cuiping? In a Wild Man’s Tree Hollow?”

The legendary Ghost Mother has the head of a tiger and the feet of a dragon. She can give birth to ten ghosts in a single litter, birthing them in the morning and devouring them by evening. She is the mother of ten thousand ghosts.

To be perfectly honest, I couldn’t win against a monster of that caliber.

Wang Cuiping had been in that cave for twenty years. If she wasn’t carrying a ghost fetus, she probably would have died long ago under those conditions.

My face went pale instantly.

Jiang Haoyan finally caught on. “So, that auntie from just now… could be the Ghost Mother?”

Just as the words left his mouth, the door was flung open. Wang Cuiping stood at the entrance with her hair disheveled, wet strands clinging to her face.

She gave us a stiff, eerie smile.

“It’s raining outside-”

Wang Cuiping sat down by the fire and began to fiddle with her long hair, leaning close to the flames to dry it.

The three of us looked at each other and began to exchange frantic glances.

*Run! Let’s get out of here!*

*Doesn’t the Ghost Mother need to keep eating ghosts to evolve? She hasn’t even given birth yet. Let’s try to take her down first; those Wild Men outside are hard to fight too!*

*You don’t understand. A Ghost Mother isn’t as simple as you think. I can’t handle her. Are you coming or not? If you’re not, I’m leaving!*

Once our silent communication was finished, I gave a dry cough and patted Jiang Haoyan’s hand.

“Accompany me to the restroom. I’m scared. Ahem, take the bag; there’s toilet paper inside.”

“Okay!”

Jiang Haoyan put on his backpack and draped an arm over my shoulder. With stiff limbs, the two of us began to walk out.