Huang Jiu, being quite loyal, knew I had tricked him, but seeing that his wife hadn't said anything, he still gave me some advice: "Li Xiao-ge, why don't you take your wife and run deep into the mountains? In the deep forest, even that Taoist won't easily find you."
"Thank you, Brother Huang!"I had previously called him Huang Ye or Old Huang in a teasing manner, but now, I sincerely addressed him as Brother Huang.Huang Jiu could tell the change, glancing at his wife with a submissive look and letting out a helpless sigh.His words had reminded me that the female corpse had come from the deep mountains, so if I took her into the forest, she might have a chance of surviving.As for myself… there wasn't much else I could think about right now.Seeing Huang Jiu's wife still not speaking, I put the female corpse on my back and started walking deeper into the mountains.After taking a few steps, Huang Jiu's wife suddenly called out, "Wait."
I stopped.Huang Jiu's wife exhaled a puff of smoke, looking at the female corpse on my back. "In her current state, even if you go deep into the mountains, you might not escape."I heard some hope in her words and looked up eagerly at her.After hesitating for a moment, Huang Jiu's wife asked, "What you said earlier, does it count?""Naturally!"For some reason, hearing her ask that made me feel like I was the one being schemed against.But I didn't have time to think too much. As long as the female corpse could be kept alive for four more days, I was willing to take the gamble.Besides, they didn't seem to want to harm me; they were just trying to gain something from the female corpse.Huang Jiu knelt in front of his wife, blinking his eyes without trying to suck up to her. In the end, she kicked him with a swift motion, saying, "What are you dawdling for? Bring Li Xiao-ge inside."
It took Huang Jiu a while to snap out of his daze. Once he did, he quickly beckoned for me to follow.Does this mean they were willing to help?I hurriedly put the female corpse down and let her lean against my legs, then stood up and said, "Li Yang thanks the great immortal."Huang Jiu's wife waved her hand and took a puff of her cigarette. "Great immortal? Just call me Huang Xian'er."My grandfather once said, even if one can predict the heavens and the earth, they can't predict human debts.I understood what Huang Xian'er meant, so I followed her cue and said, "If you don't mind, I'll daringly call you Xian'er Jie."Mountain spirits and creatures are often proud, and they tend to refer to themselves as immortals, even when interacting with humans, maintaining a superior attitude. The five great immortal families of the Northeast achieved their status in this way.However, when Huang Xian'er heard me call her "Jie," she didn't get angry. Instead, she seemed somewhat pleased.This showed how significant the female corpse's background was.But since she and I had made an agreement in front of the God of Marriage, with Heaven and Earth as witnesses, no matter how grand her status was, she had to warm my bed and, if the corpse woke up, help me have a big, healthy son.Just thinking about this made me almost secretly grin.Huang Jiu led the way, and I followed with the female corpse on my back.What Huang Xian'er called her "home" was actually an ancient tomb underground.The tomb had been emptied of its contents, leaving a bed and some simple furniture.The decorations were minimal, yet it resembled a regular human home.This showed that after partially transforming, Huang Xian'er's lifestyle had become quite similar to a human's.However, a tomb was still a tomb, and it was damp and gloomy.In a side room, I noticed a few small yellow weasels I had seen before.Huang Xian'er's attitude toward these little yellow weasels was clearly different from Huang Jiu's. Huang Jiu only cared for one of them, but Huang Xian'er pampered them all.I glanced at Huang Jiu, who looked at me with resentful eyes, and I could tell there was a story behind it.Looking at him again, I noticed the blood aura above his head seemed a little green!My curiosity was piqued, but it wasn't my place to pry into their family matters.Huang Xian'er gathered all the little yellow weasels together and petted their heads one by one. She finally turned to one that was slightly larger and said, "Tian'er, take your siblings to your grandmother's house for a few days."I broke into a cold sweat. This was like pulling up a radish with the dirt still attached—things were about to get big.If I had acted rashly before, I might already be lying in a coffin now.The little yellow weasels were reluctant, but after Huang Xian'er scolded them, they were quickly led out of the tomb by the older one.When Huang Jiu saw the look on my face, he awkwardly smiled.As Huang Xian'er sent the little yellow weasels away, I hurriedly placed everything I had taken from the little Taoist on the ground and said, "Xian'er Jie, take what you can use.""No rush!" Huang Xian'er took a puff from her old cigarette. The way she did it made it seem like it had been decades of practice.My heart sank a little—could it be she had more conditions?Sure enough, Huang Xian'er continued, "These are Taoist magical tools, they won't be useful against them. But you have something on you that can help me avoid their Taoist magic."I immediately rummaged through my belongings, wondering if she had figured out the existence of the lower volume of the scroll and was trying to take it for herself.I glanced at the female corpse, sighed inwardly, and thought, well, if Huang Xian'er would help with this, I might as well give it to her.When Huang Xian'er saw me silent, she added, "I need a drop of blood from the tip of your middle finger. With that drop, the Taoist magic won't work on me, and I'll be able to fight him."Hearing this, I breathed a sigh of relief.A drop of blood? Not a problem! I could give her ten drops if needed.I pinched my middle finger and was about to bite it when Huang Xian'er hurriedly stopped me, "Don't rush. By the time that Taoist finds this place, it'll be too late—he won't make it until tonight."All animals have territorial awareness. Huang Jiu had boasted about controlling a hundred-mile radius, but it was more likely that Huang Xian'er was the one in charge of that area.When she said tonight, that meant there would be no danger for now.Huang Xian'er took the Buddhist relic from Huang Jiu's hands and placed it next to the female corpse, then lay back on a small armchair, leisurely puffing on her cigarette.After carrying the female corpse all the way, I was exhausted and wanted to rest, but Huang Jiu was very enthusiastic, bringing out some food—meat and alcohol.However, I didn't dare eat anything unfamiliar, so I only picked a few fruits I recognized to fill my stomach.After eating, Huang Jiu transformed into a servant, massaging his wife's legs, and I finally managed to rest with my eyes closed.In the afternoon, the couple went out together without informing me.I felt uneasy but thought that since I had come this far, I could only trust that they wouldn't betray me.After about two hours, Huang Jiu and Huang Xian'er returned.Huang Jiu came in excitedly, "Li Xiao-ge, you can rest easy. My wife has set up defenses within several miles. If that Taoist enters, he won't stand a chance."I quickly stood up and thanked Huang Xian'er.She waved her hand dismissively, saying not to be so polite, then lay back on the small armchair again.Huang Jiu, in front of his wife, had no temper at all. He served tea, fetched water, and behaved like a eunuch beside the Empress Dowager.In the evening, I started to get restless, pacing around the tomb. I wanted to speak up several times, but whenever I saw Huang Xian'er resting with her eyes closed, I didn't want to disturb her.Just when I was about to approach, Huang Xian'er suddenly opened her eyes and kicked Huang Jiu, "That was fast!"I felt my heart tighten. From her tone, it seemed like the defenses they set up at noon had been broken.