Gu Nanzhi stood alone by the stream.
Her injuries were still too severe, so the others had no intention of letting her get involved.
They only told her to wait here and to run for it if things went south.
Honestly, Gu Nanzhi had never met such considerate companions.
Back in Black Water City, all she had thought about was how to slay this group of Demons and use their heads to join the Demon-slaying Bureau.
Now, after spending time with them, the stark contrast left the former County Captain feeling a bit dazed.
’How is there no sound at all?’
She raised her eyes worriedly, gazing at the distant White Teeth Mine.
Under Miss Xie’s leadership, the group of Little Demons had charged in long ago.
But after so much time, the place was so quiet it was frightening.
Just then, most of the flickering lights in the mine instantly went out.
Gu Nanzhi rubbed her eyes hard, staring blankly as the mine silently collapsed.
’What happened... Is it over already?!’
She quickly took out a large piece of black cloth. Compared to the exquisite Treasures from the Immortal Families, this thing was so crude and simple it barely looked like a Magical Artifact.
But the moment she poured Spiritual Power into it, it soared into the air, transforming into a hazy, dim curtain of light.
Soon, a streak of light shot near, followed by a dense crowd of figures running desperately.
’So many of them.’
Gu Nanzhi’s eyes widened, and she stared, dumbfounded.
Eight Little Demons had actually managed to rescue several thousand people.
The hazy, dim curtain of light struggled to expand, finally managing to barely envelop the group of Laborers, concealing their scent and sound.
The remaining seven demons were responsible for covering the rear.
They led a group of experienced Laborers, carrying over thirty corpses, and burst into the curtain of light with excited faces.
"Hurry, run!"
Urged on by Monkey, Gu Nanzhi finally turned and controlled her Magical Artifact to flee out of the mountains.
Yongzhou Pass was the territory of the Immortal Families.
But this barren land outside the Border Region was the domain of Demons.
It was a forbidden zone that both traveling merchants and Cultivators did their utmost to avoid.
"Don’t be afraid. It’s over now. We’ll escort them to Qingming Demon General together."
Only after they had left the vicinity of Yongzhou Pass did Xie Yutang gently reassure the new girl in their group.
"I..."
Gu Nanzhi stared at the young woman, who was much younger than her, a strange sense of helplessness rising in her heart.
The way she said it, it sounded as if *she* had been the one to charge into White Teeth Mine while the other had waited outside.
She glanced sideways at the other demons.
She saw that they were also nodding at her encouragingly.
"This is just how it is for us. Our lives are always on the line. You’ll get used to it."
There was no fear on the Little Demons’ faces, only the excitement and thrill of having survived. They chattered away, discussing what they had just seen.
They spoke of the Red Moon in the dark night, and of fighting an Immortal Descendant with one’s physical body.
Then, red-faced and spitting with excitement, they compared how many Laborers each of them had saved from the hands of the Immortal Disciples.
But no one discussed their spoils or how to divide them.
This, too, was beyond Gu Nanzhi’s comprehension.
By normal logic, if you take huge risks to do something, you should be hoping to gain something from it.
For example, no one even mentioned the pool of Blood Stone Spiritual Milk.
Instead, they were arguing over trivial matters.
"I’m telling you, I saw it!" Monkey shoved the old man next to him.
"You one-eyed dragon, what could you possibly see?" The old man, who was missing a good chunk of his skull, looked utterly unconvinced.
"He... he’s a man!"
Monkey held it in for a long time before finally squeezing out that sentence, which drew jeers and laughter from the crowd.
He leaped up in shame and anger and started wrestling with the others, only to be grabbed by his arms and legs and held upside down by a few of the Little Demons.
Xie Yutang exhaled softly.
A smile played on her lips as she quietly watched their antics.
’For Demons, no reason was needed to strike at the Immortal Families.’
’Resentment and fear were hidden in the heart of every one of them.’
’That resentment would torment them, causing sleepless nights and waking them with a start, driving them to the brink of madness.’
’Only by retaliating against the Immortal Families and ruining their plans could the demons find a sliver of comfort in their hearts and enjoy a moment of pleasure.’
Xie Yutang glanced at Monkey, who was being held in the air and swung about by the others.
’That kid couldn’t have seen a damn thing.’
’Not only was that Shopkeeper Lin’s Divine Soul Technique masterfully executed, it had clearly reached the Perfection Realm.’
’The immense Magical Power capable of affecting thousands of people at once was beyond even the foundation of a Jade Liquid Perfection cultivator. He had most likely refined Dao Essence, just like her.’
’If that were all, Xie Yutang would still have the confidence to compete with him.’
’But while possessing such cultivation and techniques, that Shopkeeper Lin had also cultivated a profound Body Tempering Formula to a level comparable to Dao Essence Perfection!’
’Faced with such terrifying talent, a common mortal like herself could only stare at his back in the dust.’
"Halt."
She gathered her thoughts and suddenly raised a hand.
Nestled among the mountains were dozens of villages, and at the only entrance and exit, two Little Demons stood guard.
Monkey and the others quickly stopped their fooling around and bowed respectfully.
For Little Demons like them, without a Demon General to rally under, they had to rely on these nearby Demon Generals for everything from cultivation resources to cleaning up after their missions, with the exception of Elder Xu.
"Let them in."
The two mountain-guarding Little Demons had clearly dealt with this group of Scattered Demons before.
It was just that this time, they had brought back so many people.
They raised their eyelids with a hint of surprise, then stepped aside to make way.
"Thank you, Lord Demon."
The Laborers walked unsteadily into the mountains. Before leaving, many of them turned back and kowtowed gratefully to the small group of demons.

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