111: Rat was attacked

In just half a month, more and more people entered Qing Province from Yan Province.

There was no other way; the days of starving nine times in three days were too hard to bear. Before, they didn't know there was a place like Qing Province, and everyone was starving just fine.

Now that they knew there was a place where people could eat their fill, it was simply maddening.

It had been several months, and none of the people who went to Qing Province had returned. What did that mean?

These people either found a treasure trove with food and drink, or they all died on the way.

Never mind, let them die!

They risked it all!

* * *

"Brother Shunzi, are we going in the wrong direction?"

Wang Shun was the gaunt young man from Baixi Village. This was already their second day since leaving Baixi Village, and before them was still an endless stretch of yellow earth.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, squinting his eyes as he looked into the distance.

"It can't be wrong. Old Li Tou said that if we follow the dry riverbed for three days, we'll reach the Qing Province border."

As Wang Shun spoke, he unconsciously touched the water skin at his waist—it was already light enough to hear the water sloshing.

Er Gouzi, the youngest in the group, suddenly pointed ahead and shouted.

"Look! There's smoke from cooking!"

"Is someone cooking?"

"What's that smell? It's so fragrant."

Everyone followed his finger, and sure enough, a few faint wisps of smoke drifted from a distant mountain hollow, and a faint fragrance wafted with the breeze.

It made their hearts itch.

Wang Shun's heart swelled with joy, but he also grew wary: "How can there be a village in this wilderness?"

"Maybe it's a village in Qing Province!"

A Tu jumped up excitedly, "Have we arrived?!"

The group quickened their pace towards the direction of the smoke.

Turning over a dirt slope, the sight before them stunned them—two robust rats were roasting a grilled chicken over a bonfire.

The two rats were half a person tall, clad in tattered coarse cloth, and were using branches to skewer a fat chicken and turn it over the fire.

Golden fat dripped into the fire, making a "sizzling" sound, and the aroma drifted with the wind.

"Grumble grumble" sounds occasionally came from the group.

"It's meat!"

"Grilled chicken..."

"I haven't eaten meat in half my life."

"These two rats also look quite delicious."

"These days, even rats eat so well."

"..."

Someone in the group swallowed hard and said this, and the ears of the two rat spirits simultaneously perked up.

The gray-furred rat—Shu Ling—suddenly jumped onto a stone, its tail fluffed up like a feather duster: "How dare you! We are patrolling the mountains for Lord Chuping!"

Shu Ling and Shu Li never expected that humans would be so bold as to even want to eat the two of them.

Simply audacious.

Since pledging allegiance to Lord Chuping, Shu Li and Shu Ling had become frequent visitors to Chang Sheng Village and Nan Shu Village, often being fed by the villagers. Their lives were carefree and happy, and the two rats had almost forgotten the days when they used to hide from people.

These few people before them instantly pulled Shu Li and Shu Ling's memories back to the past.

Damn it, not only do demons eat people, but many people are also eager for demon meat. How could they have forgotten such an important thing?

"Husband, what should we do?"

These people looked at them with strange eyes, and due to Lord Chuping's strictness, they dared not kill. What should they do?!

While the two rats were still agonizing, the humans on the other side were already famished.

"Brothers! Surround them with me!"

"Brother Ding, this isn't good. These two rats can talk, and they might have Spells."

Just as Wang Shun was about to dissuade him, Ding Er, driven mad by hunger, had already picked up a carrying pole and charged forward.

"Who cares about any lord! I haven't touched meat in three years!"

With his move, seven or eight men followed, and the scene instantly devolved into chaos.

"Rebellion! Rebellion!"

Shu Li and Shu Ling were not the type to excel in combat. They could only throw the grilled chicken in their hands into the crowd and quickly retreat towards the direction of the temple.

Wang Shun watched dumbfounded as these villagers, who seemed like Reincarnations of hungry ghosts—some gnawing on chicken legs with greasy faces, some wielding rocks to chase the rat spirits, and a lanky one trying to lasso Shu Li's neck with a hemp rope.

"Don't chase them!"

Wang Shun suddenly shouted, "Don't you think the name Lord Chuping sounds familiar?"

"Lord Chuping?"

Ding Er wiped the grease from his mouth, his bow already fully drawn, "Who cares about any lord! Let's shoot it down and roast it!"

With a "whoosh," an arrow grazed Shu Ling's hind leg, drawing a trail of blood.

Shu Ling let out a pained "squeak," stumbling and almost falling.

Shu Li hastily supported her, turning back to glare fiercely at Ding Er: "You just wait!"

Just then, Wang Shun suddenly slapped his thigh: "I remember now! I heard Blacksmith Wang mention the name Lord Chuping! There's a Lord Chuping Temple in Qing Province that specializes in killing demons!"

Er Gouzi's face turned pale: "Is that true or false?"

"It's true. It's said that the demons within Qing Province were suppressed and killed by Lord Chuping..."

Wang Shun's voice grew, and the crowd instantly fell silent, with only the sound remaining.

Ding Er, however, was unimpressed and nocked another arrow: "Putting on airs! All that talk of suppression is a lie. Look, aren't these two demons? They haven't been suppressed anywhere!"

The second arrow flew straight for Shu Ling's heart, but suddenly veered in mid-air, "thwack," embedding itself in a dead tree.

"Divine Lord, save us!"

Shu Li shrieked, dragging the injured Shu Ling, about to flee.

Ding Er, however, was seeing red, and the third arrow was already off the string: "Die, monster!"

This arrow flew directly towards Shu Ling's back.

Amidst the sharp whistle of the arrowhead cutting through the air, Shu Li suddenly flipped over, finally escaping.

"Sister Ling'er, are you alright?" Shu Li's paws trembled as he inspected Shu Ling's wound; her hind leg, where the arrow had grazed, was already a bloody mess.

"Husband, I'm fine..." Shu Ling's small paws tightly clutched Shu Li's clothes, "What's wrong with these humans? Why are they so fierce?"

Ding Er's arrogant curses came from afar: "They run fast! Brothers, chase them!"

Shu Li's ears twitched violently. He suddenly pulled out a greased paper packet from his bosom and stuffed it into Shu Ling's hand: "Ling'er, take this and go first, find Lord Chuping!"

"What about you?" Shu Ling's black eyes widened.

"I'll distract them." Shu Li suddenly showed a determined smile, "Remember that Spell we secretly learned in Chang Sheng Village?"

Before Shu Ling could react, Shu Li had already bitten his front paw and used his blood to draw a strange symbol on his forehead. In an instant, his body began to twist and expand, and in the blink of an eye, he became as tall as a human.

"Illusionary Transformation Spell?!" Shu Ling exclaimed, "Husband, you haven't fully mastered it yet..."

"Go!" The enlarged Shu Li pushed Shu Ling into the bushes, then turned and charged towards the pursuers, deliberately making his footsteps thunderous: "Come on! You beasts!"

Ding Er and the others were indeed startled by this sudden "giant" and all turned to chase after him.

Shu Ling, with tears in her eyes, dragged her injured leg and ran desperately up the mountain.