TN –
Thanks to “SunsettClouds” for the Ko-fi’s. I’ll upload 2 extra chapters today.
This is the 1st. (~￣³￣)~
Third Flora seemed to be greatly aggrieved, lying in the shadow under Xu Yintang’s feet, crying her heart out. However, it didn’t stop her from vividly describing the village chief’s grotesque appearance behind his back, with his wrinkled, forked tongue, while flapping her wings like a butterfly, pushing the vixen following her mother to the side.
That wrinkled monster ate Three Flower’s butterfly QAQ.
He must be a bad guy QAQ.
Shi Yuebai graciously shifted position to give Third Flora ample space to perform. To console the sobbing child, Xu Yintang had to slow down his steps towards the direction of the village chief. In the dark alley, Casey Cat protected Second Treasure and Little Darling, who arrived at the deepest part of the alley first. The golden cat blinked its eyes, forcibly sharing the bloody scene before it with Shi Yuebai.
If possible, it really wanted to share its sense of smell as well. The terrible smell in the depths of the alley made Casey Cat suffocate, with the stench sticking to its fur and penetrating its skin, causing an itchy sensation all over its body.
Unfortunately, the intense resentment conveyed by Casey Cat was like dust clinging to its fur. Shi Yuebai shook its unseen furry ears and disappeared. The scene forcibly shared by Casey Cat was quite shocking. Shi Yuebai looked at Xu Yintang and asked, “Are the kids okay? Casey said they followed the village chief underground.”
Casey Cat’s sense of position was excellent, and the design of the alley, simple for the sake of taking care of the elderly village chief, made it easy for it to know that they were now underground in the village. It also knew that the source of the terrible smell in the deepest part of the alley was directly below the main venue of the ceremony, close to the beach.
Whether they wanted to draw from the sea or the main venue, it was only a step away.
Xu Yintang tapped Third Flora, who was still sobbing, to inquire about the situation. Third Flora was earnestly crying, tears flowing like a river, with butterflies huddling together for warmth, wiping her tears and reporting the situation in the alley to her mother.
Whimper… Inside, it’s fragrant and delicious…
Whimper… But the meat is all rotten, and older brother doesn’t like it…
Third Flora struggled to describe the scene of the (buffet) in the depths of the alley to her mother, but her lack of language skills became the biggest obstacle. After a hiccup that she didn’t know was caused by crying or fullness, several butterflies flew in the shadow, their wings refracting colorful lights, scattering and rising like smoke.
Third Flora felt that controlling the reflection of light on the butterfly wings was easier than instantly increasing her literary power. The sunlight scattered in the afternoon through the delicate scales on those beautiful wings gradually formed a swaying and blurred picture in the air, accompanied by the nightmarish, bloody stench mixed with the picture.
According to the reasonable inference from the previous dialogue between the village chief and the Priestess, the deepest part of the alley that Third Flora displayed was where the elixir was refined.
But there were alchemy furnaces, medicinal materials, and alchemists.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
… Qfii, lo atlr jimtfwlra lr lcafgqgfafv vloofgfcais, atfgf jgf ralii delaf j ofk.
We Tlcajcu olgra vlralcuelrtfv atf nlnlv yibbv gfv, jr fsf-mjamtlcu jr qjlca, jcv rbwfktja ilxf j qba bo yblilcu gfv bli tba qba, klat gjk jcv mbbxfv yibbvs ybcfifrr wfja gbiilcu lcrlvf. Pa’r pera atja atlr qba bo gfv bli lr fzmfrrlnfis ijguf. We Tlcajcu rdelcafv jcv mjgfoeiis mbecafv atf qfbqif lc atf rtjxlcu lwjuf qgbpfmafv ys atf yeaafgois—bcf, akb, atgff… jcv atfgf kfgf ralii tjio j vbhfc…
He counted thirty-five floating skulls, and it was unknown how many were sunk below. And there was a huge hot pot that could accommodate thirty to fifty people, as large as an underground lake.
Or it was originally an underground lake, but it turned into a hot pot due to overheated water and countless meats boiled in it, and every aspect of it became like a hot pot.
Death and pain rolled inside for countless rounds, and the rich broth cooked by cooking opened the appetite of the children.
Xu Yintang even caught a hint of the aroma of bone soup in the simulated blood stench emanating from the butterflies—Xiao Qing had recently taken him to eat at a well-established noodle restaurant, where they said the broth had been simmered for ten years. It had a slight resemblance to that fragrance.
But subtracting that bit of meaty aroma, the fishy smell still dominated, making the already unpleasant blood smell even more nauseating.
You know, it’s that odor of dark fish soup made from gutting and scaling fish, boiled directly in the pot.
Shi Yuebai’s shared vision was clearer than Third Flora’s projected image. He quickly noticed something suspicious about the half-cooked bodies floating and rolling around. “They’re all men, and they’re all just upper bodies,” he observed.
Xu Yintang interjected instinctively, “The men from the Village live in other places to refine elixirs—” He paused for a moment, then added, “or they’re other captives brought in as sacrifices.”
“I’ll vote for the men from the village,” Shi Yuebai said, closing his eyes to adapt to the vastly different light inside the dimly lit room. To see the scene of the dim underground lake clearly, his pupils widened into circles, squeezing the golden hue from his irises until only a ring remained around the edge.
“These reflections should be fish scales,” he pointed at the oily reflections floating on the surface of the meat broth, “Ordinary sacrifices wouldn’t have these.”
“Maybe they also put fish in there?” Xu Yintang suggested.
Shi Yuebai reached out and touched the side of Xu Yintang’s neck, smiling, “I can still recognize mermaid scales.”
Xu Yintang also touched the mermaid talisman hanging around his neck. Although his swimming skills had greatly improved after undergoing special training at the Shi Yuebai’s Devil Training Camp, coupled with the physical enhancement brought by digesting the Daeis Moonlight, he now had more confidence in underwater combat than before. However, just to be safe, Shi Yuebai forcibly hung the mermaid talisman around his neck.
According to the system’s description of the mermaid talisman, it was a precious item made from mermaid scales. Wearing it not only prevented drowning but also ensured that one would never get lost at sea. It could only be obtained in the S-rank instance [Stormy Sea City].
“Can we infer that the men from the village are all mermaids?” Xu Yintang asked.
“The village chief isn’t,” Shi Yuebai corrected a small mistake in his words, “But based on the available clues, we can indeed arrive at such a conclusion—that the men from the village are all mermaids, and they’re being used as raw materials for alchemy.”
Especially when the Priestess helped the village chief to the edge of the underground lake, the blood suddenly boiled and splashed, and the skulls rolling inside all stared angrily at the village chief, as if they still had souls, with mouths wide open as if screaming, and the air was filled with sharp, tearing sounds.
The sound was so sharp and terrifying that even Xu Yintang, who was just receiving a remote transmission from Third Flora, felt dizzy. The children at the scene were all uncomfortable, and Casey Cat’s body expanded, pulling the children under his fur, pressing their ears tightly against his skin, and his golden pupils stared intently at the village chief’s movements.
The Priestess couldn’t stand the stimulation of the sound and fainted, but the village chief, as if he had heard nothing, didn’t even change his expression. He reached out and grabbed a skull from the lake, his jaw dislocated to an unbelievable extent as he opened his mouth wide, and swallowed the still screaming skull in one gulp.
Then, he extended his crimson, long, forked tongue and leisurely licked his fingers.
Seeing this scene, Xu Yintang instinctively issued a retreat order to Third Flora. Little Darling and Second Treasure also received their mother’s brief but powerful command.
—Run!
This was by no means Xu Yintang being overly cautious, but the transformational nature of nurturing offspring. When the village chief swallowed that skull, it triggered a signal indicating a high-quality parasitic host, akin to a red danger warning in this situation.
At the same time, as if sensing being spied on, the village chief stared straight at Shi Yuebai, his murky eyes suddenly flashing with a malicious and chilling light.
The next moment, the broadcast screen lost its signal as if it evaporated into thin air. Just as Third Flora’s butterflies flapped their wings to attract the village chief’s attention, Casey Cat brought Little Darling and Second Treasure to Xu Yintang’s side.
It brought back a large group of butterflies that belonged to Third Flora, only losing ten of them, the sacrificial squad, to buy some time. Moreover, it ensured that they remained hidden from start to finish, without giving the village chief any chance to catch even a glimpse of them.
However, Casey Cat felt it necessary to emphasize that its swift retreat wasn’t because it couldn’t handle the elderly and weakened “wrinkle monster” but because it had to prioritize the safety of the three children it was protecting under its fur.
The combined efforts of the three children might just barely hold their ground against the wrinkle monster, but the commotion they would cause… would affect not only the neighboring villages but also the entire region.
As soon as Casey Cat stood firm, Second Treasure broke free and rushed into his mother’s arms. Casey Cat’s train-like speed turned Second Treasure’s fur into a ball of yarn, and Xu Yintang stroked it, while on the other side, Casey Cat had already figured out what kind of creature the village chief was.
“Snake, dragon…but not to the level of dragon, it’s just a giant worm that needs to shed its skin,” Casey Cat expressed, mentioning that the National Special Sciences recently acquired a dead Willow Immortal. If that Willow Immortal died and leveled up to its final stage, it would be roughly at the same level as the village chief.
Above that is the transformation into a dragon or sea serpent, typically achieved through so-called cultivation to attain immortality.
“But the village chief has already reached that point,” Casey Cat licked its paw, taking advantage of its credit for bringing back the children to snuggle up next to Xu Yintang. Xu Yintang scratched its head, causing its eyes to squint into slits, and the whole cat turned into a long strip of softness, explaining with a purr before Shi Yuebai, “His lifespan has long since expired, relying on crooked means to shed his skin and prolong his life… I reckon, one of the immortal beings in the legendary story who made a pact with A-Jiao is him.”
Reviving from death, rejuvenating, and achieving eternal youth—any instance involving these elements always had similar operations that Casey Cat found so similar it wanted to complain about copyright issues, to the extent that it knew exactly what the village chief was going to do as soon as it smelled the pot of merman soup.
Casey Cat, being a smart kitty, didn’t speak so crudely.
Taking advantage of the situation, Casey Cat licked Xu Yintang’s fingers in front of Shi Yuebai, happily raised its tail tip, and said, “I bet the other immortal being is the dead dragon in the sea.”
A giant worm struggling to survive for a hundred years, a true dragon filled with resentment, and another main character in the story, A-Jiao, who was probably a beautiful and gentle mermaid. The truth of the past was likely much more exciting than the legendary story.
Second Treasure nestled in his mother’s arms, pretending to be weak and frightened, different from his true form in the consciousness realm. He rolled his eyes to locate the village chief’s soul, and smoke extended tentacles to entangle, weaving the entire village into a massive vortex of nightmares.
Based on the delicious taste of the dragon carcass it had ingested last night, Second Treasure created a huge, shining dragon in the dream, circling over the sea with majesty as if it were immortal. Whichever soul reacted the most to this nightmare tonight would be where the village chief’s soul resided.
Of course, with Second Treasure’s intelligence, he definitely wouldn’t recklessly confront an opponent he couldn’t beat. But if he just wanted to do something in the consciousness realm—there was nothing Second Treasure couldn’t do.
Whimpering, Second Treasure buried his head in his mother’s arms, covering his eyes, which were now occupied by fierce and malicious intent.
Xu Yintang flicked the little troublemaker who was biting his clothes and acting spoiled, admonishing, “Stay safe, run when you have to, don’t be too brave.”
“And also, remember to report before taking action.”
In other words, it was permission for him to do mischief at night.
Wailing twice, Second Treasure blinked his five large, black grape-like eyes, revealing a weak, pitiful, and innocent expression.
Ah, having big eyes wasn’t always a good thing. Anyone with a mischievous mind would surely be seen through by their mother.
Author’s Note –
Casey Cat’s train of thought is that the village chief can be dealt with anytime, but the dragon carcass in the sea hasn’t been fully consumed by the kids yet.
And now that they’ve stirred up trouble and overturned the village, the follow-up tasks for this hidden instance might be gone.
What a thoughtful and clever kitty [Shakes head]
Me: Wait, what!? Nooooo not this again. 😭 (个_个) *Cries up to the heavens in anguish* But why!? Why do you keep doing this *beats the ground with a fist in anger* (┛◉Д◉)┛彡┻━┻
My brain: Smiles evilly 😈 Because I can and I will and there’s nothing you can do about it 🙃
Clever Cassey Cat. Of course kitty and kids can do anything, but there’s no point if the food ends up spoiled 😋
I’m puzzled how the worm won over the maidens.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING AWESOME!!!
Smart kitty
Thank you for your translation 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚