Chapter 78: An Unexpected Reunion

“Twelfth Peak…”

The Priestess looked thoughtful for a moment before quickly raising her head and speaking.

“Then, how many of these twelve peaks are actually climbable? I remember a place connected to that Princess Ling… it should be called Peach Blossom Peak, right?”

Miss Ling Feng smiled and nodded, adding more details.

“As far as I know, among the twelve peaks of Cangyun Mountain, there are only three peak masters who are friendly, while the rest are either neutral or hostile. Coincidentally, the master of Peach Blossom Peak belongs to the former.”

“Indeed, Peach Blossom Peak can be considered one of the most famous tourist attractions in the Cangyun Mountain area. I had the fortune to visit there a few years ago, and it was indeed beautiful.”

As they spoke, the group finally entered a large town that couldn’t even be called a small town, walking along busy streets that were still bustling despite the nightfall.

“Sir, it seems the goods here are quite complete. Should we buy some supplies and prepare a bit? To be honest, even though I grew up in the mountains, Cangyun Mountain, a legendary place, sure has its differences. The conditions at high altitudes are completely different from those on the ground; we best…”

In response to Bai’er’s inquiry, Miss Ling Feng unsurprisingly exhibited the typical form of “theory expert, practical rookie,” pausing slightly before immediately turning her head to look at a certain white-clad middle-aged man.

“Ahem, what does Mr. Murong think?”

The only one present with actual experience, Murong Yun, nodded.

“Naturally, preparation is necessary, and this is very important; otherwise, the town at the foot of the mountain wouldn’t have developed to this extent.”

“But before that, we need to determine our specific goals and make targeted preparations. After all, although the twelve peaks all belong to Cangyun Mountain, the internal situations vary drastically due to the powerful abilities of each peak master…”

After a moment of thought, he continued.

“This matter is not simple. In my opinion, we should find an inn to stay at first and discuss more thoroughly, because…”

The gaze of the white-clad middle-aged man suggested something as he looked around, and the three women nodded slightly, falling silent.

With a firm decision, the four of them found an inn called [Welcoming Guests] by the roadside, which looked decent enough, and booked four rooms.

Before long, Miss Vilyric stepped out of the [Welcoming Guests].

Strolling along the town’s street, the girl did not stop by the various food stalls selling both raw and cooked items, nor did she pay attention to the gizmos and gadgets that looked fancy but were actually of limited use, merely deceiving clueless tourists. She didn’t even enter more legitimate shops to shop, completely ignoring the enthusiastic vendors selling guidebooks and encyclopedic manuals.

She just walked steadily ahead, increasingly fast, and before long, she left the town’s area, arriving at a more remote spot near the foot of Cangyun Mountain surrounded by dense forest.

When she finally stopped, with no signs of human presence around, she spoke without turning back.

“Is it about time? You’ve been following me for so long… do you plan on revealing yourself?”

“…”

The voice of the black-haired girl resonated in the night air as it seeped into the depth of the forest, yet all remained still, save for the gentle whisper of the wind through the treetops and the bushes.

Seeing this, Vilyric could only shake her head in exasperation.

“Hey, hey, you can’t possibly think I’m so dull that I wouldn’t notice being followed, or did you come all the way here at night just to whisper sweet nothings to the forest?”

She finally turned her head, her silvery-blue, clear eyes shining, but not falling on any patch of shade or bush; rather, they fixed on a flat area not far away.

“Alright, I have limited time; I can’t play hide and seek with you. Five seconds, starting now.”

“Five…”

However, just as she began the countdown, the forest ground where her gaze rested trembled, and a dark figure hurriedly rolled out from within.

“Wait, wait! Don’t strike! I-I’m not a bad demon!!!”

The figure appeared with a startled cry, causing the Priestess to nod slightly.

“……So it’s you.”

It was a small girl, appearing no more than ten years old, with black-gray hair tipped with two half-moon beast ears. She wore a simple outfit made of what looked like fur of wild beasts, exposing her legs and bare feet. A short tail, no longer than an adult’s forearm, was hidden behind her. Her fingers were sharp and slender, painted with black marks from digging in the dirt.

Without a doubt, she was a demon; if bound by a contract with a human, she could be called a spirit pet.

This little demon wasn’t very powerful, as evidenced by her still-present beast ears and short tail, in addition to her fur outfit.

Moreover, Vilyric actually recognized her.

Seeing the other party trembling yet seemingly wanting to get closer, the Priestess smiled and didn’t attack the stalker.

“Little Mole… should I call you that? I didn’t expect to run into you here again; we do have quite the fate, don’t we?”

Upon hearing this, the little girl was momentarily stunned but quickly turned joyful.

“So, the great one still remembers me, the little demon!”

“My memory isn’t that poor, you know…”

If it weren’t for that, Vilyric wouldn’t have let the other follow them after entering the town, nor would she have ventured out on her own to find this opportunity to meet her.

She had sensed the identity of the hidden watcher beneath the ground from the start, but she couldn’t confirm the reason behind the stalking. Additionally, meeting the little mole spirit here, who she had some dealings with in Yangyuan City, was indeed unexpected for Priestess Vilyric.

“So, how did you end up here in Xiangshou County and Cangyun Mountain? What do you want from me?”

If it were just a simple reunion, she didn’t need to sneak around in such a mixed area of humans and demons. Little Mole could have straightforwardly appeared to meet with Vilyric and the others since Ling Feng and Bai’er knew her too and wouldn’t bear any strong prejudice.

But since the other acted this way, it implied that Little Mole didn’t want, or dare, to let others discover her interaction with Vilyric and the others. There was likely some unspeakable reason behind it.

While Vilyric anticipated this, Little Mole’s behavior still exceeded her expectation.

With her head lowered in thought or perhaps hesitating for a moment, she seemed to grit her teeth, making a certain decision before suddenly kneeling on the ground and crying out to Vilyric?!

“Great one! Great one, please! Help us, please!!”

“……?”

After initial surprise, the black-haired girl quickly calmed down, raising one eyebrow as she glanced sideways in a certain direction, coolly replying.

“Hold on, first explain everything clearly so I can consider whether to offer my assistance.”

“Yes… Great one, it’s like this…”

Standing up as she was helped, Little Mole wiped her eyes with her somewhat dirty hands, explaining her grievances.

It turned out that Little Mole was originally a demon living near Cangyun Mountain.

There are various kinds of demons with all sorts of peculiarities. While there aren’t many concepts of tribes, in certain situations, they form forces similar to gangs based on shared living habits.

Big demons would protect little ones, while little demons would offer a part of the food they gathered, resources, or serve bigger demons, each getting their benefits.

Little Mole was the same.

She belonged to a gang called the [Ground Mouse Gang], a group made up of hundreds of underground mouse demons or similar demons.

Their boss claimed to be the [Digger King], reputed to be a powerful big demon with hundreds of years of experience, and the [Ground Mouse Gang] had always followed him faithfully, holding a small yet notable position in the demon realm of Xiangshou County.

   

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