Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 133 Humiliation (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

The two were dressed neatly, and Lu Xingzhou called out to A Nuo. The family of three then leisurely went out.

The Demon Suppression Division was on high alert, deploying its forces.

Originally, they planned to hire someone to lure Ye Wufeng into killing Pei Yu, hoping Pei Yu would cooperate in capturing him. But before they even found anyone, they heard Huo Jin was inviting Lu Xingzhou to dinner… No need to consider that now, they'd better send people to Lu Xingzhou's location to keep watch.

But then Lu Xingzhou reached the street corner and casually scribbled on the wall, drawing a mouse peeking out from a ditch. The drawing was exquisite; the mouse's peek was directed directly at the dimly lit street, creating a striking artistic contrast.

There's a green leaf drawn on the mouse's head.

Lu Xingzhou leaned back to admire it for a moment, then said with great satisfaction, "The artistry is getting better and better. It seems that the painting skills I learned from drawing talismans haven't fallen behind."

Ah Nuo asked, "Master, why doesn't your mouse have any teeth?"

Pei Chuyun, however, was quite appreciative: "Isn't that exactly what it means to be without a sharp edge..."

The family of three all smiled in unison, and several constables from the Demon Suppression Division in the shadows also chuckled quietly.

It's a pity that the people from the Demon Suppression Division need to secretly follow Lu Xingzhou to prevent assassination, so they obviously can't be lying in wait for a painting. I wonder when Ye Wufeng will see this painting, and I really want to know his expression.

In reality, Ye Wufeng was hiding in the attic of a residential building on the street, without the owner even knowing it. He watched Lu Xingzhou and his family of three leave, his eyes coldly fixed on the painting on the wall, his hands clenched so tightly that the veins stood out.

She wanted to see Lu Xingzhou huddled together in fear, protecting her as he went out, trembling with anxiety wherever he went... but what she saw was always this nonchalant attitude, which only earned her a look of sarcasm and ridicule.

With the Demon Suppression Division keeping a close watch, he truly dared not make a move. His original intention in having Huo Jin invite Lu Xingzhou was both to see Lu Xingzhou's nervous expression and to toy with the Demon Suppression Division, but he gained nothing but humiliation.

Just like the countless times I provoked others in the underworld, the result was pretty much the same...

Ye Wufeng took a deep breath and followed at a distance.

The Misty Rain Pavilion, where Huo Jin was hosting the dinner, was very close to the inn. Lu Xingzhou arrived at the street corner shortly after, and it was just a short walk away. However, Ye Wufeng and the others from the Demon Suppression Division watched as Lu Xingzhou passed the street corner without turning at all, walking straight ahead, seemingly without a clue where he was going.

The members of the Demon Suppression Division exchanged bewildered glances: "If he's not going to the banquet, should we still go or not?"

The boss slapped the person who asked the question on the head: "Nonsense, of course you'll answer! If you get assassinated right under our noses again, you'll go and explain to Chief Constable Sheng?"

Between those two sentences, Lu Xingzhou had already turned into another street and disappeared from sight.

The members of the Demon Suppression Division rushed after them, only to be dumbfounded. The easily recognizable image of the child pushing the wheelchair was nowhere to be found; the family of three had vanished without a trace.

"Damn it... Lu Xingzhou actually broke free of our protection, what is he trying to do?" The head of the Demon Suppression Division was alarmed. "Send one person to inform Chief Constable Sheng, and the rest of you inform the other teams to expand the search area. We must find Lu Xingzhou!"

Everyone in the Demon Suppression Division knew that Lu Xingzhou was deliberately leaving them behind, and Ye Wufeng, who was trailing behind from a distance, could see it even more clearly.

Lu Xingzhou even used the blurring technique... This kind of technique can indeed easily make people lose sight of the target in a crowd at night, but Lu Xingzhou should know very well that this technique is not very useful to his fellow disciples in the Yama Palace, who are all familiar with this trick. They can shake off the Demon Suppression Division, but they can't shake off Ye Wufeng.

This is a very clear signal, meaning: Don't worry about the Demon Suppression Division, I've helped you shake them off, come find me.

Ye Wufeng narrowed his eyes and transformed into a shadow, giving chase.

However, they discovered that Lu Xingzhou's destination was very clear: Qingyao Garden in the morning.

The suburban garden at night was deserted, with no visitors and no lantern displays. It was pitch black and eerily silent.

The family arrived at the lakeside, feeling the night breeze on their faces. Pei Chuyun said quietly, "I really believed your nonsense. You said you'd meet someone under the moonlit willows at dusk, but tonight there's no moonlight. The lakeside is pitch black and the wind is cold, like a ghost town. What respectable family would come to such a gloomy place to talk about love?"

Lu Xingzhou smiled slightly: "Isn't it a hellish place? Fengdu Underworld, under the rule of Yama."

Pei Chuyun stepped back: "What does the Yama Palace have to do with me? Don't get involved."

Lu Xingzhou laughed and said, "You are my little maid."

As he spoke, he reached out and pulled Pei Chuyun onto his lap, saying, "It's too late for you to try and distance yourself now."

Pei Chuyun giggled: "There are assassins lurking around, and you still have the mind to hug me."

"No matter how much waste lurks around, it's still waste. When we're having sex indoors, are we afraid of cockroaches walking by on the floor?"

The sound wasn't loud, but it was deafening in the quiet lakeside, and Ye Wufeng nearly gritted his teeth in frustration from a distance.

But Pei Chuyun laughed and said, "Cockroaches, you're not afraid when you don't see them, but seeing them still affects your mood." "That's perfect, we can't see the disgusting thing, we can only secretly envy and be jealous of them... Actually, it's always been like this. Back in the underworld, when I was touching hands with people, there was always a cockroach or rat with shiny green eyes hiding on the side watching. Maybe it has some kind of fetish."

Pei Chuyun's eyes darted around: "So you're not beating him up because you can't beat him?"

Ye Wufeng sneered inwardly, "Of course," but then he heard Lu Xingzhou say, "That's because I'm too lazy to deal with him. I'll give way for the sake of the Yama Palace not having internal strife."

Ye Wufeng: "?"

Lu Xingzhou sighed: "Stop hiding, you're like a clown, being scolded like this and still acting like a coward. You've cultivated to the point of being like this, you've really wasted your cultivation... Don't worry, you can trust me that I won't involve outsiders in the internal affairs of the Yama Palace. We've temporarily shaken off the people from the Demon Suppression Division, haven't we?"

In the darkness, Ye Wufeng finally revealed himself: "Lu Xingzhou, you've insulted me like this, do you really think I wouldn't dare to kill you?"

Pei Chuyun, sitting on Lu Xingzhou's lap, curiously turned her head to take a look.

First place among rookies...

He was thin and of medium build, with an unnaturally pale complexion caused by years of being in the shadows, which made his otherwise handsome face look somewhat eerie and jarring. His eyes were cruel and sinister, a look commonly seen in demonic cultivation, but not favored by the aesthetics of the Joyful Union Sect.

“Of course you dare to kill me.” Lu Xingzhou replied, “Especially tonight, although it was a little different from what you expected, I did go out at Huo Jin’s invitation, and there are many people who can witness it… Yan Jun is not in the capital, so we can still deceive him. You can go back and completely shift the blame to the Huo family.”

"Even so, you still dare to shake off the Demon Suppression Division?" Ye Wufeng couldn't believe it when he said this. He had indeed been observing for a long time, and right now the Demon Suppression Division really hadn't found this place.

At present, Lu Xingzhou only has a maid and a ghost boy by his side.

The Ghost Child was very strong, but Ye Wufeng knew she was no match for him. As for Lu Xingzhou, no matter how good his awareness was, his raw strength was simply too much, especially since he was a cripple...

The only variable is this maid... Ye Wufeng glanced cautiously at Pei Chuyun. Although the maid's cultivation level was not obvious, he still instinctively had a dangerous feeling.

This is also why he kept quiet despite being humiliated.

Lu Xingzhou said calmly, "The matter between you and me is essentially a matter within the Yama Palace. Not to mention there's no reason to involve the Demon Suppression Division, even if you did involve my maid, I'm afraid you wouldn't be satisfied."

Ye Wufeng chuckled: "So you mean you and Ghost Child want to fight me in the palace?"

"You've challenged me to a duel many times before, but I ignored you." Lu Xingzhou smiled. "Now I'm formally challenging you. I wonder if you dare to accept?"

Ye Wufeng said, "With the posture of you holding a woman on your lap before the battle?"

Lu Xingzhou finally let go of Pei Chuyun, and even grabbed her small hand and rubbed it: "Be good, go watch the battle from the side. It's not appropriate for you to get involved in this."

Pei Chuyun blinked and stepped aside with a smile.

She really didn't want to get involved. If she joined the attack, Ye Wufeng would undoubtedly lose, but it was hard to say whether she could even save anyone. If someone escaped and complained to the King of Hell, it would be unreasonable and inappropriate for the Charming Maidens' Joyful Union Sect to get involved in internal strife within the King of Hell's court. Even if she could kill Ye Wufeng, the remnants of the Charming Maidens' Joyful Union technique left behind on his corpse would be difficult to explain.

To put it bluntly, Lu Xingzhou didn't want this matter to be associated with the Charming Maidens' Joyful Union Sect. Colluding with outsiders to kill former fellow disciples would be difficult to explain to the Underworld.

Ye Wufeng had also considered this point. The Judge wouldn't dare to involve other forces in his actions, so he didn't need to worry about this woman! At most, this woman's existence was just a lifesaver for the Judge when he was defeated!
Thinking of this, Ye Wufeng, who had been planning to leave, actually began to have the will to make a move. In fact, facing Lu Xingzhou head-on was something he had been looking forward to for many years. He couldn't even imagine that it would ever happen, and even now he still suspected that Lu Xingzhou had some kind of conspiracy.

"I know you and Ghost Child have both improved since leaving the Underworld... It seems you think my improvement isn't significant enough, and that you two can defeat me head-on." Ye Wufeng took a deep breath and cautiously drew his sword slowly: "Don't say I'm bullying you, a disabled person and a child. How about I let you make the first three moves?"

"Wait a minute." Lu Xingzhou's expression was strange. "What are you thinking? Me and A'nuo ganging up on you? Who do you think you are?"

Ye Wufeng frowned: "What trick are you playing now?"

Lu Xingzhou sighed: "Xiao Ye, have you ever thought that the reason I've refused your challenges all these years isn't because I can't beat you, but because I don't want to bully you?"

Ye Wufeng stared dumbfounded as A Nuo obediently retreated a long distance... Being called a rat or cockroach a thousand times was not as humiliating as this small action. The extreme humiliation almost made him lose his mind.

"Lu Xingzhou...you're courting death!" A flash of sword light pierced the night, heading straight for Lu Xingzhou's throat!

The idea of ​​leaving at any time was completely thrown to the winds.

The clouds in the sky suddenly broke through, and the moonlight finally pierced through the sky, as if a fierce sword had cleaved the heavens in two.

Pei Chuyun, observing from the sidelines, knew that assassins were always most feared when their whereabouts were unknown, and his sword was always most threatening before it was drawn. Ever since he drew his sword in a fit of rage, the so-called Soul Collector of the Underworld had been stripped of his fearsome aura and lost all mystery.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: Please vote for me! Please vote for me!
(End of this chapter)