Young Jiang Ziya

The owl's warning still echoed in his ears, but he could not turn back now.

The team set off again, the atmosphere heavy.

After walking about three miles, those deep blue eyes reappeared in the shadow of an ancient tree ahead.

Silent Owl stood on the gnarled tree roots, his voice suppressing his anger: "Humans, I gave you a chance."

"We have come to break the curse." Ji Fa stepped forward, sword in hand. "If what you say is true, then you should show us the truth."

"The truth?" Ji Xiao roared. "The truth is that old man outside is the source of all the suffering!"

You want to solve the problem? Then kill him!

Before the words were even finished, it spread its wings, and the silvery-white stripes glowed faintly.

The surrounding treetops rustled as more than ten stags appeared at the same time.

"It seems there's no point in negotiating." Han Ling's brow mark lit up, Shen Gongbao pinched a talisman, and Lü Shang stood protectively behind Ji Fa.

Battle broke out.

Ji Xiao is much stronger than Fu Xiao, whom we encountered before, and he specializes in attacking Ji Fa.

Ji Fa's swordsmanship had improved, and he defended himself flawlessly, leaving a bloodstain on the root of Ji Xiao's wing.

The other rebels were repeatedly defeated by the combined power of Han Ling and He Xu's Red Eyebrows and Shen Gongbao's magic.

Just then—

A wolf's howl that shook the mountains and forests exploded out!

A huge white shadow pounced out like lightning.

Ji Fa felt a tremendous force strike his chest, and he was sent flying backward, crashing into an ancient tree. A sweet taste rose in his throat.

The white figure landed, revealing a giant wolf as big as a calf!

Its entire body was snow-white, with its four paws and muzzle being ice-blue, and its amber vertical pupils coldly swept over everyone.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the owl flapped its wings and landed beside the giant wolf.

The white wolf growled, gave Ji Fa a deep look, and then turned and disappeared into the dense forest with Ji Xiao.

The rest of the arrogance quickly retreated.

"That's Ice Fang?" Lu Shang helped Ji Fa up, his heart filled with shock.

***

Fuxiao's lair is located in an ancient demon clan ruin.

Broken walls and ruins are hidden under ancient trees and vines, and stone pillars are carved with blurry totems.

Deep within the ruins, beneath a half-collapsed archway, two guards stand watch.

Just as Ji Fa was about to draw his sword, a voice transmission came from inside the archway: "The goddess is willing to negotiate with you."

"negotiation?"

"This is the only way to end the curse. Come in and put away your weapons."

Ji Fa pondered for a moment, then sheathed his sword and gestured for everyone to do the same.

Stepping through the archway, you enter a relatively complete main hall.

A dozen or so snarling beasts were scattered around, their dark red eyes fixed on the intruder, and they let out suppressed whimpers.

A soft halo of light shone from the depths of the main hall.

All the clamor suddenly fell silent.

Within the halo of light, the figure of a woman slowly emerged.

Her long, dark green hair was loose, adorned with small white flowers. Her face was gentle and pure, and her eyes held the weight of time and experience.

"A visitor from afar, a human." Her voice was ethereal. "I am the guardian spirit of this forest, 'Daiqing'."

She gently raised her hand, and a gentle force swept over it, calming the restless clamor. Some of the restless creatures lay prostrate on the ground, emitting submissive whimpers.

Ji Fa bowed and said, "I am Ji Fa from Xiqi. I have come to seek the cooperation of the demon race to fight the blood plague. I have heard that the demon race here is beset by a curse, so I have come to offer my assistance."

Dai Qing nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over everyone, lingering briefly on Lü Shang, a hint of surprise flashing across her face.

"A curse..." she sighed softly, "These 'monsters' were originally your kind."

They became like this because of a tragedy that happened hundreds of years ago.

Her gaze shifted to the outside of the hall: "At that time, Elder Mu Ke and his people first arrived here."

The nearby human villages were filled with fear and rejection, and conflicts gradually arose.

Elder Mu Ke's two children were kidnapped by villagers... His son was tortured to death, and his daughter committed suicide after being humiliated.

Dai Qing's voice lowered: "Mu Ke, filled with grief and rage, came to this ancient ruin. He used his blood as a sacrifice, unleashing a forbidden blood technique to summon and bind a powerful ancient spirit—the prototype of 'Ice Fang'."

"Ice Fang begins his revenge, hunting down villagers."

But the curse got out of control.

It not only killed its enemies, but also twisted the innocent and even some demons into "negative arrogance." The curse spread like a plague.

"After I discovered it, I tried to calm this violent force."

It took a century to restore even a fraction of the shrewish, domineering to their former sanity. I have been searching for a way to completely lift the curse.

She looked at Ji Fa, "And this method requires the assistance of Mu Ke himself—he is the creator of the curse."

Everyone was shocked.

Dai Qing continued, "But Mu Ke was unwilling. Because the spirit he summoned—that is, 'Ice Fang'—had, over the long years, differentiated into my 'Dai Qing' aspect."

We are of the same origin, all of us are curses created by him.

More importantly... Mu Ke's life was already bound to the curse itself.

If the curse is lifted, he will perish as well.

The hall was deathly silent.

"He has lived for nearly a thousand years, sustaining his life through curses."

Dai Qing said with pity, "Breaking the curse means that his long life, filled with hatred, will come to an end."

He was afraid of death; that was the reason for his hesitation.

Ji Fa remained silent for a long time before looking up and saying, "We... brought him to see you."

***

Returning to the forest entrance, Muke remained standing in the same spot.

"Elder," Ji Fa stepped forward, "we met the forest goddess Dai Qing. She told us... everything."

Mu Ke's body suddenly trembled.

"The curse must end, Elder."

Lu Shang stepped forward, his voice clear, "This is not only for this forest, but also for your people, and even more so for those innocent lives that have suffered because of the curse."

Mu Ke looked sharply at Lü Shang.

"I know a girl," Lü Shang said, his voice trembling slightly. "She's about the same age as your daughter was back then."

Mu Ke's eyes softened for a moment amidst his shock.

She was kind, innocent, and longed for sunshine. But she was born with your curse on her shoulders.

She was unaware of the grudges from hundreds of years ago, yet she was treated like a monster, subjected to fear, and driven away... ultimately dying in despair.

He stared into Mu Ke's eyes: "I know your pain."

But you have spread this pain indefinitely, causing countless innocent lives, just like your daughter's, to atone for a debt from a hundred years ago.

Elder, your revenge has long since changed. It has become an excuse for you to prolong your life, a morbid sin that devours your entire tribe!

Mu Ke's cheek muscles twitched.

"Look at your people!" Lu Shang pointed to the dilapidated treehouse in the distance.

"They are dying! Not because of external enemies, not because of the blood plague, but because of the curse you yourself have sown!"

You are the one who brought them to the brink of extinction!

Every word was like a heavy hammer blow.

The gloom on Mu Ke's face gradually faded, revealing the deep-seated fear and confusion beneath.

His lips trembled, and he couldn't speak.

Lü Shang's sudden remarks surprised everyone.

Moreover, the stubborn clan chief in front of him was indeed swayed by these words.

Ji Fa said in a deep voice, "Elder, the goddess is waiting for you. She says that lifting the curse requires your will. We will go with you."

After a long silence, Mu Ke nodded very slowly.

"Okay... I'll go see her."

***

Stepping into the main hall of the ruins again, the atmosphere was completely different.

Mu Ke stood in the hall, facing Dai Qing, who was bathed in a halo of light.

The previous gloom and weariness on his face were gone, replaced by a deep, almost arrogant coldness.

"Daiqing," he began, his voice hoarse, "or...should I call you 'Ice Fang'?"

Dai Qing looked at him quietly, without denying it.

Mu Ke sneered: "What forest goddess? You're nothing more than a spirit I summoned back then!"

Ice Fang is the form of your anger and destruction, while Azure is the face of your remaining reason and compassion!

"I gave you form, I gave you existence!"

Dai Qing gently shook her head: "Mu Ke, I did indeed originate from your summons."

But a century has passed, and I have developed my own independent will.

I have witnessed your suffering, and the even greater suffering that has arisen from it. The curse must end.

"The end?" A fierce glint flashed in Mu Ke's eyes.

"Why? The descendants of those villagers are still living well in nearby towns! And my children?! Their bodies are long gone!"

"You are unwilling to lift the curse not only because of hatred."

Dai Qing looked directly at him. "It's because—your life is bound to the curse. You're afraid of death, and that's your real hesitation."

Mu Ke swayed.

He suddenly looked at Ji Fa and hissed, "Ji Fa! Help me kill Bingya! My clan will then aid you!"

Ji Fa remained silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "Using evil to control evil is not what I desire."

"Hahaha!" Mu Ke laughed maniacally, his gaunt face contorted with venomous resentment. "Then you will all perish with my curse!"

He suddenly spread his arms wide, no longer concealing the terrifying spiritual energy that had accumulated over nearly a thousand years.

A blood-red spiritual pressure exploded outwards from him, causing dust to fall from the dome of the main hall!

On the ground, dark red, vein-like magic array patterns meandered and lit up, emitting an ominous glow.

Those who had been gradually calming down under the azure halo suddenly had their dark red light surge up and let out a frenzied roar.

"Watch out! He has fully unleashed the curse's essence!" Han Ling shouted.

Shen Gongbao rapidly formed hand seals, his expression grave: "This old monster's cultivation... far exceeds our expectations!"

Several talismans shot out, crashing into the charging hordes of hordes and exploding into bursts of flame, but only slightly slowing their movements.

Mu Ke ignored everyone else, his murky eyes fixed on Ji Fa.

His withered fingers traced lines in the air, and he uttered ancient and obscure syllables.

The floor of the main hall shook violently, and several vines burst through the stone, wriggling and wrapping around Ji Fa at an astonishing speed!

Ji Fa drew his longsword, its light flashing like a silver dragon, severing the first two attacking vines.

However, the black liquid splattered from the broken edge, corroded the stone slab when it landed, and emitted hissing white smoke.

More vines surged in from all directions, and together with the frantic attacks of Fu Xiao, Ji Fa was instantly driven into a dangerous situation.

Lu Shang, positioned to the flanks of Han Ling and Shen Gongbao, appeared to be merely using a rough wooden stick he had picked up to awkwardly parry and dodge Fu Xiao's sharp claws.

His face was pale, his breathing was rapid, and he looked completely panicked.

However, beneath his lowered eyelids, a golden light subtly flickered deep within his pupils.

With his spiritual vision fully activated, he could see the massive and chaotic flow of spiritual energy in Mu Ke and the energy nodes of the curse array.

The invisible "curse line" between each of the scourges and the mukes was clearly visible to him.

It's now!

Lu Shang pretended to be swept away by a raging winged wind, staggered and fell behind a stone pillar, at an angle that was just out of the sight of most people.

In the instant his body concealed himself, he brought his right index and middle fingers together and, with an extremely slight movement, pointed them in mid-air at an inconspicuous point where the dark red magic circle beneath Mu Ke's feet intersected.

There was no radiance, no sound.

But a highly condensed, pure thread of spiritual energy, containing the intent of "breaking" and "disrupting," pierced precisely into the core of the array like an invisible needle!

Mu Ke was manipulating the vines to fiercely attack Ji Fa when he suddenly felt an extremely subtle yet penetrating sense of stagnation beneath his feet.

The surging spiritual energy within him became disordered, and the pressure he released fluctuated slightly. The vines he controlled also stiffened for a moment.

This flaw was fleeting!

But for Ji Fa, Han Ling, and Shen Gongbao, who were desperately seeking an opportunity, it was already fatal enough!

Ji Fa's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and the long sword let out a clear and melodious cry. The sword's momentum suddenly changed, turning into a dazzling stream of light, and it pierced straight into the open chest of Mu Ke, which was exposed due to the slight stagnation of spiritual energy!

Shen Gongbao seized the moment when the vine stiffened, bit his tongue, and spat a mouthful of blood onto the talisman he had prepared in his hand.

The talisman ignited with a dark purple flame, transforming into a firebird with outstretched wings. It shrieked as it passed through the gaps in the vines and rushed straight at Mu Ke's face!

"What?!" Mu Ke was both shocked and angry. He had no idea where that strange, stagnant feeling came from.

Just as he was about to forcefully unleash his spiritual energy to break free, Ji Fa's sword was already at his chest, and the purple firebird was hurtling straight at his face!

"Break!" Ji Fa shouted, the tip of his sword touching Mu Ke's protective aura, emitting a piercing friction sound, and slowly piercing in.

"Ugh—!" Mu Ke groaned in pain as his protective aura shattered and his longsword pierced his left shoulder.

The purple firebird exploded with a bang. Although he managed to dodge the attack by turning his head in time, it still scorched half of his hair and cheek.

He staggered backward, while Han Ling and Shen Gongbao had veins bulging on their foreheads, clearly having reached their limits as well.

Only then did Lü Shang scramble up from behind the stone pillar in a panic, looking utterly disheveled.

Mu Ke gasped for breath, half-kneeling on the ground, blood gushing from his left shoulder, his face charred black, and his breath rapidly fading.

He glared venomously at everyone, his gaze finally settling on Ji Fa, and he hissed, "Just a little bit more... that was just now..."

He couldn't comprehend the sudden disruption of his psionic energy.

Ji Fa pointed his sword at him, his face cold and stern: "You've lost, Elder. Stop now."

Lu Shang stood slightly behind the crowd, his head bowed as if he dared not look at the horrific scene. Only he knew that his palms were covered in cold sweat.

What seemed simple just now actually required incredibly precise control of psionic energy and accurate timing; the slightest mistake would have exposed it.

Just then, the goddess Daiqing in the halo suddenly turned her head slightly, and her warm eyes, which were filled with the vicissitudes of time, looked at Lü Shang briefly and clearly over the crowd.

His eyes held a hint of amazement and gratitude.

She didn't speak, but nodded very slightly in Lü Shang's direction, a faint smile seemingly flitting across her lips.

Mu Ke lay panting on the ground, his face filled with resentment and madness.

Lu Shang stepped forward and knelt down, his clear eyes sharp: "Elder, you keep saying you're avenging your children. But under this century-old curse, how many innocent people have suffered similar hardships to your daughter?"

Mu Ke's pupils contracted.

Lu Shang's voice trembled: "There is a young lady... who is unaware of the grudges from hundreds of years ago, yet she wants to atone for your debts from a hundred years ago."

Your revenge has long since become a sin that devours the entire tribe!

"Look outside! Your people are perishing! Not because of external enemies, but because of yourself!"

Every word shattered Mu Ke's last line of defense against paranoia.

The madness fades, revealing a deep-seated fear and bewilderment.

He looked around at the grotesque and menacing ruins, and at the desolate homes beyond the ruins, and finally, his murky tears streamed down his face.

"I...I..." he choked up.

Dai Qing walked to his side, stretched out her hand, her palm radiating a soft light: "Mu Ke, it's time to let go."

May your children rest in peace, and may this land and its creatures find release.

Mu Ke trembled as he looked at Dai Qing's hand, then at Ji Fa and Lü Shang, before finally fixing his gaze on the group of villains in the corner of the hall.

After a long silence, he nodded very slowly.

"Okay... I'll lift the curse."

Dai Qing smiled and took Mu Ke's hand.

A soft golden light shone from both of them at the same time.

The light rippled outwards, sweeping across the entire hall, overflowing the ruins, and spreading throughout the forest.

Wherever the light passed, the ferocious aura on Fu Xiao's body dissipated.

The wolf's mask faded, its fleshy wings retracted, and its dark red eyes regained their clarity.

They stood there blankly, their forms gradually changing, some reverting to demons, others transforming into humans.

The silver patterns on Jixiao's body shone brightly, and it raised its head and let out a clear and long cry. In the golden light, it transformed into a tall and agile hunter carrying an old bow and arrows.

He looked at Mu Ke, the hatred in his eyes gone, leaving only a complex gaze.

As the green light that Daiqing transformed into completely merged into the forest, the golden light inside the ruins hall gradually subsided.

Those who regained their senses, both human and demon, helped each other as they walked out of the hall.

As Lü Shang stood at the intersection of light and shadow at the palace gate, gazing at the newly reborn scene before him, a heavy weight in his heart began to lift.

He looked up at the clear sky.

Morning reeds, can you see them?

The curse on your people... has been lifted.

This forest, which you loved so much but had to flee from, has finally regained its rightful peace.

He seemed to see again that girl huddled in the corner of the cellar, tears in her eyes, yet trying to appear strong.

She saw the small boat on the banks of the Yellow River that carried her away, turning to ashes in the flames.

The pain in my heart still lingers, but at this moment, it is mixed with a sense of relief.

He couldn't save Asahi, which was his eternal regret.

But today, he prevented the same tragedy from happening to more innocent lives like hers in his own way.

He untied the knot of hatred, allowing this cursed land to regain its vitality.

If there truly is a spirit in heaven... I hope you know that on the banks of the Luo River, there will never again be a "Fu Xiao" like you, suffering pain and despair due to an undeserved calamity.

Rest in peace, morning reed.

Lu Shang gently closed his eyes, took a deep breath of the fresh and free air, and quietly buried the deep sorrow and longing in the softest corner of his heart.

Upon returning to the tribe, the news of the chief's death horrified all the demons.

But the curse had been lifted, and the young, newly appointed clan chief Mu He stepped forward and solemnly said to Ji Fa, "We keep our promise, and our clan will become your sharpest weapon."

Ji Fa returned the greeting: "I await good news."

As he left the ruins, Lü Shang looked back one last time. Sunlight filtered through the newly grown, lush canopy of trees, casting a warm, golden glow on the ancient ruins.

The cycle of hatred seemed to have truly been broken at this moment.