I am Jinshan Youxia

We are only half a day's journey from the mountain where immortals are said to live.

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A few hours later.

"Splash~"

The river flowed on, and the bald man squatted by the river to fetch water. His frail and sickly son lay unconscious on a rock not far away, and the man glanced at him with concern.

It's almost here, but can my son really hold on until then?

Certainly possible.

He took a deep breath, looked up, and saw a horrifying scene: dozens of human heads were clustered together and floating down the river.

The bald man took a few steps back in fright, ran over, picked up his son, and stood there frozen in place.

Because the direction from which the heads were flowing was towards the mountain, a mountain where immortals are said to live. With such a terrifying sight appearing, could there really be immortals inside?

"Ugh~" The boy let out an unconscious soft moan, his thin body still shivering from the cold despite the warm May weather.

Standing on the tree, Zhang Chengyi frowned as he looked out. The head without any wounds was clearly a human-faced fruit made by the Peach Fruit Man.

In the original work, it seems that only one head fell down and attracted the attention of the main characters, but how come it became a pile in his case?

Would the Peach Fruit Tree, planted by the Peach Fruit People, really cause so many people to lose their heads under normal circumstances?

It's worth noting that the Peach Fruit People have always used the Human-Faced Fruit in their medicine, and the potions they create are described by true immortals as having "immediate effects in treating injuries, even if they are not elixirs of immortality." They probably wouldn't just throw away human heads randomly.

To be honest, he came to find the Peach Fruit People hoping to obtain the elixir of immortality, but now it seems...

Midori's voice rang out: "Lord Rat God, that boy is dying."

"He has tried his best, but even if he were a celestial being, there would be no medicine that could cure him."

"Splash~" The river was still flowing, carrying away the bustling crowds, a scene somewhat like the Sanzu River in hell.

The bald man didn't shout or make a fuss. He just watched his son's breathing grow weaker and weaker. Without thinking too much, he set off and ran into the eerie and gloomy mountains.

Cui Zi said again, "Lord Rat God, there is a demonic aura in the mountains."

Could it be a Peach Fruit Person?

A thought flashed through Zhang Chengyi's mind. He plucked two hairs and had Cui Zi transform them into two identical field mice. One of them chased after the bald uncle up the mountain, while the other followed him along a dangerous path that humans could not traverse.

Before long, he climbed to the mountainside and could see the building that was burning fiercely in the distance.

I'm late.

According to the comic's plot, after the main characters dealt with the Peach Fruit Man and the Human-Faced Fruit Tree, they left directly without paying any attention to the immortal's residence on the mountain.

Not only is there demonic energy now, but the house is also on fire, so the main characters should have already left.

Wait, so their next step should be to eliminate the Demon Master's stronghold...

Will Naraku destroy the exorcist stronghold for the sake of the Shikon Jewel shards?

"Bang!" The burning building wall suddenly burst open, and a giant praying mantis flew out, chewing several human-faced fruits in its mouth.

Flaming debris from the building crashed down, sending sparks flying everywhere.

After swallowing the human-faced fruit, the mantis monster returned to the burning building. With a loud explosion, another monster, a giant centipede, burst through the roof, and the entire building was completely destroyed. Without ignition, the flames began to go out.

What the centipede monster was holding in its mouth was not a human-faced fruit, but a charred human corpse.

The two monsters collided and quickly turned into a face-to-face battle. Both had hard exoskeletons, and they tangled together, making a racket. In the end, it was the smaller mantis monster with sharp forelegs that created the first opening, and the filthy, foul-smelling centipede flesh and blood gushed out.

Was it a monster attracted by the human-faced fruit? Or does the immortal have some monster enemies? Or was it a monster attracted by the person trapped in the bonsai garden in the manga?

Zhang Chengyi squatted on the mountain path, which was so narrow for humans that there was nowhere to step, but was just right for him, looking at the ruins of the immortal's abode, where two demons were fighting to the death.

Now is the moment when he needs to make a decision.

Should we turn back to eliminate the Demon Master's stronghold, or continue heading towards Maple Village?

He frowned as he pondered. He had a good impression of the exorcists. If Naraku didn't know that he had destroyed the Shikon Jewel shards, and still went to destroy the exorcists' stronghold as in the original story, the exorcists' fate would probably not change.

So, should we waste time going back to save them?

Chapter 161 Live on, live on in pain

Why think so much? I'll just go my own way and have Cui Zi send a puppet back to deliver the message.

Zhang Chengyi almost immediately chose another path from the options.

It would be troublesome to send him back after he's already gone so far. Even if he has a good impression of the exorcist and the two main characters, Sango and Kohaku, it doesn't seem worth it for him to disrupt his plans for others. Anyway, Midori can create two puppets, so sending one back to remind Naraku of his conspiracy will be enough.

What the main characters really need isn't power. With Kagome, who can instantly kill any demon when she unleashes her full power, and Inuyasha, whose potential is limitless, they wouldn't be afraid of anyone in a real fight.

At this point, Naraku wasn't really that strong. After all, after Kikyo died, he lost the motivation to become stronger as a devoted follower. He lived a muddled life, recklessly hurting others for amusement. If the Shikon Jewel shards hadn't suddenly appeared, he would probably still be somewhere harming humans, no different from any other demon.

He only started to become stronger after discovering that Kagome was the reincarnation of Kikyo, and his actions became highly purposeful after meeting Kikyo.

If we're talking about the most devoted (and sycophantic) lover in the world, I think Naraku is second to none.

In the distance, the field mouse Midori had already climbed to the ruins on the mountainside. The two monsters were killed instantly with just a touch, almost without any resistance. In her previous life, she could purify the souls of ten monsters in one breath. Now she was even stronger, and the two nameless minions were no match for her at all.

Zhang Chengyi also climbed over, carefully avoiding the still crackling and burning building materials as he searched, but unsurprisingly found nothing.

Sure enough, nothing was left in this building that belonged to the immortals.

A great fire, two monsters, and all that's left is a vast, barren land.

“The ground tainted by evil energy will be unable to grow anything for a long time.”

The field mouse, Midori, pressed her paws to the ground and said calmly, "Lord Mouse God, could you please let this puppet body stay here for a while? I want to purify the evil energy in the land."

“Okay.” Zhang Chengyi nodded like a human and said, “After the purification is complete, go back to the demon exorcist’s stronghold. There is a half-demon named Naraku who has his eye on them. That guy controls a human city and may very well use a diversionary tactic to destroy the stronghold.”

“Yes,” Midori the field mouse replied, then added, “The father and son will be here soon.”

She controlled another puppet to eliminate several monsters that had been attracted to the mountain path that humans could pass through, but there was no need to report these things one by one.

Having fought monsters day and night in life and whose soul continues to battle even after death, she finds it somewhat difficult to adapt to her current peaceful life.

"I see." Zhang Chengyi arrived at the high point of the ruins. On the mountain road, he could vaguely see the bald uncle carrying his son and walking quickly.

"It's a real shame that there are neither immortals nor a cure."

The bald man, who had finally reached the ruins, collapsed to the ground, held his son whose breathing was growing weaker and weaker, and cried loudly. Then he got up again and searched around in the ruins, shouting loudly, hoping to get help from the immortals.

All his efforts were in vain. Only after the boy died completely did he kneel down in the ruins without saying a word, then hugged the body and went down the mountain in a daze.

In such a chaotic world, without the 'Rat God' and the witch by their side, they would probably have died in the village last night, and would never have been able to reach the end of their hopeless journey.

But for the bald man, which is better: to die with hope, or to live a painful life alone after hope is shattered?

Live on, keep living, live through the pain. There is always hope in living. Over time, humanity will forget all the pain of the past and find the next hope.

Zhang Chengyi watched the whole process, already having made up his mind, and then suddenly asked, "Cuizi, if I were to die, would you save me?"

"How could Lord Rat God..." Cui Zi was somewhat puzzled, but did not say the word 'dead'. In her opinion, an energy that could enhance the soul out of thin air and make spiritual power infinite could not possibly be unable to overcome even life and death.

Zhang Chengyi laughed and said, "I'm just an ordinary field mouse, and I probably only have less than two years left to live."

Cui Zi did not respond.

"I'm entrusting the matter of returning to the demon-slaying stronghold to report to you."

Zhang Chengyi had already dropped the topic. He was simply curious about what kind of feelings Cui Zi had for him, which was why he asked. Now it seems that she's just so-so.

The bond between trainers and Pokémon truly needs to be cultivated slowly during the journey.

He didn't linger on the mountain for long. He quickly descended, checked his bearings, and continued towards Maple Village.

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One day later, at the demon-slaying stronghold.

"Lord Rat God?" Amber stared in surprise at the field mouse that had disappeared for several days and then suddenly reappeared. She recognized the field mouse from its pure spiritual energy and bowed in respect.

“I am Midori,” Midori the field mouse revealed her identity, “I want to see your leader.”

Amber obediently led the mouse back to her home.

"Mica, this is your favorite food!"

Coral was holding a fish and slowly approaching her two pet cats.

"Meow!" Mica struggled, glanced disdainfully at her mistress's hand holding the fish's tail, bit off the front half of the fish's body, then turned and jumped onto the wall and left.

Coral sighed, tossed the half-fish body she was holding into the bucket beside her, turned to look at the field mouse, and asked uncertainly, "Lord Mouse God?"

Although they were exactly the same, and the feeling of spiritual energy was no different, she instinctively sensed some deeper differences.

Amber explained, "It's Lady Midori; she wants to see Father."

The leader of the exorcists came out of the house and said, "What business does Lady Cuizi have with me?"

Cui Zi explained her purpose to them, and specifically emphasized that they should not leave the mountain stronghold recently.

“Naraku…” The demon-slaying leader frowned in thought. He felt like he had heard the name of this demon somewhere before. “I remember now, it’s—”

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, the field mouse Midori threw a stone imbued with spiritual energy into an open space not far away.

The air rippled, and a hornet-like monster, blackish-purple in color with glowing red eyes, appeared before them. Realizing it had been discovered, it immediately took to the air and disappeared into the horizon at an incredible speed.

“The most vicious insects are the most dangerous.” Field mouse Midori frowned.

This venomous insect is very troublesome. Not only does it reproduce at an astonishing rate, but it also carries miasma, has potent toxins, and can create barriers. It also flies at a very fast speed.

If we follow the Rat God's logic, it's highly likely that the half-demon Naraku controlled the most powerful swarm of insects.

"Mengxin Temple! I heard about the monster named Naraku from Master Mengxin at Mengxin Temple. I never imagined it was a half-demon."

The leader of the demon exorcists looked up at the most ferocious warrior who had disappeared into the sky, his expression very solemn.

Chapter 162 Monk Mengxin

Mengxin Temple.

Is Master Mengxin here?