Villains: Starting with the Landlady

Page 151

Anu glanced at the peach blossom forest shrouded in mist. She had been here before, but had given up due to the dense fog. Although her strength wasn't top-tier, it was far superior to that of ordinary people. If even she couldn't penetrate it, it would be even more difficult for ordinary people to enter.

However, why is there such a thick fog here? Could it be that someone has placed a restriction on it?

"Anu, try using the Wind Spirit Orb to blow away the thick fog here."

"Oh!"

Anu slapped her forehead; she had almost forgotten she still had the Wind Spirit Orb. She quickly took the pillar out of her pocket, her mind focused, and then the Wind Spirit Orb glowed faintly. A gust of wind swept in, dispersing the mist in the area.

As the fog dissipated, a path suddenly appeared in the original peach blossom grove, seemingly carved out by human hands.

Ling Yun took the lead and walked over, followed closely by the two women who exchanged a glance.

After the three entered the peach blossom forest, the thick fog slowly gathered again, and the road disappeared into the fog.

After walking for a while, they came across an old-fashioned village. There weren't many people in the village, but as soon as they saw them, they hid inside their houses, only daring to peek at them through cracks in the doors or windows.

"What's happening here?"

Lin Yueru was about to ask a villager for directions, but these people were clearly unwilling to greet them.

Anu wandered around the village out of curiosity, and finally saw a woman by an old well.

"Hello, young lady."

Upon hearing Anu's words, the woman turned around. She was startled to see the three strangers, but she still forced herself to say, "Hello."

“We got lost in the woods and just happened to come here.” Yue Ru stepped forward. “Why did you people here hide when you saw us?”

“Our village is called Peach Blossom Village, and it’s isolated from the world. Today, a strange Taoist priest suddenly barged in. He was unreasonable and demanded that our village chief give us a treasure he’s kept for many years. He’s very powerful, and we’re no match for him, so when we saw you coming, we thought you were his accomplices and went into hiding.”

"Taoist priest?"

Anu perked up immediately: "Was that Taoist priest wearing a yellow robe and sporting a white beard and a topknot?"

"seems like it."

Anu immediately looked at Ling Yun: "Brother Yun, that must be Daoist Mu!"

Ling Yun glanced at the plain-looking woman and smiled gently at her: "Please lead the way, young lady. Perhaps we can help the old village chief out of this predicament!"

Chapter 350 Taozhi Yaoyao

Seeing that the group was so kind and honest, and that they seemed to have real skills, the woman led them to the old village chief's location.

The woman's name was Atao. She was an ordinary girl in the village, but since it was our first meeting, it was not convenient to ask about her specific age or anything like that.

Although A-Tao's rather lively eyes were always fixed on Ling Yun, the young man unusually behaved very seriously and focused on his journey.

It's simply because there are so many beautiful women around him that he doesn't feel anything for a woman with average looks and figure. If he has a supercar, why would he still think about an Alto?

Atao didn't suspect that the three of them were in cahoots with the Wooden Taoist. After all, the Wooden Taoist alone was enough to take the treasure and escape unscathed; there was no need to call for help. Although the treasures in their village weren't top-tier, they were still considered rare treasures in the outside world. If they called more people over, a fight might break out over the spoils.

After half an incense stick had burned, the four of them traversed a maze and arrived at a clearing in the forest.

Among them, an old man in a yellow Taoist robe held a sword to the old village chief's neck and shouted angrily, "Old man, hurry up and take out the longevity gourd, don't waste my time here!"

The old village chief gave him a cold look, and was just about to take out the treasure when he inadvertently caught sight of the four people approaching.

Upon seeing the woman, the old village chief's expression changed: "Atao, what are you doing here? And who are these people?"

No living person had entered their village for many years. This time, they came to interrogate them about the treasure, so the old village chief had developed a certain aversion to outsiders.

Lin Yueru and Anu simultaneously extended their palms to Ling Yun. Only then did the young man realize that both girls possessed the skill "All or Nothing," and he reluctantly took out some copper coins and silver.

Lin Yueru moved even faster. After grabbing the copper coins, she didn't throw them all out at once. Instead, she held onto a copper coin and threw it out, using the copper coin dart to hit the wooden Taoist.

Upon seeing this, Mu Daoren immediately removed his sword from the old village chief's neck, blocking the girl's attack.

The old village chief was no ordinary man; once he was out of danger, he immediately ran to the side, leaving only the wooden Taoist standing there.

"It's okay, just smash it up, there's plenty of money!"

As soon as Ling Yun uttered his domineering words, the two women shouted in unison and threw handfuls of copper coins and silver at him.

At first, the wooden Taoist could hold out for a while, but he was soon overwhelmed by the massive amount of copper and silver coins. Explosions kept occurring on his body, his longsword broke, his clothes tore apart, and blood and flesh flew everywhere.

When the two women subconsciously reached out to ask Ling Yun for money but failed and were instead slapped on the buttocks by him, they realized that the Wooden Taoist was already dead.

"Heh, this 'all or nothing' game is really interesting!"

“It’s quite interesting.” Ling Yun glanced at the package Lin Yueru had brought out earlier. “With this one smash, several hundred taels of silver are gone.”

"what?"

Although Lin Yueru was extravagant, she was using money she had brought with her, so naturally she was extremely distressed. Those several hundred taels of silver were enough to buy a large mansion, and now it was gone just like that.

But she still pretended to be nonchalant and said, "It's okay, as long as we can find the Water Spirit Orb, we can consider it as having bought it back."

Anu chuckled and ran towards the spot where Mu Daoren had been standing. Now, the ground was littered with treasures, all of which could not be destroyed by Qiankun Yizhi.

She searched for a long time before finally finding a bead, but this bead was not a Water Spirit Bead, but a Golden罡 Bead.

Although this bead isn't one of the spirit beads, wearing it still increases defense by a massive amount, at least five times that of the Lingyun Purple Gold Crown. This Wooden Daoist only survived more than ten Qiankun Throws thanks to the Golden罡珠; otherwise, he would have died long ago.

"Brother Yun, I was mistaken." Anu held the Golden Pearl. Although she had gained a treasure for free, it could not solve the current problems of the Bai Miao tribe.

Ling Yun held her and comforted her for a while. Anu was relatively weak, so he told the girl to wear the bead so that she could protect herself if she encountered danger.

"Shall we go find that Qilin horn now?" Lin Yueru interjected at the opportune moment.

Anu chanted a spell, and the Golden Pearl and Wind Spirit Pearl shrank several times in size. She strung them together and hung them around her neck: "Come back to Dali City with me!"

They didn't say anything to the old village chief of Peach Blossom Village or Ah Tao, after all, it was just a matter of course for them. The strength of that Wood Taoist was also very average, and he could easily handle it even without using the Qiankun Throw.

"Young hero, wait a moment!"

The old village chief's voice came, and Ling Yun turned around to see him take out a beautiful gourd from somewhere and walk towards the young man.

"This is the treasure that the Taoist priest wanted to seize, called the Longevity Gourd." The old village chief handed the gourd to Ling Yun. "Today I've finally figured it out. Even if we hide here, we can't stop those with ulterior motives from eyeing us. This kind of treasure is a hot potato in our hands. It should be handed over to someone more suitable."

Ling Yun took the gourd and looked at the old village chief, saying, "Aren't you worried that we also came for the treasure and were just putting on an act for you?"

"Haha, even I would accept it." The old village chief stroked his beard.

"Anyway, thank you very much, old village chief!" Ling Yun hung the gourd on his waist. "We'll be leaving now."

"Okay, take care!"

After the three left, Atao still stared intently at Lingyun's retreating figure, while the old village chief sighed, "Atao, we are demons, and that young hero is human. It is destined that we will not achieve our goal."

Atao sighed softly. A thick fog enveloped the entire village, and the villagers who had been there all came out of their houses and transformed into peach trees...

After Ling Yun and the two girls left the peach grove, Anu curiously poked the gourd at his waist: "Brother Yun, what is the use of this longevity gourd?"

"This treasure can reduce the energy and spirit consumed when casting spells and techniques, making it a pretty good auxiliary item." Ling Yun touched the gourd. "Moreover, its coverage area is quite wide; you can all enjoy this blessing while you're near me."

As they spoke, the group slowly walked to the outskirts of Dali City.

This isn't my first time visiting Lingyun in Dali, but just like Suzhou, although the names are the same and the geographical environments are roughly similar, the cultural landscapes and architecture are vastly different.

This was, after all, Bai Miao territory. As the young master, Anu led the way, and the guards dared not stop her, so they easily entered the city.

Watching the hurried comings and goings of Dali city residents and soldiers, Lin Yueru leaned closer to Anu and whispered, "Anu, are you preparing for war here?"

Anu nodded: "Because of the years of drought, the White Miao and Black Miao tribes are having a hard time. Coupled with the accumulated conflicts and the increasingly frequent actions of the Moon Worship Cult Leader, this war is inevitable."

Because the Fire Kirin Cave requires the clan leader's permission to enter, Anu led them to the council hall to discuss matters with the Southern Barbarian King.

Chapter 351 The Old Man of the Qilin

Inside the council chamber, the Southern Barbarian King was having a close conversation with his subordinates.

The guard at the door saw Anu coming and was about to speak when the girl pushed him away.

"Auntie!"

Upon hearing his daughter's voice, the previously worried Southern Barbarian King broke into a smile. However, when he saw Ling Yun, he was shocked but hesitated to acknowledge her.

Ling Yun looked at the chief of the Bai Miao tribe. She was only in her early thirties, with a beautiful and dignified appearance, somewhat similar to Anu, but with a more voluptuous figure.

"Anu, what brings you here?"

The Southern Barbarian King embraced his daughter who rushed towards him, and Anu whispered something in her ear, saying that they were going to the Fire Qilin Cave.

"Fire Qilin Cave?" The Southern Barbarian King's relaxed brows furrowed again. "Anu, I disagree. These are critical times. We could go to war with the Black Miao tribe at any moment. If you go to the Fire Qilin Cave at this crucial juncture, what if you offend the old man..."

"Mother, this matter involves the daughter of the Witch Queen!"

After listening to Anu's account, the Southern Barbarian King was very conflicted, but she didn't have time to deal with Anu. She could only patiently say, "Anu, once the war starts, you will be the acting tribal chief. Do you understand the burden you are now shouldering?"

"So I'm already the acting clan leader, and I can go directly to the Fire Qilin Cave?"

Anu's eyes darted around, and she chuckled.

The Southern Barbarian King was both amused and exasperated. Finally, he said helplessly, "Anu, please stop running around and making me worry, okay?"

“Yes, Anu, the chieftain has it very tough.” At this moment, a young man standing to the side spoke up, though he looked nothing like a Miao person, but rather Han. “Anu, you are the heir of the Bai people, of course your mother can’t let you take such risks! But don’t worry…”

"Tang Yu, who gave you the right to call me by my nickname?! How disrespectful!"

Anu glared angrily at the young man who had spoken. The young man named Tang Yu paused for a moment, then lowered his head awkwardly: "Yes, yes... Young Master, I was out of line."

"Humph!"

After Anu finished speaking, she ignored him and walked to Lingyun's side, taking his arm: "Mother, I'll go first, you two can continue chatting!"

"Anu!"

The Southern Barbarian King was anxious, but Anu pulled Lingyun away and quickly disappeared from the council hall.

The Southern Barbarian Queen glanced at the empty space outside, and then, recalling the young man's appearance, she rubbed her face with her hands. Her memory seemed to jump back to more than ten years ago...

"How annoying!" Anu pouted. "I'm all grown up now, but you insist on treating me like a child!"

Lin Yueru glanced at Anu and asked in a low voice, "Are you very familiar with that man named Tang Yu?"

Anu was startled, and after stealing a glance at Ling Yun's calm expression, she quickly said, "I only know him, we're not related. He's just a Han Chinese who grew up in Dali City, we're just acquaintances!"

"I'm not that petty." Ling Yun didn't even bother to turn around and look at the council chamber. "Just a nobody."

The three of them circled around and arrived at the entrance of the Fire Qilin Cave. Anu even tried to use her status as the acting clan leader to order them to let them pass, but the guards were very stubborn and wouldn't listen to anything they said.

"You!" Anu was so anxious she was about to jump up and down. "I'm the acting clan leader!"

"I'm sorry, young master, but unless we have the clan leader's written order, we will absolutely not allow them to pass!"

This infuriated Anu, and she was just about to roll up her sleeves and take action when Ling Yun used mental control on the two of them, making them move aside.

"Brother Ling, what you're doing..."

"I only know a little bit about this."

Ling Yun smiled mysteriously and took the lead into the cave.

Unlike other dark caves, the Fire Kirin Cave is filled with heat, and even the walls glow with a fiery red light, making the entire cave bright.

There weren't many forks in the road, and with the help of his X-ray vision, Ling Yun quickly reached the innermost cave and saw the Fire Qilin lying there asleep.

"I come!"

Anu released Lingyun's arm, jumped to the front of the Fire Qilin in a few leaps, and reached out to pluck its whiskers.

Just as her little hand grasped his beard, the fire unicorn suddenly awoke!

"Roar!"

A chilling roar echoed throughout the cave, and the fire qilin, its nostrils flaring with flames, instantly entered battle mode.

Ling Yun grabbed the stunned Anu and rushed forward without saying a word, striking the Fire Qilin's throat with a palm strike.

Accompanied by the dragon-shaped phantom and the roar of a dragon behind him, this lightning-fast palm strike accurately hit the throat of the fire qilin. Then, the fire qilin opened its mouth and spat out a red bead.

"Cough cough..."

The fire qilin coughed a few times and transformed into the appearance of an old man with a white beard.

"Grandpa Fire!" Anu felt a little relieved when she saw him transform into human form.

"Anu!" The old man with the Qilin stroked his beard and grinned, "Old man, you've plucked half of my beard. Could you leave me a few strands?"

"Hehe!" Anu covered her mouth and chuckled. She had a very good relationship with the old man Qilin, which was why she dared to pluck his beard.

"Young man, thank you." The old man with the Qilin looked at Ling Yun. "I knew it was because my throat was sore; it turns out I had a bead stuck in my throat. Here, you can take this bead if you want!"