DIZION

Both Cheng Qiu and the young man were astounded by this sudden offer. She strolled towards the entrance and continued, "Actually… we're traveling across cities and provinces of this kingdom."

Cheng Qiu swallowed one last bite of fruit and worriedly asked, "This… Your Highness.. Will this be alright? Carrying a beast everywhere we go?"

The young man ignored him and beamed at her, "Master if it's to protect you, I'll come along."

Mu Feng's lips curved up, "Really???"

The young man nodded. Then she remembered, "What's your name?"

He smiled and paced forward, "Master, I'll let you give me a name."

She took and held both of his hands, lifted them in front of her chest and became enthusiastic as f.u.c.k, "If that's the case, then from now on, you're gonna be Hao Xi."

He chuckled, "Hao Xi?"

Cheng Qiu raised his eyebrow, "Your Highness, …" Then with a straight expression, he continued, "Cold as snow, solemn as night, dignified as queen, righteous as G.o.d and pure as jade."

Mu Feng's hands went cold. That was how she was often described by outsiders, these sixteen words would fall under her name in every moment she was mentioned by people. Little did they know, those sixteen words were merely exaggerated compliments. She then took her hands off from Hao Xi and clasped them behind her back, cleared her throat and said, "Okay, okay, you don't have to say anymore."

When the three exited the forest, they went back to the central area to venture around and find an inn for their stay in Gaodi Hill. Mu Feng noticed that Hao Xi seemed to be more observant than the rest of them, he'd sweep his gaze around like it's his first time seeing the outside. She kind of gets it. Before they met, this young man's cultivation was painfully low that he's unable to transform into anything other

They sauntered through the market, various fruits and vegetables were everywhere but for some reason, meat couldn't be seen anywhere. This intrigued Mu Feng, crops sure were abundant in the highlands but livestock shouldn't be this scarce. Speaking of which, when they were in the forest, they've seen not a single animal. In the row of vegetable sellers, a small eatery resided. As the three were about to enter, they were mobbed by a group of people led by an enthusiastic person waving his hands on them, "Young Daos.h.i.+, Young Daos.h.i.+!!" It was the old man from last night, plus his dozen comrades?

A man from his mob walked towards him, "Young Daos.h.i.+, thank you for saving our lives…"

Another one gleefully bowed, "Young Daos.h.i.+, thank you for saving us…."

Mu Feng didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "What is the meaning of this?"

The old man chuckled, "Young Daos.h.i.+, no need to be so humble. Last night you just captured the Human-Slaying TigerFox, we're here to give our utmost grat.i.tude."

Mu Feng glanced at the innocent Hao Xi beside him and let out a faint cough, "Old master, as I've said, the TigerFox hasn't killed anyone. It was harmed by something else!!"

But the old man wasn't listening at all. Some women from the mob noticed the delicate Hao Xi beside Mu Feng and started swarming around him.

"Young Master, were you related to this Young Daos.h.i.+?"

"Young Master, you don't look like you belong here, where are you from?"

"Young Master, Young Master…."

Cold as ice, Cheng Qiu remained still on the side. Some women intended to swarm around him but were driven away by his menacing eyes. The old man called his subordinates, "Fellows!!!"

All that cheerfully surrounded them paused before the old man spoke again. "Uh, Young Daos.h.i.+...to be honest, we have something to ask of you.."

Mu Feng lifted her chin, "Speak.."

The old man began explaining, "In your stay here, when you enter the forest or when you walked through the market…."

Cheng Qiu chimed in, "There was no meat around."

The old man pressed his palms together and pleaded, "That's right… Please young daos.h.i.+, we need your help right now. The people in this village were getting sick easily, humans still need meat to survive.."

The atmosphere turned serious. Mu Feng inquired, "Do you know why this happens?"

The man beside the old man responded, "The villagers would normally pet different animals on their own farm until one night, pigs from one farm got slaughtered by an unknown being. The next night, another farm's poultry got wiped out as well. And the following nights, slaughtering would happen until no livestock was left. We were afraid of petting new ones 'cause they'll probably be killed before we even consumed anyway."

"Take us to the farms," Cheng Qiu ordered.

The old man led them to one farm on the outskirts of the village. Not too far rested a well. Reeking smell of rotten flesh polluted the air. When the three peered on it, corpses were piled up on the bottom. The old man squinted and stroked his beard, "Those were probably some of the animals that got killed."

Hao Xi's eyes narrowed as he examined the animals on the well. His expression was serious, he called, "Master!"

Mu Feng knew it… The corpses of these creatures on the well weren't normal animals but demonic beasts. It really was hard to tell because these weren't alive anymore and already drowned in blood.

"Wait this isn't it," a man from the mob came over, ".. as far as I know, the governing body of Gaodi Hill ordered for a proper burial of dead livestock to avoid infectious diseases. This must be a new set of corpses. What do you think?"