Chapter 15 - Chapter Fifteen Huang Jiu's wife

Huang Jiu was also frightened by my expression and rushed back into the cave to ask what was wrong.Though I was panicked, my mind was still relatively clear.If I told him the truth, Huang Jiu would surely run away immediately.After a brief moment of thought, I nervously said, "Old Huang, no, Lord Jiu, you're now my ancestor, please stay away from me for a bit."Huang Jiu looked at me with confusion and fear, eyes wide with unease.I pretended to be in a rush and pushed him, saying, "You're surrounded by death Qi, you're sure to die today. Lord Jiu, considering I've let you absorb the incense for several days, I beg you, please let me off the hook."When Huang Jiu heard that, his yellow fur stood on end.His eyes bulged, and he exclaimed, "Little Li, are you joking with me?"I anxiously picked up the female corpse and shrugged him off, saying, "I'm not joking! I think I must've angered the Taoist from Laoshan last night. No matter how evil he is, he wouldn't kill someone, so he'll probably take his anger out on you."Huang Jiu, hearing this, leaped forward and tightly grabbed my pants leg. "Li-ge, I helped you last night. You can't just forget about that!""Brotherhood? Brotherhood is useless now! Get off me and stop following me." I kicked my legs, but Huang Jiu's entire body went rigid, and he refused to let go."Li-ge, if I hadn't risked my life last night, your wife would've already fallen into that Taoist's hands. You can't just abandon me like this!"Huang Jiu was nearly crying.I was touched by his words and said from the heart, "Lord Jiu, it's not that I don't want to help you, but look at me—I have this little bit of skill, what help could I possibly give? If you can find another helper, I, Li Yang, will risk my life to help you no matter what."When Huang Jiu heard "another helper," he froze for a moment, then slapped his thigh and said, "Look at me, I've scared you! Let's go to my place. My wife's back. Even if that Taoist comes looking for us, he won't dare act recklessly."Seeing that I had trapped him, I secretly sighed in relief.However, I still acted reluctant and said, "With your wife included, we might barely be able to deal with that Taoist."When Huang Jiu mentioned his wife, his eyes showed both caution and a hint of pride. Seeing my doubt, he pounded his chest and said, "Don't worry. With my wife here, as long as you break some of the tactics aimed at us, forget one Laoshan Taoist—ten of them wouldn't be able to do anything!"The more he boasted, the more at ease I felt.I pretended to be deeply troubled, like I was suffering from constipation.After a few seconds, I gritted my teeth and said, "Fine, no time to waste. Lead the way, let's go now."Huang Jiu was genuinely frightened by me. Along the way, his limp was gone, and if he weren't worried that I would run off halfway, he would've leaped straight to his home.The female corpse was over forty kilograms, and carrying her made me out of breath as I crossed several mountain ridges. Ahead was the edge of the vast Wanshan Mountain, with towering trees everywhere.This area had always been considered ominous by the nearby villagers, with countless eerie legends surrounding it, so no one ever ventured in.But now, I had no other choice. Huang Jiu had mentioned several times that his family didn't live deep in the mountains but near the edge.After walking for a while, we came across some tombs. Just looking at the gravestones, I could tell they were quite old.The further we went, the larger the burial mounds became.After more than an hour of walking, Huang Jiu finally stopped in front of a cemetery."Darling!" Huang Jiu lowered his voice and gently called out to the cemetery.I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, we had arrived.If we had gone any further, my legs would have given out.At this point, the death Qi above Huang Jiu's head had turned into a red aura.This meant that he wouldn't die just yet, but he was certainly in danger of a bloody calamity.Compared to being beaten by his wife, it was a little more severe.Feeling somewhat relieved, I couldn't help but slap the female corpse's rear.I was about to scold her when, suddenly, a delicate young girl's face popped out from behind a toppled gravestone.At first glance, I thought it was a large-headed doll.However, when the "doll" jumped onto the gravestone, I was so shocked that my mouth fell open, and I unconsciously loosened my grip. The female corpse fell to the ground with a thud.Standing on the toppled gravestone was a creature with a human head and the body of a yellow weasel.As soon as Huang Jiu saw this "monster," he dashed forward, kneeling with a thud, and clutching the creature's legs. He cried, "Darling, please save me! I don't want to die."Huang Jiu's wife looked at me with her bright, lively eyes, then kicked Huang Jiu several meters away with one swift motion. She placed her hands on her hips and pointed at me, scolding, "You idiot! How dare you bring a human to my house?"At this moment, my back was covered in cold sweat.I never thought a mountain spirit or wild creature could truly transform.Huang Jiu's wife had only partially transformed.This creature must have a very powerful background to marry someone like Huang Jiu.But…She did seem a bit pitiful.After being kicked away, Huang Jiu didn't stop for a moment. He crawled back to his wife and, sniffling and crying, told her everything that had happened.I was incredibly nervous. If she had gained intelligence from her partial transformation, my nonsense would no longer fool her.Sure enough, after hearing Huang Jiu's story, she kicked him away again and called him an idiot three times.Seeing this, I didn't wait for Huang Jiu's wife to speak. I stepped forward and tried to please her.Knowing Huang Jiu was a whipped husband, he must have told her all about me long ago.He might have even been sent to find me at her request.So, I didn't go into too much detail, but instead gently lifted the female corpse and rested her against my chest. "I can't offer much in return, but from what Lord Huang Jiu has told me, my wife comes from a powerful background. She's currently in a dangerous state. If the great immortal can help with this, I promise I will repay the favor in the future."I placed particular emphasis on the word "wife," knowing it would make her feel my words had weight.Huang Jiu's wife's expression changed on her delicate face, alternating between anger and contemplation.At that moment, Huang Jiu crawled back, holding a shiny golden smoking pipe, and handed it to his wife with great care.She took the pipe, and Huang Jiu eagerly helped light it for her.I had no idea what was going through his mind, but as I held the female corpse, I said, "If the great immortal doesn't wish to help, I'll leave now."At this moment, I had truly made up my mind to leave.Because sometimes, forcing someone to help requires strength.If Huang Jiu's wife refused to help, I had no way to force her.In fact, if I irritated her, I might not even make it out of this forest alive.So, it was better to leave early.As for the female corpse, I would protect her even if it meant risking my life.