Chapter 652

Chapter 652: The Two-Legged Sheep

“Ugh…” A-Man suddenly gagged as she neared, retching violently.

She furrowed her brows. “What’s cooking in this pot? I don’t like the smell.”

It wasn’t exactly unpleasant, but the scent made her skin crawl. A deep unease clawed at her bones, sending her heart into a frantic rhythm, as though her very instincts rejected it.

A faint metallic tang lingered in the air as they approached the cave.

From within, there was a subtle drip-drip sound, as if water was falling onto stone.

“I’ll go in first.” Windchaser moved swiftly, his expression dark as he stepped inside.

Moments later, he re-emerged, his face deathly pale. When he saw Lu Chao Chao about to enter, he raised a hand for the first time, barring her path. “Chao Chao, don’t go in. Inside…”

Windchaser’s gaze was shadowed with something unreadable. Though he was of the demon race, he often found that humans were far more terrifying than demons.

“What are you worried about? If there’s anyone in this world who has nothing to fear, it’s her.” Zhu Mo chuckled as he watched Lu Chao Chao stride into the cave. Then he elbowed Windchaser with a smirk.

“Honestly, you could’ve been a great demon king, but instead, you chose to play lackey. You could’ve ruled the demon realm, had countless wives and concubines… but here you are, tailing her like a servant. She didn’t even bind you with an oath—why bother sticking around?”

Zhu Mo’s eyes gleamed with a tinge of jealousy. “Unlike me, you had a choice.”

“I had no say. She placed a Master-Servant Contract on me. If she lives, I live. If she dies, I die. Even if I wanted to leave, I couldn’t…” The pride of the dragon race was unmatched—even among the celestial beings, they held their heads high.

To this day, Zhu Mo still felt bitter about being bound by such a contract.

Windchaser folded his arms, his expression indifferent. “Because you’re an idiot.”

Unlike Zhu Mo, Windchaser had chosen to follow Chao Chao of his own free will.

To protect her. To stand by her. It was his decision.

But Zhu Mo? He had been shackled to her since the beginning.

For dragons, whose very nature was freedom, such submission was humiliating.

It was simply that his fists weren’t strong enough to resist.

Zhu Mo’s face darkened. “Idiot? You’re the idiot! A lone wolf who eats alone and dies alone!”

Windchaser turned on his heel and walked away without another word.

As Lu Chao Chao ventured deeper into the cave, the stench grew stronger. The air became damp, the floor beneath her feet turning slick.

At the very end, a large circular pool lay beneath a trickling rock formation. Water droplets fell steadily from above, feeding into the crystal-clear basin.

“This cave is secluded and well-hidden, its paths winding. Those people must have been staying here for some time.” Xie Yu Zhou bent down, scanning the area. There were clear signs of habitation.

Suddenly—

Crack.

Something snapped underfoot.

Xie Yu Zhou looked down and brought his torch closer. He picked up a small, pale bone.

“This… what is this?” He froze, his mind struggling to comprehend.

“Why are there so many children’s clothes here?” A-Man whispered, glancing around. Scattered across the ground were tiny garments, both for boys and girls. Dried blood stained the fabric in patches, sending a chill down her spine.

Mai Feng’s face went stark white. He clutched Shan Shan in his arms, his entire body trembling.

“Shan Shan, don’t look. You’ll be scared.” He shielded the child’s face, unwilling to let him witness the horror.

Soon, they unearthed rope, bloodied knives, and—

Tiny bones.

Lu Chao Chao covered her mouth, grief flashing across her eyes.

She turned and rushed out of the cave, her expression pale as snow, but in her gaze, flames burned—an uncontainable fury.

As expected, the creatures guarding the cave entrance were watching the bubbling pot with vacant, bloodshot eyes. A faint sorrow flickered within them.

Lu Chao Chao kicked the fire apart in a swift motion.

She grabbed the pot and set it on the ground, inhaling sharply. Her hands trembled as she took a wooden stick nearby and stirred the broth.

A small, white bone surfaced.

A guttural wail split the silence.

The creatures reared up, but instead of attacking, they froze. Windchaser moved in front of Chao Chao protectively, but the creatures made no move to approach.

Their howls were mournful, echoing with despair and agony.

A-Man’s lips quivered. “T-they’re… fingers…” she choked, covering her face, her shoulders shaking as sobs escaped her.

Silence swallowed the group.

Lu Chao Chao, her movements mechanical, retrieved the bones from the pot. A-Wu staggered outside, retching violently.

The creatures wept, crimson tears streaming down their faces. Yet their rigid bodies couldn’t even reach forward to cradle the bones.

“They say demons are cold-blooded and should be hunted. But looking at this…” Windchaser sneered, his killing intent surging. “Humans in times of war and disaster are far more monstrous than any demon.”

“No wonder they were being hunted down. Serves them right! Those beasts! They don’t deserve to be called human!”

“These bones…” Xie Yu Zhou clenched his fists, his heart aching.

“‘The Two-Legged Sheep, the Rotten Bones, and the Firewood.’ It’s all real… I thought it was just an old tale meant to scare children…” A-Man wept.

Shan Shan had slipped from Mai Feng’s grasp, peering at the bones with wide, unblinking eyes.

“The ‘Two-Legged Sheep’—a term for young girls during war and famine, their flesh said to be sweeter than lamb.”

“‘The Rotten Bones’—referring to infants, whose meat was soft and tender.”

“‘The Firewood’—used for old, thin men, deemed too tough to eat without prolonged cooking…” Yu Shu whispered, her eyes rimmed with red.

Zhu Mo’s face twisted with rage. “I should’ve torn them to pieces earlier. They deserved worse!”

Lu Chao Chao gently gathered the remains, her gaze filled with sorrow as she looked at the creatures who had lost all sense of self.

She retrieved a Little Spirit Hoe from her space. Together, they dug a small grave and laid the bones to rest before the grieving creatures.

Blood-red tears dripped from their vacant eyes.

Their madness had reached its peak. They were beginning to attack indiscriminately.

Lu Chao Chao subdued them, her expression glacial.

Then, she raised her hand.

“Summon Black and White Impermanence, come forth.”

The air was still.

Lu Chao Chao’s heart sank. Again, she called out.

“Summon Black and White Impermanence, come forth.”

Still, no response.

A third time.

Finally, the space before her twisted.

Two figures materialized, one in black, the other in white.

“Little Ancestor, slow down, slow down—we’re here!” The duo immediately pleaded for mercy.

Their hats were askew, their faces haggard and exhausted.

Lu Chao Chao frowned. “What’s happening in the Netherworld? The Great Emperor Feng Du keeps a tight grip on things—why is there such disorder?”

The two ghosts exchanged glances, then sighed deeply.

“Blame it on the mortal realm’s calamities.”

“Lately, the death toll has skyrocketed. Even with all our ghost wardens out collecting souls, we can’t keep up.”

“And the strangest thing… some of the dead attack us. They’re impossibly strong… it’s causing utter chaos in the Underworld.”

“We can’t keep up… we just can’t…”