Invincible Snake Emperor

Chapter 620: Chapter 596: Revisiting the Human-Demon Lovers

Besides, this was now a fallen territory.

Tu Xiao’an once again regretted how he’d lost his temper and killed the last shred of Demon King Liu’s Primordial Spirit, causing a complete fallout with Luo Ziyun.

If not for that, Luo Ziyun would have definitely gone with him to the War Relics to kill the Taotie.

But that was impossible now.

’For her, killing me is probably a higher priority than killing the Taotie.’

Tu Xiao’an stood outside the noodle shop, two images of a woman surfacing in his mind.

One was ugly, the other ethereally beautiful, but both were the same person.

After a brief pause, Tu Xiao’an turned and left, heading into a hutong alley. Chen Gaoyang’s courtyard house was located down this very lane.

Before long, Tu Xiao’an was gazing at the exquisite yet rustic courtyard house before him. The dark wooden gate, the gleaming brass door knockers—nothing had changed.

He was also surprised to sense a human presence inside.

’Chen Gaoyang is still here?’

Tu Xiao’an had been worried that Chen Gaoyang might have fallen victim to the Fierce Beasts. But on second thought, Chen Gaoyang had Haitang, the Cat Spirit, to protect him. Although the Cat Spirit was absolutely no match for a Fierce Beast, she was more than capable of escaping with him.

’But they didn’t run?’

Tu Xiao’an didn’t dwell on it. He pushed open the courtyard gate and stepped over the high threshold.

As he entered the square courtyard, the first thing Tu Xiao’an saw was a man in sunglasses sitting there, seemingly basking in the sun.

But Wencheng’s sky was currently shrouded in dark clouds. There was no sun for him to bask in.

Seeing Chen Gaoyang looking just the same as before, Tu Xiao’an felt a sense of relief. Wencheng had long since changed, reduced to ruins everywhere, but to the blind Chen Gaoyang, Wencheng hadn’t changed at all.

Suddenly, an extremely fast shadow flashed from Tu Xiao’an’s nine o’clock, launching a sneak attack.

The corner of Tu Xiao’an’s mouth curled up. Unhurried, he narrowed his eyes, and the space around him instantly froze in place.

The flashing shadow, of course, could not escape and was frozen mid-air.

The shadow’s true form was revealed to be a beautiful woman, the kind of beauty that could make one’s heart skip a beat at a single glance.

However, beautiful as this woman was, she wasn’t human. She was a cat.

”Haitang, it’s only been a month or so. Have you already forgotten me?”

The moment the frozen woman saw Tu Xiao’an’s face clearly, she exclaimed, ”Benefactor! It’s you, Benefactor! You’re back! Haitang deserves to die! I didn’t see who it was and attacked you!”

Tu Xiao’an smiled faintly. If he could be successfully ambushed by a mere Rank Two Cat Spirit, he might as well just give up.

With a thought, he released Haitang, and she landed on the ground.

”Benefactor, please allow Haitang to apologize,” the Cat Spirit Haitang said as she immediately knelt before Tu Xiao’an and kowtowed respectfully.

Tu Xiao’an shook his head. ”Get up. What are you kneeling for?”

”Haitang, is that my Brother Xiao’an who’s back?” As a blind man, Chen Gaoyang couldn’t see, but his hearing was exceptionally sharp, and he had heard the commotion long ago.

Tu Xiao’an walked over to Chen Gaoyang and steadied his arm. ”Brother Gaoyang, I truly didn’t expect you to still be here.”

Chen Gaoyang grasped Tu Xiao’an’s hand in return. ”Brother Xiao’an, it’s good that you’re back. Haitang said the outside is full of huge monsters and is extremely dangerous. I was so worried something might have happened to you.”

Tu Xiao’an was puzzled. ”Since you know there are so many Fierce Beasts outside now, why didn’t you run? This has become a fallen territory. The Fierce Beasts could arrive here at any moment.”

Chen Gaoyang shook his head. Haitang explained, ”Benefactor, you may not know this, but Brother Gaoyang said this courtyard house was passed down through the Chen Family for generations. He couldn’t leave it.”

’So stubborn?’

”But if you don’t leave, you’ll surely die when the Fierce Beasts come.”

Chen Gaoyang said, ”If the home stands, so do I. If the home is destroyed, I’ll die with it. Besides, I’m a blind man. What difference does it make where I go?”

”As for you, Brother Xiao’an, please help me persuade Haitang. I told her to leave, not to wait here to die with me, but she just won’t listen.”

At these words, Haitang looked at Tu Xiao’an with an anxious expression.

Ah, Chen Gaoyang. He still didn’t know his girlfriend was a cat—and a cat who had guarded the Chen Family for hundreds of years at that.

When it came down to it, Haitang’s attachment to this courtyard house was no less than Chen Gaoyang’s.

He had lived here for twenty-some years, all told. But Haitang had lived here for two or three hundred years.

”Brother Gaoyang, since you don’t want to leave, it’s alright. The Fierce Beasts outside have all been killed for now. Wencheng is temporarily safe,” Tu Xiao’an said with a smile. It was a good thing they hadn’t left; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to reunite with them.

With Tu Xiao’an around, it would be difficult for this Human-Demon couple to die even if they wanted to.

”The Fierce Beasts were killed? We’re safe? That’s wonderful!” Chen Gaoyang’s face lit up with a smile. ”Brother Xiao’an, let’s go inside and sit. We can have a good chat. Where did you go? You were gone for so many days.”

”Benefactor, Brother Gaoyang, I’ll go make you tea.”

Tu Xiao’an was quite familiar with this courtyard house. Chen Gaoyang was grateful to Tu Xiao’an for finding his girlfriend Haitang, while Haitang regarded Tu Xiao’an as an even greater benefactor, for he had not only saved her but also helped her achieve Transformation.

Speaking of which, Tu Xiao’an still had a promise to keep to Haitang the Cat Spirit, and this was the perfect opportunity to fulfill it.

He had promised to help Haitang become a Rank Three Cat Demon.

This would allow her to achieve a true and complete Transformation.

Afterward, Tu Xiao’an sat and chatted with Chen Gaoyang, getting a rough idea of what had happened.

Ever since the Fierce Beasts arrived, the Human-Demon couple had not once stepped outside. They had been hiding in the courtyard, living in their own little world, oblivious to the world outside being turned upside down.

In Chen Gaoyang’s words, you could hide for a while, but not forever. What’s meant to come will come. If Wencheng itself was on the brink of destruction, where could they possibly escape to?

If the Fierce Beasts truly slaughtered their way into this area, he would perish with his courtyard house.

It was hard to say if it was a case of fortune favoring fools or if Chen Gaoyang was simply blessed by heaven. This area had long been designated a fallen territory, yet somehow, it had not been visited by the Fierce Beasts.

But in Tu Xiao’an’s estimation, if he hadn’t killed those four hundred-odd Fierce Beasts, this place would have been wiped out within two days.

They say fate is one part life, two parts luck, and three parts feng shui. Being born in this centuries-old house, Chen Gaoyang could be considered to have good fortune on his side—truly blessed. Otherwise, he never would have met Tu Xiao’an.

Furthermore, while the people of Wencheng had fled for their lives, resulting in over a million deaths, this blind man had done nothing and was still alive and well, completely unaffected.

Tu Xiao’an was quite fond of this Human-Demon couple and had always had a good impression of Chen Gaoyang, so they found they had a lot to talk about.

Haitang had just finished brewing a pot of tea and was about to head to the main hall when a sinister-looking, strange old man bizarrely materialized in the courtyard. A raspy, aged voice immediately followed.

”Tsk, tsk. To think a Cat Spirit would be living in this house.”

CRACK!

The teapot fell to the ground. Haitang stared at the strange old man in terror. An boundless fear washed over her. Though she was in human form, she instinctively dropped to the ground in a crouch.

The strange old man was simply too terrifying. His mere presence was a crushing blow to a Demon like her, making any thought of resistance impossible.

”Little cat, this is a fallen territory. Aren’t you afraid of being eaten by the Fierce Beasts? They especially love to eat Demons like you.”

The strange old man’s gloomy eyes were terrifying. He stared intently at Haitang, making it unclear who was the human and who was the Demon.

”My lord, spare me! This Little Demon has done nothing to offend heaven or harm anyone. Please don’t come for me!”

Haitang subconsciously assumed this strange old man was here to capture her, a Cat Spirit.

”Little cat, you aren’t worthy of having me, the Director, come to capture you personally,” the strange old man continued with a sinister, hair-raising smile.

Hearing this, Haitang looked up with a terrified gaze and said, ”Could you be... the director of the Demon Management Bureau?”

”Tsk, tsk. It seems you haven’t spent all these years in human society for nothing, little cat. You even know of the Demon Management Bureau. It must be your good fortune that you haven’t been caught and thrown into the Demon Prison yet.”

”But today, your luck runs out.”

Haitang trembled in fear. The director of the Demon Management Bureau... that was an unimaginably powerful figure! Even with her Benefactor here, he couldn’t protect her.

But just then, a lazy voice spoke up.

”Wu Tianyi, you old slave. Who do you think you’re scaring?”

Haitang saw Tu Xiao’an stroll out from inside, looking perfectly at ease, but his words nearly scared her soul from her body. Her Benefactor actually called the director of the Demon Management Bureau an ’old slave’?

’Oh heavens, it’s over. We’re all doomed.’