Chương 100: The Pavillion Woman

Zhu Old Six followed Zhao Old Eight all the way to the foot of the hill. Zhao Old Eight kept running up the slope like a madman, but Zhu Old Six stopped. He looked up at the hilltop. It was completely different from the barren wasteland he remembered. Now the hilltop was lush and green, full of life, birds singing and flowers blooming. Vaguely, he could see pavilions and towers hidden in the faint white mist, shimmering in and out of view.

"Something's wrong. Something's really wrong..." Zhu Old Six's heart was pounding. Back when he worked for that great cultivator, some of the brothers used to say that fox demons in the deep mountains would turn abandoned temples or hilltops into grand mansions to lure villagers in, making them sink into sweet dreams. It wasn't until their life force was drained that the villagers would wake up in a daze, but by then it was too late. They could only watch themselves die.

The delicate little pavilion on the hilltop looked exactly like what those brothers had described. Zhu Old Six's legs began to tremble. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolled down his forehead, soaking his clothes.

"Hahahaha..." Fang Cheng came charging up from behind, laughing wildly. He saw Zhu Old Six standing still and thought the old man was too tired to walk. So, being the good-hearted soul he was, he reached down, grabbed Zhu Old Six, and carried him up the hill.

"Second, Brother Fang, please put me down! I'm begging you! Wuwuwu..." Zhu Old Six was about to cry.

"It's fine, it's fine. I'm not tired. As a good person, I love doing good deeds more than anything. No need to thank me. Hahahaha..." Fang Cheng sped up, and in no time, they reached the hilltop. The hilltop was an open space. In the center stood an ancient wooden pavilion with vermilion doors tightly shut. Colorful painted lanterns hung from the eaves, candles burning inside, swaying gently in the breeze and giving off a faint, fragrant scent.

To the right of the pavilion stood a massive black pillar, over ten meters tall, carved with intricate patterns. At the base of the pillar was a carving of a fierce beast. Its body was like a sheep's, with a pair of goat horns on its head, but it had a human face with an enormous mouth that took up the lower half, revealing curved, sharp fangs. Above the mouth were a pair of blood-red eyes, gleaming with greed and cruelty. When Fang Cheng saw the beast carving, his expression suddenly changed.

His face turned cold and unfamiliar, and two words slowly slipped from his lips: "Taotie (饕餮)." Huh? Taotie? What the hell was that? Some kind of ancient beast like the Kunpeng(鲲鹏)? Fang Cheng scratched his head and asked himself. Why did I just randomly say "Taotie"?

"Second, Brother Fang, let's go back down..." Zhu Old Six's face was pale, drenched in cold sweat, his legs shaking uncontrollably. The scene was too strange. The crowd that had run from the village was all standing perfectly still, staring straight at the pavilion as if waiting for something, their expressions fanatical. Even Zhao Old Eight was no exception. He'd been possessed too, muttering like a madman: "Gold bricks... haha... big gold bricks..."

"They're all possessed, Brother Fang. Wuwuwu, please take me away..." Zhu Old Six begged. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"Everyone shut up! The Association Leader is about to come out." The bearded man suddenly appeared from behind and shot Zhu Old Six a fierce glare. Zhu Old Six flinched and quickly covered his mouth. Fang Cheng nodded in agreement and whispered to Zhu Old Six, "That's right. Stay quiet. As the saying goes, don't talk while eating or sleeping. Talking while eating reduces saliva amylase secretion, which affects digestion and absorption... Slurp... Hiss, hiss, hiss..." Zhu Old Six's head filled with question marks.

His mind was in complete disarray. Second, my Second, what the hell are you talking about? I can't understand a single word, and what was that weird noise at the end? It's terrifying. That's it. Everyone's possessed. I'm the only sane one left. Creak... The pavilion doors swung open. A woman stepped out. She wore white robes, like a freshly bloomed lotus, pure and unstained. Her eyes were clear as autumn water, rippling with soft light.

Her skin was pale as jade, with a faint pink blush like early spring peach blossoms. Her long black hair cascaded like a waterfall, falling to her waist.

"Greetings, Association Leader!" The bearded man was the first to kneel on one knee, lowering his head in a loud voice.

"Greetings, Association Leader!" The rest of the crowd dropped to their knees and shouted in unison, their voices shaking the earth. Zhu Old Six knelt too, pressing his forehead to the ground, his body trembling. But a flicker of doubt crossed his mind. This woman looked familiar. He felt like he'd seen her somewhere before. No, no, it must be the fox demon's trick. Focus. Don't let your mind wander, or you're dead for sure. Fang Cheng was puzzled too. Strange.

Even with his Heavenly Eye, he couldn't detect any Divine Energy or demonic aura on her. She seemed like an ordinary person. But even stranger, his stomach was itching like crazy. He wanted to swallow this woman whole. No, hold it in. See what she's up to first. Demon Sword, calm down. Hold steady. Hold steady...

"Rise, everyone." The woman's red lips parted, her voice drifting into every ear like a lark's song.

"Thank you, Association Leader." The crowd rose but kept their heads bowed, eyes fixed straight ahead, not daring to show the slightest disrespect. She was their god, their faith. They must remain humble and devout at all times. Only Fang Cheng stood among them, staring straight at her, like a wolf that hadn't eaten in a century, spotting a plump white rabbit on a moonlit night, desperate to devour it. The woman noticed his burning gaze. She seemed a little flustered, or maybe she just didn't care.

Either way, she ignored him and walked straight to the pillar. With a light tap of her toes, she floated up and landed on top of it. Buzz... A faint red glow rippled outward from the pillar like ripples on water. The glow grew thicker, enveloping the entire hilltop. At the same time, a strange sound of zithers and strings filled the air. It was like heavenly music, ethereal and beautiful. In that enchanting sound, time seemed to stop. Everything became peaceful and serene.

Everyone who heard it was mesmerized, forgetting all worries and sorrows. Slowly, they began to move. They started to dance along with the Association Leader. Yes, you saw it right. The woman on the pillar began to dance gracefully. Her body swayed with the music like a white lotus blooming in a pond, elegant and alluring. Every flick of her wrist, every sway of her hips, every arch of her back, every lift of her rear, every step she took, carried some strange power that spread outward, infecting the people below.

"What are you standing there for? Get moving! Shake it!"

"Come on, girls, follow me. Lower your heads. Feel the beat. One, two, three, lift your right foot, toes lightly touching the ground..."

"Two, two, three, turn around, switch to your left foot, light on your toes. Three, two, three, swing your arms wide. Four, two, three, sway your whole body..."

"I'm a butterfly in the flowers, fluttering my big wings. The bees see me and say, Sister, you dance so beautifully."

"I say, what can I do? I don't know how to gather honey. All I can do is shake my ass on stage and make the gentlemen smile. It's how I make a living. What else is a girl from a brothel supposed to do but sell her ass? Ahahahahaha..."