Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao-Chapter 470 - 243: Escape!

"Daddy, Mommy, I will come back to see you," the young Cui Cui said before she turned her head, holding her dirty doll in one hand and extending her other hand to the middle-aged man. She looked up with an innocent smile that showcased her adorable little canines.

The moment the middle-aged man touched Cui Cui's hand, his heart, long sealed with dust, suddenly skipped a beat. Why did this smile feel so familiar?

Once, he had a warm family and a lovely daughter, a girl with little tiger teeth just like these. She, too, often placed her hand in his, gazing up with those innocent eyes.

In that instant, the adorable face of his daughter merged perfectly with Cui Cui's in front of him, prompting the man, long hardened, to feel a sudden urge to cry.

He couldn't help but tighten his grip, not wanting to let go for even a moment.

"Uncle, you're hurting me," Cui Cui's soft voice startled him from his reverie. Looking down at the slightly aggrieved Cui Cui, a sudden pain struck his heart. She was too similar, why did she resemble his daughter so much?

At this moment, the middle-aged man saw Cui Cui as a treasured jewel, examining her carefully as if he could never get enough of the sight, and his grip softened. Holding the little girl's hand was like holding the whole world.

The little demon beside them looked at Cui Cui with greedy eyes, knowing that child's flesh was most tender. Unfortunately, apart from this place, no other children of such size could be found in Lion Camel City. The thought made the little demon drool, yet he dared not act. After all, she was a tribute for the Great Kings.

Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.

The middle-aged man caught the greedy gaze of the little demon and his heart clenched. This child, this bright and innocent child, this child so similar to his own daughter, was about to embark on a path of no return, to forfeit her young life.

At that moment, the man could feel the pain of those people as he walked forward, holding Cui Cui's hand tightly, while the memory of a happy family of three flooded his mind.

He could not remember how long it had been since he walked holding his daughter's hand, her cute face and clear voice seeming to have been forgotten for so long.

He lowered his head, looked at Cui Cui, and murmured, "Cui Cui, can you call me 'Daddy'? I want to hear it."

Cui Cui raised her head and looked at this strange uncle. She didn't understand why her family disliked him, but she didn't. For some reason, Cui Cui could hear the pleading in the man's tone.

"Daddy!" Cui Cui hesitated, but eventually called out.

That call of 'Daddy' seemed to traverse time and space, arriving from the past and into the present. Tears could no longer be held back by the middle-aged man. His child, his child had died at the hands of ignorant Rebels.

From that day on, he grew to hate the world, hate those ignorant people. He vowed to repay the suffering he endured, the tears he shed, twofold upon them. So he abandoned his human dignity, started working for the brutal Demon Race, delivering their cherished children to the demons' mouths one by one.

Hearing their heart-rending screams, seeing those deep-seated looks of hatred, the middle-aged man always found a perverse sense of pleasure.

But today, he could not. As he looked at Cui Cui, whom he was leading by the hand, his heart ached so much he couldn't breathe. Was he to once again watch his child die before his eyes, then roar helplessly? He asked himself this, tormenting his soul.

Cui Cui did not understand her situation; death to her was just a word. The only thing that made her sad was that dying meant she would no longer see her daddy and mommy. And what would become of her doll?

Just then, she heard a middle-aged man's deep voice by her ear, "There's a big hole in the wall up ahead; crawl through it and whatever you do, don't look back."

Surprised by these words, Cui Cui turned around and saw a different kind of expression on the gaunt face of this uncle— it seemed to be one of resignation, as well as relief.

Before long, the group arrived at the edge of the city wall, and a small hole suddenly appeared before their eyes. The middle-aged man smiled at the escorting demon and said, "Great King, we've been walking for quite a while; may we rest our feet?"

The demon glanced contemptuously at the middle-aged man and said, "You humans really are too weak."

"Please understand, Great King, if this human gets too tired, their flesh will become sour and won't taste good. It would be hard to explain then," the middle-aged man said with a forced smile.

After pondering for a moment, the demon said, "You do have a point; sour human flesh indeed tastes bad."

He knew that if their three Great Kings were in a foul mood and the offering tasted bad, his own life would be at risk, so he agreed to the middle-aged man's request.

Taking advantage of the situation, the middle-aged man pressed on, "Children are afraid of the wind, let's rest by the wall for a while."

"Go on, just go. Your bodies really are frail," the demon said with a wave of his hand, clearly annoyed.

The middle-aged man took Cui Cui to the base of the city wall and looked around to find that the demon wasn't paying much attention to them. After all, they were just two ordinary humans, posing no threat to a demon, thus their guard was lowered.

"Do you remember what I just said?" the middle-aged man asked Cui Cui again.

Cui Cui nodded firmly, her large eyes filled with determination that made the middle-aged man momentarily dazed. His own child had once looked at him with the same conviction, yet he hadn't been able to save her. Now it was Cui Cui's turn, and he couldn't help but pray for divine favor, even though he had cursed the heavens more than once over the years.

"Run!" the middle-aged man said in a low voice.

Cui Cui began her frantic escape; her young mind devoid of any other thoughts except for the middle-aged man's last words. Her small body easily slipped through the small hole, embarking on her journey to survive.

The complacent demon not far away realized the offering had fled and let out an angry roar, ready to rush outside the city to capture Cui Cui.

However, as he ran toward the hole in the wall, the middle-aged man desperately clung to his leg, preventing him from moving forward.

Within that frail body, a terrifying strength burst forth, fiercely resisting the demon's advance.

The demon's face instantly turned to one of rage. He raised his fist and furiously pounded the middle-aged man's back. Fresh blood soaked the man's clothes, but he did not let go.