My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion-Chapter 944 - 547: Vegetable People (Double - ) (Part 2)

The Green Grain Flying Sword came very close.

The path ahead seemed to get shorter and shorter, and a faint halo appeared at the edge of vision. Chen Yi looked into the distance, yet still couldn't see clearly. As he walked a little closer, it was still as indistinct as before.

As he slowly approached, it felt like passing through a long tunnel, and the faint halo illuminated the building ahead, its outline gradually emerging before Chen Yi's eyes.

An inn?

No,

A market!

The hustle and bustle of the market suddenly filled his ears. Chen Yi stood still in a daze for a moment, his knuckles unconsciously touching the hilt of his knife. Two rows of crimson lanterns hung high, and after taking two steps forward, the warm steam from a sugar painting stall hit his face. Porters in short-sleeves carried sacks of rice through the crowd, their cloth shoes crunching over scattered dried dates. A child with double buns chased a bamboo pinwheel through the throng, crying out after bumping into someone and bursting into tears.

What a busy and prosperous scene.

It starkly contrasted with the lingering fear on their faces, and even more so with the pitch-black Demon Refining Abyss.

Pedestrians came and went, skirting around them on either side. An old vendor ahead pulled a donkey cart, shouting for people to make way:

"Move, move… why block the way here?"

Chen Yi snapped back to reality, glanced around, stepped aside to make way, and after everyone passed, he collected himself and walked under a tea house canopy.

"Would the guests like a pot of tea?"

Chen Yi directly asked, "Where is this place?"

"What do you mean where is this?" The shopkeeper smiled warmly and said, "You're from out of town, better have a pot of tea first."

Chen Yi narrowed his eyes slightly, leading Yin Tingxue to sit down, casually pulling the wandering flying sword to the table's edge. The Little Fox curiously observed everything around, the diverse people on the street bustling about, lively as a night market during the Lantern Festival.

As soon as they sat down, the shopkeeper brought over a pot of tea.

Behind the shopkeeper, a guest at a table on the second floor waved and called out, "Shopkeeper, bring some soy sauce over here."

"Alright."

The shopkeeper quickly went upstairs, and after a while, his figure was visible by the window. However, you could only see his back; you never saw him carrying a bottle of soy sauce upstairs. After some inexplicable fiddling, the customer said,

"It's flavorful enough."

"Alright, call me if it's not enough."

The shopkeeper stepped down the stairs with small steps.

A steaming pot of tea sat on the table, but Chen Yi was in no hurry to drink it. Instead, he asked again, "Where is this place?"

The shopkeeper paused, turned his head, and said, "This is my shop, sir."

"I'm asking where this market is?"

"Where else could it be, it's right here."

"Where is this?"

"Where is where? This is here."

After a series of mismatched questions and answers, Chen Yi remained silent for a moment, then asked, "Do you have any snacks to go with the tea?"

"Of course, can't make money without tea snacks." When it came to making money, the shopkeeper didn't hesitate a bit, turning and bringing over some tea snacks, a small bowl of noodles.

"Not flavorful enough, add some soy sauce."

"You haven't even tasted it yet, sir."

"Not flavorful enough." Chen Yi insisted.

The shopkeeper could only comply. From his sleeve slid a small knife, with which he cut his wrist, the scalding blood drizzling over the noodles. Yin Tingxue widened her eyes in fear yet caught the aroma of soy sauce at her nose...

When Chen Yi called to stop, the shopkeeper halted. Just as he was about to leave, he heard another request: "No meat, add some meat."

The shopkeeper asked, "Which part do you want?"

"Do you have beef tongue?"

Without hesitation, the shopkeeper returned to the kitchen, and shortly thereafter brought back some sliced tender beef tongue.

"Wuwu ah ah?"

Without his tongue, he couldn't produce distinct sounds. Seeing this, Yin Tingxue's initial panic turned into a blend of fear and curious intrigue.

"Finally, add some scallions."

"Mumble grumble." The shopkeeper seemed to mutter a complaint, then lowered his head, scratching at his scalp with one hand; dandruff fell onto the noodles as if it were green scallions.

Chen Yi nodded slightly, seemingly finally satisfied. The shopkeeper backed away, and Yin Tingxue looked both shocked and curious. At this moment, Donggong Ruoshu also poked his head out from the coffin lid.

"Where is this place?"

"I don't know." Chen Yi didn't move, "But there's one thing I know."

"What is it?"

"The people here," Chen Yi paused and said, "are all Vegetable People."

...

During a great famine, people would sell themselves as meat in the market, calling themselves Vegetable People. There was one who served a certain household, whose wife suddenly brought him three thousand coins and urged him to return quickly. As he left with tears in his eyes, he followed her trail, only to find her severed arm hanging in the market.

Yin Tingxue had read the poem "Vegetable People's Sorrow", and her small face was shocked, turning pale in a flash.

She turned around and looked at the crowd of pedestrians coming and going in the market. Many thoughts flashed through her almond-shaped eyes. The scene just now unexpectedly matched the poems she remembered,

Lotus-like skin cooking with fragrant aroma, milk made into wontons that people competed to taste.

Arms severed and hung in the butcher shop, slowly slicing the thigh to make soup.

Yin Tingxue shivered, her legs trembling, and the flying sword beside her also trembled, seemingly in fear as well.

Chen Yi reached out to support Yin Tingxue's shoulder, gently saying, "Don't be afraid, it's okay, I'm here."

Yin Tingxue felt a little relieved, nodded with a "hmm" sound, and moved closer to him.

The Green Grain Flying Sword trembled, clearly, she was also afraid. How could it not look at her once?

Forget it, let it go, Tingxue is young and needs more care.

Seeing the two sticking together, Donggong Ruoshu mimicked and said, "Chen Yi, I'm also scared."

Saying that, Donggong Ruoshu took the opportunity to lean over, feeling that even if he turned into a ghost, he was still good at seduction.

Chen Yi felt helpless inwardly, but could only say, "Alright, stay close, don't wander off."

Both women were very close to Chen Yi, and the sword nearby seemed to be getting greener.

Yin Weiyin was greatly infuriated, but could only suppress his emotions, endure it for a while, and settle accounts later.

Chen Yi didn't touch the tea or food on the table, but instead tossed some silver coins, got up, and walked away, taking them around the market first.

In this bustling market, not seeing his own wanted poster, Chen Yi felt a bit uneasy.

Speaking of which, this account really should be settled with Great Yin. See her in the future and settle the account properly.

The market before his eyes was extraordinarily prosperous, with lanterns along the street shining brightly, no different from a night market. Because of this, it seemed particularly eerie within this Demon Refining Abyss.

Walking along, Chen Yi didn't notice any obvious anomalies, and the market was very large, with long streets and alleys. It was uncertain how long it would take to walk through it completely.

Turning a street corner, a sudden noise could be heard ahead, and suddenly a pile of doughy buns appeared like an avalanche of snow.

Three or four men were shoving with the vendor of the bun shop, the steamer basket overturned on the ground, and a few soup dumplings soaked with red oil rolled to Chen Yi's feet.

The leader's face was livid, veins bulging on his neck: "Damn it! If I had known it was this filthy stuff, I wouldn't eat it even if I died!"

The shopkeeper's hunched body suddenly rose two inches, his wrinkled face splitting into a crimson grin: "Sir, you haven't paid yet?" His nails grew three inches, directly pointing at the tough man's throat.

The man was also fierce, grabbing a bench to smash, but as soon as the bench touched the shopkeeper's coat, it shattered into splinters of wood. He immediately unsheathed a knife and slashed over, the shopkeeper's head flew up with blood, then flew back, staring straight at him.

Chen Yi felt that the man's voice sounded somewhat familiar, and upon a closer look,

He Taixiong?

It was indeed He Taixiong, whom Chen Yi had saved before, also a relative of Han Xiu, the Inspector of Hu-Guang. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

The fight over there was intense. He Taixiong had not yet noticed Chen Yi's arrival and was still tangled up with this unknown ghost-like creature. Though he seemed to have the upper hand after several exchanges, the creature couldn't be killed, and each cut sprayed blood with a soy sauce aroma onto his face.

How chilling?

He Taixiong parried the shopkeeper's thrust and was just about to cleave the person in half, when suddenly he heard a voice,

"Everyone stop."

He turned his head, caught a familiar face, first startled, then overjoyed.

Both parties in the struggle stopped what they were doing. Chen Yi tossed some broken silver to the shopkeeper, who bit into them and, not lingering further, propped his head back and turned away.

The tempest arose suddenly and subsided just as abruptly.

Never thought they would meet here, but thinking of the Hero Conference, it made sense. He Taixiong's expression became excited, clasping his fists with both hands, saying: "Young master, long time no see. Have you also come to the Demon Abyss to eradicate evil people?"

"Brother He, I am the evil person."