Rabbit Must Die-Chapter 399 - 12 Turn around and let me take a look [Fifth update]_1
The village chief sighed, "But what can we do? The demon possesses great magic, and we are just ordinary folk. How can we fight against it?"
Old Liu asked, "Chief, should we leave or not?"
The village chief shook his head, "Human strength is no match for a demon that travels on clouds and mists. How can we escape? Leaving would only hasten our deaths. We must think carefully for the long term..."
"Chief, staying here means death anyway, but if we run, there might be a slim chance of survival. If we split up and go in different directions, the demon surely can’t catch us all at once, can it?" someone proposed.
The village chief was somewhat moved by the idea.
Old Liu said, "I think we could give it a try..."
Just then, a cold sneer rang out, piercingly sharp. Then, everyone saw something green and slippery leap out from the bushes, pointing at all of them, "Humph... the great king knew you old fogies wouldn’t give up so easily! Just wait, when the great king arrives, he’ll stew you all in one pot!"
Having said that, the creature turned and ran!
The thing was not large, but it had long legs, each stride covering over two meters, running as if flying. Its feet had sharp claws, enabling it to run up walls and across roofs.
The villagers realized it was too late, as the demon had swiftly climbed a small hill and, with a few leaps, disappeared into the horizon.
"What are we to do!" Upon seeing this, the village chief beat his chest and stomped his feet, "Our Liu’s Village has been around for more than three hundred years, growing from five families to over a hundred households... Now to think it could all be destroyed by my hands! Ah, how could I face our ancestors with such dishonor! Wuu wuu..."
The village chief cried bitterly, and the others also quietly discussed among themselves, trying to find a way to save themselves. But no matter what they thought, there wasn’t a single solution.
Some said to run now in every direction, others suggested arming themselves and fighting...
However, Old Liu refuted all ideas one by one: "If we had run a day earlier, there might have been a chance for a few of us to escape. Now, the demon knows and will be here shortly. If we run now, how can we escape? As for fighting to the death? The demon can simply wave his hand and create a wind that blows people into the sky. We can’t even touch him, how can we possibly fight?"
Hearing this, everyone looked at each other, and eventually someone asked, "Old Liu, if this won’t work and that won’t do, then what do you suggest we do?"
Old Liu thought for a moment and said, "I don’t have a good plan..." Then, he suddenly remembered the Monkey and said, "As you all know, for generations my family has been taking food to that Monkey at the foot of the Two Realms Mountain. Last time I was there, I mentioned this to him, and he said if we had nowhere else to go, we could come to him, and he would protect us."
Old Liu didn’t dare repeat Sun Wukong’s exact words; he himself felt that they sounded too boastful, and no one would believe them if said aloud.
At his words, a glimmer of hope flashed in the despairing eyes of the people...
"That Monkey is also a demon; perhaps he could really help us."
"You just said he’s a demon, I think he might want to eat us all and have a full meal."
"Forget it, that Monkey can barely protect himself, how could he protect us?"
...
The people voiced their opinions all at once, a cacophony of differing thoughts.
At that moment, the village chief banged his staff, "Silence!"
Everyone fell silent.
The village chief said, "We have nowhere else to go, no other choice but to seek out that Monkey. Regardless, consider it our last stand."
The village chief was greatly respected in the village; when he spoke, everyone listened. So, they each returned home, gathered their belongings, and followed the leader quickly towards the foot of Five Fingers Mountain. Old Liu led the way, accompanied by his son, his daughter-in-law, and his grandson.
After the villagers had left, a figure descended from the sky. Even before the figure landed, a chant could be heard: "At the world’s dawn, I witnessed all, dividing past and future in my palm! If you seek to know what lies ahead, don’t ask Tathagata—ask me!"
Amidst the white light, the figure appeared ethereal, as if an Immortal was descending to the mortal world!
Had the villagers not left, they surely would have approached for a divination and pleaded for demon-slaying salvation.
Unfortunately, all the villagers had left. The Immortal had been boasting for quite a while, but aside from the wind blowing, the grass in the holes, and the old trees burrowing, there was virtually no movement around.
After waiting a little longer, the white light dissipated to reveal an old, wrinkled face. The sly-eyed man looked around and smacked his lips, complaining, "No one again? This damned, what kind of lousy era is this? How many villages have I been through? Not a single person in sight! Bad luck!"
Gurgle...
A growling noise came from the old man’s belly. His face flushing with embarrassment, the Taoist sighed, took out some dry rations, and sat down on a chair to eat. While eating, he muttered to himself, "Ah, I thought without those annoying heavenly soldiers and generals, this old man could make his fortune in Heaven. But alas... where to go next? Needs some thought."
Just then, the sound of something cutting through the sky approached, and the old man quickly threw the cake he was holding into a nearby well. After wiping his mouth, he radiated white light once more, transforming back into the image of a wise and noble Immortal, and sang out loudly, "I’ve witnessed the birth of Heaven and Earth, holding the past and future in my hands! If you wish to know what’s ahead, don’t ask Tathagata—ask yours truly!"
"An Immortal?!" Just at that moment, a voice asked, dripping with sarcasm.
Without turning back, the Taoist replied, "Young friend, can’t you see? Do I look like a demon to you?"
"As long as you’re an Immortal, that’s fine. If you were a demon, I’d be forced to act," said the newcomer, who was none other than Qin Shou.
Hearing the words "rabbit master," the Taoist’s body visibly trembled before he coughed and asked, "Little rabbit, what brings you here?"
Qin Shou replied, "Looking for a brother... Oh, that ahead is Five Fingers Mountain, right? Yes, also known as Two Realms Mountain."
The Taoist nodded, "Indeed it is."
Qin Shou said, "Hey, old Immortal, could you turn around? Why are you turning your back on me?"
While they talked, Qin Shou started to circle around, and the Taoist spun in place to keep his back to him...
Qin Shou asked, "What are you spinning for?"
The Taoist countered, "What are you spinning for?"
Qin Shou replied, "I’m trying to see your face, who talks with their back to someone else?"
The Taoist followed up, "I’m also turning to find you! Why are you spinning all over the place?"
Qin Shou said, "Fine, I’ll stop spinning, you turn around."
The Taoist quickly said, "I’m tired of turning."
Qin Shou replied, "Then I’ll turn to you."
The Taoist replied, "Forget it, let’s just chat like this..."
Qin Shou refused, "No, your back view seems familiar. Let’s have a look at what you look like."
"Impossible! I was born with the opening of Heaven and obtained my Immortal status as soon as I stood. I’ve been in seclusion for countless years and have only recently emerged. You couldn’t possibly recognize me." As he spoke, the Taoist made a gesture of calculating with his fingers and then exclaimed, "Blood lights up the sky, this is a disaster!"
Startled, Qin Shou asked, "What’s wrong?"
The Taoist replied, "I have urgent matters to attend to, I must go first! Fellow Daoist, we shall meet again another day!"
With that, the Taoist soared into the sky, about to leave!
Just at that moment, a clap of thunder exploded in the sky, followed by dark clouds that blotted out the sun. A wild laugh rang out, "Haha... no wonder these little creatures dared to flee, they’ve found themselves a backer! You, Taoist, have some skills, but... not impressive enough! Get down here!"
The dark clouds transformed into a giant hand, which pressed down!
The Taoist, caught off guard, was directly slapped down!
With a splat, he fell in front of Qin Shou, and at that moment, his white light shattered...
