Zhou Pan didn't give them much time to hesitate.
Another life occurred overnight, and he died in this inn. The next day, almost everyone in the inn was woken up not by the rooster, but by the screams of the waiter. Then there was a tinkling noise, and he fell down the stairs and broke his head. Then there was another scream, it was from the cashier, and he startled the waiter whose face was covered with blood.
The small inn was noisy. The few guests opened their sleepy eyes and asked each other what happened. So it became known to everyone that there was a missing person in the innermost guest room on the second floor, but there was a dead body.
Blood was dripping from the crack in the door - otherwise the waiter wouldn't have noticed it. The door bolt was broken, and it looked like it had been pulled forcefully. All the spectators glanced at the room and left trembling. Mu Wan didn't let Dai Luan pass, only Lin Shanhai took a look and came back.
"The death was very tragic, the body was in a different place - it was cut off directly. Zhou Dan is no longer here."
"...He didn't give us a chance to choose."
"Yeah, we should have thought that since he dared to tell us, he was sure that we couldn't stop him. It was a mistake."
Killing for life is a matter of course. Even if it happened in front of Shan Hai, he wouldn't say anything more. For them, there was no need to stop Zhou Pan. However, the only thing Shan Hai wanted to know was whether the deceased were those people - the beasts who really attacked the princess.
A demon who has killed people will never be able to become an immortal. He must have given up on the path to immortality - maybe he didn't have such an idea at the beginning. Besides, no one really knows what his feelings for the princess are except himself.
The relationship between humans and demons is so complicated.
"We'd better walk quickly. It's not too cold now. When the river freezes in late winter, we won't be able to walk too fast."
Shan Hai spoke lightly, making Mu Wan feel familiar yet strange.
Dai Luan didn't react at all. The mountains and seas in her eyes seemed to be the same mountains and seas all the time.
"Don't you think...you won't go to him and ask him like you did before?"
Mu Wan tried to sort out his thoughts, but he was a little confused. Only then did she realize that she actually didn't know what Shanhai would do in the past. These predictions she made were just guesses based on past experience. In her impression, Shanhai was always so "nosy".
"Like before?" Shan Hai was confused, "What do you think I would have been like before?"
"I don't know. But you should... maybe if the Yamen can't solve the problem, you should go and talk to Zhou Dan head-on. You might tell him that it is right to deprive others of their lives. And will he do this again in the future? If Yes, should it be stopped, and how should it be stopped..."
Shanhai smiled faintly.
"It seems that you have always misunderstood me."
"What misunderstanding? Did I say something wrong?" Mu Wan was a little unsure, "I don't know, it's just a feeling."
Dai Luan shook her head, folded her arms and leaned against the wall, saying like a little adult:
"In your world, is Shan Hai a particularly kind-hearted man?"
"……Roughly the same."
"Have you ever thought about what if he wasn't? Or to put it another way - the changed person wasn't him?"
"What's the meaning?"
Mu Wan stood there blankly, not knowing what Dai Luan was saying or what Shan Hai was thinking. They became strangers together - in the faint smell of blood, in the vast white light outside the window, the figures of the two people became unreal. She almost wondered if the vixen had cast a spell on her.
"People change." Shan Hai said. His quiet brows and eyes revealed an unexpected peace. After a short silence, he took another breath and continued in a calm tone:
"Maybe you're right, I've changed, maybe I haven't. But were you like this before?"
She froze.
Would she have dwelled on these issues before?
It does not seem. In this way, it seems that I am the one who becomes indecisive?
Mu Wan didn't like this very much. It sounds like I'm much more vulnerable - even though I wasn't that strong in the past. Ultimately, she hopes this "change" will be positive. Not to mention the benefits, at least it would prevent her from getting into any more dilemmas.
Maybe they are right.
This was a hazy morning that somehow passed by. It was clear that a human life had been lost, but they all didn't care much for different reasons - but fundamentally, it was because they knew the "truth" - even if they didn't know how true or false it was. But to them, these are no longer important.
After packing his bags, Mu Wan continued walking with the master and apprentice. When Shi Wuqi was around, they were always arguing together, and she had almost no time to think about these things that she had ignored for a long time. Dai Luan also has some thoughts of her own regarding these. Although these thoughts were her acquiescence, both Shan Hai and Mu Wan should know.
That is the matter of Wanguizhi. Or a cloud mirror—anything else.
Human beings are inherently selfish. When you have something clear and urgent that you want and need, the life and death of others can become inconsequential. It may be a bit cruel to say this, but it is indeed reasonable and can be explained.
Although these things are no longer so important. When they meet someone who should be saved or can be saved, they will still make the right choice. Because this is people and their humanity.
But more than anything else, they hoped that Shi Wuqi and Miss Qi could come back.
The three people with their own thoughts came to the pier along the river. They were going to rent a boat here and continue downstream. But the waterway cannot be traveled for too long. First, in winter, the water level gradually drops; secondly, the waterway does not lead all the way to the north. They still have a long way to go themselves.
They met Zhou Pan again.
After taking his revenge, he probably wasn't in a hurry to leave. With his ability, leaving the city overnight would not be a problem. But he actually appeared almost at the same time as Shan Hai and others, which proved that he must have stayed for a while. At least, it's unhurried.
Zhou Dan was indeed a little surprised to see the three of them, but not too surprised. Originally, he was already standing on the boat, ready to sail away. But when they saw each other, he suddenly asked the boatman to stop the boat and came to the stern to look at them.
"You don't seem to be in a hurry. It doesn't look like you're here to hunt me down on purpose."
"Have you set aside time for us to find you? It's a bit unexpected."
"That's right...it doesn't matter, I'm just not afraid of being delayed. Where are you going?"
"There is only one road along the river."
So they got into Zhoupan's boat.
There is no unique scenery on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. The trees along the river are all bare, with some dead branches and leaves soaked in the water. The boat pushed them away in pieces and piled them on both sides of the bank, giving off a faint smell, which was not unpleasant. Mixed with the unique smell of river water, the midday sun did not burn it too pungently. The streets and the river were very quiet, with a hint of winter.
There was silence all the way, keeping a subtle distance between them and Zhou Pan. He didn't mind. Rather, he was a little surprised that they dared to ride with him. It's just that there was nothing to say all the way, which was inevitably a bit boring.
"Actually, Master Bai Skeleton is not in the human world now, right?" Zhou Pan suddenly said.
"——"
Dai Luan almost blurted out "How do you know", but this exposed her too completely. She is sometimes called stupid by her master, but she is very smart in these aspects. Zhou Pan seemed to notice that she was hesitant to speak, so he didn't make it difficult for her.
"You may also be curious about how I found my enemies one by one in the vast Central Plains."
"If you say you are not curious, it would be a bit false." Shan Hai said seemingly calmly. In fact, he was really not that curious. He just saw Zhou Dan intending to reveal it, so he went on with it.
"The Death Shadow Pavilion."
"...Is that so?"
As expected. However, they were still a little disappointed.
"The Death Shadow Pavilion also told me that your companions are in a place outside the human world. The Six Paths are so vast that it may be difficult to find them. As for whether he can come back, it depends on him."
"I didn't say the same thing..." Mu Wan muttered.
It seems that Zhou Pan still doesn't know that they are being targeted by Xue Yangu. After all, he asked the Death Shadow Pavilion for help earlier.
"However, it might be easier if I let Liu Dao Impermanence look for it."
"To tell you the truth, we do know a few of the Six Paths of Impermanence. But... it's not very convenient. There are always a lot of troubles in the world, and they really don't know how to deal with them."
Rather, Shi Wuqi and Ah Qi disappeared right under their noses...
"Are you talking about Jiyue-kun and Hazuki-kun?"
Zhou Pan said it directly, and they couldn't help but sigh in their hearts. It was worthy of the Death Shadow Pavilion to even know such a thing.
"Are you going to find them on this trip?"
"No."
Shan Hai originally wanted to explain, but after thinking about it for a moment, he felt that it was not necessary.
"Is that so... By coincidence, Lord Ye Yue happens to be north of the Central Plains."
"Huh?" Dai Luan raised her ears. "You know all this? What about Mr. Jiyue?"
"Ah, I said it casually when I was chatting with Xie Yan, and I didn't ask anything about it. Do you know all the people in Death Shadow Pavilion?"
"Get to know each other."
"That's convenient. Jiyue-kun, I haven't asked about it, and I don't know whether the Death Shadow Pavilion is clear. They all seem to have some important arrangements, and Ye Yue-kun is in the north because Kari Gongduo happens to be going there, so he knows some."
"They don't know what to do." Dai Luan muttered.
Mu Wan was keenly aware of a glimmer of hope.
Hazuki-kun can be trusted after all. It was precisely because he failed to listen to her advice that he ended up in such an embarrassing situation. Fortunately, there was no loss, except that I couldn’t ask Mr. Jiyue to check the accuracy of the picture—and he might not remember it. But since Hazuki-kun is here, at least this map can be shown to her with confidence.
Even if she can't understand, she should know what to do.
……hope so.
