Volume 1: Unspeakable – Chapter 90: A Sudden Crisis

Hu Yu stood in front of the hall, not knowing what to do. The beautiful woman stood up, pulled her over to sit, and said, “Child, this is my husband, known as the Eternal Fox King. Since you call me sister, call him brother-in-law.”
Hu Yu blushed deeply, at a loss for words.
The man said, “What a pretty little girl.” Though he praised her, there was not the slightest hint of flirtation in his tone; it was as natural as an elder praising a younger one.
The beautiful woman said, “If you like her, how about we take her as our daughter?”
The man was overjoyed and said, “That’s exactly what I’ve been hoping for. I just don’t know if she’s willing.”
Hu Yu was stunned by the woman’s directness; she had no preparation at all. The woman gently said, “Child, though we have some abilities, due to certain constraints, we haven’t had any children in this life. If we could have a son or daughter, it would fulfill our lifelong wish.”
The man added, “Don’t think we’re talking nonsense; we truly mean it.”
Seeing that this couple was like her own kind and extremely kind to her, Hu Yu accepted them in her heart. She then bowed gracefully and said, “Father and mother, please accept my humble bow.”
The woman quickly helped her up, tears of joy in her eyes, and exclaimed, “Husband, this is truly wonderful news from heaven!” The man was also very excited and said, “Qingqiu, I have no regrets left in life.”
He then said to Hu Yu, “Yuer, now that you’re my daughter, you can travel anywhere—through heaven or hell—no one will dare stop you!” The woman scolded, “Don’t listen to your father’s nonsense. Avoid going to the west.”
The man laughed and said, “Right, right. Aside from the west, there are no restrictions.”
From then on, Hu Yu lived there. The woman named Qingqiu told her that this place was called Qinglin Mountain, a name she had given it herself. Her husband was called Qinglin, and by using her husband’s name for the mountain, she clearly held him in the highest regard.
Hu Yu lived very comfortably there. Qinglin and Qingqiu doted on her greatly. If she expressed a desire, they would even fetch the stars from the sky for her. Hu Yu could see that Qinglin and Qingqiu truly loved her, without any pretense.
If she could spend the rest of her life here, it would be a blessing, she often thought. But whenever she recalled the past, a shadow would cross her heart.
Finally, the thing Hu Yu feared the most happened.

That day, it rained heavily. Qinglin would meditate on the mountain top every morning, regardless of the weather. Hu Yu would occasionally gaze from afar in the courtyard at the figure on the distant mountain peak, a sight truly beautiful under the glow of the sunrise.

The rain grew heavier, as if the sky had a huge hole in it. Through the misty rain, Hu Yu could barely see Qinglin’s shadow on the mountain top. She couldn’t fathom Qinglin’s and Qingqiu’s cultivation levels. In her eyes, these two had reached a state where they could achieve anything they desired; nothing seemed impossible for them. Hu Yu thought to herself, “Dad is already so powerful, yet he still practices so hard.”

Just then, a rainbow flashed from the west and instantly enveloped Qinglin!

Hu Yu covered her mouth in shock. She had a vague sense that this rainbow held no good intentions. Qingqiu appeared behind Hu Yu at some point, her eyes filled with such rage that it seemed flames might burst from them.

Seeing Qingqiu motionless, Hu Yu shook her arm and said, “Mom, go save Dad quickly!”

Qingqiu shook her head. “It’s useless!”

She gave Qinglin one last deep look, then pulled Hu Yu and vanished underground, never looking back.

Hu Yu screamed all the way, while Qingqiu only bit her lips silently. They fled desperately, though it was unclear how far they went. Finally, they stopped. Qingqiu led Hu Yu out of the ground and hid them in a dense forest. Hu Yu glanced at Qingqiu and screamed in terror. This was no longer the elegant and beautiful woman she once knew; calling her a demon from hell wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Qingqiu’s eyes were split open, with fresh blood flowing from the corners and forming two eerie, knife-like curves on her cheeks. All of her teeth were shattered, and her lower lip was bitten off, her mouth filled with blood—clear signs of the immense pain she had endured.

Hu Yu cried out, “Mom, why? Why is this happening?”

Qingqiu shook her head, unable to respond as if in a daze.

Suddenly, Hu Yu screamed, “It must be because of me! I’m an omen of disaster! I shouldn’t be in this world!” She reached out to harm herself, but Qingqiu grabbed her tightly and said through gritted teeth, “Child, this has nothing to do with you! This day would come sooner or later, but I didn’t expect it to happen so soon.”

Hu Yu roared in pain, “I’ll avenge Dad!”

Qingqiu said, “Never think such things! Never!” After saying that, she tilted her head and fainted. Hu Yu cried out, “Mom!” She checked Qingqiu carefully and found she was still breathing, which relieved her somewhat. But at that moment, she didn’t know where they were, and although there were healing herbs at home, she didn’t dare go back for them.

Hu Yu searched inside Qingqiu’s arms and indeed found a few spirit pills, which she gave to Qingqiu to take. Qingqiu slowly regained consciousness and said, “Child, this is not your fate—it’s mine! Please don’t feel guilty!” Hu Yu faintly realized that her own misfortunes were insignificant in Qingqiu’s eyes. Suppressing her sorrow, she said, “Mother, I will take good care of you.” Qingqiu nodded and said, “Whether human or demon, as long as there’s a sliver of hope, one must live on—because as long as one is alive, there’s hope!” Hu Yu asked, “So, does that mean Father isn’t dead?” Qingqiu nodded and said, “He won’t die. They’re just…” She paused before adding, “It’s useless to tell you now. You’ll know when the time comes.” Hu Yu gritted her teeth, seemingly becoming stronger all of a sudden. Ever since meeting Qinglin and Qingqiu, she had always acted like a protected young creature. Only today did she realize that Qingqiu hid even more vulnerable sides deep within her heart…
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Wuzhiji, Wang Yu, and Fengtong gathered all the demons in the mountains, forming four large groups totaling over 40,000 people. Led by four marshals and many demon kings, they headed toward Guanjiangkou. At first, the demons were confused, but Wukong had established strict discipline, and due to their simple nature, few dared to ask questions. The procession moved in an orderly manner, and none dared to harm ordinary villages. Fengtong asked Wuzhiji to oversee the main force while he and Wang Yu rushed ahead to Guanjiangkou. Although Wukong had spoken lightly, such a large group needed to inform Erlang Shen first—both as a matter of courtesy and precaution. Upon arriving at Guanjiangkou, the guarding demons didn’t recognize the two. Realizing the urgency, Fengtong rushed in immediately. The demons behind them shouted, “Someone’s breaking into the mountain!” Hearing this, Erlang Shen came out with his trident, seeing Fengtong and Wang Yu approaching anxiously, he knew something serious must have happened. He ordered the Grass-Head God to control the demons and calm everyone down. Erlang Shen stepped forward alone and asked, “Great kings, what brings you here?” Fengtong bowed and said, “Venerable Erlang Shen, Wukong has asked us to entrust his child to you today.” “Entrust his child?” Erlang Shen was shocked and quickly asked, “What’s wrong with Wukong?” Seeing Erlang Shen’s concern, Fengtong inwardly praised Wukong’s ability to recognize worthy people, then explained everything Wukong had planned in detail. After listening, Erlang Shen cursed, “That foolish monkey!”

Only after cursing did he realize it was inappropriate—Wang Yu and the others were both of the monkey race; hadn’t he cursed them as well? To his surprise, Wang Yu said, “It was the right curse!” Erlang Shen asked, “Have you two also been confused by him?”
Tongfeng laughed and said, “Though I don’t understand why Wukong insists on doing this, he’s always acted unpredictably. I’ll just trust him this once.”
Seeing Tongfeng brush it off so casually, Erlang Shen couldn’t help but praise him, “Wukong is lucky to have a brother like you. He’s truly fortunate.” Wang Yu, anxious and unwilling to hear pleasantries, asked directly, “Regarding what happened just now, is it acceptable?”
Erlang Shen slapped his head and quickly apologized, “How could it not be acceptable? I was distracted thinking of Wukong. Please forgive me!” Tongfeng said, “My brother speaks bluntly. Please don’t take it to heart, Great Lord.”
Erlang Shen replied, “Would I be that petty?” The three of them laughed heartily.
Erlang Shen pointed south to a majestic mountain range and said, “This mountain is called Hengdao Ridge. It’s named so because its shape resembles a blade—with a handle and a cutting edge—and it’s extremely steep. It’s easy to defend but hard to attack. I’ll order all the demons in Hengdao Ridge to withdraw and join the forces of Huaguo Mountain. What do you think?”