Chapter 87: The Peculiar Peach Tree

“This isn’t the time for explanations! We have to get to that peach tree as fast as possible, or the villagers will come after us together!” Panting, Yaoyao dragged Yu Daoyi forward as they ran.

“Damn it! What a messed up place!” Even though he knew she was right, a wave of frustration and irritation surged through Yu Daoyi.

Suddenly, a chorus of furious shouts erupted. Yu Daoyi glanced to the side to see the villagers’ eyes fixed on him and Yaoyao, and they began charging toward the pair with wild abandon. The air was thick with the scent of blood, which only seemed to inflame the villagers’ frenzy.

Originally, Yu Daoyi thought he might be able to put up a fight, being a cultivator and all. Surely he could do something against these villagers. But the moment he tried, he realized he was utterly helpless.

Damn it! What use is spiritual power if I can’t use any spells? I relied on my physical strength before, but now that’s gone too! Even if I tried to use the Ancient Demon’s Nine Transformations, this frail mortal body would probably explode before I could land a punch! The realization left Yu Daoyi seething with frustration.

“Yaoyao! We can’t outrun them like this!” he shouted ahead.

“We can’t stop, no matter what! If we stop, we lose!” Yaoyao replied through ragged breaths.

“Damn it all! Yaoyao, relax your body! Don’t resist in a moment!” Yu Daoyi shook off Yaoyao’s hand, gathering his spiritual energy and spreading it through his body. Even if he couldn’t use the Ancient Demon’s transformation technique, channeling spiritual energy into his meridians and wrapping it around his body should let him unlock some latent strength, if only temporarily. But if he used it wrong, he might just cripple himself. He had no idea if this weak body could even bear the strain.

There was no time to dwell on it. There were too many villagers, and he couldn’t use spells or brute force. If he died at their hands, who knew what state he’d be in after resurrecting? It wouldn’t just be a matter of weak kidneys.

Within moments, wisps of spiritual energy began to radiate from him. His body felt lighter, his mind sharper, but he knew it would only last for a short while. Once the energy scattered or his control slipped, even a slight mishap could shatter his meridians and leave him paralyzed.

With a few quick steps, he scooped up a startled Yaoyao into his arms. The beauty’s delicate scent of peach blossoms drifted up, and though she was bundled tightly, she felt weightless. A flush of shy red bloomed on her pale, exquisite face, as alluring as a ripe apple waiting to be plucked. But there was no time for idle fantasies now.

The initial lightness from the spiritual energy soon gave way to a growing heaviness, more oppressive than ever before. Pain throbbed through his limbs. Still, in a few breaths, Yu Daoyi had outrun most of the pursuing villagers and was dashing toward the peach tree where Xiao Qian used to nap.

“Huff, huff, huff… ha!” Beneath the massive peach tree, Yu Daoyi dropped to his knees, propping himself up on his arms and gulping air, desperately trying to quell the pain wracking his body.

His clothes were soaked with sweat, his vision blurred, his ears rang, and he ached from head to toe, as if he’d been torn apart.

“I’ve never felt this drained, not even after twenty years of, well, self-indulgence,” he muttered weakly.

“Are you alright?” Yaoyao’s sweet voice came from behind, her hand gently patting his back in concern.

“Give me… a moment,” Yu Daoyi stammered, still on his knees. Oddly enough, under this peach tree, the earlier storm of negative emotions seemed to have been purified, vanishing without a trace.

After a while, the villagers’ angry howls echoed distantly. Yu Daoyi, feeling a little better, decided to milk the situation for all it was worth—he feigned pitiful exhaustion and naturally lay his head in Yaoyao’s lap, savoring the genuine comfort of a young woman’s lap pillow. At this point, he was practically crippled, so why not enjoy a little solace? Even if her layers of clothing kept him from feeling the full softness, it was better than nothing.

“Don’t worry. They won’t come under this peach tree,” Yaoyao said, turning away, her cheeks flushed as she avoided his gaze.

Whether the villagers could reach them or not hardly mattered to Yu Daoyi now. Lying there so brazenly, he felt no shame; after all, they’d nearly become the villagers’ next meal. Was it so wrong to claim a little interest?

“So, what exactly do you know?” Yu Daoyi asked, gazing up at the peach tree.

From his perspective, it looked like any ordinary tree. With his peculiar spiritual sense, if there was anything off about it, he should have noticed.

“I admit, I did try to drug you to make you sleep, but I never meant to harm you. I wanted to save you,” Yaoyao said earnestly, looking back at him as though pleading for trust.

“I believe you,” Yu Daoyi replied. Based on what had happened before, if she’d wanted him dead, poison would’ve done the job. There was no need to merely make him sleep. Besides, when he’d been drunk—real or feigned—she never took advantage. In this frail mortal shell, killing him would take little more than a kitchen knife.

“Thank you. I just didn’t want you to know the village’s secret. My concoction would only put you to sleep for a while. It wouldn’t hurt you,” Yaoyao said, guilt evident in her eyes.

“Why hide it?” Yu Daoyi asked, genuinely puzzled. Hiding things only made matters worse.

“I don’t know what the world outside is like. I’ve lived in Peach Blossom Village all my life. I love everything here, including the villagers—they’re my family. But if word got out, someone might come and hurt them. That’s the last thing I want,” she said softly, looking down.

“And now? What were you planning to do next?” Yu Daoyi pressed.

“I was going to hide you in the cellar next to my house, with Xiao Qian. No one’s discovered it yet,” she replied quietly.

“Xiao Qian? He isn’t like the other villagers, either?” Yu Daoyi was surprised. He’d thought Yaoyao was the only special one.

“No. In all of Peach Blossom Village, only Xiao Qian and I haven’t changed,” Yaoyao shook her head.

As they spoke, the villagers arrived at the edge of the village, charging toward them as if they wouldn’t rest until they got what they wanted. But the moment they saw the peach tree, terror flickered in their eyes. They stopped in their tracks, faces twisted, glaring at Yu Daoyi and Yaoyao, but none dared approach.

This tree really is strange, Yu Daoyi thought. Was it because of the illusion? Or was the tree’s power simply beyond his perception?

“At times like these, anyone who isn’t like them becomes their target. I don’t know why, and I can’t remember when the village first turned this way,” Yaoyao said, her voice tinged with sorrow. “I learned about herbs and made sleeping powders, so Xiao Qian wouldn’t have to see these horrors.”

Looking at the villagers, tears welled in Yaoyao’s eyes. “I don’t want Xiao Qian to know his beloved Peach Blossom Village has become like this, or that the people he loves have turned into something neither human nor ghost. I never want him to be hurt.”

“You really can’t remember when things changed?”

“I truly can’t. It’s always been this way, for as long as I can remember,” she whispered.

“I’m amazed you’ve survived among them this long,” Yu Daoyi sighed.

“That’s not it. To be honest, I’ve fallen into their hands many times,” Yaoyao shook her head.

“Many times? Then how—?” Yu Daoyi was shocked she’d survived so many dangers.

“I don’t know why they let me live. Maybe some small part of them still remembers, or maybe someone helped me in secret. I really don’t know.”

“This won’t last long. From midnight until dawn, when the moon sets, everything returns to normal. Everything destroyed will be restored, even the dead villagers will come back, as though nothing happened. Then life resumes peacefully for another day,” Yaoyao explained, noticing Yu Daoyi’s confusion. “Except for me, no one remembers the bloodshed at night, or what happened at all.”

They couldn’t remember when it all began? Everything always reset to normal? Was it the illusion? But why was Yaoyao unaffected?

“And your wounds?” Yu Daoyi asked hesitantly, though he already suspected the answer.

“I… I don’t always make it here in time,” Yaoyao replied with a bitter smile, so pained it made one’s heart ache.