Watching Bai Ling'er float in mid-air, I almost burst into tears. I never expected her to appear before me at such a moment.
"Stop dawdling. Where's that jade bottle Yue'er gave you?"
Her reminder made me realize it. I mentally slapped myself hard. How could I forget? I had specifically asked Yue'er for the secret medicine before coming, just in case. I hadn't expected to be so flustered that I'd forget. If I were to be killed by a mountain demon now, it would be more unjust than Dou E.
I casually reached into my pocket and tossed the jade bottle to Bai Ling'er. It wrapped its small tail around the bottle, bit off the stopper, and began to drink greedily.
"You..."
After swallowing the secret medicine, Bai Ling'er opened its mouth as the mountain demon approached, spitting out a stream of green mist.
The larger mountain demons accompanying the white-haired leader suddenly slowed down upon contact with the mist, as if they had fallen into a swamp.
The white-haired leader, however, remained unaffected, charging forward with a large wooden club.
"What are you still standing there for? Run!"
Chided by Bai Ling'er, I finally remembered that I was still in danger. Recalling the direction Kang Pangzi had fled, I chased after him with all my might.
I ran for who knows how long, only stopping when my lungs felt like they were on fire. I simply couldn't run any further.
Based on my estimation, I was at least five or six kilometers away from the mountain demons. At this distance, they shouldn't be able to catch up.
*Huff, huff—*
I leaned against a tree, my lungs burning like fire. Even if the mountain demons were chasing me now, I wouldn't move another step.
Not long after I sat down, Bai Ling'er's mocking voice echoed in my ears again.
"With your scrawny body, you still followed us up the mountain. I don't know what you were thinking."
Looking at Bai Ling'er floating leisurely in the air, I retorted irritably, "If you have the ability, try running this far from me in the forest. You'd be mountain demon snacks in no time."
As soon as I said it, I regretted it. Bai Ling'er had saved me again, so why was I mocking it? This little fellow was very vengeful and had a serious tendency towards violence.
The expected head-smack didn't come. Bai Ling'er continued to float in mid-air, though it seemed a little unhappy.
"Ling'er, I..."
"Don't speak."
Bai Ling'er interrupted my explanation. Its small body seemed to inflate like a balloon, and its pair of emerald-green eyes turned red, staring intently at the direction I had just run from.
*Roar, roar—*
A roar of mountain demons came from the bushes. Then, the white-haired leader of the mountain demons leaped out, holding what looked like a freshly broken tree branch. Its eyes had turned blood-red. Facing Bai Ling'er, which blocked its path, it fiercely slammed the wooden club onto the ground, like King Kong in the movies.
"Ling'er, what do we do now?"
I was completely out of strength to run. Even if I had the strength, I couldn't escape the white-haired mountain demon's pursuit at such close range. I could only place my hope on Bai Ling'er.
Bai Ling'er didn't answer me but let out a cold hiss, as if conversing with the mountain demon.
The mountain demon also responded with a couple of roars. Judging by its agitated movements of pounding the ground with its club, its rage was probably unquenchable even with all the water from the five lakes and four seas.
"Qingyun, you'll have to fend for yourself later!"
As soon as it finished speaking, Bai Ling'er's body grew even larger out of thin air. Its body, which was only a little over a foot long, was now two to three meters long and as thick as a bowl. Although it was still a bit smaller than the mountain demon, it looked much more imposing than before.
"What about you?" I asked, trembling as I stood up, leaning against the large tree behind me.
"Don't worry about me. This guy has gone mad because you killed its kin. It won't rest until it tears you both to shreds."
I said to Bai Ling'er with some frustration, "Explain it to it! They were just drugged, they're not dead!"
Bai Ling'er glanced back at me with a look of disdain. "Do you think it can still listen to reason right now?"
While Bai Ling'er was talking to me, the white-haired mountain demon picked up its wooden club and swung it down fiercely towards Bai Ling'er's head. If that blow landed, Bai Ling'er would be severely injured, if not killed.
"Be careful!"
Bai Ling'er's body twisted in mid-air as if it had no bones, dodging the mountain demon's sneak attack. At the same time, its tail, as thick as a wrist, whipped fiercely towards the white-haired mountain demon leader's face.
The white-haired mountain demon leader was no pushover, and its reaction speed was exceptionally swift. Before Bai Ling'er's attack could reach its face, it had already brought the wooden club horizontally in front of it.
*Crack—*
Bai Ling'er's tail, like a cleaver, easily split the wooden club in the white-haired mountain demon leader's hand. The attack continued unabated, striking directly at the mountain demon leader's face.
I figured if this blow landed, the white-haired mountain demon leader would be severely injured, if not killed.
*Slap—*
Although the white-haired mountain demon was enraged by the昏迷 of its kin, its reaction speed was not slow. The moment the wooden club broke, it discarded it and crossed its arms in front of itself.
*Boom—*
Even though Bai Ling'er was not as large as the mountain demon, this strike sent the mountain demon leader staggering back several steps, as if hit by a speeding train, before being stopped by a tree.
After being forced back by Bai Ling'er's strike, the mountain demon leader threw aside its wooden club. Its two scarlet eyes stared intently at Bai Ling'er. Its originally golden monkey face now showed a hint of red, as if it had drunk too much.
Seeing this, Bai Ling'er said urgently, "Quick, go! It's about to go berserk."
As soon as it finished speaking, the mountain demon leader began beating its chest like King Kong, making thudding sounds. With each beat, its body grew larger. After five or six beats.
The mountain demon, which had been only half a person tall when standing, seemed to have taken growth serum. Its body size increased by a whole circle, and its height grew significantly. Now, when it stood upright, it was almost as tall as me.
Its previously slender body had completely transformed. Muscles bulged all over, and its white fur turned golden. The only thing that remained unchanged were its eyes, still blood-red, staring intently at Bai Ling'er.
"Damn it, it even has a transformation! Isn't this just a modern-day King Kong?"