Chapter Eleven: The Chang Family

At the foot of the precipice, Six Ugly found the female demon who had been temporarily abandoned by the serpent demons.

Though her face was smeared with dirt and filth, and her eyes were tightly shut, Six Ugly recognized her at once. She was the very woman he had encountered on the shore of Star Lake in Meishan, when he was being pursued by Gui Qu.

In those days, her beauty was dazzling, radiant as the moon; a visage so exquisite that not only demons, but even many immortals might have paled in comparison. For no apparent reason, she had stood up for Six Ugly, the misshapen demon, and allowed him to experience, for once, that the bonds between demons were not solely defined by slaughter. There existed, too, a shared enmity against humans, and a camaraderie akin to intertwining branches.

Yet he wondered, how had this young demoness come to such a state?

To repay a grudge is a principle Six Ugly had always held dear, but equally so was the repayment of kindness. Though the girl had not truly rescued him back then, the mere gesture was enough. In another place, with roles reversed, Six Ugly could not bear to simply cast her aside.

Moreover, the pursuers had already been slain; to save her now would hardly bring much trouble.

The girl showed no sign of awakening. Six Ugly first gathered the scattered items from the serpent demons nearby—mostly demon cores, weapons, and armor—then rummaged for jewelry and coins of uncertain value, collecting them all. At last, he kindled a campfire beside the girl, rested, and ate some of his provisions.

Given Six Ugly’s stature, the girl was clearly much taller; carrying her away would be out of the question.

After fierce battle, eating was undoubtedly the best way to restore strength.

About half an hour passed, yet the girl remained unconscious. Six Ugly pinched her nose, shook her gently, and tapped her forehead, but she did not move or react.

Six Ugly pondered a moment, then slapped her across the cheek, not very hard, but still failed to rouse her.

This was no ordinary fainting—likely caused by some poison or drug; otherwise, she would not be so unresponsive.

He walked over, propped up her upper body against his chest, opened his water flask, carefully pried open her mouth, and poured in some water. Her throat moved slightly—it appeared she swallowed.

A weak cough sounded. Six Ugly laid her flat again, stepped back, and had just sat down when the girl began to breathe shallowly, then slowly opened her eyes.

"Ha—"

Upon seeing Six Ugly, the girl’s body visibly trembled and recoiled, eyes filled with terror. But immediately, she lunged forward, perhaps underestimating him because of his short stature, and attempted to bite him.

But Six Ugly, now far beyond what he was a year ago, matched her speed. He raised his hand, and his iron staff pressed firmly against her chest, halting her attack.

Clearly, the girl lacked any real combat experience. Who would lunge to bite an enemy? Even demons, unless in beast form, would wield magic or weapons in human shape!

"Ah—pain—"

Struck in a vital spot by the staff, the girl cried out, but did not retreat. Instead, she shifted sideways, her demeanor like an enraged young female beast. Suddenly, her gaze swept over Six Ugly’s figure and face, and she exclaimed in disbelief:

"It’s you! It’s actually you! ... Did you save me, or... did you kill all these people?"

Her tone was confused and incoherent, shifting rapidly. First, she was shocked at seeing Six Ugly’s face, then asked instinctively, and finally, upon noticing the serpent demon corpses, she confirmed his stance as friend and not foe. Her voice grew much friendlier.

Six Ugly saw her shifting gaze and understood. He replied, "Yes, I killed these serpent demons. They were here to capture you, weren’t they?"

The girl tried to stand, but her elegant brows furrowed and she sat down abruptly—her sudden burst upon waking had left her exhausted. She nodded weakly, "They came to capture me. I... I barely managed to escape, almost got caught again..."

To this demoness, being captured was a calamity beyond measure. Her nose reddened, shoulders shook, and she began to sob quietly. From her fragmented words, Six Ugly sensed trouble might lie ahead, frowned, and sighed softly.

"Woo... woo..."

Who could fathom the workings of her mind? Six Ugly’s sigh of self-pity somehow became, to her ears, an expression of concern and shared sorrow. Overcome with emotion, the girl threw herself into Six Ugly’s arms and wept loudly—her tears flowed like pear blossoms in the rain, her sobs like crabapple trees swaying in the wind.

Imagine: a young woman nearly five feet seven inches tall, collapsing into the arms of a dwarf youth barely four feet tall, sobbing uncontrollably—what a striking sight!

Six Ugly was nearly crushed by her weight, straining with all his strength just to support her.

The girl cried for quite some time before gradually calming, the clouds parted and the rain ceased.

Her eyes were red, her face streaked with tears, soaking Six Ugly’s shoulder and chest, even smeared with sticky traces of mucus and saliva. The scene was poignant, and Six Ugly, awkwardly smiling, helped her to her feet before stepping aside to wipe himself with a leaf.

"Sorry... so sorry..."

Seeing the mess on Six Ugly’s chest, the girl’s face flushed bright red and she couldn’t help but apologize.

Six Ugly, with little experience in dealing with women in either this life or the last, was at a loss how to comfort her or ease her feelings. He thought a moment, then chose a random topic—the only thing that came to mind:

"Uh... are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"

The girl swallowed, nodded cautiously yet eagerly.

Six Ugly took out some dried meat, roasted it over the fire until it was soft, and handed it to her. She grabbed it and took a huge bite, chewing with difficulty, her cheeks puffed like buns. She looked both endearing and pitiable.

But Six Ugly was silent.

From her few words, he guessed the trouble that had befallen her was anything but simple, and that being drawn into it would be unavoidable. The girl had first appeared in Meishan, her backing was formidable—she had no means to resist Gui Qu, which meant her origins were significant. The force daring to abduct her could not be weak.

How could Six Ugly contend with such mighty opponents?

In truth, Six Ugly had no savior complex, nor an excess of sympathy; he was not one to meddle in every matter, especially one so obviously fraught with danger. Upon sensing trouble, his first thought was to part ways with the girl. Yet two considerations changed his mind.

First, his circumstances had changed—now a Mountain Lord of Tianshan, supported by a mighty power, the other side might not dare to provoke him, or even face Tianshan head-on;

Second, the girl’s background promised considerable reward. If he could gain the favor of a great demon by taking a risk, it might be worthwhile;

Third, the girl had helped him once, however briefly. Though he could abandon her, it would leave him with an uneasy conscience, as if he owed her something...

These three points quickly shaped his decision: he would take the girl to Tianshan, first secure his official status as a Mountain Lord, then decide what to do next.

The girl was ravenous; she devoured nearly two pounds of soft roasted dried meat and was still unsatisfied. Six Ugly brought out another three or four pounds, roasted it, and handed it over. She continued eating, but with the first batch settling her hunger, her manner was now more restrained.

After eating and drinking her fill, Six Ugly finally asked:

"What is your surname and given name? Which cave in Meishan do you belong to?"

"Chang Xiangzhi," the girl hesitated, then answered softly, "I live in Blackwater Peak of Meishan."

Meishan comprised a forest, seven mountains, and twenty-nine valleys; Blackwater Peak was one of the seven. The surname Chang belonged to one of the former Seven Saints—left behind by the serpent demon Chang Hao. Hearing her cave and surname, Six Ugly understood at once.

He recalled what Guiche had said about Meishan, glanced at her, and spoke slowly:

"In Blackwater Peak, only the descendants of Demon Saint Chang Hao bear the surname Chang. If you have that surname and a father with extraordinary powers, you must be the mountain lord’s daughter."

"I don’t know how many children the mountain lord of Blackwater Peak has, but he’s been renowned for a long time. Your cultivation is even less advanced than mine, you’re young and not strong, so you must be his youngest daughter, right?"

"Blackwater Peak is the gathering place of the serpent tribe, and the demons who captured you are also serpents. So can I surmise that something has changed among your clan, leading to your capture and escape?"

At this, the girl named Chang Xiangzhi widened her eyes in astonishment, staring at Six Ugly like a starstruck fan. She blurted, "You... you’re amazing! You could guess my background so easily... Have you already become a monster demon?"

"Monster demon" was the stage after little demon, akin to humans ascending to immortality. To humans, such powerful demons were called spirits, but among demons, they were referred to as monster demons or spirit demons.

Six Ugly did not respond to Chang Xiangzhi’s praise. Truthfully, he did not know how—any answer seemed awkward, even laughable.

So, with her confirming his guess, he continued with his main question:

"What happened in Blackwater Peak? How did you end up captured by your own clansmen?"

He would not have known, but only upon asking did Six Ugly realize that in the past year or so, Meishan had undergone extraordinary upheaval.