Even hybrid monsters have their day

She never imagined that her first task as a guardian would be to investigate herself. Should she say this bizarre task was perplexing? Geng Miaowan decided that once she arrived at the village, she would simply ask a few questions and then return to report.

"Why do you think Zhan Xisheng would investigate Gongye Xuanru? Does that mean she's not dead yet?" Geng Miaowan spoke to the two in her mind.

“Impossible, she died in that fire,” Luan Hao said with certainty.

"Could it be that they've noticed something amiss?"

"That's hard to say. After all, there are many mysterious things in the underworld that I don't even know about," Luan Hao said uncertainly. But after thinking for a moment, he added, "But even Cang Yufeng didn't recognize you, which means they probably don't know your identity yet."

"Who is Gongye Xuanru?" As someone who came later, Huangfu Aoxuan had no idea who the two of them were talking about, which made him feel excluded.

"It's me."

"what!"

Geng Miaowan recounted the events to him in general terms, and Huangfu Aoxuan remarked that it was the most bizarre story he had ever heard in his life. However, he hadn't realized that Luan Hao would be willing to risk his own cultivation to change her fate.

After walking for about ten minutes without leaving the woods, Geng Miaowan began to wonder if she was lost. She sent Xiaobai ahead to scout the way, and it returned shortly after, saying that if they continued walking for about half an hour, they should be able to get out.

Geng Miaowan couldn't help but complain about why the entrance to this passage was located in such a remote place.

She reluctantly got up, dusted herself off, and prepared to continue walking. Suddenly, she felt an unusual gust of air blowing from behind her. Before she could turn around to find the source of the air, Luan Hao shouted, "Run! Hide behind that big rock!"

Upon hearing his words, she didn't suspect anything and immediately took off running. She ran for several dozen meters before hiding behind a large rock.

She had just taken cover when she heard a screeching sound behind her, like a sharp object scraping against metal. Even in broad daylight, it sent chills down her spine and gave her goosebumps.

Peeking out from behind the rock, she saw that the grass and trees where she had just stood had turned to ashes, forming a clearing. Above the clearing, a strange, thin black line stretched across the ground; upon closer inspection, it could be seen that it was twisting.

Xiao Bai also stared at that spot with a wary expression.

"What is that?" she asked, puzzled.

"Spacetime rift".

Just four words were enough to startle Geng Miaowan. Suddenly she remembered that when she was tricked into coming to the human world, the images around her when she came out of the space-time rift seemed to be the same, with a large open space full of ashes.

Back then, she thought having a spacetime rift was an amazing thing, but after learning about the Anywhere Door in the Underworld, she felt that spacetime rifts were nothing special.

But who could be coming out of there? Thinking of this, she stared even more intently at that spot, afraid of missing something.

Gradually, the thin black line grew thicker and thicker, as if someone was pulling it from the middle to both sides, and the opening in the middle became larger and larger until it was big enough for a person to pass through.

A young man dressed in a gray-blue robe stepped out and landed steadily on the ground. Although his face was a little pale, he remained calm.

Unlike Geng Miaowan, who seemed to have been thrown out of the crevice both times she emerged. But that's not the point. The point is that the young man was someone she knew.

Qiu Pi? What's he doing here? With his abilities, he shouldn't be able to traverse the space-time rift.

As if to confirm her thoughts, a dark purple figure stepped out of the crack shortly after. The newcomer was imposing, with an air of authority that commanded respect without anger. He stepped out of the crack as casually as if he were walking from his own yard to the outside. Seeing his appearance, Geng Miaowan suddenly felt that Qiu Pi's performance just now could only be considered barely not embarrassing.

But that's not the point. The point is that she knows this person too; it's Gongye Hong.

The two left quickly without lingering.

Only after the two figures disappeared from sight did Geng Miaowan emerge from behind the rock. Zhan Xisheng had sent her to investigate the truth behind Gongye Xuanru's burning to death, so this must be a space a year after she left the demon realm. She wondered what the two of them were doing in this realm; were they here because they discovered she was missing?

She was very puzzled, but couldn't figure out why, so she stopped thinking about it and continued on her way. After walking a short distance out of the woods, she reached her destination—Woli Village.

Woli Village is a peaceful village, not large in size, but everyone in the village is well-fed and clothed and lives a self-sufficient life. Their main source of income is farming, and there are also a few hunters in the village who go into the mountains every few days to hunt some wild game to sell to the villagers.

When Geng Miaowan arrived in the human world, she was unable to transform into human form and was discovered by hunters who went into the mountains. Coincidentally, strange things were happening in the village around that time, and they all said it was her doing. So they dragged her out of the forest, tied her to an altar, and burned her alive.

Every time she thinks about this, Geng Miaowan feels lingering fear. If Luan Hao hadn't accidentally entered her body and changed her fate, she would probably be nothing but ashes now.

The woman and her dog quickly arrived at Woli Village. Standing at the village entrance, looking at the scene before her, Huangfu Aoxuan's voice echoed in her mind, "This is Woli Village? It's completely different from what you described."

Geng Miaowan was also somewhat surprised by what she saw.

She remembered when she was brought here, the mountains and rivers were lush and green, the crops surrounding the village grew very well, and the village was bustling with people coming and going. But now, the farmland is abandoned, not a blade of grass grows in the fields, the small river on which the villagers depend for survival is almost dry, and the few people who occasionally walk around the village all look emaciated and listless.

It's only been a few days since she was burned to death, how could things have turned out like this?

Huangfu Aoxuan stood at Geng Miaowan's feet, looked around, and said hesitantly, "After you've asked your questions, you should leave quickly. I think something's strange about this place."

Geng Miaowan nodded.

Just then, two children ran out of the village to play and stopped as they passed by her. One of them looked at her curiously, while the other urged, "Little brother, stop looking and hurry up. If Mom finds out, we won't be able to go play on that hill over there anymore."

"Okay, I get it."

As they talked, the two ignored Geng Miaowan and ran towards a small hill not far away.