The so-called Monster City might have a natural effect that creates monsters, similar to a miasma that transforms creatures.
Qin Yi and Cheng Cheng were walking east. Along the way, every beast and insect they encountered was transformed into a monster; they had not seen a single normal animal. The centipedes, scorpions, and vultures that were common in desolate areas were all monstrous, and even a mouse cackled and said, “Humans…”
“Bang!” Without hesitation, Qin Yi swung his stick.
Whether monsters could communicate depended first on how cute they looked, right? What were those centipedes and mice trying to scare people for?
The mouse was crushed, and to Qin Yi’s surprise, it had hard bristles like a hedgehog that burst out when it was flattened.
Qin Yi shielded Cheng Cheng, clearing away the bristles. Cheng Cheng quietly watched his back, lost in thought.
There was a faint tremor from beneath the ground.
Qin Yi quickly turned and pushed Cheng Cheng aside. In the spot where she had been standing, a scorpion claw shot up, and the ground rumbled as a poisonous scorpion emerged.
Qin Yi rolled on the ground with Cheng Cheng for a few moments, not even having time to enjoy the closeness before he leaped up, swinging his stick down.
The wolf-tooth club collided with the scorpion claw, causing the scorpion to screech in pain as its claw broke.
At the same time, the long scorpion tail swung towards him, glowing with a green poison. Qin Yi dodged just in time, rolling to the side as the scorpion's head was smashed by the wolf-tooth club, splattering green poison everywhere.
Liu Su couldn’t help but admire how skilled Qin Yi had become in battle, moving smoothly and decisively.
His fighting style was quite wild, contrasting sharply with his handsome appearance. From the outside, one would expect him to wield a graceful sword, but here he was, swinging a club like this…
Liu Su firmly refused to admit that she had taught him this way.
Qin Yi got up and reached out to Cheng Cheng. “Are you okay?”
Cheng Cheng looked at his hand, then placed her delicate hand in his, using it for support to stand up. She shook her head to indicate she was fine.
Her hand was soft and smooth, but Qin Yi didn’t linger on it; he let go after helping her up. He adjusted his grip on the stick and looked towards the distant Monster City, realizing why Cheng Cheng didn’t dare to come here alone—she needed him to protect her.
It was too chaotic here.
As they continued on, they finally spotted some greenery in the distance. It was already winter, and he wasn’t sure what kind of plants they were, but Cheng Cheng’s expression brightened. Qin Yi felt a bit of joy too; anyone who had spent days in such a desolate place filled with poisonous creatures would be happy to see an oasis.
“Are we close?” Qin Yi asked, turning his head.
Cheng Cheng nodded happily.
Qin Yi sighed in relief. According to Cheng Cheng, once they entered the green area, it wouldn’t be so chaotic. After all, it was a place controlled by a king, with some regulations in place, and the monsters there lived more ordinary lives.
“Let’s go.” Qin Yi took Cheng Cheng’s hand and they ran.
Cheng Cheng followed, but her eyes kept glancing at their joined hands, her expression a bit strange.
The ground beneath them began to change, with sand and stones mixed with patches of green grass. As they moved forward, the greenery grew denser until they reached a lush area filled with vibrant plants, blooming flowers, and the sound of a small river flowing. Qin Yi almost cried; compared to the environment from just days ago, this was like a paradise!
The only difference from the human world was that, in such an environment, there would usually be the sounds of birds and cicadas. However, when Qin Yi looked up, he only saw a few birds with human faces perched on the branches, staring at him with curiosity, as if he were some rare species.
“Look, it’s a human.”
“Did it come from outside?”
“I’ve never seen clothes like that before.”
“The woman’s clothes are from our place; I recognize them. I saw someone wearing that last time, and they seemed wealthy.”
“Did a rich person from the city bring back a man from outside?”
“This is something else. Are outside people good-looking?”
The birds began to argue about whether local creatures or outsiders were more attractive.
A voice came from below the tree: “They’re probably about the same. I can smell him; he seems to be dirty and hasn’t washed in a long time.”
Qin Yi turned to see a little flower looking up at the birds, saying, “Stop arguing! The king said we need humans to work.”
So this is what they meant by the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers… Qin Yi covered his head.
Cheng Cheng smiled awkwardly at him, seemingly apologizing for the situation, as if to say not to take it personally.
Qin Yi waved his hand. At least these flowers and birds weren’t like the poisonous scorpions outside that attacked directly. He certainly wouldn’t start trouble in such a dangerous place.
“Miss Cheng, it seems these flowers and birds recognize you as one of their own. If that’s the case, you should be able to return by yourself,” Qin Yi said, bowing slightly. “I have other important matters to attend to, so I won’t go in any further. Until we meet again.”
Cheng Cheng tugged at his sleeve, her big eyes glistening, looking reluctant to part.
Qin Yi shook his head and turned to leave.
Although he really wanted to see the Monster City, his current strength wasn’t enough for that.
Just then, a teasing voice came from nearby: “Oh, whose human girl is this? How dare she be out here fooling around with a man?”
Cheng Cheng nervously hid behind Qin Yi.
Qin Yi slowly turned to see a creature with a human body and a leopard head, accompanied by several dog-headed followers. All of them were dressed in human clothes, looking somewhat similar.
This was the first time Qin Yi had seen something like this. Previously, he had only seen creatures with animal bodies and human faces, including the surrounding flowers and birds. He didn’t know what this human body with an animal head represented.
“It just shows they think living in human form is convenient, but they are proud of their monster identity, so they purposely take on this awkward appearance,” Liu Su said casually. “In fact, from an outsider's perspective, this is even more lowly and foolish.”
Qin Yi nodded in agreement. Creatures with animal bodies and human faces had a certain mystical quality; many deities worshipped by tribes looked like that, and no one dared to look down on them.
But a creature with a human body and a dog head was a dog-headed person, a lower species.
The leopard-headed creature approached, fanning itself with a folding fan while clapping its hands. “According to the law, a human slave who escapes can be divided among the monsters. You, woman, have quite the nerve.”
Cheng Cheng couldn’t speak and was frantically gesturing to prove she wasn’t an escaped slave.
Even the birds in the tree said, “She just came back from outside; how could she be an escaped slave?”
“Shut up!” The leopard-headed creature glared at the birds, seeming to want to lash out but held back for some reason, then turned back to Cheng Cheng. “You human girl, whose escaped slave are you?”
Cheng Cheng kept shaking her head, trying to say she wasn’t an escaped slave.
The leopard-headed creature waved its hand impatiently, seeming too lazy to communicate with someone who couldn’t speak. Its dog-headed followers all laughed and surrounded them.
Cheng Cheng shrank closer to Qin Yi.
Qin Yi sighed. There was no such thing as an escaped slave; the birds had already said her clothes were those of a wealthy person. Humans were hardworking and intelligent; it was completely normal for some to gain good positions and wealth in the monster realm. He had always thought Cheng Cheng was likely the daughter of such a family.
Besides, even if she were an escaped slave, why should someone like this creature bully her?
This scene felt familiar; after reading so many novels, who didn’t know this was just an excuse to cause trouble because they were interested in her looks? That lewd gaze was obvious; did it think it had the same pure appreciation in its eyes as him?
Let’s just fight.
Qin Yi tightened his grip on the wolf-tooth club, coldly watching the approaching dog-headed creatures, secretly assessing their levels of cultivation.
They shouldn’t be too strong… but that leopard-headed creature might be slightly stronger than him, so he needed to be strategic…
“Heh…” The leopard-headed creature laughed. “This human boy’s little eyes are quite amusing… a human warrior, in this city of ten thousand monsters, holding a wolf-tooth club, hahaha…”
It seemed to find this very funny, laughing louder and almost rolling on the ground.
At that moment, a surge of black fire suddenly erupted from Qin Yi’s arms, sweeping towards the leopard-headed creature, accompanied by an angry young girl’s voice: “Ugly monster, you’re so noisy!”
Qin Yi was overjoyed.
(End of Chapter)