All nine heads of the Night-Stalker Woman, who had been dumped on the floor, glared in unison at Rong Fu. The humiliating look on her faces was unmistakable, even through a thick layer of feathers. Rong Sui had good reason to suspect that if she weren’t bound tight, she would probably charge forward and fight his dad to the death right then and there.

Rong Fu was still smiling triumphantly, speaking with a tone that practically begged for praise. “She snatched Bai Ze and those kids, so I snatched her back.”

The Night-Stalker Woman erupted in fury. The combined voices of her nine heads sounded like hundreds of ducks quacking all at once, complete with a rolling echo. “If it weren’t for me, do you think you could have found those children?! They would have been sold off by human traffickers ages ago! Not only are you ungrateful to this old lady, but you even pulled out my feathers! I’m telling you, you and I aren’t done yet!”

She was trembling so hard with rage that her regional dialect slipped out. This was the most humiliating event in her long, feathery life—how dared this shameless tiger pluck her feathers?!

This was an irreconcilable feud!

Rong Fu’s ears buzzed from the sheer volume. Shaking his head, he roared right back at her, “What, you wanna see whose lungs are bigger?!”

Rong Sui: “…”

Looking at his old father with a complicated expression—the Nine-Headed Bird sounded like a lady, yet his dad had not only plucked the wing feathers right off her, but also bound her using the exact method meant for a market hen. Rong Sui let out a deep sigh, realizing he would never have a stepmother in this lifetime.

Fearing they would continue shouting back and forth to see who could be louder, Rong Sui quickly pulled his dad aside. “Alright, alright, stop arguing! Making so much noise is going to draw noise complaints from the neighbors.”

Since his son had spoken, the old father sat back down obediently. However, Rong Sui was still a bit troubled. “What should we do with this… Lady Nine-Headed Bird?”

Judging from her words, she wasn’t the one who had kidnapped the children in the first place. Although it might not have been out of pure benevolence, she had technically rescued Bai Ze and those children from the human traffickers. Keeping her bound up like this wasn’t quite right either.

“How about we kill her and eat her meat?” Rong Fu suggested in a sinister tone.

Rong Sui: “…”

He glared at his old father and ruthlessly rejected the proposal. “Eating people isn’t allowed, and that goes for demons too! There’s a giant fish in the kitchen—I’ll cook fish for everyone later.”

“The Divine Lady did not harm me or those children.”

Having taken a shower and changed into clean clothes, Bai Ze came downstairs holding Bi Fang in his arms. Seeing the Night-Stalker Woman with her bare wings, he also felt her plight was a bit too tragic. In truth, her words weren’t wrong; had it not been for her, those kidnapped human children might really have been sold off.

Moreover, even when her emotions spiraled out of control in the cave, she managed to suppress her fierce nature and ran outside to go wild instead, proving that she had no intrinsic desire to harm those children.

Rong Fu let out an dissatisfied grunt.

Rong Sui gave him a gentle nudge. “Dad, set her free. I’ll go cook.”

Rong Fu stared down the Night-Stalker Woman’s nine heads for a moment before finally stepping forward to untie the rope. The moment the Night-Stalker Woman regained her freedom, she spread her wings wide and lunged forward to fight him to the death.

However, having lived a shorter life than Rong Fu, her power was simply insufficient. Not only did she fail to exact revenge on the spot, but she also ended up getting a few more tufts of feathers yanked out.

Black feathers flew everywhere across the living room. Enraged, the Night-Stalker Woman transformed into her human form. Her long black dress morphed into a short-sleeved cut; resting her hands on her hips, she pointed at Rong Fu’s nose, stomped her foot, and gritted her teeth. “You just wait, you bast*rd!”

With that, her figure vanished into thin air, leaving behind a room full of drifting feathers.

Tickled by a stray piece of down, Rong Fu sneezed heavily and muttered, “See? I told you she was shedding feathers on her own!”

Everyone else: “…”

No one chimed in to agree with him. Bai Tu cleared his throat and shuffled out from behind the sofa with his knees turned inward. “I’ll sweep up the living room.”

Bai Ze, with Bi Fang perched on his head: “I’ll watch television for a bit.”

Yin Zhuzhi’s tail twitched slightly as he remained sitting majestically on the sofa.

Wentun glanced left and right, completely clueless as to what they were talking about, and trotted off toward the kitchen on his short legs to beg Rong Sui for snacks.

Only a small portion of the Henggong Fish Yin Zhuzhi had brought back had been eaten; the rest had been kept in the refrigerator for freshness. Leaving such a giant fish sitting there would be a waste, so it was better to eat it while it was fresh. With so many mouths to feed at home, Rong Sui simply decided to make a pickled cabbage fish hotpot.

The tender fish meat was sliced into medium-thick pieces, lightly marinated with seasonings, and cooked in a pot of rich broth alongside stir-fried pickled cabbage. The pickled cabbage was homemade, gifted by a neighboring grandmother—sour, crisp, and delicious. Just the aroma alone was enough to make one’s mouth water.

Since the fish was massive, Rong Sui picked the largest pot, yet it still only held half of the fish slices. The white fish meat paired with the bright red broth and the fragrance of the pickled cabbage proved irresistibly mouthwatering. After carrying the hotpot out first, Rong Sui coated the remaining half of the fish slices in flour and deep-fried them. The golden, crispy fish slices were neatly arranged on a plate, and even before being carried out, quite a few had already been devoured by Wentun, who was guarding the kitchen.

Hotpot could be greasy, and an all-meat spread could easily become cloying, so Rong Sui prepared a few refreshing side dishes to add to the hotpot after everyone finished the fish.

At the large round table in the dining room, everyone besides Rong Sui was already seated neatly, waiting for his arrival before picking up their chopsticks.

Scooping up Wentun, who had been clinging to his leg the entire time, Rong Sui placed him safely on a chair. Seeing everyone eagerly waiting for him, Rong Sui smiled, picked up a piece of fish meat, placed it in his old father’s bowl, and announced: “Dig in!”

As the start of the September school term drew near, everyone had no choice but to prepare for the return trip.

Rong Sui and Bai Tu went back and forth between the upstairs and downstairs packing things away. Having lived here for over a month, everyone had acquired quite a few new belongings. Coupled with the local specialties they had bought, their luggage was far more plentiful than when they first arrived.

The juveniles also had their own little suitcases—cartoon-themed luggage roughly as tall as their thighs, just big enough to pack their daily changes of clothes. The six juveniles wore matching T-shirts in different colors, dragging their suitcases along in an utterly adorable fashion.

The Pixiu, who had spent his time wandering in the mountains and hadn’t seen much of the world, found it immensely novel, dragging his suitcase around as he ran back and forth through the house.

Bi Fang still couldn’t stand the sight of him. As the Pixiu ran past, Bi Fang stuck out a leg to trip him. Caught off guard, the Pixiu fell flat on his face, scrambled back up, and instantly locked into a scuffle with Bi Fang.

Wentun’s favorite person was now Teacher Rong, following behind Rong Sui like a little tail, asking curious questions about everything.

Yin Zhuzhi, Long Ya, and Bai Ze sat in the living room, their respective luggage packed neatly, simply waiting to depart.

Long Ya looked at Wentun, then at the scuffling Bi Fang and Pixiu, and suddenly remarked, “Actually, this isn’t bad.”

It was no longer an era dominated by the demon tribe. The human race had risen, governing the world with technology. They no longer believed in gods, nor did they believe in tales of ghosts and monsters. Though their individual power was miniscule, through generations of reproduction and growth, they had become the masters of this land.

The once-flourishing demon tribe, by contrast, had vanished from sight. Even if a small fraction still existed in some hidden corner, it could no longer compare to the prosperity of bygone days.

The era of gods, the era of great demons, the era of war and blood—all had drawn their curtains to a close.

Yin Zhuzhi tilted his head, his gaze settling on the busy figure of Rong Sui, and gave a faint “Mm.”

They didn’t arrange for anyone to pick them up on the way back, opting instead to charter a tour bus for the whole group to return in high spirits.

The bus driver was a local from City W who regularly traveled between Wulong Gorge and City W, intimately familiar with the route.

Once the juveniles climbed aboard and settled into their seats one by one, Rong Sui did a final headcount to ensure no one was left behind. The bus then slowly started up, pulling onto the highway.

With the air conditioning running inside the bus, the air felt a bit stuffy. Rong Sui cracked a window slightly for ventilation, only to catch sight of a massive black bird circling in the sky. He froze for a moment, but when he looked closer, the shadow was already gone.

Coming out from Wulong Gorge required navigating a narrow mountain road. The driver didn’t dare go fast, keeping a slow and steady pace.

Though the journey was slow, the road was flanked by green mountains and clear waters with splendid scenery; snacking while watching television was a fine way to pass the time.

The overhead bus TV usually broadcast local news. Rong Sui glanced at it casually until a rebroadcast segment caught his attention.

The news headline read: H Province Police Make Major Breakthrough in Human Trafficking Operation, Dismantling Three Major Hideouts of Human Trafficking Syndicate, Arresting Over 30 Traffickers, Rescuing More Than 40 Kidnapped Children.

According to the news report, this syndicate of human traffickers in H Province had been rampant for a long time. However, due to their covert methods and cunning leadership, they had escaped multiple police raids. Even after wanted warrants were issued, the police had been unable to capture them.

A key turning point in dismantling this trafficking hideout was the kidnapping case in Wulong Gorge. In late July, five children were stolen in quick succession from several high-end residential complexes in Wulong Gorge. Upon receiving the reports, the police launched a full-scale search and captured three human traffickers thanks to citizen tips. After verifying the suspects’ identities, the police discovered that one of the men, surnamed Zhang, was a major leader in the syndicate.

Following the leads confessed by Zhang, the police gained a clear picture of the syndicate’s organizational structure. Following the breadcrumbs, they managed to destroy the entire criminal network in one fell swoop.

Team Leader Liu had disclosed some of this information to Rong Sui previously, but what caught Rong Sui’s attention was something else. After the police loaded the criminals into the police vehicles, they finally lifted a stretcher covered with a white cloth into the back.

Judging by the shape beneath the white cloth, it appeared to be a young child.

However, the reporter facing the white cloth showed no expression of grief, continuing instead with the report: During interrogation, accomplices confessed to the existence of another “boss.” The reason they were able to kidnap children for years without drawing suspicion was entirely due to this boss.

The boss, named Du Min, was a dwarfism patient whose face and stature resembled those of a five-year-old child. Coming from the same hometown as suspect Zhang, her short stature caused her to be frequently mocked as a child, leading to a twisted mindset and deep hatred toward children. Ultimately, she embarked on this point-of-no-return as a human trafficker.

The reporter stated that Du Min was confirmed dead when located. Her body suffered compound fractures throughout. Forensic examination revealed severe fractures in the finger bones of both hands; combined with the full-body fractures, it was speculated that she slipped and fell from a high place while attempting to escape—possibly clinging on for some time before succumbing to exhaustion and falling to her death. Her corpse floated downstream, where searching police eventually discovered it.

Rong Sui recalled what Rong Fu had told him upon returning. After hearing that another trafficker was in the mountains, Rong Sui had originally wanted Rong Fu to hand the person over to the police, but when Rong Fu went to the cave later, no one was left. Though Rong Fu swore the person must have fallen to her death, no body had been found, leaving Rong Sui somewhat uneasy.

Now seeing the report and confirming her death, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Du Min had harmed so many children; such an outcome could only be described as getting what she deserved.

Once the news segment concluded, it quickly transitioned to the next story. No one on the bus was watching television anymore; the juveniles were chatterboxing over which snacks tasted best, Bai Tu was raising his voice to chat with the old principal, and his dad was already leaning back against his seat, snoring softly. Rong Sui curled his lips into a slight smile, leaned against his headrest, and drifted off to sleep as well…

The bus traveled slowly along the mountain road, swaying occasionally with the bumps. The scorching sun outside was obscured by clouds, looking as though rain might fall at any moment.

The driver looked at the road ahead, opened his navigation system with some uncertainty, and muttered softly under his breath, “Did I take a wrong turn? That shouldn’t be possible…”

He had driven this route for nearly ten years; he could drive back with his eyes closed. Yet, while the road remained the same, the surrounding scenery felt increasingly unfamiliar.

Slowing the vehicle down, the driver kept refreshing the map, but the stiff, mechanical voice only repeated the exact same phrase over and over:

“Continue straight ahead. Destination is 300 meters ahead.”

“Continue straight ahead. Destination is 300 meters ahead.”

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Author’s Note:

Teacher Rong: I feel like I’ll never have a complete family in this lifetime.