Chapter 212: Demons Aren’t Always Evil

There’s an old saying: Once is chance, twice is coincidence, but thrice…

Three chance encounters—especially this third one—felt far too convenient.

In an instant, the escort guards became convinced that the white-clad gentleman was an evil spirit.

However, just as they were about to strike, Gu Ning’an suddenly stopped in his tracks. He glanced around at the dense fog and murmured, “So, you’ve been trapped… No wonder after nearly half a day, you’re still stuck in the Nine Linked Slopes.”

“Was it you who did this to us?!” One of the guards couldn’t help but shout.

Hearing this, Gu Ning’an gave a helpless smile, just about to explain, when Cao Cheng quickly stepped forward. He turned to the guard who had questioned Gu Ning’an and said, “Do not be rude to Mr. Gu!”

The reason for his intervention was simple: Gu Ning’an had noticed the anomaly the moment he entered this place.

His calm composure while traveling alone through the wilderness, combined with his ever-unruffled demeanor, led Cao Cheng to suspect that this man was no ordinary traveler—he might be a highly skilled expert.

Even if it was just a hunch, Cao Cheng knew he had to seize the opportunity.

If this man truly had a way out but they offended him and he left them behind, wouldn’t they be trapped here forever?

“Mr. Gu, do you have a way out?” Cao Cheng sheathed his saber and clasped his hands in respect.

“Follow me.”

With those words, Gu Ning’an started walking forward.

Behind him, Cao Cheng—determined to take the gamble—hurried to follow, urging his men to keep up.

But before doing so, he unbuckled the blade from his waist and placed it on the last carriage before catching up to Gu Ning’an.

“Whoa, look at that! Chief Cao even put down his weapon just to show goodwill!”

“Isn’t that a bit too reckless?”

“What if the guy suddenly turns on us in this fog? He won’t even have a weapon to fight back…”

As he spoke, the escort guard suddenly froze mid-sentence. His eyes widened in shock as he pointed ahead.

“Look! Why can’t I see the carriages ahead, but I can see Mr. Gu so clearly?!”

“Hiss… You’re right!”

Those who heard this quickly turned their gazes forward—and sure enough, it was just as he said!

Even the people right in front of them were barely visible, and anything farther was completely swallowed by the mist. Yet, despite the distance, Gu Ning’an’s silhouette stood out clearly, his figure completely unobscured.

At that moment, everyone who noticed this realized two things:

First, Mr. Gu could most likely lead them out of here!

Second, Chief Cao truly deserved his position—his judgment was impeccable.

…

“We’re finally out!”

Standing atop the seventh slope, the escort guards looked up at the slanting western sun and let out a long sigh of relief.

The feeling of seeing daylight again was beyond words!

Cao Cheng turned to Gu Ning’an and gave him a deep bow. “Mr. Gu, we owe you our lives. Thank you!”

At this, all the escort guards followed suit, bowing in unison.

“Thank you, Mr. Gu! If not for you, we really would’ve been trapped in there!”

“That’s right! I even doubted you earlier—I was such a fool! Please don’t hold it against me, Mr. Gu!”

“Yes, yes! Mr. Gu, a noble man like you wouldn’t be petty, right? Please don’t bear a grudge against us!”

Hearing the chorus of apologies, Gu Ning’an chuckled and raised a hand to quiet them. “No need to thank me. It’s only natural to lend a hand when traveling the same road.”

“You’ve been up all night without rest—take some time to recover.”

“I’m heading back into the mist to find the spirit creature and ask it a few questions.”

The moment Gu Ning’an said this, the place fell utterly silent—one could hear a pin drop!

Many of the escort guards even held their breath, forgetting to exhale.

Cao Cheng was the first to recover. He clasped his hands and said, “Sir, I will accompany you!”

Gu Ning’an smiled at this and replied, “No need. I’m only going to talk, not to fight.”

Talk?

What was there to talk about with a spirit creature?

Thinking Gu Ning’an simply didn’t want them to hold him back, Cao Cheng insisted, “Mr. Gu, we may just be ordinary folk, but we do have some skill in dealing with mountain ghosts.”

“There’s strength in numbers, and our strong yang energy could help protect you.”

Gu Ning’an chuckled. “You misunderstand, Chief Cao. I truly don’t intend to fight… Besides, the spirit creature in the mist didn’t necessarily mean you harm. After all, it never actually attacked you, did it?”

It nearly trapped us to death, and it’s not bad?!

Cao Cheng was utterly baffled, unsure of what to say. In the end, he could only bow and say, “Then please be careful, Mr. Gu. If you need help, just call out—I’ll be the first to rush down!”

“Understood. You all get some rest. There are no spirit creatures on this slope.”

With that, Gu Ning’an strode back down toward the base of the slope.

The escort guards glanced at each other before turning their eyes to their leader.

Cao Cheng noticed their looks and scoffed, “What are you staring at me for? Hurry up and take turns resting!”

“Chief Cao, are we really just going to wait here for Mr. Gu?” Liu Da asked.

Cao Cheng rolled his eyes. “What else? You want to go on ahead?”

“Didn’t you hear Mr. Gu say there are no spirit creatures on this slope?”

“Do you know what that means?”

Liu Da blinked blankly. “No…?”

Cao Cheng smirked. “It means there might be spirit creatures at the next slope’s base. Got it now?”

The moment he said this, a group of guards—who had just been about to find a quiet spot to relieve themselves—felt a chill run down their spines. Without hesitation, they rushed back to the slope’s peak…

…

Amid the dense mist, a small, plump creature covered in short brown fur poked its head out from beneath a large tree.

It had a big head and a round body, resembling a tiny, chubby pig.

Standing on all fours, it sniffed the ground vigorously with its wide nostrils.

As it sniffed, it suddenly noticed a pair of white shoes in front of it.

Unfazed, it slowly lifted its head—only to meet the gaze of the person it had feared moments ago…

Gu Ning’an looked at the little creature with interest and smiled. “Shouldn’t you be living by the river?

“What are you doing up here on this mountain slope?”

The small, brown creature remained motionless, not even blinking. If someone from the modern world saw this, they might mistake it for an incredibly lifelike stuffed toy.

Gu Ning’an recalled that this little fellow was called a capybara, or was it Kapibara?

There was even a song that just repeated Kapibara over and over again…

Crouching down, Gu Ning’an reached out toward the “capybara’s” head. But before he could even touch it, the little creature’s ears began spinning rapidly—just like a tiny propeller.

Gu Ning’an chuckled. “Alright, drop the act. I can tell you’ve already refined your throat bone.¹ Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to create such a massive fog.”

“If you keep pretending, I’ll send you straight to the nearest City God Temple.”

Hearing this, the capybara trembled and said, “Great sir, no, no, no! I’m a good person… no, a good demon!”