frightfiction Chapter 281 Rescue
Chapter 281 Rescue
In the forbidden area of the underworld,
The beast's claws suddenly lashed out wildly, and the skeleton cat, which had just grabbed them, was thrown away by the immense force before it could even react, crashing heavily into the stone wall.
"Gulu!"
In the Heavenly Court,
After the Qilin gave the Bluebird to the immortal, it met its friend Yingzhao.
Just as the two beasts were chatting happily, the main hall not far away suddenly exploded, with broken stones and tiles flying everywhere, thick smoke billowing into the sky, and the little fairy's screams almost piercing the eardrums.
"Something terrible has happened!! The seal on the ferocious beast has been broken!!"
The Qilin and Yingzhao both raised their heads in a daze. A huge shadow enveloped their divine bodies, and a violent aura suddenly swept over them, making their fur fly.
"What is this thing?! I just came up here to fix a Bluebird, why am I so unlucky?!"
"Stop talking nonsense, run, you four-legged creature!"
In the mortal realm,
Caiyun Mountain.
The lake surface suddenly churned, and the three Pixiu, looking around in confusion, subconsciously lowered their heads upon noticing the anomaly.
A massive whirlpool suddenly formed, covering the entire lake surface, and the powerful spiral force swept the three brothers underwater before they could even react.
"What's going on?! Glug glug glug!"
Tianlu's voice was drowned out by the splashing water. Its blue and white claws thrashed about, then sank back down after a moment.
……
Underwater currents surged, and a powerful suction force swirled the three brothers, causing them to stagger and fall. The bright lake water around them gradually darkened as they sank deeper and deeper until even the light could no longer penetrate.
"Gurgle, gurgle, this won't do, I can't hold on in this state, quickly turn back to my original form!"
Pi Xie slid his four mouths and exhaled a series of bubbles. His calm words spread rapidly through the water and reached the ears of his two brothers.
With a bang, the three Pixiu almost simultaneously reverted to their original forms, their slender and robust bodies brimming with power that instantly gave them a steady and composed demeanor.
"What's going on?"
Tianlu swam over to Bixie and asked him questions, his voice becoming more mature along with his physique.
Bai Jie swam over as well, her blue eyes shining brightly in the dark water.
Bixie glanced to the left and right, and breathed a sigh of relief when he confirmed that his two brothers were alright. Then he looked down at the bottom of the lake, his narrow mouth opening and closing.
"I'm not sure, we'll find out when we go down. Let's go."
As soon as he finished speaking, he was quickly drawn downwards by the suction, with Bai Jie and Tian Lu following closely behind.
The icy water flowed over their skin, the nearby light grew dimmer, tiny dust particles floated in the water, and the three brothers' different colored pupils left streaks of light as they sped along.
As they drew closer and the rhinoceros's power increased, they finally saw the source of the disturbance: in the muddy lakebed, a ferocious head roared and swallowed the lake water!
The three pairs of eyes—green, blue, and yellow—converged as the surging undercurrents pulled them closer to the gaping, monstrous maw.
Tianlu slid his limbs to maintain his balance, his brow furrowed.
"No, if this continues, we'll be sucked in."
The fiery-tempered Pixie charged straight at them.
"How dare a mere head act so arrogantly here? I'll go gobble his eyes out and then kill him for our meal!"
In the pitch-black depths, a blurry figure rapidly magnified in crimson eyes. The pupils contracted sharply in alarm, and in the next instant, a sharp claw stabbed out.
"Whoaaaaah! Who dared to attack my eyes! I'll kill you all!"
The Taotie roared in pain, stirring up gusts of dark currents. Then, its violent eyes reopened, revealing three familiar faces. The rage in its eyes was unmistakable.
"That face... a Pixiu? What are you doing here, and why are you attacking me? Have you also sided with the Heavenly Court?"
"Watch your mouth, who has pledged allegiance to the Heavenly Court?" Tianlu floated in front of the head, looking very displeased, but then a hint of doubt appeared on his face.
"And judging from your words, you know us?"
The head didn't seem threatening. Bixie floated back to its brothers, and the three Pixiu shrank and stared at Taotie with hostility.
"I'd recognize you even if you were ashes! Why do you all look like you've lost your memories? I'm Taotie! I fought with you when we were kids and even stole your golden balls!"
Some eyes flashed with suspicion, then a moment later revealed a look of realization.
"Ah... oh. I remember now, it's you. What are you doing here, and you're just a head now? Did you hide in the water to avoid the Heavenly Court?"
Bai Jie and Tian Lu hovered behind him, looking somewhat bewildered. The conversation between the two beasts sounded a little strange to them.
"Bullshit! Why would I be afraid of them? I've been arrested!"
"Those gods couldn't kill me, so they dismembered me and sealed me in different places, hoping to trap me that way!"
The Taotie roared excitedly, and the huge sound waves shook the bottom of the water, creating ripples.
"Ha, ridiculous! If it weren't for the darkness underwater and my constant drowsiness, I would have broken free and fought them to the death!"
Bixie landed on the ground expressionlessly, its white paws covered in mud. After Taotie finished speaking, it coldly mocked him.
"Come on, all you have left is your head, what can it do?"
"What can I do? I can do a lot of things! Release me, and I'll go and overturn the Heavenly Court!"
"No."
Taotie couldn't catch his breath, and his subsequent boastful words were forced back down.
"Was my refusal too decisive? Why?"
He struggled to move his head, the muddy ground making every step forward extremely difficult, his scarlet eyes wide open, staring intently at the three Pixiu.
"Although we've had our share of troubles in the past, we're still beastmen! And we've known each other for so many years, what's wrong with you guys helping me out?"
"Don't you also have grudges against the Heavenly Court? I'm a powerful and dangerous person, so if you release me now, I can be an ally when I face those gods in the future!"
"What can you do with just your head? You'll be lucky if you don't hold us back," Bixie said, his tone still icy.
"So what if I only have a head? As long as I get out and rebuild my body, taking over the Heavenly Court will be a piece of cake! Besides, I still have brothers, and they are not to be trifled with!"
"What should we do to ward off evil spirits and save him?" Tianlu walked to the side despite the dark current and asked, tilting his head.
Bixie frowned slightly. "They bit my ear before, so I'm reluctant to help. But..."
"In case we clash with the Heavenly Court in the future, having a few more assistants won't be a bad thing."
"Okay, okay! Take me out of here! By the way, wouldn't it be easier for you to carry me if I shrunk a bit?"
The Taotie trembled with excitement. For so many years, it had been in this dark and gloomy place for so long, and finally it could leave.
Bai Jie turned to look at him, and her first words shattered her beautiful fantasy.
"Taking you out is possible, but what if the Heavenly Court finds out? If we are discovered, we will still be dragged down with us."
"Is that so? Then let's not save him." Bixie's eyes shifted to meet Baijie's gaze, and his casual words instantly made Taotie furious.
"No way! I promise I'll hide well, and even if I'm exposed, I won't let you out!"
However, no beast paid him any attention.
"Oh! I have an idea. That guy should be able to get along with him." Tianlu suddenly raised his paw and his eyes lit up.
Shortly after,
The three Pixiu, along with the Taotie, floated to the surface. The murky water gradually turned clear, and Tianlu was still muttering to himself halfway up.
"You two might actually get along very well."
"Just be smart and don't cause us any trouble," Bixie advised, though he wasn't in a good mood.
Upon surfacing, they quickly found the beast that Tianlu had mentioned.
On the sunny grass, three Pixiu stood behind, while Taotie and Taowu stared at each other with their heads wide open.
"Ah? It's you. Why are you only able to kowtow now?"
"Huh? Taotie? You're still alive, and what happened to you? You look like a ghost!"
[—After a thousand years, the two ferocious beasts meet again.]
……
"—Click."
The TV screen went black, and Puss in Boots dropped the remote and looked back.
In the rented room of the film crew in Caiyun Village, warm yellow light illuminated the living room. The members of the director's team and a group of actors each found a place to stay and discovered that they had all watched the television at the same time when it was turned off.
"These are the animal mothers who showed up at the pre-wedding dinner?"
Puss in Boots pointed to the following creatures: the Pixiu brothers, the three Qilin, the Totoro brothers, Panhu Cat Tears, Meimei, the newlyweds, and the director's team: Xiaohang, Zhuzi, and Tutu.
"It seems no one else is coming; these are the only available people."
Xiaohang shrugged and glanced helplessly around the room.
This was, after all, the first time the production team had ever hosted a pre-wedding banquet. It was a bit simpler than the fourth and fifth anniversaries, well, more than a bit, but there were still a few less attendees.
"Director, not everyone has that much free time. Okay, hurry up and tell us, what are we doing at the banquet tonight?"
Totoro was coiled on the handrail of the stairs leading to the second floor, while the cat-dragon stood on its brother's head, its body moving up and down with the other's movements, and it was talking.
The beasts nodded in agreement, chattering amongst themselves. They had been watching TV for a long time and were eager to get to the point.
Puss in Boots raised her paw to signal for quiet, and waited for the feeble commotion to subside before she spoke loudly.
"Alright, cough cough, the purpose of this dinner is to further discuss and confirm the details of tomorrow's wedding. These still need to be discussed and agreed upon by the newlyweds themselves."
"Whoosh—pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat—"
Suddenly, applause rang out in the room; the sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet air.
The beasts instinctively turned to look. Meimei clapped vigorously, his claws turning red, but when he realized that all the beasts were watching him, he slowed down and eventually stopped in embarrassment.
"Um...shouldn't we be clapping now?"
The mythical beasts were taken aback for a moment, then suddenly realized.
Yes.
So a few scattered claps rang out in the room, which felt particularly perfunctory.
Puss in Boots twitched the corner of his mouth.
These guys are all mythical beasts, they have no concept of being a corporate slave, no concept of being a corporate slave at all. Don't get angry, don't get angry.