Chapter 34: Feeling Wronged

“Are you that Eminence?”

The old man patted the bloodstains from his body, casually kicked the sheep-headed aberration aside, then looked at Mu Xuan and tossed the scepter in front of him.

Mu Xuan staggered to his feet, picked up the scepter, and eyed the old man warily.

This guy is physically strong!

Just now, he’d crushed the head of that sheep-headed aberration with a single hand. There was no way Mu Xuan could take the old man before him lightly.

“Eminence, the power inside you is formidable, but… you don’t know how to use it properly…”

With that, the old man no longer looked at Mu Xuan, turning to leave.

What does he mean?

Mu Xuan frowned deeply.

Watching as the old man’s figure was about to vanish into the black mist, and then glancing at the sheep-headed aberration’s corpse to the side, Mu Xuan gritted his teeth and decided to follow after him.

Buzhazi was also in that direction. The old man probably bore no ill will—otherwise, he wouldn’t have handed over the scepter so easily.

Mu Xuan didn’t stick too close to the old man, always keeping a certain distance—close enough to keep up, but not too near.

Soon, the distant sound of sheep bleating drifted over, and the old man’s figure abruptly disappeared.

Mu Xuan paused, hesitated for a moment, then continued forward.

After just a few steps, Mu Xuan noticed that the black mist ahead had thinned considerably; his vision was no longer so badly obstructed. On the flat ground ahead, many vague figures swayed to and fro.

Steeling his heart, Mu Xuan drew closer. It was as if he’d arrived at a certain threshold—at that moment, the black mist before his eyes suddenly dispersed, and everything instantly became clear.

Not far away, sheep with their heads lowered grazed everywhere. There were not only goats, but sheep as well! Mu Xuan wasn’t familiar with the finer distinctions, but the general characteristics of these two types he could tell apart.

Goats’ tails usually stick upward, their fur is straight and sleek, their horns are narrow, straight or curve backward—of various kinds. Sheep, however, usually have naturally drooping, plump tails, thick and curly fleece, some with horns and some without, mostly spiral-shaped.

Though disaster had descended and the sheep had undergone some changes, these general features remained unchanged.

Though he felt some excitement, Mu Xuan suppressed it.

He could still recall the state of the previous sheep vividly. No one could guarantee that these sheep’s true forms were as they seemed.

Glancing around, Mu Xuan spotted the old man on a small knoll.

The old man was hunched over, gripping a sheep’s neck tightly with his hand. The sheep struggled continuously, tears streaming from its eyes.

Mu Xuan shivered involuntarily.

He didn’t know what was happening, nor whether he should intervene or simply let the old man finish his business.

By his own senses, Buzhazi was definitely here, yet no matter what he did, Mu Xuan couldn’t find Buzhazi’s trace.

“Baa—”

With a miserable bleat, blood spurted forth, and the old man twisted the sheep’s neck, flinging it to the ground.

The other sheep crowded forward, eager to eat the sheep’s corpse, but the old man drove them away. After being chased off, those sheep flashed deep malice at the old man, before reluctantly departing.

Watching this bizarre scene, Mu Xuan felt his scalp crawl.

As expected, these sheep were no longer normal sheep!!!

Or rather, in this world of disaster, there were simply no normal creatures left!

Perhaps plants could survive the ordeal by hibernating as seeds, but whether oviparous or mammalian, no animal could avoid the taint’s invasion.

Just then, the old man suddenly turned to look at Mu Xuan, the blood dripping from his hand. An oppressive terror swept over, causing a bead of cold sweat to drip from Mu Xuan’s brow.

One step…

Two steps…

With each step the old man drew closer, the pressure intensified, to the point Mu Xuan could hardly breathe.

He swallowed nervously and instinctively stepped back.

At that moment, the old man’s figure appeared directly before him. Before Mu Xuan could react, a hand reached out and grabbed his head, squeezing down hard.

“Jiu—”

A piercing shriek sounded as Mu Xuan toppled backward, collapsing to the ground. The power of light that cloaked his body shattered in an instant, revealing his true form.

As the old man casually tore apart the xinqu, Mu Xuan clutched his rear, tears nearly spilling from his eyes.

It was terrifying. He’d never felt so powerless since coming to this world…

Just like that, with his emotions already raw, Mu Xuan’s mental defenses were shattered…

A sense of grievance surged to his head in an instant.

The old man tossed the remains of the xinqu aside and looked at the collapsed, pitifully gazing Mu Xuan, sighing softly.

He wanted to reach out and pat Mu Xuan’s head, but Mu Xuan scooted back twice in fright.

The hand the old man had extended froze midair. Glancing at his blood-stained hand, he shook his head helplessly and said, “Eminence, you have been targeted…”

Now that he saw Mu Xuan’s original form—just a cute little fellow, barely one meter sixty tall—the old man’s tone softened with a hint of doting. Yet that doting felt distant, and his heart grew heavy.

Upon hearing this, Mu Xuan looked at the remains of the xinqu on the ground and swiftly composed himself.

Damn it, what a humiliating display this was…

But why, when the sense of grievance swelled up just now, did his tears almost break free, like a flood about to burst its banks…

He wasn’t like this before…

Pushing aside his emotional turmoil for now, Mu Xuan looked at the old man, understanding that his actions were for his own good.

Still, Mu Xuan had never expected that this xinqu had been hiding on his body all along…

How horrifying was that?

Shuddering from lingering fear, Mu Xuan finally managed to get his trembling body under control, wiped his tears, and said earnestly to the old man, “Thank you for your help…”

He truly wished to be solemn, but with his current appearance and voice, he couldn’t pull it off at all. Instead, he only seemed more adorable.

Silvery hair draped messily over his shoulders, a face still rounded with baby fat, and a loose robe slipping down his small frame—all made Mu Xuan look exactly like a little loli who’d sneaked on her elder’s clothes…

“It was nothing… Eminence, this old man knows your purpose in coming, but may I ask you a few questions first…”

After pondering for a moment, Mu Xuan nodded.

“Please ask.”

“Eminence, which Pope are you?”

“The forty-second.”

Forty-second? Hearing Mu Xuan’s reply, the old man’s expression grew extremely complex. He fell silent for a long time, seemingly lost in memory…