We Have a Long Time

"You're not having trouble sleeping, it's clearly the glutton inside your belly that's keeping you awake!"

A Daoist burst into laughter, and the Daoist who had spoken earlier rubbed his chin, his eyes filled with desire as he looked towards the baby in the tomb chamber.

"Oh, the Human Returning Pellet that was discarded during the alchemy process, given to me as a reward by my master. After eating it once, I can't stop dreaming about it!"

"The taste, it truly haunts my dreams!"

"The crispy and fragrant outer layer, the succulent flesh that melts in your mouth, oh, the flavor!"

As the Daoist reminisced with delight, he also peeled two peanuts and stuffed them into his mouth.

The other Daoists joined in laughter. "Among the disciples of Wutong Temple, with dozens of us, there's only one glutton like you!"

"That's right, in my opinion, the taste of the Human Returning Pellet is not as good as the Five Stones Powder made by our master!"

"Although the Five Stones Powder is good, most of it was given to those scholars. How much did we actually get?"

"In my opinion, it's better to help that lady from the other family, the one who has been married for years but still can't conceive. Give her a good treatment, and then... hahaha!"

"You pervert."

"Ah, when the Eclipse Hound devours the moon and our master starts the furnace to refine the Blood Soul Pill, we might get to share one or two and extend our lifespan!"

"Forget about the Blood Soul Pill, that's what the higher-ups want. They invest a lot of money each year just for the sake of immortality and enjoying wealth and prosperity, right?"

"Nowadays, the cultivators hold the power. Those so-called higher-ups are nothing more than a group of pampered pigs and dogs!"

"Sigh, enough of this boring talk, let's drink!"

As the group of Daoists continued their conversation, they felt their enthusiasm wane, so they turned their attention back to drinking and feasting.

Du Ke, who was lurking at the entrance of the tomb chamber, had a gloomy expression as if water could drip from it. He rotated the baseball-sized Sun Essence Pellet in his hand.

Even his paw pads were emitting smoke, but the white cat seemed unaware, only staring at them with a sinister gaze.

After a moment, Du Ke put away the Sun Essence Pellet with a backhanded motion.

"Meow?"

Thirteen asked Du Ke curiously. Weren't they going to blow them all up?

"Blowing them up would be too easy on them!"

Du Ke looked at the group of Daoists before him, his disgust and anger breaking through the threshold.

What kind of people were they?

They appeared righteous on the surface, but in reality, they were all morally corrupt, like male thieves and female prostitutes.

No, even animals are better than them.

At least you could give animals something to eat, and they would rub against you in return.

But what about this group of people?

They eat people, drink excessively, lust for wealth, lust for power, lust for Five Stones Powder—no humanity, no limits.

They're no different from the man-eating demons and monsters in the Misty Cloud Mountain!

"Meow?"

Thirteen tilted his head, feeling a bit confused.

If they're not going to blow them up, then what's the plan?

"I have my own plan for that!"

Du Ke's eyes flickered as he glanced at the tomb chamber, where the child was squeezed inside.

With a wave of his hand, a gust of wind shattered the mesmerizing incense, and the cat's eyes also stared sinisterly at the Daoists.

"Tomorrow, let's play with them slowly!"

As Du Ke whispered, the Taoist priests continued their boisterous drinking and gambling.

Inside the dim tomb chamber, the flickering fire cast the shadows of the Taoist priests on the walls, twisting and writhing like demons dancing in hell.

...........

The next day, at noon.

The tomb chamber remained cold and damp, the torches had already burned out, leaving the walls of the chamber blackened.

A group of Taoist priests lay sprawled beside the stone coffin, which served as their makeshift table. Some held wine jars in their arms, while others clutched the stinking feet of others, creating a chaotic scene.

Meanwhile, inside the tomb chamber where the infants were placed, Du Ke was carefully feeding them powdered Blood Nourishing Pellets.

Giving them a little at a time, then using Clear Water Pellets to moisten their lips and provide hydration.

After completing these tasks, Du Ke squatted on the coffin, sighing as he looked at the wide-eyed little ones before him.

"Just endure a little longer, just a little longer, and I'll take you home!"

Du Ke raised his claw to touch the outstretched hand of one of the infants when suddenly, a crisp sound echoed from outside.

The sound reverberated throughout the tomb chamber, causing the children to burst into loud cries, and the Taoist priests in the chamber also opened their eyes in annoyance.

"Damn it, why did they come so early today?"

The Taoist priest with a yellow cloth bag hanging from his waist got up and took out a bell from his pocket.

The sound just now had come from the bell.

As soon as the bell was taken out, it made another crisp sound, and the other Taoist priests also stood up, looking at the bell-ringing Taoist with complaints.

"Hey, Lao Chen, can't you make this damn bell stop ringing?"

"Can I control it?"

Chen, the Taoist priest, coldly snorted, wiped his face with the leftover wine from last night, and then said, "The carriage driver who returns the Human Returning Pellets has arrived. Hurry up and get moving, send these people back with the pellets, and have him deliver them to the Observation Sect."

"Understood, understood."

"Really, I still have a headache now!"

"Your alcohol tolerance is weak!"

"Hahaha!"

A group of Taoist priests stretched their arms and legs, limbering up, and a few of them entered the tomb chamber where the infants were.

When the bell rang, Du Ke had already climbed onto the back of Thirteen, using the Dust Concealing Technique to hide their figures.

The cat and dog sat at the entrance of the tomb chamber, coldly watching as the Taoist priests carried the children away as if they were carrying water buckets.

If it weren't for the plan ahead, Du Ke would have already blasted these Taoist priests to ashes.

The cat watched silently, the sight of the Taoist priests carrying the children out of the chamber stirring a fiery anger within his heart.

If he didn't let this fire out, it would become a lifelong inner demon.

But he couldn't act now, not yet!

He had to endure, endure them for a while longer!

Du Ke watched as the Taoist priests carried the children out of the tomb chamber, and he followed them on Thirteen.

After leaving the tomb chamber, the group of Taoist priests entered the forest, walking in a single file towards the outskirts of the woods.

The cat and dog quietly followed along.

The Taoists walked through the forest for a while and arrived at a clearing where an old farmer, wearing a tattered cotton coat, was already waiting.

The old farmer squatted at the edge of the clearing with a shoulder pole beside him.

He held a dry tobacco pipe in his hand, biting the mouthpiece and puffing on it. When he saw the Taoists appear, he quickly put down the pipe and greeted them respectfully.

"Master Tao!"

Before the old farmer could even finish his greeting, he was slapped in the face.

The slap sent the old farmer spinning, and he couldn't help but sway, eventually sitting down on the ground.

"You old fool, why are you rushing us so early in the morning? Don't you know we stayed up late practicing last night?"

Chen, a Taoist reeking of alcohol, scolded loudly. The old farmer covered his face and bowed his head, saying in a low voice, "Ah, it's my fault, it's my fault, I apologize to you, Masters."

Seeing the old humble man, the Taoists sneered and casually threw the children they were carrying in their hands in front of him, as if they were trash.

"Hurry up and take them to the temple. If anything goes wrong, be careful of your own head!"

Chen threatened, raising his hand as if to strike, which frightened the old farmer, causing him to shrink his neck.

"Hmph, you dog!"

Muttering to himself, Chen shouted, "Let's go, guys, back to the temple."

"Let's go, let's go!"

"Ah, let's catch up on some sleep when we get back!"

"We're running out of food and drink, old man, remember to bring some later!"

...

After the group of Taoists quickly returned, the old farmer sighed and dusted himself off, then picked up the crying children, who had already weakened their cries, and placed them in baskets at the ends of the shoulder pole.

After each child was placed inside, the old farmer applied a bit of anesthetic under their noses, causing them to fall into a deep sleep.

After completing all of this, the old farmer rubbed the palm print on his face, trying to make it less noticeable.

Rubbing his sore face, the old farmer took a few more puffs of his pipe before shouldering the pole and walking out of the forest.

Duke silently followed, and the cat and dog followed behind the old man. They walked out of the forest and onto the main road.

A cart was parked near the edge of the forest, and on the cart was a little boy wearing a brightly colored cotton coat and with an upright braid, happily spinning a windmill.

"Yeye, why did you come back so late?"

The little boy saw the old farmer come out and waved his windmill excitedly. The old farmer, carrying the shoulder pole, smiled lovingly and replied, "Yeye went into the forest to pick some wild vegetables and bring them to the temple."

"Are they delicious?"

The curious little boy asked, and the old farmer calmly placed the baskets on both sides of the shoulder pole into the cart, saying with a smile, "No, they're very bitter."

"When we go to the big market, Yeye will buy candy-coated hawthorns for the good grandson, okay?"

"Okay!"

The little boy cheered, and the old farmer put the basket with the children into the cart and covered it with a blanket.

"Yeye, why is your face a little red?"

As the old farmer walked up to the cow and led the cart forward, the young boy also noticed the swelling on the old farmer's face.

"Oh dear, Yeye got hurt while pulling out wild vegetables. It's nothing, it's nothing!"

"Yeye, let Grandson blow on it, and it won't hurt anymore!"

"Haha, Grandson is so good and caring. When we get back, Yeye will cut some pork for Grandson to eat!"

"Okay, let's cut pork and eat!"

The grandfather and grandson continued on their way with the cart, gradually moving farther along the road. At the same time, Duke captured the essence of this harmonious scene between the grandfather, grandson, and those few infants.

Looking at this scene of family harmony, Duke's expression became complex.

"Ah, this is what it means to be human!"

Duke sighed, feeling a mixture of emotions. His curious dog tilted its head, somewhat puzzled.

"It's nothing, just some emotional outburst!"

Duke patted the dog's head and added, "Let's go, let's head back!"

"These two, driving the cart, won't be too fast. Judging by your speed, we have plenty of time. We can take it slow and enjoy ourselves!"

As the cat said this, a sharp glint appeared in its eyes, also looking towards the woods behind.

"We'll play bit by bit!"