Chapter 1426: Ingrate

"You successfully killed Fengxi?" Yun Jianyue asked, skeptical. "I heard it was Yi who killed him."

They had personally experienced Fengxi's power; how could an ordinary hunter possibly defeat him?

The strong man replied, "Yi is my master."

Everyone was stunned.

They were truly astonished; this man was actually Yi's disciple?

"What exactly happened?" Zu An quickly asked for details.

Seeing that he had no intention of continuing to kill, the strong man, who introduced himself as Pang Meng, explained, "Yi is indeed my master. Years ago, I had long heard of his great name and traveled thousands of miles to seek him out and become his disciple. My master was eventually moved by my sincerity and agreed to take me on, teaching me the art of archery. Later, he even brought me along to eliminate dangers for the people, and I was with him when we confronted Fengxi."

"During the process of slaying Fengxi, I was accidentally infiltrated by the demonic energy from his body. Initially, there was nothing unusual, but gradually I became demonized, eventually transforming into Fengxi's likeness. I felt too ashamed to face my master and feared harming the common people, so I hid in the mulberry forest."

Zu An frowned, "Didn't your master try to help you?"

"I was ashamed to see him and deliberately avoided him at first. Later, I heard something had happened to him, and my consciousness was gradually taken over by Fengxi's demonic energy, plunging me into a daze. I don't remember what happened after that," Pang Meng replied.

The group immediately recalled the black mist that occasionally emanated from Fengxi during their recent battle. Was that the so-called demonic energy?

"Something happened to Yi?" Zu An sharply noted the implication in his words.

"I don't know what happened to my master; I could barely protect myself," Pang Meng said mournfully. "Fortunately, you brave warriors eliminated Fengxi's demonic energy today, giving me a chance to see the light again. Your great kindness and benevolence, I will repay even in my next life by serving you as an ox or a horse."

Zu An retorted exasperatedly, "I don't plough fields, what would I do with you as an ox or a horse?"

Pang Meng was speechless.

He was momentarily at a loss for words, bewildered by this person who didn't play by conventional rules.

"That lecherous wild boar just now, was that actually you?" Yun Jianyue frowned. For some reason, thinking of the boar's recent appearance, she instinctively felt a dislike.

Pang Meng quickly pleaded, "You've got it all wrong! That was Fengxi's demonic energy in control; I had no idea what was happening. If I offended the immortal maiden in any way, I hope she won't take offense."

Yun Jianyue raised an eyebrow, surprised that she would one day be called an immortal maiden. No wonder that Ice-Stone Woman was so conceited; this feeling was indeed quite pleasant. Zu An then asked, "Tell us about your master. We're very curious about what kind of person he is."

"My master is a great hero of the human race, exceptionally skilled in archery, known as the greatest archer under heaven. In his early days, he earned the admiration of the Heavenly Emperor, who bestowed upon him the Scarlet Bow and White Arrows, making him invincible. Later, when Emperor Yao ascended the throne, ten suns appeared simultaneously, and fierce beasts roamed across the land. Emperor Yao then sought out my master."

"Because the ten suns were the Heavenly Emperor's sons, my master initially refused, as the Heavenly Emperor had been gracious to him. However, seeing the suffering of the people, he had no choice but to set aside personal gratitude and agree to act, using the Scarlet Bow and White Arrows bestowed by the Heavenly Emperor to shoot down nine Golden Crows from the sky..."

Zu An frowned slightly, as he had heard most of this before. He took the opportunity to ask, "Who exactly is this Heavenly Emperor you speak of?"

"The Heavenly Emperor is naturally the Heavenly Emperor," Pang Meng said, his voice full of envy as if he longed for similar prestige. "He is the emperor of the immortals in heaven, the most noble and powerful being in all the realms, heaven and earth alike. However, my rank is too low; I have no chance of meeting him."

"I once asked my master about the Heavenly Emperor out of curiosity, but he became very angry at the time," Pang Meng sighed. "I suppose he was deeply saddened by personally killing the sons of his benefactor. From then on, everyone around my master knew it was a forbidden topic, and no one dared to ask again."

"Who else was around your master besides you?" Yan Xuehen asked curiously, noticing his choice of words.

Seeing her exquisite beauty, Pang Meng's eyes showed a flash of admiration, but he quickly lowered his head and replied, "My master has always been a lone wolf; great heroes are always solitary. Fortunately, he had my master's wife by his side."

"Your master's wife?" The group was taken aback.

"My master's wife is the Saintess of the Chang clan, extremely beautiful... *cough*... I heard they initially met through a quarrel, but over time, as they spent more and more time together, feelings gradually developed, and they eventually became a loving couple."

"But I don't think their relationship was necessarily that good," Yun Jianyue scoffed. "Chang'e still ended up taking the immortal elixir alone and ascending to heaven, abandoning Yi, forever separating the mortal and immortal realms."

Hearing this, Pang Meng's expression subtly changed, but he ultimately didn't refute it. "You can't blame her for that; few can resist the temptation of becoming an immortal."

Yu Yanluo gazed at Zu An affectionately, thinking to herself, *I would never do something like that.*

Yan Xuehen also instinctively looked towards Zu An, but noticing Yu Yanluo's expression, she quickly withdrew her gaze as if shocked. *What's wrong with me? Why am I thinking such nonsense?*

Yun Jianyue also subconsciously felt she wouldn't do such a thing, but then reconsidered, *I don't even have a lover, why am I worrying about this?*

Zu An then asked more questions about Yi, but he found that Pang Meng didn't know much else, apart from details about his master and master's wife.

As if sensing his dissatisfaction, Pang Meng apologized, "Mainly, I wasn't with my master for very long. He was also a taciturn person, constantly traveling to eliminate dangers for the people, rarely having any free time. After I was infected by Fengxi's demonic energy, I knew even less."

Seeing that he had said more or less all he knew, and considering that he had been demonized in the first place due to his efforts to help the common people, there was naturally no need to kill him now that he had recovered.

So Zu An and the others released him from the grand formation. Zu An asked, "What are your plans for the future?"

"I don't know," Pang Meng replied, his voice tinged with sadness. "This world seems different from what I remember, and I don't know how long I can last in my current state."

Zu An was silent for a moment. After all, Pang Meng was not an immortal and had not consumed an elixir of immortality. His survival until now was likely due to Fengxi's demonic energy. Now that the energy had been dispersed by them, he probably didn't have much time left.

"Are you still heading forward? Ahead lies the vast Dongting marsh, which is the territory of the Xiuzhe," Pang Meng warned. "That creature is incredibly fierce and highly venomous, so you must be extremely careful." He then briefly described the characteristics of the Xiuzhe.

The group thanked him and parted ways. Zu An sighed, "This time went rather smoothly. I hope the Xiuzhe won't be too difficult to deal with."

Yan Xuehen looked at Yu Yanluo, "Since it's a snake race, Sister Yu should be able to communicate well with it, right?"

Yu Yanluo's face flushed. "I'll do my best."

Zu An looked at Yun Jianyue curiously, "Sister Yun, what's wrong? Why have you been so quiet?"

"I don't like that man from earlier," Yun Jianyue said. "The way he looked at me was off; I always felt he had ill intentions."

Yan Xuehen had a strange expression. "The way you were acting just now... like that... how could anyone look at you 'rightly'? Even Zu An..."

At that moment, a muffled voice suddenly echoed in their minds: "Watch out!"

A sudden sense of alarm surged through the group. They turned to see Pang Meng with his bow drawn, an arrow aimed directly at them. Upon being discovered, he immediately released the bowstring, and one sharp arrow after another shot towards them, each arriving before them like a meteor.

Feeling the arrows' astonishing speed and terrifying aura, the group could roughly comprehend the despair the Golden Crows must have felt back then.

Pang Meng's archery truly lived up to the genuine teachings of Yi!