"Thieves?" Qing Mian, with his extensive knowledge of humans, quickly identified the three individuals.
"Wangcai, we can't let them disturb Fang Ming's rest," Qing Mian whispered.
Ba Yu Fang nodded. It wasn't that they were afraid of Fang Ming waking up angry, but rather of another little ancestor – Nannan. Fang Ming might only scold them a couple of times, but Nannan's reaction was unpredictable.
With that, the two Fiends cooperated and began their operation against the three intruders.
"Mirror Image." Qing Mian's figure vanished. Ba Yu Fang stood up, sensing the distance of the three, determined to subdue them without waking Fang Ming… or Nannan.
"Bang." Ba Yu Fang stomped its small foot, and an invisible wave quickly enveloped the three thieves.
Lao Si and the other two suddenly felt their bodies become incredibly heavy, as if they were carrying a hundred catties of weights. Their movements became sluggish, and panic set in.
"What… what's going on?" Lao Wu, struggling, exchanged a look with Lao Si and whispered, "I… I don't… know either." Lao Si also shook his head, realizing that the three of them were in big trouble!
"Whoosh." Suddenly, the ground near the three began to writhe, and mud monsters emerged from the soil, emitting low growls as they slowly approached the trio.
"What are these things?!" The three were terrified and tried to flee, but their bodies were too heavy. Moving an inch was difficult, let alone running.
The mud monsters drew closer…
"It's over, it's over…" Lao Si was filled with regret. They shouldn't have harbored ill intentions towards that antique. How could someone who casually placed an antique worth two hundred million on a counter be ordinary?
"Swish, swish, swish…" A sudden tearing sound filled the air. The bodies of the mud monsters froze, then shattered and fell to the ground, only to fuse together again, attempting to rise.
Qing Mian was anxious and quickly appeared beside Ba Yu Fang, scolding in a low voice, "Are you stupid? These things are making noise! What if they wake Fang Ming?"
Ba Yu Fang suddenly understood and quickly withdrew the mud monsters.
Lao Si and the other two finally saw figures. They were terrified to see Qing Mian angrily talking to a dog, not daring to breathe heavily. They realized the dog was responsible for their current predicament!
But how did this human suddenly appear? The three of them dared to bet there was no one here just moments ago! Having witnessed the strange things in the mine, Lao Si felt an even greater fear. This man gave him the same feeling as that monster! He wasn't human!
Yet, despite Qing Mian's caution, Nannan was still disturbed. Or rather, she was never deeply asleep; she just liked being near Fang Ming.
A profound sense of fear emanated from the room, and the entire city of H felt a heavy oppression and an inexplicable panic. Many woke up in a cold sweat, but the fear intensified upon regaining consciousness!
This was Nannan's first time being so angry! Her body uncontrollably shifted into its second form, her expression as cold as ice. She stepped out of the house, her gaze fixed on the three intruders and the two Fiends in the courtyard.
Qing Mian and Ba Yu Fang's hearts sank. They exchanged a look, seeing the helpless resignation in each other's eyes.
If the two Fiends were in such a state, Lao Si and his companions were even more terrified. This woman… this woman was definitely not human!
Just standing there, she made them feel a suffocating pressure, as if an invisible hand was gripping their hearts, tightening with each passing second. They felt breathless, panicked, and desperate…
"Die!" Nannan coldly uttered a single word. Lao Si and the other two's bodies instantly began to tremble, followed by a muffled explosion. Blood splattered everywhere, coalescing into a single mass. A blood python emerged from the void, swallowed, and then retracted.
"You failed in your duty as guardians, punishment!" Nannan then turned her gaze to Qing Mian and Ba Yu Fang. The two Fiends felt a sharp pain within their bodies, and then their resentment was forcibly extracted by Nannan, hovering before them like flowing water.
With their resentment drained, the two Fiends immediately collapsed, their bodies weak. Nannan then reverted to her first form and returned to the house.
"It's all your fault," Qing Mian grumbled from the ground, blaming Ba Yu Fang.
Ba Yu Fang knew it had overstepped and woken Nannan, so it just grinned sheepishly and didn't argue. Although their resentment was extracted, Nannan hadn't destroyed it; she had merely allowed it to flow back into them. Based on their respective recovery speeds, Qing Mian estimated about five hours, and Ba Yu Fang around eight hours, after which they would be their lively selves again.
"I shouldn't have come out. If I hadn't come out, I wouldn't have seen these three people. If I hadn't seen them, I wouldn't have fought. If I hadn't fought, I wouldn't have been implicated by you…" Qing Mian began to drone on.
The night passed.
Fang Ming stretched, his hand brushing against something soft. He looked down to see Nannan. He noticed the Fiend marks on his body, and Qing Mian was nowhere to be seen.
"Huh? Why are there runes on this hand too?" Fang Ming suddenly noticed "keys" on both of his hands. The key patterns were shallow, and he hadn't paid attention before. Now, while examining his Fiend marks, he discovered them.
Fang Ming compared the two "keys." One was shaped like the character "Chuan," and the other like the character "San."
"Fang Ming, you're awake?" Nannan also opened her eyes at that moment, her big eyes looking at Fang Ming.
"Awake," Fang Ming said, stroking Nannan's head. "You go back to sleep, I'll make breakfast." Although his need for food wasn't great now, as long as he had enough resentment, he could go without eating or drinking. However, eating was a fundamental human act he didn't want to abandon.
"I'll help too!" Nannan also crawled out of bed.
"Alright, if you don't want to sleep, come and help."
The two got up and went to the kitchen. Smoke was already rising from the kitchen. Upon entering, they found Qing Mian busy preparing food. Several dishes were already laid out on the kitchen table.
"You're awake! Come and try my cooking," Qing Mian invited enthusiastically.
Fang Ming took a bite… well… it was disastrous.
"It's too delicious," Nannan commented with unsparing honesty.
Qing Mian was embarrassed. He thought he had improved a lot; at least the dishes weren't burnt. He picked up a piece and tasted it, then quickly spat it out with a sigh.
Seeing this, Fang Ming comforted him, "You haven't formally studied cooking, so it's normal. I'll make a few dishes next, and you can watch carefully."
Fang Ming took the spatula and began to stir-fry, while Qing Mian observed.
Half an hour later, five or six new dishes were placed on the table. The three sat down, and Fang Ming served them rice, only to realize someone was missing.
"Where's Ba Yu Fang?" Fang Ming asked.
"Oh him? He's still lying in the courtyard," Qing Mian replied gleefully.
"What happened?" Fang Ming asked, puzzled.
Qing Mian recounted the events of the previous night. Fang Ming chuckled upon hearing about Nannan's outburst. Nannan's face flushed, and she glared "fiercely" at Qing Mian. Qing Mian wasn't afraid of her; with Fang Ming present, Nannan couldn't do anything to him. He was that brazen! Hahaha!
"Nannan, go and help it recover and call it for dinner," Fang Ming said with a smile, patting Nannan's head.
"Got it," Nannan chirped, hopping off her chair and going into the courtyard. Ba Yu Fang was still lying on the ground, and it would take about another hour for its resentment to return.
After restoring Ba Yu Fang, Nannan brought it to the kitchen. To make it easier for Ba Yu Fang to eat, Fang Ming divided each dish into portions and placed them on a separate plate, then served it a large bowl of rice.
"Dinner time!"
As they began to eat, Ba Yu Fang took a bite of human food and its eyes lit up. It quickly poured all the dishes into its rice bowl and began to devour them.
"Fang Ming, I have something to tell you," Nannan suddenly said.
"What is it?"
"Yesterday, after I swallowed those three people, one of them had a memory of a fierce fiend, and that fiend was quite powerful," Nannan explained.
"Fierce fiend?" Fang Ming stopped eating, "Was there white mist around?"
"Yes," Nannan nodded affirmatively.
"Yes?! Where, do you know?" Fang Ming put down his chopsticks, his voice filled with surprise.
"According to the memory, it kept mentioning a mine."
"Mine…" Fang Ming mused. As a local, he knew this place all too well. There were always rumors of unclean things there, but he never expected it to be true!
"We won't go today. Let's rest for two days, and we'll head to the mine the day after tomorrow," Fang Ming decided, suppressing his immediate urge. He had just emerged from the eighteenth floor and needed some time to recover.