"Marry me?"
Ji Mo was stunned, then quickly said, "Miss Ning, although you are very beautiful, isn't this a bit too hasty? We just met, it's not suitable."
He was a little awkward. If the other party insisted on him marrying her, he would have to go along with it.
After all, he, Ji Mo, a man of seven feet, would definitely repay any kindness.
"You scoundrel, what are you thinking? I don't want you. There are many great demons in the city with peculiar tastes who like to keep humans as male consorts. You can go sell yourself to earn money to repay your kindness. If that doesn't work, you can be a handyman in a great demon's mansion; the treatment is quite good."
Ning Wenjing explained, her earlobes turning a little red. She hadn't expected this great swindler to have designs on her.
However, her heart couldn't help but skip a few beats. It was the first time in her life that someone of the opposite sex had praised her for being beautiful.
Ji Mo was expressionless. So this was how he was supposed to repay kindness, completely different from what he had imagined!
Seemingly seeing the rejection in Ji Mo's eyes, Ning Wenjing continued, "The Western Regions are dominated by demons. Humans cannot move freely without cultivation. Now that you are a cripple, if you have no one to protect you, you will sooner or later be captured as a slave, or even become food. I am thinking of you. This is your only way out."
Ji Mo's eyelids twitched. Were the lands of the Western Regions this dangerous?
He felt this might be retribution. He had eaten too much wild game in the past, and now he had fallen into this predicament.
"I can't be a male consort to a great demon."
Ji Mo's scalp tingled. Images of ferocious, fanged humanoid monsters flashed through his mind, giving him goosebumps.
Although his appetite was not good and he preferred soft things, he really couldn't stomach this kind of work.
"Forget it. You look like a darkie, and you're skinny. No great demon would fancy you. But being a servant should be fine. At least you'll have food and shelter, and your life will be guaranteed."
Ning Wenjing attacked him mercilessly, thinking Ji Mo had no self-awareness.
Ji Mo patted his chest, secretly relieved.
Suddenly, he looked into the distance, his face filled with surprise.
He blinked and saw that he wasn't mistaken. He had encountered an old acquaintance, but he didn't know why she would appear here.
It was a woman as beautiful as a celestial being.
Her figure was graceful, her purity peerless. She was enveloped in an extremely cold current, and her entire being was like ice sculpture, exquisitely beautiful beyond compare.
It was none other than Bai Di's old flame, Su Yan!
Back then, Bai Di, because of the words "If you become an immortal, I will guard the human world for you," had deliberately chosen to abandon Su Yan and remain in the Xuanling Realm.
The unaware Su Yan was heartbroken, severed her emotional ties, and ascended to the Xianling Realm.
The Su Yan before him was a wisp of true spirit that had been stripped from her original body. She only wished to find Bai Di and ask him clearly why he had broken his promise, deceived her feelings, and refused to ascend with her.
Ji Mo knew that Su Yan had gone to search for Bai Di's reincarnation. He had never heard any news from her, and he hadn't expected to meet her here so coincidentally.
"Hey, Miss Su..."
Ji Mo shouted, wanting to meet Su Yan and ask if she had found Bai Di.
However, the distance was too great.
Su Yan did not hear Ji Mo's call. Her figure, like a startled swan, disappeared into the depths of the Human-Demon Ancient Battlefield.
"You big liar, don't shout nonsense. How can someone like you disturb Fairy Su?"
Ning Wenjing stopped Ji Mo, gazing at Su Yan's retreating figure with immense reverence.
She knew Su Yan's background and had even had contact with her. She would not allow someone like Ji Mo to blabber and desecrate her goddess.
Ji Mo explained, "I know Miss Su, we are quite familiar."
Back then, Su Yan had always mistaken him for Bai Di, and there had even been emotional entanglements between them.
"You're bragging!"
Ning Wenjing did not believe him at all.
Afterward, she led Ji Mo away from the Human-Demon Ancient Battlefield quickly before it got dark.
Because as soon as night fell, this place would become a true death zone, and staying here would be a sure death.
Ning Village was located in a quiet mountain valley thirty li away from the Human-Demon Ancient Battlefield.
The villagers were descendants of the Ning clan.
In the past, the ancestor of the Ning clan was a great general by Bai Di's side.
After the Demon Realm's gate was destroyed and sealed by Bai Di, the Ning clan ancestor settled here, and the Ning clan had since then shouldered the mission of guarding the seal.
However, as time passed and the world changed, the Ning clan had completely fallen into decline.
The current population was less than a thousand.
Along the way, Ji Mo learned these details from Ning Wenjing, sighing with emotion.
At the entrance of Ning Village stood a stone statue of Bai Di, nine zhang tall.
The statue emitted a faint white light in the afterglow of the sunset, and a mysterious energy permeated it, guarding the entire Ning Village.
But the years were too long, and the statue was severely weathered, covered in cracks, and on the verge of collapse. It was estimated that it wouldn't last much longer.
Once the statue of Bai Di fell, Ning Village would likely be in peril.
Ji Mo said, "Miss Ning, to repay your life-saving grace, I will carve a new statue of Bai Di for the village."
He actually held a great deal of respect for Bai Di and wanted to contribute his meager efforts.
"Forget it, what good would your statue be? This statue of Bai Di was personally carved by my Ning clan ancestor and contains supreme power. For the past ten thousand years, it has protected my Ning clan from demonic creatures and is irreplaceable."
Ning Wenjing said with pride.
Upon hearing this, Ji Mo could only give up.
He followed Ning Wenjing into the village.
As far as he could see, there were almost no adult males, only the old, the weak, women, and children.
In an open space, a group of children were still diligently practicing their martial arts.
Among them were toddlers who could barely walk, yet they were already learning to practice horse stance.
Some half-grown children carried sabers and greatswords taller than themselves, diligently practicing combat techniques. They were all thin and weak, clearly living in difficult conditions, but they were still very diligent. Some were even swaying precariously but still practicing desperately.
"It's not necessary, they are all just children."
Ji Mo felt a pang of sympathy at the sight.
Children of this age should be running and playing happily in the sunset, enjoying their parents' affection.
"For survival, for the mission of the clan!"
Ning Wenjing's eyes were subtly filled with tears. If it weren't absolutely necessary, who would let children suffer?
"What about the adults?"
Ji Mo asked curiously, as he had hardly seen any young and strong men along the way.
"Dead! And some are guarding the seal in the Human-Demon Ancient Battlefield, preventing anyone from reopening the Demon Realm's gate."
Ning Wenjing did not hide anything and informed Ji Mo.
These were not secrets, and many people knew about them.
Recently, more and more people were coveting the Demon Realm's gate, and the Ning clan had suffered heavy casualties. If this continued, even girls her age would have to go to the battlefield.
At the same time, for some unknown reason, a strange illness had suddenly spread through the village a few days ago, and the young women who remained had all fallen ill.
Ning Village was in a precarious situation, facing dire circumstances. Therefore, girls like Ning Wenjing, who were still young, had to risk their lives to hunt in the outer areas of the Human-Demon Ancient Battlefield to support their families.