The Plague God appeared again, directly blocking the entrance of my shop.
When Xiao Cui was here, I didn't want to provoke him. But now that she wasn't around, my temper flared up immediately, though I still suppressed the urge to confront him directly. After all, I knew I couldn't win in a fight.
I took a deep breath and slammed the blood dagger onto the table. "The item you wanted is right here. Come and take it if you dare!"
He lingered, seemingly aware that the Little Foot Girl was following me. Since he knew, I decided not to hide anything and prepared to deal with the supernatural threats all at once.
In response to my challenge, the Plague God slightly raised his black umbrella, revealing half of his face.
Zhan Ling had met Hu Wenhui before, and she was also surprised to see him now. But in my shop, I was the boss, so she didn't say anything.
Huang Jiu maintained his human form and absentmindedly spun the tea cup on the table. His fingers, seemingly idle, were forming hand seals of the Nine Words Mantra, ready to strike at any moment.
My words were like a relief to my nerves, but they also heightened my tension. This Plague God was about to step into the shop.
I unconsciously touched the blood dagger, appearing unprepared.
But just as he stepped into the threshold, closing the black umbrella, I quickly swept my hand across the dagger.
Zhan Ling was startled, thinking I was about to attack. But I knew my own limits, so instead of attacking directly, I launched the dagger. It flew straight into the ground, landing exactly in the center of an array.
The atmosphere in the shop immediately changed. Mystical runes appeared in the four corners of the room.
From these glowing symbols, the four Holy Beasts began to take shape: the White Tiger roared, the Green Dragon pondered, the Vermilion Bird spread its wings, and the Black Tortoise stomped its feet, creating immense pressure that landed squarely on the Plague God.
At first, the Plague God seemed surprised. But soon, his face turned pale, and blood vessels began to appear in his eyes as he endured the immense pressure.
I was secretly delighted. I hadn't expected the Four Symbols' Sky Trapping Formation to be so powerful.
Bang!
The Plague God opened his umbrella again, pushing against the surrounding pressure.
He took a couple of steps forward.
Seeing this, the excitement I had felt a moment ago vanished. I quickly rose and knelt on one knee, holding the blood dagger and injecting my Dao energy into it.
"Roar!"
The White Tiger, the one most aligned with aggression, let out a furious roar. Its form fully materialized, exposing sharp fangs and claws, ready to pounce.
The Plague God halted, retracting his foot.
If he had taken another step forward, the Four Symbols Formation would have shifted into a battle formation—Four Symbols Fighting the Sky.
But this also meant that my Dao energy would be completely exhausted. After that, I wouldn't even have the strength to rescue the little girl, let alone deal with the Nine Paths Champion if he showed up.
My face changed slightly. I was about to make a joke, trying to diffuse the tension.
But before I could speak, the Plague God spoke first. "I can help you."
"Help me?" I was surprised and asked, "You mean, help me deal with the people from the Three Yin Sect?"
The Plague God's voice was cold. "Yes."
My brows furrowed.
After activating the Four Symbols Formation, I had already released more power than I expected. Even someone like Mr. Jiang would be trapped in it. But the Plague God had already taken several steps forward, showing no sign of being affected. His strength was unquestionable.
But if he was willing to help, there had to be a condition. Most likely, it was related to the Little Foot Girl.
I tentatively asked, "What are your conditions?"
The Plague God replied, "Let me follow you."
Follow me?
"That's it?" I asked in disbelief.
"Yes, that's it," the Plague God said simply.
Huang Jiu, confused, interjected, "You're not trying to get some 'unseen' benefits just because my little brother is handsome, are you?"
"I told you, he's already married!"
The Plague God and I both turned to look at Huang Jiu, and he immediately shut up.
I scrutinized the Plague God, trying to figure out his true intentions.
Hu Wenhui had told me that as long as the Little Foot Girl wasn't left alone, the Plague God wouldn't act. This meant he wouldn't use force; if he had wanted to, he could have done so already.
Also, the resemblance between him and Hu Wenhui was striking. They might even be brothers from the same mother. Brothers might fight one day, but the next day, they'd be sitting together drinking.
Moreover, when he made his condition, he didn't even mention the Little Foot Girl. This indicated that his reason for following me was likely just to keep an eye on Hu Wenhui and the Little Foot Girl, watching how things unfolded.
If that was the case, then him following me posed no real threat.
I withdrew my Dao energy but still didn't release my hold on the blood dagger. I looked at him and said, "You can follow me, but if you're just standing there, you'll be in the way. You might even scare off my customers. If I lose business, that'll be a big loss."
The Plague God wasn't much of a talker. Seeing that I was dragging things out, he cut in. "If you have something to say, just say it."
Zhan Ling frowned, probably thinking I was trying to extort money.
But if I was extorting, I would be thinking small.
Since he told me to speak my mind, I didn't hold back. I said, "As long as you follow me, you must listen to my commands. Of course, you can refuse and stay far away. But if you do, don't blame me for being unreasonable."
I paused and added, "Also, you're not allowed to harm my friends. The person you're after, she's my friend too."
Zhan Ling must have thought I was crazy, asking someone from Canglong Mountain to obey my commands.
Huang Jiu, however, was excited. Even in human form, his habits remained. He rubbed his hands like a fly, beaming with excitement.
The request felt a bit excessive, but it was the bare minimum. If he refused, I wouldn't dare let him follow me.
To my surprise, the Plague God immediately responded, "Fine."
His quick agreement only confirmed my suspicions. After all, with such a close resemblance to Hu Wenhui, would he really harm him?
It didn't make sense.
I secretly breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to put away the blood dagger.
But before I could, Huang Jiu, overly excited, asked, "Do you swear? How do we know you won't go back on your word?"
The Plague God's brow furrowed, and his gaze turned cold.
I quickly intervened, "Huang Jiu, don't cause trouble. People from Canglong Mountain never go back on their word."
An oath is a lifelong chain. A being like the Plague God wouldn't let any stain appear on his path.
But my words also served to lock him in.
Huang Jiu scratched his head. "Oh, I almost forgot. No need for an oath. Heh heh."
The Plague God's expression softened, and I finally sheathed the blood dagger and deactivated the Four Symbols Formation.
Looking at the holes in the floor, I knew I had just lost a small fortune in repairs.
But it was better than fighting; the whole shop would have needed a major overhaul.
The Plague God, seeing the formation was gone, took his black umbrella back.
Huang Jiu, never one to let things go, eagerly approached and said, "Old Hu, now we're family. Here, let me put your umbrella away for you. There's no sun today, so you don't need it. It's like a monk washing his head with shampoo!"
I said nothing, just stared at the Plague God.