novelhk Page 95
Page 95
His empty, skeletal eye sockets stared at the purple-haired, mature woman kneeling at his feet, trembling.
"What have been built with countless wisdoms and countless faces? Nothing more than a vile desire for a hundred souls to fight over that one righteous cause?!"
His voice suddenly rose, like a thunderclap, carrying an indescribable anger and...deep disappointment.
He raised the greatsword that had once proclaimed the death of the dragon once more, and its chilling aura of death instantly locked onto her!
"Fool—hand over your head!"
Before the sword even fell, the pure intent of "ending" almost caused Bai Mao's spirit to collapse!
"Wait, wait, wait! Old man! Spare his life!"
Erkang was terrified and forgot all about his Master image. He lunged forward and clung tightly to King Hassan's hind legs, which were as thick as stone pillars. Hanging from them like a weight, he shouted hoarsely, "Bai Mao... she deserves credit for her hard work this time! Look at her, she was assassinating, acting as a nanny (referring to taking care of Klee), and even doing handicrafts (referring to sewing Dudu)! Without her, we would have been exhausted to death! She doesn't deserve to die! She really doesn't deserve to die, old man!"
Just at this critical moment, a small, red figure ran to Bai Mao's side.
Klee looked up at the terrifying King Hassan. Although she was a little scared, she bravely reached out her little hand and gently placed it on the trembling back of the Hundred-Mor, imitating how Barbara comforted people, stroking it gently.
"Grandpa, don't be angry."
"Klee said in a childish voice, her big, ruby-like eyes full of sincerity."
"This purple-haired lady is a good person. She gave Klee some delicious candy and helped everyone fight the bad guys! Grandpa, please don't cut her up, okay?"
King Hassan's raised heavy sword froze in mid-air.
He looked down at his Master, who was dragging him down with a contorted expression, then at Little Red Riding Hood, who was trying to "reform" him with the purest kindness, and finally his gaze fell on Hyakko, who was kneeling on the ground and whose trembling had stopped slightly because of Klee's comfort.
"……snort."
An ambiguous snort came from beneath the skeletal mask.
The condensed aura of death receded like a tide, and he slowly sheathed his heavy sword, which disappeared back into the shadows.
Although he didn't say anything, his attitude showed that he had temporarily withdrawn his idea of execution.
Erkang immediately slid off Wang Hassan's lap like a lump of mud, collapsing to the ground and panting heavily: "I'm... I'm saved..."
Hyakumao seemed to have all her strength drained away, and she almost collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, Klee was trying her best to support her with her little hands (although it was of little use).
She raised her head, her eyes behind the mask looking at King Hassan's disappearing figure with a complicated expression, then looked at Klee beside her and her Master who was slumped on the ground. Her heart was filled with mixed feelings—the relief of surviving a disaster, the bitterness of being rejected by the First Lord, and... a trace of warmth from being protected by a child.
It seems that from now on, I not only need to work hard to improve my professional skills, but I also need to cultivate a good relationship with this little devil...
Bai Mao silently noted down the key points in her mind.
"Hey, that... uh, that imposing old man, who exactly is he?"
Yura looked in the direction where King Hassan had disappeared, patted her chest with lingering fear, and asked Qingyu beside her.
That scene was truly terrifying. The oppressive aura emanating from that old man was even more frightening than when facing the enraged Grand Master Falgar.
Qingyu pushed up glasses that weren't actually on his face, striking a pose of profound knowledge.
"He is a 'fanatic' who walks among men, the origin and pinnacle of the assassination order 'The Old Man of the Mountain'—the first 'Old Man of the Mountain,' whom you may call King Hassan. And Bai Mao is the nineteenth person to inherit this title."
He paused, his tone carrying a profound air of explaining historical secrets: "One of the purposes of King Hassan's existence is that of 'the old man of the mountain who killed the old man of the mountain.'"
“When a Hassan of a certain generation deviates from the original doctrine, goes astray, or becomes ‘impure’ in his eyes, he will appear in the world and, with the sword in his hand, carry out the final ‘correction’—beheading the unworthy successor.”
He glanced at Hyakumao, who was still slumped on the ground being comforted by Keli, and added, "Unfortunately, or rather... by his standards, none of his successors have been able to fully meet his pure doctrinal requirements. So, theoretically, they are all on the 'beheading' list."
Yura's icy blue eyes widened instantly, her face filled with disbelief and absurdity.
"What is this?! You set your own rules, and if the younger generation can't meet them, you kill them all?! What's the difference between this and 'I don't like you, so I'll kill you'?! This isn't just fanaticism, this is simply..."
She couldn't find the right words to describe this "ancestral" management style.
"Well, that's why he's a fanatic."
Qingyu shrugged, giving him a "you finally understand" look.
"They can't be judged by common sense. They pursue an absolute and unwavering belief. Don't worry."
Seeing that Yura still looked worried, he comforted her.
"This brutal 'internal review' mechanism only applies to members of their cult. As for people outside the cult, as long as they don't provoke him or are harmless like Klee, the old man is actually... well, quite 'easy to talk to'."
Probably... as long as you don't speak ill of him or question his doctrines in front of him, he probably won't kill people randomly... probably.
Just then, Keli, who had been sitting quietly beside Bai Mao, gently patting her back, suddenly looked up, blinked her big eyes, and asked curiously in a soft, sweet voice, "Brother Qingyu, what does 'beheading' mean? Is it like Keli picking apples from a tree, removing the bad ones?"
Everyone: "..."
The air became silent for a moment.
Yura sighed, feeling that spending too much time with these people (and non-human beings) was causing her common sense to crumble at an alarming rate.
Qingyu coughed twice, then quickly squatted down and explained in the most amiable (and twisted) way, "Uh...yes, yes, that's pretty much it! It's about getting rid of...um...the bad, crooked 'fruits'...! Klee is so smart!"
(Thinking to myself: This explanation should be okay, right? Thank goodness!)
Klee nodded as if she understood, then continued to focus on comforting her "purple-haired sister," her little face filled with the determination that "although I don't understand, my sister seems very scared, and Klee wants to protect her."
Just as Bai Mao Hassan had caught his breath, his body trembled almost imperceptibly after hearing Ke Li's innocent question and Qing Yu's absurd explanation. He silently increased the importance of "absolutely pleasing this little darling" to ten more priority levels in his internal survival manual.
Chapter 113 Bugs Bunny
"Come on! Behold the might of Mondstadt's number one hunter!"
Er Kang let out a strange cry and performed a standard (in his own opinion) toad jump, landing precisely on all fours in front of a huge pit. His posture was less like that of a hunter and more like that of someone performing some kind of mysterious sacrificial dance.
"Hehe, let's treat ourselves to some wild game today!"
As he spoke, he confidently stretched his entire arm into the dark hole, groping around with great effort, his face beaming with the joy of "extra food tonight."
Zhang Chu, arms crossed, brows furrowed, stared at the cave and muttered to himself, "Strange..."
"What's weird?"
Ying curiously leaned closer.
"This rabbit hole..."
Zhang Chu gestured to indicate the size of the opening, his tone filled with confusion.
"Isn't this a bit too big? Conservatively speaking, it could fit your whole body inside and still have room to spare. What breed of rabbit is this? It's probably several sizes bigger than Paimon!"
Paimon immediately stomped his foot in protest: "Hey! Why are you comparing me to Paimon again?!"
Just then, a lazy, slightly nasal, and completely unfamiliar voice came from below:
"What's up, doc?"
Zhang Chu was engrossed in studying the rabbit hole when he subconsciously replied, "Catching rabbits, you..."
He stopped abruptly, realizing—they had never heard this voice before!
He stiffly lowered his head and saw a very peculiar "rabbit" standing beside the entrance of the hole.
It has gray fur all over its body, stands upright on its two legs, and is almost as tall as Ying (including its signature long ears).
It was leaning leisurely against a rock, holding a half-eaten carrot in its hand, chewing as it looked at them with a somewhat mocking and composed gaze.
"Fuck..."
Even someone as composed as Zhang Chu couldn't help but blurt out two words that best expressed his feelings at this moment.
He recognized him!
The art style, the atmosphere, and the carrots!
It's that legend who exists in the two-dimensional world!
"Hey guys."
The rabbit gracefully tipped its hat, even though it wasn't wearing one.
"I'm Bugs Bunny."
It shrugged, its tone a mix of helplessness and indifference: "I was planning to go on vacation to Hawaii, but it seems... I took a slightly wrong turn. But anyway..."
It glanced around at the verdant plains of Mondstadt and the majestic city in the distance, then took a bite of a carrot.
"This place looks pretty good too!"
Looking at this rabbit, which was not much shorter than herself, could speak human language, and had a calmer demeanor than most Mondstadt residents, Ying fell into complete silence.
Her brain struggled to process the information before her: The rabbit... had become a spirit?
Or is this some kind of new abyssal monster?
But it looks...
A relaxed demeanor devoid of malice, even bordering on irritating.
"By the way, where is this place?"
Bugs Bunny waved the carrot in his hand and asked Zhang Chu, who was clearly the leader (?).
"You've really gone down a really outrageous path..."
Qingyu rubbed his forehead and let out a heartfelt sigh.
"Welcome to Teyvat, Mondstadt region. This... is not Earth."
"Oh—! No wonder!"
Bugs Bunny suddenly realized, tapped his head with a carrot, and made a classic "I see" expression.
"No wonder the map didn't seem to match up properly, and the GPS was completely malfunctioning. Turns out I wasn't even in the service area!"
It showed no alarm at traversing the world; instead, it observed its surroundings with even greater interest: "Teyvat? Mondstadt? Sounds interesting. So, guys, what's fun here? Or... what kind of particularly delicious carrots?"
"Then I must properly introduce you to our Mondstadt specialty—carrot and honey sauce stir-fried meat! The taste, tsk tsk, the sweetness of the carrots paired with the rich flavor of the meat sauce..."
Erkang instantly transformed into a food guide, hooking his arm around Bugs Bunny's shoulder (though the height difference was a bit of a stretch) and launching into a lively introduction, the two very different characters chatting away enthusiastically.
Ying watched this strange yet harmonious scene, then quietly moved closer to Qingyu, Zhang Chu, and Gu Qian, and asked in a low voice, "You... know that rabbit?"
"It's more than just knowing each other..."
Zhang Chu pushed up glasses that weren't actually on his face, his tone carrying a complex mix of emotions and awe, as if he were facing a "natural enemy."
"This person is one of the pioneers of comedic anime characters in our world, a living legend."