Chapter Twenty-One: Humans and Demons

Murong Bao rushed up to the city wall to join the battle, and the morale of the defenders soared. Five warriors surrounded the Fierce Beast, with ranks of rebel soldiers encircling them in layers both inside and out. Even if the Fierce Beast had wings, escape was impossible!

The creature itself was growing anxious. Its weapon swung slower and slower, leaving countless openings. Suddenly—

“Agh!”
“Agh!”

Two cries of agony rang out. Its shoulder was struck by Ye Feng’s steel whip, and its backside was pierced by Murong Yan’s sword—each blow brought unbearable pain.

Murong Bao, whose iron club had been seized by the Fierce Beast earlier, was still furious about it. Seeing an opportunity, he wielded his spear with renewed ferocity, targeting the creature’s vital points without hesitation.

The Fierce Beast howled in rage, cursing, “You black brat, how dare you try to bully me?!”

With a free hand,
*Smack!*
He grabbed the spearhead tightly.

Murong Bao saw his spear seized but refused to back down, pulling back with all his strength.

This gave the Fierce Beast just the chance it needed. With a single powerful arm, it roared, “Away with you!” and lifted Murong Bao high, spinning him and hurling him toward Ye Feng and the others.

Had it been anything else, Ye Feng and his companions could have blocked it. But with their brother Murong Bao flung at them, who would dare risk hurting him? They could only scatter and retreat, clearing a path.

The Fierce Beast seized the moment, leaping onto the city wall.

“Brother Murong, let go!” Ye Feng shouted in alarm.

But Murong Bao’s stubbornness flared. As soon as he landed, he cursed, “You old demon, release my spear!” Still, he pulled back fiercely.

Now the Fierce Beast was triumphant. He freed up his other hand, gripped the spearshaft, and with both arms,

*Hey!*
He lifted Murong Bao again, preparing to throw him off the wall!

If Murong Bao were tossed from a city wall dozens of feet high, he would surely be crushed to death or worse.

Ye Feng panicked, swinging both whips at the spearshaft.

*Crack!*
He struck the shaft, which snapped in two.

Murong Bao plummeted,
*Crash!*
Landing face-first in the mud.

The Fierce Beast saw Murong Bao rescued by Ye Feng and burst into laughter. “You outnumber me—hardly heroic! The days are long, we’ll duel again!”

---

With a flip, the Fierce Beast leaped down from the wall.

“Fierce Beast, stop!” Xu Yaozu would never let the demon commander escape so easily and hurriedly struck with his Zao Yang spear.

*Agh!*
He hit the creature’s hind leg. It let out a miserable cry and crashed from the wall like a dead dog.

Xu Yaozu leapt onto the wall, ready to chase after him.

“Master!”
“Elder Xu!”
“Don’t pursue a cornered foe, come back!”

Ye Feng and Murong Yan, fearing for Xu Yaozu’s safety, called him back.

Xu Yaozu turned, shaking his head. “What a pity! What a pity!”

Murong Yan and Ye Feng comforted him. “The Fierce Beast is gravely wounded, and after falling from such heights, he’ll be lucky to survive. What’s there to regret?”

Xu Yaozu replied solemnly, “You don’t understand. The Fierce Beast’s true form—a many-legged blue-faced Hou—has innate regenerative powers. Now that he’s a demon, it’s likely even stronger. If he isn’t dead, he’ll recover in two days, making him even harder to deal with.”

Everyone was shocked. “What should we do?”

Xu Yaozu frowned deeply. “What else can we do? We must hold the city. The old demon suffered today, and won’t dare enter alone again.”

Silence fell; holding the city wasn’t a true solution. If supplies ran out, they would be doomed. Yet no one spoke, resolved to hold on for now and plan ahead.

The city wall was a scene of carnage: corpses strewn everywhere, cries of pain, blood flowing—utter misery.

Ye Feng’s nose stung at the sight, tears streaming down his face.
He knelt before Murong Yan, bowing three times. “Chief, I failed to defend the city, letting the demon soldiers in, causing so many brothers to die. Punish me!”

Murong Yan hurried to lift him. “Young Master Ye, what are you saying? The demon soldiers are fierce, our strength unequal. No one wanted this. Don’t blame yourself!”

But Ye Feng refused to rise, bowing again. “Chief, these fallen brothers all had families. Now they’ve died, how can I face their loved ones? If you don’t punish me, I’ll be tormented with guilt!”

Xu Zhihui, still bitter from Ye Feng’s earlier criticism, squinted his triangular eyes and urged, “Chief, a commander must reward and punish fairly. Ye Feng failed to defend the city, causing casualties. He deserves punishment!”

Xu Yaozu kicked him, cursing, “You brat, always stirring trouble, eh?! If we’re assigning blame, your father should be punished too! Since following Old Marshal Murong, he’s faced this situation countless times. If blame were assigned, he’d have lost ten heads by now!”

The kick landed on Xu Zhihui’s injured backside, making him grimace and hiss in pain.

He protested, “Father, can’t you be gentler? I’m your own son! Why side with outsiders?”

Xu Yaozu puffed out his belly and slapped Xu Zhihui’s head, scolding, “You don’t like it? I always stand by reason, not kin!”

He went to Ye Feng, pulling him up. “Good child! Your kneeling makes me ashamed. If you don’t get up, I’ll kneel too and stay down! If you’re punished, I’ll share it!”

Ye Feng looked up. “Elder!”

Xu Yaozu grinned and insisted, “Ye, look, I’m so old. Kneeling with you isn’t proper! Stand up and speak.”

He grew serious. “Though Yan spares us today, the days are long. We must