Chapter 237: “Catch me, lock me up, whatever you want”
At the gold mine on Hui Lian Mountain, new helpers arrived every day.
There were men, women, young, and old alike. The only thing they had in common was their gray eyes.
These gray-eyed individuals had lifeless expressions, did not communicate, rest, or eat. After arriving, they would mechanically dig soil and move rocks.
Even when the skin on their hands was worn down or their feet were crushed, they continued working nonstop, showing no signs of fatigue or pain.
“Stop staring. Those gray-eyed people are all Yu Yin’s puppets. They might already be dead,” Wu Jin, drenched in sweat, reminded Ming Yu, urging him to focus on digging out their elder brother.
“I was about to ask about this. Before coming to Hui Lian Mountain, I met Yu Yin in Chazhou City. He gave me a strange feeling,” Ming Yu said.
Wu Jin’s expression was hard to describe. “Don’t even mention it. He’s gone mad because of what happened to our Big Brother.”
Wu Jin had seen more than Ming Yu and had endured greater shocks as a result.
While they were speaking, another group of gray-eyed people dressed in opulence arrived.
There was a portly master, a sharp-featured lady with pale, delicate fingers, and a scholarly-looking young man with dark circles under his eyes…
These people, who clearly weren’t used to labor, obediently picked up hoes and shovels to dig.
The ever-growing number of silent gray-eyed individuals stood in stark contrast to the hired workers who were also digging.
No one dared to get too close to them.
“Why is there another group?” Wu Jin said, wiping his sweat. “If Yu Yin keeps sending people here, he might have wiped out all the families in Chazhou.”
“Pretty much. There’s just one last batch left,” a voice answered.
Wu Jin and Ming Yu, hearing this, turned their attention to Mu Yi, who had followed behind this group of people.
“Yu Yin is here too, bringing the last batch of people. He’ll be here any moment,” Mu Yi said, rolling up his sleeves and picking up a shovel. “Let’s hurry up and dig Big Brother out.”
The three days Mu Yi had spent at Yu Yin’s side felt like years.
As no news came from Hui Lian Mountain, Yu Yin’s aura grew increasingly oppressive.
At times, Mu Yi felt that Yu Yin not only wanted to eliminate those in front of him but might also want to kill him as well.
A demon, volatile and unstoppable, loomed over Mu Yi, weighing heavily on his psyche.
His heightened senses constantly warned him of danger, yet his sense of duty kept him by Yu Yin’s side, ready to stop him if he decided to go on a rampage.
When Yu Yin could no longer wait, he wrapped up matters in Chazhou and came to Hui Lian Mountain. Only then did Mu Yi finally breathe a small sigh of relief.
Everyone present was desperate to dig their big brother out.
As if responding to their urgency, just as Mu Yi approached the massive pit with his shovel, a loud rumble echoed.
A large stone in the pit shifted, revealing a dark hole beneath. From it, Yu Guang emerged.
Their elder brother, whom they hadn’t seen in days, was covered in soot and dirt. His face was grimy, and his clothes were stained black, but he seemed to be in good spirits, smiling and waving at them.
Wu Jin, a burly man, felt his eyes redden, while the usually calm and reserved Ming Yu couldn’t hide his excitement. Mu Yi, realizing what was happening, tossed his shovel aside and ran toward Yu Guang.
“Big Brother!!!”
Yu Guang greeted them, “Perfect timing. There are still quite a few people down below. Come help me bring them up.”
Before they could even exchange pleasantries, Yu Guang ducked back into the hole.
“…”
Their excitement had to be set aside for now as they quickly organized everyone to begin the rescue effort.
Amidst the chaos, no one noticed that the gray-eyed individuals had stopped working one by one.
They all turned, staring silently in the direction where Yu Guang had appeared.
Yu Yin arrived at Hui Lian Mountain a step too late. By the time he got there, Yu Guang had already emerged from the mine again, this time with a struggling girl tucked under his arm.
The thin, frail-looking girl somehow had incredible strength. Just moments ago, she had broken free from Wu Jin’s grip with ease, despite his best efforts to restrain her.
Luckily, Yu Guang had managed to catch her again and pin her under his arm before the frenzied girl could hurt anyone.
“What’s going on with this child?”
“Big Brother, watch out!”
The disoriented girl, driven by hunger, bit down on Yu Guang’s arm, her eyes bloodshot.
Wu Jin and Ming Yu immediately moved to help, but someone else reacted faster.
In an instant, Yu Yin appeared at Yu Guang’s side. His open hand clamped down on the girl’s head, forcing her to release her bite. Without hesitation, he delivered a harsh slap that sent her flying.
The slap was as vicious as it was forceful. The girl, thin and weak from hunger, was flung through the air and landed on the ground with a heavy thud.
But Yu Yin wasn’t done. His expression still dark with anger, he stepped forward, intent on grabbing her again.
Before he could, his outstretched hand was intercepted by a rough, dirt-covered one.
“That’s enough, Youngest,” Yu Guang said firmly, gripping Yu Yin’s hand tightly to stop him.
Yu Yin turned his hand, clutching Yu Guang’s dirty palm with such force that the small cuts and scrapes from the rocks on Yu Guang’s hand began to bleed.
“Why are you stopping me? Don’t tell me you haven’t realized—she’s the Locust God we’ve been searching for,” Yu Yin’s familiar voice rang out, low and oppressive, in Yu Guang’s mind.
“I know,” Yu Guang replied calmly. “But she hasn’t harmed anyone yet. If she can endure this period of hunger, she can live like a normal person.”
Yu Guang’s words made Yu Yin’s expression even darker.
It didn’t surprise him at all. Yu Guang had always been like this—watching over and protecting even Yu Yin himself. So it was no shock that he wouldn’t kill a Locust God who had yet to commit any evil.
‘This useless Locust God! She’s awakened, and yet she hasn’t eaten a single person. If I’d known, I should have killed her that day when I saw her hiding in the bushes,’ Yu Yin thought bitterly.
No one could fully understand the depth of Yu Yin’s anger, especially after what had just happened—when the Locust God, Xiao Shi, bit down on Yu Guang’s arm.
The Locust God could devour anything. In that brief moment, she wasn’t just biting Yu Guang but instinctively siphoning the spiritual energy from his body.
Yu Guang’s golden, karmic energy was something all demons coveted.
Yu Yin himself had often joked about wanting to “eat” Yu Guang, but he had never actually taken even a shred of energy from him. Despite countless opportunities to steal it, Yu Yin had always hesitated, unwilling to harm him.
But this damned Locust God dared to do it.
What infuriated him even more was Yu Guang’s complete lack of anger over it.
This made Yu Yin’s fury boil over. He couldn’t tolerate this nuisance anymore.
In his mind, Yu Yin was already planning how to deal with the Locust God. It was simple, really—engineer a situation where she would lose control and commit evil. When that happened, Yu Guang would be the first to take her down.
Unaware of the malice simmering beneath Yu Yin’s silence, Yu Guang released his grip and said, “Don’t be so heavy-handed with Xiao Shi. I want you to take care of her in the future.”
“What do you mean?” Yu Yin asked, his tone sharp.
Nearby, Xiao Shi, who had been slapped back to her senses, shakily got to her feet. Her eyes darted nervously to Yu Guang, focusing on the faint bite mark on his arm. She stammered, “Big Brother…”
“Big Brother?” Yu Yin suddenly tightened his grip on Yu Guang’s arm, his voice rising. “You’re letting her call you Big Brother? Are you taking in another little sister? What is it with you and being everyone’s brother?!”
The rage that had been simmering erupted all at once.
Though the others couldn’t hear what Yu Yin was saying to Yu Guang, his body language radiated anger.
Sensing the volatile tension, Wu Jin and the others quietly withdrew to the side, not daring to intervene.
Xiao Shi, trembling with fear, didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.
Facing his furious younger brother, Yu Guang fell silent. “…”
Wu Jin and Ming Yu exchanged uneasy glances. Both wanted to help their big brother out of the situation, but they nudged each other, neither willing to step in first.
Seeing this, Mu Yi clenched his teeth and stepped forward. “Big Brother hasn’t eaten in a long time. Whatever the issue is, let’s talk about it later. For now, let’s get some food.”
Yu Yin whipped his head around to glare at Mu Yi. Behind him, one of the gray-eyed individuals let out a cold laugh and sneered, “Looks like you care about Big Brother more than I do. What’s the matter? One surprise little sister isn’t enough for you? Do you want to be Big Brother’s real little brother too?”
Stung by the words, Mu Yi quickly turned away and retreated behind Wu Jin and Ming Yu, unwilling to face the enraged demon, Silk Nest.
But despite his retreat, Mu Yi felt a sense of relief. With Big Brother here, even the madness of Silk Nest didn’t seem as terrifying anymore.
Though irritated and full of snide remarks, Yu Yin eventually suppressed his anger. With a brooding expression, he let his elder brother off for now and sat down beside him, silently watching him eat.
Food had already been prepared. Not only Yu Guang but also the people rescued from the mine were eating. They had begun waking up one after another and were now devouring the food ravenously.
These were villagers from nearby, victims of the Zhen family, who had been thrown into the mine. Many had already been starving for some time and had almost resorted to cannibalism in the mine.
In the end, Yu Guang had subdued all of them, forcing them into a deep sleep for days. During that time, Xiao Shi had painstakingly fed them water, one by one, helping them hold on until now.
Xiao Shi was also eating, but she didn’t dare go near her reassuring “Big Brother.” The terrifying person sitting beside him was emanating an intense malice directed squarely at her.
As a newly transformed demon, Xiao Shi relied only on instinct. She couldn’t even control herself completely, and the palpable killing intent from her own kind left her trembling. She was so scared she couldn’t even bring herself to take big bites of food.
Yu Guang set down another empty bowl, holding chopsticks in one hand as he shoveled rice into his mouth. With the other hand, he reached out to grab Yu Yin’s chin, forcibly turning his face away.
“Stop glaring at the kid like that,” Yu Guang said, his voice calm but firm. “You’re scaring her.”
“You’re really protective of her,” Yu Yin said, removing his mask and tossing it aside. His face, now exposed, was a clear picture of displeasure.
“Big Brother doesn’t intend to make Xiao Shi his little sister,” Yu Guang began, his tone patient. “But her situation is both dangerous and unique. She has to come back with us.”
Come back with them? Ha.
Yu Yin’s stomach churned with malice and fury, but Yu Guang merely watched him, chewing his food with a serious expression in his dark eyes, waiting for his response.
Whenever Yu Guang wanted him to cooperate, he would always wear this same look—calm, earnest, and stubbornly determined.
Yu Yin studied him carefully. Though Yu Guang appeared in good spirits, it was clear he hadn’t eaten for days and had been doing strenuous labor non-stop. His face looked thinner, and for once, there was a trace of exhaustion about him.
And then there was his disheveled appearance—his hair dust-covered, his face streaked with grime mixed with sweat. Truly pitiful.
Suddenly, Yu Yin rolled up his snow-white sleeve and wiped at Yu Guang’s face a couple of times.
Yu Guang tilted his head to avoid the gesture, but Yu Yin’s hand slid smoothly to the back of his neck, pulling him forward—and then, without warning, Yu Yin kissed him.
Yu Guang: “…”
They had been talking perfectly fine. What was this now?
“What are you doing? I’m filthy, you don’t mind that at all? And I’m eating!” Yu Guang protested, a bite of rice falling back into his bowl as he raised his hand to push Yu Yin away.
Yu Yin sneered. “Got a new little sister, so you don’t want me anymore? You won’t even let me kiss you.”
Yu Guang, thoroughly baffled, replied, “What does Xiao Shi have to do with this? I’ve never been fine with you kissing me.”
Yu Yin’s voice turned sharp with frustration. “You got yourself buried at the bottom of a mine for days. If I want to kiss you, what’s wrong with that? If I wanted to sleep with you, it’d still be your fault for letting your guard down!”
Yu Guang shoved another mouthful of rice into his mouth and calmly retorted, “What nonsense.”
Speaking of the past few days, Yu Guang’s gaze swept outside. He had already noticed the numerous puppet-like figures—neither alive nor dead—scattered beyond.
“Youngest,” he said, turning back to Yu Yin, “you haven’t done anything you shouldn’t these past few days, have you?”
“Hmph,” Yu Yin sneered, his tone dripping with mockery. “I’ve killed, set fires, done it all. You weren’t here, so who could stop me?”
He let out a sarcastic laugh. “You can’t bring yourself to deal with the new little sister, but you’d have no trouble punishing me. Go ahead, like you used to say—catch me, lock me up, whatever you want.”
Yu Guang looked at him, his expression hard to read, before silently turning his back on him. With his bowl in hand, he began eating in large mouthfuls.
‘Forget it,’ he thought. ‘Better not provoke him for now.’
