MRSG Chapter 21

Happy Vesak’s Day~

Zhou Mu glanced down at his phone, reading the new message before casually stuffing it back into his pocket, his steps never slowing.

Chun Shijiu suspected that Zhou Mu was too anxious—his speed was much faster than usual, making it hard even for him to keep up. Still, he had the energy to joke, “You sure you don’t have a bit of qilin in you? You’re running pretty damn fast.”

Zhou Mu usually acted weaker than an average human, complaining about exhaustion after just a few steps. But now, it was obvious—he was just lazy.

As the two approached Jinyuan, the oppressive presence of demonic energy became unmistakable. In the air, faint golden light flickered from the suppression pillars. Zhou Mu stopped in his tracks, squinting toward the source.

“Enough, stop running.” Chun Shijiu grabbed his hand, his expression serious for once—like a snake lying in wait.

They had reached the outskirts of Jinyuan. Zhou Mu raised a hand, attempting to probe through the barrier that obscured his vision…

The moment his fingers touched it, the ground trembled. A ripple of invisible force spread outward, flattening the grass. The barrier fell like a water curtain, revealing the entirety of Jinyuan—including the people locked in battle against the Tan Beast.

At that moment, the second horn on the beast’s forehead fully formed. The demonic energy entwined around it surged outward, expanding to cover a five-hundred-meter radius, darkening the sky as if a gray filter had been cast over the world.

The teachers reinforcing the barrier were struck by backlash, spitting blood and collapsing to the ground.

With a savage gaze, the Tan Beast swept over them and lifted them all into the air.

Except for Cui Jue, Xie Rulin, and Lord Cong—who was still in sword form—everyone else was suspended mid-air, their limbs bound by tendrils of demonic energy. Even the unconscious Tian Qi had woken up, trembling as he realized he couldn’t move. He let out a sob of terror.

A chill spread through their hearts. It was over. The Tan Beast had fully transformed, infused with demonic energy. Could Judge Xie and Director Cui hold their ground?

Zhou Mu peered through the demonic haze and recognized his mentor, Luo Guanzhong, among the captured teachers. He shouted, “Teacher Luo!”

Luo Guanzhong struggled to turn his head, his eyes widening in shock. “Zhou Mu? What are you doing here? Did you come looking for me?”

Zhou Mu replied, “I came for Tian Qi.”

Luo Guanzhong: “…” I should be touched, but I’m really not.

Tian Qi was deeply moved, sobbing, “Xiao Mu, just run! Tell my mom I have secret savings sewn into my pillow! And—make sure my project plan gets implemented! If I die, keep my funeral simple—”

Xie Rulin, upon seeing the new arrivals, hesitated for a moment before murmuring, “So it’s him.”

Cui Jue nodded. “Naturally.”

The Tan Beast also noticed the newcomers. But sensing Zhou Mu’s weak presence, it didn’t even bother restraining him. The one next to him, Chun Shijiu, at least seemed worth beating up.

Chun Shijiu sensed imminent danger. He didn’t know the details, but the pure cruelty in the beast’s gaze was enough to make his blood run cold. He slowly stepped backward.

A snake’s greed knows only to swallow the elephant—but this was a creature so greedy it had once tried to devour the sun.

The demonic energy drifted in the air, like the Tan Beast’s indifferent gaze sweeping over them. Then—

Zhou Mu moved with a speed even Chun Shijiu couldn’t react to, tearing off his Concealment Talisman.

Chun Shijiu’s pupils contracted. “You—!”

A tantalizing aroma instantly filled the air. The Tan Beast’s body stiffened. Its throat moved as it swallowed reflexively. This scent—it was irresistible to all creatures; the stronger they were, the more they craved it.

The people in the air fell to the ground. At the same time, the Tan Beast spun around, lunging toward Zhou Mu with desperate hunger!

“ROAR!” The massive creature pinned Zhou Mu into the dirt. Wrapped in demonic energy, the beast had breath but no warmth. Its green eyes gleamed with insatiable greed as it lowered its head, deeply inhaling Zhou Mu’s scent as if savoring a meal.

So tantalizing. It was enought to make him drop everything he was doing and came to get his fill first.

“So delicious…” The Tan Beast let out a twisted chuckle. “A human bloodline? You tore off a Concealment Talisman just to lure me in? Human blood only makes demons weak and filled with pathetic schemes!”

Zhou Mu, eyes closed as he was tackled, remained still. Then, he calmly turned his face toward the beast and whispered, “I’m just… a bit lazy.”

He opened his eyes.

His pitch-black pupils had turned an amber gold.

In that instant, every cell in the Tan Beast’s body screamed in alarm. But it was too late. At this distance—there was no escape!

“You’re not human—!”

Before it could finish, Zhou Mu’s body expanded in an instant. Glossy, azure fur covered his form, his build resembling a ram’s, but with two curved dragon horns sprouting from his forehead. His four limbs, now sharp and dexterous, moved with effortless power.

He shook his head once. Though smaller than the Tan Beast, he effortlessly swatted it into the air. Then, with precise control, he floated up and stomped down onto the beast’s throat, his strength so immense that it couldn’t even struggle.

An almost poetic reversal—payback for the beast having held everyone else by the throat moments ago.

And that once-enticing scent? Now, it revealed its true nature—a predator’s deadly lure. Overwhelming, filled with killing intent. Every person present trembled uncontrollably, unable to move, unable even to summon the will to resist.

Except for Cui Jue, Xie Rulin, and Lord Cong. Chun Shijiu, who had witnessed everything up close, was left utterly blank. It was as if he were dreaming.

This was Zhou Mu? The same Zhou Mu that the entire school had underestimated?

Anyone with knowledge could immediately recognize the traits of Taotie, the legendary gluttonous beast. It was now clear—his irresistible scent was nothing but a predator’s bait.

The more enticing something seemed, the deadlier it was.

Cui Jue chuckled darkly. “You all said I took special care of Zhou Mu. Was I really taking care of him?”

I’m not taking care of him—I’m taking care of you useless yet delicious things!

Every time he silently recited the school rules, it was the only contractual restraint binding this beast. Every seemingly reckless word or action was actually a faint manifestation of his insatiable appetite. Every quiet meal in the cafeteria was only possible because the school was secretly feeding him with subsidies for certain demon races—under a different name, this was essentially an expense for appeasing a ferocious beast.

……

Zhou Mu let out a low chuckle, his eyes eerily calm. He casually brought up a topic once discussed in class with his peers: “Of course, I am human. Haven’t you heard of hybrid vigor? Honestly, your bloodline isn’t mixed as well as mine.”

The Tan Beast was named after greed, but—

When greed reaches its peak, it is called Taotie!

The world’s first Tan Beast was said to have attempted to swallow the sun and fell into the Eastern Sea. The demonic aura in the Golden Court had only developed sentience because it was suppressed by the school’s founding ancestor. In that sense, while these beasts were terrifying to the extreme, they also carried the shadow of past failures, their attempt to return in full force.

But the hybrid Taotie in front of them was different—his aura was one of an undefeated predator.

Since ancient times, Taotie had devoured everything in the world that could be eaten. Nothing was off their menu, and no one could stop them. That was why all living creatures carried an instinctive fear of this bloodline in their bones—it didn’t make them think of fleeing. Instead, it made them give up. It made them offer themselves up as food.

Demonic energy surged violently around the Tan Beast, unwilling to accept defeat so easily. It let out a furious roar, attempting to force its demonic aura into Zhou Mu’s body through his seven orifices.

But Zhou Mu simply opened his mouth and actively swallowed the strands of demonic aura into his stomach. He bit down in large chunks, leaving everyone stunned—completely confirming the legends of the Taotie, that it could eat absolutely anything!

The Tan Beast’s eyes widened in rage. It twisted its head, attempting to bite Zhou Mu. However, when its fangs reached Zhou Mu’s shoulder, they got stuck—they couldn’t pierce his flesh no matter how hard it tried. This finally made several people on the scene realize why that Senior Little Howl had lost a tooth when facing Zhou Mu before.

Zhou Mu snorted. His claws, seemingly soft and even carrying a pinkish hue due to his young age, suddenly stomped down—crushing the Tan Beast’s chest inward.

At first, the demonic aura had been rampant, but now it was desperately trying to escape, avoiding Zhou Mu’s devouring mouth. Yet, nothing could escape the jaws of a Taotie.

Zhou Mu had a simple, crude, yet effective way of dealing with problems. He opened his mouth wide, ready to bite off the demon-horn solidified by magic—hmm, it looked fresh.

Suddenly, a human face flickered onto the beast’s qilin-like features—it was Shu Lin, crying out: “Save me! Please, save me!”

Shu Lin had always been kind-hearted and just. It was only fate that had not favored him, leading to this disaster. His tears flowed freely, evoking sorrow in the onlookers.

Xie Rulin’s heart twisted with emotion, but a warning bell rang in his mind. He shouted,

“Beware of his trick—”

Before he could even finish his sentence, Zhou Mu had already casually bitten off the Tan Beast’s head, horn and all. Then, in just one more bite, he devoured its entire body. Within mere seconds, the scene was wiped clean, as if nothing had ever happened.

Zhou Mu smacked his lips. “What trick?”

Xie Rulin: “……”

As someone with Xiezhi bloodline, Xie Rulin had always sensed that Zhou Mu was not the harmless and pure-hearted student he appeared to be, but rather a true beast. However, even he had never been able to determine exactly what Zhou Mu was or how terrifying his power was.

Only now, witnessing this scene, did he finally understand.

No wonder Hualing never restrained this beast. No wonder Cui Jue recruited him as backup. It was clear now—Hualing’s method of handling these troublesome demonic auras was simply to find a big enough Taotie to eat them all.

Honestly, it was quite a brilliant solution. If not for today’s unexpected events, in time, with Taotie’s abilities and appetite, these demons really would have been eaten clean.

Xie Rulin was still deep in thought—

A dark shadow suddenly flashed by.

From within the trees, a faint wisp of demonic aura shot into Xie Rulin’s forehead before he could react.

“Ah!” Xie Rulin let out a miserable cry, immediately realizing— this was a sliver of sentience born from the demonic aura!

And now, countless desires surged within his mind.

As a Xiezhi, a divine beast of law and order, Xie Rulin should have been immune. But within mere seconds, countless injustices surfaced in his mind, fueling his dissatisfaction.

Is there really fairness in this world? If so, why was my promotion blocked? Why do the wicked trample over justice? He clenched his eyes shut in pain, struggling against the invasive thoughts. On his forehead, a faint second horn appeared.

Chaos was reborn. Everyone’s face paled in shock.

“Oh, hell no!” Lord Cong shouted, “Judge Xie, snap out of it!”

Zhou Mu immediately lunged forward and raised his claw—slapping Xie Rulin across the face.

Xie Rulin was stunned by the hit, overwhelmed with shame. Then, his body expanded, shifting into a form larger than even the Tan Beast from before, a massive qilin with a single horn, now enraged as he charged at Zhou Mu.

This time, even Cui Jue panicked. Shu Lin was one thing, but if Xie Rulin lost control, he couldn’t win this fight. “Zhou Mu, don’t provoke him any further! We can still try to reason with him!”

By all logic, Xie Rulin had a much stronger will than Shu Lin. This demonic aura was merely lashing out in desperation—if everyone helped, there was still a high chance of snapping him out of it. But Zhou Mu didn’t listen and immediately began brawling with Xie Rulin.

Lord Cong suddenly realized something was off. Based on what I know about Zhou Mu…

“Is he doing this on purpose? He didn’t get enough to eat earlier?!”

Cui Jue: “……”

As a divine beast of law, Xiezhi was formidable in battle. Despite their scholarly demeanor, it was no coincidence that they were the chief referees of the Demon Sports Competition.

But Zhou Mu raised his paw—and with a simple gesture, manipulated the water system of the school, pulling a current directly above Xie Rulin’s head. As a land beast, Xiezhi couldn’t tolerate this attack. No matter how he struggled, he couldn’t shake it off. He was left gurgling underwater.

Meanwhile, Zhou Mu took this chance to beat the absolute hell out of Xie Rulin’s head. Each strike landed directly on his weak points, viciously precise.

Even Teacher Hand couldn’t stand it anymore. He flew over, grabbed the back of Zhou Mu’s neck, and tugged at his tail, but Zhou Mu was completely caught up in the fight. With just a flick of his tail, Teacher Hand was smacked into the ground. Crawling out of the dirt, he slowly raised his middle finger.

Cui Jue was crying. “Stop fighting! Stop it, Zhou Mu, he’s already awake!”

Lord Cong panicked as well. “Zhou Mu! I beg you, please spare him!”

Tian Qi, still young, was so scared that he burst into loud sobs.

The other teachers trembled in fear, their faces pale. Even the formation pillars hovering in the air shone with golden light, trying to stop Zhou Mu.

At first glance, this scene was even more terrifying than when the Tan Beast had rampaged earlier…

“Gurgle, gurgle, I—!”

Wrapped in water, Xie Rulin barely managed to make a sound.

Only then did Zhou Mu pause and glance over. Sure enough, Xie Rulin’s eyes had regained their clarity, and he was desperately waving his hands. “Oh? He’s awake already.”

Zhou Mu opened his mouth and inhaled, slurping up the last wisps of demonic energy.

Drenched from head to toe, Xie Rulin reverted to his human form. His face was swollen like a pig’s head, and he backed away several steps from Zhou Mu, gasping for breath before cursing in an uncharacteristically undignified manner: “How could I not be awake? You almost beat my brains out!”

Zhou Mu licked his lips. “Sorry, I was just eager to save you.”

Xie Rulin: “…”

What a terrifying hybrid Taotie. Then, as if recalling something, Xie Rulin took a deep breath and asked, “Do you have He family blood?”

That was the surname used by Taotie who walked among humans.

Zhou Mu answered nonchalantly, “My mother’s family name is He.”

That explained it. It was rumored that a branch of the He clan had mixed with the bloodline of the celestial daughter Yao Cao, whose very existence was a temptation. That must be the source of Zhou Mu’s alluring scent.

No wonder he didn’t take his mother’s surname—anyone knowledgeable enough would quickly guess his true identity. His other bloodlines likely came from his current surname.

Among all these mixed ancestries, his Taotie nature was clearly dominant. Not only did he possess an intoxicating scent, but he also had strong dominion over air and water, along with the human-like appearance of his mortal heritage.

A top-tier beast who knew how to feign weakness, even feign allure—a master of disguise. This realization made Xie Rulin conclude, with complete impartiality, that Zhou Mu might be one of the most terrifying hunters in history.

……

As peace returned to Jinyuan, Zhou Mu finally shifted back into his human form, once again appearing as the soft and fragrant new student. But no one dared to look at him the same way anymore—they didn’t even dare to look at him directly.

Simply processing what had just happened had drained everyone’s energy.

To be honest, compared to Shu Lin’s transformation into a Tan Beast, it was Zhou Mu’s rampage against Xie Rulin that was more terrifying—that feeling of uncontrollable, life-threatening power.

Zhou Mu scanned the group and muttered sheepishly, “You guys better not go around talking nonsense. If people find out I have a big appetite, I might get bullied at school again”

Everyone: “…”

Lord Cong, having been through something similar, looked around with a knowing gaze and sighed inwardly.

Ah, he had experienced this before. A weapon spirit? So what. This guy could even digest demonic energy. At least he, being an artifact spirit, had narrowly avoided being eaten by Zhou Mu under the local government’s intervention. Zhou Mu never forgot about it.

And it wasn’t like he got off scot-free—he had to be Zhou Mu’s accomplice for three years… and was often used to chop ribs.

Looking at the others now, Lord Cong saw that Tian Qi, being so young, had already lost the ability to think.

Then there was Teacher Luo Guanzhong, who suddenly remembered how he had once shown Zhou Mu a picture of his true snail form—his tender, white flesh fully exposed—and had even invited Zhou Mu to live inside his shell. Now, he was utterly horrified.

But the most frightened of all was Chun Shijiu. His scalp tingled as he recalled how he had once held Zhou Mu in his arms and even asked him to live together. He shivered. Just how lucky had he been to survive?

Fortunately, fortunately, Zhou Mu had chosen to live with You Qi instead!

And it was when he thought of You Qi that Chun Shijiu’s thoughts stalled for a moment. Unable to resist, he asked cautiously, “So… have you always wanted to eat You Qi?”

To everyone else, Zhou Mu had always been seen as someone trembling under You Qi’s claws—no matter how close they were, the underlying threat of predation was ever-present.

But after witnessing what had just happened, everything flipped. Now, looking at it from a different angle, with Zhou Mu’s unprecedented Taotie nature, every single hug he initiated suddenly seemed terrifying.

Tian Qi, recalling past interactions, even felt like those times Zhou Mu had pinched his cheeks… it might have been him kneading seasoning into meat.

“Nonsense!” As the Director of Discipline, Cui Jue quickly stepped in to clarify. “Student Zhou Mu has promised to follow school rules. He won’t eat… at least not completely eat any of his classmates!”

Chun Shijiu: “…”

Zhou Mu was just about to say something when he suddenly caught a familiar scent in the air. His expression shifted slightly.

Chun Shijiu, quick to observe, also sensed something was off. He looked around—and sure enough, someone was stepping out from behind a tree not far away. It was You Qi. No one knew how long he had been standing there. But judging from when Chun Shijiu had sent his message—and considering You Qi’s level of concern for Zhou Mu—he had likely seen everything.

There were even splashes of water on him from when Zhou Mu had been beating up Xie Rulin. He looked like a beast caught in the rain—his back still straight, but his teeth clenched tightly behind his muzzle. After a long silence, he finally squeezed out a sentence. “So the only reason you haven’t eaten me yet… is because of school rules?”

Zhou Mu’s mood soured instantly.

Normally, he wouldn’t have such emotions. At any time, eating anything had always been a matter of course for him—he had never feared anyone questioning him. But You Qi’s words made him feel terrible. Not because he felt guilty—just… irritated.

He wanted to say, Yeah, you, Chun Shijiu, Luo Guanzhong, the principal, and Teacher Hand—every single one of you, I want to eat!

Who even knows how to explain things to food? In the past, Zhou Mu would’ve just swallowed anyone daring enough to question him.

But…

Zhou Mu slowly turned around, finally meeting You Qi’s cold, grim expression. He wasn’t in the mood to put on that deceptively harmless smile, so he simply frowned and said, “Don’t you all want to eat me, too?”

You Qi’s face turned even paler.

Zhou Mu was right. Everyone coveted him. And as a beast hiding his identity, he had no reason to feel wronged—this was just the nature of hunters. It was like a competition; no one blamed a monster for knocking their opponent out of bounds.

Yet, despite knowing this, despite being part of this game, You Qi had still let Zhou Mu move into his dorm room. And worse—he had let Zhou Mu invade his thoughts.

As a beast himself, You Qi should have been thinking about the hunt. But instead, his mind was consumed with memories, small details that he couldn’t untangle. Surely, not all of it had been fake—but how much of it had been real?

His eyes darkened, sinking into blackness, just like the first day he had met Zhou Mu, when he had watched him from the shadows of the trees. His throat felt tight, like something was stuck, and his heart twisted painfully—just like when he had held Zhou Mu in his arms. All these emotions… feelings he had never experienced before.

“You didn’t want to move out of 1203… no wonder,” You Qi said, unable to stop himself.

Zhou Mu’s mood instantly worsened. To him, that sentence sounded no different from outright rejection. He snapped, “What? You want me to move out?”

The terrifying aura surged again, suffocating the already silent bystanders.

But the worst part? You Qi, who always controlled his presence, suddenly let his own beastly aura explode in response—like he had been wounded. Now caught between two monstrous pressures, Cui Jue was sweating bullets. This was a disaster waiting to happen.

You Qi clenched his jaw, glaring at Zhou Mu. “Do you want to move out?!”

Zhou Mu kicked a nearby tree—shattering it into dust. He growled, “Fine! I’ll move out!”

Everyone was dumbfounded. What kind of nonsensical argument was this?! But no one dared to intervene.

Zhou Mu and You Qi locked eyes for two seconds. Then, without warning, Zhou Mu spun around, grabbed Chun Shijiu with one hand, and his black eyes turned into a feral amber. “I’m moving across the hall RIGHT NOW!”

Chun Shijiu: “……………………”