"What about honored guests, or unwelcome guests?"
Hearing Fourth Sister's question, Axel grinned and set Pigsy down on the ground.
Then he looked back at her.
"Even if I'm an honored guest, at most I'll drink a cup of wine. Even if I'm an unwelcome guest, can you actually stop me?"
He stepped closer, lowering his head slightly as he stared directly at Fourth Sister's stubborn expression.
"So honestly, it doesn't matter. Just let me inside and give me something to eat. I've been traveling for over half an hour."
Behind Fourth Sister, Second Sister pressed her lips together, then quickly stepped forward and pulled Fourth Sister farther away from Axel.
"Honored guest, please forgive my sister's manners. Since you've arrived at our home, we will naturally treat you properly."
She gave Axel a graceful bow.
"May I ask where the honored guest comes from, and what kind of food you prefer?"
"Hm?"
Axel blinked, slightly surprised by the sudden hospitality.
"I'm from the East."
"The East?"
Second Sister paused for a moment before speaking again.
"Then you must mean the Eastern Continent. What a coincidence. Our chef happens to know recipes from there."
She smiled faintly.
"More than thirty years ago, a craftsman from the Eastern Continent passed through these mountains and was captured by our mother. Before he died, he left behind a cookbook. Our chef studied it for years and even learned sugar sculpting from it."
Then she looked at Axel curiously.
"Honored guest, you..."
"Enough nonsense!"
Pigsy suddenly jumped in front of her, nearly screaming.
"What are you talking about in front of my brother? Eating people? Are you trying to get yourselves killed?"
He hurriedly grabbed Axel's pant leg and lowered his voice nervously.
"Brother, don't blame these girls. They've lived in the mountains too long and lost all common sense. I'll educate them properly later."
Pigsy forced out a dry laugh before glaring at the spider sisters.
"Eating people this, eating people that. Can't you stop saying it every other sentence? My brother is human!"
Then he puffed out his chest dramatically.
"Do you even know who you're talking to? My brother shook the Heavenly Court, smashed Buddha's golden body, and forced even the Jade Emperor and Laozi to treat him with respect!"
Pigsy pointed at Axel with exaggerated pride.
"Even Erlang Shen and Nezha work under him now. As for me, Old Pig, I'm just one of his subordinates!"
At this point, Pigsy genuinely looked close to tears.
He really was worried for them.
These little spider demons were weak. Together, they couldn't even handle a powerful centipede demon. Yet every time he came here, he still ended up tied up by them within moments.
No matter how ridiculous they acted, Pigsy still cared about them.
Meanwhile, after hearing his speech, Second Sister stared at him blankly for a second before bursting into laughter.
The other sisters followed immediately.
"Mother was right," Second Sister said while laughing. "You pig demon really are the king of bragging."
She shook her head.
"If you hadn't mentioned the Buddha, we might've believed part of it. But your lies are far too outrageous."
Then her expression softened slightly.
"Still, Mother is waiting for Pigsy, and since you brought him here, we'll naturally welcome you."
Her eyes shifted back toward Axel.
"But there's something I want to ask."
She hesitated briefly before speaking.
"Hero... are you really human?"
"Yes."
Axel answered casually with a grin.
Behind them, Third Sister quietly gasped.
She was the gentlest among the sisters, always reading romantic stories about scholars and beautiful women. In nearly every tale, demons who fell in love with humans met tragic endings.
But looking at Axel now, she finally understood why.
Humans really could be terrifyingly attractive.
Axel's long hair had been tied neatly into a crown, making his sharp features even more striking. If not for the intimidating armor he wore, he would've looked more like a noble warrior than a dangerous killer.
Third Sister quickly lowered her head, her ears turning red.
In front of Axel, Second Sister pouted slightly.
"If you're human, then why associate with Pigsy? And why come to a place full of demons like us?"
She looked directly into his eyes.
"If you came here to kill us, then why bother entering our home at all? I'm standing right here, hero. If you wish to kill me, then go ahead... Ah!"
Smack!
Axel flicked her forehead hard enough to produce a crisp sound.
"Oh, nice," he laughed. "Solid forehead."
Second Sister froze in place, completely stunned.
Axel casually rubbed her head afterward.
"You keep talking about killing like it's a hobby."
He smirked.
"Humans eat demons, demons eat humans. I honestly don't care much. As long as nobody does it in front of me, I can pretend not to notice."
Then his expression turned slightly amused.
"But little girl, stop throwing around words like 'kill' so casually. Some people actually mean it."
He gently pushed her forehead again, making her stumble backward in a daze.
"Now stop standing around staring at me. Get us food and wine. White liquor, the older the better."
Axel laughed loudly.
"And quit looking at me like that. You're making yourselves blush."
As Second Sister stumbled back, the golden spider on Fourth Sister's shoulder suddenly jumped down and transformed into a petite girl around fourteen years old.
Sixth Sister quickly caught Second Sister before she fell.
"Second Sister," she whispered softly.
Meanwhile, Pigsy stared blankly at Sixth Sister's round little ears before quickly lowering his head awkwardly.
"You girls still don't know how to behave around guests," he muttered.
"You act like servants from some tiny household. No manners at all."
Pigsy sighed dramatically.
"I'll have to speak with your mother later and teach you all properly."
Then he immediately fled into the courtyard without daring to look at them again.
Watching him run away, Axel burst out laughing.
"See that?" he said while resting a hand on Second Sister's shoulder. "That's what a professional fraud looks like."
"Let go of my Second Sister!"
Fourth Sister instantly raised her hand.
A stream of poisonous mist shot straight toward Axel's arm.
"Fourth Sister!"
Second Sister panicked and tried to block it.
But before she could move, Axel casually grabbed the poison in midair.
His mental power compressed the toxic mist into the shape of a cigarette.
Then he lit it.
He took one puff.
Immediately, his face turned green.
"Oh hell," Axel coughed. "That's actually strong."
His lips even started turning blue for a second.
Fortunately, his body regenerated almost instantly, restoring him back to normal.
Second Sister rushed forward and grabbed his wrist in panic.
"Stop smoking it!"
She looked genuinely frightened.
"Fourth Sister spends all year wandering poisonous caves and eating venomous creatures. Even our martial uncle can't handle her poison!"
Then she suddenly froze.
The poisonous cigarette had already disappeared completely.
Second Sister stared at Axel in shock.
Meanwhile, Axel looked toward Fourth Sister, whose mouth hung slightly open in disbelief.
"She likes running around mountains and eating poisonous things?" Axel muttered thoughtfully.
Then he looked Fourth Sister up and down before grinning.
"So you're basically the fattest little venomous creature in the whole formation."
He clicked his tongue.
"No wonder you're this dumb."
===
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