bookpub Chapter 4 Mountain Demon
Chapter 4 Mountain Demon
thin moon star
mountainside of Kanze Mountain
The dim firelight enveloped the surroundings, and the middle-aged man holding the torch had a gloomy face, his temples already soaked with cold sweat.
A grotesque, multicolored face emerged from the darkness, followed by its enormous body.
"Damn it, how can he be so robust? He's at least two people tall!"
The middle-aged man gripped the finely forged steel knife tightly in his hand, his whole body trembling as he confronted the strange mountain demon.
As for the distress signal, it had been sent out a short while ago.
Normally, there would still be some human traces on Kanze Mountain. But now it is July, and ordinary people would be trying to avoid it, so why would they linger here at night?
"My life is over..."
"That damned beast, how dare he play tricks on me."
A hint of anger flashed across the middle-aged man's face.
In fact, the mandrill had many opportunities to attack the middle-aged man, but it didn't. Instead, it breathed into his ear when the man was on edge.
The mandrill, whose face was full of mockery, suddenly changed its expression. It growled threateningly at the darkness before quickly disappearing into it.
The soft ground trembled slightly.
The rapid hoofbeats echoed across the fields.
"Sigh..."
The glossy black horse, radiating heat, leaped into the middle-aged man's view. But its excessive haste caused it to veer off the ground and into the air.
The hooves kicked up clouds of dust.
In just a moment, a man and a horse blocked the middle of the official road.
Fang Hongxuan, on horseback, had a cold expression as he glared fiercely at the strange, colorful mask that was gradually disappearing into the darkness.
When Fang Hongxuan turned his gaze to the middle-aged man, the gloom on his face lessened slightly, replaced by confusion and worry.
"Uncle Li, what are you doing here?"
The middle-aged man, referred to as Uncle Li, patted his chest in lingering fear, his heart pounding wildly.
"You little rascal, you rode off without a word. If I hadn't returned to the yamen, I wouldn't have known anything."
"The mountain nights are often filled with evil spirits; what brings you here of all people?"
peak
The flames were like dazzling stars falling to earth.
This is the location of Qingfeng Temple.
"Uncle Li, someone reported to the authorities that Rakshasa has been appearing in this area, so I came to investigate. Apart from the abandoned Taoist temple on the mountaintop that is on fire for some unknown reason, I found nothing."
Fang Hongxuan led his horse to the middle-aged man. Just as he was about to say something, he received several hard slaps on the head.
"Even the proper demon-slaying captains aren't this diligent. How can you, a half-baked member who hasn't even officially joined, be so capable?"
Mixian County is located on the border of Wansheng Dynasty. Although it is not a place of continuous warfare, it can be described as poor and barren.
Even the standard thirty-person staff of the Demon Suppression Division are gone, and those with connections have already been transferred away from this place.
Currently, the Demon Suppression Division in Mixian County, including these half-baked Demon Extermination Captains, has only six members. That's why they gather every few months.
If it weren't for the need to replenish supplies every month, it would be hard to say whether the six of them would even get together.
"Understood, Uncle Li." Fang Hongxuan rubbed his forehead, his face showing a flattering expression. "I definitely won't be so reckless next time."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man rolled his eyes, wishing he could give Fang Hongxuan another slap on the head: "You want a next time? I see you've really grown quite capable..."
Fang Hongxuan could only stand there, bowing and scraping, smiling obsequiously, but dared not dodge.
As for this middle-aged man referred to as Uncle Li, his real name is Li Yuanzhi. He is the head constable of the Mixiancheng County government.
He was usually only responsible for catching thieves and murderers, but he had never encountered any evil spirits in the mountains.
If Fang Hongxuan hadn't been an orphan he had taken in from outside, he wouldn't have been willing to go up the mountain at night to search for people; after all, no one doesn't cherish their own life.
The two men and one horse traveled along the official road towards Mixian County.
"You're not getting any younger. Do you have a girl you like? If not, I see there are many suitable young women unmarried in the neighborhood..."
A look of embarrassment flashed across Fang Hongxuan's face. He quickly waved his hand and said, "I am not skilled enough, I do not hold any important position, and I have no special skills."
"Would the He family's daughter take a liking to me? Let's wait until I've achieved some success before discussing this matter."
Li Yuanzhi pondered for a moment: "What you say is absolutely right. Let's wait a while then."
"By the way, how many more merits do you need to officially join the Demon Suppression Division?"
Fang Hongxuan's expression turned serious: "Two more Class D merits will complete the process. In that case, I will be able to enjoy the offerings."
The Demon Suppression Division categorized all merits into four levels: A, B, C, and D.
The difference between merits is three to one, meaning one Class A merit is equivalent to twenty-seven Class D merits.
The requirement to join the Demon Suppression Division is to obtain at least five Class D merits.
Fang Hongxuan has been in this world for more than five years, and has only earned three Class D merits, which shows how difficult it is to obtain merits.
If the incident at Qingfeng Temple were reported and verified, he could at least receive a Class C merit. However, Fang Hongxuan did not intend to do so, as it concerned himself, and the more secretive it was, the better.
The two talked all the way, and by the time they reached the outskirts of Mixian County, the sky was already beginning to lighten.
"Don't slack off, I still have cases to investigate, so I'll head to the yamen first." Li Yuanzhi took the three oil paper packages handed over by the steamed bun shop owner, gave two to Fang Hongxuan, and then hurriedly left.
Fang Hongxuan didn't care and just kept eating his buns.
In the past, he would never have swallowed any food. Now, having obtained the Yin Pill containing half a century's worth of internal energy, his blood and qi have gradually returned to normal.
However, Fang Hongxuan knew perfectly well that this was merely an illusion created by the Yin Pill. Once the Yin Pill lost its effect, he would have no choice but to absorb essence and blood again, just like before.
"It seems I still need to find a way to get my body back to normal." Fang Hongxuan frowned slightly, but without doing anything else, he led his horse toward the City God Temple outside the west side of the city.
They turned back out of the city gate and walked for about half an hour.
The completely abandoned City God Temple stands beside a mountain path, with a blind old monk sitting on the threshold.
The old monk had nine ordination scars on his head, and his body was lean and wiry. He had white eyebrows and a white beard, was full of energy, and had a kind face.
"Master... I'm back..."
From a long distance
Fang Hongxuan then waved to greet him.
The old monk raised his head and listened intently for a long time before finally pinpointing Fang Hongxuan's location.
This blind old monk has lived in the City God Temple for more than ten years. No one knows his name; people just call him Master Huikong.
When Fang Hongxuan first transmigrated, he fled into the City God Temple in a panic. There he encountered the monk Huikong, who, after much pleading, reluctantly accepted him as his last disciple.
I originally thought that Monk Huikong was a figure like the Sweeping Monk, but in fact, Monk Huikong was just an ordinary monk, and even the nine ordination scars were faked on by himself.
However, he did pass on Fang Hongxuan's famous Golden Bell Cover and Iron Shirt techniques, as well as an unnamed scripture that Fang Hongxuan, being a living corpse, could not cultivate.
As for why internal energy isn't used to perform techniques, it's because the living corpse's meridians can't circulate, so it can't cultivate internal energy at all.
Fortunately, he still had his blood and qi to power his cultivation technique. This is why Fang Hongxuan would go up the mountain to forage for food after each case.
"My disciple, what have you gained this time?"