Chapter 20: Second Refine Talisman
Several days later, at Manfeng Mountain in Wangyue Prefecture.
Teams of armored soldiers were stationed here, arranged in squads. The front rank consisted of shield bearers, the middle rank of spearmen, and the rear rank of crossbowmen, with each squad numbering at least a hundred men.
The soldiers’ surroundings were all smeared with a strange ink. The ink spread thinly, like finely laid “black bricks and tiles” on the ground. Anyone who walked on the ground would undoubtedly leave traces on this ink.
Each squad operated on a two-shift system, with half resting while the other half maintained their posts.
They could not withdraw, as their mission had only just begun.
They had already been here for four days and four nights.
They didn’t know how much longer they had to wait.
But as long as the General above did not give the order, they had to continue waiting.
Soon, night fell.
The bright moon overhead cast dense shadows of fallen leaves onto the ground.
Numerous torches and braziers lit up from the ground, their flames brilliantly reddening the sky.
Suddenly, individuals dressed as martial artists from the Jianghu arrived from afar. Upon their arrival, they skillfully joined the various armored units, guarding the dimmer areas on the periphery, forming a complementary joint defense.
The General of this force also emerged from the rear ranks, clad in armor.
Among the Jianghu figures, a yellow-robed Daoist priest, accompanied by two Daoist boys, approached them.
“General Zhang.”
“True Master Han.”
After a brief greeting, the two stood together, neither speaking further. The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.
Soon, more people arrived from afar. These were all renowned experts from Wangyue County and surrounding counties, each carrying their own specialized weapons.
A few moments later, two more yellow-robed Daoist priests appeared, bringing the total to three, including the one who arrived first.
These three, gathered together with General Zhang, led to more conversation.
“Is the Celestial Master truly coming?”
“The army here was dispatched by the Celestial Master. Of course, the Celestial Master is coming. Not only is he coming, but he will also formally attack Manfeng Mountain.”
“We have already suffered too many casualties here. There are at least three types of Demonic creatures here.”
“Fortunately, the Bear Demon of Old Mountain in Xinghe County was eliminated by you, True Master Han.”
As he spoke, the yellow-robed Daoist who had used a golden snake to entangle the bear on Old Mountain waved his hands and shook his head gravely.
He had not revealed the true situation of “Old Mountain” to the outside world, as the Celestial Master did not wish to cause further panic.
If General Zhang was the leader of the soldiers in Wangyue Prefecture, then the Celestial Master was their leader.
The remaining two Daoist priests looked thoughtful upon seeing his reaction.
One Daoist priest asked, “In any case, it was eliminated, right?”
This time, the yellow-robed Daoist did not deny it, saying, “Yes.”
The Daoist priest nodded slightly. “Fortunately, it was eliminated, otherwise there would be at least four types of Demonic creatures here.”
Another Daoist priest sighed softly, “The Celestial Master had previously left Manfeng Mountain untouched, merely sealing off the surrounding area and designating it as a forbidden zone. Today, with the mobilization of troops and our presence here for a siege, it is likely a step forward. However, I wonder how many will survive after this siege.”
Everyone fell silent.
At that moment, a tragic and heroic atmosphere rose around them.
Everyone was prepared to die.
In this prefecture, they were the first to encounter the truth, and the first to encounter despair.
Just then, a large expanse of golden light surged from the dark, fire-lit ground. Two figures emerged. The red glow of the braziers encroached, casting long, dark shadows onto the ground.
Both wore bronze ghost masks. The difference was that one wore a purple Daoist robe, appearing detached from the world, while the other was clad in a Daoist boy’s robe and carried an exaggeratedly long Beast Slaying Blade on his back.
The Daoist priests looked at the Daoist boy with surprise. In their impression, the Celestial Master usually borrowed Daoist boys for dealing with quite formidable Demonic creatures, so they wondered which prefecture this one was borrowed from.
From the mask, it was clear this Daoist boy did not wish to reveal his identity, which added a layer of mystery.
Chou Nu scanned his surroundings, then looked at Ning Xuan and said, “Qing Feng, I’ve already told you most of the situation on the way here. We will rest tonight and ascend the mountain early tomorrow morning.”
Ning Xuan nodded.
Immediately, Chou Nu was escorted into a makeshift tent.
The Celestial Master had poor health. If he were to exert himself the next day, he would need a good rest the day before.
As for Ning Xuan, the Daoist boy, he sat by the bonfire outside the tent, his eyes closed in meditation and his role to guard the tent behind him.
The Celestial Master sleeps, the Daoist boy keeps watch.
This was the life of a Daoist boy.
If it were anyone else, Ning Xuan would certainly have been unhappy.
But thinking of how miserable his elder brother was, disfigured, living in anonymity, unable to acknowledge his family, while he enjoyed everything in his brother’s stead.
With that in mind, he felt it was nothing.
Moreover, with his current physique, keeping watch for one night was not a problem at all.
Ning Xuan sat cross-legged by the brazier in front of the tent. During this time, people tried to approach him to curry favor, but he paid them no mind and offered no reply, and eventually, no one approached him anymore.
He inhaled the night wind, a mixture of grass sap and a腥味 (fishy/bloody scent), and looked at the dark, imposing mountains in the distance.
Big brother said there were three types of demons in these mountains.
One monkey.
One ox.
One sheep.
These were the three for now.
But they were still trying to invite more demons here.
Why?
Most people speculated that these demons wanted to form an alliance.
But Big brother told him, “Not necessarily.”
The number of missing people in the entire Wangyue Prefecture, including its nine counties and twenty-eight townships, as well as passing travelers, was not small. The places where these people went missing were also not fixed.
In the eyes of the Daoist priests, disappearance meant death.
These people had already entered the bellies of the demons and become food.
But, Big brother told him, “No.”
Because Big brother had once accidentally heard human cries from deep within Manfeng Mountain. Those voices drifted from various places with the wind, the most frequent being “Help.”
Big brother thus drew a simple conclusion: those missing people were likely not eaten, but imprisoned.
Why would Demonic creatures imprison people?
And why would they invite other Demonic creatures?
Big brother drew a terrifying conclusion: a banquet.
The Demonic creatures wanted to hold a banquet, so they captured people, but they endured their hunger and did not eat them directly, instead keeping them imprisoned until the banquet.
But a banquet ultimately required guests.
And what kind of guests could make Demonic creatures endure not eating them?
Big brother dared not imagine.
In recent days, the number of missing people had been increasing, and Big brother finally couldn’t wait to act. Coupled with his advancement in cultivation and the presence of Ning Xuan, a capable Daoist boy.
The date was set for tomorrow.
Tomorrow, Big brother would take him to scout the area.
Once they had investigated as thoroughly as possible, they would launch a full-scale attack.
His mission was to protect Big brother and buy him some time to “cast spells.”
The bonfire crackled and burned.
The firelight danced in his eyes.
He casually tossed a few cold branches into the fire and closed his eyes to rest.
He did not want to be married off to Hanzhou Ranch, so… this mission had to be completed.
The night… deepened.
As time passed, Ning Xuan vaguely felt that it should be close to dawn.
His senses were very keen, and he had his own judgment on the passage of time.
Then, he felt that dawn had arrived.
He opened his eyes.
He saw that the sky was still dark.
The sky…
was still dark.
Why?
The sky had not brightened at all.
Except for the black moon hanging high above him.
The moonlight formed a strange halo, illuminating the area around the bright moon with a pale white light, while the black moon was like a black pupil looking down from above, staring straight at him.
Ning Xuan was very sure that he had not used the essence blood of the “Ghost Monkey” to refine a talisman, so there was only one other possibility…
Here, a Heavenly Demon was about to descend.
(End of Chapter)
