102: Famous in Baidi City (asking for monthly ticket)

The morning light broke, and golden rays shone in all directions.

The Fu Gate stood majestically, winding for a hundred li.

It built its myriad battlements, forming a deep abyss around its moat. It had three wide roads and twelve connecting gates. Inside, the streets were wide and accessible, with thousands of households, and nine markets bustling with noise.

Along the streets, teahouses, wine shops, inns, and crowds gathered, including local gentry, valiant heroes, and people from all walks of life, coming and going.

Last night, horses galloped through the streets, causing panic, and then the city gates were heard beating drums, with the Demon Cult rampant. Someone on a single horse broke through the Demon Cult's blockade, and the Demon Cult's Qinglong roared, shocking the sky. A mountain-like token, with a phantom image within it, finally rose from the mountain, blocking the surging enemy of the Demon Cult. The Acquired Heavenly Gate's Zhonglang General, along with the three Heavenly Gates from Baidi City, fought fiercely against the Demon Cult's Four Symbols, with immense momentum, finally repelling them and returning victorious.

Overnight, the events were truly twisted and bizarre, grand and magnificent. People from all walks of life, in wine shops and alley corners, eagerly discussed the events with great enthusiasm, shouting and talking.

In a wine shop, someone talked about the Demon Cult, shouting and cursing.

“Nowadays, the Demon Cult is rampant. More than thirty counties outside the pass have mostly fallen, completely becoming demon dens. These beasts have turned themselves into human-demons, neither human nor ghost, wantonly harming the common people, and even want to lay hands on the Fu Gate. Now, we finally have a moment of pride.” A Hunter, with a knife at his waist, wearing coarse short clothes and an open chest, angrily shouted. As he spoke, he cupped his hands and bowed upwards.

“Fortunately, our Fu Gate has Xiang Zhonglang, whose might remains. He has led troops out of the pass several times to resist the Demon Cult army, protecting us all. This cup of wine, I, a crude person, toast to Junior General!”

As he spoke, he held a cup of wine with both hands, raised it diagonally towards a certain direction, and drank it all down.

This drew cheers from the crowd in the wine shop, and a chorus of praise.

At this moment, someone else said,

“Alas, that's true, Xiang Zhonglang is indeed brave, but there are also three other Heavenly Gates who have contributed greatly: Sect Leader Long from Dragon Tiger Gate, Sect Leader Xiahou from Langya Mountain, and Sect Leader Li from Four Seas Gang. Otherwise, Xiang Zhonglang alone wouldn't have been able to withstand the Demon Cult's Four Symbols.”

Upon hearing this, someone suddenly let out a “Heh.”

“Heh, let me tell you, it's not like that. It seems the Disciples from the three families went out of the pass to do something, but they encountered the Demon Cult's blockade and many people died. Last night, the three families' forces were furious, and the sound of their horses' hooves was so loud that it woke up many people. Everyone thought the Demon Cult was attacking again and was scared stiff.”

“I happen to live not far from the north gate of the Fu Gate and heard the reason for this. At that time, these three families' forces wanted to force their way through the north city gate and had a confrontation with the Garrison Commandant there, creating a tense situation. Then what happened later occurred; it was just a coincidence.”

A short-browed Hunter with a mustache and somewhat shrewd eyes recounted what he had seen and heard last night as a topic of conversation. As he spoke, his eyes darted around, and he spoke with great animation.

Inside the inn, although many people were talking excitedly, many of them were just hearsay and didn't know exactly what happened last night. At this moment, upon hearing this, they all became interested.

“There's more to this?”

“Isn't there?” The short-browed Hunter's voice involuntarily lowered a few shades as he said this, his neck stretching slightly forward.

“These three prominent families are accustomed to being overbearing on weekdays. When something happens, heh, I won't say much more. I actually feel that the strangest thing about the whole incident is the lone figure who blocked the Demon Cult army.”

“Qinglong Venerable of the Demon Cult seemed to hate this person extremely, constantly roaring this person's name, calling...”

Just as this person was speaking excitedly, and the people around him were listening intently, several Hunters at a table, with black-lined, white-backed sleeves wrapped around their arms and dressed in black short clothes, suddenly cursed in anger, and the table instantly shattered and scattered.

One of them leaped up, directly soaring into the air, and punched the short-browed Hunter directly in the chest.

The short-browed Hunter screamed, his body flying backward, shattering two or three tables and chairs. He clutched his chest, wailing, startling all the diners.

The person who struck spat fiercely on the ground,

“Damn it, daring to badmouth my Four Seas Gang! You're tired of living!”

“What are you?”

It turned out this person was a member of the Four Seas Gang.

As he spoke, his face twisted into a sneer, and he was about to step forward again.

At this moment, a figure stood in front of the Four Seas Gang member.

It was precisely the Hunter who had just shown great admiration for the Sky Patrol Division's Zhonglang General.

“What are you, get out of the way.” The Four Seas Gang member's face darkened when he saw someone stepping forward.

“I am but an unknown person. Your Four Seas Gang is being a bit too bullying. He didn't say anything, yet you immediately injure someone. This is Fu City, there's still the law.” The Hunter's gaze was firm, and he frowned slightly.

“Don't use that to pressure me. Our Sect Leader repelled the Demon Cult last night, what prestige! That's how he protected you guys. It's you who don't know gratitude. Even if I kill this guy right now, that Fu Division Zhonglang General won't be able to find fault.” The Four Seas Gang member sneered as he spoke the latter part.

“You!” The Hunter opposite him glared angrily.

For a moment, the atmosphere was somewhat tense.

The guests in the wine shop, after hearing the short-browed Hunter's account, realized there was another hidden story.

However, fearing to offend the Four Seas Gang members, they dared not speak out for a while.

Suddenly,

Children's shouts came from outside.

“Danger!”

“Last night, the Eight Heavenly Gates all came out, fighting for one person!”

“A thousand li away, our Human Race's general stands alone, defending a city!”

“...”

This commotion startled the guests in the wine shop. Everyone rushed out or peered through the windows to look.

They saw children of eleven or twelve years old running through the crowd on the street, carrying a basket on their backs, and waving a book in their hands, shouting along the street.

Immediately, someone quickly called out to them.

“Child, what do you have in your hand?”

“the pacification of demons.”

“Is this a storybook?”

“No, this is a biography. In Qingshan County outside the pass, there's a Patrolling Mountain Commandant named Chen Yuan!” The child's voice was bright and loud, filled with excitement.

“Chen Yuan?”

“That's the name!” A startled sound rang out in the inn.

“Quick, let me see!”

Immediately, the crowd scrambled, all buying a copy to read.

Many people, out of curiosity, opened the pages.

Then, as they read the words on the book, they gradually became engrossed.

For a time,

The atmosphere in the wine shop became strangely quiet, with only the sound of turning pages remaining.

And behind those scrolls of pages, unconsciously, pairs of eyes gathered.

And these scenes, with each copy of “the pacification of demons,” flying into thousands of households, streets, and alleys, were happening.

And at some unknown time.

From the streets and alleys, wine shops and teahouses, came exclamations of surprise and cheers.

“Kill, kill, kill!”

“Well killed!”

“Haha, magnificent!”

“Chen Yuan, Chen Yuan! So that's how it is!”

“....”

Someone slapped the table and stood up.

Someone's blood boiled.

In Qingshan County outside the pass, there was a man named Chen Yuan, who defended a city alone, killing the Demon Cult in a hundred twists and turns. How magnificent! It made people's blood surge.

Soon, in Baidi City, various teahouses and wine shops rang out with sounds.

At this time, in Qingshan County, a thousand li away, a goat-bearded old man was buried in his desk in an inn, holding a pen, writing vigorously.

Late last night, a group of refugees arrived in Qingshan County from Yinshan County to the south, where they had suffered from the rampant Demon Cult.

Gongsun Yang quickly heard about it and went to inquire about some things from those common people. From their mouths, he learned that when they were being pursued by the Demon Cult, a martial arts expert, riding a great sun, rescued them.

Gongsun Yang immediately knew that it must have been that Lord who acted. He immediately regarded it as a treasure, worked tirelessly day and night, staying up late at his desk, writing vigorously.

On the cover of the scroll, it clearly read “the pacification of demons” Volume Two!

Just then, Gongsun Yang suddenly felt a warmth in his chest, and then it felt increasingly hot.

His face changed, and he quickly pulled out a scroll from his embrace.

He saw that this scroll was now shimmering with golden light, and the pages within the scroll began to move without wind.

Among them, two small characters on the scroll were flashing with golden light, becoming brighter and brighter.

Those two characters were precisely “Chen Yuan”!

At this moment, as the golden light grew brighter, these small characters flew out from the scroll, then, as they rotated, they intertwined, slowly outlining a figure.

(PS: Please vote for next month, let's try to get higher on the rankings. We've been stuck around 400th place, I want to get higher!)