345: Thoughts of all parties

“Halt!”

She mounted her horse, turned its head, and like a shooting star, departed from Qingshan Inn.

What she didn't know was that at this very moment, a cold gaze from above was observing everything.

“This woman is the Patrolling Mountain Commandant of Qingshan County, and she has some connection to that person. The local county yamen has already discovered the disappearance of the old wine seller. This woman must have received the news. Your Excellency, are you not going to act?”

“If this Patrolling Mountain Commandant sends out a message, and that person surnamed Chen gets the news, Your Excellency’s plan will fall through!”

At this moment, a voice sounded from above Qingshan Inn.

A thousand meters up, the heavy snow had ceased, the sky was overcast, and two figures obscured by clouds stood above.

One black, one white.

The figure condensed from black Qi was merely a silhouette, exuding an evil and powerful aura. A pair of black pupils with golden irises pierced through the black Qi, captivating and overlooking everything below with an air of malevolence.

Around these eyes, there was a silver frame, seemingly a silver mask.

And about twenty zhang away from this figure, a figure formed by ethereal white clouds, whose facial features were unclear, revealed only a black jade hairpin.

The voice that had just spoken came from this person, low and tinged with sinister calculation.

However, the black figure’s tone was unhurried, imbued with a chilling indifference.

“No rush. A small county town can’t stir up much trouble. Besides,”

Speaking of this, the black figure’s voice fluctuated slightly, carrying a bone-chilling coldness.

“I presume Your Excellency has already heard about the imperial court dispatching Town Demon Envoy. That Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General’s situation isn’t much better now. Either he’s in a desperate state within Jinguancheng, awaiting backlash, or he’s sensible enough to go to Tianxiong Pass and bow to the Town Demon Envoy from the imperial court. It’s truly amusing to think about.”

“Even if he truly gets the news, he’s probably stretched too thin.”

The black figure’s tone was light.

Across from him, the figure with the black jade hairpin in his hair chuckled upon hearing this.

“That’s true.”

“But I, Li, hope that person surnamed Chen truly gets the news and rushes over, only to witness the scene of his former roots being personally destroyed by Your Excellency. It’s truly exhilarating to imagine!”

This laughter was unsettling, and it caused the black figure’s malevolent golden eyes to turn, saying meaningfully:

“Though I don’t know what deep-seated hatred Your Excellency has with that Ninth Zhonglang,”

“But Your Excellency seems very suitable to join our Place of becoming a Saint. Would you like to consider it?”

“I imagine the Fellow Daoists there would be very welcoming of Your Excellency’s joining.”

“Your Excellency, you showed me kindness by bringing me out of Jinguancheng from Five Treasures Mountain back then. I am naturally willing to recommend you.”

Saying this, he chuckled softly.

The Li familys Wu Zang, hearing this laughter, saw his face, hidden in the clouds, subtly change.

The Place of becoming a Saint, that dreadful place had created many major events that shook the Jianghu and the imperial court. Everyone there was a lunatic, neither human nor ghost.

The Wu Zang Demon in front of him was considered relatively normal among them.

For him to go to that place? He felt he wasn't crazy enough.

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend. I, Li, saved Your Excellency for my own reasons. Your Excellency need not say more.”

His words were direct; there was no friendship, only transactions.

Back then, this Human Demon was severely wounded by Chen Yuan in Five Treasures Mountain and could only escape using a Divine Ability similar to Physical Body disintegration. However, that Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General had a third eye, which quickly ground down most of his escaping Physical Body.

And he, who had been observing from outside, only wanted to stir up this muddy water. Seeing a portion of this Human Demon's Physical Body coming in his direction, he used a spell to take him away and quickly left Jinguancheng.

This led to Chen Yuan later bestowing Dharma Eye golden light upon the four garrisons to track these people's figures, but there was no follow-up.

It turned out that these two had come to Qingshan County and were plotting some conspiracy.

The Wu Zang Demon saw that the Li familys Wu Zang did not want to get too involved with him and was indifferent.

“Since Your Excellency says so, I naturally won’t force it. It’s just, I wonder how you’re dealing with that old man you captured the other day. This person used to serve the Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General and is a part of this plan. However, his life or death doesn’t matter, just leave a complete corpse.”

Upon hearing this, a wisp of white cloud Qi flew out from around the Li familys Wu Zang, shooting three zhang away. Then, this cloud Qi swirled, and with a flash of white light, a scene gradually emerged upon it.

In the scene, there was a world of ice and snow, a desolate mountain wilderness, with white branches and all things silent. Wolves howled, emitting terrifying roars.

In a mountain forest, six or seven gray-blue wild wolves bared their fangs, forming a semicircle. Their fangs were exposed, their green wolf eyes stared ahead, and foul-smelling saliva dripped from between their canine teeth. Their sturdy backs were hunched low, assuming an attack posture, and low growls emanated from their throats.

In front of the wolf pack, a ragged, disheveled, hunched old man leaned on a wooden stick sharpened at both ends, panting heavily. White mist puffed from his mouth, and both ends of the wooden stick in his hand were stained with crimson blood.

Beside the old man, the corpses of three or four wild wolves lay in the snow, their glaring crimson blood spreading out on the pristine white snow, which also ignited the ferocity of the wolf pack.

“Awooo!”

A wolf howl.

The remaining wolves, their eyes gleaming with ferocity, transformed into afterimages in the snow, opening their bloody mouths and charging at the old man from three directions.

The seemingly exhausted old man, seeing the remaining wolf pack attack, horizontally held his wooden stick and thrust it forward, blocking the two fierce young wolves that had charged forward first.

Then, like a ram butting a mountain, he suddenly loosened his grip with both hands and slammed his leathery, emaciated fists into the waists of the two wolves.

Two wails immediately followed, and the two ferocious young wolves were instantly sent flying three to four meters, their bodies collapsing to the ground, coughing up blood.

After this, the old man had no chance to catch his breath. He rolled on the ground, his hands perfectly catching the thrown wooden stick. He knelt on one knee and swung to the left.

“Bang!”

A wolf was sent flying.

Then, he suddenly thrust the sharpened wooden stick diagonally backward.

“Ow!”

The long stick pierced the belly of another young wolf attempting a sneak attack, disemboweling the beast directly.

Next, after two or three breaths, there were two more whimpers.

All six remaining young wolves were killed by the old man.

At this point, the old man had two bleeding claw marks on his body, where his clothes and skin had been torn off. One injury was on his left calf.

The old man, trembling, used snow to briefly treat his wounds, then limped and disappeared into the bone-chilling mountain forest.

With that, the image vanished, and the cloud Qi shattered and disappeared like a broken mirror.

“Not bad, still holding on!” The Li familys Wu Zang said with a smile, as if enjoying a good show.

“You threw this person into the mountains?” The Wu Zang Demon was somewhat surprised.

“This old fellow belongs to the person surnamed Chen. That person surnamed Chen once slew demons and eliminated evil in these mountains, making his way out of Qingshan County. If someone he cares about dies in these mountain forests, by the mouths of wild beasts and demons, wouldn't that be even more ironic?”

The Li familys Wu Zang chuckled.

The Human Demon’s golden eyes flashed upon hearing this, and he sighed, “Your Excellency truly is… it’s a pity you don’t join the Place of becoming a Saint.”

“Your Excellency, stop talking about these trivial matters. What is the background of the people in this inn? Can you discern anything? So as not to delay the important business.”

The Li familys Wu Zang’s gaze fell upon Qingshan Inn below, and he raised an eyebrow.

The people inside had boldly entered Qingshan County that morning, naturally attracting the attention of the two of them.

Qingshan County was located in the northeastern corner of Shu, quite remote. At this critical juncture, such a group of people suddenly appearing naturally concerned the two conspirators.

Because of this, the two of them appeared above the inn.

“Currently, I only sense Heavenly Gate Qi, and my Devil Gu tells me the same.” The Human Demon spoke.

“If they get in the way, then we’ll just deal with them all at that time, to avoid any complications.” The Li familys Wu Zang said casually.

“Let’s observe a bit more. That local Commandant just went inside. I don’t know what relationship there is between them.”

“It’s probably just that these outsiders were too ostentatious, attracting the attention of this Patrolling Mountain Commandant, who came to investigate. When that woman left, her expression didn’t look good, so it seems she was angered, hehe.”

And just as these two Wu Zang, who had come from Jinguancheng to Qingshan County to stir up trouble, were chatting leisurely above Qingshan County, Lian Nishang, who had emerged from the inn, quickly rode her horse to the county yamen in the city.

Not long after,

“Halt!”

“Halt!”

“Halt!”

From the back gate of the county yamen, fast horses galloped in all directions towards various markets and alleys in Qingshan County, arriving at the wells.

It was freezing cold, and many places were iced over. Wells became the source of water for many residents in the city.

One by one, yamen runners in green uniforms quickly dismounted and rushed to the wells. They waved their hands at the surrounding residents who came to fetch water, unfolded an official document stamped with a large seal, and loudly announced:

“The county yamen has received a report that someone has poisoned the wells throughout the city. The county yamen takes this very seriously and hereby issues an official document, deciding to temporarily seal all wells, large and small, in the city.”

“Everyone, please don’t panic. The yamen will investigate thoroughly and give everyone an explanation, and also find a way to ensure your water supply.”

“...”

Immediately, all places where the city’s residents drank water, including some wells dug by wealthy families within the city, were sealed by yamen officials with official documents.

And with such a large commotion, even if the Human Demon was blind and deaf, he could see and hear everything clearly.

A thousand meters up, the Human Demon, who overlooked the entire Qingshan County, dispersed the black Qi around him, revealing his true form.

Dressed in a black robe with gold threads, wearing a lotus crown, with a silver mask on his face, and a pair of black pupils with golden irises that captivated the soul, he scanned the city. Seeing the yamen officials rushing on horseback, sealing the city’s wells, his eyes instantly darkened.

“What’s going on?” The Li familys Wu Zang beside him sounded somewhat puzzled.

“This Venerable One has been exposed. Someone has discovered the Devil Gu in the water and informed that Patrolling Mountain Commandant.” The Human Demon seemed to have guessed something, his voice devoid of emotion.

“Your Excellency, didn’t you say that your Devil Gu was undetectable, even difficult for ordinary Wu Zang to notice? How could this be?”

As the Li familys Wu Zang spoke, his voice lowered, following the Human Demon’s gaze.

The Human Demon’s evil eyes looked directly at Qingshan Inn below, sparkling with light.

“Since someone is stirring up trouble, this Venerable One will naturally go and meet them, to see if they have the ability!”

“If not, this Venerable One’s injuries will be perfectly replenished.”

When the Human Demon said this, the mouth under his mask curved, revealing sharp, interlocking fangs, and his eyes suddenly shifted, becoming ferocious and terrifying.

A Human Demon is inherently a monster that defies human morality. This Wu Zang Demon was so severely injured by Chen Yuan in Jinguancheng that he could only escape by disintegrating his Physical Body, suffering a great loss of Origin Qi. The malevolence in his heart had long accumulated, and now, he bared his fangs.

Moreover, these people appearing at this critical juncture and causing trouble might very well be connected to that person surnamed Chen.

With this thought, the Human Demon’s feet flickered, and with a bang, he exploded into a ball of black Qi. Then, with a series of flapping sounds, a black bird about a foot long, completely black, flew out from it, directly descending from the sky and heading towards the inn below.

Meanwhile, the Li familys Wu Zang, seeing the Human Demon charge down directly, did not choose to follow immediately. Instead, his thoughts churned, his eyes flickered, then the cloud Qi around him dispersed with a bang, and his figure vanished from its original spot.

Thus, very quickly, the black bird formed by the Wu Zang Demon descended from the sky, circling and flying, landing on the roof of Qingshan Inn.

Then, it transformed into a ball of black Qi and directly merged into it, entering the inn.

Upon entering the sixth floor of the inn, the Wu Zang Demon immediately revealed his form.

“Who?”

In the corridor of the sixth floor of the inn, the strong man in tight clothes who had led Lian Nishang upstairs not long ago, seeing the Human Demon suddenly appear before him, his eyes flashed with sharpness. He raised his hand and unleashed Heavenly Gate True Qi, striking it towards the Human Demon’s chest!

However, the Human Demon merely raised a hand and gently blocked it.

The fist, surging with True Qi, was easily caught by the Human Demon.

“You—”

The strong man’s face showed surprise, then he felt an intense pain in his fist, unable to break free no matter how he struggled.

Just then, a sudden cough sounded.

The door behind him suddenly opened, and a strong gust of wind blew out.

The Human Demon’s body trembled slightly, and the strong man he held in his palm immediately broke free, then was sucked into the room, and the door snapped shut.

“Good skill. This Venerable One will meet you and see who you are!”

The Human Demon bared his sharp teeth, and with a tremor of Devilish Qi, he directly pushed open the room door, charged in, and stepped into the room.

As he stepped into the room, he suddenly found his vision plunged into darkness, as if he had stepped into a pitch-black room.

The only light within was a screen embroidered with the character “ quiet” (Jing, meaning quiet), behind which a candle flickered, casting a thin, withered silhouette onto the screen.

The Human Demon saw this candle shadow, and his black pupils with golden irises narrowed slightly, sensing an aura of decay and stillness.

“Who is Your Excellency?”

But the candle shadow behind the screen spoke,

“Truly a Wu Zang Demon, how rare.”

“And you, come out too!”

As these words fell, the candle shadow behind the screen raised a hand and grabbed upwards.

Above the room, a wisp of white Qi was directly pulled down.

A cold snort emanated from the white Qi, then it converged beside the Human Demon. An old man in linen clothes with a black jade hairpin appeared, looking at the figure behind the screen with surprise and doubt.

“I didn’t expect Qingshan County to have two Wu Zang, one of whom is even a Human Demon. What? Did this old man ruin your plans? Do you want to kill this old man?” (End of Chapter)