352: Chen Yuan's confidence! (4K monthly ticket request)

The next morning, the sky brightened, and a thin layer of cold mist drifted down from the distant mountains and forests.

The heavy rain had just stopped last night, and snowflakes were still dancing, falling continuously.

Early in the morning, in Jiazi Alley,

“Chh!”

“Chh!”

These sounds echoed continuously throughout the alley.

At the ends of the streets and alleys, in front of every household, figures had risen early, shoveling away the accumulated snow from the previous night, each sweeping the snow from their own doorstep.

A night of freezing rain had turned the snow into thick ice, making it slippery to walk on and extremely difficult to shovel.

“Heave-ho!”

“Heave-ho!”

In front of a small bamboo courtyard at the end of the alley, a small child, dressed in a thick cotton-padded jacket and wearing a tiger-head hat, was prying at the hard snow on the ground with a fire poker from the kitchen.

His two red hands gripped the handle, his small face was red from the cold, and even with his nose running, he was still having a blast.

Beside him, his mother, Sister Hua, was using an iron shovel to clear the sparse snowmelt from in front of the small courtyard, so busy that white steam rose from her headscarf.

It took her about half an hour to clean the path in front of the small courtyard.

“I wonder what happened to that old man. Today is the fourth day.”

After finishing her work, Sister Hua leaned on her shovel, recalling Captain Lian's inquiry yesterday, and couldn't help but feel worried.

However, as a common woman, she was powerless to do anything substantial, only able to manage small tasks.

After shoveling a few more scoops of snow, she took her son, Tiger Cub, back into their own courtyard.

At this moment, what the mother and son didn't know was that inside the bamboo courtyard, the sound of a door and window opening with a creak could be heard.

The scene shifted.

Inside the bamboo courtyard, the inner room's door opened, and Chen Yuan walked out.

A figure in red quickly rose from the main hall and came forward to greet him.

“Brother, how is Old Wu?”

“His Qi and blood were depleted, and the cold Qi attacked his heart, invading his heart meridian. Furthermore, Old Wu's martial Dao Foundation was destroyed years ago, leaving him with only a single breath sustaining him.

Fortunately, he was rescued in time, and now he is out of danger. The rest is just recovery.”

Chen Yuan spoke slowly, seemingly casually, but Lian Nishang noticed the darkness in his eyes.

Old Wu’s condition was actually worse than he described.

The old man already had old hidden injuries from slaying demons in the Sky Patrol Division years ago.

This forced expenditure of Qi and blood had nearly exhausted him, like an oil lamp running out of fuel.

Now, Chen Yuan was using the essence of the Dragon Tree to nourish him, helping Old Wu prolong his life.

“Brother, do you know that Wu Zang expert from yesterday? It seems he holds a grudge against you?” Lian Nishang asked a crucial question.

She recalled that Wu Zang saying that her brother had offended too many people and that many wanted to harm Chen Yuan, which made her worry.

“Hmph!”

Chen Yuan flicked his sleeve, his eyes glancing outwards.

“This man, wearing a black jade hairpin, was once sneaky in Baidi City, spreading rumors and instigating some fellows to kill me.

It's a pity I didn't catch him then. I didn't expect him to be so scheming.”

“Now that this man is in This General’s hands, I interrogated him last night about his identity and accomplices, but he's still keeping his mouth shut tight.”

As he spoke, Chen Yuan looked up, past his shoulder, towards the rime ice on the trees outside the window.

His voice was filled with killing intent.

“Let’s see how much longer this fellow can hold out.”

Currently, Li Boya was in his Demon Subduing Pagoda, being tormented day and night by his golden true fire.

Inside his mud-pill palace, the other party’s screams filled the air.

“Accomplices? Are they Human Devils?” Lian Nishang’s eyes narrowed.

She was about to mention this matter, as it was urgent, and her tone quickened:

“Ni Chang received news that the water source in Qingshan County has been poisoned with Devil Gu.

I heard it’s a Human Devil’s method, and ordinary people wouldn’t notice it.

The common folk have probably already been affected.”

At this point, Lian Nishang's expression grew somewhat dim.

“Ni Chang’s abilities are not up to par.

I neither took good care of Old Wu nor detected the anomaly, I am ashamed of the trust Brother placed in me.”

Chen Yuan slowly shook his head, looked at this fiery young woman, then turned his head away, his tone revealing a profound realization:

“Ni Chang, ever since I left Qingshan County, I have killed many people and saved many others.

Outside the pass, demons slaughter; inside the pass, human hearts are like a ghost's lair.

When will the swords and iron horses ever cease?

Everything has its consequences, and no one can blame anyone else.”

“It's just that I killed others, and others want to kill me, and those around me.”

“Are you afraid, being close to me?”

When Lian Nishang heard Chen Yuan say this, she suddenly lifted her head, her beautiful eyes sparkling with an unusually bright light.

Then, she smiled, a brilliant, radiant smile.

“I have witnessed Brother slaying demons and monsters step by step, facing difficulties.

Has Brother ever been afraid? Do not underestimate Ni Chang.”

Her smile, like a feather deflecting a heavy blow, broke through the oppressive atmosphere.

Chen Yuan slowly curved the corners of his lips, and then his laughter grew louder.

“Haha…”

Soon after, in Jiazi Ward, beside a well covered by heavy stones, there was a yamen runner with several local militiamen guarding it.

Water sources were scattered throughout the city, and the yamen's personnel naturally couldn't guard them all.

However, as the matter was serious, despite the cold weather outside, they used heavy stones to cover the wellhead, but still, some people remained nearby to guard it.

With insufficient personnel, they had the ward head send people to assist with the official duties.

“Whew.”

“When is the shift change? It’s too cold today.”

“It rained last night, and the snow melted, so it’s naturally cold.

Just bear with it a little longer.”

“Damn it, who has the guts to poison the well? I wonder when the yamen will catch this guy.

Everyone spitting on him could probably drown him.”

“Fortunately, it’s snowing every day, so water isn’t scarce.

Worst case, we can just boil snowmelt, otherwise everyone would be in an uproar, after all, everyone needs water.”

“...”

At this moment, several militiamen, holding white-shafted spears and wearing cloth armor, were shivering and exhaling white mist from the cold.

They kept stamping their feet in place, rubbing their hands, and holding their spears, whispering to each other, the white mist from their mouths turning into frost, full of deep resentment.

As the militiamen were talking, they heard the sound of clothes rustling and cutting through the air above them.

The next second, a figure in red landed in front of the only yamen runner among them.

The yamen runner was pacing back and forth, dispelling the biting chill of the early morning.

Hearing the movement, he instinctively placed his hand on the saber at his waist, his eyelids fluttering.

“Who?”

Then, when the yamen runner saw who it was, his eyes immediately widened in surprise, and he stepped forward to bow in greeting, “Greetings, Commandant!”

The three white-shafted soldiers behind him stared blankly at the fiery red, incredibly beautiful woman in front of them, only to see the yamen runner turn his head and glare fiercely.

“Stare any more, and watch your hides.”

“This is Patrolling Mountain Commandant Lian, hurry and pay your respects.”

The militiamen from the ward snapped back to reality, startled, and quickly lowered their heads.

“Greetings, Your Excellency!”

The title of Patrolling Mountain Commandant held special significance in the hearts of the people of Qingshan County, and no insult to it was tolerated, otherwise, there would be no place to live in the entire Qingshan County.

This was absolutely no joke.

As Qingshan County attracted more and more people, some outsiders didn't believe in this taboo.

Previously, someone from a neighboring county spoke without discretion and was later beaten half to death by local residents, then taken away by the yamen.

He was still locked in the dungeon, and it was unknown if he was still alive.

“I have official business, you all stand aside for now!”

After Lian Nishang finished speaking, she moved slightly aside, revealing a figure wearing a bamboo hat and green robes, who stepped out from behind her.

The yamen runner, who had been bowing, was startled by the sudden appearance of this person, and then wondered about the identity of this individual who appeared with the Commandant.

But as his gaze swept over, the bamboo hat was low, only revealing the other person's mouth.

“Aye!”

He didn't lose his composure to inquire, responded, then turned and waved to the white-shafted soldiers, leading them to step aside.

Lian Nishang and the figure in green behind her approached the well.

With a flick of her sleeve, the thousand-jin heavy stone on top was easily overturned like a piece of foam, landing to one side.

“Brother, please!”

The figure in green robes and a bamboo hat was Chen Yuan.

As Lian Nishang stepped aside, Chen Yuan approached the well, his eyebrows raised beneath the bamboo hat, and a pair of light golden pupils looked down into the well.

The well walls were covered in moss, and the water surface was covered with a layer of broken ice formed from melted snow.

The light golden glow in Chen Yuan's pupils suddenly converged, forming a golden speck, as he gazed at the water in the well.

In his vision, the originally clear water surface gradually turned pitch black, as if a blob of ink was spreading within it.

And within this blackness, tiny red stars flickered.

As his pupils sharpened into golden needles, those red star-like points were, astonishingly, tiny red worms, like red horsehair worms, segmented and even disgusting as they wriggled.

Soon, he extended a hand, pointing a finger towards the well.

A wisp of golden fire shot from his fingertip and entered the well.

The flame hit the water surface without creating a splash, silently, but in Chen Yuan's vision, after the golden alchemical fire landed within, those tiny red worms violently curled their bodies, and then were consumed by the golden fire.

Seeing this, the golden speck in Chen Yuan's eyes dispersed, returning to normal, and he withdrew his finger, his expression becoming contemplative.

“It seems I was right, it really is a Devil Gu, like a parasite.

After people drink it with water, they will be parasitized, and the host’s vitality will gradually be sucked dry, slowly giving birth to a demonic seed.

Then, the demonic seed will devour more Qi and blood, thus forming the calamity of Human Devils.”

“The Human Devil chaos back then was slowly formed this way.”

“If there are no surprises, this Human Devil is the one who escaped from my hands in Baidi City back then!”

Chen Yuan was almost certain it was the Human Devil from the Place of becoming a Saint who had clashed with him during the Battle of Five Treasures Mountain and fled after being defeated.

The person, time, and event all matched.

Could it be that the Wu Zang in his tower also came from the Place of becoming a Saint? But the other party claimed to be from the imperial court.

He still hadn’t managed to pry open the other party’s mouth.

Currently, this Human Devil from the Place of becoming a Saint had spread Devil Gu throughout Qingshan County, intending to turn it into a dead city, seeking revenge on him.

It seemed he wanted to complete a Reincarnation!

The Human Devil calamity that ravaged Baidi City and its outskirts back then was the work of this Human Devil, which Chen Yuan had eradicated.

However, Chen Yuan now had a question.

He had extensively interacted with these Human Devils from the Feixian Sect, fighting his way up from a small fry to their Four Symbols Revered One, understanding the characteristics of these Human Devils.

The other party had poisoned the entire Qingshan County with Gu, but the formation of demonic seeds was by no means an overnight process.

Otherwise, the Human Devil calamity would be incredibly terrifying.

It took time for the Gu to transform into demonic seeds, not just ten days or half a month.

During this time, many variables would arise, some people would undergo mutations, anomalies would appear, and news would spread.

And if news leaked, it could reach his ears.

Given the Human Devil from the Place of becoming a Saint's plan, he would certainly not overlook this point, and the other party was severely wounded.

Normally, he should be hiding and recuperating, awaiting the opportune moment.

There must be a deeper reason for him to do this, one that Chen Yuan didn't know.

“I must find this Human Devil!”

Chen Yuan said, his heart cold, then closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his mud-pill palace, returning to his Primordial Spirit.

At this moment, within the mud-pill palace, white mist churned, and a majestic, divine azure-gold pagoda floated within it.

From inside, horrifying screams echoed.

Chen Yuan's Primordial Spirit flickered and entered the fifth floor of the tower.

At this moment, in the huge atrium of the fifth floor, several thick golden chains pierced through a hundred-zhang-tall figure.

It was precisely the Primordial Spirit of Li Boya, the Li familys Wu Zang.

Two chains passed through his shoulder blades, and the others pierced through his four limbs.

Golden flames, transformed into fiery whips, mercilessly lashed his Primordial Spirit.

The intense fire burned his Primordial Spirit, leaving charred marks, and the soul-searing pain was unimaginable to ordinary people.

Chen Yuan's eyes reflected the firelight, his tone sinister.

“If you don’t want to suffer like this, tell me where that Human Devil is.”

“I won’t spare you from death, but I can make your departure a little easier.”

Li Boya’s Primordial Spirit was trembling from the pain, as if it was about to dissipate, his face contorted in agony, his hair disheveled, and his eyes shot out crimson, venomous light as he roared:

“Chen Yuan, I know you won’t let me go.

You want to get information about that Human Devil from my mouth, that’s wishful thinking.”

“You better be careful, that Human Devil is preparing a plan, it’s definitely not simple.

He’ll be very happy if he knows you’ve come, haha.”

Li Boya let out a shrill, triumphant scream that rattled Chen Yuan’s ears.

Chen Yuan watched the man's hysterical madness and resentment, his eyes slowly narrowing, quietly observing the other party.

“A beast who couldn’t defeat This General and now hides in the shadows stirring up trouble, I’d very much like to see what kind of conspiracy he’s prepared.”

“Don’t you want to know why This General appeared in Qingshan County?”

“This General personally went to Tianxiong Pass.

This General defeated all the Town Demon Envoy and the three Wu Zang families of the imperial court.

Even when they finally invited the three Dragon Tiger families, This General still returned alive.”

As he spoke, his eyes became dangerous.

And Li Boya, upon hearing Chen Yuan's words, looked as if he had heard unbelievable news, his hair disheveled, his eyes bloodshot, roaring hysterically,

“What?!”

“Impossible, you dare to rebel?!”

“The three Dragon Tiger couldn’t kill you, you’re spouting nonsense.”

Chen Yuan remained unperturbed, looking at him with the eyes of a man looking at a corpse.

“That’s why, you idiot, you wouldn’t understand.

This General wants to see what kind of waves you can stir up.”

Because he held a trump card.

With that, Chen Yuan turned, then paused again, tilted his head, glanced sideways, and chuckled softly.

“Oh, by the way, seeing you can still smile, it seems This General’s methods aren’t enough yet.”

After speaking, Chen Yuan’s figure flickered and disappeared from the Demon Subduing Pagoda.

Then, the Demon Subduing Pagoda trembled, and terrifying roars of demons and monsters echoed, and pairs of eerie green eyes quickly appeared on the fifth floor.

Soon, piercing screams of agony emanated from within. (End of Chapter)