[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h":3,"chapter-devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-29":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Devouring Evil, Exterminating Demons Across All Heavens",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2266974,4426,"Chapter 29: Meeting a Villager in the Mountains","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-29",29,"\u003Cp>Among the woods beside the small town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu held the single-tube telescope taken from the eunuch’s residence, observing the town’s situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle Ma, just as you said—he took the steps quickly. Looks like the county magistrate’s crew are already weeping for the old master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu retracted the telescope and sighed, “But I didn’t expect this guy to wear heavy armor—truly imposing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I’d had decent arm guards back then, my arms wouldn’t still be this sore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Jinqiu leaned against a pine tree, stretched his neck, and gestured: “Give me another one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu fished a dried radish slice from his waist pouch and placed it between his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to Chu Tianshu, whose arms only retained mild soreness, Zhong Jinqiu’s arms still had silver needles embedded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Ma took the telescope: “The long-range glass I used in my youth wasn’t this clear or this far—feels even better than my sparrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Jinqiu chewed the dried radish and said, “This thing only works from above. For tracking or infiltration, you still need spells.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Ma sighed, “Hard to say. In Tang and Song times, only thunder magicians used gunpowder. Later, all sorts of gunpowder weapons popped up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These machines might one day be more convenient than my spells everywhere.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu grew curious—he wanted to hear how magicians of this era imagined future technological devices based on their guesses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Ma was happy to talk about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For example, now cars burn oil, trains burn coal—too bulky. Will there someday be a stone the size of a palm that burns for ages?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if the power’s weak, make the whole thing smaller—like a skateboard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A person stands on it, and it runs by itself—oh, needs a handle to steer, like the legendary Divine Travel Armor, swift and effortless…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three walked deeper into the woods as they chatted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their disappearance was an implicit deterrent to Deputy Officer Zhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the original town was no longer safe to return to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Jinqiu knew the way; they carried food and silver dollars, planning to walk over a hundred li to another town for temporary lodging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mountain paths were treacherous; some places had no path at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Jinqiu was fine—his hands were impaired, but his legs still moved swiftly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Ma’s body was sturdy, but he wasn’t an Opened Meridian boxer, so he struggled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu carried the pack and helped support Uncle Ma, while Uncle Ma held the umbrella for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They walked like this until evening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Jinqiu led them to an abandoned tea pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bamboo and wood frame, thatched roof.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tables and benches inside were overturned or broken-legged, covered in thick dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One corner’s earthen stove had collapsed halfway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When I returned home to sweep ancestral graves, I sometimes rested here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Jinqiu said, “No one knows when this pavilion was abandoned. This roof? I repaired it myself two years ago.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ll sleep here tonight. We’ll hit the road at dawn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Ma plopped onto the bench without wiping it, panting: “Do we really have to go that far? Aren’t there any other villages nearby we can stay in?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Jinqiu replied, “Little Chu is still growing his skill—he needs enough meat. Would a regular village feed him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A prosperous town? You said not too close to Yuannan City. We have to go there for now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu strongly agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without enough food, he dared not train fully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He estimated he’d need to complete Dragon-Wrapping Body and Food-as-Immortal before his fist progress surges past spirit-channeling mastery—only then will his training pace stop being this explosive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Plus, those who truly achieve “Food-as-Immortal” have more harmonious internal organs—they extract more nutrition from ordinary portions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His food demand will then decrease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if I can’t train fully, getting familiar with the fist manual helps.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu said, “Uncle Zhong, the sun hasn’t set yet—no need to sleep so early. Tell me the rest of your fist manual.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Jinqiu rested a moment, then nodded: “Alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Jinqiu practiced Tai Chi, but not the lineage famous today—passed from Chenjiagou to Yang Luchan, who made it renowned in Jingcheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His style came from Wudang’s Golden Toad Sect, where ancient recluses pondered the Dao through moon-gazing and listening to toads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Chenjiagou lineage blended battlefield and peasant life—thicker, heavier, more blunt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The internal organs are tied to emotions. To achieve peak effect in organ-training fist arts, you must master the emotional essence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When I was young, I thought all Tai Chi schools followed ‘highest good is like water, soft overcoming hard.’ My Golden Toad Tai Chi was purer—surely deeper than Chenjiagou’s.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now that I’m older, I’ve reconsidered—I regret not going to Jingcheng to see that lineage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Soldiers and peasants—those moods are easy to learn. You’ll find peasants anywhere. But recluses? Extremely hard to emulate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Jinqiu let out a long sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Living in the mountains doesn’t make you a recluse—cut off from people, you might just be a wild man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True recluses aren’t necessarily carefree, but they’ve forgotten cares—having experienced the world, they’ve stepped free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is exceedingly hard—perhaps even requiring innate talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Jinqiu had known ups and downs; he admitted he still couldn’t reach that state of mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t seem like a recluse either. The Lingyang Gall’s power is nearly spent. Training my Golden Toad Tai Chi will take you a long time to master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu listened carefully, smiling faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t a recluse—but once he used the token to refine and reconstruct the fist, the result might no longer follow the recluse’s path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Red-Tailed Swallow: Blade of Cruel Punishment, Accumulated Crimson Rust, Metal Blood and Resentment, Forged into Poison, Fluttering Blade, Choosing Victims to Devour.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Characteristics: Blade slices through iron, rust-poison corrodes bone, retracts upon contact with crystal; through secret method, inhaled and exhaled through lungs, it becomes its master’s.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Golden Beast Mask (Five Demon Split Spirit): Buying Fate with Fortune, Mocking Human Souls, Rituals Properly Conducted, Can Delight the Gods.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sliver of the Five Demon Spirits descends, imprisoning essence and transforming into an invisible body armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Characteristics: Traps essence, hard as metal.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After smashing the jade coffin, he gained nothing—it likely hadn’t reached the “possessing spirit” standard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the eunuch’s golden body armor was a pleasant surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t the rumored kind—directly stealing essence from others via dark arts to form armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its key lay in a sliver of the Five Demon Spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu had been slightly startled upon first reading the token’s annotation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after the eunuch died, the sliver merely took damage—killed outright, yet the Five Demons showed no reaction. Clearly, even called “gods,” they had limits—no need for alarm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this sliver and the Red-Tailed Swallow, he now had enough for one refinement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Zhong Jinqiu recited the entire fist manual, Chu Tianshu recalled it, asking repeatedly about unclear parts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The token duly displayed new cultivation material.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu selected “Golden Beast Mask” as the core trait and began refinement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【...Refinement complete.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>《Toad Palm Thunder》: Intent erupts from five viscera, swift as thunder; the toad’s first cry of the four seasons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This fist art’s essence is like deep mineral veins, a mythical beast hibernating, waiting for cosmic timing. Upon mastery, the five viscera and six bowels retain essence, thick and full.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even when exerting internal force at maximum speed, not a single part is damaged. After a hundred heart-lung bursts, a slight breath restores vitality endlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like thunder cracking, startling the toad’s cry, then spring’s vast energy surges forth.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu closed his eyes, feeling the fist manual in his mind, a smile tugging at his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Uncle Zhong’s hands heal, I’ll find an excuse to tell him some of the improvements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Night had fallen, yet strange sounds echoed through the mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu opened his eyes, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Ma looked up, muttering: “Where’s that donkey braying from?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a donkey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu recalled hearing donkey brays in town—but the ones heard up close differed greatly from those echoing through the mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The forest’s drizzle had ceased, but the soil remained muddy and slippery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two men in straw capes, wearing patched cotton clothes, rolled-up pant legs, and straw sandals, walked through the woods—one with a sickle at his waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The donkey was led by them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting atop the donkey was a man with a conical hat, sallow face, hunched and listless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They looked like three villagers—yet why were they still in the mountains after dark?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1410,"2026-06-19T20:45:51.976Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","4436803b97a46c79a411521eb514abf5dd5f9a3f20a2e93638afd093c3d65e7b","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-30","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-28",155,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdevouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-cover.jpg"]