[{"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-38":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},2266983,4426,"Chapter 38: Even Small Changes Are Heart-Stopping","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-38",38,"\u003Cp>The sun gradually dispersed the mist in the mountains, revealing a merciless, blazing white light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shadow of the ancestral hall’s roof fell across the front courtyard, where the ancestral tablets of the Wu family clan stood silently arranged within the main hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the lowest offering table, besides the incense burner and fruit, there was a wooden rack holding a jade flute streaked with green and red, its end wrapped in long, colorful silk tassels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old woman guarding the hall rushed in, holding her own bamboo flute in her left hand and snatching up the jade flute with her right, then turned and ran out again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as she reached the hall’s entrance, looking down from above, she saw several figures sprinting rapidly up the slope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zhaizhu’s cloak and Wu Tugu’s figure stood out unmistakably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young outsider was nearly level with Wu Zhaizhu, both moving as swift as tigers and leopards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed that, had Wu Zhaizhu not needed to lead the way, he could have moved even faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They arrived this quickly?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old woman cursed, glanced left and right, then suddenly dashed sideways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had just come from the bamboo grove back to the hall, a much shorter route than from the big pit to the hall, allowing her to arrive first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In pure speed, she could never match those few.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zhaizhu’s face was flushed with urgent anger—he had already seen the man on the mountain enter and then exit the hall, and he shouted out loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Guardian, what are you doing?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His booming voice echoed through the mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu, hearing the shout, turned his gaze that way, located the old guardian’s position, and immediately spread his arms, stomping the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soil beneath cracked into small pits, and his figure shot out like a hunting falcon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hall stood at the highest elevation within the entire village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old guardian had just run out from inside, and there was little cover or hiding place nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only to the west did a rock wall, covered in moss and vines, conceal a large cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Relying on her slender frame, she ignored the vines hanging at the cave’s mouth, slipped through the gaps, and dashed inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost immediately after, Chu Tianshu’s figure arrived there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He grabbed a large clump of vines, shook his wrist, and tore them free from their branches, hurling them aside to reveal the cave entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sunlight flooded into the cave, letting him roughly discern the interior terrain and rock walls, wary of any traps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were no traps—but suddenly, a sharp, rapid flute note rang out inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless insects on all four walls collided toward the center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Chu Tianshu could identify what kind of insects they were, the point of collision erupted in a massive burst of flame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>WHOOSH!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flames blasted outward from the cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu raised his sleeve to shield himself, kicked off, and leapt aside—first retreating left and back, then twisting right and back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the blink of an eye, he was ten meters away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What was that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu stared again—already, the old woman’s figure was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But many small insects still clung to the rock walls, now and then fluttering into flight, then settling back, each of bizarre and varied forms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some looked like pure black ladybugs, others like green bees, still others like fire-red ants—but their wings were longer than their bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many more flightless insects, startled by the earlier explosion, scurried frantically through ground cracks—centipedes, millipedes, four-legged lizards, scorpions, spiders…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised his gaze and noticed two large characters carved above the cave entrance, previously hidden by vines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cáng Xiān?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Chu Tianshu read the two characters aloud, Wu Zhaizhu and the others arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She broke into the Cáng Xiān Cave?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zhaizhu caught his breath and hurriedly told Chu Tianshu, “It’s extremely dangerous inside—don’t enter rashly…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Miao people originally had their own script, but variations among different Miao groups were inconsistent and lacked broad usability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the Kangxi era, a miscellaneous text called “Dongxi Xianzhi” recorded: “The Miao have writing—not like the Ding script, nor like tadpole script; its author is unknown.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the late Qing, the legend had changed: when the Miao migrated southwest, their elders forgot to bring the Miao script; they sent their eldest daughter-in-law back to retrieve it, but she heard her child crying, rushed to pick him up, and forgot the script—thus the Miao script was lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, most Miao villages used Han characters for reading and writing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The name “Cáng Xiān Cave” was coined by an old scholar of the former Miao village; ordinary outsiders, seeing it, might assume it was some fine place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, the old man had played a word game—a common habit among ancient literati—to give a refined name to a dangerous place, masking its true nature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cáng Xiān” was actually “Cáng Xiān.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It meant that inside the cave, countless insects laid eggs and lived, fungi spread spores—all tiny, minute things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cave extended over two li in length; its widest parts spanned dozens of paces, its narrowest still seven or eight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were no other exits—only this single entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every year after the Winter Solstice, when the climate turned coldest yet the skies remained cloudless and yang energy surged,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the clan chief would lead several of the village’s most agile warriors and Gu women, fully armed and prepared, to enter and capture insects and harvest fungi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were taken outside to make Gu , medicine, poison, and liquor—useful for many purposes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, the season had not yet arrived, and with the old guardian hiding inside, playing her flute and agitating the insects, the danger was extraordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Some of these poisonous insects produce a flammable acid oil; others generate extremely fine sparks when their claws collide.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Separately, they’re harmless—but when influenced by the flute and collide, they explode into flame midair.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zhaizhu’s expression was grave. “And the deeper you go into the cave’s darkness, the more toxic the fungi grow—if a fire erupts there, it could ignite the fungal spores directly, producing toxic smoke.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even inhaling half a breath could cause poisoning, madness, and delirious babbling.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu said, “I saw she held two flutes—one streaked with green and red, like jade—that must be the Caiyun Flute. So why this sudden change in her behavior?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Chu Tianshu narrowed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is she colluding with someone outside?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zhaizhu frowned in deep thought: “Probably not. Those sent out to gather intelligence are my most trusted men; the guardian has never left the village in decades and never cared about outside affairs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Tugu’s face still burned with anger; he shouted directly into the cave: “Old Guardian, why are you breaking the ancestral rules? Why sabotage our contest?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re one of the elders—how can you bring shame upon our village like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice boomed like thunder, carrying deep into the cave—louder than Wu Zhaizhu’s earlier shout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From deep within the cave, a voice echoed back, reverberating off the stone walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you yelling about?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old guardian’s voice, aided by the cave’s acoustics, reached the outside faintly but clearly—filled with fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I used the Great Acid Mosquitoes to protect our ancestors’ legacy—those mosquitoes only make your bones ache and drain your strength a little.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Otherwise, you and Ze Wa would have lost two matches already—could you have held them off in the third?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I helped you, yet you still lost—and that old fool, the village chief, accuses my mosquitoes of being the cause and sends people after me? You’re the ones shaming the village!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Tugu grew even angrier, his mouth stammering, repeating “you” seven or eight times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Guardian, you’re not doing this for any other reason—you just don’t want the Caiyun Flute borrowed, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zhaizhu called out, “If that’s the case, there’s nothing shameful about it—just tell me you oppose it outright. Why sneak behind our backs, then steal the treasure and flee into the cave?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice from within the cave came back coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You made your decisions without ever asking me once. Afterward, when I went to you, what good would it do? I know—you people don’t even see me, this old woman who guards the hall!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zhaizhu replied, “You yourself said you loved quiet—these years you never cared about village affairs, so we didn’t bother you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice from within the cave suddenly rose sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you compare those past matters to this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old guardian shouted, “I didn’t care about other things—but what is the Caiyun Flute? It’s a true treasure, not dead wood carved with names, not some foolish dance and song offered to an unresponsive mountain!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You repeat those boring rituals year after year, clinging to useless traditions, yet you’d casually lend out the real treasure?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhaizhu, Clan Chief, think about what a fool you’re being!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And you accuse me—you—you—you’ve disappointed me deeply!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zhaizhu’s face darkened instantly; Wu Tugu and Wu Ze Wa were stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most tradition-bound people in the village were always the elders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the guardian of the hall should be the one who understood customs best, knew the clan rules most clearly, and honored the ancestors most deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what had this old woman just said?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps precisely because she had guarded the hall all these years, and understood the village’s Gu and witchcraft, she knew better than anyone that nothing was truly embodied in those ancestral tablets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew better than anyone that when people bowed to the mountain, the mountain never answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the Caiyun Flute was a treasure recovered from ancestral legend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And indeed, such a flute existed—and it truly possessed miraculous power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For over a decade, the old guardian had studied the Caiyun Flute daily, teaching herself to make flutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her ritual instruments had all changed from short whistles to flutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outsiders could never understand how deeply she had invested her heart in this flute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even fellow villagers, who entered the hall only to pay respects during festivals, could never share her feeling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s clear—you’ll never understand me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old guardian inside the cave spoke with bitter resentment, “Only I truly cherish what the ancestors left behind!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu exchanged glances with Zhong Jinqiu, Old Yu, and the others behind him—their expressions were subtly altered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was, perhaps, a slight sigh of relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This old woman had no collusion with outsiders, nor had she plotted any elaborate scheme against them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This incident was merely her own outburst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, just an outburst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had she had even a modestly detailed plan, she would never have hidden herself in a cave with no other escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the matter of passing the trial to borrow the artifact had already been agreed upon by nearly everyone in the village, and suddenly this person appeared to disrupt it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Chu Tianshu had been slightly weaker, he might truly have failed and been unable to preserve evidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that case, the two sides’ great endeavor would not have been ruined by conspiracy or by a powerful enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would have been destroyed by the outburst of a reclusive old woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should the truth ever come to light, people would truly sigh and say fate had played a cruel trick!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma the shopkeeper and Cai Shanjun also arrived slowly, having heard the full account.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma the shopkeeper was angry, yet also bewildered: “Could our matter have nearly been ruined by an old woman we’d never met, who lived in seclusion?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Shanjun remained calm: “Throughout history, countless great affairs have turned on the most unremarkable moments. When Lord Xinling stole the tally to save Zhao, would success have been possible without the aid of one of King Wei’s concubines?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fortunately, Tianshu has not failed—we still have time to make amends.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma the shopkeeper nodded: “Since this cave has no other exit, we can simply wait a few days until she’s too weak from hunger to resist, or pile in damp firewood and smoke her out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu the village chief shook his head: “There are too many venomous insects inside. If we blindly smoke the cave and they swarm out into the village, I can’t bear the responsibility. As for starving her—that’s possible. Though she can catch insects to eat, she won’t last a month.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A month?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu declared firmly, “No! Is there no other way?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2069,"2026-06-19T20:45:51.976Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","438b54d5e9d347654e6b700d4dd1c499b39e137f6593bdd31d09f61273a90470","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-39","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-37",155,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdevouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-cover.jpg"]