Chapter 190

Inside the county town, a thick stench of blood filled every street and alley.

Because the old flood dragon's corpse was simply too massive, its body so tough that not even blades or axes could scratch it, even Liu Yuquan, that Core Formation Completion attendant vice-general, had gone up to try it himself and found he couldn't pry loose a single scale.

They could only ask General Chen to be responsible for chopping it into horse-cart-sized chunks of meat, then transporting them one by one to Juncheng.

The terrifying commotion that had earlier come from the Yangchun River, along with the shrill dragon's roar—even inside the city it had felt as if the heavens were about to collapse and the earth to split—had long since left the common folk in a panic, secretly guessing that the Zhen Mo Si lords had enraged the Long Wang of the river, and that Linjiang Commandery was going to be eaten clean!

Who would have thought that commotion wouldn't last long.

In only half a day's time, large chunks of blood and flesh were hauled away right before their eyes, heading out of the city in a line.

Until that small-mountain-peak-like flood dragon head was hoisted high into the air, casting the entire street in shadow—the flood dragon's ferocious, terrifying face bared its fangs, and only in those already-dim eyes could a trace of fright be faintly glimpsed.

Even though just one glance would make their hearts and livers tremble, the county town's common folk still couldn't resist poking their heads out from the crack in the door—the more they looked, the more afraid they grew, and the more afraid they grew, the more thrilling it became.

No one knew from where a voice rang out.

The Long Wang of this Yangchun River had committed a monstrous killing sin, angering the heavens above; the River God shed his splendid dark robe, donned armor, held aloft an imperial decree from the Heavenly Court, and came striding across the waves, with Thunder Lord and Rain Matron aiding from the clouds, summoning wind and rain, and slaying this beast!

How could Lady Yushan's attendant vice-general believe such nonsense.

He tugged at the reins, staring dumbly at that old flood dragon, secretly wondering when Old Man Chen had gained such ability, and said instinctively, "Could it be that General Chen's realm has advanced again?"

In the carriage behind him, the Miss clad in dark armor quietly lifted the curtain and likewise looked toward the flood dragon's head.

If there really had been an advancement, the old man wouldn't have sent word to Lady Yushan Commandery the moment anything happened.

Jiang Qiulan stepped down from the carriage, and instantly made many Zhen Mo Si runners halt in their tracks; Liu Yuquan, who was in charge of transporting the flood dragon's head, hurried over in a few steps and said apologetically, "Lord Jiang, if I'd known, I wouldn't have troubled you."

If you'd known?

Jiang Qiulan's gaze shifted slightly, landing on the wound laced with cracks across the flood dragon's brow bone.

This wound did match what a great iron-halberd could do.

But the cultivation didn't match.

With General Chen's strength, how could he possibly have broken through the hardest spot on a Core Formation Completion demon's body?

Yet Senior Brother You and Jiang Yuanhua both couldn't have borrowed the other's weapon.

Thinking of this, Jiang Qiulan withdrew her gaze: "Where is he?"

"General Chen is still resting," Liu Yuquan replied helplessly. The one who had slain the flood dragon hadn't even had his breathing disturbed in the slightest; it was instead the old man in charge of cutting open the corpse who was left panting and wheezing.

Jiang Qiulan shook her head and said softly, "I mean Shen Yi."

Hearing this, Liu Yuquan clearly froze for a moment. That secret letter had been sent out by his own hand; because it had been sent in haste, it had only described how dire the situation was and had not mentioned General Shen's presence: "How did you know…"

"A guess."

Jiang Qiulan couldn't think of anyone else in Outside Qingzhou who could possess such strength, but strange matters like this, when all attributed to Shen Yi, probably wouldn't be wrong.

After all, ever since the other party had come to Outside Qingzhou from Bai Yun County, such strange matters had suddenly become far more frequent.

"…"

Liu Yuquan suddenly realized one thing—although Lord Jiang had a cold temperament, at least she maintained a courteous manner toward everyone.

Yet just now she had simply dropped even the name; she and General Shen had only gone to Jingcheng together, and yet they had already grown this familiar?

"After General Shen slew the flood dragon, he is still hunting down the remnants."

Saying this, Liu Yuquan's face showed a touch of emotion.

Only the shore falls under the Great Qian Dynasty's jurisdiction; the aquatic demons of the Yangchun River had existed far longer than the Great Qian Dynasty itself, and a great many of those demons might never have set foot on shore in their entire lives.

What General Shen was doing was hardly guarding a single commandery.

This was clearly expanding the Great Qian Dynasty's territory.

"Thank you, I understand."

Jiang Qiulan gave a slight nod of her chin and stepped off toward the riverbank outside the county town.

……

The vast river surged on without cease, and soon washed away the layer of dark red that floated upon it.

Shen Yi leapt from the water and returned to the village.

A hint of disappointment lingered in his eyes.

Perhaps it was because things had gone too smoothly before, giving him the illusion that demons were everywhere; only when he actually went into the water to search did he realize that without the aid of aura-tracking, it was no different from fishing for a needle in the ocean.

"If this old man were a demon of the Yangchun River…" Chen Qiankun said halfway, then suddenly noticed the youth's eyes flicker as he looked over with keen interest.

"I mean if…demons have brains too; sensing something's wrong, they know to flee." The old man wiped his sweat, completely unable to fathom where the other party got such drive.

The wind was calm, the commanderies and counties at peace—this was clearly the best possible situation; why did Shen Yi look so displeased?

"Now the Howling Moon Demon King has only fifteen Core Formation demon lords left under him," Chen Qiankun said, his face relaxing. Outside Qingzhou had thirteen Zhen Mo generals and three Golden Bell demon-catchers; the number of strong ones had already surpassed the demons.

"Twelve," Shen Yi sighed.

Chen Qiankun paused slightly. Could it be that their General Shen had arrived a bit late because he had taken care of three more along the way?

It was simply staggering.

But what on earth was there to sigh about?

If the situation truly was as the other party said, this wasn't merely a matter of a few demon lords fewer, but a complete reversal of the situation—Howling Moon would no longer dare to invade Outside Qingzhou, and the remaining great demons would all withdraw!

Now it was only a contest between Jiang Qiulan and the little Demon King… no, wait, one should also add Shen Yi to the mix!

Before any one of these three broke through, Outside Qingzhou would enjoy a stability it hadn't seen in several hundred years.

"This old man never imagined that someone would appear out of thin air and, by his own strength alone, resolve the demon calamity of Outside Qingzhou, leaving us old folk with nothing to do."

Chen Qiankun gazed at the river with deep feeling: "Thank you."

He withdrew his gaze: "What do you plan to do next?"

Shen Yi's hand rested lightly on the saber sheath at his waist: "I plan to have you write letters on my behalf to the other commanderies, asking if there is any news of other demons."

Hearing this, Chen Qiankun fell silent for a long while.

It had always been he who sought aid from Lady Yushan Commandery; who would have thought the day would come when Linjiang Commandery also had the spare strength to help the other commanderies—and at once, eleven of them.

Just thinking about it makes me so excited I can hardly stand it.

It's just that…

"I have a question, though I wonder if I ought to bring it up."

"I'm not a river god."

"That's not what I meant to ask."

Chen Qiankun rubbed his brow. "I just feel that you've been so busy all this time, your nerves getting more and more taut — could something go wrong? Have you thought about settling down, finding a woman who suits your fancy? It would be a small comfort to you."

He turned his head. "Is there a suitable candidate? It so happens that I'm free now, and I could help you take a look. What do you think of that girl Qiulan? She may seem a bit cold, and she doesn't know how to be considerate, but she really is the prettiest woman in all of Outside Qingzhou."

"I think you're about to get a beating."

Shen Yi shot him a glance, then slowly turned away.

A young woman in dark armor, valiant and dashing, stood silently outside the village.

Posing all day, I can't hold out any longer.

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(End of chapter)