Chapter 267: Passing Away On the Spot

After nightfall, Tang Luo and his two companions strolled around Ancheng for a while.

However, they found no opportunity to subdue demons or eliminate monsters; as a major city, Ancheng remained quite safe.

Speaking of which, it is interesting: a hundred years ago, the Great You State still possessed considerable strength, and Ancheng produced a remnant soul of a Heavenly Howling Dog reborn to cause trouble.

Now that gods and ghosts have emerged and monsters run rampant, Ancheng remains peaceful and secure—though not quite impregnable, even ordinary monsters dare not come here to stir up trouble.

Although the mystic energy on the bodies of Great You civil officials is primarily for self-protection.

The mystic energy accompanying military officers, however, can inflict considerable harm upon demons and monsters.

The previously suppressed status of formidable military officers has begun to rise; formerly, military officials and officers naturally ranked below civil officials, but that is no longer the case.

At the same rank, it is no longer a matter of civil strength and military weakness.

Since Tang Luo had no merit power to gain, he had no interest in wandering everywhere to feel the differences between past and present Ancheng.

However, he did go to see the lake where the broken skull of the Heavenly Howling Dog was discovered; there had not been too many changes—upon closer inspection, it was actually even more prosperous.

The situation in Great You is unstable; some people are worried and anxious, while others live for today, drinking today's wine today.

Returning to the inn, everyone dispersed to rest. Early the next morning, Jin Gang led several fine horses to the Wang family's place, intending to exchange them for a few horses that were fat, strong, and enduring; anyway, the upcoming journey was not rushed, so high speed was unnecessary.

The horses that had come all the way from the Northern Wilderness needed proper rest for a period; Tang Luo and his companions did not want to wait, nor did they want to run these horses into the ground.

Changing horses was the best option, and it could also yield some money—wealth, naturally, the more the better.

But after waiting one or two hours, it was nearly noon, and Jin Gang still had not returned.

"Perhaps something happened?" Tang Yuhan said, "Should the master go check?"

She now wore a red-silver light armor dress, with a long spear from the Northern Wilderness tribes slung across her back, a sword at her waist, a small silver hair-binding crown on her head, and a red feather hanging down—she appeared heroic and spirited.

"Go." Tang Luo remained the "Attained Dao High Monk."

This combination looked troublesome at first glance.

After all, the Ancient Dragon said: when wandering the martial world, do not provoke three kinds of people: monks, women, and children.

They occupied two of those categories, and moreover, it was a white-haired monk—just looking at him made one even less inclined to provoke, as everyone knows monks are bald.

Rather than bald monks, those are the big shots, because no one can dictate whether they should be bald or not.

The Wang family's horse farm was easy to find, since Ancheng relied on the mountains, and within the high-walled city, there was only one place suitable for raising a certain number of horses.

As for the garrison troops of Great You, they were not stationed inside the city, but outside it.

When Tang Luo and his companion arrived, the area near the horse farm was quite lively, with many people gathered outside.

"Is this trouble?" Tang Yuhan said, her tone very calm.

After entering the Northern Wilderness, they had basically been stirring up trouble all along; encountering matters upon entering Great You was quite normal.

Put bluntly, gods and demons walking the world are arrogant and proud—clashes like a river dragon versus a mountain tiger are commonplace.

Jin Gang was not like "Kong Xuan," that seemingly sinister scholar.

Acting on a hot head is basic operation.

Tang Luo casually pulled over a bystander to ask about the situation.

The man said, a horse trader had come to buy and sell horses, clashed with the Wang family, and fighting had already broken out; it was said they even killed the Wang family's enshrined one.

The so-called enshrined one referred to the retainers of those wealthy and powerful households.

Nowadays, they are mostly monks and Daoists—those outside-the-world individuals—hence the term "enshrined."

Everyone values their lives; nowadays, the unstable environment of Great You has created a large market for cultivators.

Those with wealth and power naturally hire others to protect themselves and even their entire family's safety.

This pattern has been the same throughout ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad, and is not uncommon.

"Why did the conflict start?" Tang Luo asked, not in a hurry.

"I heard that horse trader was a spy from the Northern Wilderness—those northern barbarians have wolfish ambitions..." The man cursed the Northern Wilderness thoroughly, then shifted tone: "But the Wang family is no good either; these past years they've cheated outsiders not a few times, sometimes even locals."

Hearing his gleeful tone, it was like dogs biting each other, mouths full of hair.

"I see." Tang Luo said, parting the crowd, and walked straight in with Tang Yuhan.

Those in front had not yet figured out what was happening when they felt a tremendous force part them from behind, involuntarily stepping back slightly, only to see two silhouettes moving forward.

Breaking through the crowd, they could see the outer gate of the Wang family horse farm tightly shut, with several guard-like figures stationed outside—some watching the gate, some watching outside.

It was also rather interesting.

Upon seeing Tang Luo and Tang Yuhan appear, the guards' gazes all converged upon them.

These two individuals were truly eye-catching.

"Amitabha." Tang Luo habitually intoned a Buddhist chant, "I am Monk Xuanzang; I wish to enter—please, patrons, grant me convenience."

"Why does the Dharma master come?" one guard said, attitude cautious.

The effect of the Buddha's golden adornment was thus demonstrated.

For an ordinary person, they would have already shouted and driven them away.

"If Monk Xuanzang is not mistaken, the person you are detaining as a Northern Wilderness spy is none other than my attendant, Vajra Warrior." Tang Luo said.

Upon hearing this, several guards immediately changed expression.

Those watching the gate also turned to look.

"Come, come! I'd like to see what you're capable of!" Before the guards could speak, a loud shout came from inside the horse farm—Jin Gang's voice.

"Then Monk Xuanzang will enter." Tang Luo raised one hand before his chest, performed the Ghost Shadow Step, crossed the distance, and arrived instantly at the gate, pushing it casually.

The gate, locked from within, was pushed open.

Tang Yuhan followed closely behind; before the crowd could react, she also reached the gate.

"Stop them!"

"Dog, stop them."

The guards' shouts and Tang Luo's command rang out simultaneously.

The heavenly hound crouched on Tang Yuhan's shoulder jumped to the ground, arriving at her heavenly hound's ninety-fifth favorite gate-watching segment.

Seeing a civet cat and a kitten jump to the ground, they meowed at the crowd.

The guards and onlookers were somewhat bored—what are they trying to do? Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're a cat.

The next second.

The guards kept retreating, and the onlookers let out terrified cries, scattering in a frenzy.

After the heavenly hound meowed, it entered combat form, rapidly transforming into a colossal beast as if its entire body burned with black flames.

A pair of blood-red, icy eyes swept over—this was the aura of a predator.

Those guards were merely crude martial artists, strong-bodied ordinary people—how could they withstand the heavenly hound's gaze?

The batons in their hands clattered to the ground, their legs went weak, and they sat down, utterly unable to stand.

The heavenly hound nodded in satisfaction, shifted back into cat form, crouched by the doorway—no one could pass.

On the spacious training ground, King Kong was surrounded by a ring of guards, with a corpse whose head was pressed against its back lying at his feet.

Dressed as a Daoist, he should have had an immortal wind and Daoist bones before death.

Facing him directly were seven or eight people.

The leader was a man with considerable white hair, naturally imposing, middle-aged to elderly.

This man is the current head of the Wang family, Wang Xingshan—a very straightforward name.

Beside him was a man in his forties, whispering something to him—the steward of the training ground, also a top figure in the Wang family.

Around them were even stronger guards, plus two attendants.

One martial, one Daoist—far superior to the one King Kong killed.

"Ah... Master!"

King Kong noticed Tang Luo and Tang Yuhan entering, shouted, his voice dropping, his expression somewhat embarrassed.

We clearly came to buy horses, yet we ended up clashing and fighting—will the Master blame us?

Moreover, the Wang family seems to have prior dealings with the Master.

Tang Yuhan quickened her steps, walked up to Tang Luo, the corner of her mouth curling into a cold smile, killing intent surging.

The guards who had seen blood were few—how could they withstand the killing intent Tang Yuhan could unleash? They instinctively retreated two steps—feeling that not retreating would mean being slain outright.

By the time they came to their senses, Tang Luo and the others had already entered the encirclement, standing beside King Kong.

"Who are they? Weren't you ordered not to let people in? Go see what happened." Wang Xingshan frowned and said.

Someone nearby immediately took the order and left.

"What happened?" Tang Luo asked.

King Kong mumbled: "I came to sell horses, that guy said I was a Bei Yuan spy, I said this horse was snatched from Bei Yuan and he still didn't believe me, then he called that old Daoist scoundrel, kept beating me, so I killed him."

Righteously so. He struck first—how could I just keep taking hits?

"Mm, you did right." Tang Luo expressed agreement.

"Master, then we..." Kong Gang wanted to know what they should do next.

The Wang family is nothing—of course they couldn't be a match for Tang Luo and company. Not counting Tang Luo, Kong Gang alone could slaughter his way through the Wang family.

Don't think that because Kong Gang was ordinary in Bei Yuan, without Tang Luo's protection he would have died ten thousand times already.

That's because Tang Luo and company have already killed their way into others' lairs.

Not counting Tang Luo, in this mission of gods and demons walking the earth, Tang Yuhan, Kong Ming, and Fu Fengxue are the first echelon.

Kong Gang doesn't count, but he's also relatively close.

Tang Yuhan and the other two have each survived more than ten god-and-demon-walking missions, two of them are fate-holders—their strength can be roughly estimated.

Kong Gang, second only to the three, is naturally not weak at all.

But after all, this is Da You—we are here to protect Da You's national fate, we can't just charge through like we did in Bei Yuan.

"Let's redeem them." Tang Luo thought and said.

Previously, the Wang family still practiced accumulating virtue and doing good, but in recent years they've gradually walked the path of the wealthy and unkind.

Tang Luo felt they could be redeemed, earning some merit power—spiritual redemption.

On the Wang family's side, Wang Xingshan had just seen the person sent to the training ground to assess the situation come back stumbling, face full of terror, while another side reported some commotion.

Just as Wang Xingshan and company entered, another group arrived at the other entrance of the training ground.

This group came forward and backward, "grand and mighty," over twenty people, surrounding an eight-person palanquin.

Not enclosed, but open, with a canopy on top.

On the palanquin sat a thin old man, completely bald, wearing a goat beard, eyes half-open, half-closed, as if dozing.

A true centenarian.

Seeing this old man approach, Wang Xingshan's expression changed, he immediately led his people to greet him respectfully—he didn't even bother with Tang Luo and company.

"Ancestor, why have you come? The outside is bitterly cold..."

"If I didn't come, would you treat me as this dead old man?" The old man opened his eyes, said lightly.

Yet it made Wang Xingshan immediately kneel, not daring to retort a word.

"Who is this again?" Tang Luo asked.

Kong Gang shook his head blankly—he had no idea who it was.

"I've heard—" Tang Yuhan frowned slightly, thinking.

"Immortal Grandfather?" Before she could finish, the old man on the palanquin looked at Tang Luo and let out an incredulous exclamation.

After the old man's exclamation, his body trembled twice, appearing extremely agitated.

Then, he couldn't catch his breath, respiratory failure, head tilted, and died on the spot.

"..."

「……」

Jin Gang and Tang Yuhan looked at Tang Luo, then at the old man who had died on the spot, and really wanted to say: "Master, you scared the person to death."