Chapter 12

Volume One: Mountain Ghost Rumor, Chapter 12: Challenging the Demon with Strength

Erniu Mountain is located sixteen li southwest of Youju Town.

Eren Mountain, where miasma overflows and demon beasts run rampant, is about twenty li from Erniu Mountain.

And beyond Eren Mountain is a ring of mountains.

They are called Shuduan Mountain.

Yang County is adjacent to Shuduan Mountain and is a mountain city built against the mountains.

The Demon Slayers of the Youju Town Demon Slaying Division have walked through almost all the surrounding mountains for generations; they have an "account book" of where demon infestations frequently occur and where demon tracks have vanished.

And Erniu Mountain belongs to the "demon tracks vanished" category in the "account book."

Seeing that Warrior Wang did not believe him, Zhou Niu anxiously glanced at Sun Dagou.

Zhou Niu and Sun Dagou are cousins, so Sun Dagou decided to come to the Demon Slaying Division to report the case, and Zhou Niu accompanied him.

Sun Dagou was even more anxious than him.

"Wang... Warrior Wang, I swear to the heavens, I absolutely saw a demon on Erniu Mountain."

"I have never lied since I was a child. If you don't believe me, go ask my mother."

"Little brother, please say a few words for me."

Sun Dagou was so anxious he was incoherent.

Wang Huan glanced at Zhao Chan: "Little Toad, you speak, you are the town's lacquer harvester."

Zhao Chan pondered for a moment; he was very familiar with Erniu Mountain, but Sun Dagou was so adamant that he gradually began to doubt his previous memories.

Thinking back and forth.

He said cautiously: "There are thirty-one lacquer trees in total on Erniu Mountain, spread across the front and back of the mountain. When I went to Erniu Mountain to harvest lacquer, I never encountered any demon beasts..."

Sun Dagou jumped with anxiety: "Little brother! I really am not lying. You also know I am a medicinal herb farmer, I... I am also familiar with Erniu Mountain..."

Zhou Niu stammered with anxiety: "Lit, little brother, you, you say, could the de, demon appearing on Erniu Mountain have run down from Eren Mountain?"

Zhao Chan abruptly stopped the words that were on his lips.

Wang Huan denied it: "Eren Mountain is twenty li away from Erniu Mountain, it's not very likely."

"Wa, Wa, Warrior Wang..." Zhou Niu scratched his head, "How about you go to Erniu Mountain yourself and take a look? Xiaoshi Village is right at the foot of Erniu Mountain. If there really is a demon on the mountain, Xiaoshi Village will be miserable!"

If a demon appears on the mountain, the village at the foot of the mountain will certainly suffer from a demon infestation.

"Right now, the town's Demon Slayers have all gone to Shanniu Village, leaving only me and Little Toad, and I must stay behind to guard," Wang Huan said.

Sun Dagou shouted: "Let the little brother go take a look, he has become a Demon Slayer anyway."

Zhou Niu stammered: "Liuhua Village had nine people eaten by a demon that jumped down from the mountain. If the demon from Erniu Mountain breaks into Xiaoshi Village, I really don't know how many people will die. Warrior Wang, for the sake of the lives of the people in Xiaoshi Village, please go take a look, I beg you!"

Wang Huan asked: "Tell me what kind of demon it is."

"Oh, it should be a big cat, but it's too big, just like the ox raised in my family!" Sun Dagou said.

A big cat is a tiger.

Wang Huan shook his head: "It should be an ordinary big cat, you saw it wrong."

"No way! I, I am a medicinal herb farmer, my eyesight is very good! I couldn't have seen it wrong!" he argued.

"Brother Wang, since I have joined the Demon Slaying Division and become a Demon Slayer, I should contribute to the fellow villagers," Zhao Chan said calmly.

Wang Huan paced back and forth: "You are not a real Demon Slayer yet."

"Brother Wang once said that the Demon Slaying Division must protect the people so they can live in peace," the young man said softly.

It seemed this sentence had an effect.

"Have you thought it through?"

"Yes," he nodded.

Zhao Chan knew that from the moment he chose to join the Demon Slaying Division, many things would be beyond his control.

Although the teacher at the private school had said that a gentleman should not stand under a dangerous wall, the teacher also said that one should be a hero among men while alive, and a hero among ghosts when dead.

"Heroes have emerged from youth since ancient times, Little Toad! I didn't misjudge you!" Wang Huan patted Zhao Chan's shoulder heavily, "Remember, you are going to Erniu Mountain only to investigate whether there is a demon, you must not act recklessly!"

"I have noted it down."

"Follow me."

Wang Huan led Zhao Chan into the backyard and exhorted him again: "Sigh, I really don't know if allowing you to join the Demon Slaying Division is right or wrong. If something happens to you, I... I would really be sorry to your father and mother. Little Toad, you must not act recklessly. You haven't tempered your body yet, run immediately if you encounter a demon."

He took down the house-guarding talisman.

He opened another box.

The box contained less than ten weapons, including swords, blades, spearheads, and axes.

"This sword has had magic power added by an expert from the Yang County Demon Slaying Division, killing demon beasts is a piece of cake. Here, try it and see if it's handy."

The sword is about three feet three inches long.

Zhao Chan grasped the hilt and pulled it out from the scabbard.

The hilt was narrow and thin.

The blade was sharp, refracting bits of green light.

Suppressing his excited mood, he swung it a few times.

"It's handy!"

Watching the joyful Zhao Chan, Wang Huan smiled: "This sword is called 'Green Snake', it's not heavy, but it's sharp and unstoppable. My sword is called 'Lion Mountain', it weighs forty-nine jin!"

"Come, I'll put it on your back."

The scabbard is made of leather and has a rope.

"Many thanks, Brother Wang."

"Don't use your peach branch if you don't have to. As the saying goes, don't fear a thief stealing, fear a thief coveting."

Zhao Chan nodded solemnly.

Wang Huan exhorted again: "You are not allowed to act recklessly! After you temper your body, I will accompany you to slay demons all over the mountains and plains!"

"I have really noted it down."

Wang Huan patted his shoulder: "To tell you the truth, I regret agreeing to let you join the Demon Slaying Division."

Zhao Chan said softly: "It's okay, Brother Wang."

"Go!"

Returning to the front yard.

Zhou Niu and Sun Dagou couldn't help but be greatly encouraged when they saw Zhao Chan carrying a sword.

Zhao Chan smiled at the two: "Let's go."

The three walked out of the Demon Slaying Division.

Wang Huan stood on the steps, watching them walk toward Erniu Mountain.

That outsider strolled out of Nongsui Lane and focused on observing the house where Zhao Chan lived.

"The courtyard wall is low, I can climb in without anyone knowing. He's about fourteen or fifteen years old, his strength shouldn't be too great..."

Wu He, a thug hired by the merchant, approached him quietly: "This is the four-tael deposit. After the matter is done, I will give you the remaining six taels."

Putting the four taels of silver into his bosom, the outsider said easily: "Why not give it all to me? This deal won't go wrong!"

"Hey, Qiu Gao, it's better if we follow the rules of the trade."

"I am a cultivator! Slaughtering a young man is guaranteed to be the same as slaughtering a chicken," Qiu Gao said arrogantly, "Unlike you ordinary mortals who are so useless!"

"Yes, yes, yes, everything you say is right!" Wu He sneered in his heart.

He would like to see what kind of rage the Youju Town Demon Slaying Division will have after knowing their Demon Slayer died at the hands of Qiu Gao.

Qiu Gao asked back: "You don't believe it?"

"You are a high and mighty cultivator, I certainly believe it," Wu He said respectfully immediately.

"Hmph."

Qiu Gao raised his head and walked away with a splay-footed gait.

There was one thing he disdained to tell Wu He: one must know that a lion uses its full strength even when hunting a rabbit. He had done all the necessary preliminary work. Late tonight, he would climb over the wall into Zhao Chan's home, and with one fierce slash of his blade, he would surely make the young man die without a burial place!

Wu He looked deeply at Qiu Gao's back and slipped back to the Xizhao Inn.

The merchant's business was exceptionally good.

They sold seven or eight out of ten of their goods in just one morning.

When the merchant leader heard Wu He's report, he slapped his thigh: "You gave the five-tael deposit to Qiu Gao?"

"I gave it."

"There is no time to lose, let's go."

The original price was ten taels, but they only wanted to give a five-tael deposit and then secretly run away.

However, the leader would not have expected that Wu He had pocketed one tael of silver.

Wu He was the one who handled this matter, so whether it was a god or a ghost, Wu He had the final say.

The merchant's followers began to take action.

They organized the vehicles for pulling goods, and everyone moved quickly.

After the outsider named Qiu Gao killed Zhao Chan, even if the Demon Slaying Division interrogated the mastermind, they would have already slipped away in advance.

The world is vast, no matter how powerful the Demon Slaying Division is, they don't believe they would really set up a net for a young Demon Slayer.

"Wu He, you leave at night, don't let Qiu Gao see you."

"Rest assured, Brother."

"Hmm, pay attention to everything," the leader said quietly, hiding in a corner.

The landlady Xie Wan watched the merchant's followers busy up and down from behind the counter and asked: "Leaving just like this?"

"Thanks to the landlady's good fortune, the goods have all been sold!" the leader said generously, "This is the money for accommodation and food. The extra eighteen wen is the hard-earned money for the landlady."

Xie Wan smiled: "I wish you a smooth journey."

"Sigh, I hope the heavens won't rain again."

Watching the merchant's followers pull the vehicles away.

Xie Wan withdrew her gaze and asked Wu He, who was drinking hot tea: "Why don't you leave?"

"Oh, there are two people who haven't paid yet. They brought money and will come to pay in the afternoon, so I'll wait a bit longer."

Wu He looked at Xie Wan's heavy chest unscrupulously and said.

"You haven't sold much goods either," she mentioned.

Wu He smiled: "It's already considered a lot! There is still the next town! If we bought everything in Youju Town, how would others live?"

"That's true," Xie Wan muttered.

Wu He's lust arose again, and he held the teacup to the counter and asked: "Landlady, tell me the truth, what kind of man do you like?"

"Ha, look at what you're saying, I quite like someone like you," Xie Wan pretended to be shy.

"Ah?"

Wu He was overjoyed: "Landlady... haha, I'm really sorry about what happened last night. I'm not usually like this. It's all because I was in too much of a hurry on the road and drank some horse urine, so I lost my mind."

Xie Wan rolled her eyes at him, almost making Wu He excited enough to cross the counter and hug her. He forcibly suppressed his impulse and said: "How about I tell you a secret?"

"What kind of secret? Tell me first and let's see."

"No, no, this secret is about Eren Mountain, it's only good to tell people when it's deep in the night."

"You said it's a secret about Eren Mountain?"

"Hmm, hmm!!" Wu He nodded heavily.

Xie Wan pursed her red lips and then yawned: "Not interested."

"Oh! This matter is very important. If it weren't for the fact that the merchant leader is timid, we wouldn't have come to Youju Town, we would have gone to Eren Mountain to seek wealth long ago!"

"I have to close the doors and windows to sleep at night, I don't like listening to stories," Xie Wan glanced at him and said.

"Hehe." Wu He saw that there was a chance, and his lust was like a raging fire, burning his whole body hot, "Landlady, just leave a tiny crack in the window."

"You tell me first."

"I'm afraid someone will hit me again!"

"Not tonight," Xie Wan said, her breath like orchids, pushing out her proud chest.

It's really killing me!

Wu He felt as if he had fallen into the clouds and said in a low voice: "When we rushed to Youju Town, we passed by Eren Mountain from afar and saw a bright light shining halfway up the mountain! It might be piles and piles of gold and silver treasures!"

"Think about it, a place as dangerous as Eren Mountain is most suitable for hiding treasures!"

Sun Dagou described the demon he saw.

"It should be a big cat about the size of an ox, its fur is particularly beautiful, like a rainbow. When I saw it, it was gnawing on something. I was startled and turned around and ran. By the time I ran down Erniu Mountain, there was a loud roar, like thunder."

Sun Dagou still had lingering fears when he recalled it.

Zhou Niu was thinking about other things and asked quietly: "Little brother, tell your brother the truth, are you sure you can kill that big cat? Others don't know, but I saw with my own eyes that you killed a demon!"

"It can't be called a demon, it was just a goat with a bit more strength."

"That's also amazing! Who would have thought that a goat could actually use its horns to gore someone to death!"

Sun Dagou listened from the side, he didn't know about this matter, and immediately asked: "What happened?"

Zhou Niu asked: "Can you keep a secret?"

"Brother, we are brothers! I will definitely keep my mouth shut!"

"Little brother, should I tell him?"

Zhao Chan was silent for nearly half a stick of incense: "Tell him."

"Once, I was so bored I could die, thinking of going up the mountain to hunt some game, and I happened to run into the little brother harvesting lacquer on Claw Mountain. Oh, and Lao Liu.

We walked a section of the mountain road together when suddenly a goat jumped out of the woods. There was still half a section of intestine hanging on its horns. Oh my, the blood was flowing down the goat's head like it was raining.

What was scary was that the goat was also drinking the blood into its mouth."

"And then?"

"Hiss, shut up, let me finish!" Zhou Niu said angrily.

"The goat saw us, its eyes shining, and it rammed into us without saying a word.

There was no other way, we just ran.

Sigh, how can two legs run faster than four legs? The goat caught up to us in a few steps.

Lao Liu was at the very back, screaming in terror.

You didn't see it, the little brother was like the most agile monkey, turning around and pulling Lao Liu away..."

Sun Dagou was attracted by the story and opened his mouth wide, smacking his lips, thinking, wouldn't the little brother have been gored to death by the goat? On second thought, no, the little brother went to Erniu Mountain with him just fine, it was the goat that died!

"I just saw the little brother running toward the goat with a lacquer knife, his body tilted, avoiding the goat's horns, and the lacquer knife stabbed fiercely into the goat's neck.

I said that goat was probably a demon, its cry wasn't a goat's cry at all, oh my, I can't describe it, let me imitate it for you."

Zhou Niu had a fresh memory of this matter and started to imitate it at the top of his lungs.

Sun Dagou listened for a while and asked suspiciously: "What kind of cry is this, why is it like a human's?"

"I told you! It was definitely not an ordinary goat!

The little brother pulled out the lacquer knife, and regardless of the goat twisting its body to gore him with its horns, he punched the goat's body. I heard a bang, guess what happened?"

"What happened!!!"

"The little brother punched it! With just one punch, he knocked the goat down!"

"My mother, I know the little brother has great strength, but I didn't know it was this great even if you beat me to death!"

"It's not over yet! Brother Zhao pounced on it, the lacquer knife seemed to have eyes, opening the goat's belly and gutting it with every slash!

When the goat was dead, we went into the woods and took a look. This goat had actually gored a person to death. Oh my, that person's stomach, it was all bloody, the internal organs were gone. Lao Liu said his internal organs were eaten by the goat."

Zhou Niu said: "Lao Liu beat the little brother up, saying he really didn't take his own life seriously, how could he be worthy of his father and mother who died of illness.

Since then, the little brother has cherished his life much more and has never taken risks again. Other lacquer harvesters said that even if he encounters a python in the big mountain, he immediately takes a detour.

Seeing the little brother become a Demon Slayer, I really can't believe it."

While talking.

Xiaoshi Village arrived.

Not far away was Erniu Mountain.