Chapter 13

Volume One: Mountain Ghost Rumor, Chapter 13: Fighting Alone

A thin mist spread down from Erniu Mountain, like a gauze garment covering Xiaoshi Village.

Zhou Niu and Sun Dagou crossed the rushing stream and walked a dozen steps, noticing that Zhao Chan had not followed.

The two looked back.

Zhao Chan stood on a low slope, looking far away at Erniu Mountain, without saying a word.

Recently, the rain had been continuous, and the mountain road was slippery and difficult to walk. He had stayed in the town and had not harvested lacquer, and Erniu Mountain, which he was more than familiar with, had undergone some changes.

He didn't know how to describe this change, as if a kind and honest person, not knowing what had happened, had suddenly become irritable and easily angered.

Erniu Mountain is much higher than the nameless mountain behind Shanniu Village. The mountain is majestic and has two peaks, which is also the origin of the name Erniu Mountain.

Sun Dagou whispered: "What's wrong with the little brother?"

"Shh, don't disturb him," Zhou Niu said.

He still couldn't understand why Zhao Chan, who cherished his life so much, had joined the Demon Slaying Division. Not to mention the people of Youju Town, even the villagers of Xiaoshi Village knew that Demon Slayers had lives to earn money but no lives to spend it.

Since the establishment of the Demon Slaying Division in Youju Town, no one knew how many Demon Slayers had lost their lives in the mouths of demons due to dealing with demon infestations.

Zhao Chan crossed the stream and asked Sun Dagou: "Do you think Erniu Mountain has become different?"

"No, if you are talking about the mist flowing down, this is nothing. At the end of last year, the mountain mist rushing down from Erniu Mountain submerged the entire village."

Zhao Chan shook his head slightly: "It's not the mist."

"Huh? Then what is it?"

"I can't say, the current Erniu Mountain gives me a bad feeling."

Zhao Chan decided to go and find out: "Let's go."

Zhou Niu grabbed his arm: "Little brother, why don't we not go?"

"It's okay, I'm just going up the mountain to check the situation. You and Brother Sun go back to Xiaoshi Village and wait for my news."

"No! I'll accompany you up the mountain," Sun Dagou shouted.

The sallow and thin Zhou Niu stammered as soon as he got anxious: "Lit, little brother, you are now... now, now a Demon Slayer, you make the decision, we, we... we will listen to you."

"I am as familiar with Erniu Mountain as you are. If something happens to you when you go up the mountain with me, I won't be able to take care of you," Zhao Chan said to Sun Dagou.

"Alright~"

Zhou Niu and Sun Dagou walked toward Xiaoshi Village.

Zhao Chan chose the path up the mountain and ran toward Erniu Mountain.

The dirt road was muddy and difficult to walk, deep one step and shallow the next. Zhao Chan is a lacquer harvester, but as long as it is not a slippery stone road in the mountain, this kind of slope that makes people frown cannot stop him.

The sun was setting in the west.

Zhao Chan adjusted his pace to make his speed a little faster.

He had an appointment with the apprentice of the coffin shop to deliver money in the evening.

And to visit Brother Yang Yun to ask for advice on calligraphy.

He had to hurry up and investigate Erniu Mountain.

"Brother Zhao!" Sun Dagou and Zhou Niu stood at the entrance of Xiaoshi Village and waved and shouted, "Be careful with everything!"

He also waved, indicating he understood.

Until he reached the foot of Erniu Mountain, he took off the sword on his back and drew it from its scabbard. The blade shone with green light. Although the long sword called Green Snake had been imbued with magic power by an expert from the Yang County Demon Slaying Division, he felt it was not as good as the peach branch tucked diagonally at his waist.

After Lao Liu mysteriously gave him the peach branch, he went to Eren Mountain.

He didn't ask Lao Liu where he got the peach branch, because it was useless to ask. Lao Liu didn't want to say, and even if he got to the bottom of it, he wouldn't tell you. If he wanted to tell you, you didn't need to ask, he would repeat it over and over again.

For example, the widow Zhang Cui Cui that Lao Liu mentioned. It seemed Lao Liu wanted to marry her, but in fact, Lao Liu wouldn't even glance at her every time he passed the wonton stall.

Zhao Chan asked, you keep saying you are saving money to marry her, why don't you dare to open your eyes and look.

Lao Liu said, Zhang Cuicui is walking on a single-plank bridge, and if she is not careful, she will fall into an abyss and be smashed to pieces. He is walking on the broad, sunny road, with an infinitely bright future. Don't look at me being a bachelor now, I just need to call out, and I don't know how many fairies will throw themselves into my arms. The reason I say I want to marry her is for your sake.

Zhao Chan didn't understand.

Lao Liu laughed wildly, the wrinkles on his face piled up into a small mountain, and he said with great interest, since you call me master, how can you not have a mistress? I have picked and chosen in Youju Town, and only Widow Zhang has some beauty.

He grasped the scabbard with his right hand, so that when there was danger, his right hand could draw the sword at the fastest speed.

Having practiced basic swordsmanship for five years without interruption, many attack and kill movements had become Zhao Chan's instinct.

Before going up the mountain, Zhao Chan looked west.

On the west side of the mountain, about two li away, there is a road passing through Erniu Mountain. This road is not easy to walk, but it is the closest one to Yang County.

In a place Zhao Chan couldn't see.

That merchant team that left Youju Town arrived in front of this mountain road.

The mountain mist of Erniu Mountain poured down like a waterfall, and on both sides were steep slopes, all covered with dense forests.

The merchant leader pulled the reins, which were set on the draft horse. This draft horse had excellent patience, and dragging the cargo vehicle on the mountain road was not a problem at all.

"Keep up!" he turned his head and shouted.

Harming a Demon Slayer is a capital offense, they didn't dare to stop for a moment and ran toward Erniu Mountain.

Someone took forage for the horses from the cargo vehicle. The next part was a difficult mountain road, so the draft horses must be fed and watered.

"Brother! Let's rest for a while, I'm exhausted."

The leader said angrily: "Do you think I don't want to rest?"

"Wu He said we would only take action tonight, and the sun hasn't set yet. Besides, it's not safe to walk on the mountain road at night. Wouldn't it be better if we stayed in the village for a night?"

"Good, good, good, you forgot what we did as soon as we left Youju Town! I'll tell you clearly, Wang Huan is a cultivator. If Qiu Gao slaughters Zhao Chan and is interrogated by him, and we haven't left the mountain, Wang Huan will catch up and kill us all. There won't even be medicine for regret!" The leader ran over and gave him a beating.

"Brother, stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! We'll leave as soon as the horses finish eating the forage!"

The prestige of the Demon Slaying Division was too great.

The merchant leader had traveled north and south and had seen a lot, and he knew what a big thing they had done.

Daring to plot against a Demon Slayer is a crime that deserves death.

But, what's done is done, and it's too late to regret it now.

After the draft horses finished eating the forage, the merchant team walked into the mountain road.

Various bird calls came from the woods on both sides from time to time, the sound was crisp, and listening to it in the ears made the tense mood slightly relieved.

About half an hour later, the sun set behind the mountains.

The bird calls that had just existed disappeared without a trace.

Only the creaking sound of the wheels crushing the stones and the breath sprayed by the draft horses remained.

"Brother, something is wrong," someone said in a low voice, panicked.

The merchant leader looked left and right, his heart jumping to his throat: "I have walked Erniu Mountain several times, there are no demons on this mountain, don't be afraid!"

"It's too quiet!"

"Shh, listen..."

One of the merchants pointed to the woods on the hillside.

Half an hour ago.

As soon as Zhao Chan went up the mountain, he felt a gaze fixed on him.

It made his whole body hair stand on end.

His left hand, which was holding the scabbard, exerted force unconsciously, and the veins bulged.

He controlled his breathing.

His footsteps were steady.

He knew well that when encountering abnormal situations in the mountain, one must be calm.

Once one loses their composure, the consequences are unimaginable.

To tell the truth, lacquer harvesting is not a trade that everyone can do, especially in Youju Town, which is surrounded by mountains and water.

Going up the mountain to harvest lacquer, heaven knows where you will run into a demon. If you don't run fast and don't have real skills, you can only end up in the demon's belly.

Learning lacquer harvesting from Lao Liu, the first lesson Lao Liu taught him was that if you encounter a demon, don't care about anything, don't pay attention to your companions, run quickly, run as fast as you can.

He suddenly drew his sword from its scabbard. He hadn't gone far up the mountain when a gray wolf crouched on a rock in front of him.

The color of the gray wolf's fur was almost the same as the rock. If it weren't for Zhao Chan's good eyesight, he wouldn't necessarily have discovered it.

The wolf's eyes were cold-blooded, staring at him without blinking, baring its fangs and showing ferocity. Its body size was a circle larger than an ordinary wolf, it should be the leader of the wolf pack.

Sure enough.

The second, the third...

Except for the alpha wolf, a total of five wolves appeared around the rock, as if guarding their king.

Zhao Chan's heart sank into the abyss.

There were absolutely no wolf packs on Erniu Mountain before!

A person who cherishes his life as much as he does can swear on his life!

The alpha wolf grinned very humanly. From Zhao Chan's angle, it was actually sneering with self-satisfaction.

The five wolves that appeared later seemed to have received orders.

They flanked from left and right, as if arranging a formation to surround and kill the young man.

Zhao Chan made a decision extremely quickly.

Running is not an option.

He must fight to the death.

He threw his legs forward and rushed.

Opportunities are fleeting.

He wanted to kill one before the wolf pack completed the encirclement.

He didn't choose the wolf closest to him, but rushed toward the one closest to the alpha wolf.

Zhao Chan discarded all messy emotions. Now that things had come to this, dealing with the current crisis was the most important thing.

The alpha wolf seemed to find his behavior strange, and a look of astonishment flashed across its eyes.

The sword was named Green Snake. As Zhao Chan rushed to the target and raised the sword, the bits of green light flowing on the blade instantly connected into a line. He clearly felt a kind of power reviving in the sword body.

The first level of the "Shake God Sword" is called 【Sword Out with Spirit】. When making a move, the force is just right, not a point stronger, not a point weaker.

Achieving this level means being a Lower-grade Body Refining Realm cultivator.

And when Wang Huan explained it to Zhao Chan, he would never have expected that as the youngest lacquer harvester in Youju Town, he was the one who used the lacquer knife the best.

Lacquer harvesting is a craft that pays special attention to force. If the lacquer knife goes too deep into the lacquer tree, it won't work, and if it's too shallow, it won't work. Only by being neither deep nor shallow can one harvest the most lacquer.

Zhao Chan looked down at this wolf with gray and white fur.

The long sword slashed down.

All his strength was in this sword.

Seeing a flash of green light, the wolf's head flew nearly two zhang before rolling into the pile of stones.

After that, he didn't have any hesitation.

He didn't care about the other four wolves at all and flew toward the alpha wolf standing on the rock.

When Zhao Chan slaughtered that wolf, the alpha wolf made a surprised expression, then jumped to the back of the rock, didn't fight with Zhao Chan, and hid in the woods.

Seeing the alpha wolf avoid the fight, Zhao Chan's original plan changed instantly.

He turned and faced the remaining four wolves, rushing forward.

He wanted to display a powerful momentum to deter these animals.

With the Green Snake sword in hand, plus the basic swordsmanship he could use at will.

These four wolves were simply not his opponents.

When Zhao Chan slaughtered the last wolf.

The alpha wolf stood on the rock again.

His eyes were full of shock.

Zhao Chan's strength was immense. Every time he killed a wolf, the wolf's head flew out, far away from its body.

There was no time to rest.

To deal with the alpha wolf, only by killing it could he feel at ease.

Otherwise, if he was targeted by this kind of animal, he wouldn't have a good life. The alpha wolf would tirelessly hunt him down, unless Zhao Chan never stepped out of Youju Town again from now on.

He continued to stride forward.

The alpha wolf didn't want to fight at all, this time it jumped into the woods and fled to the west.

Zhao Chan sniffed his nose.

He pursued relentlessly.

He had the intention to kill.

If he didn't kill the alpha wolf when he had such a good opportunity, he might not have a chance in the future.

Besides, he is a lacquer harvester, and his nose is also sensitive. Sometimes when climbing mountains and wading through water, he can smell the special scent of lacquer trees by his nose.

Zhao Chan remembered the stench on the alpha wolf.

He nimbly avoided one tree after another as thick as a bowl.

The alpha wolf ran in front.

He chased behind.

Half an hour passed.

In front of the alpha wolf was a slope.

Zhao Chan knew this place. Below the slope was a mountain road. The mountain road wound through Erniu Mountain, and from there, crossing four more big mountains would lead to Yang County.

The merchants who came to Youju Town to collect lacquer were all from Yang County.

The alpha wolf's front paws lay down, and its wolf head knocked one by one, as if kowtowing to the bottom of the slope.

Zhao Chan frowned instantly, and goosebumps rose involuntarily.

It's just that the alpha wolf was close at hand, and the opportunity was rare, so how could there be no reason not to kill it?

The teacher at the private school had recited a poem: wild grass cannot be burned out, it grows again with the spring breeze.

The alpha wolf is the wild grass. If he doesn't kill it, Zhao Chan will not be able to sleep or eat in peace.

The Green Snake sword slashed out again.

The green light on the blade brightened imperceptibly.

The wolf's head flew high and fell onto the mountain road.

Now, Zhao Chan stood beside the headless wolf corpse.

He saw a variegated fierce tiger with fur like a gorgeous rainbow. The fierce tiger was a circle larger than an ox, like a small mountain, lowering its head to gnaw on the corpse.

The wolf's head happened to fall beside the fierce tiger's feet.

It raised its head and glanced coldly at Zhao Chan.

Zhao Chan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

According to Sun Dagou's description, the demon he mentioned was this fierce tiger.

"Young... Young Master, save, save me!!"

The others in the merchant team had all been eaten by the fierce tiger.

The person under its mouth was the merchant leader. His legs were already gone, and one arm was also missing. He was lying on his back, just able to see Zhao Chan standing on the slope.

"You, you are a Demon Slayer, slaying... slaying demons is your duty, kill, kill it quickly, save, save, save me!"

It must have been the flash of light before death, the merchant leader suddenly shouted loudly.

The fierce tiger lowered its head and swallowed the merchant leader's head in one gulp, crunching, as if chewing a fruit full of juice.

After swallowing.

It ate his remaining body in two bites. When it raised its head again, the young man on the slope was already gone.

Demon!

It is definitely a demon!

Demons are indifferent and rarely have human emotions, but that doesn't mean they don't have emotions!

Like that mountain ghost, Zhao Chan saw deep mockery in the fierce tiger's eyes!

Run!

Suddenly, a roar like thunder came.

Immediately after, the woods shook violently.

The branches rustled.

Following that, a fishy stench rushed toward him.

Zhao Chan looked back quickly, the fierce tiger that had become a demon was less than a zhang away from him.

He couldn't outrun it at all.

He spat out a breath of turbid air.

He didn't believe the Green Snake sword could kill this demon.

Zhao Chan drew out the three-foot peach branch tucked diagonally at his waist.

He is a lacquer harvester, walking on flat ground in the mountain forest. He stepped on the tree trunk with both feet one after another, bent his knees, and immediately kicked hard.

The fierce tiger leaped over from under him.

He flew over the fierce tiger.