Chapter 31: Volume I: Mountain Ghost Rumor, Chapter 31: Knowing There Are Tigers in the Mountain, Yet Heading Toward the Tiger Mount

Volume I: Mountain Ghost Rumor, Chapter 31: Knowing There Are Tigers in the Mountain, Yet Heading Toward the Tiger Mountain

Besides hiding his true strength, Lao Liu also taught Zhao Chan eight words—"Dragon and Snake Transformation, Between Wood and Goose."

Understanding how to judge the situation and act according to the timing, to strive for the best result for oneself. "Between Wood and Goose" means both hiding one's strength and not appearing mediocre and useless, so as to protect oneself and stay away from disaster.

Now that the situation had reached a critical point, Zhao Chan should also transform from a snake into a dragon.

Wang Huan stared at the young man in disbelief.

After a long while.

He shook his head: "I don't believe it."

It was simply too exaggerated. In just a few days, Zhao Chan had gone from a mountain boy gathering lacquer to a cultivator in the Upper Grade Body Refining Realm. No one would dare to believe it.

Proving this point was very simple.

Zhao Chan drew the Green Snake Sword, gripped the hilt, and straightened the long sword.

On the sword body, it was as if a god was sitting.

Wang Huan believed half of it.

Beside them was a straw man used by Demon Slayers to practice martial arts.

Zhao Chan slashed straight at it.

First, there was the god sitting, then the Shake God Slash.

The straw man was slashed diagonally into two halves by the Green Snake Sword.

Wang Huan believed it.

He stood beside Zhao Chan in surprise, "So there really are heaven-favored children in the world that people cannot understand."

Zhao Chan shook his head and denied: "How could I be a heaven-favored child? It was just luck."

"If you are 'lucky', how should someone like me, who only reached the Upper Grade Body Refining Realm after nearly ten years of cultivation, conduct myself?" Wang Huan was instantly caught between laughter and tears. "Wait."

He walked to the backyard of the Demon Slaying Division and returned with a stack of talismans.

"There aren't many left. Shao Hua and the others took most of them. We will split the rest."

Zhao Chan did not decline and took the talismans.

Wang Huan explained to him how to use these talismans: "The Flame Talisman, Ice Condensing Talisman, and Wind Summoning Talisman are simple and easy to learn. Did you remember them?"

"I remembered them."

"You must not be reckless. If you encounter demons that you cannot contend with, hurry back to the town."

"Yes." Zhao Chan nodded seriously.

Patting the young man's shoulder, Wang Huan sighed with emotion: "A scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days of separation. I can't call you Little Toad anymore."

"Brother Wang is joking. I will always be myself; my nature cannot change."

"Ha, I like hearing that."

Zhao Chan was in the same Upper Grade Body Refining Realm as him. If he kept calling him Little Toad, wouldn't that be insulting him?

"Go, be careful in everything. It is a blessing Lao Liu cultivated in his past life to have you bury him," Wang Huan said.

Zhao Chan reminded him: "Brother Wang, how should the villagers of Xiaoshi Village be settled?"

"Don't worry about this matter. Youju Town has plenty of places for them to stay," Wang Huan said.

The matter was settled.

Zhao Chan left the Demon Slaying Division and walked toward Nongsui Lane.

Those outsiders who had once discussed killing Zhao Chan with Fan Pingjian were hiding in a corner of Caiyan Street, staring at him gloomily.

"Fan Pingjian died at his hands," someone sighed helplessly.

Others said: "It doesn't matter. As long as we keep a close watch on him and Wang Huan, and don't allow them to go to Yang County for reinforcements, this place will still be a lawless land."

"Right, as long as they dare to go to Yang County, we can kill them on the mountain road!"

"Since we are allied to snatch the Hundred Treasure Zhen's treasure, everyone should keep their mouths shut. No one is allowed to speak of this matter afterward."

Another person's gaze flashed with cold light, thinking: "That kid killed Fan Pingjian but remained calm; he must have a plan against us."

"Heh, what other plan could he have? Nothing more than going to the Yang County Demon Slaying Division for help."

"Don't act alone this time. Let's take action together. Those who do great things, how can they be indecisive!"

"Fine! I will keep a close watch on this kid. As soon as there is any movement, I will notify everyone immediately, but I want an extra half-share."

"So greedy!"

"The errand fee can't be left unpaid, right?"

"Fine, a half-share it is!"

"Hey, if you don't keep a close watch on that kid, let alone a half-share, don't blame the brothers for taking ruthless action."

When Zhao Chan ran past, he caught a glimpse of them, but he did not act rashly.

Over the years, many outsiders had come to the town one after another. Some bought houses here, and some rented houses to stay. He had seen the outsiders plotting in the corner of Caiyan Street many times this year, and only now did he know that they were all cultivators.

Wu Ting entered the town with the Xiaoshi Village procession. When she came to the town to buy salt before, Zhao Chan invited her to rest at his house. She stood at the entrance of Nongsui Lane, silently waiting for Zhao Chan to return.

"Sister Wu, Brother Wang will settle the villagers of Xiaoshi Village well." He relayed Wang Huan's words to her.

Wu Ting breathed a sigh of relief.

Opening the door lock, the two stepped into the courtyard.

"Renting the mule and the cart must have cost a lot of money, right?" she asked.

"The coffin shop owner is a kind person." He did not explain. If he said too much, it would expose where he got the silver. A lacquer gatherer who had just become a Demon Slayer wouldn't have that much money.

This was also the difference between Wu Ting and Chen Xianggu.

Chen Xianggu was also suspicious, but she would stop at the right point and would not pursue the questioning.

Wu Ting smiled: "This is also thanks to your good popularity in the town. Since the owner is willing to let you use the mule and the cart, don't forget this kindness in the future."

"I will not forget."

Zhao Chan carefully placed the bones searched from Eren Mountain into the coffin, then firmly hammered in the coffin nails, and brought the shovel for digging. The mule had already been fed with forage and was full of energy.

"Brother Zhao!" Yang Yun called out from outside the door with Zhang Cuicui.

Zhao Chan turned back and said: "Brother Yang, Sister-in-law, why are you here?"

"I heard you are burying Lao Liu today, so we, the couple, came to see if there is anything we can help with," Yang Yun said solemnly.

Zhao Chan smiled: "Lao Liu said before that if he died, I must bury him happily. He said that for a person like him, death is a relief, and this is a great thing, so don't have a mournful face. Of course, Lao Liu also said that it is better to live a miserable life than to die well. If he could live to be a hundred, he would definitely laugh heartily every day."

"Lao Liu is a strange person who can see through things," Yang Yun praised.

Zhang Cuicui asked: "Is she the Wu Ting from Xiaoshi Village you often talk about?"

"Exactly. Once, after gathering lacquer and coming down the mountain, it was getting late. Lao Liu took me into Xiaoshi Village to beg for food. Only Sister Wu was willing to give us alms. Over time, we often went to Sister Wu's house to sponge off meals," Zhao Chan said a bit embarrassed.

Fortunately, Wu Ting was a good person; otherwise, she would have had to call the villagers to beat them out with sticks.

Wu Ting knew Lao Liu's reckless nature. His spirit in heaven would definitely not mind talking and laughing while burying him. If it were made too serious, if possible, he would have to sit up from the coffin and curse, "I finally died, why are you all crying with mournful faces?"

She smiled and recalled: "There was no other way. The food had just been cooked at home, and Lao Liu and Zhao Chan knocked on the door. Before I could say a word, they sat down and waited for the food to be served."

Zhang Cuicui couldn't help but laugh: "Lao Liu is really interesting. He once said he wanted to marry me in a grand way, so as not to feel lonely in the dead of night. Now it's good, I've already married Yang Yun, and I haven't seen him send an eight-bearer sedan chair."

They helped fix the coffin on the cart. Zhao Chan politely declined Yang Yun and Zhang Cuicui's request to follow the funeral together.

He pulled the rope tied to the mule and led it out of the alley. Wu Ting put on the mourning clothes, and the two walked slowly toward the graveyard outside Youju Town.

And after Yang Yun and Zhang Cuicui returned to the house in Zhecao Alley, Yang Yun suddenly asked: "The matter of repaying the benefactor you mentioned last time..."

"I lied to you," Zhang Cuicui smiled brightly. "I thought you would think of yourself, but I didn't expect you to take it seriously, thinking there really was such a scholar in the town."

Yang Yun scratched the back of his head and whispered: "Cui Cui, I have never given food to anyone, but when I was a child, a fox ran into the house. I saw it was pitiful, so I served it a bowl of rice."

"Oh? And that fox?"

"I don't know. The next day it was gone."

Zhang Cuicui hugged his arm: "I told you long ago, I am a fox demon. Perhaps that fox was me."

"My virtuous wife is really good at joking," Yang Yun laughed heartily.

Zhang Cuicui's eyes wandered: "Husband, if I were really a fox demon, would you abandon me?"

"Here you go again! I ask you, if you were a fox demon, would you harm me?"

"Of course not! You are the husband I tried every way to get, how could I harm you?!"

Yang Yun said proudly: "This house is destitute, yet you are willing to marry me. With a wife like this, if you were really a fox demon, I would only say to you..."

"Say what?" she asked anxiously.

"Can I eat soft rice?"

"Husband is really good at joking," Zhang Cuicui threw herself into his arms.

The graveyard was in the south of Youju Town.

It is said that when the town was first established, that place was circled as a graveyard.

Zhao Chan pulled the mule's reins, the mule pulled the cart, and the coffin on the cart shook because the road was uneven. Wu Ting followed behind.

Although she was mentally prepared, she was also terrified.

Facing demons directly, that kind of fear deep in the bone marrow, Wu Ting felt her legs go soft just thinking about it.

"Is Sister Wu afraid?" Zhao Chan asked.

He looked around. They had left Youju Town for nearly two miles, and so far, he couldn't see a single demon.

However, an outsider who thought he was following them flawlessly was noticed by Zhao Chan, but he didn't take any action.

He could distinguish the stakes. Demons were the immediate threat in front of him, and those outsiders were behind the demons.

Wu Ting's face was pale, and she was also very honest: "Afraid."

Zhao Chan said again: "This matter is my idea. If there is danger, I will protect Sister Wu and return to the town even if I have to risk my life."

"Returning to Youju Town is not necessarily safe either," she said with a bitter smile. "According to what you said, now the Demon Slaying Division in Youju Town only has you and Wang Huan left, while there are many demons..."

"I will go to the Yang County Demon Slaying Division for help," Zhao Chan said.

Wu Ting asked strangely: "Why not hurry to Yang County for help? Why bury Lao Liu?"

He explained patiently: "If demons attack Youju Town after I leave, Brother Wang will be unable to support it alone. I want to kill as many demons as possible before I go for help to reduce the pressure on Brother Wang."

Those outsider cultivators were all capable, but they didn't offer any help.

Zhao Chan saw this point clearly and began to suspect their motives for coming to Youju Town.

Moreover, as early as when he killed the Mountain Ghost's avatar and exposed the miraculous nature of the peach branch, Wang Huan had already warned him to be wary of outsiders.

The graveyard was about nine miles away from Youju Town.

When they saw the graveyard, Zhao Chan and Wu Ting also saw the demons.

A group of demons, roughly counted, should be seven or eight.

They were lingering in the graveyard, as if swallowing the Yin Qi here. Some even dug up graves and swallowed the bones.

Zhao Chan was indifferent to this. In his understanding, the actions of demons were all violent and barbaric. Compared to swallowing bones, demons swallowing living people made him unable to endure and he wished to get rid of them quickly.

The mule was restless, and Wu Ting was shivering. She saw Zhao Chan clench the peach branch, eager to try.

As for the outsider who was following them from afar, when he saw the demons swallowing bones, he turned and left without wasting a single moment.

He said to himself: "Since they can swallow bones to absorb Yin Qi, they must be demons in the Middle-Grade Qi Gathering Realm. That kid is dead for sure."

Although the Yin Qi in the graveyard was strong, it was mixed, while the Yin Qi in the bones of the dead was more pure.

Whether it was a cultivator or a demon, only by reaching the Middle-Grade Qi Gathering Realm could one do this.

Wu Ting called out to Zhao Chan.

Because that group of demons rushed over.

"Sister Wu, don't worry," Zhao Chan said with a loud laugh.

In such a situation, perhaps only if he could laugh could he slightly soothe the terrified Wu Ting.

The demons' target was Wu Ting.

In their eyes, Wu Ting was an extremely sweet meal, especially the Yin Qi in her body, which was more vigorous than the Yin Qi in the graveyard, and its purity far exceeded that of the bones.

She hid behind the coffin, not daring to look at this group of ferocious and cruel demons, but she was worried about Zhao Chan, so she couldn't help but peek.

The young man clutched the peach branch and also rushed toward the demons.

She saw the demon that first approached Zhao Chan split into two halves without warning.

The next moment, the second demon followed suit and was slashed into two pieces by the peach branch.

He seemed to particularly like dismembering demons!

The third... the fourth...

Zhao Chan was bathed in demon blood, like a god of slaughter. Under his peach branch, this group of demons was not a match for a single blow.

His bravery gave Wu Ting great courage, and she gathered her courage and stood up.

Zhao Chan suddenly turned and ran back.

Wu Ting stared blankly, not knowing why.

He drew the Green Snake Sword he had been carrying on his back, as if throwing a spear, aimed at her, and threw it fiercely.

Wu Ting screamed and hurriedly squatted down.

Immediately after, she heard a deafening roar.

She turned her head to look, and was instantly scared out of her wits.

A demon with an eagle's head but a leopard's body pounced two zhang away from her, and half of the Green Snake Sword pierced into its neck.

It must have been him using the Green Snake Sword to "push" the demon away.

Zhao Chan ignored the five demons chasing him, jumped up with all his might, crossed the wailing mule, stepped on the coffin with his toes, and slashed the peach branch at the demon that was aiming to pounce on Wu Ting again.

The demon's eyes were blood-red, excited and crazy.

It almost brushed past Zhao Chan.

The demon fell beside the mule, splashing dust.

Zhao Chan landed steadily, caught his breath, and turned back to "entangle" with the five chasing demons.

It was called entanglement, but it was just him constantly killing them with the peach branch.

When the dust settled, Zhao Chan breathed a sigh of relief.

He tucked the peach branch into his belt and shouted to Wu Ting: "Sister Wu, it's okay now."

Wu Ting opened her eyes, her face covered in hot and foul-smelling demon blood. She wiped it tremblingly and looked at the eagle-headed, leopard-bodied demon.

Half of the long sword was still stuck in its neck.

It was no longer moving.

Not long after, the eagle head to the leopard body split into two.

Demon blood flowed into the soil instantly.

The outsider who followed Zhao Chan ran halfway, originally wanting to turn back to look at Zhao Chan's death.

He never expected.

What came into view was the young man killing a group of demons cleanly.

It was as happy and comfortable as cleaning a room, without showing any effort.

He shuddered.

That was a demon in the Middle-Grade Qi Gathering Realm!

The young Demon Slayer killed it so cleanly?

Huangfu Changqiu and Xun Lan looked at them from afar.

"That peach branch Zhao Chan is clutching is interesting. Even a demon in the Middle-Grade Qi Gathering Realm cannot withstand a single blow."

Xun Lan said slowly: "Where did he get it?"

"Ask him?"

"Let's see the situation. It would be bad if he treated us as villains coveting the peach branch."

"Compared to the peach branch, I appreciate Zhao Chan's courage to head toward the Tiger Mountain knowing there are tigers in the mountain." ===== CHAPTER 32 =====