Chapter 201: The Ability to Slay Gods

The sound of hooves, walking north all the way.

Lin Jue thought while walking.

This Luo Seng has a chivalrous spirit.

Lin Jue recalled that year, in fact, Luo Seng alone had the ability to kill that group of strange monkeys, and maybe it was very easy. At least if that old strange monkey didn't spit poisonous mist, he fought very easily.

As for how much trouble that poisonous mist could bring him, he didn't see it at that time, and he didn't know it now.

However, seeing that he contributed some effort, he was not stingy at all, and generously shared his silver with him.

Thinking carefully, he actually owed him a favor.

Just thinking, the Junior Xiao Shimei's voice came from beside: "Shixiong, is that really Jun Niangniang Jun Niangniang Yao Hua in the cave?"

While asking, she looked at Fuyao.

Fuyao had always been sensitive, turned its head instantly, and stared at her with strange eyes.

At the same time, it revealed a look of confusion.

I don't know what happened. Since coming here, these two people have always been looking at it.

Strange, strange...

The fox shook its head and continued forward.

"I don't know." Lin Jue answered, "And there's no need to delve into it."

"Oh."

Xiao Shimei nodded obediently.

The martial artist Luo beside him opened his mouth and said: "That 'Jun Niangniang Jun Niangniang Yao Hua' said to go north, and also said deep mountains and large marshes, miasma everywhere. I guess it is Kuze County. Only there are deep mountains, large marshes, and miasma."

"Kuze County?"

"This is an ancient place name. It is said that it was a large marsh a thousand years ago. Later, an immortal cut the water gate, released the flood, and it became a wetland where people could live." Luo Seng said while walking, "However, most of these places have heavy humidity and are not suitable for living. I don't know what happened, but later miasma was born, and there were many monsters. The people of Kuze County gradually moved out."

After finishing, he didn't forget to add:

"It is said that Runze County was originally a barren plain and dry land. It was precisely because the immortal opened the water gate that the water was released, and it became the rich water town it is today, hence the name Runze."

"How long will it take to walk?"

"It should be more than a hundred miles from here. They are all small paths and are not easy to walk. Maybe we will arrive outside Kuze County tomorrow afternoon. I don't know how long it will take to go in and find that horned snake." Luo Seng said, looked at them, especially the Junior Xiao Shimei, and added, "It will delay the Daoist Liu for a few days."

"No delay!"

The Junior Xiao Shimei said very quickly.

Lin Jue glanced at her, and then explained to Luo Seng: "Our eight Shixiong and Xiao Shimei came out of Mount Yishan, walked all the way, and have walked for half a year. Although we have a destination, we are never in a hurry to rush on the road. If we encounter monsters, ghosts, or other strange things on the road, we will stop for a while, and sometimes we can save some travel expenses, so Luo Gong doesn't need to say these things."

After hearing this, the Junior Xiao Shimei nodded repeatedly.

It's good to walk slowly.

The slower the better.

Luo Seng said: "Then the two Daoists can rest assured. Luo is not a stingy and greedy person. The rewards promised by the Runze County government and the big households in the village will definitely have a share for you."

"I don't have that meaning..."

Lin Jue smiled, but didn't push it too much.

As Luo Seng said, there were not many people living in that place, so naturally there were no main roads, let alone horse roads.

Walking all the way, they were all small paths.

Sometimes they even had to cut through thorns.

Unknowingly, the sky darkened.

Everyone found a place by the river to avoid the wind, cut some soft withered grass, spread it on the ground to isolate the cold, and found some withered wood as firewood.

"Luo is used to walking the rivers and lakes, and only brought some cakes. However, there seem to be wild pheasants here. The two Daoists wait here for a while, I will go and return, maybe I can have a tooth sacrifice." Luo Seng said so, took down the bow and arrow hanging on the horse's back, and was about to walk to the mountain.

Unexpectedly, there was movement in the grass forest beside him.

A white fox and a colored civet walked out backwards one after another, each dragging a colorful wild chicken, both very fat and beautiful.

The two beasts saw him looking at them, and even glanced at him strangely.

Luo Seng was silent and put back the bow and arrow.

Seeing that the female Daoist set up a stove in an open space not far away and piled up firewood, he wanted to find fire velvet and take flint, but saw the female Daoist point at the firewood pile.

With a "peng" sound, the firewood pile ignited.

Luo Seng had seen many people who knew magic,

So he had no choice but to go and dress the wild chicken.

He returned carrying the wild chicken, preparing to roast it, but saw that the two Daoist priests had already taken out pots, bowls, ladles, and basins from the bamboo baskets on the donkeys' backs, along with many small porcelain bottles containing seasonings; they had already started cooking rice and were waiting for him.

Luo Seng was helpless and had to hand the wild chicken over to them.

Originally, he had thought that since he was the one inviting them to help him for the sake of safety, he should naturally handle these chores along the way, but unexpectedly, in the end, he was the one who was more at leisure.

And while these two Daoist priests might not be as experienced in the jianghu as he was, they were living much more comfortably on this journey than he was.

Cooking rice and stewing chicken, eating until full and satisfied.

For a moment, his whole body warmed up.

This is the only way to sleep well in the wilderness.

Lin Jue still took out the night-watch lamp with nine lotus petals, found a relatively flat stone to serve as a table, lit the lamp and placed it on top, and only then lay down.

Before he knew it, the sky was full of stars, so dense and numerous that it seemed the sky could not contain them.

His eyes naturally could not contain them either.

It was about midnight.

The fox, lying next to Lin Jue, was the first to lift its head, its eyes full of doubt, looking all around.

For some reason, even though it hadn't heard any movement or seen any figures, it always had a strange feeling.

After a moment of thought, it decisively chose to wake Lin Jue.

Just as its nose touched Lin Jue's face, preparing to nudge him awake, it saw the flame of the lamp on the stone flare up brightly.

"Bang!"

A loud explosion startled everyone awake.

Luo Seng and the Xiao Xiao Shimei were both light sleepers and woke up immediately; one grabbed his saber and the other touched her sword, both sitting straight up.

Although Lin Jue had been sleeping warmly and peacefully, he also opened his eyes instantly.

The three of them looked around, but there was nothing there.

"Who?"

Lin Jue glanced at the night-watch lamp and spoke.

"The world is vast..."

The Xiao Xiao Shimei had already begun to chant the Manifestation Spell.

However, before she could finish, four figures appeared beside the weeds ahead.

Three military officers wearing armor inside and surcoats outside, and one civil official dressed in vermilion robes, were looking at them.

"Do not chant anymore. This is a spell given by divine beings to mortals who are not proficient in magic to make demons and ghosts manifest; we are divine beings, so it will have no effect," the vermilion-robed civil official said.

"Is it you?" Luo Seng said.

"Why has County Commandant Luo come here?" the vermilion-robed civil official said, "And with two companions?"

Lin Jue frowned upon hearing them speak.

He already had a guess in his heart.

"I have urgent business in Kuze County." Luo Seng stared at them with some displeasure, "Why are you here too?"

"County Commandant Luo, do not misunderstand. We have not been following you all along. It's just that we searched that wilderness area and did not find our Princess, so we are also going to Kuze County to search."

"Hmm?"

Luo Seng narrowed his eyes, his mind turning, and he understood: "You suspect that your Princess is hiding in the miasma forest of Kuze County?"

Upon hearing this, the vermilion-robed civil official was clearly startled.

But he dared not answer, only aiming his eyes at the two Daoist priests beside Luo Seng, changing the subject: "May I ask the two Daoist priests, have you ever encountered any strange things on the wilderness outside Qingyan County?"

The Xiao Xiao Shimei and the fox both looked at Lin Jue, waiting for his answer.

A flash of 'as expected' crossed Lin Jue's eyes.

He then felt that this was just right—

Ever since he realized that Princess Hua did not want to return to the Western Peak, Lin Jue had not wanted to go back to deliver the letter for her; later, when he discovered that Princess Hua was almost hiding and fleeing, he wanted to deliver this letter even less.

This was because this was no longer an ordinary family letter; delivering it himself would not necessarily lead to trouble, but it was unlikely to earn him any favor either.

But he had already promised; how could he break his word?

Meeting these four divine officials was just right.

So Lin Jue spoke very decisively:

"I have encountered it!"

The vermilion-robed divine official was startled again upon hearing this.

Originally, it was just a routine inquiry after meeting strangers at night, but he hadn't expected to actually get an answer.

The vermilion-robed divine official hurriedly asked: "What kind of strangeness?"

"Who are you?"

Lin Jue asked back first.

"I am the Eastern Peak Touring Divine Official under the seat of the Western Peak Prefecture Lord, and the three people beside me are the Mountain-Guarding Divine Officials under the Prefecture Lord's command," the vermilion-robed divine official said.

"Daoist priests have ordination certificates; do you have any proof?"

"We have tokens and seals as proof!"

The vermilion-robed divine official took out the token and seal and showed them to him.

Lin Jue didn't actually see them clearly, but it didn't matter; it wasn't an important matter anyway. He just turned around, took a golden hairpin from the book satchel beside him, and said to them:

"The strangeness we encountered is precisely your Princess."

"Really?"

The vermilion-robed divine official was greatly shocked.

The three military officers behind him were also moved.

Luo Seng had an 'as expected' expression on his face.

"This is the golden dangling hairpin from the phoenix crown the Princess wore when she was married!" The vermilion-robed divine official immediately stared at him, "Where is the Princess? Where did you meet her? Why did she give you her hairpin?"

"It was on the wilderness outside Qingyan County, but she is no longer there now, and we don't know where she went." Lin Jue did not mention the Third Senior Brother, only saying, "We were traveling at night and encountered heavy rain, unable to find a place to stay; she let us stay for a night. Hearing that we were heading to the capital, she used this as a token and asked us to bring a verbal message to the Western Peak Prefecture Lord; there was nothing else."

"What verbal message?"

"She said she keeps the Prefecture Lord's kindness in raising and teaching her in her heart, but she has already repaid it. It is just a pity that the Wei Shui River God was short-lived; now she has sought another husband and married another, so it is inconvenient for her to remarry. In a few years, she will go back to see the Prefecture Lord again." Lin Jue said truthfully, "Just these few sentences."

Several people gasped even more, looking at each other.

At this moment, there was only one thought in their hearts—

It seems they found her, but it seems they are even less able to complete their mission.

"Is there a written letter from the Princess?"

"No."

"Then where did you meet the Princess? Take us there to see immediately!" The vermilion-robed divine official said anxiously.

"Hmm? Taking you to see is fine, but right now I am accompanying Brother Luo to Kuze County to seek a method of detoxification for the people of Runze County; even if I take you there, we will have to wait until we return."

"No! This matter is of great importance!" The vermilion-robed divine official said nervously, "Take us there quickly! If we cannot find the Princess, you will have to follow us back to the Western Peak to explain it clearly to the Prefecture Lord! Rest assured, my Prefecture Lord will certainly not make things difficult for you, and there will surely be a generous reward!"

"I do not covet those things." Lin Jue frowned.

"No! What important matter? Is it more important than the lives of the people of Runze County?" Luo Seng also frowned, standing out and saying.

"Audacious!"

The several armored military officers behind the vermilion-robed divine official immediately took a step forward and said: "Do you know who the Western Peak Prefecture Lord is?"

Another military officer sternly rebuked: "The divine Prefecture Lord has given an order; how dare you Daoist practitioners not obey?"

"Are divine beings not also established by people? As divine beings, shouldn't you prioritize people?" Lin Jue said, "Besides, although I am a Daoist, I am a Daoist of the Lingfa Sect; even if the Prefecture Lord is great, what does that have to do with me?"

"Daoist Lin's words are correct." Luo Seng also said, his tone unfriendly, "Although the Western Peak Prefecture Lord has a high status in the human world, he is only a mountain god, and his duties are only within the mountains of the Western Peak. You don't manage the favorable weather and the demons and ghosts near the Western Peak well, but come to order us around; have your brains been smoked by incense?"

"Outrageous!"

A military officer stepped forward holding his sword, speaking with a voice that faintly carried divine power, echoing endlessly in the mountain forest.

"You, a dismissed County Commandant, actually dare to be so disrespectful to the Prefecture Lord; do you know what your crime is?"

"The night before last, we only saw that you were full of integrity and had done many good deeds for the people during your tenure in Wanan County, and had a good reputation, so we didn't want to haggle with you; do you really think we are afraid of you?"

Several military officers had their eyes wide open and eyebrows raised, and with their tall, sturdy, and broad-shouldered builds, they truly had the air of the guardian deity statues in temples and shrines.

Their voices were like thunder.

If it were small demons or ghosts, they would probably be scared to death.

"Then why don't you draw your swords?"

Luo Seng was not afraid at all, simply gripping the saber in his hand.

This saber was no ordinary saber.

It was a family heirloom treasure saber.

From the previous dynasty to the present, it had seen countless battles, weathered many storms of blood, and beheaded countless heads, including many famous ministers and generals, as well as many demons, ghosts, and extraordinary people; it did not know how many wandering souls it had created or how much malevolent energy it had accumulated.

Just since it had been in his hands, it had beheaded thirty-nine demons and fifteen ghosts.

It was just a pity it had never beheaded a divine being.

"I have long heard that the great generals of the previous dynasty had the ability to behead gods, and their deeds have been passed down to this day; do you guess whether Luo has this ability and courage?"

Luo Seng's eyes were bright, staring straight at them.

"You..."

The several divine officials were truly bluffed by him for a moment.

After a standoff for a while, they actually retreated.