Chapter 327: The Ren Xiao

"The matter is this—we arrived to find nothing…"

"The man hasn't been caught yet, but every key route has been guarded by experts, and they're also searching the old mine shaft…"

In the meditation chamber, Master Chengjue's expression was grim.

Hearing that the wild man had been captured, not only Sha Sha Li Fei but even Li Yan took great interest and followed Lu San to Baotong Chan Temple.

Inside Baotong Chan Temple, everything was in chaos; Master Chengjue, who was in charge of this matter, was precisely the one Li Yan casually questioned about yesterday's events.

Po Liu Han Baling died outside Lianxi Temple…

The barbarian king's tomb concealed an untransformed bone…

Agents from the Tian Sheng Sect and the Tusi City had also secretly infiltrated to sabotage.

One by one, these events left Li Yan stunned.

He had been preoccupied with crafting talismans, and since Near Wuchang already had many experts, he hadn't gotten deeply involved.

He hadn't expected so much to happen in just one day.

After hearing all the intelligence, Li Yan pondered briefly, then spoke: "They stole the Hong Red Mohe to evade the Yin Si's surveillance—some demon has returned from death!"

Po Liu Han Baling's identity had long been exposed; the Chan sect had been secretly searching for him, yet never imagined he was hiding right under their noses.

Master Chengjue nodded: "We suspected the same."

"According to the surviving Miao man, those who first opened the barbarian king's tomb perished without exception; the untransformed bone within even emerged at night to attack people, though it was later sealed…"

"The identity of Ge Lai Elder has also been confirmed—he is a Bao Bao practitioner from the Qianxi branch of the Profound Exploration lineage, skilled in corpse-driving techniques, ruthless in method, and long ago placed under arrest warrant by the Enforcement Hall…"

"After obtaining the Hong Red Mohe, he entered the underground cavern; when he emerged, the untransformed bone had donned clothing and could speak—it must be an ancient spirit from the Ghost Sect who has returned from death."

"The Ghost Sect's scheme in Near Wuchang had two aims: first, to disrupt the land's qi through fengshui arrangements; second, to aid this ancient spirit's return. Yet they still succeeded."

Master Chengjue's eyes were filled with regret.

So much effort, countless lives lost back and forth—though Near Wuchang's three cities narrowly escaped disaster, they still fell one move short.

Li Yan said gravely: "The Ghost Sect's poison has endured for a thousand years; Zhao Zhao Changsheng is especially cunning, laying traps everywhere—how easily could he be defeated?"

"But now the truth is out in the open—Zhao Zhao Changsheng's identity is no longer secret. All Daoist lineages across the land will be on guard; eventually, they will catch him."

"By the way, what about this wild man?"

Master Chengjue replied: "The wild man was captured outside Lianxi Temple. He was originally controlled by the Tian Sheng Sect through Gushu, and the demon left without taking him."

"Wild men aren't rare; many places across Shenzhou have them. The demon hunters are most skilled at handling them and have detailed classifications."

Saying this, he pulled out a booklet, opened it, and handed it to Li Yan.

Li Yan glanced at the cover—it read "Da Xuan Guai Lu."

He had heard of this book from Hong Red Yecha, the demon hunter of Chang'an—it was a sacred text every demon hunter must read, documenting every mountain spirit and wild monster ever recorded.

The opened page described the wild man.

As he read, Master Chengjue explained: "So far, five types of wild men have been identified."

"The Gan Giant—lives in the forests of Ganzhou, has a human face with long lips, black hairy body, backward-facing heels, laughs when seeing humans, and often carries a bamboo tube, skilled at blowing poisoned arrows…"

"Shen Kui—inhabits the mountains near the Wei River, has a human face and beast body, one arm and one leg, is a mountain spirit, skilled at controlling chimei…"

"Shan Du—understands human nature, possesses intelligence, moves like the wind, excels at throwing stones, is curious, yet rarely attacks villages…"

"The final type is the pitiful."

"The One-Legged Shan Xiao is lustful, often abducting women into the mountains, sometimes giving birth to children who are half-human, half-beast, covered in fur—called Ren Xiao."

"Many years ago, the Inside Shennongjia region was overrun by Shan Xiao; they frequently invaded villages, abducted women, and even produced a demon king who could summon wind and ghosts, calling himself the One-Legged Great King."

"The Zhenwu Palace and our Baotong Chan Temple cooperated, summoned many demon hunters, and together eradicated these Shan Xiao…"

Li Yan nodded: "I've heard of this."

In Unlike Yichang's City God Temple, they bought Shan Xiao fur—collected by hunters of the Meishan Fa Sect; the temple keeper Daoist Yu Feng Lingzi had also mentioned this large-scale operation from years past.

Master Chengjue hesitated, then shook his head: "Actually, there was one thing we never revealed."

"That group of Shan Xiao abducted women and gave birth to hundreds of Ren Xiao. Someone proposed exterminating them all, but they were infants, and had committed no crimes—we couldn't bring ourselves to kill them."

"To preserve the women's reputations, we couldn't take them away, so we let them return to Inside Shennongjia."

"The one captured now is likely one of those original Ren Xiao—if so, this Ren Xiao clan has probably been enslaved by the Tian Sheng Sect."

"We cured his poison, but this Ren Xiao speaks only Shangfang language, so we asked Master Lu to assist."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

Sha Sha Li Fei's eyes gleamed with interest: "Perfect chance to see it firsthand…"

…………

"Roar!"

With a low roar, a massive black shadow lunged forward, its chains snapping taut with violent force.

"Damn!"

Behind the iron bars, Sha Sha Li Fei sucked in a sharp breath.

This was Baotong Chan Temple's prison—they also served the Enforcement Hall and used it to detain rogue Daoist cultivators.

The Ren Xiao was locked inside.

It was enormous—over two meters tall, muscles coiled like ropes, covered in black fur, dressed in stitched animal hides.

Even its face was thick with black hair, square-headed and massive-eyed, glaring at them with furious snarls.

"Hmph!"

At Master Chengjue's cold snort, the Ren Xiao immediately stepped back two paces—it had clearly suffered at the monk's hands before.

Master Chengjue shook his head slightly, turning to Lu San: "Master Lu, please."

Lu San nodded, stepped forward, formed a hand seal, and began uttering rapid, guttural clicks and trills.

Shangfang language—even the shamans of the Northern Frontier and the Five Immortals Sect rarely possessed Lu San's innate mastery.

Hearing Shangfang, the wild man visibly froze.

Yet he still remained wary, refusing to speak.

Naturally, this posed no challenge to Lu San; after patient coaxing, the wild man finally replied, his voice equally full of trills and clicks.

Li Yan and the others stood quietly, waiting.

Trilled speech isn't rare—the older the language, the more trills it contains; over time, such features fade.

Shangfang language, being the tongue of all spirits and monsters, retained this trait—and especially so.

"His name is Wu Ba Hu Ba Lu Ba…"

After a while, Lu San turned and shook his head: "He doesn't know what happened—he only knows someone used thunder and fire to kill the Inside Shennongjia mountain god, and many powerful demons."

"His tribe was ambushed; many grew worms inside their bodies, were taken for blood sacrifices. He was captured and fed some worms, then lost all memory after that…"

"He doesn't even know he's in Inside Shennongjia—or when he arrived here…"

"I see."

Upon hearing this, Master Chengjue looked distinctly disappointed.

He had hoped to extract intelligence on the Tian Sheng Sect from this wild man, but he was clearly clueless.

Li Yan, however, had a sudden thought: "Master Master Chengjue, I recall something."

"Near Shangjin City, in the mountains, we communicated with mountain spirits and learned that in Jingchu's forests, someone is systematically hunting mountain spirits and monsters to cultivate demonic body immortality techniques."

"Now it's clear—it's the Tian Sheng Sect. With so many spirits killed, there must be many practitioners of this dark art."

Master Chengjue narrowed his eyes: "The battle reports from Zhushan County didn't mention this—they're hiding another force."

"Master Li's information arrives just in time—I'll notify them immediately, so the imperial army can prepare." "Also, the Near Wuchang Prince has agreed to the Tu Long's demands, but we still need Master Lu to communicate—otherwise, some matters can't proceed."

"Naturally."

Li Yan nodded slightly.

The group prepared to leave the prison.

Only Lu San glanced back, seeing the wild man's eyes filled with terror and panic, and couldn't help asking: "What will you do with this wild man?"

Master Chengjue fell silent for a moment: "I'll report it upward, but by Enforcement Hall rules, once they leave the mountains, they're usually eliminated—to prevent future harm."

"Kill him?"

Lu San stopped, staring again at the wild man.

Sha Sha Li Fei sighed helplessly: "Lu San, you're not seriously thinking of keeping this thing, are you?"

"What if he goes berserk and hurts someone? And taking him out? He'd scare people to death!"

!.

Li Yan also shook his head slightly, preparing to dissuade him.

The wild man may be rare, but he's unsuitable to keep close.

The Enforcement Hall's rules are correct—they are the shield between Daoists and common folk; even rogue cultivators must be killed, let alone such aberrations.

Lu San stared at the crouching wild man, paused, then suddenly spoke: "He… reminds me of myself."

Li Yan instantly understood why.

Lu San possessed extraordinary talent; perhaps due to some strange omen at birth, he was abandoned and raised by a simple village guardian.

Villagers sometimes gave him food, but most avoided him; no children played with him—he grew up roaming mountains and forests, nearly like a wild man.

Now, at least, he had companions like them.

Meeting this wild man inevitably stirred feelings of kinship.

Thinking of this, Li Yan shook his head slightly and looked at Master Chengjue: "Master, is this possible?"

Lu San was their treasure—hardworking, loyal, and never before asked for anything; they must find a way to grant this request.

Master Chengjue pondered, then nodded: "Excellent. Master Lu is compassionate—this is acceptable."

"But if he goes berserk and hurts someone."

Li Yan said solemnly: "Don't worry, I'll handle it then."

Sha Li-fei grimaced: "Forget it, forget it—you two really know how to cause chaos. Even if the thing is obedient, it's still hard to carry around."

"Once we enter Near Wuchang City, the whole city will be in chaos!"

Li Yan turned to look at the wild man.

"Simple—shave off his hair!"

…………

At the Ezhou Merchants' Guild Hall, a commotion erupted outside.

Something went wrong during the Dragon Boat Race; though the fengshui formation was ultimately completed, many died in the process.

Especially those dragon boat rowers—they were all pillars of their families. Some were lucky, only suffering burns; others died on the spot.

Even though the Guild had offered compensation, a few families remained dissatisfied. They carried coffins, dressed the entire household in mourning garb, and blocked the Guild's entrance, wailing bitterly.

Logically, they wouldn't dare do such a thing.

But there are always exceptions.

The Dragon Boat Race was personally overseen by Guild Master Wu Wu Honglin.

At month's end, the position of Guild Master will be re-elected.

Even though Wu Wu Honglin has the backing of the Prince of Near Wuchang, Zhao Squire, the Deputy Guild Master of Ezhou, also wants to vie for the post.

After all, Wu Wu Honglin first failed to discipline his son, who was bewitched by a demon; now this mishap has occurred—he's bound to draw criticism.

Zhao Squire wants to make this incident explode.

Right now, many in the Guild are watching, waiting to see which side will ultimately prevail.

But in the Tian family courtyard, the atmosphere was entirely different.

Po Liu Han Ba Ling was dead; since this body had originally belonged to the Tian family, the Enforcement Hall returned it.

"My son..."

Seeing the headless corpse, Lady Tian was overcome with grief.

No matter what Tian Han's past identity had been, he was still her flesh and blood; she couldn't accept it in an instant and fainted.

The three Tian brothers were also pale-faced.

Especially Tian Squire—his emotions were complex. Was this his father? His benefactor? Or his second son? He no longer knew how to address him.

Li Yan patted his shoulder. "Tian Squire, please control your grief. Don't dwell on it. When he entered the Buddhist path, he severed all earthly ties. Your Tian family will no longer suffer such troubles."

Tian Squire's lips were dry. "Old man... sigh... just bury him properly. Thank you, Li Li Shaoxia, for saving us. Without you, my whole family would have perished."

The youngest of the Tian brothers, having little memory of his father and never having met Tian Han, was the first to recover. He sighed helplessly: "Of course we'll bury him properly."

"But what should we write on the ancestral tablet?"

Tian Wei, the eldest son of Tian Squire, looked conflicted. "Just write... Po."

"Fine."

Tian Squire nodded, then turned to Li Yan and bowed. "Li Li Shaoxia, to prevent any mishaps, could you ask Daoist Wang to handle this matter, then perform a ritual to help the deceased enter reincarnation swiftly?"

Li Yan nodded. "Naturally."

He wouldn't say that Po Liu Han Ba Ling's soul was likely already scattered to the winds—if it truly reached the Underworld, that would be a true tragedy.

After comforting everyone further, Li Yan returned inside.

Inside, Lu San, Sha Li-fei, and Daoist Wang were all there, staring intently at the center.

On the table sat a large basin of braised pork hock and a full basin of baked buns.

Beside them sat the wild man, towering in stature; ordinary chairs and tables were like children's toys to him.

All his black fur had been shaved clean; though his face still bore a scruffy beard, he now looked at least human.

Only when he opened his mouth did a few sharp canine teeth show.

He ate like a starving ghost reborn—gulping down one large bun at a time, devouring the pork hock in mere bites.

But after eating a few buns, he would fidget, touch his body, then burst into loud sobs.

Ever since being shaved, the wild man had gone slightly mad.

Sha Li-fei sucked in a breath. "Good heavens, this thing eats like a furnace—feeding him will cost a fortune in grain."

Lu San just kept grinning.

Li Yan chuckled silently, saying nothing more.

Unlike what he'd expected, this xian creature, though mentally underdeveloped—barely on par with a child—had, after communication with Lu San and lowering his guard, become somewhat simple-minded and no longer showed his berserk nature.

Keeping him around wasn't bad—Lu San could use the company.

"Lu San, I forgot—what's his name?"

"Wu Ba Hu Ba Lu Ba..."

"Too long. Just call him Wu Ba!"

Second chapter update later

(End of Chapter)