Chapter 500: The Story of the Qiang Ghosts

"It's a flying jiang! Be careful!"

The Tiefo Sect's Yun Tong let out a furious roar.

Even without him saying it, the others had already raised their guard.

Jiangshi are one of the major categories of evil entities.

Their types are numerous, and their origins vary widely.

Some classify them as blood jiang, yin jiang, flesh jiang, skin jiang, jade jiang, walking jiang, false jiang, sweat jiang…

Others divide them into spirit jiang, golden jiang, silver jiang, purple jiang, white jiang, green jiang, untransformed bone, flying jiang…

The flying jiang is undoubtedly the most terrifying of them all.

Some say this creature is a jiang that has cultivated into a demon, capable of killing immortals and devouring gods, moving like the wind, flying a thousand li, and sucking out human essence and blood within a hundred steps.

Others claim this thing has already earned the title of drought demon.

Legends abound, but few have actually seen one.

Even these demon hunters are no exception.

"Quick, back-to-back formation!"

Yu Qing, the most experienced among them, immediately shouted orders.

The other demon hunters understood at once, instantly drawing inward, bows and crossbows and long spears in hand, backs pressed together, watching all directions.

"Form a circle formation!"

Liu Company Commander also shouted loudly.

The soldiers of the garrison, though all ordinary men, were better trained and immediately clustered into a circle, spears and halberds like a forest, muskets facing outward.

This was the circle formation used in military combat.

The Sun Bin Art of War's "Ten Formations" states: "There are ten formations: square formation, circle formation… The circle formation is for consolidation."

"Zhuan" means "borrowed for 'group,'" indicating the circle formation is primarily defensive, used to resist enemy advances.

This formation is also commonly used when trapped in peril.

With comrades back-to-back and muskets in hand, the soldiers finally felt a sliver of safety.

"Master Mobile Corps Commander, do you have a plan?"

Among the crowd, Yu Qing asked in a low voice.

As the most experienced, he held the highest cultivation among the demon hunters and understood Wang Daoxuan's true power better than most—though he never clung to him like Chen Sanbang and the others did.

Wang Daoxuan glanced around and said gravely: "This flying jiang moves extremely fast. The fact we didn't notice it earlier means it's skilled at concealing its aura."

"There are too many trees here—find an open area!"

Yu Qing frowned slightly, looking toward the village entrance.

As the sun set, within moments, mist had risen thickly there, obscuring vision—indicating the Dragon-Imprisoning Array's evil ground had fully activated.

Even using the Breaking-Seal Step would make escape difficult.

"Move! Form up and enter the village!"

He gave the order without hesitation.

Opposite him, Liu Company Commander glanced at Yun Tong; seeing him nod, he ordered the soldiers to form up and advance toward the village.

Suddenly, two soldiers stopped in their tracks.

"Huh… huh…"

Their faces twisted in terror, emitting strange, phlegmy gurgles.

Those nearby turned and were instantly chilled to the bone.

The two men trembled violently, their eyes rapidly filling with blood, mouths agape, fine beads of blood oozing from their tongues, eyes, and nasal passages.

A chilling wind surged around them, drawing the blood droplets away into the dark depths.

"There! Fire!"

Liu Company Commander roared and gave the order immediately.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Muskets erupted in continuous thunder.

They couldn't compare at all to the Wang Fu musket unit.

Their muskets were merely the most basic fire lances—obsolete relics discarded by the Great Xuan Divine Mechanism Corps years ago.

Newer muskets had been issued to regional garrisons.

Worse, they fired without discipline, randomly and chaotically.

Yet even so, the dense volleys carried considerable power.

"Roar—!"

A inhuman shriek echoed from the dense forest.

Then, the sound of rustling branches faded into the distance.

Thud! Thud! The two soldiers collapsed to the ground, faces pale, blood streaming from all seven orifices, lifeless.

"Go! Move quickly!"

Liu Company Commander's eyes bulged with rage; he barked orders immediately.

He had seen jiang before—on the battlefield, all manner of strange things had occurred.

But nothing this vicious had ever crossed his path.

Ignoring the two corpses on the ground, the group pressed on. Fortunately, after being startled, the flying jiang did not launch another ambush.

They traveled safely and finally entered the village.

The village clung to the mountainside, littered with earthen slopes and stone steps; houses of all sizes lay abandoned, chaotic yet strangely orderly.

They reached a broad platform halfway up the hill.

The terrain here was open, with no obstructions nearby; the nearest house stood over a hundred meters away, the ground paved with blue stone, and grass sparse—some method had clearly suppressed its growth.

The group arranged their formation, cautiously on guard.

At this distance, even if the flying jiang struck, they would see it coming.

"Alright, we'll hold here on this threshing floor until dawn!"

Liu Company Commander surveyed the surroundings and gave his order gravely.

He now felt some regret.

He didn't regret coming—soldiers ate the emperor's grain and earned merit through blood and steel; without connections, every posting demanded fighting.

He regretted his haste—fearing the demonic troublemakers might flee, he'd entered the village at dusk, never expecting this.

"Sir, this isn't a threshing floor."

A squad leader bowed and said: "This is the Yihua Ping."

"I'm from a Qiang village—every village has an 'Yihua Ping.' When major matters arise, the 'Zhaishou' and 'Zhaolao' summon every adult male to attend; everyone may speak. In Qiang, it's called 'Er Mu Zi Ba.'"

"Hmm. Focus."

Liu Company Commander frowned, clearly uninterested.

His head ached—he had no time for folk customs.

But Wang Daoxuan, behind him, listened thoughtfully.

This place was unsuitable for a village—no soil could be farmed, let alone a threshing floor.

Yet it had endured for so long, meaning external resources must have sustained it.

Realizing this, Wang Daoxuan whispered to Yu Qing beside him.

Yu Qing nodded, stepped to Liu Company Commander's side, and bowed: "Master Mobile Corps Commander wishes to speak with this officer."

Liu Company Commander frowned slightly but made no objection.

Though he didn't understand occult arts, he could read the signs.

He'd noticed earlier: the demon hunters held deep respect for that Daoist, deferring to his judgment.

Once the squad leader was brought over, Wang Daoxuan smiled and asked: "This officer says this place is a Qiang village?"

"I dare not presume—I'm Wa Saji."

The squad leader bowed quickly.

Wa Saji was a common Qiang name, meaning "boy born in the Year of the Monkey."

Wang Daoxuan nodded slightly and continued: "Do your Qiang villages have customs regarding such places?"

The squad leader glanced around and shook his head: "Our Qiang have 'Shibi'—in Han, called 'Duan Gong.' They say life must face the sun, dwell where sunlight shines, so the White Stone God may protect us."

"Oh?"

Wang Daoxuan pressed: "Tell me about this White Stone God."

The squad leader nodded and began: "The 'Shibi' often tell us a tale—the Qiang-Gei War."

"Our Qiang are descendants of Yan and Huang, children of Great Yu. After the Shang overthrew the Xia, we were forced southward, fighting the 'Gei people' here. Following divine instruction, we defeated the Gei with white stones—and since then, white stone has been sacred."

"In every Qiang village, every household venerates the White Stone God. We say: 'Stone-built houses stand firm; three white stones stand atop the roof.' With the White Stone God's protection, no evil spirit dares disturb us."

Wang Daoxuan listened, and his heart grew even more puzzled.

Wang Daoxuan's doubts deepened.

He'd assumed this was some secret scheme of the Worship Dragon Sect—but now it seemed not.

Why would a deserted Qiang village be deliberately built in this evil ground? What was the Worship Dragon Sect doing here?

A thought struck Wang Daoxuan; he gazed into the distance and asked gravely: "On the way here, did you see any houses that venerated white stones?"

"That's precisely what I'm about to say."

【101】 The squad leader's face turned grave: "This village is built entirely of stone—undoubtedly an ancient Qiang settlement—but no white stones are venerated, and it's built here. This is no accident."

"You think I don't know that?"

A nearby demon hunter, listening intently, muttered, "It's all yin-sha dead zones—only ghosts would live here."

"Exactly ghosts!"

The platoon leader swallowed hard. "I suspect this place is the legendary Ghost Qiang from the 'Shibi' tales."

!.

"During the Qiang-Ge war, there was a tribe of Ge people who were terrifying—short but powerfully built, with bulging eyes and tails, like demons, capable of demonic arts, and turning into demons after death."

"Some 'Shibi' among the Qiang united, abandoned worship of the White Stone God, and transformed into ghosts to suppress the vengeful spirits of these 'Ge people.'"

"I've been to many Qiang villages and heard the tale of the 'Ghost Qiang,' but no one ever knew where it was."

This explanation only made Wang Daoxuan more confused.

The Qiang were an ancient tribe.

As this platoon leader said, they were descendants of Yan and Huang, descended from Yu the Great, allied with the Xia, later attacked by the Shang, and aided the Zhou in overthrowing the Shang during the Ji Shang war.

Those ancient tribal grudges had long since become only legends.

According to this platoon leader, the Qiang-Ge war should have occurred during the Shang dynasty; this Ghost Qiang's arrangement must have endured for countless years.

How had it become tied to the Dragon Worship Cult?

Boom!

At that moment, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted from the northern end of the village.

The shot instantly drew everyone's attention.

Yu Qing immediately looked up, his expression grim. "Chen Sanbang and his men don't have guns—there are others here!"

"It must be the demonic cultists behind this!"

Liu Company Commander's eyes lit up as he stepped forward, gritting his teeth. "Ordinary guns don't make this sound—it's a new-style fire-arm!"

As he spoke, his heart pounded.

Demonic cultists raising zombies… and new-style firearms…

They'd caught a big fish!

Upon hearing this, Yu Qing frowned and shook his head. "They've likely encountered a flying jiang—*that's* the real threat. We'd better not move recklessly."

Liu Company Commander instantly felt reluctant.

Everyone had seen how terrifying the flying jiang was.

He knew that without these demon hunters' help, rushing in to capture them would only invite disaster.

They might not even catch the culprits—and lose many lives in the process.

But soon, he smiled.

Boom! Boom!

Two more gunshots rang out in the distance.

And they were drawing nearer.

"Quick, set ambushes—prepare!"

Liu Company Commander ordered at once.

Soldiers and demon hunters alike immediately scattered and hid.

The power of new-style firearms was now common knowledge.

No one dared face them head-on—ambushes were best.

Indeed, not long after, heavy, chaotic footsteps echoed from afar, accompanied by flashes of fire and continuous screams.

Soon, the group appeared across from them.

There were over thirty of them, a wildly mixed bunch.

Monks and Daoists, burly figures from the martial world, even seven or eight hunters dressed as villagers.

Chen Sanbang and several other demon hunters trapped here were among them—but their weapons had been taken, and their hands bound with hemp ropes.

They had indeed encountered the flying jiang.

Amidst the flickering firelight, Wang Daoxuan and the others finally saw clearly.

The flying jiang was not tall; its hair hung loose, its skin pitch-black, its clothing rotted into tattered rags, caked with mud—no form could be discerned.

This evil thing moved with shocking speed, its body rigid, billowing thick black smoke as it darted between ruins.

Each time it flashed through the air, someone was snatched up and torn apart.

Among them were sorcerers wielding divine fire-guns, but they could not track the flying jiang's movements—only fired wildly.

"There's an ambush ahead!"

One of the Daoists suddenly shouted.

Clearly, he had used his spiritual powers to detect them.

Without concealment techniques or arrays, and with so many garrison soldiers, they couldn't hide from a sorcerer with spiritual insight.

One scar-faced man immediately pressed his knife against Chen Sanbang's throat and barked, "Listen up, whoever's up there—if anyone moves, I'll slit this boy's throat right now!"

They'd been chased by the flying jiang with no escape—so even with an ambush ahead, they had no choice but to sprint forward to Yihua Ping.

This place was open, better for defense.

These people also formed a back-to-back formation.

One lama held a vajra club, slammed it into the ground, then sat cross-legged, hands in mudra, muttering incessantly.

The chanting was profoundly deep, echoing through the night sky.

"Tong Shen Tong!"

Wang Daoxuan, seeing this, immediately grew wary.

When Tong Shen Tong is cultivated to a high level, it enhances spellcasting—this lama must be at the Third Level of Dao.

Yun Tong of the Iron Buddha Temple's gaze sharpened instantly.

"It's the demon monk Duoji!"

Liu Company Commander quickly asked, "Who is he?"

Yun Tong said grimly, "He's a Tibetan Vajrayana monk from the Sakya Monastery, exiled for breaking precepts, come to Shu to stir up trouble—long wanted by the Enforcement Hall."

"He was involved in the recent disturbances at Dujiangyan—no wonder he vanished afterward; he'd come here to cause havoc!"

Liu Company Commander didn't fully understand, but he grasped one thing: this big fish might just swallow them whole.

The Tibetan monk chanted loudly; though the language was unintelligible, the flying jiang was affected—it roared in pain.

Boom! Boom!

Two men in the group immediately fired.

The new-style firearms were devastating—there was a thunderous blast, and the flying jiang, unable to dodge, had its right arm blown apart.

"Roar—!"

With a piercing scream, the flying jiang vanished into darkness.

"Fire!"

The moment the flying jiang fled, Liu Company Commander ordered.

The surrounding soldiers, already ready, fired in unison.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In an instant, fire flashed everywhere.

Chen Sanbang and his companions were quick—they threw themselves to the ground the instant they heard the shots.

But these people hadn't expected that, despite holding hostages, the imperial garrison soldiers would fire without hesitation.

Immediately, seven or eight men were hit and fell.

"Om Vajrasattva Hum!"

The Tibetan monk suddenly roared.

The soldiers firing around him felt their ears roar, their vision blur, their hearts tighten.

Meanwhile, the group seized the chance to flee, leaping off Yihua Ping onto the intact stone watchtowers below.

At that moment, one man's cloth sack behind him was pierced by a crossbow bolt from a demon hunter.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

An object fell to the ground.

It was a strange golden mask, aged, with bulging eyes.

If Li Yan were here, he'd recognize it as nearly identical to the Sanxingdui golden masks…

(End of Chapter)