Chapter 133: Neither Demon Nor Fiend
Inhaling a breath of pollution, Li Ye strode forward, taking the lead into the farmland, casually grabbing a wheat stalk taller than a person.
These crops had been high-yield and aggressively growing before humans arrived, but as soon as Li Ye entered the farmland, changes occurred.
On the wheat stalk he grabbed, the wheat ears suddenly transformed, clashing like teeth with strange sounds, yet also opening and closing like iron yokes, splitting to both sides and even extending out, biting straight toward Li Ye.
Crack.
Li Ye casually snapped it, breaking the wheat stalk, but it didn’t hinder its movement; at the moment of breaking, it bit back onto his hand.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing rang out. Li Ye watched as the wheat ears continuously bit at his hand, and with excessive force, two teeth even chipped off. He flipped his hand, fingers exerting force upward to twist the entire wheat ears into pieces, shattering into a mass of gas, sucking the demonic creature along with the wheat ears and stalk into his mouth.
“Hmm, pure martial arts won’t work either; specific conditions are required?”
This time, he flipped his hand in a slash, sending out a burst of qi force that cut down all the surrounding wheat that had begun to move.
The fallen wheat ears still opened their fruits, moving rapidly like insects, gathering around Li Ye. The wheat ears opened and closed, like iron yokes or teeth, trying to bite and clamp him.
No rouge blood flowed.
It seems a sickle really must be used to achieve this; when cut down, they can revert to their original state.
Li Ye opened his mouth and inhaled, turning the crops that had fallen to the ground into a whirlwind that entered his belly.
He didn’t need to remove the demonic creatures, leaving only normal ingredients.
Eating them together was fine.
The pollution from the demonic creatures themselves, along with the energy from the ingredients, all entered his body, turbid qi turning into pure qi, matter into nutrients, replenishing himself.
He scanned the surrounding wheat field, mouth opening to unleash thunder sound first. Under the shock, the surrounding crops turned entirely to powder and were sucked into his mouth.
There was no surveillance that could see anyway, and even if seen, it didn’t matter. To outsiders, Li Ye had merely shocked the demonic creatures into powder.
At most, to them, it just seemed pointless, and even knowing Li Ye was eating them wouldn’t matter.
So what if he ate some demonic creatures?
Processed demonic creatures are called ingredients; does that mean unprocessed ones can’t be eaten?
There’s no such logic.
Even in front of outsiders, he would still eat without hesitation.
He had passed soul settling pass; bluntly put, pollution checks were a breeze. Eating was just eating.
One shock, one inhale, and a large swath of farmland cleared into an empty expanse.
Li Ye continued forward. Just as he entered the rice field area, the rice around him revealed red, swaying left and right like blown by wind, the sounds during swaying like crying.
These didn’t bite over, but waited until Li Ye entered, then drew close to entwine, trying to wrap him up.
And the ground underfoot even had suction at this moment, dragging Li Ye downward along with the entwining, and after entwining, there was a drowning sensation of sinking, involuntarily suffocating.
Rice Weeping Old Woman, like a woman’s hair; whether the crying or entwining, both were hard to deal with.
But like the previous Wheat Borer Iron Yoke, it was a collectively acting demonic creature; a single one had little impact. As long as not rashly entering the field and getting surrounded, it was easy to escape.
For this, Li Ye still opened his mouth to inhale, instantly clearing a large area, continuing forward.
Every step he took cleared a large area around him. Even before fully entering the millet field, he saw human shadows in the field; those crops swayed like human figures. After stepping in, roots sprouted from the ground underfoot, like needles, piercing the soles and also showing entwining.
Unlike Rice Weeping Old Woman, this Millet Ghoul Child demonic creature weakened people more than swallowing them. If breached and pierced, the body would become polluted, ultimately turning into a bloated, water-soaked floating corpse.
But before that step, ordinary people would be entwined by Rice Weeping Old Woman and dragged into the mud, then torn by Wheat Borer Iron Yoke. Only when reappearing would they become entwined, drowned, and suppressed floaters.
The three crops were mixed together; the difference was merely which one dominated the field.
They all required sickle harvesting; even harvesting machines wouldn’t work. It had to be pure sickles.
Li Ye had read the relevant records. This demon realm was associated with many eras, as long as flood periods from ancient to modern, forming this demon realm.
The formation period of the demon realm seemed related to suppression methods.
Like Jinze’s mine, with modern traces, so modern weapons could be used for suppression and resolution.
This farmland had no modern traces involved. When Shenzhou was established, flood control was managed more strictly; specially designated flood discharge areas were wastelands. After all, demon realm proliferation enlarged the area too much, no need for choices.
No deaths, purely resentment from the land, leading to fewer suppression methods.
Besides detectable fire and salt, and the oldest gunpowder exorcism, only sickles could be used.
Because in eras of flood deaths, technology was truly average; besides sickles, nothing else.
And from the demonic creatures’ formation names…
Li Ye swallowed a large swath of crops, looking at the cleared flat area around, sighing slightly again.
In those eras, when floods came, who escaped disaster.
Demonic creatures formed for a reason.
The three demonic creatures corresponded exactly to the afflicted people of that time.
Wheat Borer Iron Yoke represented the great famine brought by floods; ancient farmers had nothing to eat yet had to eke out a living on this land, letting this mouth feed itself, suppressed on this land like shackles.
So like teeth yet like yokes.
Rice Weeping Old Woman condensed the cries of survivors when crops were inundated by floods, along with people drowning together, and their attachment to the land.
Millet Ghoul Child was the unwillingness of the drowned manifesting; that entangling needle pierce bringing pollution was also a kind of pain wanting others to empathize.
“Demonic creature, demonic creature, you’re neither demon nor ghost. No wonder demon realms are a form of resistance. When floods come again after becoming a demon realm, can it hold? Or is it not wanting to continue lifetime after lifetime like this, so resentment turned into a demon realm?”
Li Ye sighed and continued swallowing and eating.
He could understand, sympathize, but what needed elimination still had to be eliminated.
Because demonic creatures weren’t human; demonic creatures acting on instinct had no space for coexistence.
Not to mention these without intellect, only acting per their survival methods, even Skin-Peeling Demons lurking in human society, living like humans, even integrating into families like ordinary people, but at key moments, they still revealed their nature.
Or rather, integrating into human society was also their nature.
Demonic creatures aren’t human; a sigh was just a cautionary tale, to avoid causing similar incidents later that birth demonic creatures.
During his time onboarding at the Disinfection Bureau, though no one talked or explained to him, seeing the bureau’s special nature, he knew why Shenzhou retained this privilege.
Demonic creatures must be dealt with; departments had different roles, and the Disinfection Bureau, besides handling demonic creatures, its existence also made martial artists wary.
But in modern society, times changed; the Disinfection Bureau’s presence had weakened a lot.
The Disinfection Bureau’s own privileged nature was also why higher-ups wouldn’t focus on it.
Truly like raising gu; if Disinfection Bureau strong, folk martial artists weak; if folk martial artists strong, Disinfection Bureau weak.
Anyway, higher-ups had heavy fists; no one could withstand a strike.
Shenzhou’s control wasn’t weak at all; this was what Li Ye realized after becoming bureau chief and contacting the military.
He didn’t know about the Security Bureau, but from military and Public Security Bureau perspectives, from top to bottom, martial artists’ attitudes toward them were cautious, uniquely ambiguous toward the Disinfection Bureau.
Actually, from combating demonic creatures, they were the same; one order down, refusing meant trouble.
The Disinfection Bureau’s existence was to avoid constantly using orders and heavy fists, while planting a nail.
Even if Disinfection Bureau weak, martial artists at least knew of its existence.
Like the Ren Family; without Disinfection Bureau watching, they wouldn’t low-key resist but openly cause chaos.
Without Ren Family, actually someone like Li Ye also needed dealing with, because he too was becoming lawless.
In Ningjiang, his only difference from Ren Family was having staffing and accepting superior dispatch.
Routinely killing whole families created no small panic, and he didn’t stop, essentially testing higher-ups’ current standards.
The uproar stirred by his master thirty years ago cleared a batch but also facilitated hidden sects’ worlds entering society. For these to serve in the world, Disinfection Bureau shifted from strong to weak; now these existences hard to control, so Disinfection Bureau’s strength could be tacitly allowed again.
This didn’t need micro-regulation; just letting some policies run was enough.
Those companies had directional contracts; Disinfection Bureau didn’t, which was itself a problem.
But openly none; the benefits Li Ye got from Pan Zhengyang were plenty, better than directional contracts.
With them, could stop demonic creature disturbances caused by martial artists; at least they dared not be blatant.
“No wonder called secret service agencies like Jinyiwei; useful then use, useless then set aside.”
Li Ye shook his head with a smile, mouth opening for another swallow, engulfing a large area.
“Now, it should be useful.”
In current society, maybe not so direct, won’t encourage with clear signals, same won’t manage.
From the start, Disinfection Bureau’s tone was set this way.
Doesn’t follow rules, nor protected by rules.
When folk martial artists bullied Disinfection Bureau, it was so satisfying; no help, no sympathy, all shouted as dogs just pointing at demonic creatures to run.
So when Disinfection Bureau turned around, naturally don’t cry foul.
Crying useless anyway.
……
On the other side of the farmland, a group of youths in martial artist uniforms, looking inexperienced, now gripped sickles, bending over at the periphery to harvest inward.
The farmland-turned demonic creatures, every harvest scattered them, turning to gray-yellow gas dissipating, turbid like Jianghuai river water color.
The fallen crops, they ignored, just leaving on ground for later cleanup.
“Don’t get too close, lest entering farmland interior gets you entwined. Focus on your will and stamina; once dizziness or sinking drowning sensation appears, quickly withdraw. If problem found and can’t retreat, promptly call out or raise hand.”
Further out, someone like a company supervisor shouted toward them.
Beside him, a person in military uniform stood with hands behind back.
After the company supervisor called out, he smiled at the uniformed person:
“Battalion Commander Zhou, rest assured, our company has guarantees on safety. Students are here for tasks, but we won’t let them face too much danger.”
“Otherwise, it’d ruin the situation your military worked hard to create. This demon realm, not big not small, our company has control here.”
The uniformed person surveyed once, nodding slightly. “Still pay more attention. Students doing tasks secondary; main is continued experience. Don’t always use task completion to scare people.”
“Commander, what you say; we’re proper company, how scare people?”
That person chuckled: “Besides, these are top Martial Arts University students. I went to heavy martial back then, can’t compare; they can do tasks right away. Our tasks specify senior-year internship and Six Dragon Gate standards. They’re different, all favored children, itching for more experience.”
“Our ‘Yangtian Agriculture’ definitely supports this strongly.”
Contracting this demon realm for suppressing demonic creatures was Yangtian Agriculture; they handled harvesting crops here, of course also clearing demonic creatures.
With enough demonic creatures removed, pollution slowly drops; eventually from demon realm to farmland with special properties producing high-quality ingredients.
Before that, company could package and sell produced crops within demon realm.
Though this had no contract, essentially tacit; after all, demon realm still dangerous.
Also to prevent some for profit not dealing with demonic creatures but deliberately controlling quantity, prolonging demon realm existence.
Nearby garrisoned military could jointly with local government departments dismiss and replace this company.
Anyway no contract.
After pollution removed, turning to normal farmland, then first sign contract and renewal rights.
Also a reward for the company.
Making money, whoever makes is same; to higher-ups, all pay taxes, goods circulate on this land. Rather, organizing manpower for demon realm pioneering was harder.
Like this demon realm, estimated at least ten years to clean pollution.
Intermediate costs and risks quite high.
But they had many channels; like this company, besides hiring own martial artists, could cooperate with local schools, issue tasks for students to earn credits.
Like current Jianghuai Dragon Martial University, Jianghuai Province’s top Martial Arts University; freshmen came here for tasks.
Sorry, late, more coming
