Chapter 104: Tackle Great Demons With Fierce Fire!
Chen Shun’an carried the lantern and walked outward all the way.
The alchemy room was brightly lit with flickering shadows of people, and various pill fragrances and medicinal fragrances permeated densely.
The medicine boys and physicians coming off shift still had exhaustion on their faces, their upper eyelids fighting their lower eyelids, yet they kept moving nonstop and hurriedly entered the alchemy room.
It was quite like the blood-and-sweat factories of his previous life, operating nonstop all year round.
Chen Shun’an shook his head repeatedly at the sight.
The patrolling guards saw Chen Shun’an, questioned him briefly, and then let him out.
Chen Shun’an left the Great Pharmacy and strolled toward the fish market.
Once the Great Pharmacy was completely out of sight, Chen Shun’an suddenly turned and darted into a small alley.
The lantern went out, a black scarf wrapped his face, and a glint of sharpness flashed in Chen Shun’an’s eyes.
The next moment, a black shadow merged into the darkness like water into the ocean, heading toward Bajia Village.
He was going for that Great Black Snake.
It was the first evil spirit that Chen Shun’an had properly encountered face-to-face.
Chen Shun’an had too many doubts in his heart.
The Capital Region was densely populated with martial artists emerging endlessly.
Unless it was those treacherous places in the West Mountain, otherwise any somewhat notable mountains, rivers, or lakes had the manors or estates of some influential family situated there.
Where was that Great Black Snake hiding, and where did it come from?
Moreover, that Great Black Snake had considerable intelligence and seemed capable of communication.
Chen Shun’an very much wanted to get more information about the Sacred Dynasty from its mouth.
Information about demons, immortals and gods.
Chen Shun’an’s caution was about biding his time, striking with thunderous force only when fully assured.
Not like a turtle shrinking its head, thinking that by not showing up or appearing, nothing would happen.
That Great Black Snake was merely comparable to a martial artist at the Slaying One Bandit level.
After carefully comparing their strengths, Chen Shun’an felt he had a ninety-nine percent chance of success.
Moreover, what puzzled Chen Shun’an most was that he had detected a faint familiar cultivation method aura from that Great Black Snake.
Chen Shun’an soon arrived at Bajia Village.
Thick clouds obscured the moon, darkness blanketed the surroundings, and occasional dog barks or insect chirps made it even more eerily quiet.
Chen Shun’an used the Tiger Head Staff to part the grass and branches, revealing a clear snake trail leading straight into the mountains.
Chen Shun’an followed the path, and pine and cypress trees gradually appeared on both sides.
Many mature ancient trees bore strange markings on their trunks, inscribed with phrases like “Such-and-such baojia, responsible for tending, do not cut without permission.”
Chen Shun’an recalled from some ancient books that when the Bai Shan Ren first entered the pass and established the capital in the Capital City, they extensively felled mountains and forests to build mausoleums and palaces.
Added to the common people chopping wood, felling trees, burning charcoal to sell, within a hundred years, the hills within dozens of li around the Capital Region were barren, with not a single towering tree in sight, not even a decent plank for a coffin.
The court then urgently ordered trees from the south transplanted north, repaired the baojia system, requiring every village and household to protect the mountains and plant trees, forbidding indiscriminate felling, making it one of the performance evaluations for local officials.
Thus, to this day, deep mountains and dense forests abound in the Capital Region.
Chen Shun’an guessed that it was precisely because of this that these mountain forests became nests for lurking spirits and monsters, even hiding vine spirits, tree monsters, snake immortals, and mountain ghosts.
That Great Black Snake, which clearly needed massive blood food to sustain itself, was proof.
Gradually, following the snake trail, Chen Shun’an entered the mountains and forests, arriving at a secluded valley rarely visited by humans.
Then, the snake trail abruptly ended, completely vanishing here.
“Hm?”
Chen Shun’an uttered in surprise and doubt, his nostrils flaring as various lingering scents in the air rushed toward him.
His intent shifted, cold and rational, filtering out irrelevant scents.
He stood still, sensing briefly, then his figure vanished from the spot.
A few breaths later, Chen Shun’an returned here, his face somewhat grim.
That Great Black Snake, upon reaching this place, had vanished like it evaporated into thin air.
In an instant, its tracks and scent lingered only here, with no traces anywhere else!
“Could it be some earth-escaping or flying technique, riding a demonic wind to flee?!”
Chen Shun’an immediately muttered to himself.
Suddenly, Chen Shun’an noticed a tuft of yellow fur in the grass, stained with blood.
Weasel?
Chen Shun’an thought of something, his heart stirring.
Squeak!
The dirt mound was leveled, the coffin board pried open.
In front of a grave hole on a desolate mountain, Chen Shun’an stood with hand on his saber, gaze cold and stern, staring at seven or eight large and small weasels inside the grave hole.
In the moonlight, their furry pointed faces were full of fear, their black mouths gleaming with oil, who knew how many chickens and ducks they had stolen.
Some weasels tried to flee outward but were beaten back by Chen Shun’an’s staff.
Some weasels knelt and bowed, squeaking pleas for mercy, wagging their tails in supplication.
Others seemed to have eaten humans, their eyes blood-red, lunging at the scent of a living person.
Chen Shun’an said nothing, slashing one after another, chopping them down on the spot.
The ground was a mess of blood, with companions lying dead everywhere.
The remaining weasels dared not flee recklessly, trembling all over, their dark eyeballs darting over Chen Shun’an, scared to the point of tears.
This weasel family had some culture, having stolen a New Year’s painting of the Kitchen God from somewhere, urinating on it and pasting it to the coffin board, then lighting incense and kowtowing like humans.
This nest, stolen from someone’s grave, even had a few small side chambers for eating, drinking, and excreting separately, somewhat resembling a yin dwelling.
“Unfortunately, they’re just ordinary monsters without any demonic arts…”
Seeing this, Chen Shun’an sighed.
“No, if they really had demonic arts, Chen Mou would have run long ago and wouldn’t linger here.”
Chen Shun’an shook his head, reached out with a large hand, and fished out the most intelligent lame rat from the coffin.
This lame rat had been bowing and kowtowing nonstop since first seeing Chen Shun’an.
Very sensible.
Plop!
A plump mountain chicken fell to the ground.
“Do you know where that Great Black Snake lives? Take me there… this is for you.”
Chen Shun’an used the simplest words, a calm tone, and a soft voice to ask.
The lame rat said nothing, looking at the food at its feet, then at the fierce-looking Chen Shun’an.
It trembled in fear.
So between fear and food, it chose fearful eating.
“The Great Black Snake, the one that specializes in eating your kind, very big and long…”
Chen Shun’an squatted down, gesturing descriptively.
Finally, the lame rat, stuffed so full its belly bulged nearly to its throat, seemed to understand Chen Shun’an’s intent, its eyes showing even greater fear.
“Squeak squeak squeak!”
The cries were urgent, like the wails before death.
The lame rat lay flat on the ground, motionless.
Chen Shun’an said nothing, prodding it with his saber.
“Lead the way, or die.”
In pain, the lame rat jumped up, pushed the remaining half mountain chicken into the coffin for its siblings.
Then it panicked and fled, rolling and scrambling through the wild grass to lead the way.
Chen Shun’an hurried to follow, seeing the lame rat veer further off-path, not toward the mountaintop but down to the valley bottom.
Mist rose gradually, miasma pooling on the ground.
Sounds of mountain stream water came, accompanied by bone-chilling yin wind.
Chen Shun’an smelled a faintly familiar fishy stench in the yin wind.
Finally, at the mountain stream bottom, Chen Shun’an vaguely saw a cave obscured by vines and branches.
Here, the lame rat refused to go further no matter what.
Even after Chen Shun’an poked it several more times with the saber, it lay on the ground, motionless.
Big snake ahead, fierce man behind, this rat’s life… is done for.
The lame rat despaired, crawling on its belly, eyes watery and streaming nonstop.
Chen Shun’an shook his head, ignoring the lame rat and stepping forward a few paces.
Until the Chicken Head Pearl in his bosom emitted a warm glow, with drops of increasingly blackish foul water seeping out.
Chen Shun’an stopped.
Without mishap, one more step forward and poisonous miasma would spread.
At the same time, Chen Shun’an sensed a malicious, icy gaze from the cave.
The Snake Demon had already spotted Chen Shun’an.
Chen Shun’an cupped his hands and said: “This True Dragon King, ordinary mortal Chen Shun’an pays respects.”
Restless hissing sounds came, a fishy wind blowing vines and withered leaves like blades across Chen Shun’an’s face.
Chen Shun’an narrowed his eyes and continued: “I wonder if True Dragon King has any difficulties in cultivation here; perhaps I can offer humble assistance.”
“Huff…” Heavy breathing, scales scraping against rock walls and ground, sand and stone flying.
At the same time, Chen Shun’an’s glabella stung, his skin tightening with a faint sense of danger.
Cannot communicate?
Chen Shun’an felt some regret in his heart.
Then strike first!
Chen Shun’an quickly pulled out his large and small packages.
A big bag of niter, black powder, mineral powder, each packed in bulging cloth sacks.
And a square object covered in holes like a beehive.
This thing was also a firecracker, called Waterfall Curtain; upon violent impact, it would erupt flames with debris and sand from all sides, flashing lightning, billowing smoke, and popping in rapid succession, most “festive.”
Constrained by Sacred Dynasty laws, Chen Shun’an couldn’t obtain matchlock guns like Xiao Qingchou’s or even a Divine Might Cannon.
But where there’s policy, there’s countermeasure.
As long as there’s profit and demand, the folk have plenty of odd talents and methods, tinkering out many ingenious devices.
Not illegal, but deadly.
Chen Shun’an had been badly startled by Xiao Qingchou’s Divine Might Purple Thunder Cannon that day, and afterward loved wandering the Firework Bureau and black market in Wuqing County.
He really found some surprises.
Just costly.
Unfortunately, Chen Shun’an had brought quite a bit of crane-top red, ten-fragrance muscle-softening powder, arsenic five poisons, and such poisons, but seeing the Great Black Snake’s appearance, it was also a venomous type.
Simple poison-against-poison wouldn’t work.
Could only use fierce fire attack!
“Take this!”
Chen Shun’an didn’t approach the cave, flicked his wrist, and with a few “whooshes,” niter, black powder, and mineral powder precisely flew into the cave.
The cave suddenly went much quieter.
The Snake Demon seemed suspicious, arching its body, lowering its head, tongue flicking to discern these strange things.
Chen Shun’an kept moving, a sly smile on his face, hurling the Waterfall Curtain into the pitch-black cave.
A gold coin dart struck the Waterfall Curtain with a “clang.”
