Chapter 143: Fierce Locust, Suppressing The Demon Chaos
“Eh? You’re Yaozu? Oh, it’s really Yaozu, I’m your Uncle Dadan!”
Li Yaozu had just dragged a corpse out from under a collapsed house.
Then he saw a figure nodding and bowing rolling down from the hillside.
Zhang Dadan looked at Li Yaozu’s face, which was much more mature and resolute, but still somewhat similar to Li Tiezong’s features, and excitedly rubbed his sweat-covered palms.
He was also a bit timid, not daring to get too close.
Li Yaozu’s expression was calm as he said, “Uncle Dadan, why did you go to the back mountain?”
“Sigh, there have been monsters in the river lately, how could I dare stay at home? Every night I secretly sleep under the Dripping Water Cliff on the back mountain. By the way, do your dad and mom know you’re back? A few days ago, your dad was still nagging in my ear, saying you’ve become a big shot now, serving in the military as, oh, a messenger?”
Li Yaozu turned his head and, by the dim moonlight, could only vaguely see the figures of several comrades, far away.
Li Yaozu suddenly said, “Uncle Dadan, in the past you all helped support my mom. I want to ask who has gone under the boat canopy with my mom?”
“This…”
Zhang Dadan felt a thud in his heart and couldn’t help but step back, forcing an ugly smile on his face.
“What are you saying, kid? Your mom is an honest and dutiful woman, a proper housewife. What boat canopy?”
Li Yaozu’s expression grew even calmer, like an emotionless mechanical puppet, and he repeated,
“Uncle Dadan, in the past you all helped support my mom. I want to ask who…”
A suppressing aura spread from Li Yaozu, like a hand clutching Zhang Dadan’s heart.
Zhang Dadan could only say helplessly, “Not many. As far as I know, just about ten households. The frequent visitor was Qing Pi Ma the Huo from West County, but he’s been missing for months, probably dead by now. Also some neighbors and villagers, like Zhang the Blind who wrote the seedling list, Tang Litian the stilt-walker, and a few boatmen…”
Li Yaozu nodded and said, “Thank you, Uncle Dadan. My dad and mom are waiting for you.”
“You’re too polite, kid. Your dad wants me for something?”
Zhang Dadan was truly bold at this moment, reaching out his hand, still trying to put on the airs of an elder to pat Li Yaozu’s shoulder.
Puchi!
Suddenly, a dagger pierced out from the back of his neck.
The blade tip was pale and bloodless.
Zhang Dadan suddenly widened his eyes, mumbling as if trying to say something, but a large amount of blood surged from his mouth.
That skinny, emaciated body with barely any meat just twitched twice, the blood seemed to drain away, and he was gone.
Li Yaozu silently stripped off the other fish skin garment from Zhang Dadan’s body.
Moments later, Li Yaozu dragged two corpses out.
The pile of firewood blazed fiercely, the heat waves scorching, flames leaping, reflecting in Li Yaozu’s pupils.
The corpses were burned to ashes, seemingly taking Li Yaozu’s past with them.
Li Yaozu murmured,
“Dad, Mom, I want to bring glory to the family, I want to shine as an ancestor… But with you around, how can I bring glory, how can I shine as an ancestor?”
……
He moored the water cart at the side entrance of the Liangjiang Military Academy.
Chen Shun’an was on paid leave to slack off, and by the way went to the academy’s warehouse office to inquire about news from the demon-slaying front lines and recent Guo Lu Society activities…
And his own bounty situation, how many times he had been killed, where he was suspected to have appeared, what new identities he had suddenly gained…
Joining the Inner Department had many benefits: priority access to treasures, advance payment of minor merits, and the right to first slay then report by drawing some Outer Department martial artists.
What Chen Shun’an valued most was undoubtedly the Wuqing Stick Bureau’s near-omnipresent powerful intelligence-gathering ability.
“As of yesterday, along the Grand Canal, including Banye Ferry Crossing, Three Forked Road, Magandian, and other places, there have been a cumulative nine great demons comparable to True Intent Masters appearing, six of which have been subdued, and three remain missing, hiding in water areas.”
“As of yesterday, due to the demon plague, fifty-two people have died, over a hundred injured, and houses and fields damaged to some extent.”
“The murderer who killed Nie Zheng has committed serial murders, assaulting multiple second-rate experts and True Intent Masters in the county, coming and going without a trace, setting fire to burn treasuries, leaving devastation in his wake… He has been given the nickname ‘Fierce Locust’.”
In the warehouse office, Chen Shun’an looked at the official gazette in his hand, his face tense, but inwardly furious.
Was this dragging Chen Mou out to settle accounts?
Splashing all the dirty water and bad deeds on Chen Mou’s head?
And what kind of bullshit ‘Fierce Locust’ nickname? Others have Flying Centipede, Great Accomplishment Ape, Stand-Ground Tai Sui, Red Fifth Master—why did mine become a locust?
Even Flesh Ganoderma would be better!
Chen Shun’an snorted coldly.
“The Guo Lu Society has recently gone quiet, whereabouts unknown, but their former contact point, Biao Shou Wo, has been raided by the Wuguan Camp… Hmm, it’s actually that child-selling place, now turned into one of the Wuguan Camp’s training camps for soldiers and armor.
But fortunately, County Magistrate Wang still has some shame, sending the orphaned children back to the orphanage, jointly funded by county merchants and great families. Now the county folks are all praising County Magistrate Wang as a fair and upright master…”
Putting down the official gazette, he exchanged pleasantries with several stewards and warehouse clerks in the warehouse office to get familiar, then Chen Shun’an took his leave.
Just as Chen Shun’an gripped the water cart handle, a young water carrier hurriedly found him.
“Master Chen, Landlord Zhao has urgent business with you.”
Urgent business?
Chen Shun’an frowned upon hearing this and said, “Alright, I’ll go right now.”
“Master Chen, I’ll push the cart for you. You hurry back first.”
The young water carrier was sharp-eyed and proactively took the water cart from Chen Shun’an’s hands.
……
Moments later, Chen Shun’an arrived in the study room of Zhao Guangxi’s residence.
The study room door was wide open, somewhat noisy.
Entering the room, Chen Shun’an saw quite a few figures gathered inside.
They were all elites under Zhao Guangxi, either the Well Shopkeeper or at least second-rate late stage strength.
The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive, with Zhao Guangxi seated at the desk, brows tightly furrowed.
Chen Shun’an walked straight to Lin Shou Zhuo’s side and asked softly, “What happened?”
Lin Shou Zhuo lowered his voice and said, “Two things. First, He Qiang failed to break through to first-rate and suffered qi deviation.”
“What?”
Chen Shun’an’s eyes showed surprise.
Failing to break through and qi deviation were two different things.
The former was just injuring muscles and bones, intent damaged, and with a few years of recuperation, there was still a chance to try again.
But qi deviation meant dantian shattered, meridians torn, cultivation method backlash—the martial path was at its end.
The most typical case was Li Shicheng, who after qi deviation fell from Wuqing County’s renowned young hero to a decrepit, fallen family head.
Chen Shun’an had actually anticipated He Qiang’s breakthrough failure.
True Intent was hard to attain; if it were so easy, Zhao Guangxi’s subordinates over the years wouldn’t have produced only four or five True Intent Masters in total.
“He Qiang’s heart energy was too strong, actually wanting to first slay the Tongue Thief… Now his tongue aperture is damaged, he’s become mute. The Landlord gave him Aperture-Opening Pills, barely maintaining second-rate late stage strength. It depends on whether the Wuqing Stick Bureau’s treasury has treasures to rebuild the foundation…”
Lin Shou Zhuo sighed, clearly feeling some discomfort in his heart for this old rival who had opposed him for years, now fallen to such a miserable state.
He continued, “The second thing is that demon chaos has erupted near Three Forked Road, with several great demons comparable to True Intent Masters appearing consecutively for days, causing heavy devastation.”
“Leader Lu led several Slaying Three Bandits experts to Funiu Water Marsh to hunt demons and has not returned. Now the Stick Bureau wants to send us to suppress the demon chaos!”
Had the situation rotted to this extent?
Chen Shun’an was startled inside.
Zhao Guangxi had already sent Zhou Qing to the front lines to slay demons with all his might, plus multiple water carriers escorting supplies and delivering water and grain.
That already counted as contributing men and effort.
And now, they even wanted to draw more manpower.
Even Chen Shun’an, a water carrier over fifty, had to be pulled to the front lines?
In no time, seeing everyone assembled.
Zhao Guangxi swept a glance over those present and said gravely,
“Everyone, when the nest is overturned, no egg is safe. We water carriers usually lord it over, monopolizing water sales in the county. But if people are gone, who do we sell water to? So the demon-slaying matter is our unavoidable duty.”
“Lin Shou Zhuo, set off immediately for Three Forked Road.”
“Fan Jing, Chen Shun’an, Lin Yufeng, you few go down the well tonight to fetch water, deliver the five-wheel water and Eight Treasures Mercury to Banye Pharmacy, then pick up pills and supplies, and send them to Three Forked Road.”
“Brothers, the demon chaos three hundred years ago must not repeat. If anyone dares to obey in public but defy in private, I won’t spare our past ties!”
In Chen Shun’an’s gaze, Zhao Guangxi’s features suddenly twisted, black fur covering his face, pupils glowing green, transforming into a Cat Ghost God.
At this moment, the usually mild-mannered Zhao Guangxi rarely revealed a sharp and terrifying aura.
To Chen Shun’an, it was not inferior at all to Lu Jing!
“Hiss, Landlord Zhao was also hiding his strength, at least Slay Four Thieves cultivation! Didn’t the outside world say Zhao Guangxi’s aptitude was average, far inferior to Lu Jing?”
Chen Shun’an’s heart stirred.
Connecting it to the day the Guo Lu Society seized the corpse, Lu Jing pretending to falter and narrowly losing to Red Fifth Master…
Chen Shun’an vaguely felt that this pair of fallen sworn brothers probably wasn’t as simple as it seemed on the surface.
“Yes!”
The people in the hall acknowledged the orders and dispersed.
Lin Shou Zhuo did not go home, nor to Banye Ferry Crossing, but headed east of the county instead.
Seeing this, Chen Shun’an spoke up and asked,
“Instructor Lin, where are you going?”
Lin Shou Zhuo shook his head and said, “I’m going to visit He Qiang, see if I can think of something to help if possible.”
Chen Shun’an was silent for a moment, then took out a silver ingot from his bosom and said,
“Chen Mou will also do his small part.”
Lin Shou Zhuo took the silver ingot and said, “Alright, I’ll pass it on for you. Hurry and deliver the water.”
He Qiang was originally a pig herder, raising pigs for others from childhood, no dad no mom.
Fortunately, he worshipped a Big Black Pig as a god, opened apertures and entered martial arts, and won the favor of a scholar’s daughter who didn’t mind his lowly origins and married him.
But blessing turns to disaster; perhaps from worshipping the Big Black Pig, excessively depleting his own fortune, He Qiang remained childless, his wife frail and sickly with leprosy, withered in appearance, bedridden.
This was also why He Qiang was so ruthless and eager to fight ahead.
Just to save money, get promotions, and find a cure for his wife’s illness.
