[Main story completed]
[One-sentence synopsis: An unwitting female lead of Eldritch horrors vs. Chinese horror folklore, auspicious signs, and xianxia.]
[Not a "big female lead"...
Chapter 31 She’s so full that she hasn’t even started to exert any strength yet.
In front of the guest room door, the master's wife in a bright red shirt and Qu Shan in a ragged robe were fighting fiercely.
The bells rang incessantly, interspersed with the sound of conch shells and the two men's insults of "you monster" and "you are the monster".
The two men were so absorbed in the fight that they were completely unaware that three other men were getting anxious and jumping for their feet.
Zhu Fu and Zhu Gui moved silently to the sides, slowly distancing themselves from Li Zhou in the middle.
Han Da climbed out of the house using his hands and feet, and while being on guard against Li Zhou, he called out softly, "Captain, Captain..."
Master Qu ignored him.
He stared at his mistress's changing pace, and felt the increasingly cold breath and the increasingly rapid and sharp ringing of the bell, and suddenly felt something was wrong.
He immediately changed his hand gestures and made the umbrella above his head spin.
However, the master's wife was at home after all. She heard a loud noise in the front yard, accompanied by exclamations and screams, and an earthenware jar flew over quickly.
Zhu Fu and Zhu Gui looked up and sat down on the ground in fear. The current appearance of the earthenware jar was not exactly the same as what they remembered. It was completely unrelated.
With the help of the bright light, everyone could clearly see that the earthenware jar was floating in the air, with a long colorful ribbon dangling from the bottom of the jar. On the ribbon were strung Master Zhu, Madam Zhu, and a group of servants from the front yard, like a baby's umbilical cord, constantly absorbing the essence and blood from their bodies.
A piece of white cloth was spit out from the mouth of the jar. Paper people riding paper horses slid down the cloth and fell to the ground. They grew in the wind and turned into mighty generals riding tall horses in the blink of an eye.
These generals held their spears and swords, shouted in a gurgling voice, and rushed towards Qu Shan and the Luo sect members with a fishy wind.
Zhu Fu and Zhu Gui, who had originally hoped that their master's wife would deal with the female ghost with a human head first, felt completely depressed.
Compared with the earthenware jar that eats human semen and blood, the human-headed female ghost that just asked "Have you seen my body" that night seemed much kinder.
Qu Shan, who was fighting against his master's wife, was not willing to be outdone. The treasure umbrella on his head was spinning at high speed, and a door filled with chaotic starlight slowly opened behind him.
Although the door was only opened a crack, the terrifying aura that seeped out made everyone's heart beat faster involuntarily.
A mass of gray matter that was constantly wriggling and flashing fluorescent light was trying hard to squeeze out a corner from behind the door, but it seemed to be restricted by some invisible force and could not move forward even a single step.
However, even if only this corner was revealed, the paper generals who were originally full of fighting spirit suddenly froze, and even the BMWs under their crotch began to have fine cracks.
Upon seeing this, the master's wife shouted loudly, and the colorful ribbon connected to the earthenware jar was pulled suddenly. Master Zhu, Madam Zhu and the servants in the front yard who were strung on the colorful ribbon all wailed miserably, and the essence and blood in their bodies flowed into the earthenware jar at a faster rate.
Qu Shan sneered and said to the Luojiao people without turning his head: "There will be a place for you in Xumi Heaven!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the door that was sparkling with chaotic starlight creaked and expanded a little. More wriggling gray matter squeezed out from the crack in the door, and the fluorescence on its body spread to everyone in the Luo Sect.
Including Han Da, all the people who practiced Luojiao's skills were captured by these fluorescent lights.
For a moment, they seemed to have seen something beyond their level and could not accept it, and they all showed confusion and pain.
The more painful their expressions were, the more active the fluorescence around them became, and the more terrifying the aura emitted by the gray matter became.
Obviously, the two sides have reached the critical moment of a fight to the death and have released their most powerful tricks.
Zhu Fu and Zhu Gui, the only two mortals who could still move, looked at this scene, and their confused minds became clear for the first time.
It turns out that two people who insult each other as evil are not necessarily good or bad, it may be a dog-eat-dog situation.
No, there is a third one...
Zhu Fu and Zhu Gui were startled and turned to look at Li Zhou at the same time. Why didn't she take action yet?
Could it be that she is just a little female ghost who can't stand up to these two big monsters?
Or are you going to wait for them to both suffer losses so that you can reap the benefits?
The two were just daydreaming when they saw a man rushing out of the guest room that had been quiet for a long time. He looked very happy, holding a magic sword in his left hand and a bright cloud-patterned talisman in his right hand. He shouted, "The demon hunter is here. Let go of the mortal in your hands immediately and surrender!"
Qu Shan and his master's wife were both startled. Qu Shan then smiled and said, "What a great Shi Yishan! What a great demon hunter! I never thought there was a lackey of the imperial court lurking in my Luo Sect."
After saying that, he waved his robe, and a handful of clear and sweet dew flew out from under the umbrella again and flew towards Shi Yishan's chest.
Shi Yishan blocked it with his magic sword and dropped the nectar to the ground. Amid the sizzling sound of smoke, he took out a piece of talisman paper and was about to throw it at Qu Shan.
The next moment, he felt a sharp pain in his back. He looked down and saw a ribbon piercing through his scapula, and blood instantly dyed his plain clothes red.
The master's wife rang the bell and chuckled: "With just this little ability, you dare to show off your skills in front of an expert?"
As soon as the demon hunter appeared, she chose to help Qu Shan first without hesitation.
In just a few dozen breaths, Zhu Fu and Zhu Gui's moods fluctuated greatly. They did not expect that the Demon Catcher had already been lurking beside the demon, and they did not expect that the Demon Catcher would be defeated so quickly. He was only majestic when he showed up, and was not as powerful as they had imagined.
This time it was all over. The two men thought in despair that this Zhu mansion might become the burial place of their group of people.
The reason turned out to be just to provide fuel for the two evil spirits.
It's sad and lamentable.
Just when Shi Yishan was about to be strung up into the sky by colorful ribbons and the righteous path was doomed, a clear bell sounded in the noisy courtyard.
The sound of the bell was completely different from the sound of the master's wife shaking the bell. Not only did it not make people drowsy or feel stuffy in the chest, but it swept away all these negative states, like a gust of fresh breeze, sweeping through everyone's mind and making everyone refreshed.
The master's wife was startled, then turned her head sharply and looked in the direction where the bell rang.
The female helper, whom she had never looked at directly, was holding an eight-treasure copper bell of the same model as hers. She twisted her wrist and shook it rhythmically, making a pleasant sound.
"Who are you?" Master's wife couldn't help but frown and question, "Master Xi has never accepted a disciple like you!"
"Miss Xue, hurry up." Shi Yishan, who was strung on the ribbon, said, "Go east three alleys after leaving Zhu's mansion and find the demon hunter Lu Yao. Ask her to take you to the Demon Hunter Division's Sizhou branch to ask for help!"
If not so many mortals had fallen into the hands of the monster, Shi Yishan would not have jumped out on his own initiative.
He looked at Li Zhou anxiously, praying in his heart that this newcomer would be smarter and not lose his life in vain here.
"Oh?" Qu Shan raised his eyebrows and looked at Li Zhou who was holding the Eight Treasures Copper Bell. "Are you also from the Monster Hunting Division?"
Li Zhou did not answer him, but continued to shake the copper bell. The spiritual energy transformed from fear flowed, and the eight-treasure copper bell, which had been recognized as the master by the centipede monster, was easily destroyed by her.
This is all because of the "Duotianlu" mastered by the head sister.
The Record of Seizing the Heaven is divided into five levels, namely, faith seizing, leisure seizing, wisdom seizing, determination seizing, and spirit seizing. At the fifth level, one can communicate with the gods, sympathize with yin and yang, and seize the life of the heaven.
Of course, to deal with the current situation, the first level of "Faith Seizure" is enough.
Li Zhou had enough confidence that his cultivation was better than that of his master's wife. This Eight Treasures Copper Bell was used by the centipede monster and his master's wife, so why couldn't she?
She said to the puzzled mistress, "Your eight-treasure bronze bell must give way to mine when it sees me, because the one in my hand is the ancestor of your Master Xi. Even if your Master Xi comes, he must kowtow and greet you as great grandmother."
The master's wife was in a daze for a moment, then she reacted and was furious: "Nonsense! How dare you slander Master Xi..."
As she spoke, she was about to use the ribbon to smash the copper bell in Li Zhou's hand into pieces.
However, somehow, her Eight Treasures Bronze Bell became like a grandson meeting his ancestors. The entire bell became silent and the body of the bell cracked into tiny cracks, as if it would commit suicide if it moved again.
The master's wife was shocked and felt doubtful, but it was absolutely impossible for her to recognize Li Zhou's bronze bell as her ancestor.
She turned to Qu Shan, who had a playful look on his face, and said, "Why don't you take action? Didn't you hear that this woman is also a lackey of the imperial court?"
"Demon hunter? Ha! A bunch of poor deceived creatures. That's better." Qu Shan said as he put his hands together and activated the treasure umbrella. A familiar clear nectar flew out from under the umbrella and flew rapidly towards Li Zhou's chest.
"Miss Xue, be careful!"
Seeing that Li Zhou not only did not escape as he said, but also stayed to fight with the monster, Shi Yishan became anxious and reminded him loudly.
Li Zhou was not in a hurry. He rang the bell with one hand and flicked his other hand across his waist. He took out a small knife with a ring and a bell, chanted a spell to make the knife bigger, and in a blink of an eye, the Luan sword that had been shrunk before turned into a curved sword about two feet long.
The blade drew an arc in the air, lightly cutting through the flying nectar. When the nectar fell to the ground and corroded the ground, it continued to move forward, passing through Shi Yishan, ensuring that he was unharmed while cutting the ribbon on his scapula.
At this point, it’s not over yet.
With a playful look on his face, Qu Shan watched helplessly as the knife light, like a flower brushing against a willow, gently fell on the body of Xumi Tian, who had squeezed out of the crack in the door and revealed a corner of himself.
The squirming mass of gray matter was immediately cut with a mirror-like incision, and let out a scream of extreme pain.
The Luan Dao was originally a knife used for sacrifice and slaughtering animals. The Luan Dao technique can naturally have the effect of butchering an ox like a butcher.
"No!" Qu Shan's smile disappeared, he shouted subconsciously, and pounced towards Xumi Tian.
After being stabbed, Xumi Tian didn't even dare to fight back. Like a mouse whose tail was stepped on, he screamed and slammed the starry door shut.
The next moment the door closed, Qu Shan suffered a backlash. His already thin body suddenly deflated and he fell to the ground with a thud like a dehydrated mummy.
On the contrary, those members of the Luo Sect who were surrounded by the fluorescent light woke up from their confusion and fear, and their complexion returned to normal because the fluorescent light disappeared along with the disappearance of Sumeru Sky.
Everyone looked at Li Zhou in shock as he swung the knife. It was hard to imagine what level of Taoism one had to have to be able to resolve such a powerful and terrifying evil spirit so easily.
However, before they could begin to sigh, Li Zhou flashed and appeared next to the gray substance that fell to the ground.
She picked up the gray substance with the tip of the knife and seemed to mutter something like "not even three seconds yet". She opened her mouth and sucked the squirming mass of unknown substance into her mouth.
Everyone who thought they were saved: “…………”
That is to say, those who kill evil spirits are not necessarily good people.
The gray substance had already become a terrifying creature that exuded evil and was unimaginable to ordinary people.
This Miss Xue can actually feed on such evil spirits.
That gaping mouth contained something even more evil than evil itself, a horror beyond human imagination and not even possible in nightmares.
Everyone was deeply shocked by this scene.
Han, who had witnessed it once, was not accustomed to the scene the second time. In fact, he was so frightened that he couldn't breathe and fainted on the spot.
On the other side, the master's wife, who had been shouting for war and killing, turned around and jumped onto a paper horse, shouted "Go", and ignored everything else and only wanted to escape.
How devout is the master's wife's faith in the God of Joy.
How devastated I was when I saw the four disordered, screaming masks of the God of Joy from Li Zhou's mouth.
Run! You must run!
Escape from this endless hell! Escape from this terrifying nightmare!
The reason why Li Zhou waited until now to take action was to make sure that both of the evil demons could be captured and not let her escape.
She threw the eight-treasure copper bell and said softly, "Take it!"
He chanted another spell to make the body light, and the head that was chewing the gray substance remained in place, and the headless body suddenly appeared next to the master's wife who was riding a paper horse.
The Eight Treasures Bronze Bell shook with all its might, and the earthenware jar suspended in the air and the paper horses and paper figures it spit out fell to the ground one after another. The former was smashed to pieces, and the latter turned into pieces of paper again.
As a result, the master's wife fell off the horse's back. With a crack, her two legs were broken and the white bones were exposed.
She screamed, but before she could beg for mercy, she saw a headless body with long veins dragging in front of her.
Under the strong stimulation, the master's wife twitched violently, rolled her eyes, tilted her head back and fainted.
Li Zhou, who was about to swing his sword at his master's wife:?
She hasn't exerted her strength yet.
After watching the battle for so long, she had made sufficient preparations.
There were still many back-up plans that had not been used, and it felt different from the novels I had read before. Li Zhou put away the Luan Dao in disappointment, walked back to the head, skillfully put it back on, and swallowed the gray substance that he had chewed carefully.
Like grape flavored jelly, delicious.
I still want to eat.
But I’ve eaten too much today and feel a little full.
Li Zhou burped quietly without being seen by anyone.
She turned her head and looked around, and saw that both the people from the Zhu Mansion who were strung together by ribbons and the people from the Luo Sect who were covered by fluorescent light had been rescued. Although their wounds had not yet healed, their lives were no longer in danger.
She nodded in satisfaction, walked up to Shi Yishan, who was thinking about something, and asked tentatively, "What is the reward for these two people..."
"I will report this right away. Senior Xue should keep the bounty alone."
Shi Yishan said righteously, his hands hanging by his side, holding the talisman, trembling constantly.
He didn't know why this...indescribable senior wanted to pretend to be a low-level demon hunter.
But as long as she is still willing to pretend, he believes that the entire Sizhou branch of the Monster Hunting Bureau is willing to continue playing with her.
Just as he was racking his brains, trying to think of something to do to better stabilize this senior, a trembling voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Master Immortal." Zhu Fu, with a pale face, fell in front of Li Zhou, raised his head, and said with reverence, "I would like to draw a picture for you as a souvenir, so that the people of Sizhou will know your kindness in subduing demons for us."
No matter whether she is a human or a ghost, she is the boss of the Demon Hunting Bureau who flatters her. If he doesn't find an opportunity to curry favor with her now, when will he have another chance in the future?
Oops, this kid got there first.
Shi Yishan was still regretting inwardly when another familiar female voice came over: "I have also learned the art of painting. If you don't mind, I will paint a picture for you now."
Shi Yishan was startled, looked up, and saw someone walking towards him in a dusty stride not far away. He was delighted: "Lu Yao?"
Lu Yao nodded and said, "I was investigating the case of the centipede monster nearby. When I heard the noise here, I rushed over. Unfortunately, I came too late and couldn't help you."
Of course she would not tell Shi Yishan that she had already arrived when Li Zhou took action.
After hearing the noise at Qiufang's house, she quickly ran from the Old Suanzao Lane to Zhu's Lane. She was originally preparing to join the battlefield, but was frightened by Li Zhou's swordsmanship and used the earth escape technique.
She hid underground, thinking over and over again, and decided that she couldn't let her colleagues down, so she bit the bullet and quietly turned back. She happened to run into Li Zhou who was asking about the bounty, and he seemed quite friendly, so she pretended to have just arrived.
Lu Yao clasped her fists and bowed to Li Zhou: "What do you think, Senior?"
Li Zhou looked at Zhu Fu who was kneeling in front of him, and then looked at Lu Yao who looked respectful, and thought, isn't this just a fight for her exclusive interview?
She was a very generous person and smiled, "No rush, you can draw whatever you want."
Lu Yao and Zhu Fu looked at each other, their eyes flashing with the hint of swords and sabers.
Shi Yishan took out a piece of talisman paper and after muttering something for a while, the talisman paper spontaneously combusted without fire and turned into ashes that floated into the air.
He propped himself up with his magic sword, bowed to Li Zhou and said, "Senior Xue, the people from the Monster Hunting Division will be here soon. Lord Daolu wants to welcome you. I hope you can take the time to come."
Li Zhou had to first collect the bounty, secondly he had to obtain a certificate of ordination, and thirdly he had to buy land to build a sect, so he would definitely have to deal with the authorities.
Now that the authorities have taken the initiative to contact her, she doesn't have to look for ways anymore.
She nodded, performed a magic trick to shrink, and hung the Luan Dao on her waist again. While waiting for the people from the Demon Hunting Bureau to arrive, she took out the bag containing the centipede monster and his family from her waist and threw it to Lu Yao.
"By the way, take a look and see if this is the criminal you are tracking? It seems that their family has set their sights on me. There are at least four centipede monsters who are looking for revenge on me. When I catch them, I will give them to you."
Lu Yao took the bag in a daze, opened it, and saw three centipede monsters with tears streaming down their faces, and one centipede monster with blood gushing out of all its orifices, swollen all over its body, and already dead.
Shi Yishan, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, suddenly realized: "So this is how the centipede that bit me just now came from."
Li Zhou thought that the Monster Hunting Division would not deduct her bonus for this, so she said thoughtfully, "I have already caught the centipede."
Shi Yishan said hurriedly: "I know that this is all the fault of the centipede monster."
Lu Yao was placing restrictions on her pocket to prevent the prisoner from escaping, but she saw a look of relief on the centipede monster's face.
The leader, Su Liuniang, cried, "We have wanted to surrender for a long time!"
Mrs. Jia, who was beside her, also said, "Please lock us up more tightly, preferably in a way that no one can get in."
The cart boy who was trying to push Su Wulang's body away said quietly, "Before that, can you get him out first?"
Lu Yao, who had been chasing them for more than half a month, laughed out loud: "Don't worry, there are four more in your home, waiting to keep you company."
The three centipede monsters were shocked and felt as if the sky was falling.
Lu Yao happily tied her pockets tightly when she suddenly heard a burst of orderly footsteps outside the Zhu Mansion.
Her eyes lit up, and she walked up to Li Zhou, bent down and said, "Senior, the people from the Monster Hunting Division are here."
Li Zhou suppressed his excitement about receiving a huge sum of money, nodded, and followed Lu Yao's gaze to look not far away.
A tall figure led dozens of armored soldiers with solemn faces and walked in cautiously.
These evil cults no longer have any fighting power.
Glancing at the scattered Luo Sect members and the red-dressed mistress who had not yet woken up, Li Zhou, who had no idea what these demon hunters were guarding against, went forward without hesitation.