Chapter 64: Lord Qian's Divine Soldier Descends from the Sky
"Sacred tree? Clan elder?" Chu Xuanyi leaned in to take a look, his brows knitted into a knot. "Autumn Hunt Day? Isn't that the day after tomorrow? Bishui Villa...isn't that the villa of a prince from the previous dynasty? It's just thirty miles outside the capital! They really have a bigger plan, and their target is directly the capital!"
Xiao Yu picked up the half token again. It felt cold and heavy, neither gold nor iron. It was engraved with an intricate pattern of withered vines, identical to the totem on the wall. On the back was a simple, unadorned character for "Lin." The broken edge of the token was perfectly smooth, clearly having been split in two by a sharp weapon.
"This is a token of trust." Xiao Yu said in a deep voice, "The other half of the token should be in the hands of that so-called 'clan elder'."
Just as the two were feeling heavy-hearted over this astonishing discovery, a chaotic sound of footsteps and a loud shout suddenly came from the entrance of the cave.
"Don't run away, monster! I've laid a tight net here, and you can't escape today! Surrender now!"
Censor Qian appeared at the narrow stone chamber, righteous and clean-handed. His official robes were festooned with a few rotten leaves of unknown origin, and his hair crown was half-asked, making him look less like someone who had come to exorcise demons and more like someone who had just had an argument with a woman at the market.
Behind him were several officials who were also covered in dust and dirt, holding a full set of equipment including peach wood swords, copper coin strings, Bagua mirrors, etc. Their faces were pale, their legs were trembling, and they looked more like monsters than the monsters inside.
Censor Qian puffed out his chest, his eyes piercing as he surveyed the tragic scene within the stone chamber. Then, with a look of "I have everything under control," he declared in a clear voice, "Master Imperial Master! Your Highness the Regent! Are you all right? I observed the celestial phenomena at night and calculated with my fingers that a demonic aura is rising in this area. You two will surely be in great danger! Therefore, I have hastened to bring my carefully selected 'Demon Subduing Squad' to assist you. Where is the demon? Has he been executed on the spot by you two masters?"
As soon as he finished speaking, an official behind him tugged at his sleeve, trembling, and said in a low voice that was about to burst into tears: "Sir, let's... let's retreat first... There seem to be more poisonous scorpions and centipedes that have escaped the net outside the cave..."
The heroic expression of "divine soldiers sent from heaven to save the world" on Censor Qian's face froze in an instant.
Chu Xuanyi and Xiao Yu looked at each other and saw a hint of silent fatigue in each other's eyes.
"That fierce brother..." Ah Jiu tugged at the corner of Xiao Yu's clothes and poked his little head out from behind him. "Is he acting in a big play? I've seen it at the village entrance before. He played the villain who was beaten and screamed. He looked pretty realistic."
As soon as these words were spoken, the officials who were already trembling at the door of the stone chamber almost knelt down on the spot.
Censor Qian's face, which had just been full of righteousness and ready to be admired by everyone, turned green in an instant.
"Nonsense!" He blew his beard and glared at Ah Jiu, his face filled with indignation. "You little girl, how dare you lie so much in front of me! I'm the Imperial Censor, ordered by the Emperor to inspect the Autumn Hunt. Slaying demons and monsters is my bounden duty! You're so young, you don't understand the dangers involved. Why don't you retreat immediately, or you'll be harmed by the demonic energy!"
As he spoke, he seriously took out a piece of yellow talisman paper from his pocket, slapped it on his forehead, and struck a pose that he thought was very handsome.
Chu Xuanyi's temples were throbbing. He took a deep breath and decided to completely ignore this walking farce.
"Xiao Yu, this thing is eerie. Leaving it here will only cause great harm!" He pointed at the still-beating heart, his face solemn. "This 'Mother Gu Hotbed' feeds on the resentment and blood of the living. It's connected to the Yin energy of the earth's veins. Ordinary swords and flames will probably be unable to damage its roots. We must use the righteous methods of the Xuanmen sect to thoroughly purify it with the most yang energy!"
As he spoke, he took out a palm-sized Pure Yang Bagua Mirror from his arms and began to chant something, preparing to cast a spell.
"The Grand Master is absolutely right!" Upon hearing this, Censor Qian rushed to Chu Xuanyi's side, grabbing the best viewing spot. With a serious face, he explained to the officials behind him, "Watch carefully! The Grand Master is about to unleash a supreme Taoist technique that will shock the heavens and earth, and make the gods and ghosts weep! And I, the Grand Master, will be here to protect him! I will use my righteous spirit to suppress the surrounding villains and ensure that the technique is foolproof!"
The officials had already been frightened to the point of having their legs go weak by the sight in the stone chamber. Upon hearing his words, they nodded repeatedly as if they had been pardoned, hiding behind him and trembling.
Ajiu blinked her big eyes and looked at the "big insect's heart" curiously. Every "thump" of its beating made her feel uneasy, as if a cold hand was grabbing her heart.
"Bad thing!" Ah Jiu suddenly puffed up his cheeks and pointed at the pottery jar and cursed loudly, "You big bad guy! You are so ugly and you try to scare people! You hurt Brother Xiongxiong, you have to pay for it!"
Her clear, childish voice caused the "mother insect's incubator" to pause slightly. An invisible, even colder, malicious intent instantly locked onto the tiny creature who had dared to challenge it.
"Ajiu, step back!" Chu Xuanyi and Xiao Yu shouted at the same time.
However, instead of retreating, Ah Jiu became even angrier! She felt like this "big bad guy" was staring at her and laughing at her!
If the little girl gets angry, the consequences will be serious.
She lowered her head and felt around, trying to find something to hit it with. After searching for a long time, she found nothing but the half of the icy token Xiao Yu had just stuffed into her pocket, apart from the bottles and jars of treasures in her purse.
"That's what you bad guys have!" Ah Jiu raised the half of the token engraved with the withered vine pattern and shouted angrily, "Give it back to you!"
After saying that, she used all her strength to throw the half heavy token towards the "big heart" in the center of the pottery jar in an extremely unstandard posture!
"Nonsense!" Chu Xuanyi was at the critical moment of making hand gestures when he saw this and was shocked.
The token traced a crooked arc in the air, about to miss its target and fall into the nearby sewage. But at that moment, a gust of cold wind blew out from the "mother insect hotbed" and sucked the token away!
“Bang!”
With a crisp sound, the token hit the center of the beating "heart" exactly!
The next moment, something strange happened!
"grumble--!"
A shrill sound, not like a human voice or a beast's roar, but like the simultaneous screams of countless wronged souls, erupted from the "mother Gu hotbed"! The entire cave trembled!
Where the token struck, it felt like a red-hot iron hitting butter, instantly sending up a thick puff of black smoke! The evil withered vine totem, upon coming into contact with its own evil origin, not only failed to merge, but instead violently repelled and devoured it!
"Bang! Bang! Bang, bang, bang!"
The heartbeat of the "Mother Gu Cradle" suddenly became extremely frantic, and the entire pottery jar began to shake violently. The yellow-green juice inside splashed everywhere, and the painful human face totems on the wall seemed to come alive, emitting silent wails!
"Oh no! It's going to self-destruct!" Chu Xuanyi's face changed drastically, and he didn't care about any ceremony. He bit his tongue and sprayed a mouthful of pure tongue blood on the Bagua mirror!
"The righteous law of the universe will destroy evil and reveal the saint! Command!"
He suddenly pushed the Bagua mirror in his hand forward, and a brilliant golden light like the rising sun instantly shot out from the mirror, accurately covering the entire pottery jar!
“Sizzle—”
Golden light and black energy intertwined, collided, and annihilated crazily! A pungent burnt smell and shrill screams filled the entire stone chamber.
Censor Qian and the officials he brought with him were already terrified, huddled together and howling like ghosts and wolves.
"Oh my god! The evil spirit has appeared!"
"Sir, save me! I don't want to die!"
"My righteous energy...seems...seems to have leaked out..." Censor Qian felt his crotch getting hot and his whole body went limp.
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