Chapter 10: The Mage and the Demon Seed
Moreover, this is the third time he has fainted. Ershuan said, the boys, still shaken, needed a few jokes to lighten the mood, "From now on, you shall be called Fainting San'er."
The officer, like all the young men, displayed a look of sudden realization. He had heard about many matters concerning the magical species, but this was the first time he had seen its true form, and he felt a slight disappointment in his heart
Li Yuechi took three steps back, holding a gourd in his left hand, with the mouth of the gourd facing the snake's eye. With his right hand, he formed a sword gesture, bending his legs slightly as he did when slaying demons, shifting left and right, murmuring incantations.
The serpent's body collapsed with a thunderous sound, and a large amount of fresh blood quickly seeped into the soft soil
"Hehe, weren't you just screaming like a little girl and fainted from fright?" Erliang immediately exposed the young officer's true colors
Li Yuechi held up the bronze mirror, carefully illuminating it starting from the snake's tail, occasionally mumbling something under his breath
The officer hurriedly turned around and pulled down his clothing, but the young men still saw a palm-sized pattern on his back, which was clearly the so-called "Mark of the Fire God"
The officer, clearly well-versed in the world, whispered, "Refining scales into demon pills is the most common method used by serpent demons; it does not qualify as a major demon."
The officer was not wrong. When the Five Elements Mage Li Yuechi reached the middle of the snake's corpse, he stopped in his tracks. The dim copper mirror flickered, shining brighter than an oil lamp
The gazes of the young men all turned towards it, and after staring for a while, they finally faintly discerned that something seemed to be continuously flying out from the hilt of the sword
The youths gasped once more, as the snake's corpse appeared astonishingly large, with the oil lamp hanging from the branch illuminating only a short segment.
Xiao Qiu felt a sense of familiarity; he recalled the green light he had seen alone in the grass by the river, which was strikingly similar in color to the glimmer in the snake's eyes
The beast devours the essence of all things to transform into a demon, and during this process, it will concentrate most of its demonic power in a certain part of its body, which is the demon core. This core is extremely precious, and cultivators can use it to refine magical artifacts
Li Yuechi put away the bronze mirror and produced a dagger from his hand. From a distance, the dagger appeared to be made of bronze, lacking even a blade, yet this did not hinder Li Yuechi's movements at all. He swiftly made several cuts on the snake's corpse, removing a scale, which he examined briefly under the oil lamp before placing it into a cloth bag at his waist
I met a Taoist from Mount Pang the day before yesterday. The officer flattered, stepping out from behind Qiu.
The youths watched in bewilderment, but the serpent demon seemed to suffer a heavy blow, with its heads bursting one after another, producing a sound akin to ripe fruits falling. Upon hitting the ground, they left only a pile of powder, with not a trace of blood. The serpent's heads darted about, forced to rise higher and higher, eventually soaring to the treetops.
Li Yuechi arranged the snake carcass and took out a round mirror, which was familiar to the young men of Yelin Town, especially to Xiao Qiu and Er Shuan. The two had been reflected in this mirror before, and at that time their hearts raced, but now they felt a sense of familiarity. Er Shuan even began to boast about it to Fang Fang and the young officer.
After watching for a while, the officer whispered, "He is looking for the demon core"
The two men scrutinized the officer from top to bottom, and suddenly one of them reached out to lift the filthy outer garment off him, revealing his bare back.
The scales on the back of the serpent demon rose like waves, and a dozen or so heads jumped out from within, bouncing through the air towards the blue-clad Taoist priest, their faces varying in color, with several clearly having been dead for a long time
Li Yuechi did not set off immediately; instead, he turned and walked over to the snake's corpse. After examining it for a while, he rolled up his sleeves and, like a rural laborer, grasped the snake's tail with both hands and dragged it across the open ground. Soon, the snake's corpse was arranged into the shape of a character resembling the word "book".
The young officer saw his ten subordinates again, who were so frightened that they hid behind Xiao Qiu, trembling uncontrollably
The officer spoke without a hint of embarrassment, "We were unprepared, thinking it was just a matter of capturing a few children and some horses. Many weapons were not brought along, and we were caught off guard by the snake demon. Who would have thought there would be monsters near Wild Forest Town? Had I known, I would have brought more powerful talismans..."
The young boys dared not make a sound, fearing that they might disturb the work of the Elemental Mage, even though they did not understand what he was doing at all
"Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Wood; the sword belongs to Metal. This is a Metal mage of the Five Elements. No wonder he was able to kill the snake demon so effortlessly," the officer said in a tone that suggested he had known all along. However, Xiao Qiu could see clearly that he had, just like everyone else, failed to discern any hint of the truth.
Well, you possess the Mark of the Fire God, so you should make good use of it. Do not be so flustered as you were just now. Those twelve talismans are sufficient to restrain ordinary demons, and this snake demon is merely a facade; it cannot withstand your attacks. However, you are somewhat fortunate, as the demonic entities do not favor the weak. Yet, in the absence of options, they will settle for alternatives. If you were to kill the snake demon, you would become the target of the demonic entities.
The ringing also ceased, and the Taoist lowered his arms, the bronze bell lost to sight. He turned around, and in his right hand appeared a small oil lamp. After taking a few steps, he casually hung the oil lamp on a tree branch and, standing in the light, said to the young men: "My name is Li Yuechi, a master of the Five Elements from Pangshan, dedicated to slaying demons and eliminating evil."
Wow. The young boys only understood the four words "very precious" and were still in complete admiration.
Li Yuechi shook his head, pointing at the giant snake's corpse behind him. "I came for it. I tracked it for a whole month. Two days ago, it was only three feet long, and now... sigh. You all clean up, and then come with me."
The Taoist raised the bronze bell high with his left hand, shaking it vigorously. The last time this sound had caused panic among the youths, yet at this moment it felt exceptionally pleasant. The urgent ringing not only instilled confidence but also granted them courage
What is a demon pill?" Ershuan asked curiously, forgetting that he had once severely beaten the officer
The rebellion of the serpent demon has come to an end; it easily killed ten soldiers of the Xuanfu army, yet could not defeat a single Taoist priest
Oh, this is the reason you can use paper talismans. Ershuan suddenly realized, looking even more disdainfully at the officer, saying, "You still claim we need to spend ten years learning; it turns out drawing a mark on the back is sufficient"
Xiao Qiu's heart tightened. If he had not previously witnessed the terrifying nature of the snake demon up close, he would likely have been frozen in fear. Now, he had only one thought: he must never tell anyone that he had once discarded the head of the bald man.
The Taoist in blue faced the serpent demon's tricks without fear. He shook the copper bell in his left hand even faster, the sound merging into a continuous stream, resembling a tangible rope that tightly bound the serpent demon. Then, with his legs slightly bent, he moved to the left with a peculiar gait, each step feeling as if he bore a heavy weight. His right hand was raised at shoulder level, with the index and middle fingers together, while the other three fingers were bent, continuously drawing patterns in the air.
It is not that simple! The officer's secret has been revealed, and his face turned slightly red.
"Stay away from demons." Ershuan still remembered the Taoist's warning and casually mentioned it. Like Xiaoqiu, he was filled with envy towards the elemental mage.
The officer nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yes, yes, the Xuanfu Army had a fierce battle with the snake demon yesterday, but unfortunately..."
Only the young officer is out of place, "It's about ten zhang, not short, but among the monsters, it is not considered formidable."
It is set to launch an all-out attack on the * map * book, with a team of vanguards being dispatched first
"Look quickly." Xiao Qiu's gaze was fixed on the Elemental Mage, observing every one of his movements with great attention, filled with deep respect in her heart
Li Yuechi finally completed his work and put away all the magical tools. He saw curiosity and confusion in the eyes of the young boys, so he said: "This is the demon seed. It is a hundred times more malicious than a serpent demon. Fortunately, it has not yet taken form; it is merely residing in the serpent demon's eye. Remember, never let it touch you."
Moonlight filtered through the gaps, and the boys exclaimed in unison as they beheld an unforgettable sight: the thick body of the snake was already pierced with more than a dozen holes, from which a large amount of blood gushed out, resembling a giant green shoot in the process of growing
The enormous serpent demon, however, was extremely averse to the sound of the bell. It dashed about in all directions, only to return to its original position, as if it had suddenly lost its sense of direction. Then it became enraged, no longer fleeing, but instead raising its serpent head high, opening its upper and lower jaws to reveal teeth as sharp as swords, while its whip-like tongue flicked in and out incessantly
It is not just the two of them; even the most timid boy is filled with admiration for Li Yuechi
"Longer than the street in town," Ershuan said. His expression was overly exaggerated, yet no one voiced any objections. The young men all decided to use this metaphor to boast to their friends and relatives in town from now on
The entire process was quite lengthy, with the green light being extremely fine, and it took a full fifteen minutes before it was completely absorbed by the gourd
The young men observed more closely this time, and Fangfang was the first to notice the anomaly, saying in a very low voice: "Look, the sword behind him."
Before long, a change occurred in the snake's eyes, as a thin line of green light slowly rose, seemingly reluctant to penetrate the gourd
"Are you here to save us?" Ershuan asked, his voice humble and amiable, even more respectful than he was towards his father.
There was nothing to tidy up; the young men immediately stood straight. Only Xiao Qiu ran to bring back the chestnut horse, which remained surprisingly calm, showing no signs of surprise at the recent demon-slaying scene. It was not that it was particularly brave, but rather that it was too old, so old that all its thoughts were focused on the delicious green grass.
"It is longer than the bridge in the town," said Xiao Qiu
"It is even longer than the house of the Ershuan family," said Erlang.
"I am not called Yun San'er, I am called..." The officer appeared slightly annoyed, but in the end, he merely snorted and did not reveal his real name
Xiao Qiu did not participate in the debate; he took a step forward and pointed at the snake corpse behind Li Yuechi, unsure whether he was seeing things or if it was indeed the case: a green light was emerging from the snake's mouth.
He possesses an endless array of magical artifacts, and this time he has added a gourd to his collection
The officer clearly could not understand either, so there was not a single explanation given
Ershuan cast a sidelong glance at the officer and said, "I have heard that slaying demons and eliminating evil is also one of the responsibilities of the Xuanshu Army. Why have you eleven not dealt with the snake demon?"
Li Yuechi seemed rather uninterested in this, nodding indifferently, "Are you from the Xijie Kingdom's Xuangu Army?"
These few simple sentences of self-introduction will take root and sprout in the hearts of the youth, profoundly influencing their future. Even that young officer is no exception; he hides behind Xiao Qiu, staring blankly at the Taoist, his heart surging with an unprecedented reverence.
Li Yuechi's work was not yet complete; he took out the bronze mirror and continued to shine it on the snake's corpse. The closer he got to the head, the slower he moved, and finally, when he illuminated one of the snake's eyes, he stopped, saying, "Indeed, it is here."
The light dissipated upon reaching the ground, and a Taoist in blue stood between the serpent demon and the youths. He was the peculiar figure who had previously appeared by the river, leaving a deep impression on Xiao Qiu and the others