Chapter 8, Demons and Monsters [2]

The girl should be awake, but it seems that Hu Qian is unaware of it. However, after thinking for a moment, Xiao Xia also nodded.

The girl shook her head and said, "It is not what he taught. Even if he did teach it, I would not be able to learn it. Those spells originally belong to him."

After finishing this sentence in a hushed voice, Xia Xia closed his eyes and inexplicably felt very tired. Unknowingly, he finally fell asleep

Not having food is actually not a big deal; going without for ten days or half a month won't necessarily lead to starvation. Giving all the food to that barbarian was not entirely a bad thing, as you know you are the least skilled among us, and even if you had kept it, it wouldn't have been your turn to eat. Isn't that so?

Ah... Hu Xiangzhu is indeed exceptionally intelligent and possesses an uncanny ability to predict outcomes. Xiao Xia was momentarily taken aback and couldn't help but sigh. This master of the Divine Machine Hall is truly very clever, but perhaps he is also overly clever.

In these respects, there is not much difference between humans and beasts. Xiao Xia still forced a smile, saying, "Fortunately, eating tree bark and grass roots can barely sustain one for a month."

You are not wrong; it is indeed very fair

The voice of the female master of the Divine Mechanism Hall, though soft, is resolute and indisputable, much like the mechanical components on her body, which are binary in nature, allowing for not the slightest margin of error

Hu Qian has left

Xiaoxia nodded. He had experienced this feeling as well. In fact, it does not take five or six days; just three or four days without a drop of water, and a person can even drink their own urine with great relish.

Then why do you want to do this

This demon clearly possesses a significant secret related to his Buddhist sect. Whether it is to protect this secret or to preserve the reputation of his sect, Mie Nu has ample reason to silence us.

I am flattered. This is merely what someone of my humble status ought to do. " Xiao Xia smiled and said, "It is truly commendable that you, Master Hu Xiang, remember it so clearly.

That barbarian borrowed someone else's life spirit to pass himself off as something he is not, likely just wanting to sneak into the Luoshui Gang as a guest elder to make a living. Such small-time figures in the martial world overestimate their own abilities, playing with petty tricks and schemes, only to suffer the consequences of their own actions, ultimately being reduced to tools for others even in madness. He actively forced a spirit into his body, and while his mind could not bear it, it was one thing; but in a fit of rage, he forcibly suppressed the spirit deep within his soul using Buddhist powers. That cunning and slippery barbarian had no willpower to resist the beast spirit; for a short time, he could still retain some consciousness, but as time passed, the beast spirit deep within his soul would completely merge with his consciousness. He indeed has the bloodline of Yunzhou, and it is only a matter of time before he is completely assimilated into a half-human, half-beast creature. You must have noticed that during the two times the barbarian nearly lost control, the one named Mie Nu was not present; the intention behind this is clear.

Indeed, Hu Xiangzhu possesses both beauty and intelligence, being exceptionally clever, even able to discern this minor flaw of mine.

Xia Xia probably understood what she wanted to say, but after thinking for a moment, she still shook her head: "I didn't see it. Please clarify, Master Hu."

Hu Qian extended her hand, in the palm of her gloved hand, there lay a small pill, appearing a dark red under the interplay of moonlight and the campfire, reminiscent of livor mortis.

Xiao Xia nodded. This is indeed correct; if he intends to deal with this hero from Qingzhou, there is no need to waste any time.

What does it mean

Xia Xia nodded slightly and replied with a hint of sarcasm, "Is it possible that Master Hu Xiang is here to discuss with me how to deal with Master Mie Nu?"

Looking at the clever person's little thing, Xiao Xia was momentarily taken aback, then smiled softly and said, "So this is how clever people do it?"

It is quite simple; he does not have complete confidence. Hu Qian sneered, "There are three of us. As long as one of us escapes and leaks this information, no matter how many ceremonies he holds at the Pure Land Zen Temple, he will never be able to restore its reputation. He must first use other more subtle methods to weaken us, such as using the remnants of this demon formation, or the nearly demonized barbarians from Yunzhou.

"Why does Hu Xiangzhu think he shouldn't take action directly?" Xiao Xia asked. Given the magical powers and martial arts displayed by Master Mie Nu, the remaining individuals, even if they joined forces, would still be far from being his match

The expression beneath the helmet shifted slightly, and Hu Qian seemed to smile: "Only intelligent people can understand intelligent people. That is why I came to find you quietly."

Because they all did the same. My father, mother, younger brother, and younger sister were all skinned by them and left to die under the sun

I do not recognize him. He is just an old monk

The three individuals referred to by Hu Qian naturally include herself, Xiao Xia, and Li Yutang. From the very beginning, the man from Yunzhou has not been considered a person in her eyes.

I have mentioned before that I can see you are an intelligent person. Surely you have already discerned the reason we are trapped in this forest

At this point, Hu Qian's gaze flickered. "It was only later that I understood. When you offered food to that barbarian, it was partly due to a lack of confidence in dealing with him, and partly an attempt to keep him calm while waiting for Mie Nu to return. At that time, if he were to act out again, Mie Nu would inevitably be unable to remain uninvolved, which would reveal more flaws, and perhaps even present an opportunity to exploit.

At that time, it would suffice to find an opportunity to quietly mix this pill into the water of the anger extinguishing potion. It is quite simple, requiring no effort, and poses no danger of violence; this is the method of the wise.

This tree demon's array was originally left behind by his Pure Land Zen Temple when they exterminated the tree demon. Naturally, he does not need to return to observe any changes in the formation, as he has long been aware of all the changes in this forest. He is merely looking for an opportunity to capture us all in one fell swoop, burying us within this demon array. Each time he uses the excuse of investigating this demon array, it is mostly to manipulate the operation of the formation to trap us all together.

***

"Master Hu Xiang, do you have any guidance?" Xiao Xia cupped his hands in salute

Xia Xia quietly listened to Hu Qian's words, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but suddenly asked: "When did Master Hu start to have doubts about him?"

Indeed, the young girl displayed an expression as if she had heard nonsense, saying: "Aren't you all selling your lives for money? They give you money, and you sell your lives to them; isn't that quite fair?"

The old monk said, "This is how the demons and monsters operate." The girl in white on the ground opened her eyes, smiled gently, and said softly

Is it convenient to talk?" Hu Qian pointed to the girl in white on the ground, her voice very soft

Xia Xia picked up the small pill in her hand and sniffed it; there was no unusual odor at all, suggesting that it would be undetectable even when dissolved in water. The Divine Mechanism Hall is not only proficient in mechanical devices; in fact, they are interested in anything that is usable, useful, and more efficient than brute force, and they are highly skilled in it.

"Did the old monk instruct you to skin off the skin of the less-helpful leader and those people, and to kill so many?" Xiao Xia suddenly became very curious about this Buddhist master

After a long silence, Xiao Xia asked a question that even he thought was pointless: "So what does it mean for us, the martial heroes who are merely here to lend a hand, to die at your hands?"

"Probably just like you, since this demon broke his spell." Hu Qian's gaze swept over the white-clad girl on the ground; even with the helmet obscuring her, her eyes were sharp as knives, as if she wished to dissect her to understand her clearly. "The great teachings of Buddhism are inherently compassionate and righteous, yet this demon can use law to break law, injuring and extinguishing anger, and moreover, it employs the same fundamental mantra of the Samantabhadra Tathagata. This can only indicate that her level of Buddhist practice far surpasses that of the one who extinguishes anger. Furthermore, in a moment of desperation, the one who extinguishes anger inadvertently revealed the name of the spell used by this demon, which is evidently a divine power of Buddhism. The fact that this demon ultimately did not reveal its true form under the Qiantian Demon-Sealing Talisman may also be related to Buddhist teachings"

I am also running out of food soon said Xiaoxia with a bitter smile

Regarding this seemingly perplexing issue, Hu Qian showed no signs of surprise and coldly stated: "Since you are actively probing him and have realized that he is the one behind this, then you should understand that apart from joining forces to deal with him and breaking this trap, we have no other options left."

However, there are five places where even the directions are marked incorrectly, all represented by the character '一'. Additionally, there are five instances where the direction indicated by '的' is skewed to the right, and the final stroke of the ten consecutive images is all skewed to the left. Are you implying that this is due to your poor writing and drawing habits

I only collaborate with intelligent individuals and have no interest in wasting time with fools. Hu Qian sneered slightly

Well, I remember it very clearly. You made mistakes in a total of 25 places

Hu Xiangzhu is indeed remarkable. Xia continued to nod. Hu Qian was not wrong; this talisman was merely an introductory spell of the Five Elements Sect, capable of gathering scattered moisture in the air into water droplets. Generally, few would specifically learn such a low-level spell that is almost useless, yet he could indeed perform it. The humidity in this forest was abundant, and with some effort, he could provide enough for three or four people to drink.

Hu Qian's helmet let out a soft hiss, as if she had chuckled. She continued, "Today, there are a total of three hundred and ninety-five marks on the road, comprising six thousand and fifty-three strokes, representing that we have traveled over eighty-seven miles. You have truly worked hard."

Although Xiaoxia did not fully understand, she grasped some of it. Hu Qian was indeed correct; the spells of the Buddhist sect are inherently compassionate and righteous. However, the young girl was able to use the exact same incantation to shock the furious monk to the point of spitting blood and sustaining internal injuries. This is not merely a difference in skill level, but rather a disparity in realms, akin to the difference between an adult and a child.

Xia Xia nodded. Hu Qian was not wrong; at least that was what he thought.

However, I know that we will not lack for drinking water. Because you will definitely use the Water Condensation Spell. This is merely a low-grade Five Elements talisman of the eighth rank, and with your cautious nature of always carrying food supplies with you, this rudimentary spell will certainly suffice

"I truly admire you for still having the mind to say such nonsense at a time like this." However, Hu Qian showed no sign of happiness; she merely let out a slight sigh, and the light reflected from her eyes beneath the helmet was as cold as if it were forged from ice. "But you should know, I didn't come here just to engage in idle chatter with you."

Not long after, the gentle sounds of clashing and friction between the armor echoed behind, and it was not a demon that approached, but Hu Qian.

The old monk gave me all his spells, saying that he was about to die and that keeping them would be of no use.

Oh? Um... it might be that I drew too much and made a mistake this time. I truly apologize

Xiao Xia pondered for a moment and asked, "Are those Buddhist spells you learned from that old monk?"

Who is the old monk

Xia Xia sighed, and this was precisely what he had confirmed today. He had indeed intentionally made a few mistakes with the signposts left along the way, which Hu Qian might have noticed, but it was impossible for Mie Nu, who was at the front of the line, to know. However, after Mie Nu and the monk turned back to check, they specifically stated that there were no changes at all

Hu Qian continued, "However, without water to drink, a person might not be able to last even five or six days"

The girl's voice was still so light, so gentle, and so pleasant to hear, even her gaze was so ethereal and serene. Xia could be certain that there was not a trace of resentment or malice in it, yet he still felt a chill creeping down from the back of his neck, penetrating deep into his very core. He felt a wave of nausea rising again.

The superiority of humans over beasts lies in their ability to think. Not everything requires physical confrontation to achieve a result. Therefore, physical prowess is not that important. The faint smile beneath the helmet became increasingly apparent, and at this moment, the leader of the Divine Mechanism Hall finally revealed a hint of human warmth, not the cold precision of a machine. This sudden departure to pursue the young master was unexpected; aside from your habitual carrying of provisions and my spare travel pills, the others were not well-prepared. This leader of the Divine Mechanism Hall finally showed a touch of human warmth, not the cold precision of a machine. This sudden departure to pursue the young master was unexpected; aside from your habitual carrying of provisions and my spare travel pills, the others were not well-prepared. They neither brought food with them, and the water was only casually replenished at Lanlin Temple.

The sounds suddenly began to emanate from a distance behind her, indicating that her skills were actually much better than one might imagine. These noises were merely her way of actively signaling her arrival. Xia turned around and saw the figure of the female incense master from the Divine Mechanism Hall, her entire body shrouded in mechanical armor, resembling a puppet.

No. The old monk told me to do as I think and to do as I should

Just like when it arrived, the seemingly bulky mechanical armor made no sound of friction during movement, slowly blending into the distant shade of the trees like a cat. A truly wise person is one who never lets others know just how clever they can be, allowing them to accomplish things that others could never imagine.

Xiao Xia's expression, however, appeared somewhat unnatural, as if she was flattered and at a loss for words. She spoke softly, "I am grateful for your regard, Master Hu. Perhaps I possess a bit of cleverness, but my martial skills are lacking. My proficiency in talismans is hardly worthy of note, and once a conflict arises, I fear I would be of little assistance. If you require help, why not seek out the great hero Li?"