Chapter 6, Young Girl [3]

Hu Qian let out a sound, her voice as calm as ever, as if a mechanism within the helmet had inadvertently produced a sound, unsettlingly calm.

Xia Xia sighed again and said, "When I draw some talismans to sell to others, I often claim that they are the work of a highly skilled disciple from a prestigious sect, and that I obtained them by chance. This way, I can sell them for a higher price. Of course, I cannot sell them for as much as five thousand taels of gold.

Why didn't Hu Xiangzhu use those two mechanical beasts with such power earlier

What needs to be cleaned up here are merely the scattered remains of corpses on the ground. Xia is still a temporary guest of the Luoshui Gang, and Hu Qian is also an ally of the Luoshui Gang. Master Mie Nu is a great master, and Li Yutang is a chivalrous hero; none of them can be neglected and left to rot in the wilderness. However, it is truly difficult to distinguish who is who among these corpses. In the end, they can only dig a large pit to bury them all together, with only the deputy leader buried separately. Li Yutang even cut a broken branch to make a wooden sign.

"Did you forcibly summon the beast spirit?" Hu Qian asked coldly. She did not see the man from Yunzhou devour the bone bracelet earlier, but she could see his current appearance and could guess what had happened. "So the owners of those two beast spirits are not you?"

At this moment, Xia, who was sitting on the ground, stood up, sighed, and said: "Perhaps it is because this talisman of the Celestial Master was not truly made by Master Zhang."

Uncertain if it is an illusion, at that moment, when Xia Xia looked into the eyes of the man from Yunzhou, who had regained his calm, she felt that there was something in the depths that was not quite human. This intelligent man would probably never have the chance to be clever again.

The two mechanical beasts belonging to Hu Qian are still operational, although the joints of the bird-headed one creak and groan with movement. The mouth of the dog-headed one has been melted halfway by its own flames, resembling a wax figure that has been briefly roasted by a furnace. It seems it can no longer breathe fire, but it can still walk, carrying the white-clad girl and some collected belongings.

"Master, save me, Master, save me. Those two mountain spirits belong to her; I should not have deceived her. I was wrong; I should not have come..." The man from Yunzhou suddenly knelt down at the feet of Master Mienu. Although he was clearly looking at Master Mienu, one of his eyes was rolled up while the other was wildly darting around.

The man from Miaojiang did not die. As the girl in white kicked, a massive wound was carved across his body, stretching from his left shoulder to his right waist. The wound was deep; if it were any deeper, it would be enough to spill all his internal organs out in a chaotic mess. He was struggling to rise from the ground, tearing his clothes into long strips to bind himself up.

Li Yutang was taken aback. Indeed, it was not that five thousand taels or fifty thousand taels of gold was insufficient, but rather that no amount of such wealth would catch the eye of the foremost figure in the world of Daoism. This was a very simple principle, yet he was not accustomed to contemplating matters so distant from him.

The girl in white curled her body and closed her eyes, lying on the ground as if she were merely asleep. Her originally pristine white attire was now gradually being stained with the bright red blood on the ground. Her ethereal beauty resembled that of a fairy, with a serene expression on her face, which seemed utterly out of place amidst the scattered remnants of flesh and blood around her. Yet, ironically, this hellish scene was one she had just meticulously crafted with her own hands.

The idea proposed by the hero Li was not opposed by others, or rather, they simply did not care. Compared to a dead person, the living are undoubtedly far more important, even if they are not human.

With him added, there are a total of five survivors. Indeed, there are only five, and there will be no more overlooked. There are not even two corpses on the ground that are relatively intact.

It seemed that upon seeing these reinforcements, they were not a match for the girl in white. The young master of the gang wanted to take advantage of the chaos to escape, but the girl in white had not forgotten him. She casually sent a shadow over to pin him down here. The skin that had been stripped off was surprisingly picked up by the young master, who attempted to put it back on himself. However, due to the excruciating pain and the deformation of the skin, he could only manage to wear half of it. The distorted and swollen skin awkwardly wrapped around his muscular limbs, hanging in mid-air, creating a bizarrely comical sight. The skin that had been stripped off was surprisingly picked up by the young master, who attempted to put it back on himself. However, due to the excruciating pain and the deformation of the skin, he could only manage to wear half of it. The distorted and swollen skin awkwardly wrapped around his muscular limbs, hanging in mid-air, creating a bizarrely comical sight.

After dealing with the corpse, only a man from Yunzhou remained. He had already bandaged himself, and although the gaping wound that slashed across his entire body looked terrifying, it seemed that it would not be fatal for the time being. However, he was curled up in a corner, trembling and muttering to himself. Xia called out to him twice, but he did not respond at all, and the others completely ignored him

"She may have gone back to Yunzhou first. This is terrible, this is terrible." The burly man from Yunzhou muttered to himself as if he were cramping. If one looked closely, it could be seen that even his appearance seemed somewhat different from before, but it was hard to pinpoint exactly what had changed.

It seems that the facts are indeed as such; nearly all the remaining individuals perished under the sudden onslaught of those two mechanical beasts. Even the expert who was only burned on the leg by the flames lost his vitality; the fire appeared not only to be of extremely high temperature but also toxic. Now, apart from the monk Mie Nu and Hu Qian, as well as Xiao Xia, who is still sitting on the ground, the only one capable of movement is the Miao man over there, who is struggling to stand up.

The monk Mianru has already donned his cassock and robe, and he approached the great man of Yunzhou, raising his palm to declare a Buddhist chant: "Amitabha. This benefactor Huang seems to have forcibly compelled another's life spirit beast's demon soul into his body, and now there is a risk that his consciousness may be assimilated by the beast's soul."

I see. The enraged monk nodded, still wearing an expression of anger, and it was unclear whether he truly understood.

"No respect whatsoever! Just focus on your own matters; who do you think you are, a nameless junior, to speak here?" Li Yutang scolded, feeling increasingly displeased with this young man.

Where is the young master?" Li Yutang asked urgently, prompting the others to remember the fundamental purpose of their visit here

"How... how did we finally subdue that monster?" A bloodied man sat up unsteadily from the ground; it was the renowned hero Li Yutang from Qingzhou. It turned out he was not dead after all. The three-section staff that had been thrown back by the girl struck the heads of three swordsmen who were leaning against each other, and he was one of them. However, it was unclear whether it was due to his superior skills or just sheer luck, but while the heads of the other two were smashed like rotten watermelons, he merely lost consciousness from the blow.

"This is my younger sister, the beast spirit she gave me... is not mine. If I don't find her quickly, it will be terrible..." The man from Yunzhou seemed to be responding, yet it also felt like he was talking to himself.

The monk Mianru suddenly asked in a deep voice: "Master Xia, have you noticed anything amiss with this spiritual talisman?"

Xiao Xia merely said, "I do not know how good the vision of the White Old Master is, nor how great his reputation is. I only know that Zhang Tianshi would never draw talismans for five thousand taels of gold, nor would he do so for fifty thousand taels of gold."

Hu Qian did not speak, she merely nodded and made a sound of acknowledgment, though it was unclear to whom she was responding or what the sound meant.

Li Yutang also let out a cold snort: "Now that the young master is dead, the entire Luoshui Gang has perished completely. The only way to provide an explanation is to capture this demon alive. Bringing back only a corpse will inevitably lead to baseless speculations from petty individuals that could tarnish our reputation. Although we, as chivalrous individuals, are open and upright, we should still do what can be done well. There is no need for you, these narrow-minded little thieves, to voice your concerns and embarrass yourselves."

"Even while we are entangled with them, they do not forget to kill the young master! Such a wicked and venomous creature is simply intolerable by the heavens! How are we to return and explain this to the old master Bai?" Looking at the corpse suspended in mid-air, Li Yutang, the great hero of Qingzhou, was filled with rage, almost unable to restrain himself from drawing his sword to slay the white-clad young girl on the ground.

It is impossible. The demon-restraining talisman personally crafted by Master Zhang is at least of the sixth grade. Although this demon is difficult to deal with, it is merely a peculiar spell; at most, it can only be classified as a first or second grade Golden Core demon. Under the talisman, it should have no power to resist whatsoever. Hu Qian shook her head. The grading system of the Divine Machine Hall may not be infallibly precise, but in most cases, it indeed provides a clear explanation.

This seems like a very simple and natural matter, but the monk Mianru first shook his head and said: "Heaven has a benevolent nature towards living beings. Unless absolutely necessary, it is better to refrain from causing killings. This Qiantian Demon-Sealing Talisman can seal and subdue this demon. It is evident that, whether or not it was personally crafted by Master Zhang, it was still made by a high-ranking figure from the Daoist sect. Even if its power diminishes slightly afterwards, once I recover from my injuries, I will gradually regain my magical abilities. Even if some unexpected situations arise, I believe I can handle them."

The Golden Winged Whirlwind Slash places too great a burden on the mechanism; after using it once, that bird-like beast is nearly rendered useless. The Infernal Hound's molten golden flames can only be unleashed once, and naturally, it should not be used lightly unless absolutely necessary. Hu Qian's cold and calm voice emerged from beneath the helmet, sounding quite reasonable. "Moreover, mechanical arts are merely mechanical arts; while their power may be great, they cannot compare to the refined and honed spells and martial arts that can be controlled at will. Those bizarre and unpredictable spells may not necessarily harm her, but they would certainly affect friends and colleagues. If there is still room for maneuver, I would absolutely prefer not to use them."

"Ignorant brat, what do you know? This was purchased by the White Old Master for five thousand taels of gold. Five thousand taels of gold! With the White Old Master's discernment and his reputation in the martial world, could he possibly have bought a counterfeit?" Li Yutang glared at Xia Xia in anger. He had always found this kid displeasing; having relied on a bit of luck, he had managed to join the Luoshui Gang as a guest elder, standing on equal footing with a renowned hero like him. It was simply outrageous.

Regardless of the demons and monsters, once they are suppressed and reclaimed, their magical powers and abilities cannot be utilized, and thus their transformed appearances will naturally disappear. However, the appearance of this young girl in white shows no signs of change whatsoever

In principle, even if it is merely a corpse, the young master should be brought back to the headquarters of the Luoshui Gang. However, Li Yutang believes that presenting a flayed corpse directly before the old master, who is eagerly awaiting news, would be too shocking. It could lead to resentment instead of gratitude, and they might even be blamed for it. It would be better to bury the young master Bai here first and only bring back the news of his death, allowing the old master Bai some time to adjust. This way, he would not forget their sacrifices in battling this monster. Later, if the old master Bai wishes to find a suitable burial site for his son, that would be up to him.

This monster... why has it not revealed its true form yet?" Looking at the motionless girl in white on the ground, Li Yutang did not approach too closely, his expression somewhat grim. "Could it be that even the talisman personally drawn by Master Zhang cannot completely subdue this monster?"

Then this... Li Yutang opened his mouth but could not continue. Could it be that this was the true nature of the girl in white? Could it be that the girl who had just dismembered a group of heroes from the martial world and had skinned the young leader alive was really just a girl?

"Indeed, it is not necessarily false," Xiao Xia nodded slightly, "but it is also not necessarily true. Didn't Hu Xiangzhu and Li Daxia also find it strange that this monster has not revealed its true form?"

The monk Mianru, with his upper body half-naked, displayed muscles as solid as iron and steel, marked by several scars that were not deep, with little blood seeping out. It was unclear whether these were left by the white-clad girl or if he had not completely evaded the earlier mechanical beast's whirlwind of metal. With the protection of the Great Vajra's divine form, even though he could not actively wield his magical powers, the depth of this guardian Vajra's strength remained unfathomable. Now, he glared at Hu Qian with his eyes wide open, and amidst the rumbling sounds, he seemed to be filled with anger and fury, making it difficult to determine whether he was truly enraged, just like in times of peace. With the protection of the Great Vajra's divine form, even though he could not actively wield his magical powers, the depth of this guardian Vajra's strength remained unfathomable. Now, he glared at Hu Qian with his eyes wide open, and amidst the rumbling sounds, he seemed to be filled with anger and fury, making it difficult to determine whether he was truly enraged, just like in times of peace.

Li Yutang revealed a look akin to that of a pile of excrement, and coldly snorted: "So it turns out to be a wild Taoist without any affiliation or backing. Boasting so shamelessly, utterly lacking in self-awareness. Be careful, if I catch you selling talismans in secret, I will certainly have you arrested and sent to the government office to be thrown into the dung pit"

"Is your sister still in Luoshui City?" Hu Qian suddenly asked

It must be said that it was thanks to Master Huang's borrowing of the spirit beast's intuition that the true form of that monster was discovered. This humble monk has now regained some of his magical power, but the witchcraft of Yunzhou is unique, and since you have drawn the demon spirits into your body, this humble monk is unable to help you expel them. I can only temporarily suppress them with the Great Vajra Mantra. If your will is strong, perhaps you can keep these two beast souls suppressed, maintaining the clarity of your spiritual platform until we find the original masters of these two beast souls.

"We need to hurry and go back..." The man from Yunzhou was very frightened, but it was not the fear of the injury that nearly split his body in two. His actions in bandaging the wound were frantic and careless, his gaze darting around, and the expression on his face twitched in a strangely peculiar manner

At this moment, Hu Qian coldly interjected: "Zhang Tianshi would indeed not draw talismans for the sake of five thousand taels of gold, but his disciples might sell the talismans he bestowed for that amount. These talismans are not necessarily fake."

The young master has already died. He was killed by a branch that pierced through his neck, nailed to the trunk of a large tree not far from them, like a dog on a butcher's block, one foot off the ground

After Master Mianru finished reciting a section of the incantation and removed his palm from the forehead of the man from Yunzhou, the latter's expression indeed settled down, even becoming somewhat dazed, with only his eyes appearing even brighter. Originally somewhat murky, his eyes now resembled the tranquil clarity of a deep pool.

Xiao Xia shook his head: "This is not the case. My skills are shallow, and using this high-grade talisman is already quite difficult for me; how could I discern its intricate subtleties? However, this talisman can summon the pure Yang energy of the heavens, and at this noon hour, its power is at its peak. Over time, or perhaps after nightfall, the talisman’s strength may weaken. Moreover, if this talisman indeed did not originate from Master Zhang... Therefore, to be on the safe side, I believe it is best to eliminate this monster now."

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Since the master and the hero have no such intention, I shall have to comply with the flow. Little Xia nodded, glanced at the trembling man from Yunzhou in the distance, sighed, and said, "Then let us quickly tidy up and return to Luoshui City."