Chapter 53: Slaying the Demon with a Wooden Sword

Zhuang Lin had already gained some understanding of the administrative efficiency of the late Jin Dynasty government and the moral character of its petty officials and runners.

Of course, even the authenticity of historical records often required cross-verification from multiple sources, and this space-time possessed many distinct differences; even the boundaries between heaven and earth varied greatly. Later generations certainly knew very little about this era, or perhaps harbored many misconceptions.

Regardless of this, judging from the rumors heard in the county town today, or by comparing it to the present situation, Lu Jing's character was truly commendable.

In any era, there were always those among the crowd who would stand up for others—the so-called righteous spirit enduring forever, residing within all living beings under heaven!

For such a person, even Zhuang Lin felt a deep sense of respect.

Seeing the few men enter, Zhuang Lin picked up his book box and shifted aside, clearing away some of the withered grass beneath him.

"When traveling far from home, extending mutual courtesy is only proper. Please do not sit on the bare ground. I gathered this withered grass nearby just now; you may use it as a mat to keep out the chill!"

Zhuang Lin spoke with a smile and sincere tone, changing the impressions of even the three companions beside Lu Jing quite a bit.

"Then many thanks to this young master!"

Zhuang Lin had cut quite a bit of grass. The men gathered it up to lay on the ground, and with the campfire warming them, the biting cold on their bodies was largely driven away.

It was only then that the men once again noticed what Zhuang Lin was doing with his hands, seeing that he had already whittled a wooden sword.

One of the rough men beside Lu Jing could not help asking, "You are a strange scholar. Why don't you carry a real sword like other literati, and instead use wood to make one?"

Zhuang Lin raised his head, glanced at him, and said, "I lack a suitable weapon. This wood is tough, so whittling wood into a sword will have to suffice. Besides, I am merely staying overnight in this place, feeling restless and afraid to fall into a deep sleep, so I am just finding something to do."

The latter explanation was quite reasonable. Spending the night alone in the wilderness, it was better not to fall too deeply asleep—at least one had to keep the campfire burning.

Another man smiled and remarked, "Still, the wooden sword whittled by this young master is rather clever; it already possesses the shape of a sword!"

Indeed, though the wooden sword in the scholar's hand could not be called exquisitely crafted, it looked exceptionally natural and pleasing to the eye. Furthermore, its form resembled a real sword, clearly showing that he possessed nimble hands.

Hearing this, Zhuang Lin smiled. "You flatter me, brother. It is merely a playful distraction. If I had possessed such a wooden sword in my childhood, I would have run rampant through my village!"

The four men clearly caught the meaning of this joke and could not help revealing knowing smiles, some even having their childhood memories stirred.

"By the way, you gentlemen mentioned rumors just now, yet your words carried a look of worry. It didn't seem to be about that Peach Blossom Spring, did it? Could there be something else?"

Zhuang Lin finally brought the conversation to the point. The other four looked at each other, and one of them spoke up.

"Scholar, don't be frightened upon hearing this. Around the Wuling area lately, there has been a malevolent spirit making trouble. Ordinary people dare not wander about casually after dark. But don't be afraid; Chief Constable Lu and the rest of us are here specifically to deal with that thing..."

That man briefly described the situation of the malevolent spirit haunting the vicinity of Wuling to Zhuang Lin, emphasizing that more than one person had already fallen victim to it.

Listening as he spoke, Zhuang Lin nodded slightly from time to time, his face showing a dawning realization.

However, the men opposite him noticed that after hearing the tale, this scholar did not seem very terrified, prompting one of them to ask, "Scholar, aren't you afraid?"

"Afraid? Naturally, I am afraid! If I were left alone in the wilderness, I would probably be trembling with fear right now. But since you gentlemen are all here together, numbers bring warmth and strength, and judging by your appearance, you must be chivalrous martial artists possessing extraordinary skills, accompanied by the county yamen's chief constable—then naturally, I am not afraid!"

"And who knows, I might even be able to lend a hand!"

"Hahahaha, you are a very interesting scholar!" "You've got guts; no wonder you dare to travel for study all by yourself!"

"So if it really shows up in a moment, you'll go first?"

"That wouldn't be impossible. My martial arts are passable!"

"Hahahaha... Look at those slender arms and legs of yours, hahahaha..."

"Alright, stop joking around!"

"What is your name? If you don't mind, you can come visit my hometown in the future, and I can show you around..."

"Ah, my surname is Zhuang, given name Lin. May I ask your esteemed names..."

The atmosphere inside the Ten-Li Pavilion had clearly grown much livelier. Though the men had only just met, one side discovered that men of the pugilistic world were not difficult to communicate with, while the other side felt this literati was unusually magnanimous and straightforward, completely lacking any condescending airs, which naturally dispelled much of the barrier between them.

After growing more familiar with one another, Zhuang Lin learned more of the details. Lu Jing was naturally wary of the malevolent spirit, but due to his free-spirited nature, he found the idle gossip in the county town intolerable.

Coupled with the previous casualties among several hunters, Lu Jing felt a deep sense of guilt and was all the more determined to eliminate the fiend.

However, the Magistrate of Wuling County had already issued an order forbidding yamen personnel from venturing out, and among his colleagues in the county yamen, apart from Lu Jing himself, not a single person was willing to accompany him. Furthermore, the martial arts instructors in the city had long since lost their enthusiasm and courage. In the vast Wuling County, Lu Jing found himself feeling utterly isolated and helpless.

These three men were martial artists he had enlisted through entrusted letters, friends who owed him favors and had previously promised to respond to any call, and all possessed genuine skills.

Yet, though Lu Jing had sought out twelve men, only these three had ultimately arrived.

The few men considered themselves to have a deep understanding of demonic entities. Although it had attained sentience, it was not the kind of monster with heaven-shaking magical powers, and it could still be slashed and killed with blades and swords!

As for why they came directly to guard the pavilion rather than setting an ambush—on one hand, ambushes no longer worked and made it easy for the spirit to sneak close and murder them in the dark, a mistake that had cost them dearly last time.

On the other hand, they had brought items to restrain it, possessed some confidence in their own abilities, and had tried to second-guess the monster's mind, choosing instead to confront it openly.

Because while the fiend was cruel and cunning, it was also extremely vindictive. Lu Jing knew full well by now how deep its hatred for him was; as long as he remained here, the monster sooner or later wouldn't be able to resist coming out!

Zhuang Lin had roughly fathomed their line of thinking. To be honest, their approach could not be called entirely wrong, and success was not out of the question, but it would certainly come at a price.

Of course, throughout the conversation, Zhuang Lin had continuously and meticulously polished the wooden sword in his hand.

"Woo-hoo... Woo-hoo..."

The night wind grew somewhat stronger, and its direction seemed to have shifted, blowing from the road toward the mountain wilderness.

After a little while longer, while the others in the pavilion were still talking and laughing, Zhuang Lin raised his head slightly.

What a cunning creature; clearly it had already arrived, yet it was still lingering and watching from afar.

Before long, Lu Jing also sensed that something was amiss and directly spoke up to interrupt the conversation.

"Hush! Something's wrong!"

The talking inside the pavilion instantly ceased, and all of them looked toward Lu Jing.

"What do you mean?"

With a stern expression, Lu Jing looked around their surroundings.

"It's too quiet. It was just like this the previous few times, and the pain in my wound is starting to intensify. It has definitely arrived!"

Lu Jing's words carried unmistakable anger and ferocity; clearly, his hatred for this demonic entity was by no means low!

Hearing Lu Jing say this, the others suddenly snapped to attention. They had been too engrossed in chatting just now, but at this moment, the sounds of insects and birds all around had completely vanished.

Zhuang Lin cast a surprised glance at Lu Jing. So there was also the physical basis of wound pain; this was something worth studying later.

Though it was late autumn and insects were few, it shouldn't have been as silent as winter.

"Such a brute, it really has come..."

"Scholar, make sure you don't run around in a moment!" "That's right, we might not be able to look after you!"

The men stood up, their bodies noticeably tense. Though they had tried their best to project an air of heroic grandeur during their chat earlier, they were after all facing a malevolent spirit—to say they weren't afraid at all would be a lie!

One of them pulled a stack of talisman paper from his chest pocket, as did the other three, including Lu Jing. They used their weapons to slice small cuts on their hands, smeared a bit of blood onto their blade edges, and used the blood as an adhesive to paste the talismans onto their weapons.

They had some tricks, but not many!

Such was Zhuang Lin's evaluation. In his eyes, perceiving the changes in spiritual energy, the exact effect these men's actions could produce was crystal clear.

"Woo~ woo~ woo~ wa-roar..."

The strange cries of the great macaque sounded like weeping mixed with the roar of a fierce beast, exceptionally eerie and chilling to the ear, making the hair on the four men's arms stand on end.

Yet in Zhuang Lin's ears, certain information naturally and clearly crystallized in his mind, as if he instinctively understood the monster's exact state at this very moment.

Its horizontal throat bone had not yet transformed; it wasn't even in the first tier!

Lu Jing did not forget to remind the others.

"Remember to gather your internal energy to protect your ear orifices and internal organs later, lest you be shaken and stunned by its roar. If that happens, you won't even be able to muster thirty percent of your full strength..."

"Understood!" "Brother Lu, you have injuries on your body, stay further back!"

"Why hasn't it come down yet?" "Afraid it's trying to lure us over!"

...

Under the grip of tension, the four men had temporarily forgotten about Zhuang Lin, each gripping their weapons and putting up a facade of composure.

In the direction of the mountain forest, the great macaque wore an expression of anthropomorphic mockery. Its strange cries sounded more like it was toying with them. In truth, it had secretly observed these four men for two full days and only dared to approach and reveal itself today, having already figured out that these humans relied on short-range weapons...

Zhuang Lin remained seated by the campfire, paying no heed to the outside world. Instead, he inspected the wooden sword in his hand from top to bottom, then gently drew in a breath.

"Sssss~~~"

With this single intake of breath, the campfire inside the pavilion noticeably leaned toward Zhuang Lin, and wisps of fiery energy seemed to merge into Zhuang Lin's mouth. The four men, who were standing up and staring outward, failed to notice any of this.

"Huu..."

Zhuang Lin gave another gentle breath, exhaling a puff of celestial-path vital force mixed with inner fire and mortal fire directly onto the wooden sword.

The residual wood shavings clinging to the blade lit up like sparks, then scattered amidst the wind and fire, revealing a reddish-brown sword body tempered with faint black traces, upon which patterns seemed to briefly glow with fluorescent light.

Holding the sword in his left hand, Zhuang Lin formed a sword-finger with his right. Lung-metal energy glided gently from the hilt to the tip along his sword-finger, after which he flicked it with his finger.

"Ding~~~"

A wooden sword actually produced the faint sound of clashing metal!

*When I, Zhuang Lin, hold a sword to slay a demonic entity for the first time, even if it's just a wooden sword, the sense of ritual must still be observed!*

Though the metallic ringing of the sword was faint, it was exceedingly clear, finally drawing the renewed attention of Lu Jing and the others. Initially thinking the scholar had been so frightened that he dropped a small knife, they were shocked to see the Zhuang-surnamed scholar stand up holding that wooden sword.

At that exact moment, the great macaque in the direction of the mountain forest seemed to grow agitated as well, repeatedly letting out bursts of cries.

That aura, that feeling—it remembered! It was that human it wanted so desperately to eat!

A surge of demonic qi rose over the great macaque's body, and it abruptly lunged toward the pavilion. Tonight wasn't just about revenge!

"Roar——"

This roar was filled with tyranny and murderous intent, making one's hair stand on end.

"Damn it, fight it to the death!" "Surround it!"

"As if we'd be afraid of a brute like you—"

"Ah——" "Kill——"

The four martial artists likewise let out roars, their eyes wide with fury as they mustered their courage and rushed directly out of the pavilion. Even a monster could be killed!

The great macaque moved at extreme speed, its eyes filled with manic excitement. While still halfway there, it hurled countless stones from its hands.

Those stones emitted a whistling sound of tearing through the air, and their impact seemed terrifyingly powerful.

"Not good, it uses hidden weapons—" "Dodge quickly—"

"Bang~" "Bang~" "Bang~" "Clang~" "Clang~"

For a moment, the four men were forced into frantic dodging. The stones struck the pavilion pillars with loud slaps, and when they hit the weapons the men used to parry, it made the web spaces between their thumbs and forefingers tingle numbly, chilling their courage and confidence by a fraction...

Yet the great macaque paid the four men no mind whatsoever. At this moment, its cravings overwhelmed its reason; only a single target remained in its sight, and it even deliberately avoided throwing stones at the people inside the pavilion, terrified of smashing its prize.

Yet right at that moment, Zhuang Lin, who had slung the wooden sword behind his back, cast a sideways glance at the charging great macaque.

That glance was as indifferent as water; that glance was as bone-chilling as ice...

It was the look one gave a corpse!

For some unknown reason, that seemingly frail figure, with just a single glance, struck the great macaque with incomparable terror, as if it surpassed the wrath of thunder and heaven...

*Run!*

In that instant, the macaque's body swerved in an arc across the ground, kicking up a flurry of dust as it frantically leaped and bolted back toward the mountain forest, leaking urine all along the way...

"It's running!" "Stop it!"

"Can't let it get away—"

Believing the fiend was terrified of them, the four men immediately regained their formation and prepared to give fierce chase.

However, at that very moment, a wisp of smoke-like figure drifted past from the Ten-Li Pavilion toward them. A blur before their eyes, and it had already reached the distance...

Though the great macaque was fast, how could it possibly compare to Zhuang Lin? With its meager level of cultivation, Zhuang Lin had no fear that it possessed any formidable escape arts.

The great macaque had not even fled a dozen or so zhang away, its panicked expression not yet fully settled, when it looked up to see a figure abruptly materialize right before it.

Still that same gaze, still that calm face. For a creature like this, Zhuang Lin indeed no longer felt the initial excitement.

"Wretched beast."

A soft murmur seemed to whisper directly in its ear.

Yet the moment the sound entered its ears, the great macaque felt a pain in its heart. Before it even had time to register any emotion, agony and tearing completely overwhelmed its consciousness...

Zhuang Lin was still standing a zhang away from the great macaque. It was as if his right hand had merely lifted slightly, and that wooden sword had flown ten feet from his body, piercing the monster's heart meridian.

Then, his right hand dropped back down as if drifting with the momentum. The rise and fall took barely a blink; that wooden sword instantly withdrew from the monster's carcass and flew back into Zhuang Lin's hand.

The sword tip, pointing obliquely toward the ground, trembled slightly. Demonic blood dripped continuously, yet at that moment, the body of the wooden sword appeared even more crimson than the demonic blood itself...

The four men who had chased the monster all stopped short not far away. In the dim light, they could still clearly make out the fallen monster and the figure standing tall with a sword in hand.

Though they hadn't witnessed the process, nor managed to catch the brief display of sword-flying, the result before their eyes was more than enough to explain the situation.

Someone turned his head back somewhat stiffly to glance at the pavilion swaying in the campfire light over there—the scholar inside the pavilion... was truly gone!