“Hoo——”
“Where did this tiger demon come from? Not only does it eat people, but it is also so fierce.”
“Even injured, it dares to eat people and assault Peach Blossom Shrine. Does it really think we are just eating dry rice?”
“Fortunately, Brother Zhu and Sister Li are here. Otherwise, with just my husband and me, we absolutely could not keep it.”
“But it is finally dead.”
…
A massive tiger lay sprawled on the open ground outside the main hall of Peach Blossom Shrine, utterly lifeless.
Lu Zheng had held back from using the Binding Curse throughout the earlier exchanges, saving it for that final decisive strike.
Because the tiger demon had profound cultivation, the Binding Curse could not hold it for long at all. He still had reserves left, so at worst he would suffer minor injuries. Moreover, afterwards it would certainly be on guard, making it hard to land again.
Either do not use it, or if used, make it count. That was why Lu Zheng endured until the end, when the tiger demon went all out, before casting the Binding Curse.
In that instant, it had no reserves, no defences up, and a longer recovery time. Thus, it was directly struck by Shen Ying and the others’ attacks penetrating its body, suffering severe wounds.
The new injuries triggered the old ones. Then Lu Zheng gave it no further chances. The four unleashed their full might, beating the tiger demon to death.
And so, this tiger demon of profound cultivation, capable even of levitating in the void, was slain by the four working together. Its true spirit was also shredded by Lu Zheng’s Golden Palace Heart Sword, leaving it no chance to enter the underworld as a ghost.
“Buzz!”
A full one hundred and eighty-two points of fortune light entered his account, also attesting to the tiger’s strength.
Lu Zheng examined the tiger. “Let us divide up this tiger’s corpse. The tiger meat can go to Senior Li and the others to taste. The tiger bones can be used in medicine. We can set some aside for Qingyan.”
“That is a minor matter.” Shen Ying reached out towards the tiger. A small bundle flew out from under the corpse. “After it revealed its original form, it still used demon power to wrap this bundle beneath its body. Perhaps there is something valuable inside?”
“Oh?” Lu Zheng truly had not noticed that detail.
Shen Ying waved her hand. The bundle landed before her and untied itself automatically, revealing five porcelain bottles inside, along with a stone tablet.
“What is this? Pills?”
Shen Ying took one porcelain bottle, uncorked it, and poured out a green pill. A faint spiritual energy mingled with a medicinal fragrance then wafted through Peach Blossom Shrine.
“Pills indeed?” Li Hanyu could not help but raise an eyebrow. “This demon has some background?”
Pills refined from various spiritual herbs could combine their effects for a result greater than the sum of their parts. This made the medicinal power easier to absorb, while reducing cooldown periods and resistance. The benefits were numerous.
However, refining pills was no casual skill that anyone could pick up. It required specific knowledge, even a professional alchemist.
If one lacked confidence and just experimented recklessly, forget about the potency of the resulting pills. Whether they were even safe to consume would be questionable.
Spiritual herbs plus spiritual herbs turning into poison was entirely possible.
Without assurance, it was better to simply eat the spiritual fruits and herbs raw for a quicker effect. For instance, the Bilo Fruit or the earlier Zhu Fruit. Lu Zheng and the others had all eaten them raw.
Thus, seeing pills in this tiger demon’s bundle meant it was absolutely no lone wild demon.
If it were just one pill or one bottle, one might chalk it up to luck. But five whole bottles? That could never be mere chance.
Li Hanyu reached out and took the remaining stone tablet from the bundle. “Perhaps this tablet reveals its origins?”
She flipped the stone tablet over. Lu Zheng could not help but let out an “Eh”.
“What is it? Does Brother Lu recognise it?” Li Hanyu turned and asked. “Which faction?”
“I do not know.” Lu Zheng shook his head. “But I have seen an identical tablet before.”
“Hmm?” Shen Ying looked at Lu Zheng. She had never seen this stone tablet, yet Lu Zheng had. Her eyes flashed as she could not help but ask, “One of the demons from the flood relief efforts?”
“No.” Lu Zheng shook his head. “Yaozhou’s Wild Wolf Mountain. Leng Jian.”
The stone tablet’s front bore an engraving of a lone wolf howling at the moon. The lines were rough and simple, yet full of spirit.
The key point was that it matched exactly the tablet Lu Zheng had found in Leng Jian’s cave on Yaozhou’s Wild Wolf Mountain.
“Leng Jian?” Shen Ying could not help asking. “No way? That Leng Jian had been established in Yaozhou for over a century. I never heard of any background.”
“Quite so.” Lu Zheng nodded. “Even the local demons in Yaozhou thought Leng Jian was just a wild wolf.”
“Then what is this stone tablet about?” Shen Ying frowned and asked.
“I have no idea!” Lu Zheng shrugged and blinked. He somewhat regretted not preserving the tiger demon’s true spirit to interrogate it.
“Could Leng Jian and this tiger demon both belong to the same faction?” Shen Ying speculated.
“From the look of this stone tablet, the leader should be a wolf demon. But this tiger demon’s cultivation is far higher than Leng Jian’s.” Lu Zheng said.
“Leng Jian?” Li Hanyu could not help asking. “The wolf demon who slaughtered the innocent and tried to force a marriage with Sister Liu?”
That day, as everyone relaxed in Peach Blossom Ping and Guang Yue came to spar with Lu Zheng, Liu Qingquan had explained their grudge to the group and mentioned that wolf demon Leng Jian. Li Hanyu still remembered.
“Yes.” Lu Zheng nodded. “That is the wolf demon.”
He then recounted the whole story of how, that day, he had chased Leng Jian a thousand li before robbing his cave on Wild Wolf Mountain.
“I found this stone tablet in Leng Jian’s cave. It had no special qualities, so I thought it was just something he had casually made as an identity marker. I tucked it away on a whim. It is still in a drawer in my study at home.” Lu Zheng shook his head.
“Now it seems that tablet was not something Leng Jian gave to a subordinate to represent him. It was his own identity token.” Shen Ying said.
“Does this mean the matter has a sequel?” Li Hanyu frowned.
“But it has been so long since then. We have not seen this faction come knocking.” Lu Zheng blinked, indicating he knew nothing.
“In any case, we must find out which faction this is.” Shen Ying said firmly. One could not face an enemy in complete ignorance.
Lu Zheng nodded and added, “Let us go ask the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs.”
When in doubt, consult the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs.
“The Da Jing Dynasty places people at its core. Whether it is that domineering Leng Jian or this man-eating tiger demon, both have committed capital crimes.” Li Hanyu said coldly. “Ignorance is one thing. Now that we know, the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs will naturally uproot them.”
Lu Zheng nodded in agreement.
He was not overly concerned. After all, White Cloud Temple stood behind him.
If this faction remained hidden and sought quiet revenge, they might catch him off guard.
But now that they knew…
“No time like the present. Let us set out overnight. We can reach Yizhou Prefecture by morning.” Zhu Yushan said.
“Very well.” Lu Zheng nodded.
