The Taiyuan Profound Light is formless and immaterial, and it is not of the same attribute as the Peach Blossom Baleful Qi, perfectly countering that fan which can fan out wind and fire.
So when Shen Ying saw the pig demon activate the treasure fan, she immediately withdrew the Peach Blossom Baleful Qi and cast the Taiyuan Profound Light.
She had originally been somewhat worried about her celestial maidens under her command, but upon seeing Lu Zheng dispel the divine smoke they had been afflicted with, she immediately set her mind at ease and focused entirely on the enemy.
However, seeing that his bewitching smoke had no effect on Shen Ying at all, and with an inscrutable man standing by her side, the short fatty let out a strange cry and flipped around to burrow back into the cave.
“Boom!”
A thunderclap rang out from flat ground, and a bolt of lightning appeared in an instant, striking directly between the pig demon and the cave entrance.
“You have angered my lady wife, so let her vent her anger. Taking hostages is not the act of a so-called ‘this old one’ hero.” A faint teasing voice sounded in the pig demon’s ear.
The pig demon was furious beyond measure. “When did I ever say I was a ‘hero’!?”
However, with the path ahead blocked, the Taiyuan Profound Light from behind instantly brushed over him, enveloping him within it.
In the next moment, the pig demon felt as if he had fallen into a quagmire. The magical power inherent in the Taiyuan Profound Light continuously scoured his protective demonic force, and as soon as there was the slightest gap, it would seize the opportunity to penetrate his body and restrain him.
The pig demon wailed and shrieked, waving the round fan in his hand repeatedly. Fierce winds whipped about chaotically, and fire power shot out in all directions, yet it had no effect whatsoever on the Taiyuan Profound Light.
In terms of cultivation, the pig demon was roughly on par with Shen Ying.
However, earlier the pig demon had the fan in hand and broke Shen Ying’s Peach Blossom Baleful Qi with a single move. But as soon as Shen Ying changed tactics and countered with the Taiyuan Profound Light, she immediately trapped the pig demon once more.
This was the role of superior treasures and spells in magical combat.
It must be known that Shen Ying’s Peach Blossom Baleful Qi contained illusory peach blossom shadows infused with spiritual power and peach blossom baleful qi, belonging to the wood element of the five phases, half real and half illusory, not something ordinary wind could disperse. From this, it could be seen that the round fan was also no weak treasure.
However, the Taiyuan Profound Light originated from the Golden Flower Sect’s “Taiyuan Profound Scripture”, derived from the Supreme Unity True Lord of the upper realms, and it countered the power of the fan. Moreover, the pig demon had no spells or treasures to counter the profound light, so he was thwarted at every turn.
“Wah wah wah! If you have the skill, let Grandpa return to the cave to fetch his weapon, and then we fight again!”
The pig demon wailed and flailed about, charging left and right within the Taiyuan Profound Light, but making no headway at all.
“Go into the cave and rescue Tao Zhen.” Lu Zheng said to several of the Peach Blossom Celestial Maidens.
“Yes!”
Tao Rui, Tao Qing, and the others hurriedly skirted around the area of the Taiyuan Profound Light and delved into the cave mansion. Soon, they emerged carrying the unconscious Tao Zhen, along with Tao Zhen’s lost square-heaven painted halberd.
“Immortal! Young Master! Tao Zhen has only been bewildered!” Tao Rui shouted.
Lu Zheng nodded, and cast another pure cloud spell, expelling the bewitching smoke from within Tao Zhen’s body. She slowly awoke.
“Sister Rui? Qingqing?”
Tao Rui supported Tao Zhen. “Little Zhen, the Immortal and the Young Master have both come. It is alright now.”
Only then did Tao Zhen look towards the pig demon trapped by the profound light, her eyes lighting up.
Seeing that Tao Zhen was unharmed, Shen Ying also set her mind at ease. Then the Taiyuan Profound Light exerted even greater force.
The pig demon let out an “Ao” of a strange cry, his eyes turning blood red, demonic power suffusing his entire body. He forcefully withstood the Taiyuan Profound Light and madly charged towards the depths of the dense forest.
However…
Shen Ying infused the Taiyuan Profound Light with Peach Blossom Baleful Qi. In mere moments, she planted peach blossoms all over the pig demon’s body.
“Ao!”
The Peach Blossom Baleful Qi activated. The pig demon let out an earth-shattering scream of agony and immediately collapsed to the ground, his body and dao extinguished.
In the next moment, the corpse burst through its clothing, transforming into a massive wild boar over one and a half zhang long.
“Hmph! Relying on a mere treasure fan and a bewitching smoke to commit atrocities, truly ignorant of the heights of heaven and depths of earth, simply courting death!”
Shen Ying withdrew the profound light and Peach Blossom Baleful Qi. A pair of peach blossom eyes flickered with cold light, her baleful qi astonishing.
Lu Zheng blinked his eyes and discovered that there was no influx of destiny light to his account. This indicated that the pig demon’s death had nothing to do with him; Shen Ying alone could have taken him down.
Both gratified and regretful…
If only he had acted himself. Perhaps he could have gained at least a little?
Never mind, never mind. What is past is past, no need to dwell.
“Many thanks, Immortal! Many thanks, Young Master!” Tao Zhen came forward and bowed in salute.
Shen Ying hurriedly helped Tao Zhen up, sending true qi into her body to probe. Finding her truly unharmed, she nodded. “It is fine now.”
Lu Zheng reached out with a beckoning motion, and the round fan from the pig demon’s hand fell into his grasp. He passed true qi over it from top to bottom, wiping away the grease and demonic power on the fan.
“The fan is made of phoenixwood, the wood has spirit and contains specks of fire power. Can you use it?”
Shen Ying took the round fan. Urging it with magical power, she fanned it casually, and a gust of clear wind carrying heat blew out.
She nodded. Shen Ying smiled. “It truly is a fine treasure. Who knows where this pig demon obtained this fan, and why he secluded himself here.”
Tao Zhen said, “Immortal, allow me to report that this pig demon should have only recently settled here. I saw that the decorations in the cave mansion were crude, and several chambers in the cave seemed to still be under excavation.”
“Oh? A newly arrived demon?” Shen Ying’s eyebrows arched slightly. She nodded. “No wonder he was so arrogant. Moreover, this place is not far from the county city, yet we have heard no news of him.”
“Fortunately, we encountered him first. Otherwise, once he finished building his cave mansion, he might have brought calamity to the fields and villages below the mountain.”
“What else remains in the cave?”
“Just some stone beds and stone tables. Nothing much else.”
“Since that is the case, let us return.” Shen Ying looked at Lu Zheng and smiled faintly. “Tonight, we can have an extra meal.”
Lu Zheng could not help but chuckle. “Perfect. We can call Qingyan and the others for a barbecue.”
Shen Ying stowed the round fan. Lu Zheng collected the pig demon’s corpse. The group once again rode the clouds aloft, abandoning that cave mansion and flying back to Peach Blossom Terrace.
…
Returning to Peach Blossom Terrace, Lu Zheng dispatched one Peach Blossom Celestial Maiden to the county to summon people. He then took out seasonings and a grill from his gourd.
He brought out the wild boar demon’s corpse. Lu Zheng’s eyes flickered. Facing the curious and expectant gazes of the crowd, he rubbed his chin. “How about I prepare a full pig feast?”
Tao Qing asked curiously, “Are we not just eating pork tonight? Why call it a full pig feast?”
Lu Zheng laughed. “As the name implies, the so-called full pig feast means using a different part of the pig for every dish, prepared in different ways, making over a dozen dishes, each with a unique flavour.”
“Different parts?” Tao Qing glanced at the wild boar Lu Zheng had tossed into the courtyard. “Besides pork and trotters, what else is there?”
“You will know once it is made!”
Lu Zheng laughed heartily and looked at the sky. “We definitely cannot eat it at noon. Tonight it is!”
…
Not long after the afternoon, Liu Qingyan and her sisters arrived at the peach grove, bringing Du Yueyao and her disciple along.
Upon learning that Lu Zheng was cooking in the kitchen, it piqued Fan Boyu’s curiosity greatly. After entering the kitchen for a look, he could not help but sigh in admiration, admitting his own inferiority.
When night fell, the eighteen celestial maidens carried a long table into the courtyard. Then, with the front courtyard kitchen door wide open, dish after dish floated out into the air, landing on the table in sequence.
“Cold-dressed pig’s head meat!”
“Brined pig’s tongue!”
“Red oil pig’s ear!”
“Crystal pig skin jelly!”
“Braised pig’s trotters!”
“Dry pot pig’s tail!”
“Hand-torn pig’s heart!”
“Stir-fried pork kidneys!”
“Small stir-fried pig’s liver!”
“Dry pot large intestines!”
Next came the hearty dishes…
“Braised pork!”
“Fried pork chop!”
“Sweet and sour ribs!”
“Potted pork!”
“Twice-cooked pork!”
“Steamed pork with rice powder!”
“Stewed pork with preserved vegetables!”
“Barbecued pork!”
“Four happiness meatballs!”
“Pork stewed with glass noodles!”
Countless aromas mingled together, followed by countless swallowing sounds, and finally, the sound of Liu Qingquan’s drool hitting the ground.
