The next day, Lu Zheng had Aunt Liu prepare breakfast for an extra person.
After a night of rest, Yuanjing’s complexion had noticeably improved.
Wearing a clean set of clothes, Yuanjing thanked Lu Zheng before sitting down, picking up his chopsticks with graceful poise, truly embodying the demeanour of an accomplished Taoist.
Lu Zheng took a bite of a steamed bun, “Senior Brother, why did you come down the mountain? What kind of demon is hiding in Tonglin County that required your intervention? Is there anything I can do to help?”
“The opponent is a pig demon. Its cultivation isn’t particularly high, but it’s physically robust, with arms boasting the strength of a thousand jin. Not easy to deal with,” Yuanjing said.
“Pig demon?” Lu Zheng paused, thinking to himself that he had just heard a story about a pig demon yesterday, and now he was encountering a real one today?
Yuanjing nodded, “Three days ago, the murder at Qingsheng Tower in the county was committed by this demon.”
“Qingsheng Tower?” Lu Zheng asked, “I heard the shopkeeper’s family died in a gruesome manner?”
“There were traces of demonic qi at the scene. The county office couldn’t handle it, so they sent a request to the temple for help, and Master sent me down to slay the demon.”
Lu Zheng nodded in understanding.
“Last night, I tracked it down using its qi, but I didn’t expect it to be a pig demon,” Yuanjing said with some frustration. “Its magical powers are weak, and its demonic energy is faint, but its body is as sturdy as…
Well, although I severely injured it with an exorcism spell, I got careless and didn’t anticipate its sudden close-range attack, so I sustained some injuries.”
At this point, Yuanjing seemed a bit embarrassed. Coming down the mountain to slay a demon only to end up injured himself was hardly something to boast about.
“I was staying at the county office during the day. When I tracked it down last night, there were constables following me from a distance. The pig demon must have noticed them. To prevent it from seeking revenge and storming the county office, I came to you instead.”
“If you’re not at the county office, won’t the pig demon still attack it?”
Yuanjing shook his head, “The Da Jing Dynasty has the Anomaly Suppression Bureau, which intimidates all supernatural beings. Unless the pig demon is seeking its own death, it won’t attack the county office without reason.”
Lu Zheng’s eyes flickered, noting another piece of information.
The Da Jing Dynasty, Anomaly Suppression Bureau.
It was likely akin to a secret service like the National Security Agency in his previous life.
So, Lu Zheng asked, “Why did the county office turn to our Baiyun Temple instead of notifying the Anomaly Suppression Bureau?”
Yuanjing shook his head, “The Anomaly Suppression Bureau’s offices only extend to the prefecture level, and they’re usually quite busy. By the time Tonglin County reports and the Bureau sends someone, the pig demon would likely have fled.”
Lu Zheng understood. If so, the Anomaly Suppression Bureau, being busy, wouldn’t pursue relentlessly, leaving Tonglin County with an unsolved case that would affect the performance evaluations of the county officials.
Thus, seeking help from Baiyun Temple, located at Shaotong Mountain, was a win-win strategy.
The county office gained merit, Baiyun Temple received benefits, and both earned prestige.
“So, the pig demon is still hiding in Tonglin County?”
“Exactly!” Yuanjing nodded, then looked at Lu Zheng intently, “Junior Brother, you’ve trained in both martial arts and Taoism, and have developed a warrior’s blood qi?”
Lu Zheng: I have a bad feeling about this.
“Though that pig demon is robust, it relies solely on its natural physique and lacks martial arts training. If you assist me, we can surely take it down!”
Yuanjing’s eyes grew brighter as he spoke, “Yes, that’s it. No more talk, let’s go find that pig demon tonight and deal with it.”
“Why not during the day?”
Yuanjing continued to explain to the novice, “Daylight is harsh, and demonic qi is less noticeable. At night, the demonic qi of less powerful creatures reacts to moonlight and emanates outward.”
“Got it. I’m fine with it, but what about your injuries, Senior Brother?”
“No issue, just two broken ribs. They won’t affect my spellcasting.”
Lu Zheng: So I’m the tank in this fight!
…
Throughout the day, Yuanjing rested in the guest room, while Lu Zheng made a few trips back to the modern world, responded to messages, and returned.
That night, Lu Zheng strapped on his Xiuchun sword, tucked away his exorcism talismans, and dressed in a black short tunic suitable for fighting, fully prepared.
However, after setting out with Yuanjing at sunset, they followed a qi-tracking talisman straight out of the city.
The trail led directly to the deep forests outside the city.
In the dim night, Lu Zheng looked at the dark, dense forest, which resembled a gaping beast’s mouth baring its fangs.
“Keep going?” Lu Zheng looked at Yuanjing.
Yuanjing shook his head, “No use. The wilderness is full of tall trees and dense grass, with complex terrain. Plus, the pig demon in its true form can run like the wind in the forest. How could we keep up?
And if we chase until daylight and lose it, we’ll completely lose its trail.”
“So, has it left for good, or is it just healing outside the city and will return once recovered?”
“Simple. I’ll stay one more day. If it doesn’t return to the city by tomorrow and its demonic qi dissipates, it’s truly gone.”
…
The next day, Yuanjing brought Lu Zheng to the county office.
Upon learning that Lu Zheng had joined Baiyun Temple, the oblivious county magistrate was unfazed, but Clerk Li and Constable Liu, who had dealt with Lu Zheng before, were astonished.
How did a destitute scholar from afar, with no connections, suddenly become a lay disciple of Baiyun Temple?
Naturally, since Lu Zheng had secured the backing of Baiyun Temple, their doubts would remain buried forever.
Without showing it, Clerk Li and Constable Liu adjusted their roles accordingly.
“Based on the testimony of Qingsheng Tower’s staff, we believe the pig demon’s killing was a revenge attack,” Constable Liu explained.
“Revenge?”
Lu Zheng was curious. How did a teahouse shopkeeper end up feuding with a pig demon?
“The shopkeeper had a collectible that one of the staff had seen before, but it went missing after last night’s murder.”
“What was it?”
“A wild boar hide,” Constable Liu said, “from head to tail, a full twelve feet long!”
Twelve feet—that’s four metres.
A four-metre-long wild boar in China would definitely be considered a spirit.
“His father’s killer?”
“No idea,” Constable Liu shook his head. “The staff at Qingsheng Tower were newly hired by Shopkeeper Sun when he came to Tonglin County. They don’t know about his past.”
Yuanjing nodded. There were many such unresolved cases, so this one was classified as a revenge killing, with the pig demon as the fugitive culprit.
…
Yuanjing stayed another day, and that evening, using the qi-tracking talisman, he found the trail had exceeded its range, indicating the pig demon had indeed left Tonglin County.
…
The following day, before leaving in the afternoon, Yuanjing spent the morning sharing cultivation insights on the *Refining Qi Scripture* and explaining difficulties in the Five Talisman Techniquesസ
System: Methods. Though Lu Zheng didn’t need the advice, he still listened attentively, putting on a show of earnest focus.
Next time he went up the mountain, if Master Mingzhang asked why his cultivation progressed so quickly, he could say it was thanks to Senior Brother Yuanjing’s guidance.
Perfect excuse!
