owlsbooks Chapter 37 Exterminating Demons
Chapter 37 Exterminating Demons
The servile and lewd man was extremely arrogant, hiding behind the effeminate man and occasionally glancing up at his face with a fawning expression.
Song Quyou shook his head and chuckled. With a gentle blow, the paper crane in his hand flapped its wings and floated lightly towards the despicable man.
The effeminate man seemed to realize something, and with a casual wave of his hand, the river water beneath his feet surged up like water snakes, rushing towards the paper crane.
But the paper crane was nimble, carrying the water snake as it flew and darted through the air until it landed on the forehead of that lewd little man.
Suddenly, the paper crane spontaneously combusted without fire, turning into a ball of vermilion flame that instantly spread to the despicable man's entire body.
It emitted a sharp, piercing scream as it burned, its body twisting and changing shape in the flames, sometimes resembling a catfish, sometimes a grotesque humanoid.
The effeminate man, his brows furrowed, kicked the flames that were trying to approach him into the water.
But this fire burns away filth and is not afraid of ordinary water; it continues to burn at the bottom of the river, turning the dark river water a deep crimson.
The effeminate man's expression changed drastically, and he stared warily at Song Quyou.
"That lackey behind you must have done a lot of dirty work for you. Otherwise, this purification talisman wouldn't be burning so brightly."
"Who are you?"
Song Quyou waved his hand, "Just some wild Taoist priest from Shenxiao Temple on Xuantai Peak."
The effeminate man frowned. "Do you know whose plans you've ruined?"
"I would like to hear the details."
The effeminate man clasped his hands in a fist salute and said to the east, "My master is the son-in-law of the Dragon King of the East Sea, a noble and powerful relative of the dragon. The fat fish here are naturally to be offered as tribute."
Song Quyou raised an eyebrow and said with a faint smile, "So, it seems the Dragon King of the East Sea wants to eat this meat?"
"How dare you! These people are grateful for the Dragon King's kindness and have voluntarily sacrificed themselves."
Song Quyou slowly rose to his feet, his long sword slowly unsheathing itself. The two characters "Cangtian" written in seal script on the hilt of the sword stood out conspicuously in the eyes of the effeminate man.
"Voluntary sacrifice? Another voluntary act. Did you know that the fish monster that just died killed four people this month?"
The effeminate man was unpredictable and remained silent.
"If you don't say anything, then you know." Song Quyou activated his sword technique, and sword energy surged throughout his body, causing his clothes to billow.
The effeminate man remained silent for a moment, then suddenly sneered: "Four mere mortals. It's their good fortune to be able to eat them."
"If that's the case, I'd like to see what the East Sea can do after you, this toad, are dead."
The effeminate man had an extraordinary air about him, but when he heard the word "toad," his expression suddenly changed drastically.
Song Quyou's sword-like eyebrows shot up, and the long sword in his hand hummed continuously, transforming into a streak of blue light that shot straight towards the man's throat. On the water platform, the man bent over to dodge.
But the blue rainbow was extremely fast, grazing his nose and sweeping away a layer of dough.
Song Quyou landed on the opposite bank, looked at the thin layer of dough on the sword, and chuckled, "You toad, wearing a mask all day long, do you really think you're a handsome man?"
Without the mask, the effeminate man was no longer the handsome man he had been. He had beady eyes, a face covered in warts, no nose bridge with only two nostrils that pretended to be a nose, and a mouth that split to his ears with fine, sharp teeth. No matter how you looked at it, it was a toad's face.
The effeminate man's eyes blazed with fury, as if he wanted to devour Song Quyou alive.
"You're asking for it, kid."
As he spoke, he spat out a black toad pearl, causing the river water beneath his feet to churn and surge, carrying with it the foul-smelling silt from the riverbed, transforming into a chaotic python that strangled and devoured Song Quyou on the riverbank.
Song Quyou lightly touched the ground with his toes and headed straight for the toad demon. The azure longsword in his hand hummed and trembled continuously, showing no fear of the menacing, foul-smelling black python.
But then came the sound of a dragon's roar and the clang of a sword. A sharp, cyan crescent-shaped sword aura, swift and deadly, severed the black python that was blocking its path.
Upon seeing this, the toad demon took a big gulp, and a cloud of mud and water foam was about to fly back into its mouth.
But Song Quyou's lips parted slightly, and he uttered a single word heavily.
"ban!"
The toad's huge mouth suddenly closed, and could no longer open.
Suddenly stripped of his abilities, the toad, facing the blazing blue rainbow in Song Quyou's hand, was filled with terror, his liver and gallbladder trembling with fear.
Before he could think any further, he suddenly felt a pain in his chest, and his body flew backward, following Song Quyou to the riverbank, where he was immobilized.
The toad, having cultivated for many years, was filled with resentment. With only a few tears in its eyes, it looked at the toad pearl it had nurtured for so many years in the air and closed its eyes in unwillingness.
Song Quyou reached behind him and caught the black toad bead that had lost its spiritual light, then played with it in his hand for a while.
This toad pearl is entirely black, like black jade, and feels smooth and cool to the touch, with wave-like patterns on its surface.
As for its uses, the records of Song Quyou's sect state that toad pearls are excellent materials for medicine, alchemy, and the casting of magical artifacts. However, unfortunately, his sect was not good at alchemy and casting, so the toad pearls were of no use to him for the time being.
Song Quyou looked at the toad monster that had revealed its true form on the ground, a size larger than a human face. He wrapped it in the clothes it was wearing and dragged it to the yamen to collect the reward money.
The sun has set and gone home; the last embers of its light will soon dissipate.
Song Quyou arrived at the city government office, threw the fat toad in his hand at the door, and said, "The monster in the Jiangxu River south of the city has been eliminated, and the county magistrate's family has returned home. I've come to collect the reward."
Upon seeing this, the constable outside the door, gripping his sword, quickly ran into the main hall to report.
After about half a cup of tea's time, the constable, carrying bulging money bags, followed behind a man in official robes.
Before the man even got close, he had already cupped his hands in greeting. “I am the county magistrate of Xu County, which is under the jurisdiction of Qiantang Prefecture. My family has sent word that my wife has returned home and specifically mentioned the Daoist Master’s life-saving grace. I originally intended to choose an auspicious day to visit you, but I never expected to have the opportunity to meet my benefactor today. Please accept my bow.”
As he spoke, the man bowed in greeting.
Song Quyou stepped forward and stopped him, saying, "It is my duty to slay demons and monsters. I have already eliminated the monsters in the Jiangxu River, but I am afraid that more monsters will move in in the future. If there are any abnormalities in that place in the future, please inform me and I will go and sweep it up again."
The county magistrate nodded repeatedly, took the bulging money bag from behind him, and respectfully handed it to Song Quyou.
Song Quyou took the money bag, pointed to the large toad oozing pus on the ground, and said, "This demon is poisonous all over and cannot be eaten, but in the hands of a master, it can be used as a life-saving medicine. County Magistrate, you can handle it yourself."
After saying this, Song Quyou bowed and took his leave. He walked through the gradually bustling night market, bought some street food, and savored the local flavors. Before he knew it, he had returned to his residence in the north of the city.
The courtyard was filled with the aroma of food. The girl, resting her chin on her hand, stared blankly at the embers remaining in the stove.
"Miss Jing, aren't you going to rest so late?"
Song Quyou, who was passing by the kitchen, saw a fire and went inside.
When Miss Jing came to her senses and saw that it was Song Quyou, she was slightly taken aback. She got up and took out a bowl of still-warm vegetable porridge from the pot.
Although Song Quyou had already eaten on the way, accepting the kindness was the greatest way to repay it.
He then took the bowl and chopsticks and began to eat without ceremony.
Miss Jing had lost her morning shyness. She squatted on the ground, propped her face up, and watched quietly.