Chapter 44 — The Dark Demon Ancestral Court Appears in the Mortal World
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 3
The villagers of Zhang Family Stockade crowded forward, and one said in haste, "A night watchman is dead!
"
The old man pondered a moment. "Has the watchman's corpse been buried yet?
He was most likely a demon—his corpse could very well undergo a corpse change. "
Startled, the villagers hastily led the pair to the watchman's grave.
"Buried only yesterday, Masters. .
.
"
The old man reached out and pointed, and the earthen grave split apart on both sides. A thin-planked coffin rose slowly from the pit and floated in the air before the crowd.
Pop, pop, pop—
One by one, the coffin nails worked themselves loose, the coffin lid opened, and the coffin dropped to the ground. The watchman's body, however, still hung in the air, its face hidden beneath a white mourning pennant. The old man and the youth took down the pennant and examined it.
They exchanged a glance, then nodded silently. The old man muttered an incantation, pointed once more, and the watchman's corpse burst into flames, turning to ashes in a matter of moments. Many villagers hurriedly bowed their thanks and offered gold and silver as payment.
The youth waved his hands at once, but the old man said, "No reward without merit, and with merit one cannot refuse reward. Keep it.
"
Only then did the youth put away the payment. The old man asked, "Where does the youth who slew the great serpent live?
Who is by his side?
"
"He is from Hidden Remnant Village.
Beside him are the Blind Elder and Granny Zhu. Follow the river upstream, a little over forty li from here. "
The old man thanked them, and the pair—one old, one young—left Zhang Family Stockade and walked upstream along the river. The youth listened in silence.
Then the youth spoke, his voice exceedingly ancient, ringing and forceful: "After the Sect Leader's widow murdered the Sect Leader, she stole our sect's sacred scripture, the Great Nurturing Dark Demon Sutra. Forty years she has been gone, and for forty years we have had the misfortune of searching for her—and at last, we have found her. "
In the early morning at Hidden Remnant Village, after breakfast, the alchemist settled the village headman at the entrance, set up a small stove, boiled a kettle, and brewed a pot of tea.
Then from the village came the cry of the Crested Fire Pheasant Dragon.
"The hen has laid eggs. Shen'er, go to the coop and fetch them.
"
Granny Zhu urged Shen Mu to fetch the eggs. No sooner had Shen Mu crawled into the coop than the Crested Fire Pheasant Dragon beat him into fleeing pell-mell, pecking his head and face until they were covered with blood. This Crested Fire Pheasant Dragon was utterly vicious. Opening its mouth, it spat a serpent of fire more than a zhang long; its feathers were sharp as swords, and its claws could knead iron into mud.
After a few rounds with the hen, Shen Mu found himself outmatched and ran for his life. "Shen'er, do you not even have the strength to truss a chicken?
" The Butcher watched Shen Mu being chased all over the village by the Crested Fire Pheasant Dragon and laughed uproariously. Granny Zhu took the chance to collect the eggs. Unable to catch Shen Mu, the Crested Fire Pheasant Dragon strutted back to its coop, only to find its eggs gone.
In a fresh fury, it gave chase once more, hounding the youth relentlessly. After all the ruckus had died down, Shen Mu rallied his spirits, shook off the dejection of his defeat by the Crested Fire Pheasant Dragon, slung the Beast-Slaughtering Saber across his back, added his sword-concealing pouch, and then a great iron hammer. He stuffed several Origin-Condensing Pills into his bosom, took up the Twelve-Ring Staff of Brahma Stillness, and set off from the village in high spirits. Today was his first time going out hunting alone.