Chapter 23. The Demonic Disaster in Shazhu Village

Shazhu Village.

A village under the jurisdiction of Huai'an County, located on the banks of the Huai River. The entire village has a total of about 500 households and is the largest village within a radius of 100 miles.

This day.

Three Taoists came to the village entrance.

One of them had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, with a masculine and handsome face. Another one was fat and had a round face, with two small eyes that flashed brightly. The last one had thick eyebrows and a tall and strong body.

These three people were Xu Qing, Fatty Li and Chen Ziming, who were sent down the mountain on missions.

"Let's go find the village chief first." Fatty Li said.

"Find someone to ask?" Chen Ziming looked around and saw that every door was closed.

It seems that the evil disaster here has a great impact on the village. In broad daylight, no one dares to go out except for the strong men who need to work in the fields.

Fatty Li shook his head: "No need. The people in this village make a living by farming. Let's see which house has the best house and the best location. Nine out of ten times, it will be the one."

"Let's go then."

Xu Qing immediately took a step forward and walked towards the east of the village.

The terrain is higher in that direction.

Although the villages along the Huai River have convenient access to water, floods often occur, flooding the entire land. Naturally, high terrain is more suitable for living.

Xu Qing and the other two looked around, found a courtyard that looked the best, and knocked on the door.

Soon the door was opened, and an old woman in a headscarf came out. Seeing Xu Qing and the other two wearing blue Taoist robes, she asked hurriedly:

"What can I do for you three Taoist priests?"

Fatty Li smiled and said, "We were sent by the government to deal with the demon disaster in your village."

The old woman was delighted when she heard this and quickly opened the door to invite Xu Qing and the other two in.

"Old man, the government has sent someone!"

Across the yard, the old woman shouted loudly into the house.

When the people in the main room heard the noise, they ran out immediately.

However, when Xu Qing and the other two saw the people, not to mention the man with gray hair and dressed like a farmer, the guy in armor and carrying a sword instantly caught their attention.

The guy in armor and carrying a sword had fierce eyes, thin cheeks, a scar on his left eye, and the blood and energy in his body were not concealed at all. At first glance, he was a madman who often lived on the edge of a knife.

not to be trifled.

This was Xu Qing’s first impression of this person.

"Why is there a ninth-rank warrior?" Xu Qing raised his eyebrows.

"It should be a ghostwriter." Fatty Li whispered, "Maybe the village chief invited him to exorcise the demon."

A ghostwriter?

Xu Qing had heard that they were some martial artists without any sect or from a small sect, and they made a living by commissions and rewards from government offices.

Even if the imperial court gave in and sought to co-govern with local sects, there were still many disasters and calamities that could not be dealt with in a timely manner.

Thus, the profession of ghostwriter, who makes a living by offering rewards for eliminating demons, was born.

"A Taoist from Yuanfu Temple?" The warrior's gaze lingered on the Taoist robes of Xu Qing and the other two for a moment.

The most famous Taoist temple in Huai'an Prefecture and even in the entire Nando area is Yuanfu Temple. When you meet a Taoist priest in a Taoist robe, your first reaction will definitely be to guess this.

"Yes." Xu Qing and the other two bowed in the Taoist style.

"Three Taoist priests, please come in quickly." Seeing that the atmosphere between the two sides was a little tense, the village chief hurriedly tried to smooth things over, "Mr. Liu, let's go inside first."

"Wait." The warrior surnamed Liu waved his hand. "Village chief, the government has sent people to deal with it. Do you still want me to deal with the monster?"

"This..." The village chief hesitated, turned his head and glanced at Xu Qing and the other two, then said flatteringly, "Mr. Liu, why don't we go inside and talk."

The warrior surnamed Liu shook his head.

"I already understand the situation pretty well. I can make arrangements now without wasting anyone's time."

"If the village chief is unwilling to hire Liu to exorcise the demon, Liu will leave now."

"This" the village chief stammered.

He secretly looked at Xu Qing and the other two again, and the hesitation on his face became more and more obvious.

Xu Qingchen, who was standing by, could see that the village chief did not trust them.

Although they were wearing Taoist robes and were tall and strong, their faces were still childish, and they were clearly still half-grown children. Being young and natural made people feel unreliable.

If the three of them fail to catch the monster like the government officials did last time, it won't be as easy as it is now to invite the warrior named Liu again next time.

But the government sends people here, so we can’t just chase them away, right?
Seeing the village chief in a dilemma, Xu Qing said at the right time: "Village chief, and Mr. Liu, I have a suggestion. How about this, both of us stay."

"Let's see who catches the monster in the end."

"If it was Mr. Liu who caught the monster, then the village chief will pay him the price he deserves; if it was us who caught it, then we will hand it over to the government office for review."

"I wonder if this is okay?"

The village chief was obviously moved by this suggestion: "Mr. Liu, look."

Upon hearing this, the warrior surnamed Liu frowned and thought for a moment. He probably didn't want to make such a wasted trip, so he nodded.
"Then it all depends on your ability. Whoever catches the monster that harms the village first will own it."

"Okay." Xu Qing responded.

The warrior surnamed Liu agreed and left the village chief's house.

Xu Qing and the other two were invited into the village chief's house to tell him about what happened before and after the disaster.

"The first problem occurred when a chicken raised by a family in the village died one night after being drained of blood. At first we thought a wild animal had entered the village."

“So let the villagers be more vigilant.”

"Then, the next day, another family's chickens were all sucked dry and died. On the third and fourth days, things became increasingly horrifying."

"The dead livestock are no longer chickens, but the dogs, cows and horses in the village"

"As the number of dead animals increased and grew, our entire village became scared and rushed to the city to report to the authorities."

"The government officials came that day and waited in the village for several days, but unfortunately they were unable to catch the demon."

"Later we heard from the officers that they had seen the monster several times, but it managed to escape each time. They had no choice but to go back and send someone who was good at tracking and ambushing to come."

"We waited for ten days."

"In the past ten days, almost all the livestock in the village have been killed. In fact, if it were just like this, we could wait a few more days. Maybe if there are no livestock in the village, the monster will leave on its own."

"Yesterday we found an old man who lived alone at the end of the village dead, and his death was the same as those of the livestock before."

"We were horrified and the little hope we had in our hearts was shattered. It was obviously impossible to hope that the monster would eat the livestock in the village and leave."

"After this incident, we can't wait for the government to send someone, so we can only pool some money and hire a ghostwriter to exorcise the demon."

"I didn't expect that just after I invited people over, you three would also come here at this time."

"What do you think?"

After coming out of the village chief's house, Fatty Li looked at Xu Qing and Chen Ziming.

"That monster should be of average strength." Chen Ziming stroked his chin and thought for a while, then said, "It attacked chickens at first, then cattle, sheep and horses, and finally the frail old man who lived alone."

"It all shows that its strength is average."

"The problem is its ability to escape. Even the government officials can't catch it, even though we have some talismans given by our master or senior brothers and sisters."

"You can use it with your essence at a critical moment, but you may not be able to catch it."

Xu Qing maintained the utmost caution: "This is the first time we have dealt with this kind of demonic disaster, so it's best not to underestimate it."

"Xu Qing is right. We should be cautious." Fatty Li's eyes rolled around. "Although Shazhu Village is not big, there are about 500 households."

"That monster was able to carry the Yang Fire of the State and cause chaos in the village. Its strength must not be so weak that we can crush it."

"Don't worry, I won't underestimate it." Chen Ziming said in a deep voice.

"I think the monster will come out to harm people again tonight." Xu Qing continued in an orderly manner: "Before eating people, the monster should still be a little afraid of humans, or unable to distinguish the strength of each person,
That’s why he chose to attack an elderly person living alone the first time he attacked someone.”

"Now that the old man was eaten by it, the monster should realize that most people here are not a threat to it. Next time, its actions may not be as secretive as before."

“Of course, that also gives us the opportunity to seize it.”

At this point, Fatty Li hesitated to speak: "The problem is that martial artist surnamed Liu."

"That warrior surnamed Liu must have some means of tracking. Otherwise, he would not have accepted the commission knowing that the government had been waiting for several days but failed to catch the monster."

“It shows that he has a certain degree of confidence.”

"What if he catches the monster first?"

"If we get caught by that warrior, then so be it." Xu Qing had a good attitude, "Just treat it as coming out to see what's going on."

Fatty Li was depressed: "It would be better if the three of us caught him. I don't want to make this trip in vain."

(End of this chapter)