Chapter 17-Self-harm (1)
Chapter 17-Self-harm (1)
After leaving Yangzhou, the further they went to the southwest, the fewer people there were. This was no longer a bustling place for merchants, and the mountain roads were getting more and more rugged.
They had been on the road for a few days without hearing of any Miao people passing by. Li Xiaoyao was getting more and more anxious by the day, but just being anxious was not a solution.
On this day, the sky was dark for some reason. Li Xiaoyao was worried that a storm would blow, so he discussed with Lin Yueru to find a place to stay for the time being and make inquiries. The two of them walked for half a day and finally saw a grass pavilion in front of them. There were some people resting inside.
The two of them entered the pavilion. There was a young hunter and a scholar inside. They were both silent. "Will there be a storm soon?" asked Li Xiaoyao. Why is the weather so strange?"
"Brother, you're from another place. Don't you know that the sky here is like this?"”
"What do you mean?" Li Xiaoyao asked.
"Do you see that place?" Hunter pointed at the mountain in front of him.”
Li Xiaoyao looked around and was shocked. The distant mountains in front of him were lush and green, but the sky was dark, as if there was a black gas circling around.
"Why is it so dark over there?"
"Experts say that it's demonic qi!"”
"Demonic Qi?" Lin Yueru asked curiously.
"Are you going to cross this mountain too?" The scholar interrupted shyly. I heard that…there was a toad demon on this mountain. It was as big as a cow and only ate people and animals that passed by. Yesterday, several people had already died. The hunter smiled and said,"So you can talk. You sat there for a long time, but you didn't say anything. I thought you were mute.”The scholar blushed and said,"No, no, we've never met before and dare not disturb each other."”
"What's there to be afraid of?" Li Xiaoyao asked.”
"Brother, you're wearing a sword. You must be a martial artist, right?"”
Li Xiao Yao nodded and thought to himself, This person is the same as Liu Jin Yuan.”
However, he wouldn't say it out loud at this moment, lest he angered Lin Yueru again.
The scholar said," I'm willing to offer you two thousand wen to be my bodyguard and escort me through this mountain road. What do you think?"”
Lin Yueru snorted disdainfully. In the past few days, Li Xiao Yao knew that she was carrying a huge amount of money. The money she brought out from her home was probably the amount that many people could not earn in their lifetime. Naturally, she did not care about the money that was equivalent to two taels of silver.
Li Xiaoyao said," If it's on the way, we can take care of each other. Why talk about money?" If it's not on the way, even if we have more money, we can't help. Let's see if we're fated, right?”
The scholar said," You're right, brother. But…I really have to go to Chang 'an. Alas, the exam is coming. I've spent the past ten years trying to rush to the capital for the exam. However, I couldn't get there because of the demon beasts blocking the way…"
Chang 'an was where the two of them were heading. Li Xiaoyao said,""Then we are really fated. We are also going to Chang 'an. Why don't you come with us?”
"Thank you, both of you, thank you!"”
"What's so strange about that mountain?" Li Xiaoyao asked the hunter. Why is it pitch-black?"
"Didn't I say there was a toad demon causing trouble?" The wild boars and deer in the mountains had suddenly disappeared without a trace. Instead, groups of toads had appeared all over the mountains and plains.”
Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru looked at each other in disbelief.
The hunter said," If you want to go to Chang 'an, you have to pass by Toad Mountain. But I advise you not to go. The toad demon on this mountain will eat people. Don't take this gamble."”
" We've killed demons before, no matter how strong they are!" Lin Yu 'eru sneered." Who's afraid of this little toad?!" Brother Xiao Yao, since it's not a stormy day, let's continue on our journey and catch up to Sister Ling 'er as soon as possible.”
Li Xiaoyao nodded and said to the scholar,""If you want to leave, come with me!”
The scholar hesitated for a moment before agreeing. He followed Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru out of the pavilion.
The three of them walked forward. The mountain roads were all rugged and winding. The more Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru walked, the darker the sky became. Although it was still daytime, it was gloomy and there was no sound. Even if they didn't know that there were demons, they could still sense that something was wrong.
Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru took each step carefully. The scholar behind them didn't even dare to breathe as he followed closely behind.
Li Xiaoyao suddenly felt a strong gust of wind blowing against his face! In the gloomy sky ahead, a small black dot appeared. The black dot quickly approached, and in the blink of an eye, it had turned into a human figure and landed in front of them at an even faster speed.
When the scholar saw someone flying in the air, he was so frightened that his legs went weak. He could not stand up and sat on the ground. Li Xiaoyao focused his gaze on the man, who was dressed in a long robe and looked very elegant. His white beard and hair fluttered in the wind, but his stern face was not as elegant as his beard and hair. Instead, he looked like a chivalrous man.
Li Xiaoyao saw that the person who was flying towards him was stepping on a sword that was bigger than an ordinary sword. Li Xiaoyao also had the ability to fly on a sword, but he was not strong enough to use it. Now that he saw it, he was both surprised and happy.
In the blink of an eye, the swordsman stopped in front of Li Xiaoyao and the others, looking down at them with a condescending look.
The sword wielder's voice was a little old, but it didn't seem to have aged at all. Instead, it increased his prestige because of his old voice."This place is dangerous. Don't stay long!"
"Yes, I know. May I ask who you are?" Li Xiaoyao said.”
The sword wielder did not answer Li Xiaoyao and continued,""This old man observed the stars at night and predicted that a great disaster of blood would happen here today. You should leave quickly!”
"But we have something important to do, so we have to hurry…" Li Xiaoyao said.
The old man on the sword said coldly,""If you want to live, quickly turn around and go down the mountain! If you don't want to live, don't waste my breath!”
He didn't say anything else. He activated his zhenqi and disappeared into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru watched him leave. Li Xiaoyao couldn't help but sigh and say,""What a high-level sword kinesis flight. I didn't expect there to be such an expert here.”
Lin Yueru couldn't help but ponder. At this moment, she clapped her hands and said,""I remember now, I know who he is!”
"Who is it?" Li Xiaoyao quickly asked.”
"He's a senior Sword Saint!" Lin Yueru said.”
"Sword Saint…By the way, your father said that he and the Sword Saint are sworn brothers, and the Liquor Sword Immortal is the Sword Saint's junior brother.”
"He's the number one person in the martial arts world!" Lin Yueru said. I saw him when I was young. I haven't seen him for so many years, but I don't have any impression of him. If it weren't for the fact that his appearance back then hadn't changed at all, I really wouldn't have remembered.”
Li Xiaoyao said repeatedly,"Aiya, what a pity, what a pity!"”
"What's a pity?"
"If I had known earlier, I would have begged him to take me in as his disciple.”
Lin Yueru laughed." You wish. Did you forget that my father said that the Shu Mountain Sect doesn't accept disciples casually? I heard that if you want to officially join the sect, you have to become a monk and become a Three Pure Ones Taoist. You can't be a monk, but you want to be a Taoist? I've done everything for you!"
Li Xiaoyao said," Hehe, it doesn't seem like I can't get married as a Taoist priest. I'd rather be a Taoist priest."”
"The Three Pure Sect must fast and not get married! You playboy, stop dreaming!”
"Stop fooling around, we still have to hurry!" Li Xiaoyao laughed. If we don't cross this valley before sunset, we'll have to go down the mountain in the dark.”
"Okay, let's go!"
The two of them took a few steps forward. When they turned around, the scholar did not follow them. He hesitated and pondered.
"What's wrong?" Li Xiaoyao asked.
"S-Heroes, I think…um…that…" the scholar said.
Lin Yueru was most impatient with this kind of scholar. She asked,""Are you leaving or not? If you're afraid, don't go to the capital. It's useless even if you get in!”
The scholar bowed and said," Miss, you're right. You're absolutely right. Wansheng's family has only one heir. Although it's filial for me to make a name for myself and show my parents, it's true unfilial if something happens and my family's meridians are terminated. Wansheng should…should go back…"
"It's not like I've never seen a monster before. What's there to be afraid of?" Lin Yueru sneered. You don't believe that we can defeat demons?”
"This…how can humans defeat demons?" the scholar asked. The two heroes... still... um... Farewell!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he ran back. Lin Yueru sneered, but Li Xiaoyao said,""It's so hard to come by, we've already come so far.”
"These scholars are the most useless, hmph!" Lin Yueru said. I hate that timid look.”
"That's not necessarily true. Saving your life is the best policy!”Li Xiaoyao said.
Not long after the two of them walked out, they saw a fat body lying on the side of the road ahead.
Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru quickly strode forward. They were stunned when they saw the corpse.
The man's glabella was purple, and his face was covered with green tumors. It was obvious that he had died from poison. It was impossible to see his appearance clearly. However, judging from his clothes, he was clearly the rich merchant from the Yangzhou inn.
"This…this way of dying is disgusting!" Lin Yueru exclaimed. Could he be…?"
Li Xiaoyao nodded and said,"It should be the person we know."”
"How could this be…Did he encounter bandits?”
" Let me see…" Li Xiaoyao checked for a while. His bag was still in his bosom. He opened it and saw that there was nothing missing. Even the purple gold gourd that he loved as much as his life was still there.
"It shouldn't be a robbery," Li Xiaoyao said."All his belongings are still there."”
Lin Yueru thought, Could it be…bitten to death by the toad demon?”
Li Xiaoyao said," It's possible. It seems that the scholar is very clever, unlike this merchant. Sigh, he was in a hurry to go home and met with misfortune."”
"We have to be careful," Lin Yueru said.”
"Yes." Li Xiao Yao picked up the merchant's bag and said,""He said that his savings for more than ten years are here. We should help him send them home so that his wife and children won't suffer from hunger and cold.”
" Hmph," Lin Yueru said," You're really kind. Is this ungrateful person worth your kindness?"”
" He's ungrateful because he's anxious," Li Xiaoyao said." Sister Yue Ru, you're from a wealthy family. Don't you know how important money is?" For many people, they could kill for a few taels of silver, let alone the money that he had worked hard to earn.”
Lin Yu 'eru rolled her eyes at him." You're being ungrateful?" she said." And you're starting to write?" I hate it when people say that I don't know the sufferings of the people. I know that money is important, but I don't think I should be so unreasonable for money!”
"That means you don't know how important money is." Li Xiaoyao shook his head and smiled.”
"Alright, alright, whatever you say! Humph! Let's go. I hate looking at this corpse!"
Li Xiaoyao carried the merchant's bag and walked with Lin Yueru. A torrent cut off the road ahead. The torrent had washed down from the mountain in front of them. There was only a broken bridge across the shore.
Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru were about to cross the water when they saw a woman sitting on a small road. Her long hair hung down her shoulders, covering half of her face. She was sitting on a rock and rubbing her shoulder. A red blood slowly slid down.
"Eh?" Li Xiaoyao was shocked. Miss, are you injured?"
The woman raised half of her face and looked at Li Xiaoyao, remaining silent. She had a thin oval face, delicate eyes, and a delicate nose. They were exquisite and moving, and she looked a little pitiful.
Li Xiaoyao was afraid that she had been hurt by the toad spirit, so he went forward and said,""Miss, who injured you?"
The woman did not say a word. She stood up, turned around, and ran into the cave behind her. Li Xiao Yao hurriedly chased after him and said,""Hey! Miss, where are you going?"
The woman stopped and turned around. She said coldly,""This is my house."
"Your…your house?"
Li Xiaoyao didn't believe it. This woman was so weak. Why would she live in the mountains and take a cave as her home?
"You're injured. You have to find someone to treat you…"
The woman's voice was even colder." Don't come near me. Men who come near me will die!"”
With that, he disappeared into the darkness of the cave.
"What?" Lin Yueru asked in an unfriendly tone. You want to peek at her dressing up again?"
"You really like to dig up old scores!" Li Xiaoyao said anxiously. I saw that she was injured…"
Lin Yu 'eru sneered." Look at your shameless face. It'd be strange if he would pay attention to you!"”
"Why do you always care about me?" Li Xiaoyao asked.”
"You!" Lin Yueru was so angry that she wanted to hit him, but she raised her hand and held it back. She turned around and sulked. Li Xiaoyao had enough of teasing her, and then he laughed,""Your vision is really not as long as mine. Think about it, why would such a beautiful woman live in a cave? Don't you think it's a little strange?”
" If you're happy and your heart aches, then help her build a big house!" Lin Yueru said.”
"Alright, then I'll go in!" Li Xiaoyao said.”
"Shameless," Lin Yueru said in a low voice.”
Unexpectedly, Li Xiaoyao really walked in. Lin Yueru stomped her foot in anger and said,""Hey, don't go!"
Li Xiaoyao turned around and winked at her before walking in.
Lin Yueru was furious. She chased after him and said,""I won't let you have your way!"
She followed closely behind Li Xiaoyao. Li Xiaoyao smiled and did not stop her. Instead, he seemed to be waiting for her. Lin Yueru also felt that Li Xiaoyao was not lustful and insisted on entering this cave. He must have other motives.
The two of them walked into the cave and saw the woman at the end. There was almost nothing in the cave. The ground was extremely wet and did not look like a place for humans to live.
"Don't you think it's rude of you to barge into my house without permission?" the woman said angrily.”
" Pardon me for being presumptuous," Li Xiaoyao said with a smile." May I ask how I can get to Chang 'an through Toad Mountain?"”
The woman said coldly,"There's no way out. I've torn down the boardwalk to the north of this valley!" In a few days, I will seal off the mountain road to the south.”
"Why?" Lin Yueru asked.
"It'll save some bored men from barging in."”
"Miss, this is the only way to get here. Even if this valley is yours, you can't do this…" Li Xiaoyao said.
"It's none of your business," the woman said indifferently."Please leave!”
"Alright, alright, we're being rude." Li Xiaoyao smiled. Yue Ru, let's go!"
Lin Yueru was even more puzzled. Li Xiaoyao only came to ask about this? After the two of them walked a few dozen steps, Lin Yueru couldn't hold it in anymore. She stopped and said,""Brother Xiaoyao, the more I think about it, the more I feel that something is wrong! That woman…why was she living in such a place? And you don't allow anyone to get close!"
"You finally thought of it." When I saw that she was injured, I felt that she was most likely injured by Senior Sword Saint.”
"Then why didn't you force the truth out of him? Why did you leave just like that?”
"She won't reveal her true face if we're there," Li Xiao Yao said in a low voice.”
"Don't tell me…you're…"
"Okay, let's go back and sneak in now to see if she's really a toad demon!”
Lin Yu 'eru nodded. The two of them deliberately moved carefully this time and walked back the way they came. When they reached the depths of the cave, the originally weak light had already been extinguished. It was pitch black inside the cave.
Just as Li Xiaoyao was about to light the fire, a gust of cold wind blew at him!
"Ah!"
Li Xiaoyao waved his sword and felt a " chi " sound. The thing that pounced on him was hit by the sword and jumped back into the darkness, unable to escape. Lin Yueru had just recovered from her shock. She pulled out her fire folds and lit a fire. Then, she heard a miserable cry coming from the darkness."Don't…don't light the fire…"
Lin Yueru and Li Xiaoyao focused their attention and realized that the woman looked completely different from before. Her figure had become extremely bloated, and although her facial features were still the same, they had become inexplicably ferocious.
Beside her was a huge toad. She was protecting herself on the toad, dripping blood. Other than the sword strike she received from the Sword Saint, the other one was probably from Li Xiaoyao in the dark.
"Monster…Monster!" Lin Yueru cried out in fright.”
Li Xiaoyao was also speechless. The woman's face had become bigger, and her hair was a little messy. One could vaguely see that the half of her face that was originally covered was uneven and distorted. It was strange.
"Hmph…if you see the face of my Golden Toad Ghost Mother, don't even think about leaving here alive!”
Li Xiaoyao pulled Lin Yueru behind him and said,"You're already seriously injured, and you still dare to say this? Why did you have to be so vicious and take someone's life?”
"Heh, what's there to live for?" the Golden Toad Ghost Mother sneered. Compared to the vicious ridicule and humiliation of the world, what poison was more terrifying?”
" You..." Lin Yueru could tell from her words that she must have gone through some kind of inhumane suffering to be so resentful and cruel.
The toad slowly moved its body, and the Golden Toad Ghost Mother said,""Good son, kill them!"
The toad pounced at lightning speed!
Li Xiaoyao quickly pushed Lin Yueru away and said,""It's dangerous!"
He pushed the man with one hand and stabbed out with the sword in the other. The sword qi surrounded the big toad, making it unable to escape.
Lin Yueru raised her sword and rushed forward." Golden Toad Ghost Mother," she said." I don't know how much you've suffered. It's wrong to kill!"”
"Hmph, I hate beautiful girls like you even more!" the Golden Toad Ghost Mother said. Give me your life!"
The Golden Toad Ghost Mother's palm was filled with poison as she swung it at Lin Yueru. Lin Yueru dodged it and stabbed with her sword. Although the Golden Toad Ghost Mother was seriously injured, she was agile. Lin Yueru was a little anxious after failing to hit her several times. The Golden Toad Ghost Mother smiled and said,"Little girl, I'll kill you first, then I'll take your face!”
She clawed at her, and the stench of blood assailed her nostrils. Lin Yueru almost vomited, and she hurriedly pulled back her sword to protect herself. The two of them fought again. This time, Lin Yueru defended instead of attacking, stalling for time. The Golden Toad Ghost Mother was injured, and a long battle was not good for her.
Li Xiaoyao and the son of the Golden Toad Ghost Mother were engaged in an intense battle. Although the toad was bulky and could be easily hit, its skin was extremely hard for some reason and could not be hurt at all.
Li Xiaoyao was a little anxious. He suddenly thought that it was useless to attack its flesh. It might be better to hurt its eyes.
Li Xiaoyao focused his attention and prepared for battle. When the toad pounced on him, he flipped his body and jumped into the air. He held his sword upside down and stabbed down!
The sword pierced into the toad's eyeball, and the monster let out a miserable cry in pain. This cry distracted the Golden Toad Ghost Mother, and she cried out,""Good son…"
Lin Yueru took the opportunity to attack and blocked the Golden Toad Mother's direction with her sword. The Golden Toad Mother ran too fast and did not have time to stop. She was hit in the chest again. Lin Yueru took advantage of the situation and stabbed her neck again. The Golden Toad Mother knew that she could not escape and turned around to attack Lin Yueru. However, she was more seriously injured and her reaction was slower than before. Lin Yueru only focused on attacking, so she could no longer fight back.
Compared to the monsters that Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru had fought before, this pair of mother and son were not that strong. With the experience from the previous battles, Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru had a better tacit understanding and could defeat their enemies more easily. In a few more moves, he would be able to deal with these two monsters.
Li Xiaoyao blinded the toad in one eye, then waited for an opportunity to attack again. In an instant, he succeeded and blinded the toad in the other eye. The toad was blind in both eyes, and it looked even more ferocious. It opened its mouth and spat out a poisonous gas.
Li Xiaoyao quickly turned around and tried to dodge, but he couldn't dodge the huge poisonous gas attack. He thought that he would be poisoned, but unexpectedly, Li Xiaoyao only smelled a stench, but he was fine. He felt a little strange and attacked again with his sword.
Although the Golden Toad Ghost Mother's battle was intense, she knew about the situation between her son and Li Xiaoyao. The toad had spat out all of its true essence, but Li Xiaoyao was still fine. It meant that the battle was over. The Golden Toad Ghost Mother lost all hope and was stabbed in the stomach by Lin Yueru.
Lin Yueru quickly drew her sword. The Golden Toad Ghost Mother pounced on the toad and hugged it." Alright…alright…we…can…die together, it won't be a grievance…"
The toad was on the verge of death, and something that looked like oil and sweat oozed out of its body. After a while, it stopped breathing.
Seeing that her son was dead, the Golden Toad Ghost Mother actually shed tears. She gently stroked the toad and said,"... Good child, you... you sacrificed your life for me. It wasn't in vain for me to kill and extract your essence to help you cultivate... In these hundred years, only you... only you didn't despise me..."
Before she could finish her words, she had no energy left and slowly closed her eyes.
Lin Yueru and Li Xiaoyao stood there in a daze for a while, feeling a little sympathetic.
"I think…she's a little pitiful," Lin Yueru whispered.”
"They killed so many innocent people, they deserved to die." Li Xiao Yao sighed. Let's go!"
"Wait a minute, brother Xiaoyao, I heard that there are Five Poison Beads in the body of a toad that has become a spirit. This kind of pearl could ward off all kinds of poison, so it was a priceless treasure?”
"Is that so?"
Li Xiao Yao cut open the toad demon's belly, and there was indeed something glowing inside.
Li Xiaoyao took out the Five Poison Bead and said," This item can also save people. It can be considered the legacy of these two demons!"”
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