In a restaurant not far from the Guest Arrival Building, Zhang Kuo and Han Ye were having lunch.
"Hah!" Han Ye finished the last mouthful of mutton stew in the pot, put down his chopsticks and spoon, touched his bloated belly, and asked,""Where are we going after dinner?"
Zhang Kuo took a sip of the wine in the bag and looked at Han Ye thoughtfully. Then, he picked up the remaining side dishes with his chopsticks and said casually,""Send you home."
When Han Ye heard this, he was stunned. After a long time, he came back to his senses and asked the demon with his clear eyes,""Really?"
The demon quietly looked at Han Ye and nodded slightly.
Although Han Ye didn't know why Zhang Kuo suddenly wanted to send him back, he was still in a good mood when he thought about going home soon. Therefore, the boy touched the jade pendant on his chest through his clothes. There was sadness and joy on his face, but there was also a hint of unforgettable feeling.
Zhang Kuo took a sip of wine and looked at Han Ye, who was full of longing, with a slightly worried expression."Brat, there are many people in the martial arts world who want to take my life. Sending you back to the Howling Sword Hall and letting Situ Sheng and Han Feng protect you is better than staying by my side.”
Zhang Kuo's worries were indeed reasonable. The Eight Trigrams School, the Giant Kun Sect, and the Snow Hawk Sect all wanted to rise in the martial arts world in the name of eliminating demons. Naturally, they would not let go of the opportunity to kill him. Since Han Ye was following him now, he would be implicated sooner or later. In order to protect Han Ye, Zhang Kuo had thought a lot. The decision he made today made him feel much more at ease.
The young children didn't understand the demon's thoughts. They were mostly thinking about going home, thinking about their parents, thinking about their sister, Yun Meng, and the elders of the Howling Sword Hall.
Zhang Kuo raised his head and drank another mouthful of wine. He stood up and said,""Let's set off after eating. We still have a long way to go today!”After saying that, he placed an ingot of silver on the dining table and walked out of the shop with his sword.
"Hey, you didn't wait for me!" Han Ye had just regained his senses when Zhang Kuo strode out of the shop. Han Ye had no choice but to shout as he hurriedly followed Zhang Kuo out.
At noon, the streets were naturally bustling. Han Ye followed Zhang Kuo through the crowd and almost lost him several times. Perhaps he was worried that Han Ye would get lost in the crowd, so Zhang Kuo could only turn around and grab Han Ye's hand, then lead him on their way.
After about a quarter of an hour, the number of people on the street gradually lessened, but it was still crowded. Zhang Kuo brought the boy to a crossroad and suddenly felt someone lightly bump into his shoulder. Then, he heard an " Aiya " sound. A young man in untidy clothes sat down on the ground.
Zhang Kuo felt that it was a little strange,[No matter how strong my body is, I shouldn't have hit that person with that strength, right?] However, something even more ridiculous happened. After the young man sat on the ground, four or five people suddenly came around. The older brother was dressed sloppily and looked like a group of street scoundrels. Then, they pretended to be concerned and asked the person on the ground,"Boss, how are you? Are you alright?"
"Ouch!" The person sitting on the ground swung his right arm and pointed at Zhang Kuo with his left hand."My hand was broken by him."
What a joke. When they bumped into each other earlier, the young man's right hand didn't even touch Zhang Kuo before it broke. Zhang Kuo didn't even need to think about it before he understood that these guys were working together to rip him off!
As expected, what happened next was a scoundrel supporting the " injured " young man, while the others walked up to Zhang Kuo and pushed him to pay up.
"Hmph, a bunch of idiots." Zhang Kuo had already wanted to kill them, but he didn't forget his promise to Han Ye, so he didn't want to bother with these hoodlums. He pulled Han Ye's hand and was about to leave. How could the hoodlums be willing to comply? Some grabbed Zhang Kuo's hand, some tugged at the corner of Zhang Kuo's clothes, and some grabbed Zhang Kuo's collar, doing their best to act rudely.
Zhang Kuo was annoyed. As an assassin, he usually didn't provoke others. Today, these hooligans were pestering him. How could he not be angry? Thus, Zhang Kuo frowned, and his eyes became fiercer. He let go of Han Ye with his right hand and slowly reached for the Dragon Spring Sword at his waist, thinking,""If people offend me, I will definitely offend them! I haven't killed anyone in the past ten days. If you want to die, don't blame me!”
Just as Zhang Kuo was about to pull out his sword and a bloody disaster was about to happen, a pair of small hands landed on Zhang Kuo's right arm. Zhang Kuo looked down and saw that Han Ye had already grabbed his right hand and was looking at him with pleading and anticipation in his eyes. He shook his head gently as if saying," Do you still remember what you promised me?
Zhang Kuo, oh Zhang Kuo, you once swore not to kill again, how could you forget that oath?
Looking at Han Ye's clear eyes, Zhang Kuo finally gritted his teeth and calmed down. He put down his hand that was holding the sword and his body suddenly emitted a green Xuan Yuan True Qi, pushing away the hoodlums that were entangled with him. Then, he grabbed Han Ye's little hand and glared fiercely at the hoodlums who were pushed away. He said angrily,""If I see you doing this again, I won't spare your lives. Get lost!”
Most ruffians had a characteristic, which was to bully the strong and fear the weak. Once they saw the other party push them away with anger, how would they dare to provoke him? Thus, the " injured " young man who was leading the group took the lead and ran away. He swung his arms and ran much faster than the others. The remaining hoodlums also ran away with their boss, rolling and crawling.
At that time, there were many people on the street, and there were many onlookers. Perhaps they had had enough of these ruffians 'cowardice. When they saw that Zhang Kuo had scared the ruffians away in a few moves, they gradually clapped and cheered."Hero! Hero!"
Zhang Kuo seemed to have rarely tasted being praised by others. He couldn't help but smile. He whispered to the boy beside him,"Let's go." Then, he pulled Han Ye out of Handan under the appreciative and grateful gazes of the crowd.
After walking for four hours from Handan, the sky gradually darkened. However, Zhang Kuo and the other two couldn't see the sunset because the sky was already covered with dark clouds, and it was likely that a heavy rain was coming.
A strong wind suddenly blew in the forest, causing the trees to rustle and the fallen leaves to flutter in the wind. Due to the strange smell of moisture in the wind, Han Ye had to cover his face with his hands and follow Zhang Kuo closely. He did not forget to ask,""Hey, shouldn't we rest for a while? I'm a little hungry, and my legs are a little sore.”
Zhang Kuo looked around as he walked and said unhappily,""Brat, can't you see that it's going to rain soon? If you don't want to be drenched, you'd better shut your mouth before I find a place to shelter from the rain!”
"Oh." Han Ye responded disappointedly. He was about to follow Zhang Kuo when he suddenly saw a bush in the distance. The bush moved with the wind, revealing the cave that was covered by it.
"Hello," Han Ye tugged at the corner of Zhang Kuo's clothes and pointed at the grass in the distance. He asked,""There seems to be a cave there."
Zhang Kuo looked closely at the place Han Ye was pointing at and found that there was indeed a cave behind the grass. He had not noticed it before because it was covered by the grass. Thus, Zhang Kuo pulled Han Ye through the grass and into the cave. This cave was slightly more spacious than the previous one, and the air in the cave carried a hint of moss.
Han Ye was already used to the wilderness, so he didn't care if the cave was clean or not. He sat down on a low rock in the cave. Zhang Kuo looked at him and said,""Brat, let's stick to the old rules. I'm going out to find firewood and food, you stay in the cave and shout if you need anything, understand?”
Seeing Han Ye nod, Zhang Kuo didn't waste any more time and left the cave. As soon as he left the cave, a strong wind blew past the cave entrance, blowing his short hair and clothes. The wind was accompanied by the baby's shrill cries, which made people feel a little strange and creepy. However, Zhang Kuo felt that it was impossible for there to be any babies in the wilderness, so he thought that it was a strange sound of the wind. Yes, it was not strange for there to be a few strange sounds in the forest.
So Zhang Kuo didn't think too much about it. He walked to a place hundreds of steps away from the cave and picked up some dry branches. He also looked for any wild game.'If that child is unwilling to let me go when he arrives at the Howling Sword Hall, I'm afraid I'll have to fight with the three hall masters of the Howling Sword Hall. It's better to send him somewhere nearby and I'll take the opportunity to escape. That way, the people of the Howling Sword Hall will be able to find him very quickly, and I won't have to fight with them.”
Zhang Kuo was still collecting firewood when he heard a scream not far away." There's a monster!" Help!" The voice was tender and carried extreme fear and panic. Zhang Kuo knew it was Han Ye's voice.
"Not good!" Zhang Kuo quickly dropped the dry branch in his hand and pulled out the Dragon Spring Sword at his waist. He rushed to the cave anxiously, but when he arrived, Han Ye was no longer there. The cave was filled with a strong smell of water grass and a stench. The short rock that Han Ye had been sitting on was also accompanied by some rotten mud!
Just as Zhang Kuo was at a loss, Han Ye's cries came from not far away from the cave. Zhang Kuo could also vaguely hear the mournful cry of a baby. As Zhang Kuo chased after them, a book that he had read when he was young flashed through his mind. It was given to him by his master, Changkong. It was called " The Book of Demon Subduing ". It contained records of the demons that the disciples of Mount Shu had encountered. There were a few demons that left a deep impression on him. One of them was described in the book as " born in the Fierce Water. It was a nine-headed black beast, seventy feet tall, with many limbs on its lower body. Its voice was like a baby's cry, and it loved to eat babies. It was one of the most ferocious demons in the Nine Regions." Zhang Kuo recalled everything that had happened earlier as he ran. He was finally sure that the evil spirit that had captured Han Ye was the Nine Neonate!
When he thought of the Nine Neonate, Zhang Kuo was already afraid. This was because the body of this evil demon was filled with countless vengeful spirits of infants. Every time it appeared, it would be a disaster. Legend has it that in ancient times, the fierce water was boiled by the Golden Crow, and the Nine Neonate jumped out of the water and harmed the human world. Fortunately, Hou Yi, the best archer in the divine realm, discovered it and destroyed it with an arrow, leaving behind the descendants of this monster. However, Hou Yi was a god, and Zhang Kuo was only a mortal no matter how powerful he was. How could he fight against such a ferocious demon?
However, even though he was afraid, Zhang Kuo still followed the sound and the stench to a muddy ground. What happened next was truly terrifying!
At that time, dark clouds covered the entire sky. Under the dim sky, the strong wind danced fiercely and shook the forest. In a muddy land not far from the river, there was a nine-headed giant beast that was dozens of feet tall. Each head of the giant beast had a huge mouth with sharp teeth. It had no eyes, only a long snake neck and a blood-red strange tongue extending from its mouth. As long as this black monster raised one of its heads, a baby's miserable cry would come out from its throat. At the same time, it blew out a foul wind that made people faint and want to vomit. The most disgusting thing was its lower body. Its lower body was densely covered with black tentacles, which were as long as 60 feet and as short as 20 feet. They were covered with mud from the bottom of the river. It was through the twisting and twisting of these tentacles that it could walk and hunt on land. The Nine Neonate used its tentacles to wrap around Han Ye. As it swung, it slowly opened one of its big mouths. The sound of the baby's cry shook Han Ye to the point of extreme pain, and the stench of the wind almost made Han Ye faint.
Han Ye was so disgusted that he wanted to vomit. He had lost all his strength in the tentacles of the vicious demon. At that moment, his clear eyes were filled with tears of fear as he shouted to the sky in despair,"Father ~ Mother ~ I don't want to die ~ Wuwuwu ~!”However, the ferocious demon was inhumane. Its tentacles wrapped around Han Ye even tighter, and its huge skull trembled as if it was very proud of itself.
It would be unrealistic to say that Zhang Kuo was not afraid. Although he had the title of " Reaper King of Hell ", he had never come into contact with such a tall and terrifying evil. He looked up at the Nine-headed Neonate Beast that was emitting a ferocious aura, and his hand that was holding the Dragon Spring Sword kept trembling. In the past, his opponent was a human, and he always had a chance of winning. Now, his opponent was such an inhumane evil demon. Could he still survive?
" This demon is too strong, I definitely can't beat him…" Zhang Kuo frowned, cold sweat dripping from his forehead, and his body was trembling uncontrollably."With this monster's speed, I can definitely escape if I escape immediately. However, the little ghost is still in its hands!”
Just as Zhang Kuo was hesitating and feeling a little timid, Han Ye's cries suddenly stopped. Zhang Kuo looked up and saw the boy who had landed on the Nine Neonate's curled limbs looking at him with a pair of clear eyes that faintly contained hope. He saw anticipation, peace, and trust.
At that moment, Zhang Kuo remembered what the little boy had said to him last night.
……
"I've been sleeping in the wild for the past ten days, and I can sleep very peacefully because I know that at least there's someone by my side. If any wild beasts or bad people come, he'll chase them all away…Even if, even if that person isn't a good person, I won't be in danger with him.”
……
Looking back on the past, the demon was moved. He looked at the child who was also looking at him, and his eyes gradually became firm."Little brat, you asked me before if I cared about anyone. I think I do!”
Thinking of this, the demon suddenly became as calm as ever. Heroic spirit appeared between his brows as he sneered and thought,"Hmph, when did I, Zhang Kuo, become a coward? I'm just a man, so what's there to be afraid of?”After saying that, the demon no longer had a trace of fear on his face, only the determination to protect others. He tightly grabbed the Dragon Spring Sword in his hand and shouted at Han Ye,""Little brat, stop crying! If your parents can't save you, I'll save you!”After saying that, Zhang Kuo took a sip of the wine in his wine bag, picked up the Dragon Spring Sword, and rushed straight to the Nine Neonate demonic beast that was more than ten times taller than him without fear!
The Nine Neonate seemed to have noticed his presence. It lifted Han Ye, who was its prey, to the side, then raised a dozen tentacles from its lower body and stabbed at Zhang Kuo like black spears. Zhang Kuo had already thrown his fear to the back of his mind. He used his Swift Shadow Steps and dodged the tentacles. The tentacles hit the ground and left several deep holes on the ground. It was enough to show its power. Zhang Kuo dashed toward the Nine Neonate, and the Black Essence True Qi in his body gradually spread out. His indomitable momentum and sharp eyes made people feel that he was like a running black lion, invincible and invincible!
The Nine Neonate was still underestimating its enemy a moment ago, but now it was a little flustered. It did not understand where this human in front of it had gotten such ambition and courage. It could only shake its nine heads and let out ear-piercing baby cries. More and more tentacles were attacking Zhang Kuo from its lower body. Zhang Kuo had no choice but to cut off some of the tentacles that were attacking him head-on while dodging. The closer he got to the Nine Neonate, the more concentrated the attacks became. When he was only three meters away from the Nine Neonate, the tentacles had already covered Zhang Kuo's head, accompanied by a thick stench that made him feel nauseous.
While Zhang Kuo was trying to figure out where he could jump up to save Han Ye, the Nine Neonate's attacks became more frequent. In addition to the thick and long tentacles on the outer layer, the thin and long tentacles on the inner layer also moved. Although they were not as powerful as the tentacles on the outer layer, they were still like cold arrows, cunning and sinister, stabbing wounds on Zhang Kuo's body.
Zhang Kuo was so focused on saving people that he slashed crazily. Even though he was injured, he could only use his Xuan Yuan Genuine Qi to stop the blood from gushing out. However, every time he cut off a tentacle, a lot of black liquid would splash out. As the liquid increased, the stench became stronger and stronger. Zhang Kuo even felt that the smell made it difficult for him to breathe. At the same time, because of the liquid on the Dragon Spring Sword, he was a little slow to swing it.
Even though Zhang Kuo had good swordsmanship and fast movement techniques, he was gradually losing his strength. His body had been pierced countless times. If it wasn't for the protection of his Xuan Yuan True Qi, he would have died countless times. Reaper King Zhang Kuo endured the pain all over his body and thought to himself,""No, I have to think of a way to rush out. Otherwise, if I die, the little ghost won't be able to live either!”
Therefore, Zhang Kuo didn't have the mood to estimate the location of the rescue. He injected some of his Genuine Qi into his feet and jumped up toward the tentacles that were like towering trees. At the same time, he gathered some Qi in his hand and injected it into his sword. When the sword emitted a faint white light, Zhang Kuo shouted and waved his sword toward the sky. A white sword Qi slashed at the incoming tentacles. As soon as the tentacles touched the sword Qi, they were instantly shattered. However, the Sword Qi did not stop. It slammed heavily on the top of the tentacles. With a loud bang, the layers of tentacles above Zhang Kuo's head were finally blasted open. The tentacles and the Nine Neonate's body shook violently. It seemed that they had suffered a great impact. Zhang Kuo took the opportunity to break out of the encirclement of the tentacles.
Just as Han Ye was worried that Zhang Kuo would be trapped to death by the disgusting tentacles, he saw Zhang Kuo, covered in blood, jump out with a sword in his hand. The little boy was so touched that he couldn't speak. He could only hold his breath and look at him.
Zhang Kuo got out of the encirclement of the tentacles. He scanned the area and finally found the little boy's position. He tapped his right foot on the tentacle beside him and used the force of his kick to jump straight to where Han Ye was.
Soon, Zhang Kuo was getting closer and closer to Han Ye. When he was only a few feet away from Han Ye, Zhang Kuo raised his Dragon Spring Sword and wanted to cut off the tentacles that were binding Han Ye. At this moment, the Nine Neonate's nine uns stood up and let out deafening baby cries, forcing Zhang Kuo to temporarily stop the sword in his hand. It turned out that the Nine Neonate had been hit by Zhang Kuo's Sword Qi and was slightly injured. Now that its injuries had recovered, it naturally wanted to take revenge. It shook its nine heads, opened its bloody mouth, and kept barking at Zhang Kuo. It blew out a disgusting wind, seemingly very angry.
Zhang Kuo was very surprised by this demon's recovery ability, but his body had already begun to fall. If he did not save Han Ye now, it would be too late. Thus, he raised his sword again, wanting to cut off the tentacles that were wrapped around Han Ye. Perhaps Zhang Kuo was too eager to save the baby, so he didn't pay attention to the Nine Neonate's actions this time. A moment later, the Nine Neonate suddenly opened its nine bloody mouths and spat out five streams of water and four streams of fire. The water and fire were accompanied by the shrill cries of babies. It seemed that there were many vengeful spirits of babies mixed in. The five water and four flames seemed to have their own consciousness. They circled around Zhang Kuo like nine pythons. Before Zhang Kuo could save the boy, he realized that he couldn't escape from the water and fire. The water and fire moved quickly and formed a spherical net of water and fire, trapping Zhang Kuo inside.
Zhang Kuo saw that he could not save Han Ye even though he was right beside him. He was very anxious. However, when the web of water and fire gradually closed in on him, he realized that it was not as simple as not being able to save him. The air emitted by the web of water and fire was hot and cold, tormenting Zhang Kuo. Although Zhang Kuo tried his best to resist it with his Xuan Yuan True Qi, he could still feel his body being tortured by the cold and hot. What was worse were the baby wraiths attached to the water and fire net. When they saw a living person entering the net, they immediately rushed forward with resentment. Although they could not cause a physical sea to a person, they could absorb the essence and energy of the living beings in the net. Zhang Kuo had only been trapped in the water and fire net for a short while, but he felt that his body was almost drained by these wraiths. The web of water and fire slowly closed in on Zhang Kuo. It wouldn't be long before the dark-skinned man lost all resistance and was easily eaten by the Nine Neonate.
" Damn it…My body is not listening to me anymore…" Zhang Kuo gradually felt his limbs weak and his body weak. His face was pale, and his thick eyebrows were tightly knitted."At least, I have to save him!”
With the situation at that time, even if Zhang Kuo, who was weak, could cut off Han Ye's familiar hand with his sword, he could not escape from the net of water and fire and take him away. This child would eventually fall into the hands of the Nine Neonate. After thinking for a moment, Zhang Kuo finally made a decision." He was going to give the Nine Neonate a final blow. Even if he could not destroy it, he would drive it away!
Zhang Kuo frowned. He had made up his mind. He mobilized all the Genuine Qi, strength, and even Essence Qi he could use and poured them all into the Dragon Spring Sword in his hand. The Dragon Spring Sword gradually glowed with a bright silver light. When the light from the sword shone on Zhang Kuo's lifeless, dark face, Zhang Kuo shouted," Go!”Then, he threw the Dragon Spring Sword in his hand at one of the Nine Neonate's heads. The Nine Neonate seemed to be overconfident in its water and fire web. It watched as the silver Dragon Spring Sword was thrown into the water and fire web, but its nine heads did not move. The price to pay for underestimating the opponent's Life-Risking Strike was not small. The Dragon Spring Sword drilled into the net of water and fire under the force of rotation, and immediately broke a hole in it. Then, it shot toward the Nine Neonate's head at lightning speed. Before the Nine Neonate could turn its head, the Dragon Spring Sword turned into a silver beam of light and plunged into its ugly head.
"Wahhh!" The Nine Neonate twisted its body and shook its nine heads, letting out a miserable cry. The head that was stabbed by the Dragon Spring Sword also spewed out a black, stinky liquid, squeezing the Dragon Spring Sword out. The black liquid sprayed into the air, and it was extremely stinky, almost suffocating.
Originally, the Nine Neonate had planned to find some babies nearby to fill its stomach. It smelled Han Ye's human scent from afar and wanted to catch him to eat, but it did not expect to be seriously injured. It could not help but feel pain and anger, and its interest in eating people was ruined. It helplessly twisted its huge body a few times and threw Han Ye down. It withdrew the water and fire net and resentfully dived into the river, disappearing without a trace.
Zhang Kuo could not hold on any longer after the web of water and fire was retracted. He fell from the sky and glanced at Han Ye who was not far away from him. When he thought of saving his life, a gratified smile gradually appeared on Zhang Kuo's pale face, and his body naturally fell into the mud...
Note:
1 "Nine Infants"-from Huainanzi, Benjingxun. "The Nine Neonate is a monster of water and fire. It's harmful to people…There's vicious water in the Northern Barbarians 'land.”In the " Ancient Mythology and Legends of the Celestial Dynasty ", it was mentioned that this ferocious demon became the third target of Hou Yi's killing.
" Golden Crow "-a three-legged crow that shone with golden light in the sun. It was a classic image of the sun in Chinese mythology. Han Yu, a poet and essayist of the Tang Dynasty, once wrote in Li Hua's Gift to Zhang Shiyi: "When the Golden Crow Sea's bottom first flew over, the vermilion light scattered with azure light.”
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