Chapter 78 Suppression
Chapter 78 Suppression
"What's going on?"
Fang Hongxuan remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was filled with unease. He glanced at the tassel at his waist, but made no move.
"Amitabha... such a heavy eerie aura..."
Dao Yuan's expression turned slightly solemn, but his gaze was fixed on the blind scholar at the wooden door.
"Why was I completely unaware..."
Upon hearing the chant of Amitabha, the scattered crowd seemed to find their anchor. They stopped to watch, and the panic on their faces gradually subsided.
Luo Guisheng, leaning on his cane, walked a few steps to the two men. He knelt down and bowed, completely disregarding the mud that covered his face.
Seeing this, the others also bowed their heads and knelt down, muttering incantations.
"The three-year period has come to an end, and our Shiliang Village has finally welcomed the Master back once again."
"Thank you, Great Temple..."
"?...Um.."
After bowing and kowtowing three times, Luo Guisheng finally stood up shakily, staring intently at Daoyuan as if expecting something.
At the same time, Luo Ji, who was leaning against the door, collapsed.
"Master, why don't you kill that evil spirit for us?"
"That's right, I've known for a long time that I don't like that blind man Luo. I never thought he was a demon in disguise. I'm afraid it was either Luo Song and his wife or he sneaked into their house in the middle of the night and devoured them."
As if they had found someone to lean on, the villagers straightened their backs. The words that came out of their mouths were as unpleasant as could be.
Daoyuan sighed repeatedly for some reason, but did not respond to the villagers' words.
"Benefactor Fang, please save the person first..."
"He's an evil spirit, why bother saving him!"
Some people in the crowd shouted angrily, while others snorted coldly.
Fang Hongxuan naturally didn't give the villagers and farmers a friendly look, and didn't even acknowledge those who spoke. He simply exuded a slightly cold aura, which intimidated everyone.
"Who...is...the evil spirit...?"
Even the well-informed village chief Luo Guisheng hesitated at this moment, staring at Fang Hongxuan with suspicion as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
"If you don't leave by the time I count to three, you'll die here..."
His scarlet eyes stared at the throng of people, like a tiger among sheep.
Some people in the crowd still voiced their doubts, and he even walked out of the crowd and stood straight next to Fang Hongxuan.
If it were mountain spirits, ghosts, evil spirits, or demons, they would still be somewhat afraid. But the newcomer was just a young boy who was no more than twenty years old and still wet behind the ears.
"Even the government has no right to arbitrarily kill civilians. Who do you think you are, interfering in the affairs of our Shiliang Village?"
"I'm standing right here. If you're so capable, take my head off."
The slightly hunchbacked, dark-skinned man bowed slightly and stretched his head toward Fang Hongxuan. He was quite certain that Fang Hongxuan would not dare to fight him, because this place was in the middle of nowhere, and their village was the only one within a radius of thirty miles.
If he makes even the slightest move, the entire village of Shiliang will make him suffer. As the saying goes, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake; even if a tiger or leopard comes, as long as he's still human, he'll have to kneel down.
However, he never expected that the second half of this sentence was clearly written: "Only a mighty dragon can cross the river!"
Fang Hongxuan narrowed his eyes. Before anyone knew it, the sword at his waist had been slightly drawn, and even through the scabbard, one could vaguely see the name of the sword, which radiated a crimson-gold light.
'Clang'
The blade flashed like lightning, its tip like a snake, aimed straight for the man's throat.
The man looked on in disbelief, clutching his neck tightly. His face remained contorted with terror as his enormous head fell straight to the ground.
Blood spurted out and splattered all over Luo Guisheng's face, but he dared not move an inch. Although his face remained calm, the trembling cane betrayed him.
"Master!"
A heart-wrenching wail rang out from the crowd as the woman, like a mad tiger, hysterically ran toward the headless corpse that had collapsed to the ground.
Losing her balance, she tumbled and crawled to Fang Hongxuan's side, her body covered in mud, revealing her constant suffering.
"What the government can handle, I will handle; what the government cannot handle, I will handle even more... You ask what I am... I am the Demon Suppression Division, the Demon Extermination Captain!"
Fang Hongxuan threw out the Demon Suppression Token; its jet-black color and the blood-red characters for "suppress" were unmistakable.
This caused an uproar among the people who had been stunned.
"Aren't the Demon-Slaying Captains supposed to rid the people of demons and monsters? Why did you kill someone in public? Is there no law left in this world?"
"Where did you get this token? There's no one in the Demon Suppression Division who would stoop to your level!"
"A life for a life, a debt for a debt—that's only fair! No matter what rank you are, if you kill someone, you have to pay with your life!"
"Master...you died a terrible death..."
Anger, doubt, and wailing mingled together, making the already chaotic scene even more chaotic.
"three..."
"life for a life!"
"Even if you take it to the authorities, you have no grounds for complaint!"
"Don't panic, everyone! He's all alone! If we work together, we can definitely take him down!"
The crowd was in a frenzy, with shouts of "fight!" ringing out, yet no one stepped forward to confront Fang Hongxuan.
"two..."
"He's just bluffing! Don't be afraid, everyone!"
"Yes, grab your weapons! Does he think he can rebel against the heavens?!"
The two who shouted the loudest did not step forward; instead, they retreated a few steps and even prepared a position to facilitate their escape.
"one..."
Fang Hongxuan had barely spoken when the group scattered like birds and beasts. Even the woman with eyes full of hatred was forcibly dragged away by two strong men.
Only the headless corpse that was twitching intermittently and the unsteady Luo Guisheng remained on the field. Apart from the three people at the door, there was no one else in sight.
"Young hero, don't you think your methods are too cruel? That corpse was alive and well just a quarter of an hour ago..."
Luo Guisheng pointed tremblingly at Fang Hongxuan, his eyes blazing with fury. If he weren't truly no match for Fang Hongxuan, he would have argued his case with unwavering resolve.
"I am the Demon Extermination Captain. If I say someone is an evil spirit, then he is an evil spirit. If you disagree, then let's have a fight and see whose reasoning is more justified."
Strangely, Dao Yuan, who had previously offered to perform a ritual to help the murderer pass on, remained silent. He dismounted and walked straight towards Luo Ji, who lay forgotten at the doorway.
"Master, could it be that the entire world has already fallen under the control of the Demon Suppression Division?"
Luo Guisheng, trembling with anger, pointed at Fang Hongxuan but couldn't utter a single uncivilized word for a long time.
Fang Hongxuan followed Daoyuan across the threshold of Luo Ji's house. Wu Qi did not want to be separated from Fang Hongxuan, but he could not even get through the door frame.
Seeing that the headman was still rambling on and on, Wu Qi, unable to bear it any longer, ran up to Luo Guisheng and gave him a good beating with his stirrups.
This should have broken a few bones for the old and frail village chief, but he acted as if nothing had happened, standing back again, pointing at Fang Hongxuan's back and cursing.
...
novel bin