novel bin Chapter 9 Master and Disciple
Chapter 9 Master and Disciple
The night breeze parted the floating clouds, and the waning moon cast its clear light.
On the overgrown village road, a young man dressed as a knight-errant rode his horse at a leisurely pace.
The fields were silent, overgrown with weeds, with crops faintly visible among them. At the end of the road, a village sat in the shadows, devoid of candlelight, utterly still.
She had been hiding in the hazy moonlight, making her impossible to see clearly. Only when the swordsman approached and lifted the veil could she be seen clearly.
The houses in this village were either collapsed ruins, or had broken roofs and shattered window frames. Various fungi were spreading on the rotting wood.
There are countless bricks and tiles covered with moss and weeds.
After searching for a long time
The knight-errant then stopped in front of a makeshift shelter that could barely provide shelter from the wind and rain.
The wooden door creaked open, and moonlight peeked in through the cracks, breaking the darkness. A lone swordsman's image was reflected on the threshold.
The chivalrous man was none other than Fang Hongxuan, who had come to this place.
The black horse knelt around the campfire, its eyelids drooping, seemingly half asleep.
"In this desolate wilderness, this is the only place we can barely rest. After consuming the essence of those two men, it felt like eating cold, spoiled fatty meat, which was quite pleasurable."
"From this perspective, we should never touch this kind of scum again."
Although Fang Hongxuan was unwilling to consume the life essence of ordinary people, he felt no remorse for these scum who deserved to die.
However, this first experience left Fang Hongxuan with an unforgettable psychological shadow.
The campfire crackled and popped, the flames banishing the chill, and drowsiness, mingled with warmth, swept over the man and his horse.
Boom!
A loud noise startled Fang Hongxuan, who was taking a nap with his eyes closed.
He opened his eyes in the darkness, the crimson glint in them vanishing in an instant.
He leaned against the window frame, carefully observing his surroundings.
Fang Hongxuan's figure was reflected in the black eyes of the black horse. It was not disturbed and did not even make a sound.
But his huge eyes were looking at all of this from the side.
Sparkling stars adorn the night sky
Three people of varying heights, builds, ages, and builds fled into the village in a panic. They ran as fast as if a fierce tiger were chasing them.
"We escaped, Master...we finally escaped..."
The gaunt man was excited, gesturing wildly, while behind him, a tall, muscular man, as strong as a black bear, was also panting excitedly.
"Junior brother, your method is still the most effective. Otherwise, the three of us would have all turned into human flesh in that Cliff Gate Inn."
Fortunately, only their belongings and money were lost. They escaped unharmed.
The deep, resonant voice was so powerful that Fang Hongxuan could hear it clearly even through the three crumbling walls.
"You're quite shrewd, kid. I never thought that even an old hand like me would almost fall for your trick."
The old Taoist's original name was Li Mu, and he was the abbot of Qingzhen Temple. Although it was a prestigious and righteous sect, it had lost most of its skills. The entire sect, including its two disciples, numbered only three people.
The tall, strong one was named Li Shoujing, a little beggar whom the old Taoist priest had picked up on the street when he was traveling around; the thin one was named Li Shouxin, whose experience was exactly the same as Li Shoujing's, both of them were beggars on the street.
The difference is that Li Shouxin is born with supernatural abilities; his eyes, which can clearly distinguish evil spirits and ghosts, are like the fiery eyes of Sun Wukong in storytellers' tales.
The three of them originally planned to go to Lintao County, but there were too many starving people along the way, and there were many bandits who had become outlaws and established their own territories.
The officials of Qingyang Town not only ignored the matter, but also colluded with bandits and outlaws.
Furthermore, Li Mu had heard that the Liu family of Qingyang Town had oppressed the people and committed all sorts of evil deeds, yet they had ended up with immense wealth and were among the richest in the area. That's why he chose Qingyang Town as his place of residence.
Perhaps those who spend their days hunting geese will eventually have their eyes gouged out by the geese.
Passing by the Cliff Gate Inn, they were caught off guard and completely ensnared by the sleeping potion hidden in the noodles.
If it weren't for the incessant sounds of fighting outside the inn, which startled Li Shouxin, the three of them wouldn't have had the opportunity to escape.
That night, the Yamen Inn closed.
The group of men were busy dragging away the corpses buried under the yellow sand.
The chefs, the assistants, and the masters in charge of the water station easily separated the body like a skilled butcher dissecting an ox.
The lean and fatty parts are chopped into filling to make meat sauce, while the bones are simmered into soup, and the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys are even added to the braising liquid.
There was nothing on his body that was useless or discarded.
The inn had secured its food supplies for the past few days, which allowed the three of them to survive unscathed. Had it been a few days later, things might not have turned out well.
Dawn pierces the night
As day turned to night, these night owls were exhausted. The three who had rested properly followed Li Shouxin's method, openly repairing the village road while secretly digging through the mud wall.
The three were then able to escape.
The master and his disciples, who had fled this place, did not stop, but instead traveled day and night for a full day and night before finally reaching this village when they were exhausted.
...
Night flight, high winds, heavy dark clouds
The piercing cries disturbed the quiet village.
"Junior brother...behind you..."
Li Shoujing spoke calmly, without fear, his staff poised to strike. Li Mu, standing to the side, held a talisman and looked calmly behind Li Shouxin.
The mournful cry, seemingly human, rang out again. Taking advantage of the situation, Li Shouxin dodged and weaved, creating distance in just two or three steps.
The owl, roughly the height of a person, flapped its wings and moved forward rapidly, lunging and swooping, before opening its beak to gnaw at Li Shouxin's brain.
If he had taken a solid hit, his life would likely have been in danger.
Li Shouxin was unwilling to suffer this loss.
Like eyes burning with flames piercing the darkness, the bright flames startled the night owl. But suddenly, a crumpled talisman flew over from beside it.
On the talisman
The crimson edict emitted a hazy light, but when it drifted onto the night owl, the owl was completely immobilized.
Li Shoujing, who was already prepared, grabbed a stick and swung it at Night Owl's head. In just a moment, his head was smashed to pieces.
Red, yellow, and white were mixed together and flowed down the stick all over the ground, as if a soy sauce shop had been opened.
The three of them were taking a short rest when suddenly a series of dark shadows flashed past Li Mu.
A much larger night owl sharpened its claws, eyeing Li Muzhi's heart, ready to pounce.
"Master!"
The two apprentices exclaimed in unison
The three had already been on the run for a day and a night, and it was dawn, so their vigilance had naturally dropped considerably. Therefore, they did not find any owls roosting in the village after entering it.
The old Taoist priest was already old and frail, and relied on his two energetic and vigorous disciples and his own shrewd experience to navigate the world.
Facing such a raptor, escape was impossible for the time being.
"I never thought I'd be defeated by this hairy beast."
The old Taoist priest closed his eyes and awaited death, no longer struggling.
'Clang'
A flash of cold light appeared first, followed by a flurry of flashes of light from the blade.
The immense force cleaved the owl in two, blood gushing from the severed wound, splattering everywhere and soaking the old Taoist's face.
"This way.."
The swordsman retreated while fighting, leading the three men towards his lodgings.
"Block the door frame, and leave the rest to me."
Fang Hongxuan closed the door and faced the swarm of owls alone.