【Texture】(183)

Author: Wandering Traveler
, March 9, 2017, first published on sis,
Chapter 183
: "...Well, this story goes back to your great-grandfather's youth. How should I put it? To be specific
, your great-grandfather, like almost all men in their youth, had his own pursuits and ideals
... But I actually prefer Grandma's, or your great-grandmother's, assessment of him, saying he was restless!" Seeing
me sit down, my mother probably felt bored with just talking, so she reached into Xia Jiang's arms and took a lotus seed pod,
picking at the seeds and popping them into her mouth. Xia Jiang, deprived of her snack, felt her mother was bullying her and immediately showed a wronged expression
. Seeing this, my mother quickly turned around with a smile, hugged her, and comforted her for a couple of moments before coaxing her back to pouting and smacking her lips
at the lotus seeds.
"Restless? How so?" I felt a slight smile at my great-grandmother's assessment of my great-grandfather
.
"Actually, it's quite normal... Your great-grandfather's youth was different from now! Back then, the country
was in chaos, beset by internal and external troubles, and the people suffered greatly. He harbored great ambitions and hoped to change all of this, so
he secretly befriended the revolutionaries of that time. He wanted to rebel against the imperial court, with the aim of expelling the Manchus and restoring China."
"Really? My great-grandfather was a revolutionary? Then how did he later participate in the Qing Dynasty's imperial examinations
and even pass the lowest level?" I really didn't know any of this when my mother told me this!
"He only took the imperial examinations because of pressure from the elders in his family... He just went through the
motions... Getting the title of Xiucai (a lower-level scholar) was to appease his family and save those old scholars from bothering him all the time! His real energy was actually focused
on his rebellion. His travels were to make connections with members of secret societies and revolutionaries who shared his ideas.
And his geographical investigations were for the convenience of marching and fighting after the uprising. That was
the fundamental reason for his initial travels!"
"Wait, did he actually join the revolutionaries? And how did he later start studying feng shui and magic
?" I had always thought my great-grandfather was just a learned local gentry.
After my mother told me he was the owner of the Yongxianzhai (a secluded study), I simply added
the identity of exorcist or geomancer to his gentry status. I never imagined that my great-grandfather had also been involved in the anti-Qing movement.
"He participated...not only participated, but went directly to the battlefield! He went when Zheng Shiliang launched his uprising in Huizhou,
but he opposed Zheng Shiliang's actions there. At that time, the Eight-Nation Alliance had already
occupied Beijing, and in his view, the rebellion of the Qing Dynasty was inevitable, but to start
an uprising when the country was in crisis was opportunistic and despicable. He argued with Zheng Shiliang about it. But despite the argument, he still
fought alongside the uprising troops until Zheng Shiliang judged the uprising to be a failure and disbanded the troops. He was originally with a
Japanese man named Uchida..." The Japanese soldier went astray and was captured, while he, with his
extensive travel experience, escaped successfully. A few years later, Liu Daoyi came to find him. Although the Yan family's ancestral home was Fenyi, they
were still Jiangxi people. Liu Daoyi wanted to start an uprising in Jiangxi and hoped for his assistance, so he went again.
What was that uprising called again? The Ping-Liu-Li Uprising? Liu Daoyi was captured, but he wasn't. He followed the uprising troops to attack Liuyang
City, but they failed, and the troops scattered. To escape, they dared not take the main roads and could only hide in the mountains. It was
then that he first encountered a dirty... He was lucky; he bumped into the evil spirit and also encountered
an exorcist. Actually, it wasn't exactly luck, because the exorcist was there to deal with the demon.
However, the exorcist wasn't very strong; he struggled with his opponent for a long time, and only with your great-grandfather's help
did he finally manage to kill it. Because of this incident, your great-grandfather learned that demons and ghosts truly existed
!
Only after that did he begin to learn about feng shui and magic. Of course, at that time,
even though he knew about these supernatural things, he didn't take them seriously. His main focus was... He was still obsessed with the anti-Qing cause.
He arrived at Huanghuagang in Guangzhou too late; by then, he was only there to help Pan Dawei collect the bodies.
Before he could even finish dealing with the situation in Guangzhou, things inexplicably escalated in Wuchang. He eagerly rushed north to Wuchang.
After Huang Keqiang arrived, he was introduced to Zhang Zhenwu. According to Zhang Zhenwu, the two hit it off immediately,
practically swearing brotherhood by burning paper money and beheading chickens! But then the Qing emperor abdicated, and before any rewards
could be distributed… his soon-to-be sworn brother was killed by his own people! This was a devastating blow to him…”
"Among the leaders of the revolutionary party, he was closest to Huang Keqiang. When Huang Keqiang retired gracefully, he
followed suit. My mother-in-law said it was good that he retired then, because he
didn't get along well with Sun Yat-sen and Chen Qimei's group. If he had clung to power and continued to associate with them, he might have ended up like Song Jiaoren. You know, besides Huang Keqiang
, Song Jiaoren and Bei Yihui were also acquaintances of his in the Tongmenghui. Later, Sun Yat-sen demanded that all party members pledge their personal loyalty to him
. How could your great-grandfather, who wouldn't even shout 'Long live Chairman X' after the founding of the country, possibly accept that? From then
on, he completely severed ties with his so-called comrades. Otherwise, our family wouldn't have remained holed up in Qingyuan Town,
silent and unassuming."
"After the Republic of China was established, there were years of warlord conflicts... My great-grandfather saw it all and was deeply distressed. He couldn't
understand why the revolutionaries had risked their lives for such an outcome! He was disheartened! Unable to
change anything, he could only try to calm his mind, so he began traveling again. Because of his past encounters with demons and ghosts
, his later travels were no longer just about geographical research. The movement of stars, the flow of feng shui, and
strange tales became his focus. He only started using the name 'Lazy Hermitage' after that, and it was from then on that
he became interested in feng shui, Taoist arts, and so on. A few years into the Republic of China,
Sun Yat-sen changed the revolutionary party into the Kuomintang, demanding that its members pledge allegiance to him. When your great-grandfather heard this news, he almost
vomited blood. He felt that the blood of these revolutionaries had been shed in vain, and their ideals of democracy and freedom had been
utterly betrayed! This country, this nation, was finished! Hopeless! He felt he had let down the Chinese people."
"He repented for his ancestors, and then decided to go to the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum alone to commit seppuku to atone for his sins!"
"Seppuku? No way...did Grandpa really do that?" I was dumbfounded when I heard this
.
"How could that be? If he had committed suicide back then...not to mention you, even Xia probably wouldn't be in this
world! Cough cough..." My mother realized that she had unintentionally mentioned Grandpa and, worried that it would displease me, quickly
coughed twice. "But just before setting off... he suddenly encountered a problem! The reason... was that he wasn't
sure which Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum he should go to to commit suicide... You see, there are several Yellow Emperor's Mausoleums, one in Shaanxi,
one in Gansu, one in Hebei, all said to be the burial place of the Yellow Emperor, and then there's one in Henan said to be the place where the Yellow Emperor cast his tripod and ascended to heaven
. He was dumbfounded, with so many Yellow Emperor's Mausoleums, which one was real...
Wouldn't it be a joke to go to a fake one to commit suicide and atone for his sins? So, he decided to find out which Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum was real... and then he started flipping through books
and going out to investigate. As a result, he forgot about suicide and only thought about investigating
whether the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum was real or not. The more ancient sites and ruins he investigated, the more ancient texts and historical records he read piled up,
and he forgot about the question of whether the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum was real or not. He then delved into things like feng shui, geomancy, and Taoist esoteric arts." Inside.
He spent his days exploring mountain valleys and historical sites, and encountering ghosts, spirits, and exorcists became commonplace. How to
put it… my father-in-law certainly didn't have much talent for rebellion; he'd only ever be used as a pawn.
But in exorcism, feng shui, historical exploration, and textual research, he was a natural genius!
During the more than ten years of warlord infighting, he practically traveled all over China. Of course, this
was also related to his early experience as a revolutionary. After all, he was a leading figure in the revolution; not only the Southern revolutionaries, but
even those in the Beiyang government had heard of him. As an independent figure, when warlords and generals from various regions saw him,
they treated him like a guest, establishing good relations, issuing him travel permits and passes, letting him do as he pleased. Such treatment
was unparalleled in that era…”
"...His connections with secret societies back then played a significant role. He was a genuine member of these
societies, and quite senior at that. Even Sun Yat-sen was only on par with him in terms of seniority within the societies!
Of course, Sun Yat-sen's connections within the secret societies were mainly with the Green Gang and the Guangdong Triads, while he was
popular with the Gelaohui and the Sichuan Paoge. Secret societies were truly the gathering place and
headquarters for exorcists back then!
Besides the major sects, many highly skilled exorcists who concealed their true identities were also
members of secret societies. In the past, he was unaware of or unfamiliar with these people. Now that he knew, how could he not utilize the resources at his disposal
?
He was worldly-wise, sociable, and didn't use seniority to intimidate others. Once he met someone, he humbly sought their guidance. He learned a few formations here and
a few Taoist techniques there ." He integrated and perfected his own methods, creating his own set of Feng Shui and Five Elements secret techniques, which can be considered his own creation. Many of the elements within it are incredibly powerful, 　　surpassing even the secret techniques passed down by
various sects and families today . Even if I possessed divine power, if I were to truly confront him, I would probably 　　only be able to flee. Back then, the status of the Master of the Leisurely Abode in the profession was far beyond what Liangyi or 　　that little fellow surnamed Xiao could compare to now. Even the current old man Zhao Zhongyuan is only slightly lower in rank than he was back then 　　. However, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, due to successive political movements, and because many exorcists were 　　unruly individuals, almost all of his older generation who knew of him were suppressed. Therefore, now, very few people know the name of the Leisurely Abode 　　. 　　"The Taoist magic and secret techniques he created were merely trivial matters to my father-in-law. What truly mattered to him were 　　the discoveries he made while exploring secret realms and searching for ancient sites! From those experiences, he vaguely sensed something 　　... He discovered that the rise and fall of the Chinese nation seemed to be influenced and constrained by some unknown external force 　　! And after realizing this, he resolved to unravel the secrets within. It's important to understand that at that time, he 　　outwardly appeared to have lost interest in politics and indulged in the wilderness, but in reality, he never abandoned his youthful ambition to save the country. 　　" Heart! If it weren't for this reason, he wouldn't have later gotten involved with Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, and their group! 　　He was utterly disillusioned with Sun Yat-sen and the Beiyang warlords, and naturally, without realizing it, he 　　placed his hopes for saving the country and the nation on another group of people. Of course, having learned from past mistakes, he 　　wasn't foolish enough to place all his bets on the then-emerging communist movement. Instead, 　　while maintaining contact with Chen Duxiu and his ilk, he decided to find another path, 　　to do something for the country and the nation in his own way. 　　"Back then, there were so many slogans for saving the nation. The Kuomintang shouted 'The Three Principles of the People will save China,' entrepreneurs shouted 'Industry will save the nation,' 　　intellectuals and scholars shouted 'Education will save the nation,' and even Mei Lanfang dressing up as a cross-dresser to perform abroad was called saving the nation… Even a bunch of pedantic novelists 　　could come up with slogans for saving the nation through literature! My father-in-law said he would save the nation through research! Don't laugh… 　　This is true, my mother-in-law told me privately! She said that after my father-in-law came up with this slogan, he was excited for 　　days, he couldn't even sit still while eating, he was jumping around like a monkey…" 　　"And my grandfather had his own ideas... He believed that to save the country and the nation, it was necessary to get to the bottom of things! 　　And it's undoubtedly tragic for a nation to not even understand its own history. 　　There are too many distorted and erroneous parts in this country's history. To regain national confidence and dignity, the first step is to truly understand 　　the origins and true historical evolution of the Chinese nation. So, after adopting your great-uncle Yan Hua as a precaution 　　, he began his frantic travels again. It was during this period that he unexpectedly entered the Kunlun Secret Realm. Here 　　, he seemed to finally obtain some things he wanted to know. Then he returned to his hometown of Qingyuan Town and began to organize 　　and write down his astonishing discoveries..." 　　"You mean, my great-grandfather once tried to rewrite the history of the Chinese nation? But how come I've never 　　seen even a trace of that in his remaining manuscripts? Instead, it's almost all textual research 　　and the like." After listening to my mother's explanation, I finally truly understood my great-grandfather's...

I gave a general overview of his life, and then, taking advantage of my mother's renewed search for the lotus pods in Xia Jiang's possession, I raised my question.
"The things your great-grandfather wrote are truly appalling… he practically
turned the history of this country, no, even the history of the whole world, upside down. Only my mother-in-law,
I, and your grandfather, Xia, have read them. After your grandfather Xia passed away, I hid all of my father-in-law's research
findings. Even the Korean War and the Korean War were never read. Now, I'm the only
one who has read his works. The reason I've returned here is because of those things he wrote. I need
to verify the arguments, evidence, and some speculations in his writings. Hmm, now that you're considered an exorcist
, having spent so much time with Liangyi and that little guy surnamed Han, I want to ask you a question:
what exactly are gods, demons, monsters, and other such beings?"
My mother's sudden question made me hesitate, because she was asking herself as well
. But realizing her seriousness, I still gave my answer. "Well,
I haven't really thought about this question myself. But I think Han Zhe's statement makes some sense. He believes
that gods, demons, and monsters, like humans and all plants and animals, are just forms of life
. However, compared to humans and ordinary plants and animals, these life forms possess
far greater power. In order to prolong their own lives, they hunt other life forms and are exceptionally ferocious
and greedy."
"Oh, so that's what that little fellow surnamed Han said? Impressive…it seems great minds think alike! Let me tell
you, your great-grandfather's definition of gods, demons, and monsters in his own writings is very close to that of that little fellow surnamed Han
. He also believed that no matter how powerful gods, demons, and monsters are, like humans and other animals and plants
, they are merely forms of life. However, compared to humans and other animals and plants,
gods, demons, and monsters are more powerful in their life forms and can manipulate and utilize various natural forces through their own life forms
! Your great-grandfather had his own set of theories. In his writings, he
categorized humans and normal animals and plants into one category, and gods, demons, monsters, spirits, and ghosts into another
; he considered the former category 'normal,' and the latter 'abnormal.'
In addition, he categorized some life forms in between into a third category. Do you know
what he categorized into the third category?" "Among animals, there are chameleons that can change their color to match their environment, and
among humans, you and Ryougi, who possess extraordinary abilities, were also categorized into the third category... In his
old man's view, neither you nor Ryougi can be considered completely human!" Mother said, a mischievous expression on her face
.
"N-no way?" I chuckled, realizing that my great-grandfather had classified Ryougi and me as "non-human" in his own theory
.
Taking advantage of the moment, Mother leaned in and kissed me, then pulled
back while I was still bewildered, continuing her explanation. "...Don't take what your great-grandfather says too seriously. Just know
that in your mother's heart, you will always be her dearest baby! Besides, his ideas are
purely theoretical, and he understands that himself. That's why he said in his writings that his classifications are just one
person's opinion, and if others can offer more reasonable and self-consistent explanations, they can easily overturn his
theories. In fact, in his later years, he began to correct and revise his own theories. For
example, I...I once asked him, in his..." What am I to him? Do you know how he answered? He told me not
to mind his categorization in his writings; he only recognized me as his daughter-in-law! Hehe, do you know
how happy I was to hear that answer! Hmm… Although your great-grandfather passed the imperial examinations, he actually believed in Taoism
. All his theories were based on Taoism. The older he got, the more
detached he became. He rejected and discarded many of his youthful ideas and understandings. However, there was
a part of his writings that he never tried to revise or correct. That part involved the core of Kunlun
and the ancient history of the Huaxia people. This part worried him until his death
. He wasn't sure if his speculations were correct, but he worried about how to deal with them if they were. So,
a few years before his death, he began to plan some things. Initially, his plan was to invite a group of powerful
exorcists to explore and verify his speculations and eliminate the hidden dangers he worried about. But at that time, his plan
was simply impossible to implement. Because it was the early days of the People's Republic of China… Various political movements followed one after another, and in that political atmosphere
, it was impossible to find anyone. The extraordinary people he knew were either suppressed, fled abroad, or went into hiding . He himself could only eke out a living in his hometown of Qingyuan Town. Finally, he 　　told me and A-Xia about
his ideas and the details of his plans, hoping that we could carry them out in the future. You can probably guess the result 　　… It wasn't until a few years ago that I finally had the opportunity to put your great-grandfather's schemes and plans into practice step by step 　　, to fulfill my promise to him.” 　　“You…you mean everything you did was actually your great-grandfather's plan and arrangement?” At that 　　moment, I suddenly had a feeling of sudden realization. 　　"Well... the main plans were all designed by your great-grandfather. Of course, 　　I had to refine some details myself based on the actual situation. It took a lot of effort for your mother to get this far 　　! Although there are some differences, thank goodness, all the conditions and factors your great-grandfather originally designed are now basically 　　complete. Next, I'll tell you the reasons and motivations behind your great-grandfather's plans!" 　　The mother's tone became unusually serious. 　　"Your great-grandfather believed that the core area of Kunlun we are currently in is 　　the birthplace of all life and species in this world! Humans, animals, plants, gods, demons, monsters—everything originally came from 　　here. In a sense, this can also be considered the Garden of Eden in the Christian Bible. For a considerable period of time..."

For a time, various life forms thrived here, and even
a civilization structure similar to that of human society in the outside world today emerged. That spiral-shaped divine city was built during that period…”
“…Little Jiang, stop eating…hurry up, there are so many people, if we don’t go now, there won’t be any left!”
My mother dragged Xia Jiang and ran towards the barbecue area. I, on the other hand, looked completely dejected
, staggering behind. The reason was simple: my mother’s explanation and story were simply too
shocking and unbelievable for me. So much so that even as I was leaving, I hadn’t recovered from the huge psychological gap
.
I wanted to doubt what my mother said, because she seemed to have always taken deceiving and teasing me for
some kind of fun. But the “truths” she told me had a perfect logical structure. In my
opinion, only a scholar like my great-grandfather could make such a self-consistent explanation…
From what I’ve seen of my mother over the past few months, she really doesn’t have that kind of profound “theoretical foundation”! Therefore,
I couldn't help but believe the information my mother told me .
Of course, I also asked her why she didn't just explain everything to Wang Lie and Huang Yandong!
My mother scoffed at my suggestion, and her reason was very simple: she only trusted
me, Xia Jiang, and Chunri and the others who were completely under her control. In her eyes, Wang Lie and Huang Yandong were ultimately outsiders, people
she could use and rely on, but never completely trust. Moreover, after talking with my mother
, I realized that even Daye Rinpoche and Ruizong were actually within her sphere of influence.
The "exorcists" gathered in the Kunlun Secret Realm at this moment were the "masters and extraordinary individuals" my great-grandfather had planned,
but unlike what he had anticipated, these masters were supposed to
work closely together. Now, however, they were clearly divided into two opposing camps!
My mother didn't seem to care about this situation. "Liangyi, Honglian, Shana, the Hebei Demon Blade Studio,
Huang Yandong who's good at avoiding trouble and tracking, plus Guanxue and those girls, Ruoshui and her lamas and instructors. And
that Ruizong Yan Zilu, thinking he's somewhat related to the Yan family, I originally wanted to advise him not to get involved, but
since he's courting death, let's include him! This lineup of exorcists is something your great-grandfather probably
couldn't have imagined back then. So what if they're enemies? If those things your great-grandfather was worried about really existed, do you
think you two would still have a chance to fight to the death? You'd all be food in their eyes. At most, you'd just each
look after your own."
Relatively speaking, Mother was more concerned about whether some of her grandfather's speculations were accurate.
"I did come in once, but that time, I really didn't see the place my father-in-law described.
Of course, perhaps it was because I was too timid back then. After entering, I instinctively felt
fear, and then like a rabbit, I retreated to find the hidden passage node and returned to the Burial Valley. I probably
didn't even get close to the vicinity of that place. Now, almost all of my father-in-law's speculations have been confirmed
, so I've decided to continue to trust his judgment."
...I returned to the group with these thoughts in mind.
The conversation with my mother took quite a while. When I returned, most of the group had already eaten
and were gathered in twos and threes resting and chatting. Apart from the few armed personnel who had taken on the task of guarding the surrounding area
, only my mother, Xia Jiang, and I hadn't eaten.
Because they had revealed their mysterious power in front of the cliff, most of the group naturally
felt a certain awe towards my mother and Xia Jiang, consciously or unconsciously keeping a certain distance from them. My mother didn't seem to care at
all. She dragged Xia Jiang to a spot by the campfire and devoured the roasted meat that others had cooked.
Wang Lie saw me and beckoned me to his campfire, handing me a piece of roasted
meat stuck in a branch.
"What did she say to you that she kept you here? Would you mind sharing some details? Of course, if you don't feel comfortable
asking, I won't press you." Wang Lie probed for information while trying to roll his own cigarette with dried tobacco leaves.
"...She forbade me to tell her a lot of things, saying she didn't trust you!" I replied, munching on the roasted meat.
The meat was coarse and not very tasty. But for a hungry person, taste wasn't
important; the key was filling their stomach. What surprised me was that besides the roasted meat, I
was also able to drink some hot soup. Guan Yueran, with her rich experience in wilderness survival, and Zhu Yu, who had a background in agricultural science,
found edible wild vegetables nearby. Using the cooking utensils brought by Huang Yandong, Chunri, and others, they added salt and
cooked several pots, which were then distributed to the team. Although each person only had half a teacup's worth, and it was mixed with a little
water, it was still an unimaginable delicacy for me at that moment.
"I see... Hehe, we're in the same boat. After all, I've never really trusted her either.
Oh well, she likes you, so telling you won't change anything. But there are some things I still hope you can
remind me and Lao Huang about beforehand. I don't mean anything by it, I'm just afraid we'll be caught off guard at a crucial moment." Wang Lie had anticipated my
response. As he spoke, he lit a wrapped cigarette over the campfire. He took a puff,
coughed several times from the choking, and after a moment of adjustment, a satisfied expression appeared on his face.
I looked at him and sighed. "You said it yourself, she's our only hope for survival.
We try to go along with her as much as possible. I'm worried that telling you will upset her and cause further trouble. So
for now, I've decided to do as she says." This was my stated excuse, but
the real reason I decided to keep it a secret from Wang Lie was my fear that if I told him about my mother's upcoming plans
, he might turn against her on the spot! And if that happened, I wouldn't know
which side I should stand on!
The reason is simple: my mother's plans didn't consider
the safety of most of the group at this moment; everything was based on her, or rather, my great-grandfather's, plans from back then.
Deep down, I accepted my great-grandfather's plan, but the dangers involved likely exceeded Wang Lie
's expectations. For this reason, I ultimately followed my mother's instructions,
concealing most of the information I had obtained from her from Wang Lie. Only when accepting the homemade cigarette Wang Lie offered me to try did I
tell him about my mother's next plan…
"…After the team sets off, we'll continue towards the spiral tower. Along the way, we might need to
expand the perimeter of our perimeter. She told me that before reaching the spiral tower, we need to find a place that might be
the ruins of an ancient city to rest and recuperate. Furthermore, she needs to
obtain an item from those ruins; according to her, only with that item can she lead
us into the spiral tower. As for what that item is, I don't know." After I finished speaking, I took
a drag of the cigarette. The damp, acrid smoke entered my trachea, and I immediately
started coughing uncontrollably, just like Wang Lie. However, the nicotine in the smoke ultimately met
the psychological expectations of us smokers, and after coughing, I incurably took another drag.
"Should we find that ancient human site first? Hmm… that's fine! Having a clear objective is good, at least
we know what we need to do. Expanding the search area might require adding more scouting teams. I
'll discuss it with those two over there and see how to arrange the personnel." Wang Lie said, leaving my side and heading towards Guan
Yueran and Sun Ming's location.
While Wang Lie discussed things with Guan Yueran and the others, I adjusted to the taste of the homemade cigarette in my hand while simultaneously
processing the information I had received from my mother. Soon, several questions that I hadn't considered during my conversation with my mother
surfaced in my mind.
"The main purpose of entering the Phoenix Mountain prison was to bring Xia Jiang out. Before his death, my great-grandfather
confirmed Xia Jiang's existence through my mother. Therefore, he devised a
plan to lure her by exploiting the fact that the Red Lotus ability user could attract Xia Jiang. This plan is probably correct. At the same time, obtaining the silk painting to open the underground cave of Xia Yu City, allowing Xia
Jiang to absorb the twelve fallen celestial souls to complete Xia Jiang's ascension to godhood, was also my great-grandfather's design, as my mother said. Although
the specific process deviated somewhat, it was ultimately completed. Creating an opportunity to enter the core of Kunlun after Xia Jiang's ascension to godhood
now seems to be..." "It's done. But Mother just deliberately avoided a detail... that is, she
collected Xuan Nu's soul in Xia Yu City! In the great-grandfather's plan that she mentioned, everything revolved around organizing the Demon Hunter
team to enter the core area of Kunlun, but she didn't mention anything about Xuan Nu at all
... Hmm, this is very suspicious! My mother is definitely hiding something from me..."
Just as I realized this, a gunshot suddenly rang out from the edge of a certain area of the rest area
, and I felt a slight tremor in the ground. Immediately afterward, two people responsible for guarding that direction
appeared in everyone's sight as they ran. As they ran, they shouted warnings at the top of their lungs.
"Attention! Attention... a monster is coming!"
Hearing the alarm, I didn't think twice and instinctively jumped up, heading towards the direction they were coming from.
On the other side, Wang Lie also ended his discussion with Guan Yueran and the others, running towards the same location while
giving instructions to Guan Yueran and the others without any room for doubt.
"Organize your belongings, regroup, and be ready to leave!"
Besides Wang Lie and me, Huang Yandong also darted out from the crowd, following behind us.
Seeing Guan Xue and Chun Ri, I immediately stopped them from following. "You stay here with the group,
just in case!"
As the group quickly regrouped, the three of us bumped into two alert officers. Before we
could ask, they quickly explained their discovery…
"A centipede…a huge centipede! Behind those bushes over there!"
After the morning's march, the group members had developed a tacit understanding of their roles. According to the agreement,
if the alert officers determined it was an ordinary animal, they could decide whether to drive it away or notify the group to move aside.
However, if they discovered something suspected to be a demon, they would fire a warning shot and then hand it over to exorcists like Wang Lie and me.
The enormous centipede was clearly beyond normal human comprehension and could be identified as a suspected demon. Therefore,
after explaining their discovery, the alert officers didn't turn back but passed us and rejoined the main group
. Wang Lie, Huang Yandong, and I hurried towards the location they had indicated.
A few seconds later, before we even arrived, a gigantic centipede, six or seven meters long and about half a meter wide,
slithered out of the bushes. Appearing in our sight, the centipede's body was multicolored, and
a faint black aura swirled around it.
The centipede was undoubtedly a demonic creature, and its size was enormous, but I
was surprised that it could cause the ground to tremble slightly. In my opinion, its size and estimated weight shouldn't have been enough
to cause this, and more importantly, it crawled close to the ground; how could it produce such a
large tremor with its low center of gravity?
Beside me, Wang Lie began chanting incantations, his hands forming a series of
cracks around the multicolored centipede's body. But perhaps because the monster's carapace was too hard, Wang Lie's "Tai Chi Break" didn't
cause any substantial damage to the centipede, only leaving traces of energy impact on its shell.
Huang Yandong pulled out a magic cone, placed a talisman on the tip, and
slammed the sharp end into the ground. The moment the cone's tip pierced the soil, the ground beneath the centipede's forequarters exploded
like a landmine. The immense impact flipped the centipede's forequarters to its side,
exposing its grayish-white abdomen.
"Hard shell, attack its underside!" Huang Yandong sprinted sideways after his successful attack. He often used magic
weapons and talismans to deal with demons, maintaining distance was his habit.
"Earth-Splitting Talisman? Good move!" Wang Lie exclaimed, generously praising his teammate! His hands moved rapidly, forming hand seals
, and the centipede's grayish-white abdomen exploded again… Just as Huang Yandong had predicted, the centipede's lower abdomen…
The shell on its back was much thinner than its body. Wang Lie unleashed a dense barrage of Tai Chi Breaks,
blasting half of the centipede's body into a chaotic writhing motion! The centipede itself emitted a piercing hissing sound.
Immediately afterward, a round hole split open in the center of the centipede's abdomen, and a ball of flame spread out from it!
"Star Flame!" I silently chanted the name of my self-created move in my mind!
First, I implanted a flame into the demon, then used the sparks from the burning Crimson Lotus Fire within my body to collide with
the flame inside the demon in the diagram... I felt that the name "Star Flame" was very fitting. Of course, out of a certain
sense of shame, I certainly wouldn't shout out the name of my move like those idiotic protagonists in shonen anime!
My entire attack was completed silently. Perhaps this five-colored spider in front of me 　　was much stronger and larger
than the demons I had previously killed using the "Star Flame" ability .
The expected complete destruction of the monster did not occur; it merely
broke open its body and caused some damage!
"Well done!" Wang Lie knew that the new wounds on the centipede were undoubtedly his doing. While
praising it, he was about to charge forward to deliver the fatal blow. But after only a few steps, he suddenly seemed
to realize something, turned around, and ran towards me, simultaneously warning Huang Yandong, who was a little further away!
"Stop fighting...run!"
Huang Yandong and I were naturally confused, but trusting our companion, we didn't
hesitate at all and instinctively followed Wang Lie's instructions, turning and running.
After running only a few steps, I understood why Wang Lie wanted us to run!
The tremors on the ground were intensifying. Moments later, countless galloping wild horses
emerged from the bushes behind the centipede, sweeping towards the area where we were fighting it with unstoppable momentum
.
The severely injured centipede struggled and twisted its body, but before it could return to a normal posture, it was
brutally trampled by the herd of horses. The horses rapidly trampled over the centipede, then quickly
rolled towards the three of us running...
"We're doomed!" Just as this thought flashed through our minds almost simultaneously, the herd of horses suddenly
turned, tracing a graceful semi-circle before charging back towards the
dying centipede! After being trampled a second time, the centipede finally showed no signs of life.
After the horses disappeared, a graceful, tall, pure white wild horse appeared in the clearing beside the bushes
. The horse glanced at us, still shaken, and stamped its hooves, as if greeting us
, before gracefully riding away.
"...Could it be that this centipede was originally trying to escape the herd of horses? And the horses came just to trample it to death
? Since when do animals kill monsters?"
Half a day after the horses disappeared, Huang Yandong broke the silence between the three of us, talking to himself.
"Well, maybe that's really the case... We humans have exorcists to slay demons, so why can't these
animals deal with the monsters themselves?" I adjusted my breathing, recalling the thrilling scene from before, and
responded to Huang Yandong's words with lingering fear.
"...Yeah, who knows what happened! But anyway, the centipede is dead... Also, that white horse must have
been the lead horse of the herd, right? It was really beautiful..."
I noticed a fleeting glint in Wang Lie's eyes when he said this.

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