That night.
Fuyun Tower.
By the window.
A large basin of glistening, reddish-brown braised pork hock was steaming.
Next to it were several jars of strong liquor with their mud seals broken. The aroma of the liquor mixed with the scent of meat, stirring one's appetite in the night.
"Amitabha."
Monk No Abstinence proclaimed a Buddhist chant, then directly reached out and grabbed the fattest hock. Without minding the heat, he took a large bite.
"Slurp—"
His mouth was greasy.
Chen Tong, sitting opposite him, rolled his eyes and took a sip from his wine bowl.
"I finally understand why you were kicked out of Vajra Temple… If I were the abbot, I would have already purged the sect; how could I let you roam the world?"
"Not so, not so."
Monk No Abstinence chewed on the pork skin indistinctly, his Face serious.
"Wine and meat pass through the guts, but the Buddha remains in the heart."
"People only know how to cultivate their mouths but not their hearts. this poor monk is refining his heart in the Mortal World. You wouldn't understand the great wisdom within this."
Jiang Yuechu sat by, staring blankly at the wine.
Is this stuff… really that good to drink?
She had drunk alcohol in her previous life, but only beer.
As for this kind of white liquor, she felt like throwing up just from the smell.
She really didn't know how anyone could like this stuff… She looked up and glanced at the person beside her.
Liu Ke, this kid, was acting unusually today, just drinking silently, lost in thought. She wondered what was bothering him so much.
"What's wrong?"
She asked, "Haven't you sorted out your family matters?"
Liu Ke paused.
He put down his wine glass, a bitter smile on his Face, and shook his head.
"Nothing, just… met a relative who isn't quite right in the head."
"If you don't want to talk about it, then don't."
Jiang Yuechu didn't press. "Once you join the Demon Suppression Division, your past identity becomes like fleeting clouds. Whether you're a country bumpkin or from a prestigious family, you're all the same before Demons."
Liu Ke was stunned.
Then, he took a deep breath. "Your Excellency is right."
He drank it all in one gulp.
After three rounds of wine and five courses of dishes.
The atmosphere, which had been a bit reserved, gradually warmed up.
Chen Tong was quite drunk, his Face flushed.
"Oh right, Your Excellency, two days ago… we encountered a strange incident."
"What strange incident?"
Chen Tong burped, wiped the oil from the corner of his mouth, leaned forward, and lowered his voice.
"Two days ago, we went with Squad Leader Wang—that Wang Xiaoer—to Ox Heart Mountain in the west to kill a beast. On the way back, because we wanted to take a shortcut, we didn't follow the main road and detoured into a mountain gully."
"That place was very remote, with no villages or inns nearby. We finally spotted a village, and everyone thought to go ask for some water and rest our feet."
Monk No Abstinence interjected, "Huai Shu Village."
"Yes, Huai Shu Village."
Chen Tong nodded and continued, "That Wang Xiaoer, Your Excellency, you don't know, he has an uncle who is a Captain, and he loves to show off. Wearing this official uniform, he wishes the whole world knew he was from the Demon Suppression Division."
"When he reached the village entrance, he saw a few old men cooling off under a tree, so he swaggered over, wanting to display his authority and ask for a bowl of water."
Jiang Yuechu nodded slightly.
That was normal.
People from the Demon Suppression Division were accustomed to acting domineeringly outside.
Although they wouldn't go as far as to bully men and rape women, in front of these country folk, some always felt they were superior.
"What happened then?"
Chen Tong slapped his thigh, his Face full of disbelief.
"He almost got beaten up!"
"Oh?"
Jiang Yuechu raised an eyebrow. "Beaten?"
"Indeed!"
"Wang Xiaoer was stunned at the time. Just as he was about to explain a few words, a lump of cow dung was smeared on his Face."
"If it weren't for this quick-witted monk No Abstinence, who pulled him and ran, he might have really gotten into a fight with those mud-legged villagers."
Jiang Yuechu frowned.
"That is strange."
Although the Demon Suppression Division had a fearsome reputation, often stopping children from crying at night, it was common.
Most common folk, upon seeing these black-clad, red-patterned officials, either feared them like tigers or revered them as gods.
After all, in this world plagued by Demons, the Demon Suppression Division was the only yamen that could protect their lives.
No matter how scared they were, there was absolutely no reason to chase people away with dung.
"Who says it isn't?"
Chen Tong was also puzzled. "Our Demon Suppression Division, as long as ordinary people don't commit crimes, who's so bored as to bully them?"
"Those mud-legged villagers, it's one thing for them not to kneel and kowtow for protection when they see us, but they dared to attack?"
"Afterward, Wang Xiaoer was so angry that he wanted to go back and get even, to drag out the Village Head and demand an explanation."
"But halfway there, he felt it was beneath him to argue with a bunch of mud-legged villagers, and it was getting late, so he just cursed a bit and let it go…"
Monk No Abstinence threw the bones in his hand onto the table, rubbing his greasy large hands on his monk's robe.
"Amitabha."
"To be honest, this poor monk looked at it then and felt that village… was a bit sinister."
Jiang Yuechu looked at him, "How so?"
"The smell was off."
Monk No Abstinence wrinkled his nose, "Although that village didn't have any Demonic Qi, this poor monk smelled a strange, indescribable odor…"
The monk paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully.
"It wasn't the stench of dead people, but rather… like the earthy smell of something that had just been buried and then dug up again not long after."
Jiang Yuechu was thoughtful.
"That's rather interesting… Did that Wang Xiaoer not report it after he returned?"
"Report my ass."
Chen Tong scoffed, "That man is so obsessed with Face. A dignified Demon Suppression Division Squad Leader, chased away by a bunch of mud-legged villagers, fleeing with his head in his hands. If this matter got out, how could he continue to mix in the Xuan Battalion?"
"After returning, he warned us not to speak of it to anyone, to just pretend we never went to that place."
"Is that so…"
Jiang Yuechu put down her wine glass, her eyes flickering.
In her previous life, she had read countless novels.
In this situation, nine times out of ten, there must be something fishy!
Should she go take a look?
"Where exactly is it?"
Chen Tong was startled, then gestured, "Out of Region City to the west, about eighty li. After passing One-Line Sky, turn east into the mountain gully, then walk another ten li or so of mountain road, and you'll arrive."
"Your Excellency… are you going?"
Chen Tong hesitated. "Although that place is strange, there doesn't seem to be any Demonic Qi…"
"I'm just asking."
Jiang Yuechu's expression was calm. "Drink up quickly, don't save me money."
"Yes, yes, drinking, drinking!"
Chen Tong dared not ask more and hurriedly urged everyone to drink.
The atmosphere at the table grew lively again, but Jiang Yuechu was somewhat distracted.
She picked up a piece of braised meat and put it in her mouth, chewing slowly.
Eighty li.
It's not far.
There were no Demons requiring her intervention right now, so she might as well. She was idle anyway.
Since that Wang Xiaoer was too concerned about Face to investigate, she would go take a look.
If it was just troublesome common folk, then so be it.
But what if… there was an unexpected surprise?
The meal lasted until the moon was high in the sky.
Chen Tong was already dead drunk, mumbling nonsense while sprawled on the table.
Monk No Abstinence, though still able to sit, had a hazy look in his eyes. He clutched his prayer beads, muttering about buying Fuyun Tower and converting it into a nunnery.
Only Liu Ke, despite having drunk a lot, still had clear eyes.
"Your Excellency."
Liu Ke looked at Jiang Yuechu and suddenly spoke.
"If Your Excellency wishes to go to Huai Shu Village, your subordinate is willing to accompany you."
Jiang Yuechu glanced at him.
"Leaving the Dusi without authorization will incur punishment."
Liu Ke quickly said, "No matter, I'll just tell Squad Leader Wang."
This was not false.
If Wang Xiaoer heard that he was going to handle matters with Jiang Yuechu, how could he possibly say no?
Jiang Yuechu smiled slightly and stood up.
"You'd better stay put. Some things can't be avoided. Since your family came to find you, they must be worried about you. Besides… if something happens on the road, I might not be able to protect you."
She casually tossed a silver ingot onto the table.
"Take them back to rest early; I'm leaving first."
With that, she ignored the two drunkards and turned to walk downstairs.
"…"
Liu Ke watched her retreating figure, his fingers tightening slightly around the wine glass.
Then, he tilted his head back and drained the remaining wine in his cup… Pushing open the wooden gate of her small courtyard, the smell of alcohol had long dispersed in the night breeze.
A martial artist's physique is robust, their Qi and blood like a furnace.
Moreover, she was already in the Core Formation Realm.
This ordinary wine, if she wished, could be transformed into water vapor upon entering her stomach.
Aside from leaving a lingering fragrance in her mouth, there was no trace of intoxication.
She didn't rush back to her room to rest. Instead, she walked to the stone pier and sat down, casually dusting off the floating dirt from her clothes.
Then she reached into her bosom and fumbled for a moment.
When she opened her hand again, there was a round pearl in her palm.
The pearl was entirely pale, cool to the touch, emitting a faint cold glow in the night. Faintly, one could see water ripples flowing within, quite miraculous.
It was precisely the Dragon Pearl pried from the mouth of the Qiang River Dragon King.
She had been busy traveling before, so she hadn't had time to examine it closely.
Now that she was free, it was a good time to study it.
Jiang Yuechu held the pearl up to her eyes, examining it carefully by the moonlight.
"What exactly is this thing?"
She tentatively activated her Water Control Divine Ability.
Buzz—
The originally calm pearl seemed to sense a kindred Qi and trembled slightly.
But that was all.
"It doesn't work, then…"
Jiang Yuechu frowned slightly.
She vaguely remembered that in novels from her previous life, Heaven And Earth Treasure were often eaten.
Once this thought emerged, it became hard to suppress.
She parted her cherry lips, revealing two rows of neat, white teeth.
Awoo—
She bit down hard!
Crunch!
"Ugh!!!"
Jiang Yuechu's body stiffened abruptly, and she jolted as if electrocuted.
Her usually cool and indifferent little Face instantly twisted into a knot.
"So hard…"
It seems… brute force won't work… Forget it, forget it, she wasn't cut out for research anyway.
Immediately, a red mist appeared, enveloping the pearl.
Soon, the formerly hard pearl turned into ashes.
"Hmm? No change?"
She squeezed her palm in confusion.
Her strength hadn't increased, nor had her cultivation advanced.
Could it be… this thing really was useless?
After pondering for a while and failing to understand, she gave up.
She opened her panel.
[Name: Jiang Yuechu]
[Realm: Late Core Formation Realm]
[Dao Cultivation: Seventy-two years]
[Demons collected: Tiger Mountain God (Natural)...]
[Innate Divine Ability: Yin Method Heaven Bestowal...]
[Martial Arts:
Yin-Yang Horizontal Hand (Major Achievement)
Golden Lion Overlord Saber (Supreme)
Spring-loaded Leg Shrinking the Ground (Perfection)...]
Currently, apart from the two Core Formation Great Demons, all others had reached their peak.
The remaining over thirteen hundred years of Dao Cultivation had already been fully invested in the three Core Formation Realm martial arts on her journey.
Her current self.
Her stats were still exaggerated, even surpassing what they were before.
But on top of these terrifying stats, there was also a despair-inducing level of skill.
Her movement technique was ghostly, her saber technique domineering, and up close, she had the Yin-Yang Horizontal Hand.
She truly didn't know, within this Ink Dot Realm, who could be her opponent.
However… Jiang Yuechu shook her head, suppressing the surge of self-satisfaction that had just risen.
"There are always people better than you, and heavens beyond this heaven."
"In this world, are there not enough instances of capsizing in a ditch?"