bookbashuk Chapter 76 Green Mountain Town
Chapter 76 Green Mountain Town
In the days that followed, Zhou Ning cultivated in the back mountain every day to stabilize his realm.
He practiced the "Demon-Slaying Slash" hundreds of times until each strike could unleash its maximum power.
He picked up the art of manipulating objects again and continued practicing.
After reaching the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, his divine sense became much stronger than before. Under the guidance of his divine sense, the Qingfeng Sword could now fly stably in the air for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
"With a little more practice, I should be able to use the art of controlling objects to attack," Zhou Ning thought to himself.
One day, he was practicing on the back mountain when he suddenly heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats coming from below.
Zhou Ning walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down. He saw a fast horse galloping along the mountain road. The rider on the horse was Li Laoshuan, the village head of Baihe Village.
"Brother Zhou! Brother Zhou! Something terrible has happened!"
Zhou Ning hurried down the mountain to meet him.
"Village head, what happened?"
Li Laoshuan dismounted, panting heavily, his face pale.
"The people from Black Mountain are back again! They...they've kidnapped several young men from the village, saying they're going to...say they're going to take them back as sacrifices!"
Zhou Ning frowned: "How many people?"
"Five or six of them, all dressed in black robes, and they knew sorcery."
Li Laoshuan said, "The Taoist priests that the village hired were all injured by them."
Zhou Ning thought for a moment and said, "Village head, you go back first and tell the villagers not to panic. I'll go right away."
He returned to his lodgings, retrieved the Qingfeng Sword and the Bixie Sword, packed the talismans, and then followed Li Laoshuan down the mountain.
Baihe Village is not far from Lanruo Temple, and the two of them rode at full speed, arriving in less than half an hour.
At the village entrance, several men in black robes were standing there.
The leader was a tall man with a dark complexion, deep-set eyes, and a sinister smile on his lips.
He held a large black sword in his hand, with a hideous ghost head carved on the blade.
"It's you again?"
The man in black robes saw Zhou Ning and sneered, "You got away last time, but it won't be that easy this time."
Zhou Ning gripped his Qingfeng sword tightly: "Release those villagers."
The man in black sneered, "Who do you think you are? How dare you interfere in the affairs of Black Mountain?"
Without wasting words, Zhou Ning unleashed a sword strike.
The golden sword energy pierced through the air, heading straight for the man in black robes.
The man in black robes' expression changed, and he quickly raised his knife to parry.
"boom!"
The sword energy struck the broadsword, and the broadsword snapped in two.
The man in black robes was forced back several steps, his hands went numb, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
"You...your strength..." His eyes were filled with terror.
Zhou Ning said coldly, "Release those villagers, and I might spare your life."
The man in black gritted his teeth, took out a black token from his robes, and tried to crush it.
Zhou Ning was prepared. He flashed in front of him and severed his arm with a sword.
"what!"
The man in black robes screamed as his arm fell to the ground, blood gushing out.
Zhou Ning picked up the token and put it away.
"Who else wants to try?"
The other men in black robes were terrified, their faces turning ashen. They abandoned the villagers and fled in all directions.
Zhou Ning didn't chase after them. Instead, he walked over to the villagers and helped them untie their ropes.
"It's alright. You're safe now."
The villagers knelt down and kowtowed, expressing their deepest gratitude.
Li Laoshuan stepped forward, grasped Zhou Ning's hand tightly, and tears streamed down his face.
"Brother Zhou, you've saved us again."
Zhou Ning shook his head: "Village head, you're too kind. However, Baihe Village is no longer safe. The people from Heishan could come back at any time. You'd better move somewhere else."
Old Li sighed, "Move? Where to? Our ancestors have lived here for generations, we can't bear to leave."
Zhou Ning thought for a moment and said, "Then you should at least be prepared. I'll draw some talismans for you to put at the village entrance and on the door of each house. If the Black Mountain people come again, at least we can hold them off for a while."
Li Laoshuan nodded repeatedly.
Zhou Ning took out cinnabar, yellow paper, and a pen from his bag and drew more than a dozen "evil-suppressing talismans" on the spot, which he then handed to Li Laoshuan.
"These talismans should be pasted at the village entrance and on the door of each house. Remember to replace them every month."
Li Laoshuan accepted the talisman with profuse thanks.
Zhou Ning gave a few more instructions, then mounted his horse and returned to Lanruo Temple.
It was already late when we returned to the temple.
Yan Chixia was meditating in the main hall when he heard footsteps and opened his eyes.
"Resolved?"
Zhou Ning nodded and briefly recounted what had happened.
Yan Chixia was silent for a moment, then said, "The people of Black Mountain are becoming increasingly arrogant. It seems they are preparing something."
He stood up, hands behind his back, and paced back and forth: "Your strength has improved, but it's not enough. You need to continue cultivating."
Zhou Ning replied, "This disciple understands."
Yan Chixia nodded: "Go. Rest for the night, and continue practicing your sword tomorrow."
Zhou Ning bowed respectfully and withdrew from the main hall.
The matter in Baihe Village has come to a temporary end, and Zhou Ning has returned to Lanruo Temple to continue his cultivation.
His cultivation level at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage allowed his strength to leap forward qualitatively.
But Zhou Ning knew that this was far from enough.
The Black Mountain Demon's strength is unfathomable; he must become stronger in order to protect those he wants to protect.
On this day, Zhou Ning was practicing the art of manipulating objects in the back mountain. The Qingfeng Sword could already hover and fly in the air under the control of his divine sense. Although he could not control it as freely as Yan Chixia, it had at least begun to resemble the sword.
"Stop." Yan Chixia's voice came from behind.
Zhou Ning sheathed his sword and turned around, only to see his master standing with his hands behind his back by the pine forest.
"Master."
Yan Chixia walked up to him, looked him up and down, and nodded slightly:
"I've already made some progress in the art of manipulating objects. Next, it's time to practice the second move of the 'Demon-Slaying Sword Technique'."
Zhou Ning's eyes lit up: "The second move?"
Yan Chixia took out a jade slip from his sleeve and handed it to Zhou Ning:
"You have already mastered the first move, 'Demon-Slaying Slash.' The second move, 'Sky-Splitting Slash,' is even more powerful, but it also consumes more true energy. With your current cultivation level, you can only use it twice at most."
Zhou Ning accepted the jade slip and solemnly said, "This disciple will definitely practice diligently."
Yan Chixia nodded, and then said:
"There's one more thing. A Taoist priest from Laoshan has come to Qingshan Town at the foot of the mountain. He's set up an altar and performed rituals in the market, attracting many people. Go and see for yourself. If the priest is a fraud, expose him; if he's truly skilled, it wouldn't hurt to befriend him."
Zhou Ning was taken aback: "A Taoist priest from Laoshan? What's his name?"
"He calls himself 'Xuanzhenzi'," Yan Chixia said calmly.
Zhou Ning frowned.
Xuan Zhenzi?
Isn't that the same swindler he exposed in Ping'an Town before?
No, that swindler was also named Xuanzhenzi, but he has already been expelled from Qingfeng Temple by Master Xuanzhen.
Who is this Xuanzhenzi?
"Disciple understands."
Zhou Ning changed into clean clothes, took his Qingfeng sword and talisman bag, and went down the mountain.
Qingshan Town remains bustling, with a constant stream of pedestrians on the streets and thriving businesses on both sides.
Zhou Ning walked along the main street toward the market.
The market was set up in an open space in the center of the town, with several temporary stalls selling vegetables, cloth, and general merchandise.
In the very center of the market, a large crowd gathered, occasionally bursting into exclamations and cheers.
Zhou Ning squeezed through the crowd and looked inside.
A middle-aged Taoist priest dressed in an apricot-yellow robe was standing behind a table, holding a peach wood sword and chanting incantations.
He was tall and imposing, with a dignified face and three long wisps of beard, giving him a somewhat otherworldly and venerable appearance.
"Fellow villagers!" the Taoist priest called out loudly.
"I am a disciple of Qingxu Temple in Laoshan, with the Dharma name 'Xuanzhenzi'. I have been traveling here and have noticed that the feng shui of your town is unusual, which may be caused by evil spirits. Therefore, I have set up an altar here to perform rituals to help you eliminate disasters and difficulties."
Someone in the crowd shouted, "Taoist Master, what skills do you have? Show us what you've got!"
Xuanzhenzi smiled slightly, took out a piece of yellow paper from his sleeve, and folded it into a paper crane.
He muttered incantations and tossed the paper crane into the air.
The paper crane actually flapped its wings in the air and came to life.
It hovered above the crowd a few times before falling back into Xuanzhenzi's hand, turning back into an ordinary piece of yellow paper.
A gasp of amazement erupted from the crowd.
"What's that? Watch this."
Xuanzhenzi took out another copper coin and placed it in his palm.
He blew on it, and the copper coin floated up and slowly rotated in his palm.
Then, he suddenly waved his hand, and the copper coin shot like an arrow towards a wooden pillar next to him, embedding itself in the pillar with a "thud".
"good!"
"The Taoist priest is truly a divine being."
Thunderous applause erupted from the crowd.