Wolf Gully Cave.
Seeing that Bear Dutou had not returned for half a day nor sent any minions back with news, Lang Wuji grew uneasy.
After all, even Horse Dutou had returned with four minor demons. Why was Bear Dutou the only one missing?
Lang Wuji’s anxiety deepened. He personally led the remaining few demons to search for Bear Dutou.
About thirty miles from Wolf Gully Cave, Lang Wuji found him.
But what he discovered was Bear Dutou’s bloodied, stripped corpse!
“B-Bear Dutou is dead too!”
A minor demon trembled in terror.
Staring at the scattered corpses, particularly the blood-stained bamboo spears piercing them, the demons grew more panicked: “It must be Jiang Liuer—that little demon-slaying devil!”
Yet, the seven minor demons’ bodies paled in comparison to the shock of Bear Dutou’s remains.
This was Wolf Gully Cave’s second-in-command!
Practically their deputy chief!
Horse Dutou’s throat went dry, his heart pounding: “One arm severed, knees shattered, skull caved by blunt force, blood oozing from all orifices, teeth smashed, tongue torn… The fatal wound was a piercing strike through the heart.”
The brutality of Jiang Liuer’s methods left Horse Dutou chilled to the bone.
Though also a Dutou, his cultivation was inferior to Bear Dutou’s.
Now that Bear Dutou was dead… Would Horse Dutou be next?
“Jiang! Liu! Er!”
Lang Wuji spat each syllable through clenched teeth, veins bulging on his twisted face: “You killed my brother, stripped him bare, denied him dignity even in death!”
He raged.
He seethed.
Yet his fury had nowhere to vent.
Jiang Liuer lurked in shadows; Lang Wuji stood exposed.
The boy knew how to strike unseen and vanish without trace.
Lang Wuji, meanwhile, hadn’t the faintest clue where to find him.
......
Elsewhere, Jiang Liuer examined two treasures bestowed by the Great Sage.
“Benefactor, what are these?” Hu Yuyu asked curiously.
She’d blinked, and suddenly the boy held new objects.
“This is a Void Ring, and this—the Chaos-Quelling Sea Sword! Both marvelous treasures!” Jiang Liuer beamed.
Channeling his will into the Void Ring, he found its spatial capacity vast enough to swallow entire Golden Light Temple.
Clutching the ring, he commanded: “Store!”
Unsold armor and golden hammers disappeared inside.
“Retrieve!”
The massive hammers—weighing hundreds of pounds—materialized in his grasp before being stored again.
“But this ring’s too large for my finger.”
Hu Yuyu brightened: “Let me help!”
She fetched a copper coin, bought red cord, threaded the ring, and hung it around Jiang Liuer’s neck.
“There!” she smiled.
“Brilliant!” Jiang Liuer marveled, growing accustomed to her meticulous care.
How decadent!
Next, he examined the Chaos-Quelling Sea Sword.
“A treasure from the South Sea Dragon Palace. Though it matches my regular sword in size, it weighs over five hundred pounds—a strain to lift single-handedly.”
“How splendid!” Hu Yuyu gasped.
The blade stretched over four feet. Its scabbard shimmered with pearls, jade, coral, emeralds, dragon essence, and phoenix feathers. Hilt and guard glittered opulently.
Drawing the sword, Jiang Liuer heard roaring tides.
Plucking a hair, he blew it across the edge—the strand severed instantly.
“Hair-splitting sharp! Far surpasses Brother Yin’s blade!”
He stored Yin Zhao’s sword in the Void Ring, slung the Sea Sword on his back.
Hu Yuyu’s eyes sparkled: “This sword suits you perfectly, Benefactor! With it, you resemble an exiled immortal!”
As dusk approached, the pair sought an inn.
But soon—
“Trouble. We’re being followed.”
Jiang Liuer noticed loiterers tailing them.
After deliberate detours failed to shake pursuit, Hu Yuyu frowned: “Why follow us?”
“A child bearing gold,” Jiang Liuer smirked. “They see wealth but not threat. Likely planning robbery… or murder.”
“How wicked!” Her fangs gleamed. “Let’s turn and slaughter them!”
Startled by her bloodlust, Jiang Liuer remembered: she was a fox spirit. Mortal lives meant little to her.
“Killing demons brings no consequences. Killing humans makes us fugitives.” He added: “Merely injuring a monk got me expelled. If we act, it must be unseen.”
Having learned from public violence’s cost, he wouldn’t repeat that mistake.
“Besides, let’s test this blade’s mettle.” He traced a Heart-Piercing Curse on the sword’s edge.
“Wise as always!” Hu Yuyu nodded.
......
Reaching the outskirts, their pursuers lingered.
In town crowds, the thugs blended. Now, wilderness exposed them.
“Boss, the brats noticed,” a lackey muttered.
The leader grinned, scanning for witnesses: “Good! Their flight to wasteland plays to our advantage!”
He barked: “No more hiding! Take them fast—kill if they resist!”
Decades post-chaos, many still mistook Tang’s peace for lawless past. Rebellion brewed; highway robbery remained common.
“Charge!”
Six thugs rushed forward. One brandished a dagger, crowing: “Halt, brats! This road’s ours, these trees ours! To pass, pay—”
Mid-bluster—
Jiang Liuer halted. His fingers flicked—the sword leapt from its sheath.
Suddenly sensing something, he gripped the hilt, channeled mana, and swept the blade.
Six water blades materialized, piercing hearts before the thugs blinked.
—Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Six corpses collapsed.
Jiang Liuer exulted: “Magnificent! This treasure complements my Hundred Curses Heart-Piercing Sword Art perfectly!”
......
