Wang Liuzhi sneezed, cursed a few times in a low voice, tightened his official uniform, and looked up.
The courtyard is spacious, and the red sunset glow and purple vines complement each other. The colors are smudged and spread on the murals, making the ghosts and gods on the paintings more vivid, as if they can open their eyes at any time and jump out to bite people.
He felt increasingly chilly in the mountains.
But the good thing is.
He looked at the sun and saw that the shift change time was coming soon.
Wang Liuzhi quickly finished fishing and quickly returned to his post, waiting eagerly. However, when he became impatient, his replacement officer arrived belatedly smelling of alcohol.
It’s his mother’s fault!
At least half an hour late.
He cursed in his heart and quickly gave the drunkard all the talismans and magic weapons he used on duty. He wished he could grow wings and quickly leave the cold mountains and terrifying Taoist temples and return to the warm and happy gambling stalls in the city.
In the branch with women.
But the guy who took over his shift was dragging his feet, drunkenly dragging him along and talking nonsense.
"What do you guys think? Let us guard the monsters? Hey! If I have this ability, why should I be your errand?"
"Taoist priests are also troublesome. If you catch the leader of the monsters, you can kill him early. Why should you imprison him and make us worry about getting hurt?"
Wang Liuzhi had already cursed in his heart, but in order to hand over the situation as soon as possible, he had to be patient and deal with it.
"It's said to be to torture out the hidden monsters."
"Shit, it's been calm these days, there's no monster hiding somewhere."
"To develop an antidote."
"Bah! You've become a monster and cannibalize people, so why save them? If you hadn't killed them earlier, what kind of kindness would you show?"
Wang Liuzhi responded casually, and suddenly saw a Taoist priest with short hair approaching, and he hurriedly greeted him respectfully.
"I've seen the immortal."
The drunk man trembled when he heard the sound, and quickly followed suit to say hello. How could he be half drunk in his nodding and bowing look?
Wang Liuzhi spat secretly, knowing that this guy was pretending to be drunk and crazy, so he took the opportunity to hand over the job and skipped work.
…
"Thanks for your hard work."
Li Changan responded warmly.
He didn't notice the little quarrel between the two government officials. Even if he did, he would just smile.
After all, it is the hard work of guarding monsters, it is dangerous and there is no profit, so it is human nature to resist or shirk.
Several days have passed since I broke away from the nightmare in Jin Mansion and captured the demon leader, Lang Zhong.
In the past few days, Yu Mei and the high-ranking minister behind her have disappeared. I don’t know what they are secretly planning, but they have left the doctor and the demons behind.
This is a hot potato!
The Xiaoshui government office did not want to take care of it but had to take care of it. Feng Chong persuaded the master of Qingping, Shui Yue Guan, to come forward. The masters followed suit and imprisoned all the monsters in Shui Yue Guan and handed them over to Feng Chong for torture and research.
, and sent many government officials to act as guards.
The Wang Liuzhi from before was one of them.
But in Li Changan's view, this was purely unnecessary. After all, the suppression of demons relied on the centuries-old incense and protection of Shuiyue Temple, and the restriction of the magic circle set up by Feng Chong at all costs, not on these frightened birds. The yamen are always ready to disperse at any time.
Their only role is probably to give the officials an excuse to let things go, and to stop certain people.
For example, Zhang Shaonan, who walks around the mountain gate all day long with a cane and a knife; another example is the idiot who came to cut up Tai Sui meat after hearing second-hand news from someone unknown.
Thinking of this, Li Changan shook his head and laughed, and slowly wandered to the cave at the back of Shuiyue Temple, where the demons were imprisoned. Here, Feng Chong and Bo Ziyu had been waiting for a long time.
After a few days, the three of them met again.
Unlike the two Taoist priests whose injuries were not cured, Bo Ziyu's life has been extremely moist these days, and her cheeks have become much plumper.
Li Changan also smelled a faint fragrance from him.
It is the taste of a variety of precious spices, the whole Xiaoshui, only one portion...
"Went to Li'er Building again?"
Bo Ziyu didn't rush to speak, and first handed over two bottles of good wine. Li Changan opened the red silk stopper, and the unique and mellow aroma entered his nose.
“Good wine.”
The policeman chuckled.
"Is Sanniangzi's collection a good wine?"
He seemed to be feeling emotional, but also seemed to be laughing at himself.
"In the past, drinking even half a drop was an extravagant hope. But now, with the help of this monster, I can be full every day."
After the nightmare incident.
Perhaps out of repayment, perhaps out of lingering fear, Jin Yuanwai, Sanniangzi, and the Yamen came forward together. They held banquets with the rich in the city at Li'er Tower many times, and discussed spending money and efforts to hunt down the remaining demons that might exist in the city.
Originally, Bo Ziyu could only stand guard outside the banquet due to his status, but firstly, Li Changan and Feng Chong among the three were not interested in it, and secondly, he had been in charge of the affairs regarding demons in the Yamen. Let him be with the last one.
But it's just "to accompany you".
You can't even pronounce a sentence, you just have ears to listen and a mouth to eat. With your head in the air, after the banquet is over, you can easily take away two pots of fine wine.
A few days later.
There was a layer of oil on his face, and the nobles were still noisy and confused, but the amount of money that was going to be used as a reward was increasing one layer after another.
Today, it has become so rich that every time Bo Ziyu mentions it, he can't help but shake his head and click his tongue.
"Spreading out so much money, you don't know whether it's a blessing or a curse?"
Taoist Li took a sip of the wine.
"Success and misfortune have their own destiny. Do your best in everything and live up to your heart."
Well, it tastes good.
One pot was hung on the waist, and the other was handed to Feng Chong.
"Tell me, what happened when you called me up the mountain in such a hurry?"
These days.
Bo Ziyu is busy with official duties.
Feng Chong plunged into Shuiyue Temple and became obsessed with the study of demon epidemics.
Li Changan, on the other hand, was recuperating while exploring the city for the remnants of demons. Unfortunately, the beating man was arrested, and the city was suddenly calm, which taught Li Changan that the long sword was empty and effective, and he had nowhere to start.
When the investigation was carried out, it became a matter of selling wine in the west market, eating meat in the east, watching flowers in the northern suburbs, and boating in the south. It was a warm day today, and he was sitting in the Qing (Harmony) Tower, watching this year's oiran dance.
, suddenly, Feng Chong sent a message to call him back to this old temple in the deep forest.
The entrance of the cave was not a place for talking, so Feng Chong invited the two of them into the cave.
Just stepped in.
It's like changing the world.
The cave was dank and smelly, the fire was dim, and there were many strange and strange monsters trapped inside. They were either moaning or wailing, and the stone room seemed to have become a crowded hell.
No wonder Taoist Feng's injuries were lighter than his own, but his face looked more haggard. It's no wonder that he felt better after staying in such a ghost place.
Li Changan murmured in his heart, Feng Chong had already led the two of them to a thick wooden table.
The table exuded a faint fishy odor, and the tabletop was covered with a layer of brown. That was not paint, but a stain left after blood soaked into the wood.
It's no wonder that the unlucky man on the table forgot the dignity of monsters and shed tears and trembled in the closed town.
This is a female mosquito, the same one that was knocked down by a gangster in Jin Mansion.
At this moment, he was tied up on his back, and the feathers on his abdomen were carefully cleaned, revealing the pink flesh.
Feng Chong skillfully gathered the light source and picked up the knife.
"In the past few days, I have been staying in this small stone room just to develop a way to reverse the demonic transformation. Unfortunately, I have tried many times and tried everything I learned, but I still found nothing, except..."
As he spoke, he cut open the mosquito mother's chest and abdomen with a clean knife, and showed the monster's internal organs to the two of them.
Bo Ziyu came over and clicked his tongue.
"Hey! This monster looks vicious. If you cut open its belly, it's no different from a chicken or a duck inside, just bigger... Huh?" He raised an eyebrow, "There are no parasitic monsters in its belly!"
True.
This mosquito mother is just like the evil mosquito, there are no evil insects in her belly.
"more than."
Li Changan took the knife and carefully examined the internal organs of the mosquito mother, even cutting off a small piece of liver.
"Look, the fleshy texture of the monster's organs and muscles are the same."
"What's the problem?" Bo Ziyu didn't understand.
Big problem!
Li Changan is well aware of monsters like mosquito mothers.
They often appear in miasmatic places in the south. They are born to be associated with mosquito swarms and can drive them to cause trouble. It is said that those who are in the right climate can swallow (harmoniously) spit out mosquito swarms between breaths and cover the sky and the sun, regardless of humans or animals within a radius of ten miles.
, turned into mummies. In some remote places, they are even used as sacrifices to gods.
The meat is as good as chicken, and the liver is tender and delicious, but it is highly toxic, so realgar, star anise, grass fruit must be used... Ahem, in short, the texture of the internal organs of a normal mosquito mother will never be like this.
"Just as Brother Tao said."
Feng Chong nodded, took out another jar, and fished out a pair of stomach pouches with parasites attached to them.
Half of the stomach pouch has been assimilated by the demon insects and is milky white; the other half has not been assimilated and is dark red.
Feng Chong made a cut each time.
However, in the unassimilated parts, the incisions still had the normal texture of the stomach wall, but in the assimilated parts, the incisions were completely different, just like those of the mosquito mother.
"this……"
Bo Ziyu is blessed to the soul.
"The monster looks like a bird, but it's actually a worm!"
"That's right."
Feng Chong's eyes were solemn.
"I also cut open other monsters and found that the monsters captured in Jin's Mansion were all the same as this mosquito mother. Putting aside the mosquito mother, I speculated that this monster plague was actually a monster insect that sneaked into the human body and initially replaced the intestines.
The Tao turns people into monsters, and then gradually infects them, assimilating the stomach pouch, esophagus, other organs, then flesh, bones, muscles, hair, and finally..."
"Replace it completely!"
Li Changan was silent in thought, and Bo Ziyu also looked ugly.
Because this situation means that the demon plague may be far weirder, more dangerous, and more troublesome than imagined.
None of the three people spoke for a while, only the weak moans of the monsters around them became more and more shrill and harsh.
a long time.
"He hasn't spoken yet?"
The man Li Changan talks about is of course the leader of the monsters, the doctor who claims to be the culprit behind the scenes.
Feng Chong shook his head, and then nodded again.
"That's why I called Brother Tao to go up the mountain."
He hesitated for a while, his eyes filled with confusion.
"He said he wanted to see you."
…………
The whole body is wrapped with talismans and iron ropes, and the iron hooks penetrate into the bones of the lute, Qi Hai, Shan Zhong, and Baihui drive into the steel nails.
Deep in the stone chamber.
The first time Li Changan saw the culprit of the demon epidemic, he looked miserable like this.
Indeed, as others have described, he looks ordinary, just like an ordinary passerby, but strangely gives people the feeling that "this person is a doctor".
He doesn't seem to be vicious or dangerous, but Li Changan doesn't think these bans are unnecessary at all.
Not only because he is the source of the demon epidemic and the culprit who manipulates many demons; it is also not only because Feng Chong has tried many times but found that many spells are useless to him. He can only identify that he is an inhuman body, but in the end he does not know what kind of demon he is.
What's more important is that under this extreme and brutal blockade, he can still smile and greet himself with a relaxed tone.
"I haven't seen you for a long time. Is Taoist Master in good health?"
The Taoist priest took a deep look at it.
"Thank you for your concern. I'm fine for the time being."
Taoist priests will greet demons politely, but they will not make false concessions to their enemies.
He gets right to the point.
"I heard from fellow Taoist Feng that your Excellency has not said a word in the past few days. As soon as you open your mouth today, you will see someone alone. Now that I have arrived as promised, if you have anything to say, you might as well say it clearly."
"Daozhang Li is always straightforward."
The doctor tried to raise his hands in salute, but the iron rope was tied tightly, making it difficult for him to move.
He didn't mind either, he just smiled and said:
"I just think it's almost time."
"What time?"
"Time to take my life."
"Your Excellency is self-aware."
Lang Zhonghun didn't care.
"After all, you all want to kill me quickly and spare my life, just to get the details of the demon transformation from me. But I have been silent for the past few days, so what's the use of keeping me alive?"
He guessed what Li Changan was thinking.
The Xiaoshui River has been calm these past few days, and no monsters have been seen causing trouble. This guy has not said a word yet. Who has the time to wait for him to speak? The Taoist priest has been wondering if Feng Chong has any clues in a few days.
Let’s kill this scourge!
"Why do you have to speak again today?"
"Because it's almost time."
Li Changan unconsciously pressed the hilt of his sword, and he was keenly aware that this time was not that time.
The doctor smiled and talked eloquently.
"The Art of War says, before you think about victory, think about defeat first. This saying deeply resonates with me. Therefore, before going to the Jin Mansion, I also made some small preparations. I brought all the children who had completed their transformation, and then put them in the cocoon.
They stayed behind and told them to hide carefully and not to expose (Harmony) their whereabouts. But after all, they are just children. Without restraints, how long can they endure?"
"listen."
As he spoke, he tilted his ears slightly, as if there was some beautiful sound coming into his ears that only he could hear.
He breathed a long sigh of relief.
"It's time."
Li Changan's expression changed drastically, and he turned around and walked back.
We haven't left the stone chamber yet.
"Team leader, Taoist priest."
There were panicked shouts outside.
"There's something going on in the city!"
Li Changan rushed out in two or three steps, found an open high ground, and looked down the mountain.
Under night.
The once peaceful Xiaoshui City has become a pot of boiling water.
Countless candles were lit along the long streets and alleys, and as people ran around, they occasionally caught sight of some weird, ferocious, or huge shadows.
The howls, screams, and cries of people filled the sky, and the roars of demons were mixed in with it.
really.
The peace of the past few days was just the calm before the storm.