Catching Monsters

Chapter 711 The Court and the Public Are Enraged

After the monsters that had chased them in were killed by Qin Shujian, the four women who had been pursued were terrified and hurriedly hid behind Qin Shujian.

"Young hero, young hero, help me!"

The women were terrified, their faces turning pale. Seeing how fast Qin Shujian's sword was, they felt as if they had grasped a lifeline.

However, the other people in the inn exchanged glances upon seeing this.

Inside the inn, most of the people were ordinary folks who had gone into hiding, and their expressions had all changed.

An elderly shopkeeper, over fifty years old, who had been hiding behind the counter, walked over shakily and said:
“Young hero, there are so many monsters outside. If you kill one here, it might cause us trouble. Why don’t you take these four ladies and leave our inn?”

Seeing this, the other guests hiding in the surrounding corners all nodded in agreement.

“Young hero, these monsters outside only kill young women. Most of us here are men. If you don’t leave, we might get caught up in their schemes.”

"Alright, enough with the noise." Qin Shujian frowned, picked up his long sword, glanced at the four women following behind him, and said, "Come out with me."

Upon hearing this, the four girls finally managed to escape into the inn. Thinking of the many monsters on the streets outside, their faces turned extremely pale at the mere thought of getting out.

Qin Shujian kindly reminded them, "Even if you stay here, you won't be able to stay. As soon as I leave, they'll probably push you out."

The shopkeeper and the many men present did not show any shame on their faces.

When monsters descend, everyone is just an ordinary person, only concerned with self-preservation and survival.

The four women continued to shake their heads, clinging tightly to the table legs in the hall, unwilling to leave.

Seeing this, Qin Shujian disregarded the four women and rushed out of the inn to look outside.

At this moment, demonic energy filled the sky, and monsters kept descending from the sky, slaughtering the young girls in the city.

"Are these guys crazy?" Qin Shujian frowned, gripping Qu Wushang's crimson sword, Lingfeng Sword, tightly in his hand.

Not far away, an old man was protecting his daughter behind him.

Two monsters surrounded him.

The old man looked to be in his fifties. He was holding a carrying pole and looked at the monsters in front of him. He was so frightened that his whole body trembled slightly. He shouted loudly and was about to fight the two monsters to the death.

He swung the carrying pole in his hand with force, and with that swing, the heads of the two snake demons flew off instantly.

Demon blood splattered all over the old man's face.

"Father, are you alright?" the girl asked, hiding behind the old man.

"No, it's okay."

After the two corpses collapsed, the old man and the young girl finally saw Qin Shujian, who had made the move.

Qin Shujian took a deep breath, knowing that he wouldn't be able to save many people by trying to save them the way he did.

The entire city of Hongjiang Prefecture is too big, and monsters are everywhere.

Qin Shujian said to the two men, "You two should quickly find a secluded place to hide."

After saying that, Qin Shujian picked up a snake head from the ground, leaped up, and flew to the roof of a house not far away.

He hurled the snake demon's head into the air with force, and then a powerful sword aura swept across it.

The snake's head was cleaved into pieces mid-air.

Sure enough, the commotion quickly attracted the attention of monsters from several surrounding streets.

Soon, a number of snake demons quickly gathered in the direction where Qin Shujian was.

Before long, two enormous snake demons quickly arrived not far from Qin Shujian.

Both of these snake demons were at the fourth-rank demon general level.

The two exuded a strong demonic aura and swiftly attacked Qin Shujian.

Qin Shujian gripped the Lingfeng Sword tightly and stepped forward to meet the enemy. In mid-air, hundreds of sword energies crisscrossed around Qin Shujian.

The two snake demons were not as powerful as Qin Shujian. Moreover, the sword technique that Qin Shujian practiced was the same one that Qu Wushang used to dominate the world.

The two snake demons couldn't even last three rounds against Qin Shujian before they were quickly killed, reverting to their true forms and dying instantly.

After killing the two snake demons, Qin Shujian could sense that many eyes were watching him from all around.

At the same time, powerful demonic energy surged in from all directions.

"Perfect." Qin Shujian showed no fear whatsoever.

Soon, he was engaged in a fierce battle with the many monsters that charged towards him.

Qin Shujian's swordsmanship was fierce, and most monsters were no match for him in a single move. Even snake demons at the third-grade demon king level were in grave danger in front of him.

In the distant city of Hongjiang, inside a drum tower, four elders of the snake clan stood, gazing in the direction of Qin Shujian.

"That kid, is he a third-grade sword cultivator?" An elder frowned and said, "His swordsmanship is incredibly fast, but what a pity. He's courting death. How dare he meddle in the affairs of our snake clan?"

"Elder Changkun, why don't you step in and teach that brat a lesson?"

Chang Kun remained calm and slowly said, "Today in Hongjiang Prefecture, blood has flowed like a river, so we don't need a drop of this young swordsman's blood."

After saying that, Chang Kun quickly got up and headed towards Qin Shujian's location.

It was fine when we were far away, but now that we're up close, the street where Qin Shujian is standing is filled with sword energy.

The snake clan's subordinates suffered heavy casualties, with blood flowing endlessly.

His demonic eyes narrowed slightly, and he said in a cold voice, "Alright, all of you, get out of here!"

Upon hearing Elder Changkun's order, the many demons surrounding Qin Shujian breathed a sigh of relief.

Qin Shujian's swordsmanship was too strong, and they dared not confront him head-on again.

Many monsters retreated, and Chang Kun stepped forward. His gaze first fell on the long sword in Qin Shujian's hand.

"Ling, Lingfeng Sword?"

Chang Kun's expression hardened. How did this thing end up in the hands of this person?

Of course he recognized the Lingfeng Sword. You see, more than twenty years ago, when Qu Wushang roamed the martial world, he used this sword to kill countless people and slay countless demons.

Most importantly, this sword is Qu Wushang's personal sword, so how did it end up in this kid's hands?

Who is this kid to Qu Wushang?

If Qu Wushang were already dead, that would be a minor matter...

But recently, everyone in the world knew about Qu Wushang's ascension to sainthood.
There was a lot of noise.

"Who are you to Qu Wushang?"

Although he was shocked, Chang Kun did not show it on his face and slowly asked, "What is your relationship with Qu Wushang?"

Qin Shujian, also panting heavily, wiped the bloodstains from Lingfeng Sword with his sleeve and replied, "Qu Wushang is my master."

Chang Kun's lips twitched; this was giving him a real headache...

Chang Kun didn't know so much about the inside story; he only knew that Qu Wushang had now become a saint.

The person before me is a disciple of a saint. Even though Qu Wushang has just become a saint, he is no match for the Serpent Saint.

But there's no need for that.

If he were to actually kill the other party, he would be the one who would severely offend Qu Wushang.

His expression was solemn as he slowly said, "Since you are Qu Wushang's disciple, I will give Qu Wushang face and allow you to leave Hongjiang Prefecture."

"I'll give you a way out." After saying that, Chang Kun closed his eyes, adopting a superior posture. After a while, Qin Shujian remained standing still without making a sound.

Chang Kun could only squint and steal a glance.

Qin Shujian did not leave.

Damn...

If I'm being polite, then I'll leave. If you don't leave, I'm in a difficult position.

Chang Kun inwardly groaned.

"Humans and demons are clearly distinct. Why don't you demons stay in your demon kingdom properly? Why have so many monsters descended today to slaughter women? What are you trying to do?" Qin Shujian's expression was solemn.

"It's none of your business," Chang Kun replied casually, then continued, "I'm saying you're so young, and your cultivation is hard-earned. Wouldn't it be a pity if you died here?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Shujian shook his head slightly and said, "I don't think I'll die here."

"It is impossible for us to sit idly by while you demons slaughter humans."

"My inner principles do not support me doing this."

Although Qin Shujian now mainly cultivates swordsmanship, he has not fully mastered the methods and techniques of Taoism. He often reads the Taoist Heart Sutra to comprehend its true meaning.

"Elder Chang Kun, hahahahaha!"

Behind them, three elders quickly appeared, as if they were watching amusement.

All of them were at the second-grade Earth Demon Realm; if they were to make a move, Qin Shujian would likely not survive.

The three men looked at Chang Kun with a mocking expression.

"Why are you still chatting with this human? This person has killed so many of our snake clan's demons; we must not let him leave alive today."

The three men's teasing startled Chang Kun, and he looked at them as if they were his lifeline.

"Gentlemen, I cannot kill this man. I do not have the ability. I would appreciate it if the three of you could do it." Chang Kun took a few steps back, revealing a humble posture.

The three elders looked at each other.

What is Chang Kun doing? Ever since the Serpent Saint awakened, this guy has been full of energy in everything he does.

They knew that Chang Kun was eyeing the position of snake clan leader.

But now, this kid wants to ruin Lord Serpent Saint's important plans, yet Chang Kun doesn't dare to make a move?

These are all ancient beings who have lived for hundreds of years. This matter is strange and can be seen through at a glance.

An elder asked, "Elder Changkun, is there perhaps some connection between this person and you?"

Chang Kun shook his head repeatedly: "Then naturally there is no connection."

"That……"

Chang Kun turned and left: "Oh, right, I was thinking I have something else to do. You three go ahead and get back to your business..."

Seeing that Chang Kun was about to abandon this mess, an elder quickly grabbed Chang Kun's hand: "Alright, we have limited time to set up this Demon Heaven Formation, so let's not waste any more time. What exactly is wrong with this kid?"

"There's nothing seriously wrong. His master is Qu Wushang... If the three of you want to make a contribution, you'd better hurry up and get started. I won't get involved."

Chang Kun rode away swiftly on a gust of demonic wind.

The three snake clan elders who remained were also somewhat dumbfounded.

Qu Wushang's disciple?

No wonder...

To be honest, even if they were asked to slaughter all 200,000 people in Hongjiang Prefecture, these monsters wouldn't even blink.

Killing a disciple of a saint is not so fun.

"The Demon Saint instructed that our main purpose in coming here is to kill women aged fifteen to twenty-five, not to kill this young man," an elder said, making up an excuse. "Let's get down to business, let's go!"

Hearing this, the other elders, having found a way out, also left the area.

Before long, the monsters surrounding them scattered in all directions.

Qin Shujian, supporting Ling Fengjian, took several deep breaths before slowly recovering somewhat.

He was just attacked by a large number of monsters, and his magical power was greatly depleted.

Qin Shujian gripped his longsword tightly and, relying on the remaining magical power within him, quickly headed towards another street.

He could tell that these snake clan elders were somewhat wary of his identity.

That's fine too. With this advantage, he can conserve less magic power and perhaps save more people from the monsters.

A dark, demonic aura enveloped the area, and the slaughter continued for a full day and night.

At noon the next day, the massive demonic cloud slowly rose, and the snake demons who had been committing atrocities in the city followed the cloud back to their demon kingdom.

The entire city of Hongjiang Prefecture was filled with wailing and the stench of blood; the bluestone bricks on the ground were stained red with blood.

……

Inside the Northern Garrison Command, Jiang Yun was resting his chin on his hand, yawning, and flipping through a lot of documents he had obtained from the archives.

Although some information about the female saint inside the sacred tomb was obtained, it was vague and of little use.

Suddenly, the door was flung open with a bang by Zidane. Zidane's face was ashen, and he said urgently, "Lord Jiang, Lord Jiang! Something terrible has happened!"

"Urgent report from Hongjiang Prefecture!"

"Two days ago, a demonic cloud suddenly descended upon Hongjiang Prefecture, and countless monsters came down to kill people."

"But these monsters are strange; they only kill women and not men."

"And the women killed were all between fifteen and twenty-five years old."

"A rough estimate suggests that in just two days, the number of women and a few men who died or were injured in Hongjiang Prefecture is probably quite large!"

"what?"

Upon hearing this news, Jiang Yun's face instantly turned grim. He quickly took the report, clenched his fists, and said in a deep voice, "Have the snake clan gone mad? They've killed so many people?"

Zida said slowly from the side, "These demons have kept a low profile for many, many years. The reason they dare to do this now is probably because the return of the Serpent Saint has given them courage."

Just then, a carriage quickly arrived from the palace. The person who came was Jiang Xing, Xiao Jingzhi's personal eunuch.

Jiang Xing hurried into Jiang Yun's study: "Lord Jiang, Lord Jiang, something has happened."

"Is it because of this?" Jiang Yun quickly got up and handed over the report.

After glancing at it, Jiang Xing nodded and said, "That's right, the court and the public are furious, the court and the public are furious."

"For so many years, these demons have never dared to act so recklessly in our Zhou Kingdom."

"His Majesty is currently urgently summoning his ministers for a court meeting to decide how to handle this matter."

"This servant is here on His Majesty's orders to bring Lord Jiang into the palace to discuss this matter."

After listening, Jiang Yun nodded and instructed Qi Da, "First, send a detachment of Imperial Guards to Hongjiang Prefecture to find out the situation there."

"What to do next depends on His Majesty's attitude."

After saying that, Jiang Yun quickly followed Jiang Xing out of the Northern Garrison and boarded the carriage to the palace.

(End of this chapter)