All the evil beasts in the world, I feed on demons and monsters

Chapter 379 The Taoist Priest (Bonus Chapter)
Outside.

Behind Li's man was a group of villagers, men, women, and children, all of whom appeared sickly thin. When they saw Ji Ran appear, they immediately knelt down.

Boom!
The cool sunlight streamed into the streets and alleys, where the mud-brick houses on both sides of the road leaned precariously, large chunks of plaster peeling off the walls to reveal the mud bricks and bluestone mixed with straw inside.

Almost all the people, especially women, the elderly, and children, were skin and bones, with high cheekbones and sunken eyes. Several children knelt among the adults, their thin necks barely able to support their heads, while their bellies were inappropriately swollen—a result of long-term consumption of clay.

Yuan San and his few skinny men had become the strongest men in the village.

"We kowtow in gratitude to the Taoist priest for saving the lives of us villagers!"

"We will certainly make offerings at the Taoist Temple of Longevity!"

The leader was an old man who was almost nothing but bones. At this moment, his head was buried deep in the ground, and his eyes were red.

The man surnamed Li stood up and said, "Sir, if it weren't for your help, our village wouldn't have been able to collect enough purple meat this month. Originally... the villagers planned to give some of their children and women to the corrupt officials to pay taxes."

"You saved them."

Ji Ran opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say. The situation of ordinary people in the Southern Kingdom was far worse than she had imagined.

The group of people in front of him could no longer be described as thin and malnourished; they were on the verge of death.

In the real world, the Taoist priests can save lives with just a bowl of rice porridge and talisman water.

But now, even with the best food, without a long period of rest, it's impossible for them to recover and follow me north.

If they cannot head north, there is only one fate for these people—to be devoured by the mad beast and the purple rain, losing their souls.

Ji Ran remained silent for a long time, then bent down to help the old man up, saying, "Sir, there's no need for that."

"No, Daoist, if it weren't for the disaster that has befallen the village, we would certainly have presented them with generous gifts! However, when the purple rain fell last year, the firewood in the mountains and forests turned into man-eating monsters. In the cold winter, everyone burned their precious furs for warmth."

"There's nothing of value left in the village."

As he spoke, the old man clapped his hands, and a bright-eyed girl came up from behind him carrying a clean porcelain bowl.

The girl glanced at the porcelain bowl, licked her chapped lips, and said to Ji Ran, "Daoist Master, please... please have some porridge!"

In a clean porcelain bowl, a thin, yellowish-green porridge sits with a few green beans floating on top.

"Master, this bowl of bean soup is the last proper food in the village."

"Please do not refuse, Daoist Master."

Ji Ran took the porcelain bowl, looked at the thin, watery soup, and asked the old man, "What do you usually eat?"

"Tree bark, mushrooms, and kaolin clay."

The old man smiled bitterly and said, "These are only possible because the imperial court sent rat-eating officials to kill the purple-blooded monsters on the surrounding plants. Otherwise, we wouldn't have anything to eat."

“When the three constables went to the county town to deliver taxes each month, they would also bring some meat, mostly aquatic products from Fuxian River. If it weren’t for the aquatic products that kept the villagers alive every month, they would have died long ago.”

Ji Ran looked slightly taken aback, unable to figure out what the three-headed monster was up to, nor could he fathom the monster court behind it.

Ji Ran nodded to the old man and took a sip of bean soup. The bean soup was rough and had a sour and astringent taste; drinking it felt like a handful of sawdust scraping against his throat.

But the children around him, watching, still swallowed hard.

Ji Ran swallowed, squatted down, looked at the girl in front of him, and asked, "Want some?"

The girl's eyes lit up, but she immediately shook her head and said, "No... I won't drink, please drink, Taoist priest!"

Ji Ran smiled and said, "I've already eaten."

He placed the porcelain bowl in the girl's hand and said, "Share it with the other children."

The girl looked at the bean soup in her hand, licked her lips, but firmly shook her head and said, "Daoist Master, this is for you."

“These were originally kept by my grandfather for breeding purposes after years of famine.”

"You saved everyone, so you can drink this porridge."

Ji Ran was taken aback and looked at the old man.

The old man shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Taoist Master, this disaster won't last much longer. These seeds won't last long either."

Ji Ran nodded, picked up the porcelain bowl, and drank it all in one gulp. He handed the bowl to the girl, patted her head, and looked at the old man, saying, "Thank you."

"You...you're too kind."

Ji Ran straightened up, nodded to the man from the Li family, and turned to walk into the Yuan family's residence.

creak-

He gently closed the door.

At this moment, Ji Ran thought of Liu Dajiao's dying words—"I regret that there is no way to reverse the situation and end the suffering of the world..."

Presumably, the old man, corrupted by evil thoughts and overflowing with talent, felt an indescribable bitterness and sorrow after seeing through everything. After all, he was merely a wanderer among the heavens, while Liu Dajiao was a living, breathing person who had lived here for decades. Those destined to be scattered to the winds were his elders, neighbors, old friends, nephews, and nieces…

Ji Ran sighed and went into the house.

At this moment, the effects of evil thoughts and talents are immediately apparent.

The entire bed was covered in lilacs, and Yuan San's body was bulging with powerful muscles. His gray hair spread around him, as if he wanted to turn the surrounding floor, tables, chairs, doors and windows into a pack of wolves.

Ji Ran looked at the blood-red ring on her fingertip.

Vlad.

"exist."

“… Never mind. It’s okay.”

Ji Ran is not Liu Dajiao. The profound knowledge he gained from his repeated journeys through the heavens allows him to defy fate for these mortals.

However, once that's done, these people will probably no longer be considered "human."

He paused for a moment, then took out "One Hundred Explanations of Talismans" and continued studying. Perhaps he needed to first approach the rat servants and learn more about them.

If there's no other way, then try to save people using your own methods.

……

The sunlight grew brighter and brighter, illuminating the decaying mountain forest.

A beast, resembling a leopard but with a human head, was pacing outside the forest, searching for food.

Whoosh!
suddenly!

A sword light flashed down!

puff-

The human head rolled off, and the leopard's body crashed to the ground. It twitched uncontrollably for a moment before continuing to merge with the ground around it.

"Humph."

A cold voice, laced with a low growl, rang out: "Demon!"

Under the sunlight, slender fingers drew talismans with spiritual energy on yellow paper, and the next moment, a spell was cast!
Bear--!
A ball of fire fell onto the corpse, surging with the crackling sound of burning flesh and blood, and rising up putrid black smoke.

As the firelight shone, a Taoist priest dressed in a blue robe and cloud-patterned shoes slowly approached. He wore a Nan Hua turban, exuding an air of transcendence and ease, his sword-like eyes gleaming with an imposing presence. The long sword in his hand was clear and sharp; with a flick of his wrist, it hovered on a white jade and purple-gold belt.

The Taoist priest frowned as he looked at the human head in the firelight.

He immediately closed his eyes and silently recited the Supreme Wonderful Scripture. This scripture is the "Supreme Mysterious Treasure Scripture for Saving from Suffering and Removing Sins," which is specifically used to save the souls of the dead from the suffering of hell.

In the firelight, the Taoist priest chanted scriptures incessantly until the man's head was burned to ashes.

"master."

Behind the Taoist priest, a young Taoist boy in a green robe carried a chest filled with various magical artifacts and talismans, and asked, "Would you like to perform the Flaming Mouth Ritual?"

The "flaming mouth" ritual, also known as the food offering, is a very important part of the ceremony.

This step signifies the offering of food—usually rice and water—to the deceased souls so they may be satiated and relieved of hunger and thirst. Reciting the *Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Jiuku Bazui Miaojing* and performing the *Yankou* ritual, supplemented by the *Wuchu Jing* and the *Bian Shi Zhou*, is essential for truly liberating the souls of the deceased.

Simply reciting scriptures is equivalent to the imperial court issuing a disaster relief decree without opening granaries to distribute food—it has no practical effect.

"No need."

The Taoist priest spoke calmly, sensing the increase in his merit, and waved his hand: "These commoners are tainted by filth, and their fate is destined to die in vain."

"To be able to hear the wonderful sutra is already a blessing."

The young Taoist bowed and said, "Yes."

At this moment, the Taoist looked at a forest not far away, where the lush trees were completely different from the surrounding area that had been corroded by the purple rain.

The Taoist priest conjured up a talisman for observing qi and looked towards the mountains and forests.

"Ah."

"Here, we stumbled upon a demon village."

The young Taoist also crushed a Qi-observation talisman, his expression suddenly becoming excited. He said, "Master, what a great act of merit!"

A smile of excitement appeared on the Taoist's lips as he gently flicked his longsword with his slender fingers.

"Follow me to slay demons and monsters, and correct the will of Heaven!"

"Yes."

(End of this chapter)