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

Chapter 390 Old Dragon King

A light rain falls in the south, while the sun shines brightly in the north.

At the point where the Huai River flows eastward, a long river separates the moisture from the heat.

Far from the heart of the Southern Han territory, a light drizzle has been falling for a full year. The rain here has lost its malevolent intent, but it still carries a corrosive quality.

The forest was drenched black, and the crops in the fields had long since turned into a black swamp.

In the misty drizzle, an inn stands on the banks of the Huai River.

Four merchants from the Tang Dynasty rode blue donkeys back and forth in the drizzle. Their donkeys and horses were all carrying satchels covered with waterproof cowhide, which were bulging.

The inn here is only separated from the Tang Dynasty by the Huai River. The rain there is indeed cold and damp. A trip there or back will likely leave you sick for several days, but the inn is extremely profitable.

After tying up the donkey and retrieving the bag, the four merchants walked past the wine flag and entered the inn.

The inn was fairly well-organized, with seven or eight square tables inside, all clean and tidy, and quite a few people were sitting inside at the moment.

A poorly dressed boatman sipped tea and chatted. Beside him, seven or eight ragged people, young and old, who looked like a family, were sharing a steamed bun, each soaking it in the hot water in front of them. Nearby, two other men, carrying swords and dressed like wandering knights, drank murky wine, their faces filled with sorrow.

Sitting by the window was a man in a black robe, with a huge horizontal sword planted on the ground. In front of him was a bowl of hot tea, and he was scanning the newcomer with his eyes.

The family, with their children in tow, immediately brightened up upon seeing the merchant and approached him to strike up a conversation in hushed tones. They then saw the merchant lift a corner of the leather cover, revealing a sack of grain.

In this world, those who can escape from the Southern Kingdom now, besides martial arts sects, are some wealthy families near the border who fled here before the outbreak of the Purple Rain, relying on their wealth and the horses and carriages they had acquired.

But the Tang army had been stationed on the border for a year, and the Han people here were unable to go north and had long since run out of food. Even a little bit of grain was incredibly expensive.

Bang!
Just then, the inn door was suddenly kicked open!

The sound was as loud as a muffled thunderclap!
The merchants were so startled that they spilled their grain, the customers dropped their money, the children broke their bowls, and the knights-errant gripped their swords.

moment--

A burst of hot air shot out, resembling a wisp of mist in the light rain.

Immediately, a huge horse face peered in, followed by a body stepping into the inn; it was a chestnut horse with a glossy coat!
A burly man in a red robe with a dark face, who was almost blocking the doorway, walked in on a chestnut horse.

This man and his horse pushed aside the merchants and refugees who were trading at the table.

Bang!

The table wobbled, and the bowls and chopsticks on it swayed.

The gaunt woman tugged at the child, shivering from the hot water, but immediately bent down, wiped the muddy bread on her clothes, and stuffed it into the child's mouth.

However, not only did the refugee family not dare to speak, but even the four merchants dared not utter a word.

This guy's physique is like a black bear, and his face is ugly and ferocious. He doesn't look like a good person at all!

In those days, bandits and robbers roamed the border between the Han and Tang dynasties, all trying to profit from the refugees.

The dark-faced man didn't even look around. He sat down with his chestnut horse and ordered his servant to bring two plates of beef and two bowls of noodle soup.

Watching the man sprinkle spices on the soup noodles, then shake his robe and enjoy his meal with gusto.

“Sigh!”

The chestnut horse let out a low growl, its gaze sweeping around before letting out a human-like sigh and burying its head in its rice.

Seeing that the dark-faced, fierce-looking man didn't do anything outrageous, everyone gradually relaxed.

Only the refugee family who had flaunted their wealth by buying grain looked terrified. Seeing the dark-faced man eating with relish, they exchanged a glance and prepared to slip away.

"when!"

At that very moment, a long black nail shot out, piercing through and sealing the inn's door!

"A true hero!"

At that moment, the middle-aged man leading the refugee family, his face filled with extreme terror, knelt down with a thud and cried out, "Don't hurt my family!"

"If...if you want money, then...you can take it!"

A middle-aged man stood in front of the large family, his face as white as a sheet, as if he had been startled.

The dark-faced man, however, didn't seem to care. He withdrew his hand, ate his soup noodles, and said, "Old Dragon Lord."

"At today's merit-giving banquet, the Sixteen Cave Spirit Lords asked me to convey a message to you."

"The celestial beings of the Zhengyi Sect have quelled the spring thunder of the world for a hundred years, ensuring that our demon race will not suffer any more heavenly tribulations for a hundred years."

"Now that the Han Dynasty has fallen, Tiger and Rhinoceros Ridge wants to gather the dragon and tiger ghost energy for the Fengshan ceremony. If we don't make a breakthrough, we will be suppressed by that foreign celestial demon for thousands of years."

"If you, Old Dragon Lord, can participate, the Sixteen Cave Spirit Lords are willing to acknowledge you as their leader. At the merit feast, you are the one to cut and share the food!"

slam-la-

The rain outside the inn seems to have gotten heavier.

All the guests looked at the dark-faced man with strange expressions, and the middle-aged man who had been kowtowing on the ground also looked bewildered. Cold sweat poured down his face, until he was completely soaked.

"Humph!"

The dark-faced man didn't hear a reply until he finished his meal, so he stood up to leave.

But at that moment, the black-robed man who had been drinking tea by the window stood up.

"Cold cuts of meat don't quench the cold." "I'd like to borrow something from the strongman."

The dark-faced man glanced coldly at the man, noticing that the man was a good half a head taller than average, but he only sneered, "What?"

"Bear paw".

"How brave!"

This man in black robes is none other than Ji Ran, who has fled far away from Chunyang!

At this moment, Ji Ran gripped his broadsword, ready to draw it and slay the demon surging with malevolent energy, but suddenly frowned and realized that he couldn't draw the sword!
"Fighting is prohibited inside the store."

An aged voice echoed, possessing a power akin to a domain, rendering Ji Ran unable to draw his sword for a moment.

The dark-faced man seemed to have known all along. He didn't make any move, but instead rubbed his sharp teeth and stared at Ji Ran menacingly, saying, "This Spirit Lord will remember you."

As he spoke, the dark-faced man pulled on the horse's reins.

Squeak!

“Sigh!”

At that moment, the reins were pulled straight, and the chestnut horse clung tightly to the square table with all four hooves, refusing to move as if in a tug-of-war!
"Ah!"

The dark-faced man sneered, licked his lips, and raised his wrist as if to exert force, saying, "Don't try anything funny—"

"Fighting is prohibited inside the store."

In a single word, the reins became unbreakable! The chestnut horse's large eyes darted around, revealing a hint of wild joy!
Sure enough, the rules included him too!

"Dragon Lord!"

"This is—"

Whoosh—boom!

Amidst the surging sounds, it was as if the world had suddenly changed!
One moment you're in an inn, the next you're completely engulfed by the roar of the waves!

The whole world seemed to be torn apart by an invisible giant hand—walls, eaves, railings... all crumbled in an instant and were crushed into dust by the flood!

The view suddenly opened up before me, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful sight!
A few square tables and shaken guests found themselves right in the middle of the raging Huai River. Beneath their feet lay the only remaining foothold: a solitary islet of earth and stone. All around them stretched the vast, turbid waters, the raging river like a python!

This is the situation.

The dark-faced man's face was as black and red as if he had eaten pig liver, and he swallowed back the words he was about to say.

He stared intently at the chestnut horse and said coldly, "Trying to play me?"

Brush and pull!

At that moment, Ji Ran also set off and walked to the chestnut horse.

Seeing that he couldn't take the chestnut horse with him, the dark-faced man gritted his teeth and stared intently at Ji Ran, saying, "I'll wait for you to get off this dragon boat!"

boom!
After saying that, the dark-faced man leaped into the air and rode away on the waves!

"Shopkeeper! What's going on?!"

At that moment, the middle-aged man who had been kneeling on the ground staggered to his feet, while the woman, head bowed, tightly clutched her child. The child was still innocently smacking his lips, savoring the sweet taste of the steamed bun cooked in hot water.

But for this family, their eyes, mouths, and ears were filled with churning river water and silt, flowing down like streaks of black tears.

"Nothing happened."

At this moment, an old man with a white beard stepped out from behind the table and said, "There was a family of refugees from the Han Dynasty who bought grain and revealed their wealth. The whole family was followed to the Huai River by a Tang merchant who was carrying a dagger and had their throats slit."

As the old man spoke, the family suddenly stopped crying, their expressions stiffened, and a red line appeared on their necks.

"Furthermore, those four Tang merchants were unlucky. They had just committed murder and robbery when they ran into two wandering knights who were trying to cross the river."

"The four merchants were no match for him and were killed amidst their gold, silver and valuables."

The merchant, whose eyes were darting around as he sized up the refugee family, was taken aback when suddenly a series of knife wounds appeared on his body!
"Finally, the two wandering knights spent a lot of money to find a boatman to help them avoid the government troops and enter the Tang Dynasty."

The two swordsmen remained silent, heads bowed, their bodies speckled with plum blossom-like bloodstains. The boatman, however, suddenly trembled, collapsing onto the table and sobbing uncontrollably! His eyes were filled only with streams of murky water.

"Unexpectedly, the government troops added water patrols, and two volleys of arrows took the lives of three people."

At this moment, the white-bearded old man walked to Ji Ran's side. All the guests behind him were swollen and pale, looking like ferocious ghosts, which frightened the chestnut horse so much that it trembled!
"And you, sir, what brings you here?"

"Wait someone."

"Then let's go to the shore and wait. I need to help these guests pass away."

As he spoke, the old man suddenly disappeared!
Ji Ran felt the ground shake beneath her feet!
With a whoosh, countless clods of earth cascaded down like a waterfall, revealing a colossal creature covered in golden-red scales buried underground!
boom--!
A massive tail, as large as a mountain range, burst forth from the ground, carrying an immense force capable of overturning mountains and collapsing down!

A terrifying force stirred up towering waves, and Ji Ran and the chestnut horse were instantly suspended in mid-air, as if pushed by an invisible giant hand, rolling along the slippery and cold scales, and finally crashing heavily onto the mudflats dozens of feet away!
boom!
The chestnut horse was thrown off balance and a human head emerged from its hooves!
Ji Ran landed lightly and steadily.

Looking out at this moment, one can see a giant golden-red carp, hundreds of feet long, slowly sinking into the Huai River.

Its enormous size nearly filled the entire Huai River, its scales reflecting a molten gold-like luster in the turbid water. As it slowly spiraled and sank, the surface of the river rippled with the faces of corpses, bobbing up and down in the eddies.

The boatman's raincoat, the refugee's tattered shirt, the merchant's satchel, the wandering knight's sword sheath... and the swollen, pale bodies silently surrounded the giant carp, eventually sinking together into the bottomless depths of the river.

(End of this chapter)