The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 138 Hu Xian and Liu Xian

Li Jingxiao secretly wondered if there was any connection between the corpse tiger in the imperial tomb and the current Jin Yangjun.
Until he figured it out, Li Jingxiao had a nagging sense of unease that things weren't as simple as they seemed.

After thinking it over, he thought to himself, "I should send someone to check first."

First, we need to find out whether it was a tiger demon causing trouble.

Secondly, to avoid this being a trap specifically designed to target oneself.

But no matter which one it is, Li Jingxiao will not fight alone.

It would be best to report to the Emperor and the Retired Emperor.

If we could bring a large army, or even just three to five thousand cavalrymen, we could go.

If you do encounter a trap, you'll be much more at ease.

He looked at Erfu and said, "You two take Captain Cui to wash up and have a meal first."

"I will go to the palace to see His Majesty immediately."

Cui Yongze was overjoyed, at least this Zhou Dynasty bigwig in front of him had slaughtered his squad as easily as an adult hitting a child.

They were willing to help Xihaidao out of consideration for the Great Zhou and Goryeo, who were the suzerain and vassal states.

Moreover, before coming here, General Kwon Ji-ri had hinted that she and this official had become acquainted through a misunderstanding and had a brief romance in the capital.

Now it seems that it should be true.

Lee Kyung-hyo wasn't that sentimental; he wouldn't be so hung up on a Goryeo woman he had raped.

Upon entering the palace, Li Jingxiao presented a token to the emperor.

As the deputy commander of the Palace Guard, Li Jingxiao was actually qualified to request an audience with the emperor directly.

But he never visits the emperor unless he has something to do.

This matter is somewhat important, so it's better to seek a meeting through the proper channels; that way, we're more likely to get the attention we deserve.

Sure enough, the old eunuch Xia Shouzhong personally came to greet him.

And the first thing he asked upon meeting was, "My lord, has something serious happened?"

Lee Kyung-hyo deliberately put on a distressed expression and nodded, "The daughter of the Goryeo West Coast Governor, whom I released before the New Year, just sent someone to the capital to ask me for help."

It is said that a tiger demon wreaked havoc in Saikaido, massacring eleven villages and turning many ordinary people into ghosts.

He occupied the mountain and became king, calling himself 'Lord Jinyang'.

Goryeo sent troops to suppress the rebellion in the West Sea, but they were attacked at night by the tiger demon and the ghost, resulting in the deaths and injuries of more than a hundred soldiers.

Afterwards, it wreaked havoc in the region, and the Western Sea Province and Goryeo were unable to contain it for a time, so they could only send envoys to the imperial court for help.

Xia Shouzhong panicked as soon as he heard this. He had heard of bandits and outlaws ruling the mountains, but he never expected that demons would dare to do so.

If this is allowed to continue unchecked, it will certainly threaten the security of the northern border of the Great Zhou Dynasty in the future.

If Goryeo can't stop it, then the whole of Goryeo might become a ghost town infiltrated by demons and monsters.

He hurriedly took Li Jingxiao to see the emperor.

After paying his respects to His Majesty, Li Jingxiao repeated the story, and Emperor Longde was immediately at a loss.

If it were a rebellion by the Goryeo rebels or an invasion by the Tatars, he, as emperor, might still have some reason to take it into consideration, based on his knowledge and learning.

But since it involves demons, no one knows how to deal with it.

On his way here, Li Jingxiao couldn't help but secretly wonder if Quan Zhili had exaggerated or concealed the dangers of the tiger demon.

From ancient times to the present day, the human race has been able to stand strong, not entirely because of Taoist priests and Buddhist monks who have suppressed the demon race to the point of hiding.

The increasing strength and sharpness of armor and weaponry have given human armies greater combat power and lethality.

Swords and armor are useless against powerful demons, but they are very useful against a larger number of monsters.

Moreover, ghosts like the Wraith don't dare to come out during the day.

Exposure to the sun for even a moment would reduce these ghostly creatures to ashes, greatly limiting their range of movement.

Many things in the world are mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining. Even an ordinary person holding a piece of wood struck by lightning can kill or injure evil spirits.

Li Jingxiao also learned from the descriptions of the three Shi brothers and the Zhenwu Temple's classic texts.

Common items such as obsidian, glutinous rice, willow branches, peach wood, jade, garlic, mugwort, cogongrass, reed rope, and black dog teeth also have a certain effect in warding off evil spirits.

Even the crowing of roosters can frighten ordinary ghosts and zombies into hiding.

Not to mention sunshine.

But how could the emperor understand these things?

Even though he had read Taoist classics before, just like Li Jingxiao, he didn't know if they were true or false.

The unknown is the greatest fear in the human heart.

The emperor was undecided for a moment, so he could only take Li Jingxiao to the Daming Palace to see the retired emperor.

The retired emperor truly lived up to his reputation as someone who had reigned for decades.

In those years, they also launched several northern expeditions and took the initiative to attack the Tatars.

I know more or less about strange things, and have even encountered some.

Moreover, the old emperor had already cultivated true qi, and after so many days, he was able to successfully draw exorcism talismans and fire-controlling talismans.

Although its power was far less than that of the talisman drawn by Li Jingxiao, he still felt confident.

However, upon hearing Li Jingxiao's suspicion that the tiger demon in Xihaidao might be related to the corpse tiger in the imperial tomb years ago.

The old emperor immediately began to take it even more seriously.

Although Li Jingxiao did not report the matter of the corpse tiger back then.

However, it was also mentioned that someone wanted to bury an alien creature outside the imperial tomb to disrupt its feng shui.

Moreover, there were three fellow disciples of Shi Delong at the time, as well as five captains from the Daoist Registry.

Even if he didn't report the matter of Corpse Tiger, it's highly likely that the Emperor and the Emperor Emeritus already know about it.

Not long after, a secret imperial edict was sent to the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot. The two groups of people secretly rode at breakneck speed to the western coast of Goryeo to investigate whether there was indeed a tiger demon causing trouble.

Even faster than these two groups were the carrier pigeons flying to the North.

Just three days later, carrier pigeons flew back, confirming that a large number of refugees had indeed appeared in the Xihaidao area in northwestern Goryeo and entered Liaodong, which was controlled by the Great Zhou.

Moreover, according to many Koreans, Saikaido is indeed plagued by evil spirits.

But none of them have actually seen one.

All of this is just hearsay.

But when Li Jingxiao went to the palace again and heard the news sent back by carrier pigeon, he was basically certain that something had indeed happened in the Western Regions.

But Li Jingxiao was unwilling to leave the capital.

After thinking it over, he decided to leave this matter to the three Shi brothers. He could simply give them more talismans and spirit wine.

Moreover, the three brothers have Maoshan Mountain behind them. With Maoshan Mountain's resources, let alone a tiger demon, they can easily defeat them.

Even if it's a thousand-year-old demon, Maoshan only needs to invite its patriarch, and the tiger demon can be killed in no time.

After leaving the palace, Li Jingxiao had Shi Delong and the other two summoned to the Left Garrison Command.

Upon hearing that a tiger demon was causing trouble in Goryeo, he even called himself "Golden Yang Lord".

Shi Delong and the other two turned pale.

Li Jingxiao then realized that the fact that the tiger demon dared to call itself Lord Jinyang meant that it was quite intelligent.

This is completely different from the corpse tiger found in the imperial tomb.

That Jin Yang Jun might possess powerful magic and be able to transform into human form, then he wouldn't be an ordinary monster.

Therefore, Li Jingxiao was unwilling to send the three Shi Delong brothers to their deaths in Goryeo.

We can only wait for the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot to gather more useful information before deciding on our next move.

Shi Delong and the other two finally breathed a sigh of relief.

If Li Jingxiao insisted that the three of them investigate the tiger demon's background, given their relationship as fellow disciples of the sect leader...

The three of them had no choice but to listen, whether they wanted to or not.

Otherwise, it would be disobeying one's elders, not to mention that the three of them now hold official positions.

Once the order is given, disobeying it is considered disobeying military orders, and no one will care if you are dragged out and beheaded.

Afterwards, it will also implicate Maoshan.

The elders of their sect might not even have a chance to avenge the three of them, let alone return their bodies and memorial tablets to Maoshan.

Even after death, they might be expelled from their sect, and their souls would be rejected by the masters who held positions in the underworld.

Lin Yi thought for a moment, and then a thought suddenly struck him.

He whispered, "Sir, the Hu and Liu families outside the pass are local bullies. Why not reward them handsomely and let them go and take a look?"

Li Jingxiao nodded, and after thinking for a moment, he said to Lin Yi, "You three brothers go and ask Hu Xinrong and Liu Yixiu."

If anyone discovers any useful information, I will reward them handsomely with 500 taels of silver, or even 1,000 taels.

"If there is any merit, I am willing to grant you the official positions of Junior Flag Officer and Senior Flag Officer of the Left Garrison Command."

Don't underestimate the junior officers like Xiaoqi and Zongqi, who are only low-ranking military officers; their official ranks are seventh grade and seventh grade, respectively.

And the county magistrate was only at this level.

Upon arrival at their destination, these small and large flags would command respect from even the county magistrate and prefect.

Of course, most people were terrified, afraid that if they did something wrong, the Embroidered Uniform Guard would find out and arrest them.

Having received Li Jingxiao's promise, Shi Delong and his two companions immediately left the Left Garrison Command and rode fast horses to find the Hu and Liu families.

When faced with a seventh-rank official, unless one is truly dedicated to cultivation, anyone with any ulterior motives will be tempted to act rashly.

Few people can refuse it.

Sure enough, when they found Hu Xinrong and Liu Yixiu, the two were immediately interested.

However, the two also learned from Shi Delong and the other two that they were facing a great demon this time, and a great demon who dared to call himself the Golden Sun Lord.

The level of danger is indeed exceptionally high.

However, while the fighting power of a shamanic disciple may not be as strong as that of a powerful Taoist priest or Buddhist monk, some of their special techniques are still very useful.

Not to mention, they worship the spirits of the fox and willow, and have been based in the north for many years.

If you seek help from your own family's spirit mediums, you might not need to travel to the West Sea Road in Goryeo to find out the tiger demon's origins and background.

Upon hearing Hu Xinrong and Liu Yixiu's request, Shi Delong thought for a moment and then decided to take the two back to the capital to see Li Jingxiao.

Upon hearing this, Li Jingxiao immediately arranged for Erfu and others to make preparations.

The offerings of cattle, sheep, and pigs, along with other gifts, are all simply a matter of money.

The quiet room, altar, and the like were all left to Hu Xinrong and Liu Yixiu to instruct Erfu and the others to handle.

After thinking it over, Li Jingxiao decided to take out the Monkey Spirit Wine.

Anything that is beneficial to spiritual practice is a good thing for any practitioner.

Sure enough, after placing the 5-jin (2.5 catties) wine jars on the table, Hu Xinrong and Hu Xian communicated much faster than before.

Moreover, upon smelling the spiritual energy in the spirit wine, the spirit Hu, whom the Hu family worshipped, actually started bargaining with Li Jingxiao.

Li Jingxiao remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was overjoyed.

If the fairy Hu and fairy Liu respond, it means they are willing to help.

It also suggests that in the eyes of the two immortals, the tiger demon might not be anything special.

At least two families were not afraid of the tiger demon.

Moreover, the need for spirit wine implies that the deities worshipped by the two families are not without desires.

(End of this chapter)