Daily Intelligence: From Water Snake to Jinghe Dragon King

Chapter 176 Liu Qing Exorcises Demons at Luanshi Ridge; Black Bear Spirit Escapes in the Wind
After a brief rest at Li Family Fort, they planned to ride there with Li Shimin. At that moment, Li Xiuning and Li Xuanba from the Li family arrived upon hearing the news.

Li Xuanba possessed Liu Qing's incense-transferring ability. With a single thought, Liu Qing knew Li Xuanba's purpose in coming—to accompany him.
As for Li Xiuning, this was the first time Liu Qing had met her.

Judging from her appearance, she is beautiful yet heroic, and her attire is that of a man, which is different from the gentleness of a woman and has a unique charm.

After Li Shimin introduced Li Xiuning to Liu Qing, Li Xiuning gracefully bowed and said, "Li Xiuning of the Li family greets Brother Liu."

Liu Qing's identity was kept secret among the direct descendants of the Li family. Li Xiuning also knew that Liu Qing was a demon snake, but when she spoke, she showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, she looked at Liu Qing with a curious and inquisitive gaze.

No wonder this woman is highly praised in later folk tales. Just from meeting her today, one can tell that Li Xiuning is straightforward and bold.

"I heard from my second brother that Brother Liu is going to the Rocky Ridge to slay the demon?"

"Xiuning has an idea, but she's not sure if she should say it?"

"please say."

"Brother Liu, are you not afraid of those two great demons on your journey to slay them? I think you can take them down smoothly. But the lesser demons all over the mountain will probably take the opportunity to escape and cause trouble in all directions."

"Xiuning thinks we should take another trip with the caravan. Brother Liu can blend in with the caravan's private soldiers and wait for the monsters to come down and rob us. Then, my second brother, Xuanba, and I will lead men to surround them from the outside and try to kill all the monsters, big and small, in the chaotic rocky hill in one fell swoop, so as to avoid leaving any future troubles."

In fact, Liu Qing and Li Shimin had already discussed this method on their way here. One was a reincarnation of a past life, the other a future master of military strategy; it was naturally easy for them to come up with this plan. But Li Xiuning, being a woman, could also grasp it instantly.
It seems that this woman was indeed as the folk tales of later generations described, skilled in battle formations and military tactics, and her words were full of killing intent, making her a worthy general.

Liu Qing and Li Shimin exchanged a smile: "Just as Xiu Ning said."

Li Shimin and Li Xiuning went to make preparations, gathering oxcarts and horse-drawn carriages, having servants fill sacks with sand to pretend as salt, and assembling household guards and private soldiers, before heading out of Li Family Fort towards Luanshi Ridge.

Because of the existence of the Fragrance Transfer ability, Li Xuanba became extremely close to Liu Qing. He even forgot about his second brother Li Shimin, who was once his closest friend, and stayed by Liu Qing's side, grinning foolishly.

After years of separation, Li Xuanba was able to eat and drink a lot after waking up, but he was still skin and bones. Apart from his frightening strength, he hadn't changed much and looked like a withered, sickly ghost.

Seeing that Li Xuanba possessed astonishing strength, perhaps exceeding ten thousand jin, Liu Qing gave him a pair of golden drum-shaped hammers that he had previously snatched from Xiong Kuohai.

The golden hammers, each weighing four hundred jin (approximately 200 kg), would weigh eight hundred jin (approximately 400 kg) if two were used. Li Xuanba wielded them, and they moved like straw.
Liu Qing was shocked. It was unbelievable that there was such innate superhuman strength among mortals. He also thought of the folk legends of later generations, that Li Xuanba was the reincarnation of the Golden-Winged Roc. Could it be true?

But if he were the reincarnation of the Golden-Winged Roc, how could he have his own incense enshrined in his soul?
Another thing she couldn't figure out. Liu Qing had a good habit: if she couldn't figure something out for a while, she wouldn't think about it to avoid getting mentally exhausted.

The convoy moved slowly along, with Liu Qing and Li Xuanba mingling among the private soldiers escorting it. Li Shimin and Li Xiuning, on the other hand, led the most elite private soldiers of the Li family, following far behind, waiting for Liu Qing's signal to surround them from the outside.

In fact, Liu Qing possesses extraordinary talent and supernatural abilities, making him unafraid of both one-on-one battles and group battles. He could defeat all the demons of the Chaotic Rock Ridge single-handedly.
However, he did not want to show off too much during his trip to the mortal realm. He wanted to leave some opportunities for Li Shimin and Li Xiuning so that he would not rely on himself for everything and hinder their growth on the battlefield in the future.

They made a great show of it all the way, and when they reached the official road at the foot of Luanshigang Mountain, they stopped to rest and eat, with horse-drawn carriages and oxcarts circling around them.
The Li family's coachmen and private soldiers were strictly ordered to go into the caravan circle.

Sure enough, a short while later, a pack of tigers, leopards, bears, and wolves charged down from the rocky hillside along the official road and blocked the way for the caravan.

Or perhaps a black bear and a bison emerged from the herd of wild animals.

The same robbery rhymes made Liu Qing laugh. He hadn't expected that Xiong Kuohai, after escaping, would gain so much knowledge, even learning the damn bandit's robbery slogans.
When reading the Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, weren't these two lines of robbing on the road Cheng Yaojin's? How come Xiong Kuohai also knows them? Could it be that he met Cheng Yaojin?

"Xiong Kuohai, it's you! Open your eyes wide and look carefully. Who is your master?"

Liu Qing stepped forward from the crowd, looking at Xiong Kuohai with a mocking expression. This fellow's cultivation had indeed progressed rapidly; he was now already at the late stage of the Refining Void and Integrating Dao realm.

The wild bull demon accompanying it was of similar cultivation level; neither of these two mountain demons, both at the Refinement of Emptiness and Integration of Dao, were of any concern to Liu Qing.
He has even killed the Mountain God and Grass God in the late stage of the Divine Power Realm, as well as the Good Water Goddess in the Dharma Realm Realm. What is there to fear from a mere Refinement of Emptiness and Integration of Dao?

Xiong Kuohai recognized Liu Qing and was immediately startled, but then he thought, "My cultivation is worlds apart from before, how could I possibly be afraid of you?"

He sensed a trace of Liu Qing's aura again. Oh, he was also at the Refinement of Emptiness and Integration of the Dao. But you are only at the early stage, while I am at the late stage. If I hadn't been unable to find the authority, I would have already integrated into the Dao and become a god.

Suddenly emboldened, I realized that my cultivation level was higher than yours, and I also possessed supernatural powers and magic. Today, I would settle all old and new scores.

"You plague-ridden snake, wait till your bear master skins you alive this time!"

Xiong Kuohai brandished the eighteen-foot-long bronze cudgel he had just snatched, roared, and brought it down on Liu Qing.

"My benefactor, leave this purple-skinned fellow to me!"

Li Xuanba leaped out from behind Liu Qing, brandishing two golden hammers in his hands, and with a move of "Raising Fire to the Sky," he withstood the downward-smashing bronze cudgel.

With a loud crash, Xiong Kuohai was jolted backward, his hands trembling, his tiger's mouth torn and bleeding.
Li Xuanba merely swayed slightly, without even moving his feet, and looked at Xiong Kuohai, saying in a simple and honest manner, "You purple-skinned bear demon, you're too weak. You can't beat me!"

Xiong Kuohai initially thought Li Xuanba was an old mountain demon in human form, but upon closer inspection, he discovered he was just a mortal.

Xiong Kuohai was stunned.

How could a mere mortal be stronger than me, a black bear in my true form, and a powerful demon enhanced by my cultivation?

Is this even human? Or is it a demon?

"Hey you, come and clash with your young master again, clash with his hammer once more!"

Having said that, the two golden hammers, one after the other, swung towards Xiong Kuohai with the speed of shooting stars.

The hammerhead whistled and rattled, whipping up a gust of wind that stung Xiong Kuohai's skin. His expression turned grave; seeing the immense power of the Golden Hammer, he dared not take it head-on. He quickly flashed his demonic energy and darted to the side.
Over there, the Wild Bull Demon, seeing Xiong Kuohai at a disadvantage, relied on his wild bull form and astonishing brute strength. With a whoosh, he wielded his large ring-bladed sword, aiming a powerful, mountain-splitting strike at Li Xuanba.

Undeterred, Li Xuanba continued to raise his fire to the sky, his twin hammers striking down the bull demon, Te Chushi. The bull demon's face instantly flushed an unnatural red, and he swallowed the demonic blood that had been spurted out. Liu Qing, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but feel envious seeing that all three combatants possessed weapons. When would he have a weapon he could actually use?
Master, wait a minute. Two fang swords won't do. Although they are formed from fangs and are quite powerful, they are too small and not imposing enough.

"This mortal possesses incredible brute strength. Don't engage him in combat. We are demons; let's use our bloodline talents to subdue him!"

Xiong Kuohai roared, his body suddenly growing several times larger, like a savage giant. Demonic energy poured into the bronze staff, which struck down like a bolt of lightning.
Over there, the bison demon, Master Te, also let out a moo, his demonic energy surging forth. He stomped his right foot hard on the ground, and instantly, demonic energy surged from beneath his feet like a monstrous python, causing the ground to shake, undulate, and crack open in several places.

Seeing the bear demon's ability to grow larger and the bull demon's ability to trample, even with Li Xuanba's immense strength, he couldn't gain the upper hand against these two formidable abilities.

Liu Qing hurriedly flapped his fiery wings and rushed forward. Before he was even halfway there, he opened his mouth and spat out streams of water, which entangled Xiong Kuohai and the Special Envoy.
Having learned his lesson from the water chain, Xiong Kuohai immediately shouted, "Old Niu, be careful of this treacherous snake; it might hide a water puppet in the water chain."

Liu Qing paused, quietly dispersing the water puppets. After thinking for a moment, he summoned his master, told him to hold back the two fang swords, and then concealed himself within the water chains.
This time, I won't be using the water puppet.

Xiong Kuohai and the two demons used their long weapons to deflect the water chains, but unexpectedly, the fang sword suddenly attacked, piercing through their shoulders with two sharp movements, causing demonic blood to spurt out.

"That plague-ridden snake is still as cunning as ever. Behold the magic of Old Bear!"

After being injured, Xiong Kuohai became extremely ferocious. He rapidly chanted a few incantations, and his massive body suddenly transformed into a black wind, howling eerily and carrying away souls, as it lunged towards Liu Qing.

Upon seeing this, Liu Qing was instantly enraged. The human souls carried by this fellow in the black wind were clearly the souls of mortals who had been devoured.

The bison demon, Master Te, also bellowed wildly, opening its mouth to spew out a chain of white bones that coiled towards Liu Qing.

The skeleton was shaped like a human head, with uneaten flesh and blood still clinging to it, accompanied by the screams of a dying person, possessing a soul-stealing power.

"Damn it, how dare it devour mortals to cultivate evil arts! It cannot be forgiven today!"

Liu Qing clasped his hands together, and countless water spirits gathered from a small river far away in the rocky hill, transforming into streaks of water thunder that crashed down on the two demons.

Boom boom boom——

One after another, the water mines exploded, scattering the black wind that Xiong Kuohai had transformed into, and also shattering the white bone chains spat out by Special Envoy.

Xiong Kuohai staggered as he reappeared from the black wind, spitting out a mouthful of demonic blood with a "poof." His leaking energy was extremely chaotic, clearly indicating that he was severely injured.
The wild bull demon, Te Chushi, was also blasted by the water mines, his sternum was caved in, his horns were broken, and his body was covered with large and small blood pits, with demon blood gushing out.

Xiong Kuohai roared at the special officer, "Old Niu, let's fight this serpent! Today, either he dies, or we all perish!"

"Alright, let's give it our all!"

The bison demon, dragging its blood-soaked body, brandished its large ring-bladed sword with a clang, channeling all its demonic energy into the blade. It then gripped the hilt with both hands and slashed with all its might.
Suddenly, a black blade of light several meters long slashed towards Liu Qing.

The wild bull demon, Te Chushi, launched a desperate attack, and Liu Qing dared not be careless. He immediately activated his Water and Fire Refining Technique, and faint black patterns rapidly spread across his body, giving it a metallic sheen.
At the same time, he spewed out water shields from his mouth to block in front of him, and activated his ice-melting divine power to turn the water shields into ice shields.

The chains of spirit binding, formed by the supernatural power of spirit binding, quietly extended from underground, determined to lock the demonic soul and yang spirit within the body of the special clerk.

When Xiong Kuohai saw that the Wild Bull Demon, Te Chushi, had been incited by him and was actually fighting desperately against Liu Qing, a look of disdain flashed in his eyes, and he spat out a curse.
Suppressing his internal injuries, he transformed into a black wind once more and fled far away.

Liu Qing knew something was wrong. He pointed out with one hand, and the Spirit-Binding Chains that were originally intended to ambush Special Envoy Te suddenly sprang out from the ground like a monstrous python and bit a section of Black Wind.

With a miserable howl, Xiong Kuohai vanished into the forest, disappearing from sight. The section of black wind that had been caught by the Spirit-Binding Chains transformed into a scroll and fell to the ground.

"You son of a bitch, Xiong Kuohai! You've screwed me over!"

"I, Old Ox, will haunt you even in death!"

The enormous black blade of light shattered countless ice shields, but its power was diminished. Liu Qing grabbed the blade of light with one hand and crushed it effortlessly.

The sword intent on the blade's edge attempted to penetrate Liu Qing's body and damage his physical form, but it was twisted into nothingness by the power of water and fire from the Water and Fire Refining Technique.

The spirit-binding chains flew back, piercing into the demonic soul of the Special Envoy, locking the now-spirited demonic soul and forcibly pulling it out.

"Sir, wait!" Two flying swords pierced through the vital points of the Special Envoy's heart, instantly severing his physical life force. His demonic energy surged, revealing his true form.
It was a black wild ox, one zhang tall at the shoulder and three or four zhang long at the head and tail.

The demonic spirit of the Special Envoy was ashen-faced and filled with despair. His physical body was dead, leaving only his spirit, which was now bound by the Spirit-Binding Chains. It seemed that both his body and soul were about to perish.

Liu Qing was reluctant to shatter its demonic soul. It had already become a Yang God and was capable of merging with the Dao long ago, but it was constrained by the lack of authority and was unwilling to endure the incense offerings for merging with the Dao. Therefore, it had only refined its emptiness to merge with the Dao. Its Yang God was so strong that it was not afraid of Yang Fire in broad daylight, and its form was solid like a fleshy body.

Keep it; it'll be perfect for the incense clone to use as a mount.

Another point is that Liu Qing didn't want to kill it, not because of its name, but because of its self-proclaimed title, "Special Scholar," just like the three monsters of Shuangcha Ridge in Journey to the West. If this "Special Scholar" is the other "Special Scholar," then it truly cannot destroy its spirit.

Let's see if this special scholar will be destined for disaster after the Tang Dynasty replaced the Sui Dynasty and the Journey to the West began!

Liu Qing shattered a section of the spirit-binding chain, which transformed into a nose ring and locked onto the Special Envoy's nose. She then concealed it with demonic mist to prevent mortals from seeing it and making a fuss.

After sending a signal, Li Shimin and Li Xiuning, leading their elite private troops, began to tighten the encirclement and attack the other monsters and lesser demons.
Li Xuanba, following Liu Qing's instructions, began slaughtering monsters and demons from the inside out, wielding his golden hammer and drum.

In an instant, arrows pierced the air and rained down from the sky, pinning wolf spirits and tiger monsters to the ground. Li Xuanba's double hammers were even more deadly; anyone who touched them died instantly. Even though the tigers and wolves had become monsters, they could not withstand the brute force of the human demon.

Liu Qing then summoned the corpse of the Special Envoy, and in front of its demonic spirit, dissected it, rummaged through its stomach, and found a large pile of odds and ends.
The salt goods from the convoy that was robbed last time, the uneaten human corpses, the gold and silver, a few low-grade magic weapons, and a few second-rate earth treasures—it was all gone.

[Today's Information: Gold Rank. There is a spiritual cave below the cliff in the Rocky Ridge. Within the cave is a top-grade Earth Treasure, the Crimson Dragon Fungus. Consuming it will help the user evolve into a Dragon Bloodline.]

(End of this chapter)