Starting with the titmouse, seventy-two transformations

Chapter 19 Avoiding Disaster, the Beast Hunter
In the woods behind the village.

A blue serpent with a blade-like tail swooped down, carrying a person in its claws, swaying and stumbling.

For a bluefin serpent weighing less than half a pound, carrying a weight of over 150 pounds for more than ten miles is already a sign of exhaustion.

"Clap!"

Upon reaching the open space, Qingque released its claws and transformed back into Liu Sheng's appearance in the white mist.

"Huhuhu..."

He was panting heavily, looking completely drained, his hands and feet were sore and numb, and he could barely walk.

Although the Blade-Tailed Bluebird is a different species, it is not known for its strength. It was quite an achievement that it was able to bring Zhao Lei back unharmed.

Although there were some bumps and bruises along the way...

"Sigh~"

At this moment, Zhao Lei, his face bruised and swollen, woke up, feeling pain all over his body, as if...

A herd of cattle and horses trampled over him.

He looked around, and when he saw Liu Sheng, his expression changed:
"Ah Sheng? You didn't escape either?"

"You're not dead!"

Liu Sheng turned to look in the direction of Black Wind Mountain, his eyes serious, but he gave a brief explanation of the situation.

Of course, there are many subtle details in the writing, only saying that later a black snake jumped out of the forest and fought with the tiger, while he took advantage of the chaos to escape with Zhao Lei.

"roar-!"

Just then, a tremendous tiger roar echoed once more from Black Wind Mountain, carrying a hint of sorrow.

Judging from the direction, it seems to have reached the edge of Black Wind Mountain, only seven or eight miles away from the village.

Birds in the woods took flight in fright, and the village dogs barked wildly with their tails between their legs.

"It's that tiger demon!"

Zhao Lei shuddered, his eyes looking somewhat strange:
"Why do I get the feeling that guy... seems to be very grieving?"

Of course, he's grieving the loss of his wife.

Liu Sheng rolled his eyes, his expression growing increasingly serious.

They left in such a hurry that they didn't have time to gather up the scattered hunting tools and prey.

With a tiger's keen sense of smell, especially a tiger that has become quite intelligent, it follows the scent left on the hunting tools...

It'll only take a day or two.

Even though he transformed into a blue sparrow with a blade tail and lifted Zhao Lei into the air to take him away, he couldn't block it.

The key issue is that he doesn't dare to gamble.

After all, he is no longer alone.

In retrospect, the best course of action is to retreat.

Let's go to the city to avoid trouble first.

"Go to the city? But the money..."

After learning the details, Zhao Lei was somewhat tempted, but then he quickly poured cold water on the idea.

The cost of living in the city is quite different from that in the village. Even the cheapest inn costs eight or nine coins per person per day.

With two families and seven members, this sum of money alone would amount to several hundred coins.

This is still the cheapest dormitory-style sleeping area.

With summer taxes already secured, where would they find the money to spend on this?
"Don't worry about the money. Now that tiger demon thinks we killed its wife, it definitely won't let us go."

Liu Sheng calmly analyzed the situation and looked directly at Zhao Lei:

"Can your house keep it out?"

Zhao Lei immediately fell silent.

The tigress we saw earlier was just a different species, yet it was already so terrifying. The male tiger in the mountains, on the other hand, is a demon!
"There's no time to lose, let's go now!"

Liu Sheng didn't give him a chance to hesitate and made the decision immediately.

If Zhao Lei still refuses, he will take his grandmother and daughter Yu Niang to the city to avoid trouble.

After all, they had done their utmost in terms of kindness and righteousness.

He had a strong intuition that if he didn't leave today, he would have to face the other side head-on...

A tiger spirit who hates him to the bone because his wife died!
With his current strength, unless he abandons Grandma and Yu Niang, otherwise…

They simply cannot survive.

It's a good opportunity to lay low in the city and complete the deduction of the "Iron Scale Serpent".

If all goes well, this incarnation can be developed into a spirit or monster...

Then we won't have to hide from this tiger demon anymore.

Zhao Lei hesitated for a moment, but still chose to trust Liu Sheng and went back to the village with him.

At this moment, the village was in chaos, with chickens running and dogs barking, and every household was hiding at home, staying indoors.

This actually makes it convenient for both families to move around.

Before long, the two families left the village one after the other, met up, and headed straight for the county town.

"My dear grandson, what exactly happened? Let your grandmother be prepared..."

On the cart, Granny Liu held a blue cloth satchel, her expression relatively calm.

When Liu Sheng arrived home earlier, he immediately started the cart and carried her and her daughter Yu Niang onto it without saying a word.

Only after her repeated insistence did she pack a satchel containing all her belongings, the house deed, and banknotes.

Zhao's wife, standing silently beside him, held the dog and looked at Liu Sheng, who was pulling the cart, with gratitude on her face.

She already knew that Liu Sheng had risked his life to save her husband from the jaws of death and was their family's benefactor.

Otherwise, the current situation of Uncle Changgen and Erniu's families is the future of their mother and son.

"That tiger spirit on the mountain is acting strangely; let's go to the city to hide for a while..."

Liu Sheng casually replied, then pulled a cart carrying three adults and two children, walking very fast, making Zhao Lei, who was walking beside him, twitch his eyelids. Although the people sitting on the cart were all women and children, the cart and its contents weighed nearly 300 pounds.

But Liu Sheng pulled like an animal, pulling with ease, without even panting.

When did this kid become so amazing?

It seems like not long ago, his family was so poor they couldn't even afford to eat. I felt sorry for him, so I specially caught a few tits and sent them to him...

"It wouldn't hurt to go to the city for a while; this old woman hasn't been to the city in ages..."

Granny Liu was a wise old woman, and she immediately knew that Liu Sheng had another reason, so she stopped asking questions.

Upon arriving in the city, I saw wide streets lined with restaurants, inns, teahouses, clinics, gambling dens...

The women became noticeably more reserved, glancing around nervously, and even lowering their voices to talk.

They were afraid that their "rustic" appearance would be looked down upon by city dwellers.

Just then, a commotion arose from the main road ahead.

"It's a beast hunter!"

"...Good heavens, these wolf monsters are bigger than cows..."

"That's awesome! I want to be a beast hunter too..."

"You? You wouldn't even be enough to fill a monster's teeth!"

...

The crowd surged forward, filling the area to capacity and blocking the road.

Helpless, Liu Sheng had no choice but to lead everyone forward.

Then a group of men and women, armed with knives and guns and carrying bows and arrows, exuding a menacing aura, were seen guarding a cart on both sides, moving slowly forward.

The cart was three or four zhang wide, taking up half of the main road. It dragged the corpses of several wolf monsters on it. Their fur was dark blue, and they were bigger than water buffaloes. The stench of blood was overwhelming.

After listening for a while in the crowd, Liu Sheng got the gist of it.

In recent years, animal disasters have occurred frequently in various places, with strange beasts and monsters emerging like mushrooms after rain, causing serious casualties.

The imperial court established the Demon Suppression Bureau two years ago and issued the Demon Suppression Order, offering rewards to martial arts masters in the folk.

Beast Hunters are peripheral members of the Demon Suppression Division, assisting the Demon Suppression Warriors in eliminating demons.

"The Demon Suppression Division?"

Liu Sheng raised an eyebrow, seemingly lost in thought.

By the time we checked into the inn, it was already evening.

...

The next day.

He rented a small courtyard in Caiyuan Lane near the city wall through a broker.

This place is remote and rarely visited, so the prices are relatively cheap. The rent for six dilapidated tile-roofed houses is only 200 coins a month.

The minimum rental period is three months, totaling 600 coins.

This was undoubtedly a huge expense for Zhao Lei's family, but for Liu Sheng, it was entirely manageable.

After buying enough firewood, rice, oil, salt, pots, pans, and utensils for ten to fifteen days, the two families officially settled down.

Even now, Yu Niang and her daughter, along with Zhao Lei's family, still felt like they were dreaming...

So, you've moved to the city?

They had spent their entire lives in the village, and the prosperity they saw when they entered the city seemed like a dream, making them feel ashamed of themselves.

Who would have thought that I would be able to rent a courtyard house and settle down in this city!
Even if it's just for a few days, that's still a remarkable thing!
So, when they looked at Liu Sheng again, a sense of awe unconsciously crept in.

Especially Zhao's wife, who had previously complained about her husband's repeated favors to the Liu family, was now secretly rejoicing...

Uncle Liu is a capable man.

Liu Sheng had no time to pay attention to the changing attitudes of the crowd; he was now focused on deducing the "Iron Scale Serpent."

The threat from the Tong family and the tiger demon was like a thorn in his side, and avoiding disaster was only temporary.

According to the government's household registration system, they are still villagers of Baishui Village.

When it's time to pay the summer tax, you have to go back to the village.

Otherwise, they will be treated as absconding residents.

He doesn't have much time left.

After settling in, it was already dark.

The two families had a simple dinner and then went to rest.

At night, Yu Niang was passionate and fiery, engaging in sharp and witty banter, and taking an exceptionally proactive approach.

Liu Sheng had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on. He was a stranger in this place, and he was her only support. She was afraid of being rejected.

Therefore, I had no choice but to share everything I knew.

Re-instructed!

Three times!

Until there is nothing left to teach!

It only added the talent [Serpent Form], otherwise...

My back is about to break.

...

Get up early in the morning.

After having breakfast and giving some instructions, Liu Sheng left under the pretext of gathering information.

Once outside the city, they disappeared into the woods beside the official road.

A few breaths later, a blue pheasant with a blade-tailed tail soared into the sky and flew away.

(End of this chapter)