White Bone Demon Trail

Chapter 13 Mandrill
Although the men of Wulongzhai were all strong and sturdy, they were still too weak compared to Li Yiguang, a brave general who had fought in countless battles. They were so frightened that they lost all fighting spirit and fled in a panic.

Li Yiguang, not one to back down, leaped up again and smashed his double hammers at the dozen or so men of Wulongzhai.

Seeing this, Zhao Lengxiang behind him cried out urgently, "Brother, we must capture them alive!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yiguang targeted a man, strode forward with great force, kicked him to the ground, tied the man's hands behind his back, and, ignoring the man's cries and pleas for mercy, tightly bound him with a cloth, shouting sternly, "Behave yourself! If you don't behave, I'll break your arms!"

The man was so frightened that his body went limp. Seeing that there was no way to escape, he could only obey and try to make his situation a little better.

The snakes in the swamp did not disperse after the short old man died; instead, they became more ferocious and attacked the group even more fiercely.

Li Yiguang shouted, "Take out the bone jade bestowed by Lord Wuxiang and see if it can drive away these long snakes!"

Five people among the surrounded crowd hurriedly and carefully took out a piece of bone jade the size of a lychee, held it in front of them, and kept chanting, "We beseech the God of No Form to show his power! We beseech the God of No Form to protect us!"

After they chanted three times in succession, a soft white light rose from the five pieces of bone jade, spreading in all directions. The snakes illuminated by this white light twisted their bodies and retreated in fright.

The people of Black Stone Village were overjoyed to see this scene, realizing that their village's deity could truly protect them!
The man who was captured was shocked. When did Black Stone Village become a place of divine protection?

Li Yiguang, carrying the prisoners, joined the others and said in high spirits, "Let's take this opportunity to catch more game to take back! Let's meet up again at sunset to go back to the mountain."

"No, this is Wulongzhai's hunting grounds after all, only about forty miles away from their stronghold. If they send more men, we might have a hard time dealing with them."

"We can only stay for another half an hour at most, then we must return to the mountain!" Zhao Lengxiang said resolutely.

Li Yiguang pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Then let's listen to Third Sister. Let's go back early and have meat and wine together at the village tonight!"

"Yes! Boss!"

Upon hearing about eating meat and drinking wine, everyone became excited and hurriedly went off to find their prey.

Neither of them noticed that a black crow had perched on a tall old tree more than a hundred feet away, silently watching everything that had just happened.

Although Bai Wuxiang's true form never left the cave, it doesn't mean he was unaware of what was happening outside.

The black crow was connected to his mind and could serve as his eyes to see what was happening in this vast mountain.

Although the divine power of faith within the bone jade is not much, it contains the death energy of Bai Wuxiang, which can make ordinary living beings in the world feel death. All sentient beings fear death.

Of course, this excludes certain beings with exceptional wisdom, such as the most courageous and wise among humans.

Therefore, these bone jades are not a problem for dealing with small monsters.

Although that python was extremely large, it couldn't be considered a demon; at most, it could only be considered an old snake.

Li Yiguang's actions today also surprised Bai Wuxiang. This man possesses great courage, making him difficult for evil spirits to approach. Moreover, his spirit, honed by countless battles and life-or-death experiences, makes it difficult for ordinary demons to shake his mind.

No wonder Black Stone Village was able to survive in the deep mountains where there were many spirits and monsters. Apart from You Junzi's feng shui skills, it was also inseparable from his martial arts skills and great courage.

Xuan Ya quietly watched them. This was the first time Bai Wuxiang had taken action to protect Black Stone Village, so he naturally had to be careful. Otherwise, if too many people died, what use would his village's protector be?
Although Bai Wuxiang was not a kind spirit, he still knew how to do things for money and cherished his reputation. Only with a good reputation would more and more beings come to him for help.

In the swamp, Zhao Lengxiang took her throwing knife from a gray fox. She glanced at the sun in the sky, estimated that it was about time, and then called for everyone to gather and return to the mountain.

The people of Black Stone Village all had smiles on their faces. They carried various kinds of game meat on their backs or in their hands, mostly rabbit meat, as well as wild foxes, wild ducks and other wild game.

Li Yishan, carrying the wild boar he had killed, led the team back amidst the envious and admiring gazes of the crowd.

Zhao Lengxiang walked at the very back of the group. She was the most cautious and meticulous person, and she remained calm and composed in the face of adversity. Even though there were forty or fifty of them traveling deep in the mountains, they had to be careful to avoid being targeted by monsters hiding somewhere.

That's why Zhao Lengxiang requested to return in half an hour, so that the sun would not have set yet and the spirits hiding in the mountains would still be wary.

Walking at the back of the group, listening to the group of men in front of her chatting and laughing, Zhao Lengxiang couldn't help but smile.

To be able to survive in these mountains and live a peaceful life like this is a kind of happiness. It's much better than the chaotic world down below.

"Fluttering~"

Her ears twitched almost imperceptibly, and she instantly snapped back to reality. Something was watching them!

Zhao Lengxiang's sharp eyes swept across the bushes in the woods. It was nearly dusk, and the orange light shone on the lush green grass and trees, with countless tiny particles floating in the light, and a faint mist in the distance.

She glanced around several times, the feeling of being watched lingering.

"Third boss, what are you looking at? How about we brothers have a drinking contest tonight?" A bald man turned his head and asked her with a smile.

In Black Stone Village, except when major decisions need to be made, the three leaders are the real leaders. On ordinary days, the villagers only have the feelings of fellow villagers and neighbors with them.

Zhao Lengxiang snorted and said with a smile, "With your limited alcohol tolerance, you're just as bad as Second Brother. Don't wake up the next day and get scolded by Sister Mei by the ear."

"That woman!" The bald man's face flushed slightly. "You don't believe her nonsense! She always listens to me at home!"

"Is that so?" Zhao Lengxiang smiled without saying anything, not exposing his true colors as a cowardly woman, and turned her head to continue searching for that gaze.

Deep in the bushes, a large, spotted, white-browed insect with a mottled face crouched low, silently following a group of people. The strong smell of blood and flesh stimulated its ferocity, making it unable to resist the urge to pounce and feast.

However, there was a vague aura about this group of people that made it extremely uncomfortable, causing the tiger spirit to hesitate.

"Fluttering~"

A sound of birds flapping their wings as they returned to the forest came from overhead.

Zhao Lengxiang's heart was disturbed by the sound of birds chirping and spreading their wings, and she could no longer find that feeling of being watched.

After a moment's thought, she raised her voice towards the front of the group and said, "Silence!"

The woman's delicate voice was extremely piercing amidst the rough voices of the men. Upon hearing that it was the Third Leader's voice, everyone tacitly stopped.

Li Yiguang, who was at the front, shouted, "Third Sister, what's wrong?"

Something is following us!

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions changed. "Thing" was clearly no ordinary person. They had all lived in the mountains for several years and naturally understood what this meant.

Li Yiguang cursed angrily, "Damn it! What kind of thing is targeting us now! These things in the mountains are really making us live in constant fear!"

“I’m not sure either, but there are over fifty of us, and most of those who can hold their own aren’t some little monsters!” Zhao Lengxiang suggested. “Those who received the Formless Bone Jade should stand every eight or nine people in the group and sincerely pray for the Lord’s protection. Let’s quicken our pace and not slow down anymore. Big brother, you go first, and don’t get distracted. Make sure you lead the way so we don’t get lost!”

"Okay, I understand!" Li Yiguang nodded in a deep voice. He did not act rashly and recklessly, but instead walked at the front of the group with his double hammers in hand, carefully looking for the marks he had made on the way here.

"Fluttering~"

The light and shadows in the sky were constantly blocked by the circling birds, and the setting sun in the forest appeared and disappeared intermittently, causing everyone to feel vaguely uneasy.

High in the sky, the black crow spread its wings, the wind gliding past its feathers. Its eyes were fixed on the mountains and forests below, watching a flock of birds hovering and circling above the Black Stone Village.

Inside the White Bone Cave, a ghostly blue flame slowly ignited in the eyes of the skeleton who was meditating. Bai Wuxiang opened his eyes, a chill running through him, and he let out a low laugh. "It seems that if I want to live peacefully in these mountains, I'll have to pay my respects to these neighbors! I have no choice but to use this bit of demonic power!"

Ghostly laughter echoed in the dark cave, and a chilling wind rose in gusts. The shadows cast by the setting sun in the locust grove looked like menacing demons.

In Black Stone Village, beside a willow tree in front of the temple, You Junzi was dozing off when he was suddenly awakened by a string of bells hanging from the willow branches.

He looked up in surprise. The dim sunlight was a bit dazzling. The bronze bells hanging on the trees started to shake without any wind, making a noise that made people feel uneasy.

"What is that monster up to now?"

You Junzi was surprised. It was still daytime, and the demon couldn't resist coming already?

Several children looked curiously at the bells on the willow tree. A boy with pigtails asked, "Uncle You, how come these bells ring by themselves?"

You Junzi wanted to tell the children to go home and not go out, since children were the most nourishing thing for demons!
"Perhaps it is because the willows are tall and the wind is strong that the bells ring out on their own."

A clear voice answered the child's question, and all the children looked in the direction of the voice.

You Junzi suddenly turned around, looked behind her, and her pupils contracted sharply.

As the last rays of the setting sun fell upon the cloud-topped temple, a handsome man dressed in simple yet elegant robes stood quietly before the willow tree, the afterglow of the sunset and the somber temple behind him.

"Wow~"

The copper bells tied to the willow branches all broke off at that moment and fell to the ground.

"you……"

Yu Junzi was horrified, feeling fear towards this monstrous creature for the first time. However, he instinctively shielded the three children behind him, his voice trembling with barely suppressed terror, "What... are you going to do?"

Bai Wuxiang glanced at the copper bell lying on the ground, not bothering with the other party's little trick of detecting demonic energy, and simply said, "They are in danger, and I need to borrow something from you."

"What?" You Junzi's heart tightened again. How could his elder brother and third sister be in danger? Could it be that this monster was deceiving him?
"How...how can I trust you?"

"Believe or not, it's up to you." Bai Wuxiang stared at him calmly. "I need that jade bell. Without it, I can't save them with this rare power of faith."

“You…” You Junzi said with difficulty, “Don’t you still have demonic power? How could an evil creature capable of slaughtering an entire village be weak?”

“I went to save people only because of the temple behind me. Have you ever seen a demon sacrifice its own cultivation to save mortals? Demons are not good, but gods are compassionate.”

Bai Wuxiang answered his question, then fell silent and turned to leave.

"Wait!" You Junzi suddenly exclaimed, taking out the Jade Void Golden Bell from his sleeve, offering it with both hands, and bowing sincerely, "I beg Lord Wuxiang to take action and save my people!"

Bai Wuxiang stopped and beckoned, and the Jade Void Golden Bell flew up and hung on his waist.

"I will do my best."

Having said that, he flicked his sleeve and stepped into the shadows, disappearing from sight.

The copper bell that had fallen to the ground spontaneously reattached itself to the willow branch after he waved his sleeve.

This scene made the three children widen their eyes and look at the copper bell on the tree in amazement.

As You Junzi watched the last rays of sunlight disappear on the horizon, he muttered to himself, "My ancestors, I have actually handed over the family heirloom, the treasure for suppressing demons, to a demon!"
But if my elder brother, my third sister, and all the villagers were to lose their lives because of my momentary caution, I would have no face to live in this world!

The sun has set.

Amidst the majestic mountains, a group hurried along, taking advantage of the last remaining daylight. Birds perched in the trees, chirping incessantly.

As darkness fell, everyone remained on edge. Then, someone shouted, "There's a light ahead! We must be near the village!"

"Hurry up, keep going! No matter how tired you are, you can't stop! We can sleep for three days and three nights when we get to the village!"

Looking at the exhausted crowd, Li Yiguang raised his voice to encourage them.

At the back of the group, the bald man was exhausted. He was carrying several rabbits, and the basket on his back was filled with a lot of game, as well as a hunting bow and other items.

He caught his breath and turned around to say, "Third Master, should I stop..."

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, and the bald man exclaimed in horror, "Third Master, you... how come there's someone behind you!"

Zhao Lengxiang, who was paying attention, suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, as if her scalp was about to explode. She slowly turned her head to look and saw that there was indeed a person behind her. Because it was dark, she could only see the person's shadow and could not see the face clearly.

Without a second thought, she raised her hand and swung three throwing knives at the dark figure behind her.

"Bang bang bang~"

Three dull sounds, like nails being driven into a wooden board, rang out. The figure grinned and chuckled, then suddenly pounced forward, bypassing Zhao Lengxiang, and bit the bald man's arm. He then dragged the man to the ground on all fours, ignoring his terrified screams and struggles, and quickly pulled him into the depths of the bushes.

Zhao Lengxiang's long sword struck the opponent as if hitting a stone, causing no harm whatsoever.

She could only shout urgently, "It's a mountain demon! Big brother, hurry and save Sanmaozi!"

"Hey hey hey~"

"Hey hey hey~"

"Hey hey hey~"

From the dark surrounding bushes, eerie laughter suddenly rang out, echoing through the mountains and forests.

(End of this chapter)