Headless Immortal

Chapter 89 The Old Man and the Swordsman

listen.

It fell silent.

The sounds of frogs and insects gradually faded into the distance.

Both the cow and the donkey had bridles in their mouths.

These bits are specifically designed to prevent them from making noise.

The apprentice who got up to urinate at night saw a dark mass of figures under the starlight as soon as he stepped outside.

The glint of the blade reflected a chilling light, and the arrow was taut on the bowstring.

A warm current flowed down his trouser leg and onto the ground. The apprentice shivered and dared not move. He was terrified and wanted to wake his master, the old temple keeper Huang, but he was too scared to move. Hot tears streamed down his cheeks, and his open mouth trembled slightly, but no sound came out of his throat.

clack.

As his official boots landed, Qian Xiong, dressed in a black robe, was no longer the lazy man he once was. His stubble was neatly trimmed, revealing a weathered face. His leopard-like eyes stared directly at the apprentice as he asked, "Where is the temple keeper, Huang Mu?"

"Sleep in the big house."

The body moves faster than the mind.

The apprentice had no time to think and confessed everything under immense pressure.

The front room is where the statues are enshrined.

At this moment, the old man on the narrow bed got up, his slightly cloudy eyes showing little emotion.

He plucked some golden tobacco from his pipe and pressed it down with his rough thumb.

He lit his pipe over the brazier in front of him.

He took a deep drag on the cigarette, which had a green mouthpiece.

Huang Mu was, after all, a temple priest with magical powers, so how could such a commotion be kept from his ears?

However, by the time he realized it, he was already surrounded. Not to mention those powerful men, even two teams of armored soldiers, with their arrows drawn and crossbows ready, would have been enough to riddle him with bullets.

Huang Mu threw everything related to Peach Blossom Village into the fire pit, bowed before the statue covered with red cloth, and then released several captive water birds.

Qian Xiong stretched out his hand and placed it on the apprentice's shoulder: "Go knock on the door."

The apprentice swallowed hard, dragged his wet trousers toward the wooden door of the main house, shakily grabbed two brass rings, pushed them open, and shouted, "Master, run!"

He really didn't know why, and that's why he was even more terrified.

Hearing the apprentice's shout, everyone was startled.

The constables lined up were sweating profusely, and if it weren't for Constable Qian's order, the arrows would have already pierced through the wooden door in front of them.

Two bronze lamps were lit inside the room.

The fire in the brazier was getting smaller.

The bluish light shone with a warm orange-yellow hue in the fog.

Qian Xiong's expression changed slightly. He had arranged for men to surround the small temple completely, and he would order arrows to be fired if there was any unusual movement.

Moreover, with so many experts standing around, how could they possibly let Huang Mu escape right under their noses?

A withered hand, like an old tree branch, reached out, grabbed the apprentice, and dragged him through the temple gate. The old temple keeper only uttered one sentence: "It's none of your business."

As he spoke, he stepped across the threshold and came out.

Pull the copper ring and the thick wooden door slams shut with a creak.

Looking at the assembled crowd, he said with a smile, "Thank you all for your hard work in dealing with an old man like me with such a formidable formation."

Qian Xiong, with one hand tucked into his robes and the other on his weapon at his waist, said coldly and calmly, "Huang Mu, your crimes have been exposed. You colluded with monsters to harm the people of Meilan County. Surrender now."

Huang Mu exhaled a large cloud of smoke, the tobacco quickly enveloping his body.

"Don't release the arrow."

A clear and cold voice rang out.

Before anyone could react, the dark figure was already close by.

bass!
The constables didn't even see the move clearly before they saw Huang Miaozhu's arm, which was holding the pipe, lose its support and fall to the ground.

clack.

Lu Xun, the black cat perched on Cheng Yan's backpack, squinted his golden eyes. The angle of his sword strike was extremely tricky, slashing diagonally from the lower right. He wasn't aiming to cut off Huang Mu's hand, but rather to sever him at the waist. Unfortunately, Huang Mu's figure was as elusive as paper, and he dodged the attack by a hair's breadth, thus losing his hand instead.

No blood spurted out. The severed arm of the yellow wood was covered with a layer of smoke. The tobacco shreds were connected to the fallen arm. With a gentle flick, the arm was reattached under the pull of the tobacco shreds.

He puffed out his cheeks and exhaled a puff of smoke.

Flames erupted from the colorful sleeves of the robes.

There was a bang.

The fog and fire collided, unleashing tremendous power.

meteor!

The longsword sliced ​​through the entire explosion.

Tiger Leap. The swordsman leaped over the blazing light, like a tiger leaping over a ravine, and swung out a claw in mid-air.

Huang Mu's body was now completely light and agile. The mist in his limbs no longer had any fleshy or bloody characteristics. With a light touch of the ground, he leaped backward to a height of two meters.

How can a person float into the sky in such a peculiar posture?

Just then, the figure that floated up under the moon suddenly broke apart, its body abruptly separated, half of it facing upwards and the other half downwards, its intestines spilling out and scattering blood everywhere.

"stop!"

By the time they shouted for them to stop, it was too late.

Qian Xiong practically rushed over to use talismans to stop the bleeding, but how could someone cut in half at the waist possibly survive? "Quick, use smoke to transform your body."

Huang Mu fell to the ground, his mouth filled with blood and foam as he grinned.

He pulled on the rope beside him, and with a loud crack, his entire upper body, wrapped in colorful clothes, burst into flames.

Qian Xiong's eyes widened.

He then realized that Huang Mu had already made preparations.

"you!"

Qian Xiong turned around and glared angrily at the swordsman.

The swordsman raised a pair of cold, star-like eyes from beneath his bamboo hat, where firelight flickered.

"The spring flows silently, cherishing its gentle stream."

Yang Shen sang loudly, and with his left hand he drew a talisman in the air, and the spring water was poured into the fire to extinguish the raging flames.

"Officer, don't be hasty."

Master Chen smiled and stepped forward, instructing his disciples to set up the ritual altar.

"Master, what kind of altar should we use?"

"Gathering Souls, Summoning Spirits, and Binding Spirit Altar".

Dressed in a Taoist robe, Master Chen took out a small black jar. With a flick of his peach wood sword, black mist was drawn out of the jar. Then, he shook the soul-summoning bell and chanted an incantation: "Heavenly Fiends, Earthly Fiends. Soul of Yellow Wood, quickly come before the altar, heed my command, and do not fail. So be it!"

"Revealed!"

With a flick of the peach wood sword, a burst of spiritual light flashed.

A dark shadow stood above the corpse.

It appeared somewhat transparent and ethereal, with disheveled hair and a body like charcoal, revealing a pair of bloodshot eyes.

The constables broke out in a cold sweat.

If it weren't for the constable and many experts in front of them, they would probably have exclaimed that there was a ghost.

Lu Xun frantically paced around the bag, wondering if the charred black head was still usable. He quickly reached out and patted Cheng Yan, pointed to the charred half-corpse lying on the ground, and then pointed to his own head.

Cheng Yan immediately understood: Uncle Cat wanted Huang Qi's head.

He was so caught up in his turbulent emotions that he watched helplessly as the old man he knew took his own life, and he felt an overwhelming sadness.

Looking around, he decided it wouldn't be appropriate to take the head in public.

So he stepped forward and lowered his voice: "Taoist priest, may I collect the body for burial?"

"can."

Master Chen nodded slightly.

"Someone, collect the corpse."

Qian Xiong quickly ordered people to collect Huang Mu's body for burial.

Cheng Yan opened his mouth but said nothing. Falling into the hands of the government was almost the same as falling into his own hands.

Since the constable had given the order, it would inevitably arouse suspicion if he insisted on taking action. He turned to look at Uncle Cat, who was half-squatting on the bag beside him with his cat paws on his shoulder.

The black cat shook its head and patted Cheng Yan's shoulder with its paw.

As soon as the corpse was put away, Qian Xiong asked impatiently, "Taoist Master, can we begin the interrogation now?"

Master Chen Jing pondered for a while and said, "We still need to wait for the soul to become clear for some time."

"It takes about a quarter of an hour to rouse the soul."

Qian Xiong suppressed his excitement and strode open the small temple gate.

The apprentice who had been hiding to the side suddenly knelt down on the ground.

"Search!"

The constables filed in.

Qian Xiong sat imposingly in his chair, took out a small notebook and a writing brush from his robes, and looked at his apprentice, saying, "Tell me about it."

If the older ones can't be investigated, then the younger ones should be investigated first.

(End of this chapter)