The Demon King, reborn in Japan as a monk

The next day, Ishihara Akira met Shen Tianyang and his son, along with Xiao Mu, again.

"What's your decision?" Ishihara Akira asked the three of them.

"My benefactor understands perfectly. So I can only apologize to you here for now, and I will find another opportunity to repay you in the future." Shen Tianyang chuckled awkwardly and said apologetically to Ishihara Akira.

"I didn't help you in the first place because I wanted something in return," Ishihara Akira said, waving his hand dismissively.

Or rather, he regretted bringing them back, because he really had nowhere to use them...

Aside from the fact that Xiao Mu is a girl and one of Yuwen Mu's reincarnations, she might be able to use her to lure Yuwen Mu in the future, thereby destroying him, strengthening her own soul cultivation, and accelerating her transformation into a Yang God.

"But what will happen to the bookstore once we're all gone?" Shen Tianyang asked again with a smile.

"Let's keep it locked up for now. We won't make much money anyway, and it's not like we're never coming back. We can just hand it over to Xiao Mu to manage when we get back," Ishihara Akira replied nonchalantly.

"That's true," Shen Tianyang nodded in agreement.

As for the question of whether Xiao Mu would be separated from them, the three of them were not originally a family. They met on the road of fleeing from disaster. They couldn't bear to see Xiao Mu, such a young girl, suffer, so they took her in and took care of her. Although they had feelings for each other, they were not inseparable.

Besides, Xiao Mu isn't going to suffer by separating from them. Judging from the time they've spent together, Shi Yuanzhang and Qin Mengyao are clearly good people. So even if Xiao Mu comes back with them alone, she won't suffer. There's really no need to force Xiao Mu to stay by their side.

Military camps aren't cities; women aren't allowed there...

"Then pack your things, and come with me to see my friend tomorrow," Ishihara Akira instructed.

"Yes."

Days passed as usual, and time flew by to the next day.

……

Shi Yuanzhang, along with Qin Mengyao and Xiao Mu, who had changed into men's clothing, and Shen Tianyang and his son Shen Tiezhu, met Hong Yi, who was already fully prepared for departure, and the dozen or so personal guards that Prince Yu Yangqian had arranged for him at the city gate leading south from Yujing City.

"Brother Hong."

"Brother Shi," Hong Yi replied, clasping his hands in greeting.

"Come, let me introduce you." Ishihara Akira smiled and grabbed Hong Yi's arm, leading him to Qin Mengyao and the others, saying, "This is my wife, Qin Mengyao."

"Greetings, sister-in-law," Hong Yi greeted her with a bow.

"Greetings, Brother Hong Yi," Qin Mengyao returned the greeting.

“This is my wife’s maid, Xiao Mu.” Hong Yi nodded.

Xiao Mu returned the greeting.

"These two are Shen Tianyang and his son Shen Tiezhu, the same assistants I mentioned to you before, whom I was planning to recommend to you," Shi Yuanzhang introduced Hong Yi to Shen Tianyang and his son.

"Hong Yi greets the two valiant warriors," Hong Yi said politely.

"Young Master Hong, you're too kind," Shen Tianyang replied.

After a few more brief pleasantries, Shen Tianyang and his son Shen Tiezhu followed Hong Yi, and then everyone mounted their horses and set off together, galloping south...

……

The road was peaceful at first because it was an official road, which was not only well-maintained but also had good security. There were hardly any bandits or thieves around, so we didn't encounter any attacks. However, when we got to the vicinity of Huangnigang, the situation changed drastically.

First, the roads changed from solid official roads to ordinary dirt roads. While these roads were fine to drive on in sunny weather, with just a bit of dust, they turned into a muddy mess in rainy weather. This is why the place is called Huangnigang (Yellow Mud Ridge).

More importantly, once you enter Huangnigang, you'll find yourself in a mountainous forest. It's far from the capital, with few villages or towns nearby, and close to the road, making it the perfect place for bandits and outlaws to rob and plunder.

So they encountered an ambush after only 20 miles of deep penetration...

Of course, it was discovered by Ishihara Shoku.

After all, Hong Yi doesn't have the Lion King or Chi Zhuiyang by his side right now, so he can't use animal senses to detect ambushes in advance. He can only rely on Ishihara Sho's perception, as well as the feedback from the Heavenly Eye and the Heavenly Demon Vision.

Therefore, once they arrived nearby, Ishihara Akira immediately called out to Hong Yi and the others, and without saying a word, he unleashed a lightning spell that blasted out the black-clad man hiding in the shadows.

"Rumble..."

"More than twenty martial arts masters, they really think highly of me." Hong Yi counted the number of attackers and couldn't help but sigh.

"Mengyao, Lao Shen, Tiezhu, Xiao Mu, go and practice your skills. Let Brother Hong see what you're capable of." Shi Yuanzhang calmly instructed the people around him from his horse.

"Yes."

"Just you wait and see, my benefactor."

As they spoke, Qin Mengyao, Xiao Mu, Shen Tianyang, and Shen Tiezhu, father and son, dismounted and, together with the surrounding guards, charged toward the twenty-odd men in black who were attacking them.

The attackers didn't mince words and immediately raised their crossbows, firing at Qin Mengyao and the others.

Unfortunately, the distance between the two sides was too great. By the time the arrows reached Qin Mengyao and the others, they had already lost their power and were easily deflected by them. Then, the two sides engaged in close combat and fought fiercely on the dirt road.

This is where skill becomes crucial.

For example, Shen Tiezhu, relying on his height and strength, fought wildly and recklessly, wielding his iron rod in a wide arc. Anyone he touched was injured, and anyone he hit was in pain. Like a general in the army, he directly showed his power and momentum.

In contrast, Xiao Mu's skills were much like those of an assassin. She moved nimbly among the men in black, occasionally striking one of them with a sudden sword strike. Although she might not be able to kill him instantly, she made all the men in black wary of her, preventing them from focusing all their attention on the attacks of others. This greatly reduced the pressure on the others and gave people like Shen Tianyang, who were more conventional, the opportunity to make a name for themselves.

In comparison, Qin Mengyao's killing was much more artistic. Basically, as soon as she handed over her longsword, the men in black in front of her seemed to lose their minds, dumbfounded as Qin Mengyao plunged the sword into their vital organs, ending their lives.

With the addition of the surrounding guards, it didn't take long for all the men in black to be wiped out. Only two or three highly skilled martial artists survived on the spot and were captured by Qin Mengyao and Shen Tianyang, who then brought them before Hong Yi.

"Speak! Who sent you? Why did you try to ambush me? And what are your names? Tell me!" Hong Yi didn't mince words. He walked directly up to one of the restrained men in black, looked him straight in the eye, and demanded in a deep voice.

Chapter 455 Happy Labor Day

Seeing that they were at their wits' end and had no hope of escape, the man in black, unwilling to die so easily, didn't put on a show of unyielding defiance. He readily revealed their origins and the reason for their ambush of Hong Yi.

Just as described in the original novel, he received a kill order from the Great Luo Sect to kill Hong Yi. As for his identity, he was a well-known bandit in the nearby mountains, known for his fierce and cunning nature. He was a bandit leader who had been hunting and killing people in the mountains. He then led his men to the mountains, where they were attacked and killed.

The cultivation elixirs produced by various large Zen temples, as well as gold, silver, and military equipment, greatly enriched Hong Yi, who was already struggling financially.

Then the group set off again, heading south.

However, after only a few days of peace, Hong Yi was attacked again—

The once peaceful official road now seemed to have turned into a ghost story, with the population suddenly changing from sparse to deserted.

At the same time, time seemed to speed up suddenly, causing the sky, which was still just dusk, to darken rapidly and turn into night.

A strange feeling began to rise uncontrollably in everyone's hearts, as if trying to lull them into a long slumber, never to awaken again.

"Monster!" At this moment, Hong Yi, who had cultivated the Divine Soul Technique, shouted loudly with the heart of a gentleman and a righteous spirit.

Suddenly, a majestic thought and aura spread outwards from Hong Yi, flooding into the minds of the surrounding soldiers and awakening them from their strange state.

As for Ishihara Akira and Qin Mengyao, one was a fourth-level Ghost Immortal and the other was a master of martial arts cultivation with innate internal organ cultivation and great mastery of soul manipulation. They were about to manifest their true forms, so they naturally noticed the abnormality early on and guarded their minds, not being affected by this attack that was clearly a soul-suppressing technique.

Then, everyone's vision cleared, the darkness receded, and the road returned to its previous state of approaching dusk. The official road also returned to normal. Although there were still few pedestrians in sight, a woman with a blurred face and wearing a pale yellow dress appeared in everyone's eyes, making everyone realize who was behind all this.

"Who are you? Why are you blocking our way? And why are you using evil magic to ambush us?" Hong Yigao, sitting on his horse, stared at the woman not far away and shouted loudly.

"Hehe, there really are experts among you people, actually able to break my Star Constellation Yin Yang Dao Grand Technique." The woman chuckled, showing no signs of tension at having her technique broken, but rather seemed to have discovered something interesting, responding in a relaxed tone.

This made Hong Yi's heart tighten again.

But when he thought of Shi Yi, Shi Yuanzhang, and Hong Yi beside him, he felt relieved.

Even if the enemy is strong, they can't be stronger than Brother Shi, right?

Moreover, Brother Shi's wife is a Primordial Martial Master, and she possesses the weapons they previously seized from the enemy's tomb. This gives them a significant advantage in the fight against the enemy.

Yes, in the original novel, the Sun-Piercing Bow that he gave to Chi Zhuiyang was given to Qin Mengyao by Hong Yi.

After all, the Sun Piercing Bow is one of the ten famous bows, and its drawing strength is not something that ordinary people can pull. It requires a person with the innate martial arts master level to be able to do it. Hong Yi himself is only at the martial arts level, and he has only recently broken through. It is not a problem for him to pull an ordinary Daqian standard military bow, but what about the Sun Piercing Bow?

He was impossible to pull away from.

However, it wouldn't be good to leave such a powerful weapon that could strike at a master of the soul, so after some consideration, he handed over the Sun Piercing Bow and the Soul-Shattering Arrow to Qin Mengyao.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be right to leave such a powerful tool unused, would it?

Not to mention, the chaotic situation, the inability to control the situation, the lack of resources and power, and the inability to control the situation are all unacceptable.

"Witch! How dare you use your sorcery in broad daylight on the official road to obstruct an official of the court?" Thinking of this, Hong Yi questioned her with increasing confidence.

"Witch? Hmph!" The woman called a witch felt very displeased and snorted coldly. Those with low cultivation, including Hong Yi, all felt a jolt in their heads, as if thunder was roaring in their skulls, and became dizzy.

"Hehehe, hehehe, intercepting an official appointed by the imperial court? That's right. I'm going to intercept you. Not only will I intercept you, but I'll also kill you today! What can you do about it?" After venting her anger, the woman mocked with a playful expression.

"Zhao Feirong, you really are arrogant and look down on everyone. Apart from Hong Yi, you don't take anyone else seriously." At this moment, seeing Zhao Feirong going too far, Shi Yuanzhang couldn't help but sigh and speak up.

"You actually know me? And who are you?" Zhao Feirong frowned upon hearing this and turned to look at Shi Yuanzhang.

Hong Yi pondered to himself—Zhao Feirong? Another member of the Zhao family…

He remained outwardly calm, observing the confrontation between Ishihara Akira and Zhao Feirong, and handed over the reins of the matter to Ishihara Akira.

"Brother Hong, you probably don't know this, but this woman in front of you, Zhao Feirong, is the daughter of your father Hong Xuanji and Zhao Feier, the current sect leader of the Great Luo Dao. In other words, she is your half-sister." Shi Yuanzhang ignored Zhao Feirong's question and turned to Hong Yi beside him to introduce her.

"What? She's my father's daughter," Hong Yi exclaimed in astonishment.

"Yes. And there's more than one daughter like that. After all, your father, Hong Xuanji, was an absolute prodigy in his time, a protagonist-like figure. He was never short of women. It's just that, apart from Madam Zhao, the other women didn't marry into your family for their own reasons, but that doesn't mean they lost contact..."

"You scoundrel, don't you know that talking too much will lead to a bad death?" Zhao Feirong rebuked Ishihara Akira for his slander of her father, Hong Xuanji.

"It's not like you'd let us go if I didn't say anything. We're going to fight anyway, so why should I give you face? I'll just say it, so what can you do to me?" Ishihara Akira asked casually, giving off a smug vibe.

"Fine, fine, since you're so eager to die, then I'll grant your wish!" Then, the sky darkened once again. Not only did it turn black, but it also seemed as if time had reversed, with countless stars appearing in the sky, spinning like a vortex, distorting the entire night sky, and then forming a unified whole, pressing down on Hong Yi, Shi Yuanzhang, and the others around them.

"Well done!" Ishihara Akira shouted.

Then suddenly, the image of a Vajra Arhat appeared behind him, his eyes wide with anger, and he directly supported the sky with his hands.

"Wow! Open it for me!"

Then, the Vajra Arhat roared and was born. The entire dark curtain of the starry sky was torn apart by the Vajra Arhat, revealing the true world outside.

However, Zhao Feirong suffered a backlash from the Taoist magic, letting out a muffled groan and taking a step back.

"A Ghost Immortal? How could Hong Yi have a Ghost Immortal at the first level by his side?" Zhao Feirong exclaimed in disbelief.

Chapter 456 Zhao Feirong