Chapter 149: Beyond Danger
Late at night, several young Taoist boys and girls in robes were still locked in battle with a demonic beast.
It was an owl-beast of the Profound Rank, one that the little Taoists from the Bureau of Heaven Monitoring had been tracking for quite some time. At last, they had seized an opportunity to completely surround it—leaving it no chance of escape.
“Gu gu gu!”
The wounded owl-beast, unable to take flight, seemed to sense its impending death. It abandoned defense altogether and launched a frenzied assault upon the young Taoists.
Though these Taoists possessed decent strength, they clearly lacked sufficient experience in slaying demons. Facing the crazed owl-beast, they became momentarily hesitant and timid.
Just then, one boy’s footing faltered—he stumbled and fell hard to the ground.
“Gu!”
The owl-beast seized the chance, diving straight at him. Its sharp talons had yet to reach his neck, but the violent gust they stirred already left faint red marks on his skin.
“Wang Zheng!”
It was over!
As despair flashed through Wang Zheng’s mind—
“Clang!”
A soft, metallic hum rang out. Wang Zheng looked up just in time to see a slender sword appear before his neck, blocking the beast’s claws.
In the next instant, the slender sword danced through the firelit night, weaving a brilliant trail of light.
That light swept back and forth across the owl-beast’s body. The once-fierce gleam in its eyes gradually dimmed.
Plop.
Its body, pierced through and through by the sword, fell to the ground—lifeless.
“Wang Zheng, are you all right?”
Two other young Taoists rushed to lift him up, scanning him anxiously.
Wang Zheng, shaken from his brush with death, turned toward the sword’s wielder—a graceful young female Taoist.
Pushing aside his friends, he stepped before her, scratching his head.
“Um… Hong Yu, thank you for saving my life.”
Hong Yu, dressed in a simple Taoist robe, calmly wiped the owl-beast’s blood from her slender sword.
At his gratitude, she merely replied,
“It’s fine. Just don’t let your legs go weak next time.”
Wang Zheng’s face instantly flushed red.
“No, no, no! That’s not it, Hong Yu, I wasn’t weak-kneed, I just—”
Hong Yu interrupted him coolly,
“You don’t need to explain anything to me. Just be responsible for your own life.”
With that, she walked away to rest by herself.
The two Taoists beside Wang Zheng muttered indignantly on his behalf.
“What kind of attitude is that? We’re all out here risking our lives to slay demons together. Who among us is afraid of dying?”
“Exactly! If you hadn’t insisted on bringing her along, I’d never have wanted to team up with her.”
Wang Zheng tried to calm them down.
“All right, don’t speak of Hong Yu that way. She’s strong—and that’s been a huge help to us.”
“This time, too—it’s thanks to her that I’m still alive.”
“And besides, she wasn’t wrong. If I can’t even protect myself, who else is obligated to?”
One Taoist rolled his eyes.
“Sure, keep defending her.”
The other spat disdainfully.
“‘Jade-Faced Rakshasa’? More like ‘Ice-Hearted Rakshasa.’”
The two walked away angrily and sat down on the opposite side, their backs to Hong Yu.
Wang Zheng could only shake his head helplessly.
He knew his friends meant well, but he also understood that Hong Yu wasn’t mocking him, nor did she hold any ill will toward them.
Sigh.
He sighed softly, gazing at her distant silhouette.
A year ago, she had been different.
Back then, her elder brother still lived in Yongzhou. Her hometown had yet to be ravaged by demonic beasts. She had still been a bright and carefree girl.
At that time, whenever she welcomed him back from demon hunts, she would make him look at her more than once, unbidden.
But a year later, everything had changed.
Hong Yu had become his fellow exorcist, harboring a hatred for demons fiercer than his own. Now, even her strength had surpassed his.
While others praised her prodigious talent, he could only feel sorrow for all that she had sacrificed to become who she was now.
He sat down beside her.
“Um… Hong Yu, please don’t take their words to heart. They didn’t mean any harm—”
Hong Yu shook her head.
“I don’t think they offended me. Perhaps they’re right. As a member of the Bureau of Heaven Monitoring, maybe my way of dealing with others is the problem.”
“But… I’m sorry. I simply don’t have the heart to think about how to talk or get along with others right now.”
Wang Zheng sighed again. Having long paid close attention to her, he naturally understood why she spoke that way.
Would the cheerful Hong Yu of old only return after her great vengeance was fulfilled?
Or… even if every last demon were wiped out, would she remain as she was now?
His mind drifted with such thoughts.
“Hong Yu, I—”
Before he could finish, Hong Yu cut him off again.
“Don’t speak!”
She rose swiftly, sword drawn, her expression suddenly grave.
Wang Zheng knew at once—Hong Yu must have sensed something. He quickly called to his two sulking comrades.
They might quarrel, but they weren’t fools. All grew tense, staring into the dark void ahead.
After a long silence, one finally couldn’t help but whisper,
“What is it?”
Hong Yu didn’t answer. Sword in hand, she crept forward into the darkness.
Wang Zheng wanted to warn her to be careful, yet dared not break the silence.
In Hong Yu’s memory, there should have been a small village up ahead—Hu Family Village—home to over a hundred peaceful households, much like her own Hongjia Village.
But when Hong Yu and the others crept near, they froze in place, bodies cold, eyes wide with disbelief.
The once-humble, tranquil village no longer existed. The small wooden houses had all collapsed. Even the earth beneath them was stained dark red with blood.
More horrifying still were the countless small towers of bone scattered everywhere.
Though they hadn’t witnessed what happened, they knew well—those bone towers could only be the remains of the villagers who had once lived here.
“H-how could something like this…”
For the first time, Wang Zheng encountered such horror. His stomach churned with nausea; his two companions were no better.
As for Hong Yu—her face had gone pale, yet she forced herself to stay calm.
She no longer looked toward Hu Family Village, but instead began to search the surrounding darkness, as if sensing something.
“There!”
She pointed into the distance. The three boys followed her gaze toward the horizon.
The clouds parted, revealing the cold moonlight.
And beneath that pale glow, at the far edge of their sight, stretched a vast, swarming army of demonic beasts—so many that the sight itself defied comprehension. They marched with purpose, all heading in one direction.
The four of them froze for only an instant—then their faces turned ashen.
At the end of that distant horizon—was Ningjiang County!