I Grind to Martial Saint

The Celestial Phenomena Tribe had never had a strong presence in the Observatory.

It was, after all, just a few old men.

As Supervisor, Old Yan had some skill. His Cultivation had reached the Three Souls Abnormal People Realm, equivalent to the True Qi Martial Artist Realm.

When Old Yan saw the courtyard of the estate littered with corpses, he wasn’t particularly shocked, only shaking his head slightly.

But when he saw the Statue of the Netherworld Saint Mother, he was so frightened he hid behind Han Yuan.

"Old Yan, what’s got you so scared?"

Han Yuan asked, puzzled.

"Director Han, this Statue of the Netherworld Saint Mother is no simple thing."

"It’s alive!"

"Be careful it doesn’t lock onto you!"

Old Yan exclaimed in alarm.

The Divine Soul of an Abnormal Person was much stronger than that of an ordinary person.

That was why they could often sense certain inexplicable presences.

"It’s fine."

"I already slashed it with my saber."

"I called you over to confirm whether or not this is an Evil Demon Seed."

Han Yuan asked.

"An Evil Demon Seed... It somewhat resembles the descriptions in the records."

"But it’s definitely not a complete Evil Demon Seed. If it were a real one, the moment it unleashed its power, I’m afraid the entire Cangshui County Town would be corrupted."

Old Yan analyzed.

"So, is it or isn’t it?"

Han Yuan didn’t understand.

"All I can say is that this statue has likely been tainted by a sliver of an Evil Demon Seed’s power."

Old Yan said.

"Then how should we deal with it?"

"Should we just burn it with fire, or...?"

Naturally, Han Yuan didn’t want something like this to remain in Cangshui County Town.

"Director Han, what if we keep it for now?"

"This is a rare find... If we could bring it back to the Observatory..."

"After all, the Evil Demon Seed is something from the Chaotic Ancient Era."

"If we can study this statue and learn something, we might finally be able to determine if the Yellow Springs Saint Mother truly is an Evil Demon Seed."

Old Yan said.

There had always been all sorts of speculation about whether the Yellow Springs Saint Mother was an Evil Demon Seed.

Now, with this statue, they might finally be able to uncover the truth.

"This statue possesses a strange power. If we take it back rashly, I’m afraid it could cause some trouble."

Han Yuan said.

"Rest assured, Director. I have a clever plan."

"I’ll use a Magic Technique to seal the statue. I absolutely won’t let it cause any chaos."

Old Yan chuckled slyly.

Han Yuan nodded. "Then do as you say."

"Then I’ll head back to the Observatory to grab a few things first."

"Director, please wait here for me."

With that, Old Yan hurriedly left the courtyard.

He returned after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

"Lord Han, drive this nail into the center of the statue’s brow."

"Then I will perform a Magic Technique to seal it."

Old Yan took out a long nail, as thick as a finger.

The nail was dark all over, its surface covered in a dense pattern of fly-sized runes drawn in Cinnabar.

"Is this a Dharma Artifact?"

Han Yuan asked curiously.

"You could say that."

"This nail is called the Soul Suppressing Nail. Driving it into the statue’s brow will suppress its evil power."

Old Yan explained.

"Alright."

Han Yuan nodded.

"Director, you must be careful."

"This statue might be related to the Evil Demon Seed... I don’t know if there will be any danger when you drive it in."

Old Yan reminded him.

This was also the reason he was having Han Yuan do it.

"It’s fine."

"I dared to slash it, so what’s driving a single nail?"

Han Yuan wasn’t concerned at all.

He picked up the Soul Suppressing Nail and, with a raised hand, slammed it into the Statue of the Netherworld Saint Mother.

CRUNCH~

Stone chips flew as the nail drove deep into the center of its brow.

Throughout the entire process, the Statue of the Netherworld Saint Mother showed no reaction.

Seeing this, Old Yan began chanting a Technique, hastily pulling out several sheets of Talisman Paper and slapping them onto the Statue of the Netherworld Saint Mother.

Only after everything was done did he let out a sigh of relief.

"It’s done, Director Han."

"Next, we just need to pack it in a box and bring it back to the Observatory."

As he spoke, Old Yan picked up his wine gourd and took a swig.

Hearing this, Han Yuan called for Zhai Mu and the others to clean up the scene.

He found a box himself, placed the Statue of the Netherworld Saint Mother inside, and brought it back to the Celestial Phenomena Tribe at the Observatory with Old Yan.

Old Yan seemed very interested in the Statue of the Netherworld Saint Mother. He called over the other few old men from the Celestial Phenomena Tribe, and they began to study just what was going on with the statue.

As a mere Martial Artist, Han Yuan couldn’t be of any help, so he had no choice but to leave.

On his way back to the main hall, he happened to run into Zhou Yuanhu, who was returning from arresting people.

"Director, all targets for this operation have been eliminated."

"However, we only managed to capture a few. The rest of the Wangling Sect fiends either threw their lives away or committed suicide."

Zhou Yuanhu said, clasping his fist.

The fiends of the Wangling Sect were all fanatical lunatics who had no regard for their own lives.

That was why it was so difficult to capture them alive.

The few who were brought back were only caught because Zhou Yuanhu had exhausted every possible means.

"Good work."

"Interrogate these few and see if you can find any clues."

Han Yuan said softly.

"Yes."

"You can rest assured, Lord Han."

Zhou Yuanhu clasped his fist and departed.

He had been the deputy supervisor of the Demon Extermination Tribe for quite some time now.

Compared to his former days of robbing and plundering, he felt that his work in the Demon Extermination Tribe was more meaningful.

That’s why he worked harder than anyone else.

’Looks like I didn’t choose the wrong person after all.’

Han Yuan smiled as he watched Zhou Yuanhu’s retreating back.

...

A day passed.

By dawn.

「At the city gate.」

A dozen or so corpses were hung from the top of the city wall.

"Why are there more bodies hanging up there?"

"And I don’t think I’ve ever seen these people’s faces before."

"But the clothes they’re wearing seem a bit strange."

The common folk gathered under the city gate, their discussions growing louder.

At that moment, Zhou Yuanhu appeared on the city wall. He took a deep breath and shouted, "Everyone, these are all fiends from the Wangling Sect! They lurked within our city, secretly deceiving the people. The Observatory executed them last night and has hung them here as a warning!"

"From now on, I urge you all not to be deceived by the Wangling Sect!"

Hearing that the corpses belonged to fiends from the Wangling Sect, the crowd came to a sudden understanding.

"So they were from the Wangling Sect."

"No wonder the Observatory hung their bodies up there."

"A good kill! We should kill all these fiends who prey on people’s minds!"

A Swordsman in a Conical Hat glanced at the scene a few times before quietly departing.

He made his way back to a private residence, cautious and discreet.

"The Wangling Sect members... they’ve all been killed," the Swordsman said in a low voice.

The man inside the house frowned upon hearing the news. "That bastard Han Yuan... he even anticipated this."

"Without the Wangling Sect stirring up chaos in the city... it’s going to be a bit more troublesome when our men arrive to attack."

The Swordsman sighed. "There’s no use talking about it. We should send the news back first, so the Chief knows as soon as possible."

"Mm."

"We’ll settle this score with Han Yuan later."

The man nodded helplessly.

...

「On a main road dozens of miles from Cangshui County Town.」

Today was another day of continuous, dreary rain.

A young Daoist was walking on foot, holding an Oil Paper Umbrella.

Due to the many days of rain, the road had become exceptionally slick. With every deep and shallow step, the Daoist’s shoes and socks had long been stained with mud.

The Daoist paid it no mind, however, his gaze fixed on Cangshui County Town in the distance.

’I should be arriving at Cangshui County Town soon... I heard along the way that a lot has happened there.’

’I wonder how Brother Han is doing.’

Zhang Cang muttered to himself.

Several months had passed since he and Han Yuan parted ways in Wushan County.

When they separated, he had promised Han Yuan that he would go to Cangshui County Town.

Given Zhang Cang’s character, he would naturally keep his promise.

However, along the way, he would dispense medicine and heal the sick wherever he went, sometimes getting delayed for many days by the sheer number of patients.

That was why it had taken him so long to reach Cangshui County Town.

"What are you doing?!"

"Help!"

"AHHH!!!"

Suddenly, Zhang Cang heard a series of bloodcurdling screams from the nearby woods.

His expression changed, and he hurriedly rushed into the woods, umbrella still in hand.

There, he saw several ferocious-looking, raggedly-dressed bandits wielding long sabers, surrounding a man, a woman, and a child.

The man looked terrified, but he still stood protectively in front.

The woman, meanwhile, held her child and trembled uncontrollably.

"Gentlemen..."

"I’ve already given you all my money. Please, let us live."

The man summoned his courage and tried to reason with the bandits.

"Hahaha."

"We don’t just rob for money, we rob for pleasure too."

"We see your wife is quite a looker. Why not let her entertain us brothers for a bit?"

The lead bandit let out a lewd laugh.

The other bandits also stared with greedy eyes.

"Never!"

The man stood firm, shielding his wife and child.

"Then it’s not up to you!"

The bandit leader was about to cut the man down with his saber.

"Stop!"

Zhang Cang shouted urgently.

His sudden appearance startled the bandits.

But upon seeing he was just a young Daoist, they immediately relaxed.

"Where did this stray Daoist come from? Trying to be a busybody? Scram! Or else this lord here will cut you down!" the bandit said coldly.

His accomplices behind him also glared menacingly.

If it were an ordinary commoner, they probably wouldn’t have even bothered with the chatter and would have just cut him down directly.

But Daoists had an aura of mystery about them, so the bandit leader didn’t want to provoke him, hoping only to scare him away.

But Zhang Cang, being the person he was, would naturally not be scared away by the bandit’s threats.

He said in a solemn voice, "Gentlemen, you’ve gotten what you want. Why must you be so ruthless?"

The bandit leader instantly flew into a rage. "You damn Daoist, I give you a way out and you don’t take it? You’re still here running your mouth at me, is that it?!"

With that, he dashed forward and kicked Zhang Cang in the stomach.

Zhang Cang, who was utterly powerless, was no match for the bandit leader.

With a cry of pain, he was sent flying to the ground by the kick.

The bandit leader sneered, viciously swinging his saber at Zhang Cang’s head.

’Brother Han, I’m afraid this poor Daoist won’t be able to keep our appointment.’

Zhang Cang closed his eyes in despair.

VMM~

Then.

He heard the clear ring of a sword.

Immediately after.

He felt a warm liquid splash onto his body.

Zhang Cang’s eyes flew open in astonishment.

He saw the bandit leader, eyes wide, continuously spitting out mouthfuls of blood.

A longsword had pierced through his chest.

PSHCHT!

The longsword was suddenly pulled out.

The bandit leader collapsed right in front of Zhang Cang, blood still pouring from the wound in his chest.

"Little Daoist."

"I saved you this time. How do you plan on thanking me?"

A teasing voice rang out.

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