Chapter 219: People Are More Ferocious Than Demons

Yin Qing vaguely understood that the letter could boost morale, but only if people's spirits hadn't already collapsed, and certainly not if most of them were as terrified as before.

But Yin Qing was also growing anxious, because the song would inevitably end. Although the peddlers were currently formidable, having somewhat frightened the three demons, what would happen a moment later?

"Hoo-woo..." "Hiss-hoo..."

At this point, the three women dropped their pretense. Each bared her teeth and emitted a guttural, beast-like growl, and with the letter's spiritual resonance, everyone could vaguely discern patches of fur appearing on their faces.

While this sight sent chills down their spines, it only made the peddlers strike their choppers with greater intensity.

By the song's end, the only sound was the dense "clang-clang-clang" of blades and axes.

Yin Qing sensed trouble and was about to speak when he noticed all the peddlers had risen to their feet.

The elder named Lu spat into each of his hands.

The other peddlers likewise spat into their hands, rubbed them together, and tightly gripped the handles of their choppers or axes.

"What's there to be afraid of?!" "Let's get 'em!"

"They're no worse than mountain bandits!" "Exactly!"

The peddlers cursed loudly as they advanced with their blades, revealing that this was no mere bluff. Yin Qing and his three classmates were utterly dumbfounded.

Among peddlers in the Lishun Prefecture area, there was a saying: "The Song of Blades invigorates; when it ends, draw your blades and charge."

They were a group of people who carried goods through desolate mountains and treacherous waters just to make a living. They traveled in groups, sometimes a dozen, sometimes scores or even a hundred, and when their fierce resolve was ignited, they truly dared to fight vicious mountain bandits to the death with just their choppers.

Moreover, peddlers often had inherited traditions, whether it was knowledge of shortcuts, practical wisdom, or even some rudimentary martial arts and folk remedies for warding off evil, all passed down from older generations.

Under normal circumstances, even highwaymen, upon seeing peddlers smashing stones on the ground while singing the "Song of Blades," would often choose to retreat.

To be frank, if peddlers weren't engaged in trade, they would undoubtedly make better bandits than ordinary farmers driven to brigandage by desperation.

Yin Qing noticed a continuous stream of spiritual light emanating from the letter in his hand. The peddlers' fierce aura intensified even further, and under the glow of the bonfire, their shadows appeared to emit faint, wispy smoke-like substances.

"These three women don't look human!" "But they don't look like ghosts either!"

"We'll find out what they are when we chop them to pieces!"

"Hah!" "Charge!"

"Hack them to death!"

Having already witnessed the three women's eyes glowing green and fur appearing on their faces, no one believed them to be human anymore. At this moment, all the peddlers were exceptionally agitated, their ferocity overwhelming any fear.

Carrying a fierce, murderous aura, they all surged towards the three women.

Not only were Yin Qing and the others stunned by this sight, but the three fox spirits, clearly encountering such a situation for the first time, were actually so terrified by the onslaught of killing intent that they scattered in different directions.

The moment they showed fear, the peddlers became even more aggressive.

"They're afraid of us!" "Hahahaha, they're afraid of us!"

Three or four men swung their blades together at the woman in the green silk dress. There was no gentleness or pity; they aimed directly for her head and body.

"Ah..."

The woman screamed and dodged, and the situation was similar on the other side. Forced to flee, their foxy illusions and enchantment techniques had little effect against such overwhelming murderous momentum.

These fox spirits primarily specialized in shapeshifting and enchantment spells. The ineffectiveness of their tactics only increased their panic, while the group of men had only one thought: hack, hack, hack—they simply wanted to hack the demons to death.

At this moment, Yin Qing even felt as though he was witnessing Hu Yun's cowardly fear of dogs, prompting him to shout a reminder.

"Those three are fox spirits! I just saw their tails!"

"So they're fox spirits! No wonder they're so provocative!" "And there's that foxy smell!"

"Hahahaha, perfect! We can slaughter these foxes, skin them, and sell their pelts as goods."

"Die!"

The burly men, radiating fierce killing intent, wielded their choppers and axes, relentlessly driving the three women into a corner. It wasn't sophisticated martial arts; mostly, it was a chaotic hacking frenzy. While they couldn't quite land a blow on the agile women, the sight was terrifying.

Often, if a peddler was kicked or struck, and recoiled in pain, another would immediately step in, swinging their blade. Some even completely disregarded personal injury, willing to take a hit just to land a blow, as the women appeared to have frail, slender limbs.

"Rip!"

Someone's blade ripped through a silk skirt, revealing a large tail.

"A tail! A fox tail has appeared!"

Amidst this chaotic hacking, someone, just as they were about to strike a woman, saw her clothes deflate. A fox darted out from the silk skirt, and the other two women also reverted to their true forms.

"They really are foxes!" "Catch them!"

The three foxes were incredibly agile, leaping and scurrying, scratching and biting several people with their claws and sharp teeth.

One of them, as it darted near Old Man Lu, opened its mouth to bite his neck. However, the elder, surnamed Lu, snatched its tail and slammed it violently onto the ground.

"Thud!"

"Whimper, whimper..."

The fox flipped over and clawed Old Man Lu's wrist. But instead of letting go in pain, he tightened his grip, his ferocity increasing.

"You dared to scratch me? You're dead!"

Old Man Lu glared, his face contorted in rage, but before he could swing his blade—

"Pffft!" "Pffft!"

All the foxes farted simultaneously, filling the air with a terrible stench.

"Whimper, whimper..." "Whimper, whimper..."

After farting, the three foxes frantically scurried towards a corner of the outer gate of the deserted inn and slipped out through a rotten hole in the ground.

"Cough, cough, cough... It stinks!"

"It's unbearable..." "Cough, cough, cough..."

"Ugh..." "It's burning my eyes! Ugh..."

"Open the door, open the door... Ugh..."

"Ugh, cough, cough..."

The noxious smell was truly dizzying.

A group of exasperated peddlers, clutching their noses, chased after them to the doorway and opened the door to look outside.

"Rumble..."

Thunder rumbled, and outside, a fierce wind howled with torrential rain.

"Bah!" "They got away."

"Huff... huff... huff..."

"Damn it, that was truly stinky!"

"Ouch... I just got bitten, it really hurts. Huff... huff... I almost suffocated from the smell."

"I got several deep scratches too; the wounds are not superficial..."

"Let's get some fresh air." "Damn it, that was awful!"

"Ptui!"

The group of men spat and cursed at the doorway for a while. Only after the foul odor had dissipated did they finally close the door, and then moved a table to block the small hole at the bottom.

Once they had all returned to the bonfire, their exhilaration had still not subsided.

"Damn it, we almost chopped up demons!" "Exactly! I was just a hair's breadth away from catching one."

"Hahahaha, they're no big deal compared to mountain bandits!"

"Uncle Lu even caught one, but it escaped before he could finish it off."

"Are demon pelts worth more?" "What a shame we didn't kill any!"

"You can say that again."

"Alright, alright, let's tend to your wounds."

"These damned beasts! Their farts stink, and their bites really hurt!"

The peddlers were in high spirits, discussing the events animatedly, their words punctuated by cries of pain and curses. Meanwhile, they rummaged through their baskets for herbs, strong liquor, and other supplies.

Yin Qing and his three companions huddled in a corner like four quails, careful not to get in the way and too scared to speak. They hadn't even dared to run away from the recent stench. The ferocity of these men was truly terrifying; they felt no less daunting than the demons themselves.

"Young man, thank you for your help earlier!"

The leader, surnamed Lu, finished bandaging his hand wound and then approached Yin Qing to express his gratitude. He glanced at the letter in Yin Qing's hand; it no longer glowed and appeared to be an ordinary family letter.

Yin Qing quickly rose and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect.

"It should be us thanking you all. If you hadn't bravely taken up your blades, we would certainly have been in grave danger tonight."

"Exactly, exactly! Thanks to all you heroes!"

Hearing Lei Yusheng even call them "heroes," the men nearby chuckled.

"Hahahaha, we certainly scared those scholars!"

"And Scholar Yin, you were quite brave too!" "Indeed, indeed, scholars truly are different. That quick wit you showed just now is something we can't match."

"Come, come, we have wine and meat broth. Please, have some!"

"Right, right, don't be shy. We're not fools; we know the talisman in Scholar Yin's hand helped immensely."

"What are you talking about? That was a letter."

Due to this incident, the peddlers' previously indifferent attitude towards the scholars shifted to one of great enthusiasm. After their initial fright, the scholars' impressions of the peddlers also improved. The barrier between the peddlers and the scholars within the deserted inn quickly dissolved, and the atmosphere became lively.

Some talked about having just fought the fox spirits, others asked Yin Qing if his letter was blessed, some chatted about daily life, and a few even made crude jokes about the fox spirits' figures.

Meanwhile, in the stormy night, on a distant hill, three rain-soaked foxes glared fiercely towards the deserted inn.