Chapter 61: Lin Qian Awaits Quietly

Jiyuan had originally intended to leave before dawn. His slight delay was mainly due to his fear that the Suanyuan County City God's Office would come looking for him; asking for directions was secondary. However, as dawn broke and no messengers from the county's underworld office appeared, Jiyuan decided not to stay any longer.

This situation was different from his time in Ning'an County. Back then, even if people in the county spread rumors about him being an extraordinary person, it was just gossip and didn't significantly affect daily life. Such rumors would simply pass, and people still encountered him eating on the street, so he ultimately seemed like a living, breathing person.

This time, directly engaging with a demonic creature was a more serious matter, as evidenced by the villagers' reactions.

As for the snake demon, even if it wasn't dead, it was certainly gravely injured. Coupled with the inevitable precautions taken by the various offices of the Suanyuan County City God, there shouldn't be much of a problem.

Jiyuan directly pulled aside a few merchants and meticulously inquired about the best route to Chunhui Prefecture, where to stop, and where to turn. After getting the information, he excused himself by saying he was going back to the hut at the village entrance for a nap. In reality, once inside, he cast an illusion spell and slipped away secretly.

When the village chief enthusiastically came in person to invite Jiyuan for lunch at midday, he found Jiyuan already gone. Inquiries to nearby villagers yielded no information, as everyone claimed not to have seen anything.

Meanwhile, Jiyuan, the person in question, had already left the village for half a day.

According to the merchants' advice, instead of returning to Shunbao County, it was better to continue in his current direction. He would pass through Deyuan, Qianzhou, and Tangshu counties, then follow Jiudaokou County to cross Mount Laohua, and then follow the Xiao Shun River until it merged with the Chunmu River, from which he would follow the Chunmu River all the way to Chunhui Prefectural City.

Of course, there were also small details and landmarks along the way, and he would bypass some uninhabited areas. While it sounded a bit complicated, Jiyuan believed the actual journey wouldn't be too difficult. In desolate areas and mountain ravines, he only needed to walk straight using his good sense of direction. As for the counties along the route, he could find the right path as long as he didn't make too many wrong turns, especially in Jiudaokou County, which was a hub with a very dense population, making it hard to miss.

On the side of the main road heading northeast, Jiyuan maintained a pace similar to a person's light jog, but it still looked like he was walking. This was because his strides were much longer than an average person's, yet his feet remained very close to the ground and moved quickly, preventing any sensation of jumping or running. Instead, it appeared as a leisurely stroll at a normal frequency.

At approximately one and a half meters per step in this state, Jiyuan could easily calculate the distance he had traveled, ensuring he wouldn't accidentally overshoot his destination, and allowing him to better manage his stamina and enjoy the scenery along the way.

After cresting a small hill, he saw another small patch of woods ahead. From a distance, however, the tree canopy appeared unusually dense, almost giving the illusion of a solid black mass.

Jiyuan rubbed his eyes and looked closely.

"Well, well... they're waiting for me here..."

The woods ahead were roughly at the border between Suanyuan County and Deyuan County. Beneath the tree shade stood the City God of Suanyuan County and the two principal officials of the Merit and Punishment Bureaus. Several soul-reaping emissaries held large black umbrellas, and in their hands, soul-binding chains secured a long snake spirit.

Jiyuan had, of course, never seen the Suanyuan County City God before, but typically, a City God's spiritual body is considerably taller than his subordinates, and his divine radiance is conspicuous, making him highly recognizable.

Seeing the snake demon's spirit bound and listless, it seemed to have suffered greatly. This situation was rather delicate!

"Gulp..."

Swallowing hard, Jiyuan quickened his pace slightly, steeling himself as he approached the small woods.

A little further away, the Suanyuan County City God and his attendants had also seen Jiyuan, and they watched him approach with solemn expressions.

Jiyuan was somewhat self-aware; although the situation was urgent last night, he wouldn't truly dare to disregard the underworld officials of an entire county.

So, even before he reached an appropriate distance from the woods, he clasped his hands together in a respectful gesture, then subtly used a movement technique to quickly close the gap.

"I am Jiyuan. Greetings to the Suanyuan County City God and all the officials. Last night, the situation was urgent, and I had no strength left to pursue, so I requested assistance from the Suanyuan underworld. As expected, the snake demon has been vanquished. Many thanks to the City God and the underworld officials for finishing the job for me!"

Jiyuan believed his words were both sincere and polite, and that they also conveyed the true situation of the previous night.

Indeed, the expressions on the faces of the Suanyuan County City God and the two principal officials immediately softened considerably.

"So it is Mister Jiyuan. A demonic creature caused trouble within our county and nearly succeeded. Many thanks to Mister Jiyuan for your righteous intervention. The snake demon has now been vanquished, and its spirit is here. Please take a look, Mister Jiyuan!"

The Suanyuan County City God and his subordinates also courteously cupped their hands towards Jiyuan, their gazes often falling upon his eyes, which appeared to be blind.

As the saying goes, "Respect begets respect." Face and courtesy are often reciprocated, and it has always been this way throughout history.

Jiyuan's words undoubtedly gave them great face and provided the Suanyuan County underworld a comfortable way to back down. The more false the statement "had no strength left to pursue, so I requested assistance from the underworld" seemed, the smoother the 'descent' was, making even the principal official of the Punishment Bureau feel that Jiyuan was full of sincerity.

"Indeed, Mister Jiyuan, please see. Is this the very fiend?"

The principal official of the Merit Bureau waved his hand, and several underworld emissaries immediately brought the snake spirit forward.

"It is indeed this demon. Before dawn today, it used an illusion spell to trick and sacrifice foreign merchants. I estimate it had reached a critical point in its breakthrough, seeking the primordial yang of desire to aid its yin-yang fusion."

"Hmph, Mister Jiyuan's words are precise. It's a pity this wicked creature lacked foresight and ran into Mister Jiyuan's sword."

As he spoke, the principal official of the Punishment Bureau grabbed a section of the soul-binding chain, pulled the snake demon's spirit closer, and pointed to its tail. The spirit there had a wispy, insubstantial quality, precisely where Jiyuan's sword had struck.

"Mister Jiyuan's wondrous techniques are superb. The patrol envoy once remarked that the fire intent flowing ceaselessly from the snake's tail at that time was truly miraculous. It's a great pity he couldn't witness the elegance of that sword!"

Jiyuan carefully observed the snake demon's spirit, gaining a deeper understanding of the "fire of human life." However, this was also due to the snake demon's shallow cultivation; a more formidable demon wouldn't even bat an eye at such methods, and Jiyuan wouldn't dare to confront it.

Yet, when the principal official of the Punishment Bureau mentioned "wondrous techniques," a thought suddenly sparked in Jiyuan's mind.

"You praise me too highly, sirs. I am merely a country bumpkin from the mountains, with limited time in cultivation and no profound or wondrous techniques. I merely used a minor fire control spell to draw upon the 'fire of human life' and employed a sword stance understood from mundane martial arts sword intent, which allowed me, by sheer luck, to wound the snake demon!"

"Minor fire control spell? Mundane martial arts sword techniques?"

Several Suanyuan County underworld officials, including the City God, were slightly surprised. They weren't doubting whether mortal martial arts could eliminate demons.

In reality, truly exceptional martial artists, with their abundant vitality and robust blood, are difficult for ordinary ghosts and evil spirits to harm. Even demons, as long as they are not fully developed or powerful, can potentially be slain. What surprised them was the achieved effect.

"Precisely. As the saying goes, the 'fire of human life' is ceaseless. And the sword stance I comprehended originated from a book left behind by a martial arts prodigy, whose skill could be said to be approaching the Dao. Mundane techniques should never be underestimated!"

This was Jiyuan's true feeling. He had always held the Sword Intent Scroll in high regard, even valuing it above the two cultivation bamboo slips he initially acquired, and thus he always had high expectations for Zuo Kuangtu's original sword manual.

The City God and the two principal officials remained silent for a moment, ultimately not fully believing him.

"Mister Jiyuan's fire manipulation skills are truly impressive and admirable!"

"Since the matter here is concluded, we shall not hinder Mister Jiyuan on his journey. If you ever pass through Suanyuan again and require any assistance, please do not hesitate to ask!"

After the County City God spoke, his subordinates from the various bureaus also gave a slight bow with cupped hands, seeming ready to depart. Since everyone was pleased, there was no point in staying there for further formalities.

"Wait! I actually need your help right now!"

Jiyuan, who had always possessed a thick skin across both his lives, disregarded any shame and quickly spoke up to detain them.

"City God and esteemed officials, please don't leave just yet. I do have an impertinent request. Uh, I wonder if your county's underworld office possesses any immortal cultivation texts or spells? If it's not taboo, would it be possible for me to examine them?"

After saying this, as if remembering something, Jiyuan hastily added,

"No matter how minor, any text or spell would be fine!"

Having said that, Jiyuan bowed again with utmost sincerity. Regardless of whether it was a common minor water-repelling spell or something similar, he just wanted to ask first; his reputation or pride no longer mattered.