Chapter 24: A Horde of Demons Dancing Wildly 17

The people on the boat were shouting anxiously, as if afraid their voices wouldn’t be heard. The man gathered the constables beside him and called out together, “Master Daoist! Please wait! Master Daoist, oh Master Daoist!” Their voices were powerful, ringing in unison.

Shi Xianyu hesitated, glancing back. It seemed that the boat was trying to catch up with them.

“Brother Shen, should we stop and see what’s going on?” Shi Xianyu couldn’t help but speak. “Those people on the boat seem to have an urgent matter.”

“It may be urgent, but who knows for what reason,” Shen Xiao also paused, looking helplessly at the river. “Since I left home to cultivate, it’s been seven years of wandering—once hunted as a demon in Nanyang City, fifteen years in, imprisoned by a general of the Great Liang to refine an elixir of youth. Since then, I have kept a respectful distance from officials and soldiers. On my forty-third year, passing through Tianshui River, I banished a water demon only to be detained by the local governor, who wished to present me to the empress dowager.”

Shen Xiao sighed heavily, obviously burdened by these memories.

Since he’d spoken thus, Shi Xianyu didn’t press further and was about to continue forward, but Shen Xiao sighed again and said, “Enough! Since fate brings us together, let me go and ask.”

Master Shen lightly tapped his feet, his body soaring into the air. Like a dragonfly skimming the water, he took several swift steps atop the river, and in the blink of an eye, he landed upon the boat.

He stood at the prow, his sleeves billowing behind him, hands clasped behind his back. “You called out so urgently—what is the matter?”

Everyone on the boat was stunned. Such skill, such bearing! Truly the mien of a celestial, transcending the mundane!

The young man leading them immediately dropped to his knees.

As he knelt, the constables behind him quickly followed suit.

Shen Xiao’s eye twitched. “No need for such ceremony. Rise.”

The young man not only remained kneeling, but kowtowed on the spot, crying out, “Master Daoist’s powers are profound, surely an immortal among mortals! Please save the people of Qingshan City from their suffering!”

His praise piled high, and Shen Xiao felt a little embarrassed, coughing lightly. “So, what has happened in Qingshan City?”

The young man knelt, replying, “I am Xu Qingfeng, son of the city governor of Qingshan. A nine-tailed fox demon has been wreaking havoc, abducting innocent girls from the city. I beg you, Master Daoist, to rid us of the demon and restore justice to our people!”

Shen Xiao, relieved to hear they weren’t asking him to refine pills, listened further and grew solemn. “This fox demon you speak of—how many girls have been taken? How long has it been causing trouble? Have you invited any other Daoists to drive it away?”

These questions seemed to pierce Xu Qingfeng’s heart. His eyes reddened, his voice hoarse. “Fifty-eight girls have been abducted. The fox demon takes a new bride every month, forcibly marrying local women. Nearly every household with a daughter has suffered. This has gone on for more than a year.”

Shen Xiao was furious. “Such arrogance from a demon! More than a year—did you not seek help to drive it out?”

In this world, monsters roam freely, and many Daoists specialize in banishing them. Shen Xiao’s kind are not rare.

Xu Qingfeng explained, “Master Daoist, you may not know: Qingshan’s terrain is unique, only accessible by water. We have avoided war and turmoil, but rarely have outsiders visit. Only one Night Wandering Daoist once cultivated in the nearby mountains. When he left to travel, the fox demon struck. I’ve left the city six times to seek help, each time in vain. This time, I happened to meet you just as I departed. Please, I beg you to help!”

Having spoken, Xu Qingfeng bowed again, determined not to rise unless Shen Xiao agreed.

Shen Xiao sighed. “Very well, let us dock so my two companions may board as well.”

Xu Qingfeng was overjoyed, bowing three more times. “Thank you, Master Daoist! Thank you!”

He lifted his robes and urged his men, “Quick! Dock at once! Don’t just stand there!”

The constables scrambled to steer the boat toward the shore. When Lin Yuan and Shi Xianyu boarded, the men were once again amazed.

Lin Yuan, with his human face and leopard ears, was clearly not ordinary, his bearing formidable. Shi Xianyu was even more astonishing—she looked delicate and gentle, but if she were truly weak, could she travel with two masters? Clearly she was hiding her strength, not to be underestimated.

Xu Qingfeng could hardly contain his excitement, believing himself incredibly lucky. He respectfully ushered the three into the cabin, personally serving tea and water.

“May I ask where the three masters are from, and where you are headed?” Xu Qingfeng made polite conversation. “If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask. If it is within my power, I will do it without fail.”

Shen Xiao replied succinctly, “We travel the world, have no fixed abode, and are bound for Spirit Mountain.”

“Spirit Mountain…” Xu Qingfeng nodded in awe. “The place where all cultivators long to go. The Night Wandering Daoist who once trained here disappeared suddenly—perhaps he too went in search of Spirit Mountain.”

Curious to meet a fellow cultivator, Shen Xiao asked, “What kind of person was that Night Wandering Daoist?”

Xu Qingfeng smiled. “I don’t know myself. No one in Qingshan has seen him. It’s said he only appeared at night, always dressed in black. He rid the city of water demons and slew mountain beasts. To this day, his statue is still honored outside the city.”

Shen Xiao nodded slightly. “He was indeed an extraordinary man.”

“You are right, Master Daoist.” Xu Qingfeng refilled Shen Xiao’s tea and respectfully asked, “How may I address the three of you?”

Shen Xiao answered calmly, “I am Shen Xiao, styled ‘Watcher of the Seas.’ These are my companions: Lin Yuan and Shi Xianyu.”

Xu Qingfeng looked carefully.

The Daoist named Lin Yuan had the upper body of a handsome young man, but his lower limbs showed the powerful paws of a beast—clearly of a rare beastly race, his strength surely unmatched.

The other, Shi Xianyu, was an innocent-looking young girl, cradling tea and pastries in her hands, with a bundle of roasted fish wrapped in leaves on her lap.

As the saying goes, appearances can be deceiving. Though Shi Xianyu seemed gentle, Xu Qingfeng dared not underestimate her.

“Have the three masters caught demons in your travels?” Xu Qingfeng inquired cautiously.

Shen Xiao was modest and reserved. “When injustice crosses our path, we naturally intervene.”

Xu Qingfeng pressed further, more cautiously, “Have you ever… caught a fox demon?”

Shen Xiao paused to think. Decades of wandering, he truly could not recall ever encountering a fox demon.

“Brother Shen, didn’t Lin Yuan catch one just the other day?” Shi Xianyu reminded him. “Though it didn’t taste very good—we only ate a few bites before tossing it away.”

Shen Xiao recalled: it was a low-level three-tailed fox, quite different from a true cultivated fox demon. He was about to explain when, suddenly, there was a loud thud!

Xu Qingfeng knelt once more!

Tears almost welled in his eyes as he looked at them. “Masters, your powers are extraordinary! Truly rain in a drought, warmth in the snow for Qingshan! Please accept my deepest gratitude!”

Bang! He bowed his head again, firmly and resolutely.