Chapter 360: Chapter 360 Kill the Mountain Demon
Du Yueyao felt a bit envious.
The group had been traveling in the northern provinces of Lingbei Dao for over a month. Du Yueyao had already won the approval of Liu Qingyan and the ladies of Five Beauties Manor, so they no longer deliberately hid anything from her.
Only then did Du Yueyao realize that she was the weakest among them.
At first, she felt somewhat self-pitying, but she quickly found solace in Liu Qingyan’s reassurance, saying Du Yueyao was the one who helped her the most. This turned her sadness into joy.
Being recognized by Lady Qingyi made Du Yueyao extremely happy.
Moreover, the medical skills passed on to her by Liu Qingyan were genuine, all at the pinnacle level for treating and saving people without needing cultivation.
This gave Du Yueyao a clearer understanding and decision for her future.
...
Crossing the mountain stream, the group barely found the original mountain path and continued forward.
"Though the mountain stream is turbulent, it’s not impossible to cross. Couldn’t they have looked for another route?" Hua Yixing asked.
"Maybe the other routes are harder to traverse, making it impossible for the physician to pass?" Yu Mingxin questioned.
"They could have asked a villager to inform us. After all, the physician said he would descend the mountain within five days." Bai Ting’Er said.
As soon as the words fell, the group collectively halted.
"What the..." Du Yueyao barely uttered before hurriedly covering her mouth.
By the roadside, a solitary head lay on the ground, accompanied by scattered flesh and shattered bones.
"Ugh!"
Yu Lanxian couldn’t hold back, tilted her head, and vomited.
Du Yueyao, having studied medicine, remained relatively strong-minded, merely supporting Liu Qingyan but still trembling uncontrollably.
The two guards immediately unsheathed their swords, and Hua Yixing, along with the other ladies, cautiously surveyed the surroundings.
"It’s been eaten!" Lin Jing’Er squinted her eyes, tersely remarked.
"A demon?" one of the guards inquired.
"Most likely." Hua Yixing nodded, stepping forward to inspect the chaotic footprints on the ground, "And not just one."
"Many demons?" The guard was startled, glancing around the forest as if detecting faint shadows deep within.
Lu Zheng and the group stepped forward, noticing humanoid footprints scattered across the muddy path, "Monkeys?"
"Big monkeys!" Hu Cai Niang exclaimed, "Monkeys taller than men!"
Bai Ting’Er seemed to recall some unpleasant memory, "That must be... Mountain Demons?"
Mountain Demons, semblance of apes, intelligence akin to humans, standing around ten feet tall, nearly demonic in adulthood.
Lu Zheng looked at the head on the ground and the scattered blood stains always dark and foul-smelling, indicating the person had been dead for at least three days.
"Then this village..." Du Yueyao clearly discerned too, thus her voice trembled.
"Let’s go up and take a look."
The group ascended the mountain, encountering no other deceased along the path, nor signs of human activity.
Until they reached the village halfway up the mountain.
Broken fences, collapsed houses, fragmented corpses scattered, blood stains splattered everywhere.
Lu Zheng carefully sensed, discovering that not a single living person remained in the entire village.
"Chirp, chirp!"
A shrill cry made everyone turn their heads to see a towering figure emerging atop a rooftop, mismatched with the sound.
Standing eight feet tall, covered in black fur, resembling a human ape, with red eyes and sharp teeth.
"Mountain Demon!" Bai Ting’Er exclaimed.
"Chirp, chirp!"
Seeing the group, the Mountain Demon’s eyes flashed sharply. Then, it leapt forward, charging at them.
"Back off!"
Before Lu Zheng could react, Hua Yixing stepped forward and smacked the Mountain Demon.
"Wham!"
The Mountain Demon was spun around by the blow, crashing into the wall behind.
Du Yueyao screamed in surprise, while the two guards looked at Hua Yixing with terror.
Good heavens, from a noble and elegant lady, she suddenly turned into a raging beast?
"Ting’Er nearly died at the hands of a Mountain Demon when she first awakened," Hua Yixing explained, "So at the sight of Mountain Demons, she becomes somewhat afraid."
"Understandable." Lu Zheng nodded, "Why not just kill it?"
Hua Yixing narrowed her eyes, "If I kill it, where would we find the rest of the Mountain Demons?"
Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow and saw the Mountain Demon had scrambled up and leapt back to the rooftop, running towards the rear mountain, while raising its head to shout loudly.
"Chirp, chirp! Chirp, chirp!"
Lu Zheng felt a bit speechless, "Mountain Demons sound like this?"
"Yes!" Hua Yixing nodded, then took the lead chasing after it.
Lin Jing’Er and the other three women followed.
Lu Zheng chuckled, reached out to grab the shoulders of the two guards, and leaped after them.
Adult Mountain Demons are nearly demonic, but without awakening intelligence, unable to transform into demons, they’re no match for Hua Yixing and the other five women.
With Hua Yixing taking action, Lu Zheng happily stood aside and watched the fun.
Seeing Lu Zheng at the rear, Liu Qingyan understood his intention, reached out to support Du Yueyao and her maid Yu Lan, and gracefully joined the chase.
...
The Mountain Demon fled while calling out, delving deeper into the rear mountain towards the Northwest.
Ten miles whizzed past, then on the opposite side of the mountain, a chorus of calls resonated.
"Chirp, chirp! Chirp, chirp!"
"Chirp, chirp! Chirp, chirp!"
Then came the rustling sounds of trembling trees, approaching from afar.
"They’re coming!"
The next moment, the Mountain Demon ahead halted its steps, turning to face Hua Yixing, eyes flashing with murderous intent.
"Want to kill me?" Hua Yixing sneered coldly.
With the entire nest of Mountain Demons present, this lone Mountain Demon was now worthless.
"Die!"
Her palm flipped, two iron forks appeared in her hands, raising her right hand and the iron fork shot out in a flash, instantly striking the Mountain Demon’s face.
"Chirp—"
The Mountain Demon spun and fell, Hua Yixing reached its side in an instant, withdrawing the iron fork.
"Chirp, chirp! Chirp, chirp!"
A group of Mountain Demons emerged.
Seeing their companion dead beside Hua Yixing, over twenty Mountain Demons roared in anger, red-eyed, ready to pounce.
Hua Yixing brandished her two iron forks, Lin Jing’Er’s ten fingernails extended, and demon qi surged from Hu Cai Niang, Yu Mingxin, and Bai Ting’Er.
"Chirp!"
Those Mountain Demons instinctively realized the five women were formidable foes.
However...
Mountain Demons are inherently fierce, afraid of nothing.
They continued to claw forward, baring sharp fangs and claws, lunging.
"Kill!"
With a clear shout, Hua Yixing charged into the crowd of Mountain Demons.
"Chirp!"
Suddenly, a cry from the rear mountain echoed, and simultaneously, a crisp voice resonated in everyone’s ears, "Stop! Do not kill them!"
Hearing the Mountain Demon’s call, the others halted their advance and began retreating, but Hua Yixing and the ladies remained unfazed, continuing their assault.
"I told you to stop!"
The crisp voice was filled with anger and frustration.
Then, with only five Mountain Demons left in a panic-stricken retreat, a towering Mountain Demon crashed out of the woods.