Chapter 212
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Chapter 212: Are These Melons Ripe?
A grass shed stood isolated by the official road leading to Datong County.
The official road, long neglected, was riddled with potholes and deep ruts carved by countless wheels.
At high noon, not a single soul was visible on the road. Old Zhang stood at the entrance of the shed, his weathered face etched with disappointment as he glanced around.
It seemed there would be no business today.
He gently patted the head of his grandson, who was dozing beside him, and let out a soft sigh.
Just then, a breeze swept into the grass shed.
The wind carried the crisp sound of jingling bells.
Old Zhang immediately perked up, craning his neck to follow the sound.
In the distance, a large blue donkey approached, carrying a young Taoist on its back.
The donkey’s hooves clattered briskly, and in no time, it arrived at the front of the grass shed.
Old Zhang bowed slightly and greeted warmly, “Esteemed Taoist, the weather is scorching. Would you care for some cool tea and a moment’s rest?”
In South Shao, the seasons blurred together. Though it was late autumn, the heat remained oppressive.
“Ah, uh~”
Before the Taoist could respond, the large blue donkey nodded vigorously, as if to say—utterly exhausted!
“You lazy beast!”
The young Taoist, unremarkable in appearance, chuckled and gave the donkey’s head an affectionate pat.
He dismounted and said, “Very well, let’s rest and have some tea. And please, feed my donkey some fodder.”
“Of course!”
Old Zhang beamed as he took the reins, securing the blue donkey to the shaded side of the grass shed.
He called out, “Xiao Liu, hurry and fetch some fodder for the donkey!”
The half-grown boy, startled awake from his nap, hastily wiped the drool from his mouth and scurried to gather fodder from behind the shed.
Old Zhang diligently wiped the table with a cloth and poured a generous bowl of tea for the newly seated Taoist.
“Taoist, this is my homemade cool tea. It clears heat, detoxifies, and dispels dampness. Please, give it a try.”
The plain-looking young Taoist, Wang Chen, raised the coarse pottery bowl to his lips and took a hearty sip.
He nodded approvingly, “Not bad.”
“Please, have more.”
Old Zhang’s eyes crinkled into a smile. “We picked some sweet melons this morning. Would you like one?”
He gestured to a pile of melons nearby.
Wang Chen, intrigued, asked, “Old man, are these melons ripe?”
Old Zhang paused, then replied with a hint of amusement, “What are you suggesting? I’m a melon seller—do you think I’d sell you unripe ones?”
“Well, one can never be too sure.”
Wang Chen spoke with a meaningful tone, “You don’t seem human, so this melon might not be ripe after all.”
As soon as his words fell, Old Zhang’s face instantly changed. Veins bulged on his forehead, and the once ingratiating smile twisted into a bloodthirsty snarl. His eyes gleamed with a savage ferocity.
“Taoist, tea should not be drunk carelessly, and words should not be spoken recklessly!”
His entire body trembled, his fingers curling into talons, his nails silently elongating and sharpening into deadly points.
“Ha!”
Wang Chen let out a hearty laugh.
A jet of water shot from his throat, instantly striking Old Zhang’s face.
It was the tea he had just drunk!
“Ah!”
Old Zhang let out a piercing scream as his skin split open, blood gushing out, revealing the ghastly white bones beneath.
He staggered back a few steps, then suddenly leaped high into the air, lunging at Wang Chen with the agility of a monkey.
However, a large net materialized out of thin air, completely enveloping Old Zhang.
He crashed to the ground, writhing and howling, wisps of gray smoke rising from his body.
At that moment, Old Zhang’s grandson appeared like a phantom behind Wang Chen, gripping a dagger and thrusting it fiercely toward Wang Chen’s vital point.
But Wang Chen, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, turned sideways and swept his robe sleeve, striking the boy with a heavy blow.
The half-grown child was sent flying like a kite with its string cut, his bones undoubtedly shattered in multiple places.
“Ah~”
He landed on the ground, letting out an inhuman wail, sharp white bones protruding from his body. His once somewhat handsome face was now shrouded in black energy, his eyes glowing a deep, ominous red.
Wang Chen shook his head and reached out to retract the Exorcising Net, which had already “digested” Old Zhang.
He clenched his right hand, then opened it again, casting the Exorcising Net once more.
This allowed the grandfather and grandson to be reunited.
In truth, calling them “human” was not entirely accurate, for they had long been possessed by Evil Spirits, their humanity nearly extinguished.
When all traces of humanity are lost, one becomes a true Evil Spirit.
Wang Chen withdrew the Exorcising Net and sat back down at the small table.
The cool tea was undrinkable; it was clear that something akin to a soporific had been mixed into it.
Since cool tea was brewed from herbs, an ordinary person would not detect anything amiss, making it all too easy to fall into such a trap.
After a moment of thought, Wang Chen picked up a sweet melon from the ground.
He used his finger like a blade to cut it open and took a bite.
The melon was ripe and sweet, and even for someone like Wang Chen, who had long transcended mortal concerns, it was a pleasant taste.
What a pity!
To grow such sweet melons, this old man must have been quite skilled at farming.
As a result, both the grandfather and grandson fell victim to the Evil Spirits.
Reflecting on this, Wang Chen found the melon flesh in his mouth no longer tasted as sweet.
“Ah, uh! Ah, uh~”
The braying of the large blue donkey jolted Wang Chen back to reality.
He chuckled softly and tossed the remaining chunk of sweet melon to the large blue donkey’s feet.
The donkey immediately began to devour it with great relish.
This creature had been purchased by Wang Chen at the donkey and mule market half a month ago. After feeding it a Spirit Peach, it surprisingly developed a hint of intelligence and had since accompanied him through the three counties of South Shao: Taide, Sanhe, and Zeyang.
Over the past fortnight, guided by intelligence from the Exorcism Hall, Wang Chen had purged numerous Evil Spirits from South Shao.
All these Evil Spirits had been converted into spiritual energy for the Heavenly Net for Exorcising Evil!
To the common folk, Evil Spirits were a source of great terror, but to Wang Chen, they were merely cultivation resources, easily harvested.
His next destination was the last unvisited locale: Datong County.
As the large blue donkey finished its meal and Wang Chen prepared to set off again, a sudden intuition struck him.
He reached out and grabbed a bundle of fodder lying on the ground, sniffing it carefully.
Wang Chen detected a faint whiff of corpse odor.
He quickly made his way to the back of the grass shed, where he soon uncovered the grim truth.
Beneath the weeds lay dozens of corpses, mostly dressed as farmers, with a few robust martial artists among them, all drained of their vital blood, their deaths gruesome.
It was evident they had been slain by Evil Spirits.
Wang Chen sighed, unearthed all the bodies, and brought them into the grass shed.
Leaving these corpses buried here would only lead to the emergence of new Evil Spirits, wandering souls, or corpses.
A massive Fire Crow flew into the grass shed, igniting blazing flames that soared into the sky.
“Dust to dust, earth to earth, wandering souls return to Thick Earth…”
Wang Chen silently recited the Rebirth Incantation, guiding these victims to peace.
Life is fraught with suffering; may they find tranquility in their next lives.
He mounted the large blue donkey and rode along the official road towards Datong County.
In the mortal world, a vast fog loomed, as he sought his path, forging his own way. “In thousands of miles, who knows what is good? The road in the wind is the way forward…”
