Demon Hunt

The next morning.

Meng Yuan shot two hundred arrows, then led the trainees through the Gale Wind Saber Technique several more times, correcting the key points of their movements.

Being swindled out of ten taels of silver yesterday was a small matter. Going out to subdue demons today was the big matter, and Meng Yuan was greatly looking forward to it.

Historical records did not describe demons in much detail. In troubled times, chaos from "demonic calamities" often accompanied the turmoil. Even in peaceful years, demons frequently slaughtered living creatures.

But he still knew little of the finer details. Meng Yuan felt that if all demons were like Grandmother, they might manage stealing chickens and dogs, but stirring up trouble across an entire region was probably beyond them.

Not long after breakfast, Nie Yannian finally arrived.

Meng Yuan had long since made his preparations. A saber hung at his waist, a quiver rested on his back, and he held a bow in his hand.

Having only recently entered the ranks, Meng Yuan knew his own capabilities very clearly. Taking on five or six burly men was no problem, and he could also fight someone of the same rank.

But no matter what, a bow was a ranged weapon and had to be brought along.

"Master Nie, should I switch to the Five-Stone Bow?" Meng Yuan had always trained with the Two-Stone Bow.

"Forget it. You can draw the Five-Stone Bow, but using it for long will drain too much strength. People are the same—being plump is wonderfully fleshy, but it is all too easy to squeeze oneself dry, and it cannot last." Nie Yannian said casually.

What kind of comparison was that? Was there any need to put it that way? It made Meng Yuan think of the beautiful married proprietress of Drunken Moon Pavilion.

Still, Meng Yuan had always listened to advice, so he said no more.

Seeing Meng Yuan fully equipped and looking ready to go out for experience, Wu Changsheng and the others all wore expectant expressions, hoping Master Nie would take them along.

"Watch the house properly!" Nie Yannian tossed out the words casually, then led Meng Yuan away from the Training Field and toward the stables.

Meng Yuan did not know how to ride, but fortunately, the horses here were all trained and mild-tempered.

Moreover, Meng Yuan was no slouch in either strength or reflexes. Though he lacked riding experience, the moment he stepped into the stirrup and mounted, he was able to steady himself.

After leaving the Prince's Manor, Nie Yannian first explained the difference between riding horses and riding people before speaking of the purpose of their journey.

The problem was still at an estate outside the city. The Princess Consort had a Medicine Manor south of the city, where things had recently been disappearing. Several of the patrol dogs had vanished as well, and some of the manor folk claimed to have seen demons.

After rambling through all that, Nie Yannian put away his lazy demeanor and began speaking of spirits and monsters.

There were countless spirits and monsters in the world. Whether snakes, insects, rats, ants, jackals, wolves, tigers, or leopards, all could become demons and monsters.

For beasts of the mountains and forests to become spirits, they needed to absorb the essence of sun and moon, or swallow Spiritual Herbs and Precious Medicines, using them to nurture spiritual radiance and awaken spiritual intelligence. The clever ones could even refine their transverse bones and speak human words.

Demons also had their own paths of cultivation, but they had many drawbacks and produced results rather slowly. Now, after demons and humans had fought for countless years, demons had gradually begun learning humanity's cultivation methods. Most followed the martial path, though some followed the Daoist Sect or the Buddhist Sect.

Once demons began cultivating, they would slowly nurture human forms. This was called transformation.

Yet most retained certain beastly characteristics. Generally speaking, the more intelligent and nimble they were, the more complete their transformations; the more dull-witted and stupid they were, the more beastly features they retained.

Of course, there were exceptions.

Most low-rank demons did not have enough brains—or rather, their minds did not turn easily. Yet some demons were close to humans; some even learned to read and write, and some had read military treatises.

Some demons were savage, some cowardly; some loved moving in groups, while others roamed the mountains alone. Their temperaments were ever-changing, and their beastly instincts had not fully faded. For the most part, they were wild as can be.

Fear sprang from the unknown. After receiving this instruction, Meng Yuan's fear of mountain and forest spirits vanished completely. Instead, he became interested in Spiritual Herbs and Precious Medicines, thinking that if he got the chance, he ought to get some to taste. They might benefit his essence flame.

Leaving Songhe Prefecture through the South Gate and traveling three li, they reached a great river: the Canglang River.

The Canglang River flowed from the west, turned eastward south of Songhe Prefecture, and eventually emptied into the sea.

The two rode upstream along the Canglang River for more than ten li before they saw an estate.

This was the Medicine Manor. It was much smaller than the livestock estate and surrounded by high walls. Nearby were herb gardens, and many villagers also grew medicinal herbs.

The Medicine Manor was used for transferring large quantities of medicinal goods, preparing medicines, and gathering medicinal materials. Its profits were extremely high.

Once they entered the estate, the manor steward came to greet them. There was also a young man dressed in the same uniform as Meng Yuan.

This young man was named Ren Debiao. He too was a Prince's Manor guard, a Ninth Rank martial artist who had arrived earlier to investigate the Medicine Manor.

They exchanged few pleasantries. Upon entering the Great Hall together, Ren Debiao began speaking of his findings.

"They are spirits that came down from the mountains. In total, they have stolen seven dogs, a small donkey, and many prepared medicines—mostly Wound Healing Ointment and Essence Nourishing Qi Enhancement pills." Ren Debiao had the air of a capable man.

"Songhe Prefecture lies close to the mountains. Though there have always been many spirits in those mountains, Songhe Prefecture is a major city. Spirits generally would not dare come down the mountain to stir up trouble." Nie Yannian was clearly quite knowledgeable about demons. "They came down to steal medicine. Could it be that the spirits suffered injuries during internal strife? Or was this the blind work of some ignorant hotheads?"

"Also, two people died in the estate, a man and a woman. They came out in the middle of the night for a tryst. Their bellies were ripped open, and all their organs had been eaten." Ren Debiao said.

"They came out for a tryst in the middle of the night? Weren't they cold?" Nie Yannian laughed.

"Master Nie, give us a plan. Should we report this to the authorities, or handle it ourselves?" the Medicine Manor steward asked.

"Report it to the authorities? Report a few little demons? If word gets out, will I, Nie Yannian, have any face left?" Nie Yannian was supremely confident. "Prepare food first. Tonight, we will stand guard here. Catch one if one comes, catch a pair if two come!"

The steward said no more and ordered the manor folk to slaughter chickens and sheep.

It was still cold in early spring. A mouthful of rich, tender mutton dipped in mashed garlic, followed by a sip of mutton soup—it was truly a supreme delicacy.

Strands of nourishment entered his essence flame, and Meng Yuan felt that if he could feast on mutton every day, his essence flame would likely become full again in less than two months.

After eating and drinking his fill, Nie Yannian slowly made a round of the Medicine Manor. At last, he came to a secluded room and examined the two mutilated corpses.

The organs were gone. Judging from the wounds, they had likely been caused by a spirit's sharp claws.

"Probably spirits of the canine or wolf kind." Nie Yannian then went to inspect the site of the incident, examining the traces the spirits had left behind.

But these spirits were very clever. Even their footprints had been wiped away, making it impossible to tell what kind of spirits they were.

Only after dinner did Nie Yannian make his arrangements. He would take Ren Debiao and Meng Yuan to keep watch from the rooftop by the back wall. The other manor folk were not to participate; they were to sleep, and no matter what sounds they heard, they were not permitted to leave their rooms to investigate.

It was simply waiting by a tree stump for rabbits.

"Spirits can be easy to deal with, yet they can also be difficult to deal with." Nie Yannian tapped his temple and instructed him, "Once they get away with something, they will want to get away with it again. Unless they feel pain, they can come every day. And most spirits hold grudges. So either kill them outright, or make them understand that they can never bully you. Otherwise, they will definitely come back to cause you trouble."

The chill of early spring bit sharply, and at night the wind howled without end.

All three were martial artists, so enduring a spell of cold was nothing difficult.

They waited until the night had grown deep and dawn was approaching. Everything became increasingly silent, until a faint bleat drifted through the pitch-black world.

Meng Yuan immediately perked up, widening his eyes as he looked toward the source of the sound.

In the darkness, a figure took a running start from outside the courtyard wall, then leapt stiffly onto the wall two zhang high.

The figure looked around. Once it saw no danger, it gave another bleat, and a second shadow appeared, likewise jumping onto the courtyard wall.

The two figures looked about to either side for a moment before finally jumping down into the courtyard.

Meng Yuan was only a little over ten paces away from them. Though heaven and earth were dim and lightless, he could now see them roughly clearly.

These two figures were not human at all. Both stood about a zhang tall, their muscles bulging all over, their fur thick and coarse—one black and one white. Massive sheep heads sat atop their shoulders, with enormous horns curving like scimitars.

The two sheep demons were slightly hunched, sacks slung over their shoulders and bone clubs in their hands. Their horizontal yellow pupils held not the slightest emotion, making them exceptionally terrifying.

Seeing the prey take the bait, Meng Yuan held his longbow and slowly drew out an arrow, ready to strike at any moment.

"Already unable to hold back from shooting?" Nie Yannian grinned mischievously. "Take your saber and go down to fight them!"