Giant Rat!

"Yes, of course you qualify! Young Hero Li, please take a seat!"

Steward Jin's face broke into a warm smile.

To him, the stronger the martial artists joining the Rat Extermination, the better.

Just now, "Li Mu" had sliced Zhao Yi's bamboo hat apart with a single stroke, yet Zhao Yi himself had remained completely unharmed. Even though Steward Jin was not a martial artist, he could tell that such precise control was anything but ordinary.

"Hero Zhao, please take a seat as well. We can discuss the Rat Extermination together."

Steward Jin did not forget to offer Zhao Yi some consolation.

But Zhao Yi felt humiliated beyond measure. He clasped his hands toward Steward Jin and said, "Zhao's skills are lacking. I should not remain here and make a fool of myself. Farewell!"

With that, Zhao Yi turned and left without hesitation.

"Hero Zhao, why must you do this?"

Steward Jin wanted to keep Zhao Yi.

But people needed their pride as trees needed their bark. Zhao Yi had indeed made something of a name for himself in the Jianghu.

Now that "Li Mu" had split his bamboo hat with one stroke while he had not even drawn his blade, staying behind shamelessly would truly have made him a laughingstock.

Zhao Yi had left, but there were still quite a few martial artists participating in the Rat Extermination. Including Ji Qing, there were five in all.

Steward Jin swept his gaze over the five of them before saying, "I must trouble the five heroes to help Great Huai Village eradicate the rats. Once you succeed, I will present one thousand taels of silver. Each of you will receive two hundred taels."

Ji Qing did not care much about the reward money.

What he cared about more was the "big rat."

"Steward Jin, I heard some rumors saying that Great Huai Village's rat infestation was actually caused by a huge rat. That rat is enormous and may have become a spirit. Is that true?"

Ji Qing asked directly.

Steward Jin had no intention of hiding it. He nodded and said, "Some hunters previously went to exterminate the rats, but they suffered heavy casualties. A few hunters escaped and returned. According to their descriptions, this infestation really was caused by a huge rat. They called it the Rat King. This Rat King can even command vast swarms of rats, making it very difficult to kill."

Ji Qing fell into thought.

According to Steward Jin, that huge rat might indeed be a demon.

"Even if that huge rat has truly become a spirit, the five of us can still slaughter it! Steward Jin, where is it? Hurry and take us there. The sooner we deal with the rat infestation, the sooner we can collect the reward."

One of the martial artists spoke with utter indifference.

"Heroes, there is no need to rush. Eat first! Once you have eaten and drunk your fill, I will find a hunter to lead the way. Then he will naturally take you into the mountains to exterminate the rats."

Steward Jin treated Ji Qing and the others quite generously and immediately arranged a sumptuous lunch.

Everyone rose and took their seats at the table.

Ji Qing carefully set down his basket.

The others were all puzzled, wondering what exactly was inside "Li Mu's" basket that made him handle it so cautiously.

Ji Qing gently patted the basket.

At once, a small head poked out from inside.

"Brother, it smells so good."

Ji Yao stared at the lavish dishes on the table and swallowed hard.

Steward Jin was somewhat surprised and asked, "Young Hero Li, this is...?"

"My younger sister, Li Yao."

Ji Qing had given his sister an alias as well.

Ji Yao climbed out of the basket. The stool at the table was a little too low, and even sitting down, Ji Yao could not reach the table.

Seeing this, Steward Jin smiled and said, "Young Hero Li, my Suo'er is about the same age as your sister. Why not let them eat together? When you young heroes go to exterminate the rats this afternoon, they can play together as well. What do you think?"

Ji Qing hesitated.

It would certainly be inconvenient to bring Ji Yao along for the Rat Extermination.

"Brother, go without worry. I'll wait here for you to come back."

Ji Yao was sensible too. She knew she could not hold Ji Qing back.

Hearing this, Steward Jin immediately called loudly toward the outside, "Suo'er."

As soon as his voice fell, a little girl with delicate features, rosy cheeks, and a slight baby fat hurried in.

"Father, why did you call Suo'er?"

"Suo'er, this is little sister Li Yao. Take little sister Li Yao away to eat. You can play together this afternoon too."

"Alright, Father."

Suo'er blinked her large eyes and immediately took Ji Yao's hand, running outside with her.

At the dining table, Ji Qing had virtually no conversation with the other four martial artists.

Steward Jin, however, was adept at handling every side and kept the atmosphere lively.

After finishing his meal, Ji Qing went to find Ji Yao.

He saw Ji Yao squatting on the ground with Suo'er, playing a pebble-catching game.

Suo'er was chubby all over, with gold and silver ornaments around her neck and on her hands. She looked utterly lovable.

Ji Yao also laughed from time to time. The two girls were having a wonderful time.

Ji Qing was a little dazed. How long had it been since Ji Yao had laughed?

It seemed that after leaving Liang City, this was the first time he had seen Ji Yao so happy.

He could roam the Jianghu and wander to the ends of the earth, but Ji Yao could not. The Jianghu was not where Ji Yao belonged.

This only strengthened Ji Qing's resolve to settle Ji Yao in Anyang City.

An hour later, Steward Jin summoned a hunter.

"Da Niu, you have been to the cave where the Rat King lives. Lead these five heroes there."

"Steward Jin, we agreed on this. I'll only lead them to the cave where the Rat King is. I won't go inside!"

Da Niu had been lured here by Steward Jin's "generous reward."

Otherwise, Da Niu would not have been willing to lead the way.

"Fine, we'll do as you say."

Steward Jin was generous as well, directly giving Da Niu fifty taels of silver.

Da Niu gritted his teeth and said, "Five heroes, these are insect-repelling herbs. Carrying them will drive away the poisonous bugs in the mountains."

Ji Qing and the other four all did as instructed and carried the herbs with them.

"Steward Jin, please look after Yao'er for me."

"Young Hero Li, rest assured. I will have someone keep watch over your sister."

Ji Qing nodded.

Thus, the group of five followed the hunter Da Niu into the mountains.

There was miasma, poisonous insects, and brambles in the mountains, but they had prepared herbs in advance and had the road-familiar Da Niu guiding them. In only an hour, they arrived beneath a slope.

Halfway up the slope, they could see a deep, pitch-black cave.

Da Niu stared at the cave, fear still lingering in his eyes. "Heroes, that swarm of rats is hiding inside the cave. But there are many rat holes in there. During the day, the rats are all asleep and barely move about. Even if you enter the cave, you will not find many rats."

"Only at night will the rats come out to forage. Then the Rat King will also appear in the cave. As long as you kill the Rat King, the rat infestation will naturally be gone."

Hero Wang of Mighty Gate frowned. "We have to wait until night?"

There were still two or three hours until nightfall.

"Forget it. Going in now would only startle the grass and alert the snake. If the Rat King hides, I fear no one will be able to find it. We'll wait until night to make our move!"

Thus, everyone found a spot nearby and rested separately.

The four sect martial artists gathered together.

Ji Qing, meanwhile, sat alone beneath a tree and regulated his breathing.

The two sides were as distinct as the Jing and Wei rivers, neither disturbing the other.

Though they were all Jianghu martial artists, Ji Qing was clearly not cut from the same cloth as the other four.

As for cooperation?

There was no need for it at all. When it came time to exterminate the rats, they would each use their own methods.

Time flew by, and soon night fell.

The mountain wind blew, carrying a faint chill.

Everyone stared intently at the cave.

All five were Jianghu martial artists with deep inner strength, sharp ears, and keen eyes. They could clearly hear waves of squeaking coming from within the cave.

Clearly, the rats inside had begun to stir.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, the Demon Record in Ji Qing's mind began to shake violently.

This meant that the Demon Record had sensed the aura of a demon.

Clearly, there was a demon nearby!

At the same time, countless rats poured out of the cave.

The rats emerged in groups, lining up in formation after formation. Their ranks did not scatter in the slightest.

They were like a strictly disciplined army!

Everyone held their breath, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Soon, a giant rat the size of a calf crawled out of the cave as well, surrounded by the other rats like stars circling the moon.

This was the Rat King!

Not only was it as huge as a calf, but its entire body was bald without even a trace of fur. Its skin was blood-red, making it look incomparably ugly.

The Rat King leaped into the air and landed directly atop a huge boulder outside the cave. Then it raised its head toward the full moon in the sky and opened its mouth in a great inhale.

A stream of bright moonlight was drawn into the Rat King's mouth.

Seeing this, everyone's hearts sank.

This Rat King had truly become a spirit!

Was it absorbing the essence of the moon?