God Slayer, Xu Ying

Xu Ying stood blankly in the street of Jiangjiatian Village as the villagers fled in panic all around him.

At the street corner not far away, a black-and-white-patterned Snake Demon pointed at him with the tip of its tail. Watching the fleeing villagers, it let out a piercing shriek, its tongue lolling far out.

The villagers had long since been scared out of their wits. Some crawled and rolled their way outside to report it to the authorities, while others hid inside their houses with their wives and children, bolting the doors and trembling.

The bolder ones hid behind windows or doors, secretly peeking outside.

Xu Ying stood alone in the street, with the corpse of the Green Robe Deity beneath his feet.

After a moment, the boy finally came to his senses and looked around.

The villagers who had once been familiar with him, who had even joked with him and affectionately called him Little Ying or A Ying, or teasingly called him Xu Xiao Ruan, now feared him as they feared a deity.

I was standing up for you. You shouldn't be afraid of me...

Xu Ying thought silently.

Never mind that we were oppressed by the officials. This wooden-and-clay god ate our food, drank our water, and enjoyed our offerings, yet still oppressed us.

They treated us like livestock, but we're not livestock!

We're human!

We can resist. We can take revenge!

"But why are you afraid of me?" Xu Ying asked, baffled.

After a while, Xu Ying stepped over the corpse of the Green Robe Deity and went to sit behind the offering table in the ancestral shrine. Without saying a word, he grabbed the roast chicken and roast duck on the table and began to eat.

He ate carefully and seriously. This was the habit of a Snake Catcher.

Snake catching required patience and courage, but most importantly, one could not go hungry.

Being hungry meant lacking stamina. Lacking stamina led to mistakes, and a mistake could mean dying beneath a venomous snake's fangs.

Xu Ying had stirred up a huge disaster. He could not leave on an empty stomach. He had to eat and drink his fill.

He ate one roast chicken and half a roast duck, stuffed the remaining half duck into his robes, then ate several fruits and stuffed a few more into his pockets.

Xu Ying rose and used Steward Jiang's blood to write a line on the wall.

"God Slayer, Xu Ying!"

Xu Ying wiped the blood from his hands on Steward Jiang's corpse, then left the ancestral shrine and returned home.

His house had nothing but bare walls and possessed little wealth. There was barely any rice in the jar, only some fried rice flour to serve as dry rations.

A Snake Catcher had to enter the deep mountains and old forests to catch snakes, so he naturally did not need rice or flour, only dry rations.

Xu Ying packed three days' worth of rations. He looked at the scriptures he had collected, hesitated, and decided not to bring them. He left home and headed straight out of the village.

When he reached the village entrance, his eyes suddenly grew hot. He turned around and knelt toward Jiangjiatian Village.

"Thank you for taking care of me all these years. Little Ying has... caused trouble for all the elders and villagers!" He bowed deeply.

Xu Ying rose, turned around, and left.

"A Ying—" a woman's voice called from behind.

Xu Ying turned his head and saw a girl dressed in bridal clothes sitting at the shrine entrance, Jiang Lu's corpse cradled in her arms.

"A Ying, thank you!"

She shouted loudly, "You must live well!"

"Take care!" Xu Ying waved and left Jiangjiatian Village.

I was an orphan, he thought silently. My godfather raised me as his own son, and the villagers treated me well.

I will slay gods to repay them.

I will also leave for the sake of their safety.

Once I go...

I will never return!

"Hey—"

A voice suddenly called out to him. Xu Ying followed the sound and saw a large black-and-white snake on a willow tree beside the road, poking its head out. It was the very Snake Demon he had captured.

Xu Ying glanced at it but did not stop, continuing straight ahead.

"Xu Ying, wait for me!"

The Snake Demon hurried down from the tree, its tail swimming along as it quickly caught up. It laughed, "You killed a deity. You're finished! Let me tell you, all the deities near Lingling are under the City God's command. Once the City God learns that you killed a deity, he absolutely won't let you go! The world is vast, but there will be no place for you!"

Xu Ying turned a deaf ear and continued onward.

The Snake Demon had once competed with him in foot speed. Xu Ying had chased it through the mountains for three days and three nights before exhausting and capturing it. Now, Xu Ying found it difficult to shake the Snake Demon off.

Following his footsteps, the Snake Demon laughed. "You killed Steward Jiang. The authorities won't let you off either! You know what the authorities are like. They conceal the most formidable people in the world. These people are called Nuo! Those who wield Nu Art—hehe, let alone you and me, even deities are terrified of them..."

Xu Ying frowned when he heard the word "Nuo."

The Rites of Zhou said that those who opened secret repositories, communicated with Heaven and Earth, commanded ghosts and gods, and drove away plagues and demons were called Nuo—the character was written as nan in the Rites of Zhou. Later generations called them Nu Masters.

Successive imperial courts placed great importance on Nu Masters, selecting the outstanding ones to become officials in the various prefectures, commanderies, and counties.

To ordinary people, the Nu Masters among the officials were more terrifying than Gods and Devils.

Better to provoke Gods and Devils than Official Nuo.

If one provoked Gods and Devils, at worst they would kill you. But if one provoked a Nu Master, even if you became a ghost, you would have to die once again!

"The authorities will certainly send a Nu Master. You offended a deity and a Nu Master—you are doomed!" the Snake Demon chattered incessantly.

Xu Ying flew into a rage. "If you keep following me, believe me or not, I'll wax you into dried snake meat?"

The Snake Demon laughed. "Wax me into dried snake meat and take me in to pay your taxes? You have a murder case on your back now. Going to the yamen would be walking straight into a trap."

Xu Ying strode rapidly onward but still could not shake it off. He could only endure his impatience and ask, "What exactly do you want by following me?"

The Snake Demon beamed—of course, it had no eyebrows—and said with a grin, "I want you to teach me the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist."

Xu Ying did not slow his steps. Hearing this, he blurted out, "I only just started cultivating my Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist. You possess a properly inherited family secret art. Why would you still want me to teach it to you?"

The Snake Demon fell silent. After a moment, it said, "I've practiced for a hundred and twenty years and have reached the third layer, but I have never managed to reach the fourth. My father and grandfather never cultivated the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist to the fourth layer either."

Xu Ying said irritably, "You don't have hands or feet. It's only natural that you can't cultivate it. Stop following me!"

The Snake Demon laughed. "The world is vast, but is there anywhere for you, Xu Ying, to set foot? My Qin Yan Cave is truly a fine place to hide."

Xu Ying's eyes lit up. He smiled and asked, "Brother Snake, Brother Snake, how do I get to Qin Yan Cave?"

On the first day of the month, the Lingling City God Temple happened to be holding a market. Many pious men and women came to make offerings to the City God, making it extremely lively.

The Lingling City God was named Xue Lingfu. He, too, had revived from the state of a statue and transformed into flesh and blood, enjoying incense and sacrificial offerings.

Suddenly, a stream of azure smoke drilled up from underground and transformed into a two-foot-tall Land God. It scampered over and jumped onto City God Xue Lingfu, whispering a few words into his ear.

City God Xue Lingfu flew into a rage. "He killed an official of my Yin Court and violated the Heavenly Law! This cannot be allowed to continue. Xu Ying deserves ten thousand deaths! Pass on my order: throughout Lingling's eight hundred mountains, five hundred waterways, and twelve hundred villages and towns, all deities, large and small, are to search for Xu Ying and execute him on the spot, as a warning to others!"

"Wait!"

A voice suddenly came from outside the temple. City God Xue Lingfu looked toward it and saw Lingling County Magistrate Zhou Yang leading a group of officials as they burst into the temple.

An official stepped forward and said, "Xu Ying is a living person. He committed a crime and killed Steward Jiang, so he should naturally be punished according to the laws of the Mortal Realm. This case falls under the jurisdiction of the Lingling County yamen! Xue Chenghuang, you may withdraw your order!"

City God Xue Lingfu sneered. "Xu Ying killed a deity of my Yin Court and violated the laws of my Yin Court. He should naturally be punished according to the laws of the Yin Court! Magistrate Zhou, please return."

Magistrate Zhou Yang laughed loudly, flicked his sleeves, and turned to walk outside. When he reached the temple gate, he stopped and glanced back. "Ever since Prince Dongping of the Commandery rebelled, the Yin Court has been devouring the Mortal Realm step by step and meddling in more and more affairs! But in this little corner of Lingling, this has always been my Zhou Family's territory. The Yin Court can forget about sticking its fingers in! Men!"

The officials under his command bowed in unison.

Zhou Yang's face turned cold. "Capture Xu Ying and bring him to justice. If he resists, or if outsiders interfere, kill without mercy, whether the other party is god or human!"

"Yes!" The officials dispersed in haste.

City God Xue Lingfu snorted and waved his hand. The Land God on his shoulder understood at once, jumped down, transformed into a wisp of azure smoke, and burrowed underground after Zhou Yang.

Not long afterward, Magistrate Zhou Yang led a group of constables to Jiangjiatian Village. The villagers were even more terrified at the sight of the constables than they were at the sight of the deity. They fell prostrate one after another, not daring to raise their heads.

Zhou Yang led the constables through the kneeling villagers. With great interest, he looked at the statue of the Green Robe Deity on the ground and held his hand up to measure the large hole in its forehead.

"An altered form of Demonic Arts that can enlarge the body many times. A martial cultivation method." He chuckled softly. "This Xu Ying is merely a commoner, yet he actually cultivates Demonic Arts. Interesting."

Zhou Yang waved his hand and sent the constables to handle their task. He himself sat on a villager's back and asked amiably, "Yu Bo, how was the harvest this year?"

Jiang Yu Bo was the Village Chief of Jiangjiatian, a position similar to that of a village or township head. He answered cautiously, "The harvest was all right this year. We threshed three extra dou of grain."

Zhou Yang nodded, his face full of benevolent smiles. "How are the crops growing?"

"The crops are all doing very well." Jiang Yu Bo smiled obsequiously.

Zhou Yang's expression darkened. He shouted, "The harvest was all right, and the crops are doing well, so why is the tax and levy from your village so difficult to collect? Do you not want this official to live comfortably?"

Jiang Yu Bo lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to speak.

Zhou Yang snorted. "Do you think this official collects levies and taxes for himself? No! I collect them for the imperial court! Could this official eat even a single grain from the villagers? I could not! My salary is paid by the imperial court! Everything I eat and drink is bought with my salary. I have never taken a thing from poor commoners like you!"

Jiang Yu Bo nodded repeatedly and kowtowed. "My lord is upright and incorruptible!"

At that moment, a constable stepped forward with an armful of scriptures, both large and small, and said, "My lord, Xu Ying has fled and is not at home. Your subordinate found these things."

These scriptures were the Guiding Arts Xu Ying had collected. He had left in such a hurry that he had not taken them with him.

Zhou Yang casually picked up one of the scriptures and flipped through it. He had seemed somewhat absent-minded, but when he saw Xu Ying's annotations, his expression suddenly changed.

He abruptly rose, seized the other scriptures, and rapidly flipped through them.

Each of the scriptures contained Xu Ying's annotations. They were all comments on the strengths and weaknesses of the various Demon Race cultivation methods, along with his own insights. His writing was as clear as pearls, extremely precise and concise, and his understanding was profound!

None of the villagers dared even to breathe loudly.

"I thought this Xu Ying was merely a God Slayer, but who would have thought he actually cultivated Demonic Arts and collected so many scriptures of Demonic Arts!"

Zhou Yang flew into a rage and sneered. "This villain harbors the heart to throw the world into chaos. If he is not eliminated, he will become a great calamity! Pass on my order: whenever Xu Ying is encountered, do not capture him alive. Kill him without mercy!"

The constables accepted the order and hurriedly left Jiangjiatian to track Xu Ying's whereabouts.

The villagers looked at one another. Was the person Magistrate Zhou Yang spoke of really the Xu Xiao Ruan they knew?

Zhou Yang returned to the county yamen with the remaining scriptures.

In the rear courtyard of the yamen, an old man sat beneath a pavilion drinking tea. Zhou Yang placed the scriptures annotated by Xu Ying beside him and stood respectfully at his side.

The old man picked up a volume and flipped through a page. He smiled and said, "These scriptures contain only Qi Gathering Stage cultivation methods of the Demon Race, with no follow-up techniques. Why did Yang'er bring them here?"

Magistrate Zhou Yang hurriedly said, "Father, look at the annotations on the later pages."

The old man, Zhou Yihang, was startled. He opened the later pages, and sure enough, he saw Xu Ying's annotations. His expression gradually became solemn. He rapidly read through one volume, then picked up another and skimmed it just as quickly, before taking up the next!

In a short while, Zhou Yihang had skimmed all the scriptures. His expression was grave. "The person who annotated these scriptures has reached an extremely profound understanding of Demonic Arts. Even the elders of our Zhou Family who study this path may not match him! Where did you obtain these scriptures? Who annotated them?"

Zhou Yang said, "A fourteen-year-old boy. He is a Snake Catcher."

Zhou Yihang raised his head in surprise. "A fourteen-year-old boy?"

Zhou Yang hurriedly explained, "He is the Snake Catcher of Jiangjiatian, named Xu Ying. Somehow, he cultivated a Demon Race technique and killed the deity Jiangjiatian supported. He is currently on the run. When I went to search his home, I found these scriptures he had annotated."

Zhou Yihang rose, an incredulous expression on his face. "To study Demonic Arts, the elders of our Zhou Family ventured deep into Forbidden Zones and excavated ancient caves, suffering heavy casualties! Yet their insights may not be as profound as those of this fourteen-year-old Snake Catcher! Yang'er, you must find him and bring him back alive!"

Zhou Yang said cautiously, "The City God is also hunting him. I feared he would fall into the City God's hands, so I issued the kill order."

"City God Xue Lingfu?"

Zhou Yihang's expression also changed slightly. He pondered. "If he falls into the City God's hands, then it would be better to kill him. What a pity about his talent... Since the City God has been alarmed, I will go personally. If I can capture Xu Ying alive, naturally that would be best. If not, I will kill him myself. I absolutely cannot let him fall into the City God's hands!"

Zhou Yang bowed and assented.

Zhou Yihang drifted away.

Zhou Yang straightened and revealed his puzzlement. He murmured, "Are the Demon Race cultivation methods truly that important? Why are the ancestors and elders of our Zhou Family so concerned with them?"

The ancient era was too remote to study, and few written records had survived. In the present world, humanity mainly cultivated secret repositories. The human body possessed six great secret repositories; opening one allowed a person to become a Nu Master and gain unimaginable abilities.

The Zhou Family was precisely such a Nu Master Aristocratic Clan, one of the most powerful Aristocratic Clans in the world. Thus Zhou Yang was deeply puzzled by his ancestors' research into Demonic Arts.

"It would be one thing for the elders of my Zhou Family to care so much about Demonic Arts, but the City God is an Yin deity. Why is he so concerned with it as well?" he thought.

He had heard certain rumors within the clan. The ancestors of the Zhou Family used Demonic Arts for some mysterious research. Some said it concerned the secret of ascension!

However, Zhou Yang belonged to the outer branches of the Zhou Family and knew little.

Jiangjiatian Village.

The villagers cleaned up the aftermath and swept the streets. In Xu Ying's home, a curling stream of smoke suddenly rose from underground.

Within the smoke, a small man with a short, squat build, a tall hat, and a deer-head staff drilled out of the ground. It was the Land God from the nearby Land God Temple, and it still held a volume of scriptures.

When the constables had come to search the house earlier, the Land God had grabbed a volume of scriptures. Afraid of being discovered, it had hurriedly hidden underground and only dared to emerge after the constables left.

The Land God stood no more than two feet tall. It spread open the scriptures with a rustle, stroked its beard, and shook its head as it read. "Utter nonsense! Xu Ying's annotations are utter nonsense! I'll take them to the City God for a look!"

Carrying the scriptures, it leaped and burrowed into the ground, vanishing without a trace.

Not long afterward, in the Lingling City God Temple, City God Xue Lingfu spread open the volume annotated by Xu Ying. His expression changed slightly as he studied it carefully, then he abruptly shut the scriptures.

"These were annotated by Xu Ying? What profound insights!"

City God Xue Lingfu instructed the Land God, "Immediately pass on my order to all the deities around Lingling. Capture Xu Ying. Do not kill him. I want him alive!"

The Land God hurriedly said, "Most of the deities near Lingling have already gone out to search for Xu Ying. They are not at their shrines, so notifying them will be quite difficult! Besides, the Nu Masters under Magistrate Zhou have already mobilized and are also searching for Xu Ying!"

City God Xue Lingfu frowned. He rose from the shrine and walked outside, saying indifferently, "Forget it. I will go personally. Xu Ying is of immense importance. If the Zhou Family also wants him, then I must ensure that even if he dies, his corpse will never fall into the Zhou Family's hands!"

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