Weeding and "Demon Extermination"

Chapter 42: Weeding and "Demon Extermination"

Morning light spilled over the stone hut's window lattice, coating the straw mat in a warm golden hue.

Little Black—Demon Commander Ji Meng—slowly opened his eyes, his brown-black pupils clear as washed glass.

The piercing wound on his neck had formed a deep brown scab, and the newly grown membrane of flesh was as tough as freshly tanned deerskin, rising and falling steadily with each breath.

He attempted to circulate his demonic energy. Warm, pure spiritual power instantly surged into his meridians, and the Chaos Qi deep within his demon core revolved slowly like a nebula.

Seven days of healing, Break and then Establish. Now, his demonic energy was condensed and refined, all hidden injuries healed, and his cultivation had even faintly touched the threshold of Quasi-Saint.

When Chen An pushed the door open, Ji Meng immediately lowered his body, his tail brushing lightly across the straw mat, a docile purr rumbling from his throat—the most devout posture a Demon Commander could offer a "Saint."

"Little Black, how are you feeling today?" Chen An crouched down and rubbed the fur behind his ears, his fingertips meeting a warm, solid texture.

Ji Meng lifted his head, gently nuzzling his wrist with his nose, letting out a short, soft whimper, his eyes brimming with adoration.

"Looks like you're much better." Chen An smiled, stood up, and walked toward the tool rack in the corner of the yard. "I'm going to tidy up the vegetable patch. The weeds are almost drowning the seedlings."

Mortal Farming: The "Grand Dao Demonstration" in a Demon Commander's Eyes

Ji Meng followed closely behind Chen An.

Under the morning light, the cabbage and radish seedlings in the vegetable bed were a lush, vibrant green, dew glistening on their leaves. But at the edges, clumps of gray-green weeds had shot up, their roots tangled and knotted, their leaves thorny, exuding a faint turbid aura.

Chen An pulled on coarse hemp gloves and picked up a stone hoe.

First, he used the hoe's blade to precisely sever the weed stems between the gaps in the seedlings, then bent down to pull out the stubborn weeds with deep roots by hand.

His movements were crisp and practiced, carrying the familiarity of years of labor.

Soil clung to his fingernails, sweat trickled down his temples, but he was oblivious, his focus fixed entirely on every inch of the ground.

Ji Meng lay by the ridge of the field, but his pupils suddenly contracted!

The moment Chen An's fingertips touched the weed roots, the gentle, flowing spiritual energy within the Safe Zone was drawn as if by an invisible hand!

Severing the stem like cutting karma: As the stone hoe swung down, the trajectory of the blade slicing through the weed stem, in Ji Meng's eyes, perfectly matched the sword intent of "Severing Heaven Line"! The instant the blade passed through and the stem broke, the faint turbid aura clinging to it was struck as if by lightning, annihilated without a trace.

Pulling the root like removing inner demons: When Chen An's five fingers gripped the weed root and pulled, the taut arc of his knuckles transformed in Ji Meng's divine sense into the phantom of "Dragon Capturing Hand"! The tangled roots beneath the soil were yanked out whole, clumps of dirt scattering in the air, and the trajectory of each falling clod seemed to follow the formation rhythm of "Earth Vein Return to Origin."

Discarding the weed like purifying the cosmos: As Chen An tossed the weeds into a wicker basket, the arc his arm traced was, in Ji Meng's eyes, clearly the opening stance of "Universe in a Sleeve"! The moment the weeds fell into the basket, faint golden patterns rippled along its rim, and the turbid aura was completely sealed.

"The Saint weeding is like a great power exorcising demons!" Ji Meng's heart churned with shock. How could this be mortal labor?

It was clearly farming on the surface, but in truth, it was an act of purifying heaven and earth, severing karmic obstacles!

"Cut Grass and Remove Roots": The Thunderclap of a Dao Proverb

The sun climbed higher. Chen An straightened his aching back and looked at the last stubborn patch of thorny weeds, muttering under his breath, "These guys, their roots go deeper than trees... 'Out of sight, out of mind' doesn't work here. Gotta cut the grass and remove the roots!"

The moment the words "cut grass and remove roots" left his lips—

"Boom!"

Ji Meng's demon soul shuddered violently!

These four words struck his sea of consciousness like a heavenly tribulation thunderbolt!

Cut grass: Grass is a base thing, a metaphor for petty scoundrels and those entangled in karmic obstacles. To cut is to use thunderous means, to sever causality!

Remove roots: Roots are the source of chaos, a metaphor for the hidden seeds of inner demons and karmic debts. To remove is to pull the fuel from the fire, to purify the origin!

Scenes from the ancient demon court flashed before Ji Meng's eyes: Kunpeng's sinister sneer, Nine Infant's greedy spying, the faces of countless great demons scheming against each other for resources... Were these not the "grass" that needed to be "cut"?

And the tangled ambitions and selfish desires behind them—were these not the "roots" that needed to be "removed"?

"The Saint is enlightening me!" Ji Meng's mind cleared. The demon court's accumulated ills over ten thousand years all stemmed from failing to "cut grass and remove roots"—showing mercy to traitors, tolerating the source of calamity! If he ever regained power, he would use thunderous means to purge the treacherous and eliminate future troubles!

He looked at Chen An, who was now fiercely hacking at the thorny weed roots with his stone hoe. Dirt flew, the roots were dug up entirely, and the turbid aura they carried dissipated like black smoke in the sunlight.

This scene, in Ji Meng's eyes, transformed into a supreme dharma manifestation—the Saint wielding the hoe like a heavenly punishment; with each strike, karmic obstacles shattered, and the cosmos was clear!

Enlightenment and "Thanking the Teacher"

After weeding, Chen An wiped his sweat and dumped the weeds from the wicker basket into the compost pit.

When he turned around, he saw Little Black (Ji Meng) lying by the ridge, head bowed low, front paws crossed, his posture solemn as if in pilgrimage.

"What's wrong?" Chen An asked, puzzled.

Ji Meng raised his head, his brown-black eyes churning with an indescribable reverence. He stepped forward slowly, touched the tip of his nose to Chen An's soil-stained pant leg, and let out a long, low whimper from his throat. The tail end of the sound trembled—like gratitude, like understanding, and even more like a vow.

Chen An just thought he was being affectionate. He smiled and rubbed his head. "Feels a lot cleaner now that the weeds are gone, right?"

But Ji Meng lowered his head even further.

The Saint, using a mortal body, performed the Grand Dao. Weeding was exorcising demons. These four words, "cut grass and remove roots," were a proverb to awaken him to reorganize the demon court!

As the sun set, Ji Meng curled up by the hearth, staring at the leaping flames.

The hard scab on his neck wound silently fell away, revealing new skin. His demonic energy surged like a river, and the Chaos Qi condensed into a tangible form.

"Time to go." He looked at Chen An, who was resting with his eyes closed, and silently vowed, "Once I have purged the demon court, cut all the 'grass' of treachery, and removed all the 'roots' of chaos... I will return to thank the Saint for his enlightening grace."

The night wind blew, and the barrier of the Safe Zone shimmered with faint silver light.

A simple weeding chore had planted the thunderous spark of reorganizing the primordial world in the Demon Commander's heart.