Demons eating people was no legend in this world; it was something that happened every few days.
It was just that most ordinary folk had never seen a real demon.
Because for them, seeing a demon meant their day of death had come.
The caravan hands all backed away in terror.
The fact that they had not scattered and fled at once already showed decent nerve.
Li Feng shot Steward Chen a glare.
Wouldn't it have been fine to travel peacefully all the way?
You just had to be a crow with a foul mouth and actually summon a demon!
"I caught the scent of human flesh from far away. It smells so good."
The Pig Demon bared its huge mouth, its words muffled as drool streamed from its lips while it stared at the caravan.
"This thing can talk!?"
Li Sancheng's face was filled with horror.
It was his first time seeing a demon, and his hands were trembling slightly.
It was Han Zheng's first time seeing a demon as well.
But he had killed people and seen blood. He was far steadier than Li Sancheng.
"Only those that have gained intelligence are demons. Otherwise, they are merely wild beasts.
Don't panic. A demon has two shoulders and one head too. One slash gives it two holes. What is there to fear?"
Li Sancheng revealed a smile uglier than weeping. "Big Brother, look at that thing's build. I'm not even sure my blade could pierce through it."
Steward Chen, standing ahead of them, shuddered twice, but he remained fairly calm.
He was an old hand at roaming the world too.
When he was young, he had accompanied Shenghe Hall's caravans on many trips. This was not his first encounter with demons, and he had some experience. That was why Chen Baiqing had made him steward.
"Great King, our caravan is merely passing through and has no intention of offending your territory. The food has already been prepared. Please enjoy it to your heart's content."
Steward Chen waved a hand, having several trusted caravan hands bring up the three beggars.
In truth, before the men could even move, the three beggars had already shuffled out on trembling legs.
Fear filled their eyes, but there was even more numbness.
From the moment they had rushed to volunteer themselves as food, they had known this day would come sooner or later.
If they won the gamble, they would have silver and perhaps a chance to turn their lives around.
If they lost and entered a demon's belly, at least they would die quickly.
Starving to death was no pleasant thing.
"Not bad. You know the rules."
The Pig Demon laughed in satisfaction and stretched out a claw, directly lifting one beggar into the air.
It opened its huge mouth, revealing a maw full of tusks and sharp teeth, then swallowed half the beggar in a single bite!
Hearing the sound of human flesh being chewed, everyone in the caravan went pale. Some could not help vomiting.
Han Zheng gripped his Wild Goose Feather Saber tightly, staring unblinkingly at the man-eating Pig Demon.
Reason told him that it was best not to act at a time like this. His sole duty was to keep the caravan safe until it reached Spirit Medicine Manor.
Steward Chen had already prepared food for the demon. If Han Zheng stepped forward now, he would be making trouble for himself for no reward, and might even be blamed afterward.
But watching the Pig Demon eat people right before his eyes made him feel as though he too were meat on the chopping block. The feeling made Han Zheng deeply uncomfortable.
After devouring two beggars in succession, the third could no longer bear the terror. With a scream, he turned and ran.
Yet despite its massive frame, the Pig Demon was not slow.
It reached out, grabbed the beggar whole in one hand, and bit off his head.
After another bout of chewing.
The Pig Demon wiped the blood from the corner of its mouth, let out a full belch, and showed the crowd a savage grin.
"You old man handle things cleanly enough. You understand the rules.
But my ma gave me a little brother two days ago. The little one has drunk milk for two days; it is time for him to eat a person and get a taste of meat.
I'm full, but my ma and little brother are still hungry.
There are so many of you. It won't be a problem if you give me a few more, right?"
The smile on Steward Chen's face instantly froze.
Before leaving the city, he had found three pieces of food, not because he was stingy with silver, but because under normal circumstances, three were entirely enough.
There were no demon tribes along the road from Black Stone County to Spirit Medicine Manor, only solitary demons. One or two people were enough to fill them.
Even for a big eater like this Pig Demon, three should have been more than sufficient.
Who would have thought this demon would have children and sit through confinement too? Being full was not enough—it even wanted to pack food home!
Seeing the caravan hands on the verge of turning tail and fleeing, Steward Chen could no longer sit still.
People could never outrun demons.
But a demon could not possibly catch all twenty-odd people.
With his old arms and old legs, how could he outrun those young, able-bodied men?
He would definitely be the first one into the demon's belly!
Steward Chen suddenly turned and shouted, "Han Zheng! If you're not acting, what are you waiting for?"
Han Zheng narrowed his eyes and drawled, "Didn't Steward Chen say earlier that we were useless? Didn't you say the chief shopkeeper hiring us was throwing money into the water?"
"That was this old man misspeaking in the heat of the moment! Brother Han, save me! Once we return to Black Stone County, I will certainly report this to the chief shopkeeper. There will be a generous reward afterward!"
Watching the Pig Demon stride toward the caravan, Steward Chen utterly caved in. His tone even carried a hint of pleading.
"Move."
Han Zheng spoke to Li Sancheng and the others.
Li Sancheng hesitated slightly. "Are we really doing this? Can we really kill a demon?"
Han Zheng narrowed his eyes. "Take a man's money, dispel his disaster. We took Shenghe Hall's money, yet if we flee on the brink of battle, do we still want to make a living in Black Stone County?
Shenghe Hall is the largest pharmacy in Black Stone County. Shopkeeper Chen is not only friends with our master; he has ties with all the local powers.
If we flee on the brink of battle today, we can forget about ever returning to Black Stone County for the rest of our lives."
After thinking it over, Li Sancheng and the others also felt lingering fear.
Their families were still in Black Stone County.
If fleeing caused the entire caravan to be wiped out and Shenghe Hall to suffer losses, there was no guarantee their families would not face retaliation.
They could snap back at Steward Chen to vent their anger, but when it was time to fight, they still had to fight.
Han Zheng knew the three had never seen blood. Fear outweighed their fighting spirit.
So he was the first to charge out, his Wild Goose Feather Saber cleaving toward the Pig Demon with a howling gust.
A disdainful smile appeared on the Pig Demon's face.
Though it wore a terrifying boar head, that scornful smile was lifelike to the extreme.
It swept out a claw, and Han Zheng immediately felt an immense force crash into him.
Amid a ringing clash of metal, his whole body was flung away.
He exerted force with his feet in midair, landing with a dull thud.
What tremendous strength!
Han Zheng's gaze sharpened.
He had put nearly all his strength into that strike, yet the Pig Demon had casually sent him flying.
He had now opened one hundred and twenty Acupoints and five meridians, while this Pig Demon possessed strength equivalent to opening at least ten meridians!
The only good news was that it had not entered the Xiantian realm. Demons were simply born with great strength.
Seeing Han Zheng attack, Li Sancheng, Wang Bao, and Zhao Jinming followed suit.
Li Sancheng wielded a Golden Ring Cleaver. Wang Bao was lean and nimble, wielding a sword, while Zhao Jinming used a spear.
The three attacked together, only to be swept away by a single slap from the Pig Demon. They tumbled to the ground in utter disarray.
This string of attacks had not even drawn a drop of blood from the Pig Demon, and everyone immediately began to despair.
Han Zheng glanced at the Pig Demon's claws and instantly found the situation troublesome.
His earlier strike had landed on the demon's claw, yet it had left only a white mark.
Its arms and chest were covered in a layer of pitch-black material. Han Zheng had thought it was merely grime, but it turned out to be a hard shell.
Wild boars liked to coat themselves in pine resin and tree sap before rolling around in mud. Once dry, it became hard armor.
Who knew what this Pig Demon had coated itself in? It was even tougher than armor.
"Attack its lower joints and vital points!"
Han Zheng gave a sharp shout, rushing toward the Pig Demon's flank and slashing at its knee.
When Li Sancheng and the others attacked earlier, Han Zheng had not joined in. He had been observing the Pig Demon's movements all along.
The only places on its body without a hard shell were its joints and its belly.
A hard shell over its joints would hinder its movements.
As for its belly, it had swollen to more than twice its size after eating people. Even if there had been a shell there, it had been stretched off.
The Pig Demon kicked at Han Zheng. Han Zheng drove force through his waist and hips, twisting sharply aside to evade.
Li Sancheng and the others hurriedly attacked the Pig Demon's lower body as well.
Those Li Jingzhong had selected to escort the caravan were all solidly skilled. They merely lacked actual combat experience.
With Han Zheng directing them, they suppressed their fear of the demon, and their true strength could finally emerge.
"A pack of ants!"
The Pig Demon roared, hunching over its enormous belly as it continuously swung its claws.
It stood nearly three meters tall. Han Zheng and the others focused solely on its lower body, making its movements extremely difficult and irritating it beyond measure.
Then the Pig Demon suddenly planted both claws on the ground. Power burst from its four limbs, and with its enormous tusks thrust forward, it charged like a tank.
Li Sancheng's Golden Ring Cleaver came crashing down, only to be smashed apart by those tusks.
The immense force sent him flying. He landed and spat out two mouthfuls of blood.
Wang Bao, behind him, tried to dodge, but the Pig Demon's charge was too fast. Though he managed to shift his body somewhat, he was still rammed flying.
"We can't hold it! Run!"
Li Sancheng shouted at Han Zheng behind him.
Yet Han Zheng did not dodge.
After ramming two people in succession, the Pig Demon's momentum did not diminish as it charged straight at Han Zheng.
At the very instant its tusks were about to pierce his chest, Han Zheng abruptly dropped flat to the ground.
His Wild Goose Feather Saber swept sideways and upward, carving a cross-shaped gash directly into the Pig Demon's fat belly, where no hard shell protected it!
In an instant, a great torrent of blood, intestines, and organs poured out all at once, drenching Han Zheng from head to toe.
"Roar!"
The Pig Demon let out a pained howl and clawed at Han Zheng.
Han Zheng rolled fiercely aside, dodging in a sorry state.
Zhao Jinming seized the opportunity. His spear viciously thrust toward the Pig Demon's groin.
He had no idea whether that spot was protected by a hard shell. He simply wanted to try.
To his surprise, it truly pierced through. The Pig Demon released another shriek, violently jerking its lower body.
Zhao Jinming could not withstand that force. Unable to hold onto his spear, he was flung away.
One of the Pig Demon's hands reached down between its legs, trying to pull out the spear.
Bathed in demon blood, Han Zheng's meridians surged with qi and blood. He leaped into the air, his Wild Goose Feather Saber slashing fiercely toward the Pig Demon's neck!
The Pig Demon raised its other hand before itself and gripped the Wild Goose Feather Saber tightly, producing a sharp clang of metal.
Yet Han Zheng decisively released the weapon. The sinews and bones in his arm rang in unison, his qi and blood boiling as his fist crashed down like a Vajra Pestle!
Vajra Fist Intent, subdue demons and suppress devils!
That punch smashed directly into the Pig Demon's eye, Han Zheng's arm plunging all the way into its eye socket.
Then Han Zheng pulled and tore violently, and red and white fluid exploded in every direction.
The Pig Demon's life force was powerful. Even after being disemboweled, it had still been able to fight.
But Han Zheng's Vajra Fist had not merely shattered its eye. The force of the punch had driven straight into its brain.
The Pig Demon gave a miserable howl and toppled to the ground.
Han Zheng picked up his Wild Goose Feather Saber, walked to the dying Pig Demon, and viciously plunged the saber into its mouth, driving it through the back of its skull!