The Bright Heavenly Justice
Foreword:
The ancients believed that medicine originates in the heart; when the heart is upright, the medicine itself is truly effective.
Modern doctors have their own methods, but their indiscriminate use of medicine renders it ineffective.
--Su Zheng
[Part 1: Chain Link]
After sunset, the Water Virtue Star Lord emerged from the demon's cave.
--A small green dragon (a common name for a green snake) about the thickness of a wrist slowly crawled onto the dirt road and stood up, leaning against a kudzu vine. Before long, the green snake transformed into a beautiful woman in white.
"Oh my, a new member has joined the village! I wonder what kind of skill that foreign monk has that makes Sister Zhuzhu love him so much, even sleeping with him in her arms and protecting him, not letting me even glance at him!"
Saying this, it went to the pharmacy, picked through the medicine basket of the Daoist Jin Xu, and then picked up a spindle, preparing for its work that day.
--The work of the Water Virtue Star Lord is to prepare the miasma and peat needed for the Fire Noon.
This substance is made by combining the spider silk of the Goddess Zhuzhu with the original liquid of the Vita Imprint (Mad Butterfly Disease) and the true essence magic of the Water Virtue Star Lord. It is then given to Huo Wu to release the poisonous miasma and evil curse. In this way, all the birds, beasts, mountains, rivers and people in Black Wind Ridge will be inoculated with the Rejuvenating Elixir. Nothing that can breathe can escape this ordeal.
First, it gathered some herbs and plants from the forest, picked out the good ones that had been dried and prepared the day before, ground them into powder in a mortar and pestle, and with a wave of its hand, a stream of clear water flew over with its spiritual magic, and it diligently kneaded the muddy clumps.
"A handful here, a handful there."
"The sweat and grime of immortals nourish chickens and ducks."
Water Virtue Star Lord hummed an unknown folk song, and beads of sweat dripped from his two lotus root-like arms.
Privet fruit, saffron.
"Cinnabar is used to calm the mind and improve eyesight."
"Give it a little kneading, give it a good spanking."
Water Virtue Star Lord smiled and reached for the spindle.
"A beautiful young woman"
"Ah?"
At this point, the Water Virtue Star Lord finally realized that the golden threads on the spindle had lost their spiritual power, showing no fluctuation of true essence whatsoever.
--This is the most important ingredient in refining miasma and peat, and it is also the spiritual energy catalyst of Goddess Zhuzhu.
A few days ago, when Jiang Xueming cut open the back of the man from Mujiazhuang and took out the elixir from his body, he saw these gold and silver threads in the flesh and blood.
The silk thread is made of an exceptionally tough material, capable of cutting through gold and iron. Therefore, the townspeople's claim that they obtained the Elixir of Immortality was all "squeezed out" by force, and they would never dare to use a copper-iron alloy knife to dig or chisel it.
"What's wrong, Your Majesty?" Water Virtue Star Lord hadn't come to his senses yet, only thinking that Zhuzhu must have fallen asleep. Occasionally, when this mistress fell asleep, her golden hair would lose its color. "Oh dear, without medicinal herbs, what have I done? All my efforts tonight have been wasted."
The beautiful woman, with her slender figure, turned and walked out, seemingly enjoying herself as she went.
"Let's find some sisters to play bridge and mahjong! ~ Zhaowen and Zhaowu! ~ Clever bug! Big-eyed monster! Come on, come on! Let's go play in the mountains! I'll ask Mude to break some bamboo and cut some willow wood to make toys for you!"
The green snake tried to walk out in a human-like manner, but it seemed too young and hadn't adapted to its new body. It had to sway its hips and twist its waist to walk. From a distance, it looked like a charming, lonely widow trying to seduce men, but up close, it was clear that it couldn't even use its legs properly and its cerebellum was underdeveloped.
As it walked, it called out, trying to summon all its companions from the various demon caves in the mountains, but no one answered.
That's strange.
"It's not even the worst time of year with heavy rain and freezing temperatures. Usually, these lazybones would all spring up as the sun is about to set, but why are they nowhere to be seen today?"
In this vast and desolate world, it seemed that only the Water Virtue Star Lord, a demonic being, remained.
As it ascended the mountain path, preparing to head from the mossy cave to Yuehe Pass, it had just passed Bai Mu's dwelling when it immediately smelled a fishy odor.
Water Virtue Star Lord asked in confusion, "Dinner's not even midnight yet? Wait for me! Wait for me!"
It twisted its body forward, ignoring human gait, and squeezed into the cave to search for the main hall, where the Hundred Eyes Demon usually entertained demons on the third floor.
At that moment, the Water Virtue Star Lord was stunned.
Originally, this hall was completely empty. Hundred Eyes Great King always had to be extremely careful when receiving guests, since the king wasn't very bright and used this foolish method to guard against assassins.
But at this very moment, bamboo sticks were erected in the main hall. One end of each stick was driven into the stone platform—the power of the Du Piercing Technique was so great that even tender bamboo could destroy rock.
Its companions and relatives hang from the bamboo stick.
Every single demon and monster in Black Wind Village was pierced through from head to toe by this bamboo stick—with just one glance, Water Virtue Star Lord was terrified.
It originally maintained its human form, crawling on the floor like a pupa, without having a chance to raise its head.
After his head hit the bamboo strip, he instinctively looked up.
Then they saw blood dripping from Huowu's corpse—this beetle had been beaten back to its original form by someone, its intestines ripped out and its brain split open, its two large horns broken off and stuck in its bright red elytra, and it was completely dead, without a trace of life.
"Wow!~~~~~"
The Water Virtue Star Lord was so frightened that he fell ill. His two snake eyes revealed their true form, his face involuntarily bulged forward, and patches of green scales grew out.
"Disaster! Disaster!"
"Dead? They're all dead?"
"Am I dreaming? Is this real or fake?"
"Am I under a spell? Has Hundred Eyes Great King gone mad? Or who did this?"
"Oh no! Oh no! This is terrible!"
This "weak woman" clung to the pillar of the main hall, wriggling and twisting, too nervous and afraid to move. She would glance at it, then close her eyes, and when she opened them again, her whole body tensed up in fear, and she scurried up the roof beam.
To put it another way, it might be easier to understand.
--For example, imagine you've just woken up and are heading to school or work when your teachers and classmates suddenly hang themselves in the classroom. That's roughly how it feels for the Water Virtue Star Lord.
An old monkey slowly walked down from the second floor.
Water Virtue Star Lord immediately cried out, "Wood Deity! Wood Deity! Something terrible has happened!"
The old monkey didn't respond. Carrying a large bundle, he walked towards the roof beam, stopped beneath the Water Virtue Star Lord, and softly called out, "Come down."
The Water Virtue Star Lord was also puzzled; why wasn't the Wood Deity at all anxious or afraid?
It was so frightened that it couldn't control its body and couldn't leave the roof beam at all, so it cried out.
"Mude! Can't you see these corpses? What happened? How could so many brothers and sisters die?"
The old monkey shrugged dismissively, genuinely "unable to see" the corpses. "What did you say? Corpses?"
"Huh?" Water Virtue Star Lord was taken aback for a moment, then relaxed. "I clearly saw it."
The old monkey urged impatiently, "You went to pound medicine? What strange treasure did Jin Xu bring you? It's made you so delirious. I want to try it too. Come down first, let me take your pulse."
"Ouch!" Water Virtue Star Lord finally felt completely relieved. Perhaps what Kizaru said was true; it had simply been poisoned and was only seeing hallucinations.
The little green dragon slowly and leisurely climbed down.
The old monkey continued to persuade him, saying, "The King killed the Buddha Sculptor and is holding a banquet on the third floor. I am old and frail and can't eat much, so I'll take some dishes for the brothers of Yuehe Pass. If you climb slowly, I'll leave the food for you and go upstairs to get some hot food."
Water Virtue Star Lord immediately scurried down, and upon hearing about the rice, its enthusiasm soared.
"No problem! No trouble at all! I'll go myself! What you have in your pocket can't compare to the incense on the king's table!"
The moment the green snake returned to the ground--
--The old monkey took the Berloberg from his robe and stabbed it into the monster's neck, seven inches deep!
That speed was too fast! The cutting trajectory was too ruthless!
Water Virtue Star Lord barely reacted before feeling his head being tightly gripped by a pair of icy hands. The sudden surge of spiritual pressure almost made it impossible for him to breathe. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a silver-armored divine general with tiger-like eyes and golden pupils, whose arms seemed to move with the wind.
Then came the crisp sound of a sharp knife slicing through flesh and breaking bones. The snake demon, Berloberg, had slashed open its neck and spine, peeling off a layer of bloody, green skin. After struggling a few times, it breathed its last.
The old monkey lifted half of his face, revealing Jiang Xueming's true form. He followed the same method as with other demons and monsters, hanging the Water Virtue Star Lord on a bamboo skewer as well.
He took out two books from his cloth bag. One was a roster of all the demons in Black Wind Village, which was also a record used by the Wood Virtue Star Lord, the chief steward, to keep track of the demon population for easy management. If the Water Virtue Star Lord's name was crossed out, the roster would become the Book of Life and Death.
The other book was an account book that Hundred Eyes Great King entrusted to Jinxu to manage. It recorded the interactions between the Buddha Sculptor and Baimu, the expenditure of money on sacrificial items, the repair and maintenance of the four local temples, and many other miscellaneous expenses, most of which were traded in the form of elixirs.
[Part ② - Destroying its Daoist Heart]
At this moment, the restless old demon Di Jiang jumped out again.
Specifically, it arches its body and jumps out of the cloth bag.
It stuffed a ball of spider silk into its mouth. Xue Ming picked up these medium tools and found that the silk produced by Pearl Fairy was very useful. Even the teeth of ferocious beasts could not bite or chew it. So it became Di Jiang's mouth gag.
"I'm in a good mood. Do you have something to say?"
Having dealt with the elite troops on the northern slope, Xue Ming felt extremely pleased and gave Di Jiang a chance to speak.
He removed the spiderweb-like fabric, determined to hear what kind of nonsense Di Jiang had to spout.
"You despicable, shameless, bloodthirsty madman!" Di Jiang cursed as soon as he opened his mouth, but his emotions were very calm. "You deceived these simple-minded and kind-hearted nature spirits—they were completely unsuspecting of you, yet you disguised yourself as their companions to gain their trust, and then took advantage of their vulnerability to kill them with a single blow. You are truly too vicious."
After spending a long time with this ferocious beast, Xue Ming finally understood why the BOSS felt so distressed when talking about this fleshy ball of the same generation and level.
If we're talking about Chabang's moral sword, it specifically targets good people.
--Because only good people abide by morality, and good people are bound by ethical norms.
But besides being a riddle teller, the Chaos Beast's favorite thing to do is to confuse right and wrong and wield the sword of morality to kill people.
Xue Ming is determined to kill monsters, and he will stop at nothing to do so.
Regardless of the monster's nature, customs, or how many hungry monster babies she has, her monster husband's alcoholism, drug addiction, domestic violence, divorce, and subsequent disappearance, this single monster mother painstakingly raised her children, upholding a series of traditional virtues. She even received a chastity certificate from the monster emperor, becoming a moral exemplar in the monster world. Even if a few scholars and literati from Xia Bang were to emerge, wanting to tell this monster mother's tragic story, to use the monster to educate people, and to encourage their own children to learn from this chaste and virtuous monster, while simultaneously criticizing her possibly African-blooded, scumbag husband— Xue Ming cared about none of this.
"A natural spirit?" Jiang Xueming found the verbal attack somewhat laughable. "I used to run a beef offal business, you old demon Di Jiang, are you actually criticizing me? Accusing me of having no compassion for a bowl of beef offal?"
At this moment, Di Jiang regained some consciousness.
--It initially thought that this human had merely stolen some of the Taowu's essence.
Just like many warriors favored by Taowu throughout history, these humans also possess some of Taowu's characteristics. Ming De and persistent, and they also like brave and simple-minded people.
As long as this simplicity is made complicated and confusing...
Jiang Xueming might be able to switch allegiance to Chaos and become its host.
Now that it has opened its seven orifices, it is no longer as confused and ignorant as it was in its previous fleshy ball form. It also has desires and demands. At this moment, it only wants to survive, then gather more immortal embryos to strengthen itself, reclaim most of its primordial essence, and transform back into its ferocious beast form.
After absorbing a portion of Jiang Xueming's blood, Di Jiang was also able to obtain some important information from this elemental essence.
It didn't care about Judas and the nameless man fighting to the death, but Judas planned to use it as a sacrificial offering. This ritual would just happen to help it ascend to godhood. How many years of accumulation and how many lives were sacrificed to gather such a vast and pure primordial essence into one place to fulfill a wish and create a Daoist magic?
Immediately afterwards, the old demon Di Jiang prepared to continue testing Xue Ming with pyramid scheme rhetoric.
"If I say you're vicious, do you dare admit it?"
Jiang Xueming, while fiddling with the barbecue grill, replied, "I admit it."
"Hmph, as expected, they wouldn't dare." Di Jiang interrupted mid-sentence, "What?"
Jiang Xueming replied innocently, "I don't know anything about this green snake. Why would I use Universal Elixir to test its abilities? I don't have that much in stock."
"Since it has no suspicion of this old monkey, let's lure it down and kill it with one blow—that's the safest way. Neither Baimu nor the Buddha Sculptor can recognize the skin bag made from the Peeling Tree; it certainly won't either. This treasure is too useful."
With that, Jiang Xueming Bu Liuxing out. The Water Virtue Star Lord was dead, and he needed to find spider silk at the kiln and pharmacy. He didn't have much stock on hand, so he couldn't use his Fragrant Dream technique.
The old demon Di Jiang was still unwilling to give up, and it continued—
"--You just admit it like that? You admit you're a shameless, despicable, and vicious person?!"
Jiang Xueming replied, "Well said! Very appropriate! Absolutely right!"
Di Jiang the Old Demon: "You"
Jiang Xueming interrupted, "You're a ferocious beast, have some self-awareness, okay? My boss is a ferocious beast too. Does this company culture expect me to be a good person?"
The old demon Di Jiang's secret was exposed, and he suddenly arched his body. His hands and feet were bound, and he was held upside down in Xue Ming's hands.
Jiang Xueming continued, "Brother Ye Bei told me years ago—"
"--There shouldn't be any purely good people in this world. Anyone who is only good by following the rules, honest and kind, and selfless is an accomplice to evil. Without good, there is no bad."
"To blindly do good without the ability is a crime; to uphold justice without the wisdom is murder."
"To expect someone with a physical disability to run, to perform filial piety and good deeds like an ordinary person, and to stand up for justice when they see injustice—isn't that just making them a sitting duck for bad guys?"
"What morality or righteousness can I talk about with demons? They want to wear human skin, speak human language, abide by rules, and be pure, innocent, and ignorant. Does that mean they won't eat people? These are all weaknesses you're talking about—why can't I use them?"
"If I really get better and start talking about morality and following the rules, I bet Zhuzhu and Baimu will be laughing their heads off—where in the world is there such a stupid person who dares to challenge them both at the same time? Will they pity me? Just because I follow the rules and talk about morality and righteousness, will it move heaven and earth? Will a savior come to help me?"
"No, that's not right. My boss told me that in a close contest, the brave prevail—it's not that good people win, but rather that only the winner has the right to be a good person."
At this point, the old demon Di Jiang fell silent.
It slept for far too long, and what it was thinking was—
Are all Gen kids this wild?
Where has our cultural confidence, built over five thousand years of history, gone? At least pick up some dross and treat it as treasure! This guy isn't playing by the rules?! He doesn't even have the nerve to make excuses?
It was so angry that it trembled all over, its hands and feet were ice-cold, and it couldn't utter a single word.
Going back several hundred years, even the most ruthless killers and tyrannical rulers, whose success was built on the bones of countless others, would still have some sense of decency. While they would seize land, massacre cities, burn, kill, and plunder, they would also expect the people to remember their kindness, morality, gratitude, and adherence to their rules.
But the guy Taowu found seems to have no regard for face at all; all he cares about is his substance!
Yes--
Just as you expected.
Chaos is a god or monster without facial features.
Similarly, shamelessness can also restrain it to some extent. In its view, Jiang Xueming's shamelessness far surpasses its own. This twisted logic of the moral sword simply cannot penetrate Xue Ming's defenses.
He arrived at the station, having worked so much for the boss, received so much money, and served him for so many years—
--So many people were killed, so many demons and monsters.
He never felt any psychological burden, never cared about appearances or saving face. To say he had a clear conscience was an understatement. If these defeated underlings were to become vengeful ghosts and demons from beyond the realm and then return to look at him, the gunsmith, he would be overjoyed, seeing it as a perfect opportunity to die and be wiped out completely.
The Hundred-Eyed Magic Treasure was ineffective against Xue Ming. This was because he truly had no inner demons; this wasn't just a casual remark.
Di Jiang ruminated again, vomiting up thick fluid, and carefully tasted the blood in his stomach, from which he came to understand a horrifying truth.
Under Taowu's tutelage, this kid transformed from an ordinary person into a butterfly in just two years, seemingly without ever encountering any inner demons—what kind of freak is this?! Is he a celestial being descended to earth? He doesn't even have a scar on his head!
Just then, Jiang Xueming found the spider silk stock in the pharmacy and began to weave the shimmering Flash Butterfly Armor.
He once again turned the enemy's magical artifact into his own. In just one hour, in the Fragrant Dream and flesh, the protective armor was reborn in a white and gold hue.
Unfortunately, there was no helmet available. Xue Ming couldn't find suitable materials to make one, and he was afraid he wouldn't have enough time to burn iron ore. If he was even a step too slow, Wu Xiuwen might be reporting to the King of Hell.
"Are you worried about that Wu Xiuwen?" Di Jiang seized the opportunity to launch a mental attack. "That dog eunuch's son deserves to die, yet you spare his life and even grant him a stroke of good fortune. Is that fair to the people of Zhuzhou?"
Jiang Xueming tried on the size of the armor. The change to spider silk material made the clothes lighter, but the many cable mechanisms at the joints needed to be redesigned and adjusted.
He casually replied, "That's unfair."
"As expected, he's going to try to argue," Di Jiang snapped out of his daze. "Holy crap?"
Jiang Xueming frankly admitted, "I've let these people down. I've wronged everyone Wu Xiuwen has ever Wu Xiuwen or harmed. But there are priorities—if I don't save him, if I don't come to Black Wind Ridge, Zhuzhou will become a demon city and a demon realm. At that point, it won't just be about feeling sorry for them; they won't even be worthy of being human anymore, they'll become meat dogs."
"Teacher Victor said that a spoon is a spoon, and chopsticks are chopsticks. Things need to be distinguished one by one before we can settle accounts."
"My brain isn't working well, so I'll tackle the difficult problems first, then deal with the easy ones. Just like during the Lunar New Year, the delicious, easy-to-eat refined grains and fatty meats will always be saved for the end of the year."
Like now--
Pulling on the hem of her garment and fastening the buttons, the Flash Butterfly Armor rippled out a misty aura, a precious armor that could not be harmed by metal or stone.
"--The high-value targets are almost dealt with. We can put on our armor to save time. Just like you said, I'll openly and honestly storm the Yuehe Pass and have a chat with these little monsters about morality."
"Now that you've opened your seven orifices, clean your dog eyes and look carefully. See if these demons will fight me fairly, adhering to the etiquette of one-on-one duels."
Di Jiang was taken aback by that remark but dared not reply. After thinking carefully, it stretched out its paw as if to say something, but then withdrew it, picked up a bridle from its cloth bag, and gagged itself.
It didn't want to argue with this immortal anymore. This guy had long since broken through the illusion, and his words were like sharp swords. Now that it was physically weak and mentally exhausted, continuing the conversation might damage its beastly foundation and mental state.
Jiang Xueming made a soft mask out of silk thread, with only bamboo plaques to support the soft armor.
A pair of gleaming eyes shone through the mask as he spoke threateningly.
"Judas's immortal embryo dies, it's one less."
"I didn't expect that even Pankras couldn't kill you, and I even wasted my medicine to treat the backlash damage to my arm. If I could have killed you completely, you would have been a pile of rotten flesh long ago."
"Stay in your bundle and keep quiet."