Curse-Subduing Technique

"What joy it is to have dishes come from afar!"

The Wolf Lord revealed his true form, but rather than hurry to seize Jiang Yan, he began reciting in a scholarly manner. His words, however, hardly suited the occasion.

The assembled monsters below ran wild as well. In the blink of an eye, the courtyard became an entirely different scene.

Long snakes climbed the courtyard walls, roosters perched on beams, rats darted between feet, and birds and beasts sat in groups. Pigs, dogs, chickens, and donkeys rolled about, their cries rising one after another. What utter chaos!

The cook in the middle was plainly a weasel wearing an apron. Now back in his true form, he held a spatula in his two paws and waved it about in delight.

Ignoring the pandemonium, the Wolf Lord raised his paws and bowed in greeting.

"The main course has come a long way. Please, take a seat!"

The Wolf Demon looked bizarre, bowing with a pair of wolf paws raised, yet his etiquette was quite proper.

Jiang Yan finally spoke, a smile still on his face.

"Wasn't the Wolf Lord supposed to be hosting today? Why must this poor Daoist offer his own flesh in charity?"

Seeing Jiang Yan's unchanged expression, steady bearing, and unhurried tone, the Wolf Lord grew doubtful.

This lad is no ordinary sort. So composed-could he have powerful backing?

My family has only just forged a connection with the Dao Academy, with a bright future ahead. It would hardly be worth ruining that over a craving.

Forget it, forget it. Whether he's bold enough to bluff or something else, there's no need to stir up trouble even if he has no backing. If I really crave a bite, there are meat sheep to eat.

In the space of three to five breaths, his thoughts turned over without pause, and he changed his attitude outright.

"If our young friend wishes to join the feast, of course he may. Bring in the meat sheep and roast two for him!"

The monsters' jubilant cheering stopped at once. They exchanged glances, while the old shepherd went out in puzzlement to herd in the sheep.

Jiang Yan shook his head again and beckoned. A deer monster that had been particularly loud just now gave a startled cry, its body moving beyond its control to stand upright in the middle of the gathering.

Jiang Yan pointed again, and a bright-red flame drifted gently over and landed on the deer.

Screaming, the deer involuntarily turned its body, roasting itself alive before everyone's eyes.

Only then did Jiang Yan leisurely join the feast, sitting in the deer's former seat.

"No need to trouble yourself, Wolf Lord. This deer looks good to me. It should make a passable meal."

The gathering fell utterly silent.

Who knew what strange kind of fire that was? In an instant, the stag had roasted golden, the grain of its muscles clearly visible. Oily juices dripped from it, giving off a rich aroma.

"Then this poor Daoist won't stand on ceremony with you fellow Daoists."

Jiang Yan bared a mouthful of white teeth, tore off a deer leg, and stuffed it into his mouth, ripping off great mouthfuls.

Gulp.

The Wolf Lord's throat bobbed, and he reined in his transformation.

"I had no idea a fellow Daoist stood before me. My hospitality has truly been lacking. How improper of me."

Jiang Yan said nothing, merely tearing off great mouthfuls.

"Might I ask what brings you here, fellow Daoist? If you have any instructions, I shall certainly lend my utmost assistance."

"This meat is a little too greasy. It doesn't go down well."

Just then, the old shepherd herded the sheep inside. Jiang Yan raised his hand and snatched.

With a squelch, a bright-red sheep's heart, still beating, appeared in his hand.

The old mountain goat's eyes bulged, and he fell to the ground, his soul departing.

"A fine heart, a fine heart! Just the thing to cut the grease for this Daoist!"

Holding the sheep's heart in both hands, Jiang Yan brought it to his mouth and chewed heartily.

The sheep's heart was exceedingly chewy, creaking between his teeth. Its Qi and Blood were not as plentiful as he had expected, but Jiang Yan wasted none of it, swallowing it all.

A ring of monsters surrounded a Daoist whose mouth streamed with grease. In the silent gathering, the only sound was the Daoist chewing flesh and blood.

Watching this bizarre scene, the flock of meat sheep huddled together, trembling.

What rescue? This Daoist is probably a monster too, and one who likes his food raw. What misery!

Watching Jiang Yan ignore him and devote himself entirely to eating and drinking, the Wolf Lord frowned.

"My young wolf recently had the good fortune to take a Dao Academy student as his master. That is why I held this grand feast. Have you come to attend, fellow Daoist?"

At these words, Jiang Yan finally reacted. He reached toward the bulge inside his robes.

"Croak."

Jiang Yan drew a strange-looking toad from his robes.

The toad was small and had only three legs, with room to spare as it rested on his palm. A copper-coin-shaped protrusion rose from its back, golden spots dotted its body, and its eyes were large and keen.

One glance at it brought a sense of wafting treasure-luster and comfort throughout the body. It was none other than a Treasure-Gathering Golden Toad that gathered good fortune and auspicious blessings!

Jiang Yan flicked his hand, and the golden toad landed on the ground, swelling in the wind. In a blink, it was larger than the roast deer on the table. It opened its mouth and spat out a box.

Jiang Yan picked up the box and held it without opening it, the very same smile still on his face.

The young man, with his red lips and white teeth, looked utterly innocent.

Only now, his face was smeared bright red, and the words from his mouth were hardly pleasant.

"Wolf Lord? Nothing but a paltry mountain monster."

He raised a hand and pointed at the flock of meat sheep that had been driven inside.

"Beast, your crimes have come to light! Under the Immortal Dynasty's rule, you dared privately practice a technique that turns people into livestock!

"And you even held a celebratory feast? I'm here to take you in!"

The moment Jiang Yan finished speaking, the golden toad bent its legs and sprang, leaving only a sharp gust.

The golden toad bounded back and forth, moving as swiftly as a streak of golden light.

Within a few bounds, every petty monster below, bird and beast alike, had been kicked to death.

These little monsters had only just awakened their intelligence. Never mind Spiritual Qi-they had not even fully honed their beast bodies, or they would not all have been sporting monstrous heads.

For his unusual golden toad, dealing with these few petty monsters was no harder than turning over a hand.

The golden toad returned to his side, still spotless, without so much as a trace of blood.

Jiang Yan patted its belly in satisfaction as a reward, then frowned as he looked back over the gathering.

The ground was now covered in scarlet, mingled with the rank stench of all those bird and beast monsters. What a thoroughly filthy place!

The meat sheep huddled in the corner, tears streaming from every pair of eyes as they looked hopefully at Jiang Yan.

The Wolf Lord had done nothing to stop Jiang Yan. Disregarding the filth on the ground, he dropped to his knees with a thud and bowed his head.

"Senior, please hear this little wolf out. I strayed for a moment, and I am willing to spend the rest of my life doing good to make amends. Please, for the sake of this little wolf having provided the Dao Academy with a promising talent, grant me forgiveness."

The Immortal Dynasty had ruled the entire Dao Realm for nearly a hundred thousand years. Its fortune flourished, and its accumulated authority weighed heavily.

Within the realm, the "Heavenly Dao" oversaw everything, while a heavenly net formed from fortune shrouded the interiors of the Nineteen Provinces.

As the saying went, heaven's net was vast, its mesh wide, yet nothing slipped through. This monster had merely just entered the Ninth-Rank Lower Realm and cultivated copper skin and iron bones.

His strength was only equal to Jiang Yan's Treasure-Gathering Golden Toad. Even if he wanted to flee, he could not escape.

"Nurturing talent? That young wolf was indeed fortunate to take a Dao Academy disciple as his master. A pity he had a man-eating father."

Sighing aloud for the young wolf, Jiang Yan casually opened the box in his hands.

A snow-white wolf's head sat squarely in the center, its eyes closed and ears pointed upright, with a disheveled tuft of black fur in the middle of its crown.

"Th-this is?!"

At the sight of the wolf's head, the Wolf Demon abruptly stiffened. Then his whole body trembled and convulsed, revealing his true form as he writhed.

"Awooo!"

A shrill howl rang out. His eyes bulged, sharp fangs jutted past his lips, and claws extended like daggers.

His fur, however, differed from the young wolf's. Black fur bristled from head to tail.

"My son!"

His four wolf legs moved, launching him high into the air before he came crashing down like Mount Tai bearing down from above.

Black Qi accompanied his body, sweeping like a gale and scattering the mist around the courtyard.

The stone tables, bonfires, and everything else in the gathering were blown into disarray, flying in all directions and blocking Jiang Yan's view.

In a blink, the Wolf Demon's pointed muzzle was before Jiang Yan's eyes, yet he remained utterly still, standing without dodging, as though nothing but air were lunging at him.

Just as the wolf's fangs were about to close on his neck, Jiang Yan raised his hand and pulled, tremendous force suddenly bursting from his muscles and bones.

Under that mighty pull, the fearsomely muscled Wolf Demon before him abruptly became an empty wolf pelt, collapsing limply onto the ground.

The Wolf Demon was cunning indeed. He had seemed intent on fighting Jiang Yan to the death, but had actually used a method of shedding his shell like a cicada.

He had left only his wolf pelt to draw attention. As for his actual body, naturally, he was fleeing for his life. As the saying went, so long as the green hills remained, there would be no fear of running out of firewood.

He could sire another son, but once the old wolf was gone, he was truly gone.

In this brief interval, the Wolf Demon should already have fled quite a distance.

Jiang Yan shook his head and pressed a finger onto the young wolf's head in the box.

Did he really think I brought the young wolf's head just to show it to the Wolf Demon?

This wasn't the harmonious world of my previous life. Where would humanitarianism come from?

Besides, he was a Wolf Demon, not a human. Even if there were humanitarianism, it would have nothing to do with him.

"Ah, how much cunning can beasts possess?"

As his finger descended, the Curse-Subduing Technique prepared in advance was triggered.

A gray light shone from the wolf's head in the box. Then the head turned to ash, scattering without a trace in the breeze.

At the same moment, from roughly a li beyond the residence came a wolf's howl more wretched and more genuine than the last.

Jiang Yan looked in that direction and pointed. The golden toad immediately went obediently to retrieve the corpse.

Only he remained in the courtyard, shaking his head slightly.

"It only adds to the laughter."