Quelling the Disturbance

Chapter 9

"Roar~~"

A thunderous roar that shook the mountains and forests erupted from Qin Ming's Bronze Bell Artifact!

The sound was deafening, and the furious bellow continued without pause.

Just hearing its sheer force was enough to strike terror into one's heart!

With Qin Ming at the center, countless waves of sound surged outward like a tide, sweeping through everything like a gale scattering clouds, spreading layer upon layer in every direction.

They completely drowned out the shrieks of the Howling Mad Monkeys!

The strange sound waves emitted by the monkey troop were instantly broken.

The red gradually faded from the nearby Spirit Farmers' eyes, and their minds slowly regained clarity.

The low-level Howling Mad Monkeys scattered in terror.

Those Howling Mad Monkeys that had been preparing to attack Qin Ming and the other man within the formation were closest to the Bronze Bell Artifact's range.

The immense sound waves made every hair on their bodies stand on end. They all wore looks of utter terror and trembled uncontrollably.

Yet after a brief moment of surprise and uncertainty, that mid-stage first-rank Howling Mad Monkey hesitated for only a few breaths before returning to its savage state.

It seemed not to have been greatly affected.

"Screech, screech, screech—"

It let out another piercing cry toward the sky, intending to reorganize the monkey troop and charge again!

It had clearly seen through some of the Beast Control Art's tricks. The thunder was loud, but the raindrops were small—it had caused them no real harm.

All show and no substance.

Good heavens, was that really the Beast Control Art? It was more like the Lion's Roar Skill, wasn't it?!

And an enhanced version with a loudspeaker attached.

Even Qin Ming himself was startled.

A single use of the Beast Control Art had instantly drained one-fifth of the mana within him.

Still, seeing the Beast Control Art work against the monkey demons on his first attempt put his mind somewhat at ease.

"Fellow Daoist Qin actually knows the Beast Control Art!"

Alchemist Su was greatly surprised. His gaze kept sweeping over Qin Ming anew.

He no longer knew how to judge the man before him.

"It works sometimes and fails other times. Alchemist Su, please don't laugh at me."

"Fellow Daoist Qin, watch out! Those Howling Mad Monkeys are coming again!"

At his words, Qin Ming immediately pulled himself together. He hastily circulated his mana and unleashed another Beast Control Art!

Half a cup of tea later.

At last.

A huge Dharma Boat streaked through the sky in a flash of escaping light and arrived above their Spirit Fields in an instant.

Qin Ming focused his eyes and saw that Elder Gu of the Spirit Feather Sect had arrived with Outer Disciples as reinforcements.

"They made it in time, at least."

He let out a long breath of relief.

Just then, he had used up all five uses of the Beast Control Art Affix at once.

Qin Ming's face was pale, and his dantian felt utterly hollow.

If not for his Evergreen Mana being twice that of an ordinary cultivator's,

had Elder Gu and the others arrived even a step later, he truly would have run dry.

He had even been planning to use the Faint Mana Affix to keep himself alive.

The demon beasts' ambush had come with lightning speed, lasting less than a quarter of an hour.

Coupled with the strange sound-wave attack, it had caught everyone unprepared.

"Hmph!"

"After searching everywhere for you vermin these past days and finding nothing, you were actually hiding right under This Old Man's nose!"

Elder Gu was clearly so furious that his lungs were about to burst.

The Spirit Fields had suffered considerable losses this time. As the chief official in charge of Spirit Rice taxes, he would certainly face punishment from the sect.

Elder Gu flicked a finger, and a Crimson Flying Sword shot out from his hand!

A scarlet streak flashed as it carved an arc through the air.

Clang!

The flying sword instantly passed through the leading mid-stage first-rank Howling Mad Monkey.

The air fell silent.

A line of blood appeared from the monkey's head to its tail. It had actually been cleaved in two by a single sword strike!

The monkey corpse collapsed limply to the ground.

"Peak Qi Refinement—terrifying indeed!"

Qin Ming stared blankly at Elder Gu's thunderous display, dumbfounded.

The arrival of the Spirit Feather Sect's people signaled the end of the matter.

Elder Gu led his disciples in swiftly wiping out the remaining Howling Mad Monkeys.

Not a single monkey escaped the net.

For a while, there should no longer be any demon beasts harassing the Spirit Fields nearby.

"Who used the Beast Control Art just now?"

After clearing the scene, Elder Gu boarded the Dharma Boat. Before leaving, he turned back and asked the crowd.

Hearing this, Qin Ming remained standing in place without saying a word.

In the Immortal Cultivation World, he did not dare reveal too much that was extraordinary about himself.

When it came to being cautious, Qin Ming had never conceded to anyone. Unless necessary, he only showed off what he could control—not a bit more, never taking needless risks.

"It was Fellow Daoist Qin. We owe him our thanks this time."

Alchemist Su stepped forward and unexpectedly spoke up for him.

"Oh, Alchemist Su was here as well?"

"I was in the heat of anger just now and failed to notice." A rare trace of a smile appeared on Elder Gu's stern face.

"Is this the Spirit Farmer who grew Beast Fang Rice? Record a merit for him this time. Reduce his Spirit Rice tax for this quarter by ten percent."

Elder Gu narrowed his eyes and examined Qin Ming twice, but could not see anything special about him.

He then coldly instructed Du Haifu beside him.

Du Haifu wore an expression more miserable than if he had eaten shit and hurriedly answered, "Yes, yes, yes. It will be done."

A reduction of ten percent naturally meant a reduction in his own share.

"Alchemist Su, what I discussed with you before still stands. If you come around, you may come find This Old Man at the Spirit Feather Sect's residence anytime." Elder Gu spoke solemnly to Alchemist Su.

"I've grown used to idling freely and truly dislike being bound. Please allow me to consider this matter further."

"Very well. This Old Man has important business to attend to, so I shall take my leave first."

With that, Elder Gu departed with his disciples to report back.

Qin Ming let out a breath of relief.

He looked around at the hillside ravaged by the monkey troop. Only his own Spirit Field and those of a few other Spirit Farmers had escaped unharmed.

Three or four of the Spirit Fields had suffered losses of more than half.

More than a dozen Spirit Farmers on the mountain had died at once. They had been bewitched by the Howling Mad Monkeys' sound waves and killed in mutual slaughter.

Aside from Qin Ming and Alchemist Su, the remaining surviving Spirit Farmers had all sustained injuries to varying degrees.

Looking at the corpses sprawled across the Spirit Fields, Qin Ming felt an indescribable emotion well up within him.

"Alas."

They bottom-tier Spirit Farmers merely worked themselves to the bone farming for a living.

Yet in the end, they could not withstand a sudden accident.

If Alchemist Su hadn't recognized those demon beasts, I would likely have ended up the same as the Spirit Farmers outside today.

Right, I wonder how Cai Lao Jiu is doing?

Qin Ming suddenly remembered.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, we owe you our thanks this time."

"If you hadn't known the Beast Control Art and broken the monkey troop's sound-wave attack, then if those demon beasts had swarmed us, you and I likely would have found it difficult to emerge unscathed today."

Alchemist Su walked over and kindly took out a Jade Bottle of Spirit Replenishing Pills, handing it to Qin Ming.

Qin Ming froze.

After hesitating for a moment, he did not refuse and accepted the pills.

He opened the Jade Bottle. There were no fewer than five Spirit Replenishing Pills inside.

He immediately poured out one and swallowed it, then sat down where he was to meditate and restore his mana.

A short while later, some color returned to Qin Ming's pale face, and he felt somewhat better.

"Alchemist Su, collect the Crimson Spirit Dew in the Spirit Fields first. I'll go see whether Cai Lao Jiu is all right."

After getting to his feet, Qin Ming informed Alchemist Su.

Then he hurried toward Cai Lao Jiu's Spirit Field.

What he did not expect was this.

He had only made it halfway along the mountain path when he ran head-on into Cai Lao Jiu.

Cai Lao Jiu was currently filthy and bedraggled, with injuries on his body. He looked utterly wretched, leaning on a branch he had picked up and limping uphill.

Cai Lao Jiu looked up and happened to see Qin Ming. Seeing him bouncing about full of life as though nothing had happened, he instantly broke down.

"No way! How come you brat aren't hurt at all?"

Cai Lao Jiu had originally been worried for Qin Ming's safety, but now he simply could not accept it.

"Cai Lao Jiu, how is it? Your injuries aren't serious, are they?"

"Who knows where that bunch of mad monkeys came from."

"It's good that you're all right."

Seeing that Cai Lao Jiu had only suffered superficial wounds, Qin Ming was reassured.

"What do you mean, all right?"

"I don't know which bastard got bewitched by those monkeys, but he actually jabbed my ass with a Spirit Hoe handle!"

"Fuck! Don't let me find out who it was!"

"..."

With one hand supporting his waist and the other braced against a nearby tree, Cai Lao Jiu indignantly asked, "You still haven't answered me! How come you aren't hurt at all?"

"Could those monkeys be your relatives or something? They couldn't bear to lay a hand on you?"

Qin Ming replied helplessly, "What a coincidence—I happened to run into Alchemist Su."

"If he hadn't been there, you'd probably be burning paper offerings for me by now. Sigh."