I Finally Returned

Beneath the walls of Bashu County, several riders charged out of the city gates in the pouring rain.

Prefect Wen Weng led the way, holding a torch.

A slight Law Power permeated his palm, making it difficult for the wind to extinguish the torch, and the rain did not wet it.

The flames illuminated an area of several dozen meters around them, and also lit up the faces that displayed different emotions.

Wen Weng's dignified composure, Dong Zhongshu's hint of excitement in his eyes, Zhang Shu and Zhao Liang's trepidation, and Zhang Xuezhou's thoughtful expression.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't understand why he couldn't go to Chang'an City. Dong Zhongshu's evasive way of speaking confused him.

But Zhang Xuezhou wasn't in a hurry.

As long as he followed Dong Zhongshu, he would eventually get the information he wanted.

He calculated when he might return, and pondered the tasks assigned to him by the Venerable One.

Emerging from the secret place, Zhang Xuezhou was clearly free to roam. With the nine major evasion techniques now largely complete, he didn't care where he lay down or whether he went hungry for a day or two.

As long as he is not in a particularly dangerous area, Zhang Xuezhou is relatively safe.

Even if all else fails, there's always Dong Zhongshu, someone I've met a few times, to help sort things out.

He and Dong Zhongshu only had one trip to Lingnan, but Zhang Xuezhou Dong Zhongshu was the person Zhang Xuezhou understood the most during Lingnan trip.

This is someone who, after destroying the spirit jade with magic, still used his own Law Treasure to make up for it. Putting aside his noble character, Dong Zhongshu is indeed the most honest and kind person Zhang Xuezhou has ever met since he started his career, even to the point of being somewhat pedantic.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't know whether Dong Zhongshu felt at ease when he associated with him, but he clearly trusted Dong Zhongshu completely.

He did indeed believe what Dong Zhongshu said, but Zhang Xuezhou couldn't understand why.

He followed behind, riding at a leisurely pace to keep up with the crowd.

The wind and waves had little effect on Zhang Xuezhou, while the rain splashed onto his raincoat like water being poured on it.

"The law can be applied to both gathering and loosening..."

As they ran ahead, Dong Zhongshu's voice came from behind. Zhang Xuezhou was slightly taken aback, but then listened intently.

What the other party was talking about was not technique, but law, that is, the Law Power within the body.

Following Dong Zhongshu's guidance, Zhang Xuezhou slightly circulated his Law Power, and the rainwater splashing onto his body bounced off as if it had hit a lotus leaf.

This way of using Law Power is undoubtedly a life hack. While it may not be as effective as Wen Weng's ability to remain unaffected by wind and rain when navigating heavy rain, it does avoid most of the rain.

Zhang Xuezhou shook off his clothes, and his body immediately felt dry and comfortable.

Something's not right!

Riding ahead on horseback, Dong Zhongshu occasionally glanced back.

He taught Zhang Xuezhou a little trick for using his Law Power, which Zhang Xuezhou learned very quickly.

However, the two produced drastically different results.

Looking at himself, whose right hand was emitting a faint Law Power glow to shield his face from the rain, and then at Zhang Xuezhou riding his horse normally behind him, Dong Zhongshu felt a toothache.

If he could, he would like to learn from Zhang Xuezhou how to wash himself thoroughly to avoid the rain.

His spellcasting was limited to his hands, requiring him to cover parts of his body with his hands, while Zhang Xuezhou cast spells from head to toe.

Dong Zhongshu was somewhat arrogant. With the backing of the imperial court, he had learned almost all the Technique Method he could from the books in the imperial collection, but none of the books mentioned that the casting of spells was performed in this way.

Zhang Xuezhou's method of casting spells was very special and had little effect on most spells, but Dong Zhongshu liked this extraordinary ability.

He likes differences.

Only through differences can he discover more possibilities.

He was momentarily overjoyed, feeling that after a long period of bad luck, his fortunes were about to turn around.

But Dong Zhongshu suppressed this thought for the time being and looked at Wen Weng, who was leading the way.

"Taiping Weir is 63 li outside Shu County. It will take us about an hour to ride horses at night!"

Seemingly sensing Dong Zhongshu's gaze, Wen Weng, who was running ahead, responded.

"The Bashe (a type of snake) likes to roam out of its nest to forage during stormy weather. It might be farther or closer than we expect, and the timing is hard to pinpoint, but as long as we smear pig's blood on our mounts, the Bashe will definitely come chasing after us!"

While one can reach a location with relatively high accuracy at night, finding a specific creature in that location is a matter of luck.

When Wen Weng finished speaking, Dong Zhongshu couldn't help but nod repeatedly.

"I discovered the serpent's haunting three years ago, and I ordered the villagers nearby to offer sacrifices of slaughtered livestock. It has become accustomed to the smell of blood!" Wen Weng said.

"Zhongweng is indeed a wise man!" Dong Zhongshu exclaimed repeatedly.

"We were powerless to stop it, and our appeals for help went unanswered, causing this calamity to persist for years, dragging on until today. I am ashamed!"

Wen Weng looked ashamed, while Dong Zhongshu couldn't help but shake his head.

It wasn't that no one in the imperial court knew about this information, but Wen Weng, who had reached the Sole Self Realm, " was still unable to solve the problem. Few people at the same realm dared to take the initiative to handle the matter, and it would be difficult for those who held the rank of one of the Three Dukes to travel thousands of miles to eliminate a giant snake. As for the military region's fierce generals, they had been fighting for the past few years and could not be easily mobilized by Wen Weng to eliminate the snake.

Various reasons have delayed the matter of the Bashe (a mythical snake) until now.

Wen Weng's strategy was also to stall, using sacrificial livestock to feed the enemy and prevent them from wreaking havoc on the villagers.

This even fostered a certain dependence in the diet of the barracuda.

For a moment, they were both lost in their own thoughts.

As Dong Zhongshu noted that there were still more than thirty li to go, he couldn't help but turn his gaze to Zhang Xuezhou.

Wen Weng patted the pig's blood clots hanging on his mount and squeezed the softness of the blood, feeling that Zhang Shu and Zhao Liang were very reliable in their work.

Pig's blood will coagulate if left for a long time, but the blood in the center will not solidify and will remain in the form of blood plasma.

This is something the prefectural governor's office prepares year-round. It's used for cooking after it's left overnight, and the next day they buy more pig's blood to store. They prepare it regularly, but it might not always come in handy. However, when the opportunity arises, they can certainly seize it.

The pig's blood that Zhang Shu and Zhao Liang cut was just right, while also preserving most of the blood plasma.

With just a slight pinch, Wen Weng's hands were stained with thick, foul-smelling blood.

He wiped his hands on horseback, the reins tightening around his thighs, revealing the uneasy restlessness of the horse.

"Oh horse, I'm reluctant to use you as bait, but the wind and rain don't allow me to have my way. If it's going to rain at 7 PM, I can't move it to noon. In the middle of the night, I don't have time to find a pig to bleed, so I can only use you as a substitute..."

Wen Weng wiped the pig's blood off the horse's back. He initially thought the horse was uneasy because of the smell of blood, but he soon realized something was wrong.

A fishy smell wafted through the wind and rain, sending chills down his spine.

"The Naba snake seems to be nearby!"

Compared to the area where it used to be entrenched in Taipingyan, the Bashe has now wandered a great distance.

"It seems very hungry; its foraging range has far exceeded its usual limits, and its destination is likely Shu County!"

Wen Weng shouted loudly, immediately alerting everyone.

When the flame on his torch suddenly flared, he felt two red rays shining towards him from hundreds of meters away.

The dark, deep red light hung high like a large red lantern, and Wen Weng couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.

He was extremely familiar with the terrain and knew that the area ahead was flat, while the two red beams were nearly ten feet above the ground.

A length of six zhang is already considered that of a giant python; if it were to be ten zhang off the ground, its body would need to grow at least another ten zhang.

Just thinking about how fast this subspecies of Bashe was growing made Wen Weng tremble.

This was something far beyond what a fishing net could restrain, directly disrupting half of his previous plan.

But when Wen Weng thought about the destruction and casualties that the Bashe might cause if it rushed into Shu County, he felt that there was no way out.

"A fierce wind breaks the rain, settle it!"

He shouted loudly and spurred his horse to approach. Immediately, a seal pierced through the rain and fell towards the red light.

A long ruler was quickly placed in his palm.

"Hey!"

Behind Wen Weng, Zhang Shu and Zhao Liang rode horses and drew their bows.

As the two shouted, the arrows left their bows and shot towards the direction of the red light.

But as they rode closer and the firelight illuminated the body of the Bashe, Zhang Shu and Zhao Liang's expressions changed drastically.

Clearly, this 'Bashe' was far beyond what they had seen before.

The opponent's upright body was taller than the city tower, as thick as the city gate, and its head was as big as a bucket.

The serpent's body is covered in scales the size of shields, making it difficult to cut down with swords.

This is a ferocious beast that no ordinary person can contend with.

"It ate people!"

When Zhang Shu's gaze fell on the giant snake's belly, he saw that the belly was swollen and bulging, and the constant writhing made some human body parts appear on the abdomen. This made him cry out in horror, and he felt his body go limp instantly.

"Bang!"

The sound of Wen Weng's seal crashing down rang out, and a red light flashed in Ba She's eyes as she swept the seal away.

"Heaven hasn't forsaken me, I'm finally back!"

The murmuring sounds of the Sacred Land were like whispers from hell.

As the Demon Power the Bashe snake swept through the area, it seemed to remember something while enduring the attacks of the Law Treasure.

It raised its head, its eyes gleaming with a bright red light, and looked down like a tiger eyeing a sick monkey.