Chapter 44: A Gentleman Conceals His Weapon within His Body

Qi Wu and the others stared in sheer disbelief at the spectacle before them: the clay Mountain God had actually leaped to life, sword in hand, to smite the demon!

"The Mountain God has manifested!" A'Yue blurted out, utterly dazed.

Qi Wu was the quickest to react: "No, someone is hiding inside the statue!"

And indeed, as the sword-wielding deity clashed with the tiger demon, chunks of clay rained down upon the floor, unveiling the true countenance of the hidden soul.

It was none other than Lu Yang.

"You son of a bitch, I've waited five whole days for you! It was well worth playing a statue for five days—now taste my blade!" Lu Yang spat out venomously, driving a fierce kick forward.

A man of his nimble wit and restless nature loathed nothing more than sitting still; yet, to avoid alerting the tiger demon, he had remained motionless inside that mold for five long days, a torment of the highest order.

Before the onlookers could even gather their wits, the flanking statues of the Civil and Martial Judges likewise burst into life: "Lu Yang, we shall lend you a hand!"

Meng Jingzhou and Mangu broke free from their clay shells, unleashing their respective mystical arts to eradicate the beast.

...

Five days prior, three uninvited guests had graced the Mountain God temple. Swallowing their Inedia Pills, they hollowed out the divine effigies and crawled inside.

The statues were several sizes larger than an ordinary man, offering space more than ample to house a human form.

"Are you certain this method will work?" Meng Jingzhou and Mangu had eyed Lu Yang with deep suspicion.

"Synthesizing the intelligence Brother Mangu provided, our only option is to wait for the rabbit to hit the post—we bide our time until the tiger demon comes to feed... Inside we go, and we shall see."

Mangu fell into deep thought. Could this be what the classics referred to as the gentleman concealing his weapon upon his person, awaiting the proper time?

"Exquisite, truly exquisite, it must mean precisely that! It seems one must indeed walk ten thousand miles as well as read ten thousand books." Mangu was overjoyed; he had pondered that adage before without ever grasping its essence, yet on his very first mission out with Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, such profound enlightenment had found him.

His master spoke the truth: to study well, one must first find an excellent specimen to emulate!

The trio selected their respective deities and, once ensconced, assumed the exact postures of the icons, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed to the world.

"Hey, hey, can you hear me?" Lu Yang spoke into their minds, deploying the Art of Divine Transmission.

The Art of Divine Transmission was a technique the three had picked up on the road; at point-blank range, it required no spiritual energy, relying solely on intent to converse. It was simple to learn, requiring only a modicum of mental discipline to master.

"Loud and clear," Meng Jingzhou and Mangu replied.

"Is the carriage alright?" Meng Jingzhou fretted over his carriage and the old horse.

To prevent the tiger demon from scenting their trail, they had left the vehicle in the custody of an inn back in Yanjiang County.

"We know too little regarding this tiger demon. What is certain is that its cultivation lies somewhere between the early stage of Foundation Establishment and the early stage of Golden Core. It is crafty by nature and excessively cautious; fearing that harming cultivators might invite trouble, it dines exclusively on mortals and shuns practitioners. If cultivators scour the mountain, it simply vanishes into some hidden nook where none can find it."

"In other words, it will absolutely avoid conflict with cultivators, fleeing whenever it can and hiding whenever it must."

The tiger demon had managed to occupy Mount Song for so long without detection by practitioners precisely because it adhered to a philosophy of non-contention.

"Therefore, we must conceal ourselves beforehand and eliminate it in one swift strike when it arrives!"

"The feline beast-kin are highly sensitive to spiritual fluctuations; we must not employ an ounce of spiritual energy while we wait."

It was for this very reason they opted for the Art of Divine Transmission, which demanded no spiritual fuel.

Five days later.

"My word, after all these days of waiting, someone has finally arrived."

"They bear the look of traveling merchants?"

"Hold on, why is there an old hunter with them? Didn't the locals say that because of the tiger demon, all the hunters had fled Mount Song long ago?"

They had investigated Mount Song thoroughly; the regional folk all maintained that the mountain's hunters had departed, and it had been an age since anyone heard of a woodsman coming down to sell pelts.

A changgui—a tiger's ghost-thrall!

The trio exchanged thoughts in a flash, instantly arriving at the same deduction. This was no guide-hunting elder at all, but a thrall leading souls to the slaughter!

They had harbored a shred of doubt regarding the tiger's presence, but seeing the thrall now, there was no question a tiger demon ruled this peak.

"Did you hear what the old hunter said? He claims he lives with several other hunters, which is where the merchant leader found him. It doesn't sound like a lie."

"It is highly probable those other hunters are thralls as well, masquerading as normal folk to deceive wayfarers. It lends an air of credibility, preventing anyone from suspecting their spectral nature!"

"Shall we strike now and deal with the thrall?" Meng Jingzhou was raring to go.

Lu Yang bade him hold his peace, analyzing the situation: "Do not startle the snake in the grass. Did you hear that man Qi Wu mention seeking aid from the Five Great Immortal Sects? With the tiger demon's cautious temperament, it will certainly come to silence them. We shall wait quietly. The moment the demon appears, I shall strike, you two will cover me, and simultaneously drive those merchants away from this place."

"Understood."

"Mm, do you hear footsteps outside the temple? It doesn't seem to be the tiger demon."

Hearing Qi Wu and the old hunter attempting to drive away the young woman in green, Mangu could not help but mutter internally: "How foolish. With that female cultivator present, the tiger demon would never dare come to slay. The beast fears its existence being exposed; if it kills her, her sect will seek vengeance; if it spares her, she will bring her sect to its doorstep. Either way is a path to ruin. The only recourse is to send her away."

"See, I was right. The thrall has sent her packing."

Lu Yang remained cooler of head: "Look at it from the reverse perspective: while she remained, the demon would never show itself. How long were we meant to wait?"

Meng Jingzhou let out a soft exclamation: "Did you notice the jade pendant at the green-clad maiden's waist?"

"What of it?" Lu Yang and Mangu knew that many jade tokens served as symbols of status, but they were ignorant of the finer nuances.

"That is the token of the Laurel Fairy Palace."

The Laurel Fairy Palace, one of the Five Great Immortal Sects.

Between the Central Continent and the Far North lay a vast, unbroken chain of snow-capped peaks spanning east to west, buried in eternal snows where clear days were rare. It was heralded as the highest peak of the Central Continent, the place closest to the moon.

Nestled within those frozen crests stood a magnificent, ethereal palace of immortals—the Laurel Fairy Palace.

"She should be of the Foundation Establishment stage. When we clash with the tiger demon shortly, let us make as much noise as possible to draw her attention, and see if she is willing to lend her aid."

The maiden was certainly not of the Golden Core stage; a Golden Core practitioner of an immortal sect would have seen through the old thrall at a glance, rather than being led astray so easily.

More time elapsed, and the trio watched with open eyes as Qi Wu and his companions drifted into a sweet, deep slumber, a sight that kindled their own desires to sleep.

Mangu began reciting the maxims of the Sages, using sheer willpower to banish his drowsiness: "The Sage said, 'Each day I examine myself on three counts.' Are you tired? I am not. Are you tired? I am not. Are you tired? I am not..."

"Cease your chanting. I wasn't weary, but your murmuring is making me doze." Meng Jingzhou implored Mangu to keep it strictly to his thoughts, holding back a yawn.

"But I am reciting it in my mind right now," Mangu replied via Divine Transmission.

"Listen closely!" Lu Yang ignored the banter of the two fools, forcing his focus outward, ever vigilant of the external world.

"It is the sound of something treading upon the wild grass... The tiger demon is here!"

At Lu Yang's warning, Meng Jingzhou and Mangu ceased their bickering, instantly rallying their spirits for the fray.

"At long last, we have caught this vile beast!"

Lu Yang no longer concealed his aura. With a violent surge of his frame, he shattered the Mountain God statue into dust, lifting his Azure Peak sword high as its brilliant blade-light flared, illuminating the entire temple.