darknovel Chapter 80 Harvest
Chapter 80 Harvest
The sun rises in the east, and a gentle breeze blows.
In the dense forest along the riverbank.
Suddenly, a flash of yellow light appeared, and an old Taoist priest with half of his scalp shaved off emerged. It was none other than Yang Danzi, who had fled in fear.
He staggered a couple of steps, grabbed a crooked old tree for support, gasped for breath, put away the eight dim and gray fire beads, and sighed softly, "After this ordeal, I wonder how long it will take to recover."
As he spoke, blood seeped from the wound on his head and flowed down his gray hair, smearing half of his face. He didn't wipe it away, but instead touched his head with trembling hands. It was sticky to the touch, and a piece of scalp the size of his palm was missing.
The exposed skull was also flattened, and crimson blood gushed out from within, with several thin, dark gray lines appearing and disappearing in the blood.
Ignoring everything else, Yang Danzi walked to the riverbank and, using the shimmering water to look at his blurry, wrinkled face, tugged at his loose, old skin, revealing some missing teeth, and laughed and cursed:
"When I get old, I can't stand the sight of anyone, I'm so damn ugly."
The blood on his head had stopped flowing.
It didn't solidify, it just stopped.
The wound looked as if it were blocked by a layer of scales, hazy and silvery-gray, shrouded in murky smoke.
"This body is no good. We need to find that brat Wang San as soon as possible and get rid of Old Man Pi..."
Yang Danzi took off his blood-stained Taoist robe and walked towards the riverbank with his bare, thin upper body.
He crouched down, scooped up water with his hands, and splashed it onto his face, handful by handful. The scales on his scalp wound gleamed with an eerie silvery-gray luster in the morning light, and upon closer inspection, the scales were actually slowly undulating.
……
As Yang Danzi was washing her face, a bamboo raft on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, like an arrow released from a bow, swiftly cut through the calm water.
There were two people on the bamboo raft: a Taoist priest with a sword and a man holding a pole.
"Chief Chen, I've run into an old acquaintance. I need to say hello."
The bamboo raft slowed down immediately, and the man holding the pole pushed the long pole down the riverbed. The bamboo raft swung sideways on the water and came to a steady stop in the middle of the river.
Wang Xuan stood on the bamboo raft, his eyes flashing with electricity. He took a step forward and looked coldly at Yang Danzi: "Yang Danzi, what a small world! You escaped back then, but today I'll get rid of you, you evil Taoist."
Yang Danzi stood in the river, stunned and speechless.
As he spoke, a bolt of silvery-white lightning struck down from the sky without warning, hitting Yang Danzi squarely on the back.
The gaunt body suddenly arched, as if struck on the spine by an invisible giant hammer, and the whole person flew out, rolling seven or eight times on the mudflat before coming to a stop, his body charred black, lying on the mudflat, wisps of smoke rising from his body.
……
Wang Xuan exchanged a puzzled look with Chen Pai Tou, then stepped onto the water, his figure as swift as a startled swan skimming the waves. He touched the surface of the river twice with his toes and stood on the mudflat.
With his longsword drawn three inches from its sheath, its cold gleam reflecting the rising sun, it drew a chilling arc through the river mist, severing the head of Yang Danzi, who lay sprawled on the ground.
The head rolled off, bounced twice on the mudflats, got covered in mud and sand, and came to rest at the roots of a clump of withered reeds.
His old face, etched with deep wrinkles, was crooked, and his eyes were covered by a layer of white film, obscuring his pupils.
Wang Xuan slowly approached, his eyes filled with solemnity. Although the head was covered in blood, it was withered and hollow. Looking at the charred torso, the Qi Sea and Yellow Court were black and sunken, which was very strange.
Chen Pai Tou steered the bamboo raft to the shore, stepped forward, and said, "This man's body is hollow; it looks like he's been poisoned."
Wang Xuan flicked the blood off his sword, adjusted Yang Danzi's Daoist robe, and pulled out eight dark red beads, each carved with patterns of toads and pythons.
Wang Xuan held the eight dark red beads in his palm and examined them closely by the light of day.
The toad and python patterns carved on the surface of the beads are very archaic, and although the carving is rough, it has a fierce and menacing air. The toad's mouth is wide open, and half of the python's body is exposed, with flames swirling around it, raging and sweeping.
Wang Xuan put it away without making a sound, and said nothing more.
……
The sun was shining brightly and the breeze was gentle.
Song Quyou originally wanted to cultivate his flying sword in the military camp, but with so many people around, it was not easy to enter the Heavenly Pot.
He then bid farewell to the scholar and monk, left the military camp, and returned to his own courtyard.
Along the way, the cat and dog accompanied us, playfully fighting and bickering. They would slap each other and bite each other, having a great time.
When Song Quyou pushed open the courtyard gate, the sun had already climbed to the eaves.
Black Charcoal, its belly trembling with fat, leaped faster than anyone else, its four paws tumbling as it jumped onto the stone table. With a trembling, sweet voice, it tried to please Su Tang, all for the meat that Su Tang hadn't yet put in her mouth.
Looking at Song Quyou's disheveled appearance, his Taoist robe covered in brown stains, Su Tang sighed softly:
"Junior brother, your family isn't short of money. You shouldn't get involved in the government's demon-hunting activities. Let someone else take the money."
Song Quyou smiled and agreed, "I won't go. Junior Brother plans to master the Thunder Technique during this time."
As he spoke, he stepped into the courtyard. The once bold yellow dog became timid, following behind Song Quyou step by step, stealing glances.
Seeing the tempting meat on the table, he couldn't help but lick his lips.
Su Tang also noticed the yellow dog behind them and asked in surprise, "Where did you get this little yellow dog?"
Someone delivered it last night.
"Such a beautiful puppy, would anyone give it to you as a gift?"
Song Quyou went into the kitchen to wash his hands, while the yellow dog sat obediently outside the door, like a door god.
"It's not really a gift. I helped that person collect some demon blood, and this dog is my reward."
After the rice was served, Song Quyou sat down at the stone table. The yellow dog ran to a spot where Song Quyou could see it, staring intently, licking its nose, and occasionally wiggling its body, making "Mmm-hmm" noises to attract Song Quyou's attention. It looked at Song Quyou with longing eyes.
Su Tang picked up a piece of meat and put it into Song Quyou's bowl. She then picked out two pieces with bones, placing one on the stone table for Heitan and tossing the other to the yellow dog under the table.
Strangely, the yellow dog didn't look at the meat; it kept staring at Song Quyou, who was eating.
Song Quyou sighed softly, put down his rice bowl, and poked at the meat that Su Tang had thrown on the ground with the other end of his chopsticks. Only then did the yellow dog hurriedly start eating.
Su Tang saw this, pursed her lips, glanced at Song Quyou, then at the yellow dog on the ground, and smiled, "It's a good dog. It won't eat anything its master hasn't touched."
"It's more than just a good dog; it can also grow to hunt demons. If it weren't for it on the mountain today, my junior brother would have had a real hard time dealing with Yang Danzi."
"You ran into Yang Danzi?"
Song Quyou ate a mouthful of rice and said calmly, "It's nothing. I and a few others from the camp forced them to retreat."
Su Tang frowned and looked at Song Quyou with concern.
Song Quyou picked up a piece of food, took out a white jade box from his sleeve, and pushed it in front of Su Tang, saying, "It's from Yang Danzi, a good thing."
Su Tang put down her chopsticks and reached for the jade box, asking, "What treasures could be inside?"
Seeing that the yellow dog on the ground had finished eating the meat, Song Quyou picked up another piece for it.
Su Tang opened the jade box, took out a solitary bamboo slip, carefully examined the fine characters on it, and murmured: "The Great Void Ascending Clouds and Harmonizing Dao Elixir, the essence of the sun and moon, the clouds of the four seasons... harmonize with the Dao to form an elixir, consume it and ascend to heaven with the clouds..."
Unfortunately, the records of the elixirs contained within are incomplete, and the secrets of alchemy have also been lost.
Su Tang sighed softly, put the bamboo slip back into the jade box, locked it, and pushed it back in front of Song Quyou.
"It's too incomplete to refine the pill, but if there's someone skilled in alchemy, they might be willing to pay a high price for it."
……
The sun was warm after the meal. Su Tang was clearing away the dishes when Hei Tan lay dozing on the stone table, his tail idly sweeping the surface.
The yellow dog remained seated at Song Quyou's feet, never leaving his side.
Song Quyou looked down at the yellow dog, patted its head, and the dog's tail immediately wagged like a flower, but it remained seated, only looking at him with its wet eyes.
"I'm going to cultivate now. You can play in the courtyard."
Song Quyou got up and walked up the steps, while the yellow dog stopped at the bottom of the steps and lay down.
After cleaning up the dishes, Su Tang brought out a plate of pastries, waved them in her hand, and smiled as she looked at the little yellow dog lying on the ground.
……
Within the Emerald Pine Pot Heaven.
Hibari, now in the form of a young girl, is squatting in front of a pile of "miscellaneous items," picking through them.
Song Quyou stepped forward: "Where did you get these things?"
Yun Que looked up at Song Quyou, happily pulled him over to sit down, and placed the items in front of him one by one, counting them off in a babbling voice:
"This was found in Yang Danzi's cave, this one too, and this one... these were all found in Yang Danzi's cave."
Song Quyou looked at Yun Que and said with a faint smile, "So you emptied the cave and only brought out three brocade boxes at the end."
Yun Que nodded vigorously and pushed the odds and ends in front of Song Quyou.
Song Quyou sat cross-legged, picking up and examining each item one by one: an inkstone, a writing brush, books, and various kinds of spiritual ores.
"There were many boxes in the old Taoist's cave that smelled of medicine, but they were all empty. What was left were just some worthless junk." Yun Que rested her chin on her hand, her tone tinged with disappointment.
Song Quyou selected the ore: cinnabar marrow could enhance the efficacy of talismans when used, the azure jade, shaped like green bamboo, could be used as an ornament to calm the mind, and the pure silver could be forged into weapons…
After selecting the ore, Song Quyou picked up the inkstone and brush and examined them. The inkstone was an ordinary She inkstone, with a small chip on the edge and dried vermilion residue remaining in the inkwell.
"This pen is quite interesting."
He held the brush up to his eyes for a closer look. The handle was entirely emerald green, neither bamboo nor wood, and warm to the touch. It was engraved with a ring of extremely fine cloud patterns that seemed to flow faintly in the dim light of the pot.
When Song Quyou channeled his energy into his brush, the brush handle trembled slightly, and a wisp of ink appeared out of thin air at the tip of the brush.
With a flourish of the brush in the air, the ink naturally arises where the brushstrokes pass, even without the cinnabar being dipped, leaving a crimson mark in the air.
Upon seeing this strange phenomenon, Song Quyou casually wrote a purification talisman. As soon as the talisman was completed, a flash of light appeared, and the talisman suddenly spewed out fire, turning the surroundings crimson.
"This pen can conjure ink out of thin air; with it, we can draw talismans on the spot when facing enemies..."
Finally, there's the book "Paper Cutting into Soldiers".
Song Quyou turned the pages of the book; the ink on the yellowed paper looked as fresh as ever.
The book details the art of paper soldiers, providing diagrams for each step, from selecting paper and cutting it to writing talismans, consecrating the spirit, and driving it. Different paper soldiers have different uses, such as reporting messages, fighting enemies, protecting altars, transporting wealth, and acting as substitutes…
However, this technique is extremely time-consuming and laborious to master.
The choice of paper is as follows: the lowest is yellow paper, which can form a three-day army, but its spirituality will dissipate after that time; the middle is green sandalwood paper, which can form a three-month army and can breathe in and out spiritual energy on its own; the highest is cloud-patterned black paper, which, once formed into an army, is as responsive as an arm and as loyal as its master. As long as the paper is not destroyed and the spirit is not dissipated, it can continue to exist.
The book is filled with illustrations, and there are dozens of types of paper figures alone. The paper cranes that announce messages are small and agile; the paper figures of strongmen are tall and heavy and can bear a thousand pounds; as for the paper figures of substitutes, they need to be cut into the same shape as the original and then imbued with the essence of blood, so that they can take the death in place of the original when encountering a fatal blow.
Three talismans: After the paper figure is cut, the Ziwei taboo and Yinbing talisman must be written on it, and acupoints on the head, chest, hands and feet of the paper figure must be pressed to open its eyes and open its mind, so that it can see and move.
Four Points of Spirit: The saying goes, "It takes a thousand days to raise an army for one day to use it." After opening the altar, place the paper soldiers and generals on the altar. Every day, offer incense, sprinkle holy water, and feed them rice grains on time. At the same time, perform the steps of the Big Dipper and recite the "Summoning Soldier Incantation." Depending on the type of paper, it can be done for seven days or forty-nine days without missing a single day.
Five-pronged strategy: Different tactics are used for different troops...
Song Quyou closed the book and rubbed his temples.
Yun Que leaned over, tilted her head to look at the book cover, and then at Song Quyou's expression.
"Is this thing difficult?"
Song Quyou placed the book on the meadow and sighed, "It's not difficult, but it takes some effort. Moreover, without the cloud-patterned black paper, the troops I raise will dissipate."
Yun Que picked up the "Paper Cuttings into Soldiers" book, quickly flipped through it a few times, and said:
"Where can I buy this cloud-patterned black paper?"
"The flowing clouds on towering mountains, the mysterious vines in dark ravines, and dozens of auxiliary materials, plus the craftsmanship recorded in the book, would take several years to complete.
The lark, lost in thought, fiddled with the pile of odds and ends. Suddenly, it pulled out a roll of yellowed parchment, unfolded it, and its eyes lit up.
"Is this cloud-patterned Xuan paper?"
Song Quyou took the parchment. It felt warm and smooth to the touch, with a soft and resilient texture. Faint clouds seemed to swirl on the paper, and a faint glow seemed to wander between the fibers, as if it were shrouded in a misty fog.
It is precisely the superior spiritual paper described in the book.
Unfortunately, this piece of paper was only the size of a palm, and there was only one of it.
Song Quyou looked at the palm-sized piece of cloud-patterned black paper in his palm, shook his head and chuckled:
"If it's only the size of a palm, I can barely cut out a paper crane."
Undeterred, Lark turned the pile of junk upside down again, but still couldn't find a second one. She puffed out her cheeks and sat back down on the meadow, sulking.
Song Quyou handed the paper to Yun Que and said, "I still need to practice the flying sword technique. If you want to practice this 'Paper Cutting Soldiers' technique, you can use this cloud-patterned Xuan paper to practice first."
Yun Que took the cloud-patterned black paper, her eyes sparkling, and said with a pursed mouth, "The paper crane is fine too, I'll practice first."
"In that case, I still have some talisman paper here. You can take it and practice with it for now. I'll go buy some sandalwood paper in a few days."
……
After tidying up his belongings, Song Quyou came to the edge of the small pool. Looking at the flying sword bobbing and swaying in the water, he sat cross-legged to calm his mind, made hand seals to circulate his qi, and slowly entered the flying sword.
The water in the pool rippled gently.
……
Beyond the heavens, the sun was setting in the west.
Su Tang held up the pastries in her hand for a long time, but the little yellow dog just sniffed them, turned its head away, and remained lying on the steps, glancing at the tightly closed door with drool in its eyes.
Black Charcoal didn't stand on ceremony. It jumped off the stone table, wriggled its plump body to Su Tang's feet, put its two paws on her skirt, let out a soft cry, and stared longingly at the plate of pastries.
Helpless, Su Tang broke off half a piece and stuffed it into the black charcoal's mouth. Then she looked at the yellow dog and said softly, "You're a really good spirit dog. It makes me want to raise one too."
Upon hearing this, Black Charcoal, who was eating pastries, immediately became unhappy. He jumped into Su Tang's arms, stretched out his paws and turned Su Tang's face away, domineeringly preventing her from looking at the yellow dog.