landbeastnovel Chapter 46 Subdued
Chapter 46 Subdued
A cold wind blew in gusts, causing the river to undulate continuously.
Chen Qinghe lay sprawled in the middle of the boat, nearly drowning, struggling to vomit up the river water from his stomach.
Fang Hongxuan and Jian Shiqing coldly sized up the young man who had escaped death.
"Now that you have awakened, we hope you will hand over all the relevant information about Niujia Town to us."
Jian Shiqing's spear was pointed at Chen Qinghe, whose armor was already tattered.
Although Fang Hongxuan's armor was in slightly better condition, it was still too heavy for him to don and charge into battle again. The two men removed their armor, revealing their original appearances.
Looking at the two menacing figures, Chen Qinghe had no choice but to tell them everything.
...
"Such evil spirits lurk beneath the Sihua River. It seems we must report this to the Demon Suppression Division as soon as possible and send more colleagues to provide support."
"That gang of thieves is no ordinary group. If we go there rashly, we're likely to meet with dire consequences. It seems this investigation will be fruitless."
Jian Shiqing's face was grim, and the spear in his hand was being squeezed so tightly that it made a cracking sound.
Fang Hongxuan remained expressionless, but he had already made up his mind.
"There's a door behind the coffin... Could this be connected to that ghost city...? This matter is too dangerous for me; I'd better put it aside for now..."
Chen Qinghe, who was initially a little embarrassed, turned pale upon hearing this, and his tone became extremely cold.
"Hmm...you are...the Demon-Slaying Captains of the Demon-Suppressing Division?"
"Indeed, I discovered a plague outbreak while passing through this area, so I came here to investigate." Jian Shiqing casually took out his half of the Demon-Suppressing Token.
With bloodshot eyes, Chen Qinghe stared intently at the two, his resentment finally becoming undeniable.
"What a despicable Demon Suppression Division! Colluding with demons and wreaking havoc on Shenmu Village wasn't enough; they even turned all 537 households and 1,972 people in my Niujia Town into plague-infected walking corpses!"
Fang Hongxuan felt a prickling sensation on his back and immediately appeared behind Chen Qinghe. Jian Shiqing, who was beside him, was no exception.
However, the two of them were caught between the drowned ghost and Chen Qinghe.
"What are the origins of these two? They're comparable to the dense horde of drowned ghosts underwater!" Chen Qinghe's bones cracked and his veins bulged.
He clenched his teeth, stubbornly holding on, determined to let the drowning ghosts devour them both. Blinded by rage, Chen Qinghe even mistook the two for the monk's accomplices.
"This skill is quite impressive."
Fang Hongxuan thought to himself, then looked at Chen Qinghe, who was almost exhausted, with a look of surprise and doubt.
"Could he also be a time traveler?"
"Comrade, this method seems somewhat similar to that of the corpse carriers. The difference is that the corpse carriers must complete a series of complicated rituals before carrying a corpse, and they can only carry corpses."
"And no one else can bind so many targets at the same time like this person. I don't know how he resists such yin energy."
Jian Shiqing marveled, but showed no sign of nervousness.
Upon seeing this, Fang Hongxuan slowly drew his sword.
Just as the crimson-gold sword was about to be drawn, Jian Shiqing stopped Fang Hongxuan.
"Comrade, there's no need to be nervous. The corpse carrier can only carry... Once his internal energy is exhausted, this restraint will naturally be released."
"No, these drowned ghosts are in a strange state; they are definitely not simply bound behind Chen Qinghe."
"They... seem more like they were captured..."
The steady awning boat began to rock violently for some reason, and countless hands, swollen from being soaked in the water, stretched out of the river and clung to the bottom of the boat.
Black hair, resembling seaweed, quickly spread across the boat.
Seeing this, Chen Qinghe, who was already struggling to survive, exhausted his last breath. The mound of corpses dissipated, and Fang Hongxuan and Jian Shiqing returned to their original positions.
"So, in the end, I'll still die at the hands of these drowning ghosts..."
Chen Qinghe was unwilling to accept this, and his face became even more ferocious.
"Dog blood wine is remarkably effective against such evil spirits..."
Jian Shiqing looked expectantly at the gourd at Fang Hongxuan's waist, as if this scene was nothing more than a trivial matter to him.
However, upon feeling the gourd's lightness, his expression fell, and he was at a loss for words. In fact, he himself knew exactly what Fang Hongxuan had done with the dog blood wine in the gourd.
If they were on land, even if they couldn't defeat the enemy, they could still escape with ease. But now, on the vast river, there was no hope of escape whatsoever.
His previous relaxed demeanor was nowhere to be seen, replaced by furrowed brows and a hand that had turned white from straining.
"It's a pity that if I hadn't lost my equipment, and if my comrades hadn't used all their dog's blood wine to save me, I wouldn't be in such a sorry state now."
"Regardless, we must ensure our comrades escape danger safely..."
Thinking of this, Jian Shiqing broke out in a cold sweat.
The more remote the Demon Suppression Division, the more likely its demon-slaying captains are to follow the path of refining essence into qi. If they encounter spirits or bandits, dealing with them is naturally a piece of cake.
However, evil spirits cannot be harmed by anyone who has not mastered the path of refining qi and transforming spirit; even those who have mastered the path of refining spirit and returning to emptiness, who can communicate with heaven and earth, are slightly inferior.
"I will fight my way out for you. The intelligence on Niujia Town and Shenmu Village will be relayed up by our comrades."
Jian Shiqing was about to take out the Dragon Tiger Pill from the hidden compartment at his waist for a life-or-death struggle when Fang Hongxuan stopped him.
"Don't worry, I'm here for you."
The simple six words left Jian Shiqing stunned for a moment.
"Comrade...you..."
Even Chen Qinghe, who was prepared to face death, fixed his gaze on Fang Hongxuan's back.
Fang Hongxuan didn't say much, and didn't even draw his sword. He simply closed his eyes to gather his strength, then suddenly opened his scarlet eyes.
"boom"
Overwhelming resentment and malevolent energy soared into the sky.
The turbid river surface churned rapidly, like boiling water in a pot.
A chilling aura swept directly towards the two bewildered individuals. Even Jian Shiqing, who was used to seeing mountain spirits and ghosts, was now soaked with sweat.
Not to mention Chen Qinghe, who had never seen the world.
Compared to the malevolent aura emanating from Fang Hongxuan, the drowned ghosts around him were like imposters who had encountered the real Fang Hongxuan.
They all let out a shriek and a wail, then transformed into birds and beasts and scattered in all directions.
"Comrade, what's wrong with you...?"
"It's nothing more than some trivial tricks that are not worth mentioning."
Fang Hongxuan's tone remained calm, but the aura of resentment that had filled the air had long since vanished.
Looking at Fang Hongxuan, who appeared no different from any other person, Jian Shiqing finally calmed his pounding heart. He dared not think about it, and even less did he want to.
He only regarded Fang Hongxuan as a comrade-in-arms who had saved his life several times, and ignored everything else.
"Hey, do you know how to get to Shenmu Village...?"
After regaining his composure, Jian Shiqing pressed the gun against Chen Qinghe's throat.
"Hmph, even in death, I will never again be at your mercy!"
Chen Qinghe resolutely refused, and he even leaned forward slightly, causing the tip of the gun to pierce his soft throat and draw out a few drops of blood.
"If you want revenge, then lead us to find their trail. Keep this pathetic incompetence to yourself; there's no need to flaunt it."
Fang Hongxuan's indifferent voice was like a thunderclap, leaving Chen Qinghe speechless for a long time.
His expression changed repeatedly, but in the end he walked silently to the cabin and used the oars to turn the boat around.
...