Yuzhang County’s snake disaster is the greatest calamity in recent years.
Snakes are visible everywhere on the ground, with enormous pythons occasionally crawling out from the sides of the official road, sending rchants and travelers fleeing in panic. Incidents of snakes and insects entering hos and causing harm are occurring among the populace.
The court has dispatched the army multiple tis to kill the snakes, but they can’t kill them all. So say it’s caused by a Snake Demon.
Today, a team of riders appears on the official road.
The people on horseback wear wide robes and large sleeves, exuding an aura like immortals.
The leader is an elderly Taoist with crane-like white hair and a childlike face, his eyes containing a golden gleam.
These are the Taoists sent by the court for exorcism.
The leader’s na is Wu ng, one of the most powerful mages of the present age.
Rumor has it that he is adept at Thunder Skill, summoning wind and rain, and calling forth the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals.
Having taken thirty-six disciples, the lineage of Wu ng is known as the Wu Sect.
Roar!!
Suddenly, a demonic wind rises on the official road, with sand reaching a hundred feet high.
Dark clouds obscure the sky, and a ten-zhang-long python erges from the nearby forest.
The giant python raises its head high, its blood-red pupils and dagger-sharp fangs exhaling a foul breath.
"Help! It’s a demon!!"
The rchants on the road scatter in all directions as the python opens its massive mouth.
An invisible suction pulls the fleeing people into its mouth.
The bloody scene makes the disciples tremble in fear.
"Do not panic!!"
Wu ng’s expression turns solemn as he rides forward, holding the reins with his left hand and making a hand gesture with his right, chanting incantations.
The giant python also notices this insignificant human, twisting its body and rushing toward him.
The black scales scraping against the ground create a sound that grates on the teeth.
The python’s massive form moves with astonishing speed.
In no ti, it reaches Wu ng, opening its scarlet mouth, dripping highly corrosive venom, about to devour Wu ng.
"Heaven and Earth, lend your power!!"
Boom!
As Wu ng finishes his chant, a thick bolt of lightning descends from the Nine Heavens, striking the python’s head.
Azure plasma travels down the python’s body to the ground, followed by the stench of scorched flesh, and the python is completely obliterated, leaving only an inner core behind.
Wu ng picks up the inner core and, looking at his disciples, scolds in disappointnt, "Look at you all, are you so afraid of a re python? Could you stand your ground if you faced a real Snake Demon?"
Most of the disciples bow their heads.
After all, it was their first ti witnessing such a scene, and they were unable to react imdiately.
They continue their journey deep into the mountains.
Upon reaching Yuzhang County, they find that the situation outside the city is not as dire as imagined.
There are snake corpses everywhere outside the city, and the air is filled with a pungent sll of sulfur.
"Who goes there!!"
The gate guard shouts.
Wu ng sends forth a letter from his sleeve.
"Huh, why is there another Heavenly Master here?" The guard wonders internally, but since the letter isn’t fake, they open the gate and let them through.
"May I ask, has a Heavenly Master already been here?"
"Indeed, when the snake disaster was at its worst a couple of days ago, a Heavenly Master ca and said they had a thod to control the snakes. The governor t with them personally, and the Heavenly Master imparted a Secret Technique that alleviated the disaster quite a bit."
"Where is that Heavenly Master now?" Wu ng asks, sowhat surprised.
Could there be a Heavenly Master even stronger than himself in this age?
"I don’t know, perhaps at the Governor Mansion."
Filled with doubt, Wu ng heads into the city.
Stalls on both sides sell various snake delicacies.
Fried snake jerky, snake soup, snake wine, snake skin, snake bones, snake glue, etc., with so citizens carrying baskets full of snakes, lining up.
Intrigued, Wu ng instructs his disciples to go and observe.
It turns out there’s soone specialized in collecting snakes.
"Interesting, there’s another way to eradicate snakes like this," Wu ng remarks, slightly surprised.
Wu ng arrives at the Governor Mansion to et Governor Liu Yong.
"May I know where that Heavenly Master is?"
After so pleasantries, Wu ng states his purpose.
"Heavenly Master Song ntioned that if soone cos looking for him, they should stay for the night and et tomorrow." Governor Liu Yong seems to have anticipated this.
"Could he even predict my arrival?" Wu ng wonders to himself, growing more interested in this mysterious master and eager to challenge him in Taoist Skill.
Subsequently, the governor assigns people to escort Wu ng and his party to the Heavenly Fragrance House.
The Heavenly Fragrance House is the largest restaurant in Yuzhang County.
Currently, it has been requisitioned by the governor as the lodging place for the Great Heavenly Master.
Wu ng and his party also settle at the Heavenly Fragrance House.
As night deepens.
The disciples gradually fall asleep.
Knock, knock!
Suddenly, there’s a knock at the door. A drowsy disciple opens it and sees a strikingly beautiful woman standing outside.
The woman declares herself the Oiran of the Heavenly Fragrance House, admiring the Taoists who ca to eradicate the snakes, and personally offering her companionship.
A young man in his twenties has never faced such a situation.
"Please, co in, young lady!!"
The disciple’s eyes are like those of a hungry wolf as he eagerly grasps the woman’s hand.
The sa scene unfolds at each disciple’s door.
Outside, the wind blows coolly, bamboo shadows sway, producing a creaking noise.
Out of the thirty-two disciples, only one is an exception.
This man has a dignified appearance with three strands of long beard.
His na is Xuu Jingyang, nearly fifty years old, the oldest among Wu ng’s disciples.
In his youth, he sought Taoism, and due to his fa, he was repeatedly recruited by the court. Eventually, unable to decline, he served as an official for over a decade before returning to the mountains to cultivate.
Due to delays from worldly matters, Xuu Jingyang’s cultivation wasn’t very advanced, and because of his official career, he was deed unvalued by Wu ng for having an unchanged mortal heart.
That night, Xuu Jingyang sat ditating, absorbing the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi.
When the woman ca knocking, Xuu Jingyang, upon hearing her intentions, imdiately closed the door and resud his practices without looking back.
The following morning.
Wu ng awakens from ditation.
Sunlight filters through the gaps in the window’s gauze, illuminating the room.
Upon opening his eyes, Wu ng is startled.
Not far away, a young Taoist is sitting on a chair.
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