The night descended like ink, enveloping Dangyang City.
Amidst the sound of drums and the swirling of incense smoke, the firelight resembled a dragon.
Clang, clang, clang!
"On the order of the county authority, the Rat Immortal is capturing demons, citizens do not be alard."
Arrest Officer Yang shouted loudly, looking at the rats scampering on the street ahead, not only unafraid but sowhat excited.
He had lived for more than half his life, and such a scene was not commonly seen.
This commotion awakened all the citizens of the city.
So were panic-stricken; upon seeing the rats rushing from their hos, they grabbed sticks, ready to strike.
But hearing the sounds from the street made them hesitate.
anwhile, so citizens took out incense burners, lighting incense to pray.
In the Divine State, the emotions of citizens towards rats had always been complex. On one hand, they detested them deeply—phrases like "short-sighted as a mouse," "thievish as a rat," "two-faced like a mouse" were all insults.
On the other hand, these small creatures coexisted with humans, impossible to exterminate entirely. Adding to this was the belief that rats could break Yin Yang, giving them a certain spirituality, leading people to make offerings.
One of the Five Immortals of the Eastern Lands was the "Rat."
Particularly, customs like "rat weddings" and "rat marriages" were prevalent across the Divine State, occurring at various tis, mostly concentrated around the New Year.
On this day, upon hearing rat activity at midnight, people not only refrained from killing them but also lit incense or scattered rice in corridors, as there was an old saying, "You disturb it for a day, it disturbs you for a year."
Seeing such scenes, naturally, so citizens began to doubt.
Dangyang City had been restless lately; if they could capture the demonic creature causing trouble, it seed only right to offer incense to the Rat Immortal.
Rustling!
It was as if the rats in Dangyang City were genuinely celebrating a festival, erging from various locations, scurrying chaotically about the streets, even circling around the procession.
This scene carried an eerie, dreamlike quality.
But this was just the beginning.
Lv San carried two rats, walking forward with Astral Steps, his eyes gradually becoming vacant, chanting in a strange tone,
"In the Ninefold Peaks the wind blows gently, Witch Sound echoes resoundingly. The beast’s form dances gracefully, its spiritual brilliance shines brightly. Follow my command, protect my land..."
Wang Daoxuan’s eyes lit up, stroking his beard, he murmured, "It seems Brother Lv’s heritage is likely related to the Chu Witch Mountain Ghost."
With Lv San’s spell, the rats scattered in all directions again, darting through streets and alleys, even entering hos, as if searching for sothing.
At the county governnt entrance, lanterns swayed, casting flickering shadows.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"
The rats burrowed into the county governnt, passing through the main hall, not even sparing the garden and side rooms in the back, sniffing as they ran.
County Magistrate Zhang lifted the hem of his official robe, watching the rats scurry past his feet, his forehead drenched with cold sweat, not daring to move a muscle.
Fortunately, as the procession moved on, the swarm of rats dispersed entirely.
At the carriage and horse inn, within the livestock pen, rats burrowed wildly in the hay, startling the mules and horses into loud neighing, stomping their front hooves. The innkeeper and carters hastily cald them, staring in dumbfounded astonishnt...
Upon reaching the grain and oil store, the shop owner was both angry and amazed that these rats did not burrow in but rely sniffed the corners before scurrying away...
The city’s citizens behaved similarly, whether they were wealthy gentry or poor families, none dared to act recklessly, fearing to disturb the Rat Immortal.
The most thrilled were undoubtedly the wanderers of the pugilistic world.
They traveled far and wide, both to earn a living and to gain knowledge. Be it market gossip or bizarre governnt cases, these were their subjects.
What they saw today was enough material to craft several tales.
The Captain Bureau mbers, though also astounded, were well-trained, holding blades and crossbows, their eyes sharp, scanning the surroundings.
They felt that today would certainly bear fruit.
Above the rafters, Li Yan, Households Commander Zheng, and a few Mystical Sect disciples, all leaped and bounded, simultaneously utilizing Divine Skills to investigate.
The night wind fluttered their robes, yet they remained fixated without blinking.
Suddenly, a disciple of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect had a gleam flash in his eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "There’s soone escaping from the second floor of the inn!"
His Divine Skills excelled in Qi Observation, enabling him to see changes in blood energy as well.
Upon hearing this, Li Yan abruptly pushed off with his feet, the roof tiles cracking with a snap, propelling himself forward like a sharp sword.
Crash!
From the second floor of the inn, two figures smashed through the window, leaping out.
"Trying to run?"
Li Yan’s eyes glead with murderous intent; in mid-air, he twisted his body, simultaneously grabbing a flying blade from his waist. With a burst of Hidden Energy in his arm, he flung it with force.
Whoosh, whoosh!
The flying blade cut through the air, emitting a harsh screech.
Its speed was astonishingly fast.
"Ah!"
One man cried out miserably as the flying blade embedded itself into his hip bone, toppling down from the roof with tiles clattering around him.
The other was exceptionally skilled and a magician; he had sensed sothing amiss long ago and abruptly shifted his body sideways.
Bang!
A crisp sound echoed as debris scattered, the flying blade embedding into the wall.
Due to exerting force in mid-air, Li Yan’s power dissipated, forcing him to perform a sorsault before landing on the street.
Clang!
The sound of a dragon’s roar echoed as he landed, simultaneously generating power again, darting forward with his blade drawn, pursuing swiftly on the street.
In the anti, he scanned the appearance of the demon.
It was a man dressed as a porter, clad in coarse cloth, with a thick beard, wearing a bamboo hat, and wielding dual blades.
This person, having evaded Li Yan’s flying blade, imdiately propelled himself with strength, leaping and darting across the rooftops with a speed that matched Li Yan.
What was even stranger was that despite such an explosive burst, the roof tiles beneath him remained unbroken, his arms swung broadly, and his body swayed like a willow branch in the wind.
He was an Ei Fist master!
Noting this, Li Yan imdiately grew vigilant.
He had heard about Ei Fist’s attributes: "hands like a flowing willow of spring, steps like wind through lotus leaves," and judging by his deanor, he was a Force Transformation expert.
Although his form was hefty, his steps were light and agile, leaping across without disturbing a single tile, moving with seamless energy flow, achievable only through Force Transformation.
User Comments
0 comments from readers