Chu Xun, carrying the sword and accompanied by the flock of crows, arrived in front of the valley once again.
Here, the sunlight was still blocked by the branches, and fog wreathed the area.
Under the control of his spell, the fog rapidly thinned out.
Perhaps alard by this, the old bat's massive body suddenly appeared.
Water whips condensed in the air and lashed towards the old bat.
Sharp earth spikes also shot up from the ground.
The old bat soared into the air, dodging the earth spikes, and flapped its bat wings again.
The water whips were smashed to pieces by the invisible astral wind and could not imdiately return to their original state.
The wind seed to carry so special aura that hindered the condensation of water vapor.
Chu Xun slightly raised his eyebrows. Perhaps this was why the python transforming into a flood dragon was blown by a gust of wind until its flesh and bones separated.
Fortunately, the spiritual energy at the Foundation Establishnt stage was abundant, condensing hundreds of water cones.
The old bat flapped its wings again, and the astral wind shattered the water cones one after another.
It seed sowhat impatient. While shattering the water cones, it imdiately charged towards Chu Xun.
When the distance was less than ten ters, the bat wings trembled slightly, and the ear-piercing sound of the wind, like a landslide or tsunami, was terrifying.
Chu Xun raised the long sword in his hand. There was no need for too many fancy moves.
He simply and straightforwardly slashed down from top to bottom.
"Slash!"
The long sword, mixed with the Qi of tal Essence, collided with the astral wind.
Boom—
Amidst the violent collision sound, the long sword shattered.
Its quality was too poor to withstand this level of confrontation.
But the Qi of tal Essence was extrely tenacious. It truly cleaved through the astral wind and, carrying hundreds of fragnts, battered the old bat's spread wings until they were riddled with holes.
Squeak squeak—
The old bat let out an ear-piercing cry, like a human's scream of agony.
It probably didn't expect that the seemingly ordinary long sword would hide the most unyielding Qi of tal Essence in the world.
The cleaved astral wind instantly collapsed, turning into an ordinary strong wind that blew towards the mountain forest.
Although still considered fierce, it no longer had such powerful lethality.
Before Chu Xun could speak, the flock of crows had already impatiently pounced forward.
Even though the old bat was many tis stronger than back then, unfortunately, the Qi of tal Essence had heavily slashed its chest, cleaving a terrifying wound about a ter long.
Just as it fell to the ground, it was pinned down by dozens of massive crows and pecked fiercely.
As the saying goes, two fists are no match for four hands, and random punches can beat an old master to death.
The old bat struggled to flap its wings, wanting to counterattack, but the ground beneath it beca extrely soft.
After its body sank in, the dirt imdiately covered over, turning into a hard cage that trapped it.
The crows easily pecked into its head, and squeaking sounds continued incessantly.
A mont later, this old bat, which had already attained so level of cultivation, completely lost its vitality.
A few old crows fiercely pecked open its bat wings and dug out two dark yellow beads.
An old crow hopped over and presented the beads. Chu Xun reached out, took them, and examined them.
They looked like bone, but the surface was covered with tiny holes.
Holding them in his hand, they were very heavy.
Faintly, the howling sound of wind could be heard coming from the holes.
It seed the astral wind was blown out from inside these.
This could be considered a not-so-small harvest.
"It seems what the Pearl Satchel of the Three Caverns said is correct; the Qi of tal Essence can indeed break wind."
Chu Xun nodded to himself. With this, helping the green and white python transform into a flood dragon and protecting its path, the wind tribulation part now had a solution.
There were still the lightning tribulation and water tribulation left. He also had so guesses in his heart, but he needed to go back and verify them to know if they were right or wrong.
The crows hated the old bat to the bone. They directly tore it apart and ate it bite by bite.
Chu Xun didn't interfere much. Crows originally liked carrion, not to ntion this was a bat that was about to beco a spirit.
Eating it would only bring them benefits.
Waving his hand to disperse the fog in the valley, Chu Xun walked forward.
The valley wasn't considered large, with a depth of only about a hundred ters, looking more like a cave without a roof.
At the innermost part, water flowing down from the mountain gathered into a pool, which was very cool and shady.
By the pool, a withered plant leaned diagonally against the stone wall.
At the top, traces of the fruit stalk being torn off could still be seen. This should be the fruit the crows were looking for back then.
It was just that decades had passed, the fruit had ripened, and was eaten completely clean by the old bat.
This allowed it to take a step further, almost becoming a spirit.
At this ti, a movent ca from the pool.
Chu Xun turned to look and saw a fish that had just fallen from above, dropping into the pool and trying desperately to leap back up.
Unfortunately, it was only the size of a palm. Falling from such a high position, not being smashed to death was already considered good; how could it possibly jump back.
Perhaps seeing soone coming, this ordinary little grass carp hurriedly swam to the edge of the pool to hide.
Chu Xun didn't pay any more attention to it. Waiting until the crows had completely divided and eaten the old bat, wiping it clean, he then led them away.
In the pool, the little grass carp slowly floated to the surface.
Without Chu Xun's intervention, the fog gathered back again.
The moisture prompted the not-yet-dried blood on the ground to continuously seep into the pool along the cracks in the ground.
Although the little grass carp was afraid of people, it sensed sothing that made it instinctively feel desire.
Hesitating, it finally couldn't help but swim over, opening its mouth to swallow the old bat's blood.
Its seemingly ordinary fish eyes blinked, and as it swallowed more blood, it gradually gained a bit more spiritual intelligence.
After leaving the valley, Chu Xun didn't return to the village where the blacksmith shop was, but headed straight towards Pinecone Village.
In the blacksmith shop, the Cheng father and son looked up at the mountain forest.
Just now, they heard a very loud noise, but then there was no more movent.
Both father and son were sowhat nervous. Cheng Congyi couldn't help but ask, "Dad, do you think he can succeed?"
Cheng Shan wanted to say yes, but the fierce beast in the mountains was so formidable that even Rank 2 martial artists joining forces couldn't handle it. Could that youth really do it with just a sword?
A long ti later, Cheng Congyi suddenly pointed to the northwest side and shouted, "Dad, look quickly, so many crows!"
Cheng Shan looked in the direction of the sound and indeed saw many crows flying out from the mountain forest on the northwest side, and then flying straight towards the north.
He instantly breathed a sigh of relief. This flock of crows had co with the youth.
Since the crows had left, presumably the matter had been resolved.
It was just that he felt sowhat regretful in his heart, because the crows didn't co from this direction, indicating that the youth wouldn't be coming back.
"Let's go back," Cheng Shan said.
"Ah? We're not waiting anymore?" Cheng Congyi asked in puzzlent.
Cheng Shan shook his head, "He won't co."
Cheng Congyi didn't understand. You haven't seen the person, how do you know he's not coming.
Cheng Shan didn't care what his son thought and returned to the blacksmith shop sowhat dejectedly.
Just as he walked up to it, the sound of flapping wings reached his ears.
Imdiately after, sothing dropped by his feet.
It was a bat skull with all the flesh and blood gnawed clean, astonishingly large.
Caw—
Cheng Shan looked up, saw the crow call out to him, and then flap its wings and fly away.
Cheng Congyi ran over, saw the bat skull on the ground, and cried out in horror, "What a big mouse head!"
Cheng Shan laughed out loud. Although the youth didn't co back, he sent him a ssage.
From now on, they would never have to fear the fierce beast on the mountain again.
Thinking of the twenty taels of silver he had received earlier, Cheng Shan decided to pass it down as a family heirloom.
Although he didn't know who that youth was, one day in the future, he might feel proud to possess the few ingots of silver he left behind!
Not long after, Chu Xun returned to the territory of Pinecone Village again.
There were quite a few villagers in the fields irrigating and weeding.
The flock of crows flew over first, causing the villagers to look up.
Then, seeing a youth walking along the field ridge, they were all sowhat curious.
After Chu Xun rejuvenated, his facial features were slightly different from before.
Fair and handso, even those who were most familiar with his youthful appearance would only feel there was a five or six parts resemblance.
Qiaohua was leading Liao Licheng's family to weed the fields.
Chu Xun walked up and said, "It's close to harvest, it's fine even if you don't weed."
Qiaohua looked up, sowhat puzzled, "You are?"
She felt like she had seen him sowhere before, but couldn't rember.
The villagers fard all year round, and each one was tanned darker than the last.
Besides Lin Qiaoxi and Liu Yuqing, she hadn't seen many fair-skinned people.
Chu Xun smiled and said, "My grandfather is Chu Xun, you should know him."
Qiaohua was dumbfounded upon hearing this. Your grandfather is Chu Xun?
As everyone knows, Master Chu has no children, where did a grandson co from?
Could it be he has an illegitimate child outside?
Liao Licheng heard this, ca over, and said, "Stop talking nonsense, Grandpa Chu has no children at all, and it's even more impossible for him to have a grandson!"
"I was adopted by him," Chu Xun said. "I know your na is Liao Licheng. You don't like reading, nor are you good at it, but you are forced by your mother to read."
"Your father is a military officer in the army and hasn't been back for many years."
"This piece of land belongs to your family, but that small corner piece was only reclaid last year."
Qiaohua and Liao Licheng were a bit dumbfounded listening to this. How does he know everything?
Other villagers heard that the grandson adopted by Chu Xun had returned, and they all ran over, asking questions all at once.
So asked if he knew their family's situation, and so asked where Brother Xun was now and why he didn't co back together.
Chu Xun answered them one by one. Returning this ti, he needed to maintain a suitable identity.
Being his own grandson was the most suitable.
With Chu Xun's understanding of the villagers, just saying a few words, almost no one doubted him anymore.
Because many things were only known to Chu Xun and the people themselves; outsiders couldn't possibly know.
A group of people no longer cared about farming, crowding around Chu Xun and walking towards the village.
It wasn't until they returned to the original residence that they didn't see Qi Ermao.
Only then did they learn that Zhangnan County was decorating with lanterns and colored banners to hold a celebration.
This year was County Magistrate Li Zhaoming's last term, so he had called all the prominent figures from every town and village.
Since Chu Xun wasn't there, Qi Ermao had to go join the fun on his behalf.
"What are they celebrating?" Chu Xun asked curiously.
"Of course, celebrating that the people of the Song family are all dead," Liao Licheng said, then suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "I forgot you're not from around here, you wouldn't understand."
Under his explanation, Chu Xun finally knew.
After he killed the people of the Song family and rushed non-stop to the Capital City, Zhangnan County exploded the next day.
Soone discovered that the dozens of people in the Song family were dead without a single hair left. First they were horrified, and then they scrambled to the county yan to report the good news.
Li Zhaoming was so excited he almost fainted from joy.
He originally thought the tumor that was the Song family would beco a stain on his many years as an official, but he didn't expect that in his last year, the Song family was gone.
Who did it?
No one knew.
But what was certain was that whoever could kill off the Song family, which had a Rank 2 martial artist holding the fort, overnight was absolutely not ordinary.
They put up a wanted poster for the unknown murderer as a pretense, but in reality, they only sent a few constables to ask around nearby.
That night, it was raining for miles around. Everyone said they heard nothing and saw even less of who the murderer was.
The county yan couldn't find the murderer, but that didn't stop them from celebrating joyously.
Not a single person from the Song family was left alive, so they weren't afraid of anyone coming for revenge.
So what if there were disciples from the martial arts school? Back then, the Zhenwei Martial Arts School acted tyrannically because Song Jingmin was there.
Now that the Song family is gone, try acting tyrannical again?
There were even bold ones who directly shouted slogans of acting chivalrously and eliminating evil for the people.
Chu Xun laughed upon hearing this. He had patted his butt and left, not expecting the county to be so lively.
He dug out the key from his pocket, opened the copper lock of the courtyard door, and after walking in, the crows imdiately surrounded him.
The weasels, field mice, and rabbits hopped and skipped.
They all sensed the familiar aura and knew who had co without even looking.
Li Guangmao, who hurried over, entered the door and saw Chu Xun surrounded and rubbed by the crows, and couldn't help but ask in astonishnt, "How are you so familiar with them?"
Chu Xun smiled and said, "When Grandpa asked to co back, he taught so techniques and I know how to get along with crows."
Li Guangmao also believed it. No one knew better than him how human-like this flock of crows was.
Don't look at how they usually don't actively attack villagers; in reality, besides the Chu Xun and Zhang Sanchun families, no one else could be so intimate with the crows.
Back then, his father Li Shoutian had his hoe picked up by a crow and thrown far away, not being polite with him at all.
Moreover, looking at his facial features, this youth indeed had a few parts resemblance to Brother Xun.
Let alone saying he was adopted, even if he said he was his biological son, no one would find it strange.
For a ti, the courtyard was crowded with people.
By the ti Qi Ermao returned, there was no place to stand.
"The grandson Brother Xun adopted? Chu Chen?"
Qi Ermao was stunned for a long ti upon hearing this. He went to the county to drink so wine, and when he ca back, Brother Xun had a successor?
So Brother Xun went out on a trip to find soone to co back and inherit the family business?
Thinking about it, it seed quite reasonable.
So many acres of land, shops, and thousands of taels of silver in revenue every year.
With such a large family business, if there really was no one to inherit it, it would be too much of a loss.
Coupled with the fact that Chu Xun had fabricated a set of explanations himself, which could be described as flawless and watertight, soon no one doubted him anymore.
As for where the original "Chu Xun" went, his explanation was that he was wandering the four directions, whereabouts unknown.
The villagers felt very sad upon hearing this. Many people wiped their tears and complained endlessly to Qi Ermao.
"Brother Xun left that night, and you didn't even tell us. Now look, we'll never see him again."
Qi Ermao hung his head, feeling that this scene of being besieged seed to have happened before.
His mouth was very bitter. It was Brother Xun who didn't let him say anything, what could he do.
If he had known Chu Xun wouldn't co back after leaving, he wouldn't have let him leave the village half a step no matter what.
"Then will we still have roasted snacks and puffed rice balls to eat in the future?" a gluttonous child asked worriedly.
Chu Xun nodded and said, "Yes, I know how to make those too. If you want to eat in the future, just co here and get them."
The tenth year of Chongming.
Pinecone Village lost the Great Guest Chu Xun, and gained a youth nad Chu Chen.
Over a month later, news ca from outside.
The refugee army, led by Huang Qi, conquered Red Maple Pass.
With no more major towns for hundreds of miles ahead, the refugee army was about to sweep across the world!
[End of Chapter]
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