荒墟牧神 - 第44章 幽魔祖庭現人間 - 雲海書庫

The villagers of Zhang Family Stockade crowded forward, and one of them said hastily, "A night watchman has died!" The old man pondered for a moment, then said, "Has the watchman's body been buried? He was most likely a demon; his corpse may undergo reanimation." The villagers of Zhang Family Stockade were startled and hurriedly led the two to the watchman's grave. "He was buried yesterday, Masters..." The old man pointed a finger, and the earthen tumulus cleft apart; a thin-walled coffin rose slowly from the pit and floated in front of the crowd. Thud, thud, thud—one by one the coffin nails popped out of their own accord, the lid flew open, the coffin dropped to the ground, and yet the watchman's body remained suspended in midair, its face obscured by a white banner. The old man and the youth took down the banner, inspected it, exchanged a glance, and nodded in silence. The old man muttered incantations, pointed a finger, and at once the watchman's body burst into flames, turning in a moment to ashes. Many villagers hastily bowed and proffered gold and silver in thanks. The youth hurriedly waved his hand, but the old man said, "No reward for no merit; when merit is done, the reward must be received. Keep it." Only then did the youth accept the payment. The old man asked, "Where does the youth who slew the great serpent live? Who are the people around him?" "He is from Hidden Remnant Village. Beside him are the blind elder and Granny Zhu. Follow the river upstream, and it is over forty li from here." The old man thanked them, and the pair walked out of Zhang Family Stockade and headed upstream. After a few li, the old man sighed. "A man's death is like a lamp going out," he said. "Hall Master Mo's lamp has gone out. That watchman was Hall Master Mo of our Holy Sect. His Natural Innate Art went astray—he used infants for his cultivation. Though death is no more than he deserved, he was after all a Hall Master of our Holy Sect. The one who killed him was probably the Spear Saint, who nailed his soul and body fast together. There are sword marks on the white banner. Before Hall Master Mo met the Spear Saint, he also met her—the Sect Leader's wife." The youth listened in silence. The old man said, "The Sect Leader's wife has always been a dragon that reveals its head but hides its tail, concealing herself away. The experts of our Holy Sect entered the Wild Ruins to search for her whereabouts, and to this day they have found nothing. Who would have thought that Hall Master Mo would encounter her here? Patriarch, this trip has not been for nothing." The youth then spoke; his voice was exceedingly old and vigorous: "After the Sect Leader's wife killed the Sect Leader, she stole the sacred scripture of our sect, the Grand Nurturing Demon Spirit Sutra. She has been gone for forty years, and we have pitifully searched for her for forty years. At last, we have found her." At dawn in Hidden Remnant Village, after breakfast, the alchemist moved the village head to the entrance of the village, set up a small stove, boiled a pot of water, and brewed a pot of tea; then, from inside the village, came the call of the pheasant dragon. "The hen has laid an egg! Mu'er, go to the nest and pick up the eggs." Granny Zhu urged Shen Mu to fetch the eggs. The moment he crawled into the nest, the pheasant dragon thrashed him, driving him running in every direction and pecking him until his head and face were bleeding. This pheasant dragon was ferocious beyond measure—it opened its beak and spat a tongue of fire over ten feet long; its feathers were sharp as swords, and its talons could knead iron into mud. After several rounds of battle with this hen, Shen Mu found he was no match and turned to flee. "Mu'er, don't you so much as have the strength to tie up a chicken?" the butcher said, watching Shen Mu scurry about the village chased by the pheasant dragon, and laughing heartily. Granny Zhu took the opportunity to collect the eggs. Failing to catch Shen