"Are you guys just going to keep fighting like this endlessly?" Yun Qi couldn't quite understand.
"Of course not," Hu Jinliu shook his head.
"Let me think, hmm, it's about once every ten years or so, and every half a jiazi (60 years), there's a real big one. As for the usual skirmishes with a hundred or so casualties, that's just normal, doesn't even count. I'm telling you, A'Lang, you came at a bad time. The last big fight involving over a hundred villages happened before I was born, and this time, it's definitely not going to end well."
Yun Qi was shocked.
This kind of hatred was already ingrained in their bones and blood.
"Not that I'm trying to clear myself of anything, but honestly, most of these wars are started by Bai Man Mountain. We're just forced to fight back. We can't just take the insults and lose face, right?" Hu Jinliu added.
"Oh? Why is that?" Yun Qi immediately followed up.
"There's a lot to it, A'Lang, let me explain slowly. First, they always boast about being the leaders of the Southern Demon Sect. As leaders, if they don't show off their power now and then, who would respect them? Right?"
Yun Qi nodded.
"Every time Bai Man Mountain goes crazy, it's not just them. They drag a bunch of people into it. Sometimes, the Northern Demon Sect even sneaks in to help out! And these lunatics don't just fight us heretics. When they go crazy, they fight everyone—Daoists, Zen Buddhists, you name it. That's why I told you earlier that even if you go to the Green Dragon Cave, it won't be peaceful."
"Second, I heard that old scoundrel is acting up again. Both our sects practice the Asura Path. Hehe, there's also a rumor that our ancestor and that green-robed old scoundrel once entered an ancient Asura treasure vault together. They couldn't agree on how to split the loot, and that's how this deadly feud started."
"But looking at the results, our ancestor got the better deal. The cultivation method is tough, but it doesn't harm our vitality, and it's incredibly powerful. Bai Man Mountain, on the other hand, their cultivation methods are brutal—hurting the enemy a thousand while damaging themselves eight hundred, or even mutual destruction. But their foundation is flawed, so it's not entirely their fault."
"I heard from the sect that the green-robed old scoundrel was too ambitious. He insisted on cultivating the Asura Blood Flame, but something went wrong, damaging his Dao foundation and leaving a hidden ailment. It flares up from time to time, and when it does, the blood flame burns from within, and even the blood of a dragon can't suppress it. Only human blood can!"
Hu Jinliu spoke vividly.
Yun Qi chimed in, "So the green-robed old scoundrel deliberately stirs up wars, causing rivers of blood, and uses the blood energy to suppress the blood flame?"
"Exactly!" Hu Jinliu clapped his hands.
"A'Lang, you're sharp! But the green-robed old scoundrel is even more ruthless than that! He made all the disciples of Bai Man Mountain practice a method that can channel the Asura Blood Flame, and then he transfers his own blood flame into each of them!"
"Heh, they call it the Sacrificial Technique, some kind of killing treasure art. Sure, in daily life, as long as these people harm themselves, they can summon the blood flame planted in their bodies to kill enemies. It's powerful, a last-ditch mutual destruction move.
But in reality, wielding such a powerful spell beyond their level is addictive! You'll see, A'Lang, every disciple from Bai Man Mountain is missing limbs—they've eaten their own flesh! And when they die, the blood flame sucks all the essence from their bodies and flies back to the green-robed old scoundrel, helping him achieve great demonic power!"
Hu Jinliu curled his lip, his face full of disdain.
Yun Qi was also surprised.
This was the Demon Sect? Truly, they acted without restraint, almost inhuman.
The three of them and the dog spent the night in the cave and were ready to leave the next day.
The place they were now was at the southeastern border between Miaojiang and Nanhuang, near the Three Gorges.
The Three Gorges was also the source of the Peach Blossom River.
Of course, you couldn't see peach blossoms here.
You had to wait until the river flowed southeast, past Rotten Peach Mountain, and when the peach blossoms from the mountain fell into the river, the Peach Blossom River would carry a river full of blossoms into Nanhuang.
Every spring when the peach blossoms bloomed, the sight of a river full of blossoms flowing into Nanhuang was the most beautiful.
The territory of Redwood Ridge was to the northwest of the Three Gorges.
The Rongjiang Village where Lang Shanliu and Hu Jinliu lived was on the outskirts of Redwood Ridge, relatively close to the Three Gorges.
The Green Dragon Cave was even closer to the Three Gorges, just a hundred miles straight north.
Like Redwood Ridge, it was a sect that directly faced the Demon Sect of Nanhuang.
Now, Yun Qi wanted to register at the Green Dragon Cave.
If there were any demon-slaying missions, he would naturally take them.
Having a local Daoist sect as a backer and source of information was much better than acting alone.
After all, if he wandered around aimlessly, he might run into a great demon and die without even knowing how.
Lang Shanliu and Hu Jinliu were heading back to Rongjiang Village to rest.
They could have gone straight southwest to get home, but they insisted on escorting Yun Qi to the Green Dragon Cave before returning.
Yun Qi couldn't refuse, so they traveled together.
The snow was still falling, though the flakes were smaller now, and the ground was already covered in a silver blanket.
"Damn old scoundrel, it's freezing!" Hu Jinliu grumbled again.
Yun Qi remembered something he had overheard and asked, "I heard Brother Lang say that this snow was summoned by the green-robed old scoundrel. Why is that?"
Hu Jinliu spat, "Damn old scoundrel, his whole family practices the blood flame, but they're not skilled enough to control it properly. It burns their hearts and blood, so naturally, they need to cool down. But we at Redwood Ridge practice Asura techniques, fire techniques, and wood techniques—all of which fear the cold. When it snows, the circulation of our spiritual power slows down!"
Yun Qi nodded, understanding now.
But Bai Long'er wasn't afraid of the cold.
Full of energy, he frolicked in the snow.
"What a good dog! The family that saved you must have given you the king of dogs!" Lang Shanliu said.
Yun Qi also smiled and nodded, "That day, it was the dog who found you first."
"What's Bai Long'er's name?" Hu Jinliu also asked.
"Wait."
Hearing this, Lang Shanliu and Hu Jinliu immediately became alert, "What? Where's someone?"
Yun Qi was startled but quickly realized it was a misunderstanding.
He explained, "The dog's name is 'Wait.'"
The uncle and nephew were stunned.
Hu Jinliu even said bluntly, "What kind of name is that?"
Yun Qi was both amused and exasperated, "When I first took the dog away from the village, he was very active and ran fast, always leaving me far behind. I kept shouting for him to wait. Over time, he thought his name was Wait, and now he won't respond to anything else."
The uncle and nephew looked at each other, then burst out laughing, calling "Wait, Wait" repeatedly, teasing the white dog.
They also taught Yun Qi many dog-raising tips, saying that Bai Long'er was very intelligent.
By the time he was three, he would understand almost everything.
The group had strong legs.
Although they didn't fly, after trekking through the mountains for most of the day, they were almost there.
Since they were heading back, they didn't encounter any Demon Sect members along the way and smoothly arrived near the Green Dragon Cave.
It was a flat area surrounded by mountains, with a hill rising in the middle, like a giant bronze bell standing on the ground.
It was clearly a place of excellent feng shui.
Hu Jinliu pointed at the hill and said, "That's Wangchun Mountain. The Green Dragon Cave is on top of it."
Chapter 2 is here.
Please vote and recommend, and feel free to comment!
The editor says we're going to Sanjiang, hehe.
(End of Chapter)