Chapter 12: Road Half-Demon Deceives People The gravel road is often splashed with mud by horse hooves. After the rain, it was barely possible to walk. We must hurry on the night road. Lin Jue calculated the distance and looked at the sky. He estimated that he wouldn't have to make it far in time. Besides, there were many businessmen traveling with him on the road, so he felt relieved. Not long after we started walking, it became dark. Gradually I became drowsy and confused. The merchants who had set out together earlier gradually moved to the front and back because of the different burdens on their legs. However, in the dim sky and earth, one could still vaguely see human figures. Although the bamboo forests beside the road were deep and the dusk mist blocked people's sight from time to time, the sound of the bells of mules, horses and donkeys could still be heard clearly, echoing in the mountains, which also made people feel at ease. At least I know I'm not the only one on this road. Since Lin Jue started practicing the Qi-nourishing method, the aftereffects of being spewed upon by the monster in the Wang Family Ancestral Hall have gradually faded, but he is still a little nervous. In addition, when he was taking shelter from the rain at the tea stall, he heard a lot of disturbing words from those traveling merchants, so he still has some concerns. So he stretched his neck and looked forward and backward to see whether he should speed up and catch up, or walk slower and wait a while. In any case, he wanted to find someone to walk with.

Previously, I went to the Wang Family Ancestral Hall in Hengcun to treat my uncle's illness and save his life. Now that there is no reason to take risks, who would be willing to encounter evil spirits easily? Lin Jue quickly found his companions. The person in front of him was also alone, and like him, he was looking up, looking for someone to go with him. The man simply stood on the side of the road. Lin Jue quickly caught up with him. Before Lin Jue could speak, he heard his voice first. "Oh! It's a scholar!" This man was quite handsome and young. As soon as he saw Lin Jue, he said, "I'm so unfortunate that I have to travel at night. I wonder if you can walk with me to give me courage?" "That's what I've been looking for." Lin Jue said. "You speak so elegantly." "No no." "May I ask what your name is, young master?" "My last name is Lin and my first name is Jue." "You haven't picked a name yet?" "Not old enough yet." "I think so." The man paused and said, "My last name is Huang, and my given name is Quan, which means wholeheartedly. Don't get me wrong. I'm older than you, so just call me Brother Huang." "Brother Huang, nice to meet you." "Nice to meet you!" Huang Quan said as he walked forward with him. Perhaps out of fear and courage, he kept talking, "Why are you walking alone when you are young?" "My family is poor, so I came out to study." "It is difficult to study, especially for children from ordinary families like us. It is very difficult to find a famous teacher. If you can't find one, it will be difficult to pass the exam." Huang Quan sighed.

"Who said it wasn't?" Lin Jue agreed. "The world is not at peace now." "Indeed." "I heard from the people ahead that there are ghosts on this road!" "I heard it at the tea shed, too." "Brother Lin, are you brave enough?" Huang Quan looked at Lin Jue with some trepidation, as if if Lin Jue said that he was timid, he would pull him to stop and wait for a few more people to go with him. "It's not bad." "Then I'm relieved. Haha, actually I'm quite courageous, I can do anything." Huang Quan laughed dryly, "But the road is lonely at night, it's nice to find someone to chat and have fun with, and to take care of each other. Not to mention whether you might run into ghosts or robbers, even if the road is uneven and you accidentally step on air and fall, it's nice to have someone to help you up." "Brother Huang is right." Lin Jue saw through it but did not expose it. Humans are indeed social animals. Most of their fears and anxieties come from being alone and isolated. Once they meet someone to chat with, some of the originally uneasy thoughts will temporarily disappear. Although Huang Quan was timid and proud, he was a talkative person. He often traveled on this road and wandered around, so he had a lot of experience. Lin Jue chatted with him as they walked, and the conversation was quite speculative, and he gradually became interested. Whether it's the loneliness and boredom of walking on the road at night, or the uneasiness and fear, they are all put aside at this moment. "Where is Brother Lin's destination?" "Let's go to Qiyun Mountain first." "Ah? Qiyun Mountain?" Huang Quan seemed a little surprised by this. "It seems that Brother Huang has also heard of it?" "Hahahaha, Qiyun Immortal Mountain is well-known, how come I haven't heard of it?" "So famous?" "Of course it is." Huang Quan said, "There was a man-eating monster on this road before. Many masters were invited but they couldn't get rid of it. It was the Taoist priests from Qiyun Fairy Mountain who got rid of it." "really?" Lin Jue was very interested. "It's natural." "What magic and Taoist techniques do the Taoist priests of Qiyun Immortal Mountain know? How did they get rid of him?" "I don't know the details. I didn't dare to run over to see. I only know that there was quite a commotion and it seemed like a fierce fight. Finally, I heard that a priest came down to the mortal world and beat the monster to death with a stick." "It's so..."

"Yes!" "Then I would like to ask Brother Huang: After passing Dangu County ahead, how can we get to Qiyun Mountain? How high is Qiyun Mountain? Is it difficult to climb? Are the Taoist priests on the mountain easy to deal with?" "Qiyun Mountain is in the north, and so is Shangu County. Once you get to Shangu County, you will naturally continue to go north." Huang Quan paused, but did not answer the rest of the question. Instead, he continued to look at Lin Jue, and continued to be surprised. "Brother Lin is a scholar who went out to study. Why would he go to a Taoist temple on a fairy mountain instead of going to an academy with famous teachers and great scholars?" At this time, the sky darkened a little, and there was only a faint light at night, relying on the different colors to distinguish the road surface. Huang Quan turned his head to face him, his eyes bright in the darkness. "To be honest..." Lin Jue did not elaborate, but simply stated the reason he often said: "Before, due to some things, I met a monster in the ancestral hall at night and was breathed upon by the monster. Later, I heard at the temple fair that the Xuantian Temple in Qiyun Mountain was very effective and famous, so I wanted to go and see it." Lin Jue didn't lie. "I see!" Huang Quan blinked his eyes in surprise after hearing this. He thought for a while before asking, "Brother Lin, have you actually seen a monster?" "It is." "He wasn't killed?" "That demon didn't harm me." "This is quite a monster." "Yes." Lin Jue paused for a moment and then asked, "Brother Huang is very knowledgeable. I wonder what you think about the matter of 'seeking immortality and asking for the way'?" "Brother Lin, do you want to seek immortality and ask for the way?" "I have some ideas." "Haha, most people in the world yearn for immortality, and it is normal to have such an idea. However, since ancient times, there have been countless people seeking immortals, asking for the way and visiting famous teachers, and there are often celebrities and scholars, but not many of them can really be found. This is enough to prove that it is not easy to take this path." Huang Quan said to him very calmly. "It makes sense..." Lin Jue thought about it carefully and agreed with it. "It is said that in addition to chance, there are also character, morality, aptitude and talent. All of them are indispensable, and it all comes down to fate." "how to say?" "I just heard it from others, how could I know so much." Huang Quan smiled, "But Brother Lin has seen monsters, and his knowledge is better than many people." "It's all coincidence." "I wonder what the monster Brother Lin saw looked like?" "To be honest, I have never seen his true appearance." "Ok?" “I really didn’t see it clearly.” "That's a pity."

Huang Quan lowered his head, as if thinking. "Then Brother Lin, what about you looking at me?" Someone beside Lin Jue suddenly said something sinister. Thinking it was a joke, he turned around and saw Huang Quan slowly raising his head. In the dim light, he saw a monster's face. It has a ferocious face, a long mouth, interlocking fangs, and green eyes. "!" Lin Jue was suddenly startled. The face suddenly moved closer to him. Deng Deng Deng—— Lin Jue instinctively took several steps back. At the same time, a breath of anger had reached his throat. Looking at the monster again, it suddenly appeared in a cloud of smoke with a bang, then turned around and quickly disappeared in the smoke. "this?" Lin Jue couldn't help but feel surprised and suspicious. Is this person actually a demon? Are there really ghosts on this road? Where did he go? "Gudong..." Lin Jue swallowed his saliva and looked around, only to see that everything was empty. Not daring to waste anything, he swallowed his anger. He took out a knife from his bookcase and waited vigilantly for a while, but there was no movement around him. It's like he's gone completely. Lin Jue still looked around. What he saw was the dark night of the barren mountains and the endless bamboo forest. After the rain, the clouds cleared and the moonlight appeared, making the gravel road as white as jade. The barren mountains and the bamboo forest were outlined, but they did not appear brighter. Instead, they looked even deeper under this cold light. A lonely man in the mountains at night, puddles on the road shimmer with silver light. I was nervous about leaving and I was nervous about staying. Lin Jue listened carefully and found that the merchant travelers in front of him had gone far away without him knowing when. The sound of their bells was so faint that it was almost inaudible. He immediately realized that it would be difficult to catch up with them. After a while, I heard a startled shout from behind: "Monster!!" His voice was filled with fear, as if his throat was about to be torn apart. That fear seemed to be contagious and made people feel cold. Did other people also encounter monsters?

All I heard was the sound of footsteps moving forward. Lin Jue quickly gripped the knife tightly; the touch of the handle and the weight of the blade made him feel much more at ease. The young man gritted his teeth again, and his blood surged. He tried hard to transform all the fear and anxiety in his heart into anger after being intimidated and threatened. The village elders often said that when people die, they turn into ghosts, and ghosts are weaker than people. If the monsters in the mountains are enlightened, they are not originally fierce beasts, or they have already practiced Taoism very deeply, otherwise they will not be much stronger. Foxes become spirits and are afraid of vicious dogs. Rats and rabbits become spirits and are still afraid of cats and eagles. Centipedes, snakes and insects become spirits and are eventually defeated by chickens and ducks. People are not weak, so most monsters and ghosts harm people, either by taking advantage of the opportunity or by seducing and deceiving. Therefore, there is a saying that monsters are created by people. Lin Jue was calm in his heart, his blood was vigorous, he was free of illness and disaster, and he even nourished his qi for two months. At this time, his anger surged, and he deliberately controlled his thoughts, and his heart immediately calmed down. This method is really effective and the results are immediate. I even wanted to look around and ask, where is the evil monster here, and whether it dares to come out and fight me? Which is sharper, claws or blades? "Ta Tata..." There was a sound of hurried footsteps and horse hooves. Lin Jue turned his head and looked, but there was no monster in the moonlight. There was only a passerby who was also frightened by the monster. He ran near him but did not dare to go forward, half hidden in the swaying moonlight in the bamboo forest. "Who...who?" The man also saw Lin Jue and shouted in panic. "I! Am a human!" Lin Jue answered loudly. "you are human?" "It's human!" "There are... there are monsters in this mountain!" "Did you see it too?" Lin Jue stood steadily, staring at the man. The man also did not move and did not dare to approach him easily. The two talked at a distance. "Have you encountered it too?" The man was as surprised as Lin Jue. "Yes." Lin Jue was fearless at this time, and answered decisively: "The monster disguised himself as a human and walked with me. While we were chatting, he suddenly showed his true form and tried to scare me, probably to scare me out of my courage. When he saw that he failed, he suddenly turned into a cloud of smoke and left temporarily." "That's what I encountered! Exactly the same!" The man subconsciously took two steps towards Lin Jue, but then stopped immediately, still keeping a bit of vigilance: "Are you really a human?" "I am truly human." "Where do you live?" "The neighboring county, Shu Village."

"Shu Village? I've been there!" "you've been to?" “But everyone in the village has the surname Shu, the one with three bridges?” "Hmm? Shu Village is indeed a village of the Shu family, but the whole village is built across the stream, and there are bridges everywhere. Where are the three?" "call……" The man seemed to have succeeded in his attempt and breathed a sigh of relief, but he continued to ask, "What's your name?" "My last name is Lin and my first name is Jue." "No!" The alertness in his words resurfaced, "Shu Cun's surname is Shu, why is your surname Lin? No, no!" "We are outsiders who have a connection with the elders of Shu Village and finally settled in Shu Village." "..." "If you don't believe me, I'll make way and let you go first." "Still not right!" "So what?" "I met a monster and was terribly frightened. You also met a monster, so why didn't I hear you scream?" The man was very suspicious and seemed to be frightened. "And I suspected you, so why didn't you suspect me at all and didn't ask me a single question?" "To be honest, I have always been brave. Besides, I have seen monsters before and know that they are strange. But if I become particularly afraid of them, I will end up in a weak position." Lin Jue paused and his tone suddenly became serious: "The reason why I don't doubt you or question you is that I feel that meeting you by chance in the mountains is fate. Since I want to travel with you, I should have kept some trust in you! If you are also a human, I will have no doubts and walk this night road with you! But if you are not a human, this knife in my hand will see the blood of monsters tonight!" The last two sentences were said almost with gritted teeth. In a trance, I also felt a bit of the spirit of those people in the old village stories who encountered evil spirits on the road at night but were not afraid and dared to fight against the monsters and ghosts. "..." The man hesitated for a moment, then finally stepped forward. Now I could finally see clearly that it was a short middle-aged man with three beards. He was holding a rein in his hand and leading a mule behind him. "My name is Yao San, and I live in the front." "What are you..." Lin Jue asked as he looked at him warily. "Today I carried the inkstones from my family to sell to a caravan. They took them to the capital and Jiangnan to sell them, but they insisted on staying to drink a few glasses of wine. With the rain, we had to travel at night." The man regretted, "If I had known that I would really encounter a monster, I would rather return the same way!" "I see." Lin Jue looked at the mule he was holding again.

"What about you? Where are you going?" "I'm going to Mount Qiyun." "Where is Qiyun Mountain?" "I haven't been there either. They say it's in the north." "Why are you walking alone at night?" "Aren't you alone too?" Lin Jue turned his head and looked at him. This was the thing he was most suspicious of about this man so far. "How could I be walking alone? I had heard that some people had encountered monsters on the road here. When I was at the tea stall over there, I waited for a few local merchants to walk together. Unexpectedly, halfway through the journey, a gust of cold wind blew. When I looked again, I was the only one left. Then I met the monster. At first, he pretended to be a human and chatted with me. We even talked about the price of the inkstone." Yao San said this while secretly looking at Lin Jue. There was a hint of worry in his eyes. "I see……" Lin Jue nodded, probably accepting it. There was nothing wrong with what this man said. Besides, he knew about the tea shed and he was leading a mule. At least in the strange stories told by the village elders, it was rare to hear of monsters being able to transform into mules or horses. Usually, the transformation could only be within a limited range and under limited conditions. Having this ability is considered amazing. "Let's go then." In any case, staying on this desolate mountain road at night is not a good option, we have to leave eventually. So the two of them walked forward, one in front and one behind. Behind me, I could clearly hear the sound of mule hooves and occasional snorting sounds. "Oh, how come you also encountered monsters? I also encountered monsters. How many monsters are there on this road?" Yao San sighed and complained. "Have many people encountered monsters on this road?" "It's not a lot, but it's not a little either. I'm just a stone-milling inkstone collector in the countryside, how can I know a lot of people?" Yao San's voice trembled, "I just hear about this kind of thing occasionally." "How about the monster?" "I don't know either. It's hard to say. I just don't think I've heard of anyone being eaten by a monster on this road. The monster doesn't seem to eat people, it just scares people on the road, and it always happens at night." Yao San was still a little scared when he spoke, "I don't know what kind of monster it is. When I first met it, I was a little suspicious, but it chatted with me. Not only did it know the situation of the surrounding villages, but it also knew about pens, inkstones, paper and inkstones and who led the trade routes of each caravan. Only then did I let down my guard." "Not eating people, just scaring them?" "Yes. But then again, this road is also an important trade route nearby. If there really is a monster that eats people, even if it's only at night, the government will probably have to find a way to deal with it." "That makes sense." "Excuse me...Excuse me, little brother, help me lead the mule." "Why?"

"I...I have to pee." Yao San had an expression and tone that was difficult to say, as if he was about to pee in his pants. "..." Lin Jue took the reins and pulled the mule. Soon, the sound of water being released was heard beside me. There was also the sound of Yao San finally breathing a sigh of relief. "By the way, Brother Xiaolin, did you see what the monster looked like?" "It was too dark, so I only had a rough look." "Do you have fangs?" "some." "Are there claws?" "It seems so." "Is that right?" Yao San raised his legs and placed his feet on a tree beside the road. He suddenly turned his head to face Lin Jue. He didn't know when his appearance had changed. He had a ferocious face, a long mouth, fangs, and green eyes. He looked like a monster. "hiss!" Lin Jue couldn't help but be shocked again. The monster grinned when he saw this. "hey-hey……" There was a sound of snickering on the night road in the deserted mountains. at the same time-- "Canopy..." A cloud of smoke exploded in front of me. Lin Jue was stunned for a moment and instinctively wanted to step back, but after taking half a step back, he stepped back again. "You thing!!" In order to guard against monsters, he had been deliberately holding back the anger in his heart. It was hard to tell whether this anger was real or fake, but when it surged up in his head at this moment, it was still directed at people. "Again!" Lin Jue was so shocked and angry that he glared and gritted his teeth. "brush!"

One hand suddenly stretched out! Through the evil fog! Before the monster could leave, he was grabbed by the collar. His knuckles turned white from the exertion. (End of this chapter)