“Liangzhou?”
The inn’s errand boy brightened up instead of showing impatience when he heard Li Hao’s inquiry, and said with a smile,
“Are you coming from Liangzhou, sir? Then you must have seen Marshal Haotian, right?”
“Hmm?”
Li Hao was surprised, and asked, “You know about him too?”
The errand boy couldn’t help but laugh, “Well, who wouldn’t know about that! We’re not far from Liangzhou here in Youzhou. The chaos that happened in Liangzhou a few months ago, with those damned demons surrounding and attacking, has already spread throughout all the provinces. I heard that our Youzhou’s Xia Family Divine General Mansion’s old master even went there to reinforce them.”
He said, looking at Li Hao with curiosity and anticipation,
“They say that during that catastrophe, the demons swarmed out in droves, countless demons swept over, and Demon Kings were flying all over the sky, as thick as locusts, the sky was dark, and the ground had no green, it was just like locusts passing by, leaving not a single blade of grass. Just when Liangzhou was about to fall, who would have thought that Marshal Haotian would emerge out of nowhere and suppress all those demons. In the end, just a War Banner was enough to deter countless demons. Is that all true?”
“…”
Li Hao hadn’t expected that the events of Liangzhou had spread this far, to the point that even a small-town inn’s errand boy in Youzhou knew about it.
But it also seemed normal, after all several months had passed, and the news would have spread no matter how slowly.
“Pretty much.”
Li Hao asked, “What’s the situation in Liangzhou now? Have all the demons retreated? Are there still wars?”
“It’s been peaceful for a while now. No demon dares to go near Liangzhou anymore. From what I’ve heard, the Royal Family has even sent troops to mop up the aftermath. Not to mention demons, now even a stray dog needs to carry a tag to enter the city. They are keeping things very tight there.”
The errand boy shared what he had heard.
Li Hao sighed in relief. It seemed that those who were in charge of the defense in Liangzhou at the time were the Candle Fire God Couple. The real forces from the Gragon Gate and the Holy Palace had not gathered in Liangzhou.
And now, the very Great Demon King who had led the attack on Liangzhou was standing right behind him, already pledged allegiance to him.
With this thought, Li Hao did not linger on the subject. He went to his room and changed into simple clothes prepared by the errand boy, glanced at the night outside—the evening was still young, and the town was noisy with drumming and gongs.
Feeling good, Li Hao said to Xiyan, “I’ll take you out for a stroll.”
“Yay!”
Xiyan perked up at his words, buzzing with energy, as Little Red-whisker twined around Li Hao’s wrist and rubbed against him, simultaneously transmitting a curious message,
“Is this Marshal Haotian that the man just mentioned, you?”
“Yep.”
“Is Junior General a position? Great Wilderness Heaven doesn’t seem to have this title.”
Xiyan, having remained in Great Wilderness Heaven, got her information from those who went to snatch the Tao Rhyme Blood Fruit and was rather ignorant about Great Wilderness Heaven, let alone knowing nothing of the Human Race from the Dayu Divine Dynasty.
Li Hao smiled and patiently explained to her through telepathy while leading her and Candle Flame God out the door.
As for Ms. Yin, she was in Li Hao’s Heaven and Earth Space.
Previously, Li Hao had healed her by infusing a large amount of Heaven and Earth Power, and Ms. Yin had briefly fused with Candle Flame God, which seemed to touch the threshold of the Tao Realm, and she was in retreat.
Amidst the night, Li Hao strolled leisurely through the small country town.
Though dilapidated, the town was filled with the scent of home cooking and firewood, giving it an earthy charm.
Stone slab roads, old wooden stakes, and the gurgling of small rivers flowing through countless homes.
Lanterns hung all along the way, suggesting some sort of festival was being celebrated.
Following the sound of drums, Li Hao arrived in the center of the town, where there was a stage with many people standing outside listening to the opera.
The front row seats, equipped with tables and chairs, were occupied by recognizable members of the town—wealthy merchants, local gentry, and the like—cracking melon seeds, drinking tea, and enjoying the opera.
Xiyan, like a curious child, bombarded Li Hao with questions, showing interest in everything.
Candle Flame God, on the other hand, stuck close to Li Hao like a shadow, quiet and inseparable. Though his expression was cold, he too observed everything around him, reflecting the mortal world in his eyes.
The children played outside the stage, cavorting and fighting with paper kites, while the elderly occasionally clapped and praised the quality of the play.
Li Hao moved forward, handing over a piece of silver, and took a seat at a tea table, quietly joining the audience to listen to the grand opera.
In the evenings of Great Wilderness Heaven, a brief respite allowed only gazing at the stars and moon or playing music to pass the time. Here, however, he found a rare chance to relax.
Continue your journey at empire
But it wasn’t long before Li Hao’s expression changed slightly. He didn’t stand up, just casually grabbed some melon seeds from the table and cracked a few, tossing the shells to the ground.
The melon seed shells, however, suddenly took flight in the night, as if a gentle breeze had arisen, whooshing into the air above the small town and then rushing towards the hillside a dozen miles outside of the town.
There, a group of demons was approaching in the night wind.
Their faces twisted into cruel smiles while eyeing the myriad of lights and the tumultuous sounds of drums and laughter in the distance before them.
But just as the leading demon uttered a single word, a melon seed shell descended from the sky like a black dot, swiftly flashing by.
Thwack, thwack, thwack!
Powered by Object Control, it quickly pierced through their bodies.
A dozen demons were killed instantly, not even seeing how they died.
Only a melon seed shell remained, landing next to the corpse of the last demon.
Inside the town, the opera continued as usual. Outside the town, moonlight serenely bathed the corpses of the demons.
“Bravo.”
Li Hao, catching a thrilling part, joined the surrounding crowd in applause.
After the opera was over and the audience dispersed, Li Hao followed the crowd back to the inn with Xiyan and Candle Flame God for a long night’s sleep.
It had been many days since he had had a good, peaceful sleep since coming from Great Wilderness Heaven.
The next day dawn broke, and the rising sun shone upon the bodies of the demons outside the town. Someone took advantage of the morning light to see the corpses of the demons and screamed in fright, hastily fleeing into the town and running towards the Monster Suppression Department.