Ruins of the past

Qitong Mansion, Zhao family.

While drinking tea, Zhao Lingxiao looked at Chu Qiguang in front of him and sighed: "Oh, you are too impatient."

"Then Song Baoyi is not only the Qianhu of the Shuzhou Demon Division, but also one of the leaders of the Hunter School. This Shuzhou is their territory. If you don't say hello to them, I'm afraid it will be difficult to move forward in the next few years."

Chu Qiguang looked at the courtyard where Zhao Lingxiao was located. Although it was covered with a thin layer of snow, he could still see that in the spring, the courtyard must be filled with small bridges, flowing water, and green trees.

This Zhao family mansion alone has much more background than the Wu family mansion he had seen in Qingyang County.

He picked up the tea cup in front of him and took a sip, then asked: "Master Zhao, I'm new to Shuzhou and I don't know much about the situation here. Why don't you tell me about it?"

Zhao Lingxiao looked at Chu Qiguang in front of him. He had taught him the Taoist scriptures for a year on the mountain. He could be considered a master-disciple. He was even more moved by the other person's persistence in the Taoist scriptures.

Now that he heard that the student had offended Song Baoyi, he became worried.

"The land of Shuzhou has complex terrain and countless high mountains and ridges. Although the imperial court has twelve palaces under its command, most of them are mixed in among the mountains and rivers..."

"You have to remember that this place is different from the Central Plains. The number and quality of demons are definitely far higher than those you have encountered before."

"The Hunter School here is on the front line. They are completely different from the members of the Demon Suppression Division you met on Chaoyao Mountain."

"They value strength more than power and wealth."

Chu Qiguang listened to Zhao Lingxiao's explanation and gradually gained a deeper understanding of the situation in Shuzhou.

He concluded in his mind: 'In general, there are many ethnic minorities, many mountain people, many mountain villages, complex terrain, and the rule of the imperial court is only concentrated in a few big cities. ’

‘It would be too labor-intensive and expensive to rule the high mountains… Let’s leave it to the local chieftains to maintain the rule. ’

'And because there are many mountains and rivers, there are many mountain spirits, wild monsters, ghosts and monsters hidden there. ’

‘Mountain people are ignorant and often turn to ghosts and gods for help when encountering problems, thus spreading many primitive beliefs and cults. ’

‘Besides this, there are a large number of monsters living in the Snowy Mountains further to the southwest, which is known as the ‘Monster Country’. ’

‘These monsters are all monsters who joined the Dragon Clan when the Dragon Clan was suffering from cholera in the Central Plains before the founding of the People’s Republic of China. ’

‘After Taizu swept across the world, the Dragon Clan returned to the East China Sea, while the monsters who originally followed them escaped into Shuzhou, and were finally driven into the Snowy Mountains. ’

‘The snow-capped mountains were so vast that it was difficult for the officers and soldiers to hunt them down, so these monsters multiplied among them from generation to generation, and then attracted more monsters. ’

'In recent years, it seems that the big man has become weak, and conflicts have often broken out with the officers and soldiers here. ’

'Due to various factors, the demons in Shuzhou have a huge living space, and they are so powerful that they can even arm-wrestle with the army. ’

After going through all these things in his mind, Chu Qiguang asked again: "Have you ever heard of the Hunter School's Diamond Interpretation Technique and the Steel Iron Bone Kung Fu, these two martial arts?"

"Vajra Interpretation, Steel Iron Bone Kung Fu?" Zhao Lingxiao said: "These two are the unique martial arts of the Hunter School, right? Why do you ask?"

He became confused: "Don't you want to learn these two martial arts?"

Thinking about the "Mount Sumeru King Sutra" that he had more than 3,000 days left to count down, Chu Qiguang smiled and said: "It's nothing, I'm just a little curious after hearing about it."

Zhao Lingxiao said seriously: "There are many monsters in Shuzhou, so the imperial court sent the Hunter School, which is the best at dealing with monsters in the Demon Suppression Division, to suppress this place."

He reminded: "But over time, this place has become the territory of the Hunter School. It is impossible for you, a member of the Thorn Demon School, to learn the Diamond Interpretation Technique and the Steel and Iron Bone Technique."

Chu Qiguang smiled and said nothing, but asked again: "Is the Taoist Martial God from the Hunter School also in Shuzhou?"

The entry-level martial god of the Hunter School is named ‘Bai Shihe’, nicknamed ‘The Fierce God’.

He entered Taoism with "Xumi's Strength to Move Mountains" and is a leading figure in the Hunter School.

Zhao Lingxiao said: "Bai Martial God has been sitting in Xuanji Mountain all year round, which is an important pass between Daxue Mountain and Shuzhou."

Chu Qiguang then had a chat with Zhao Lingxiao and became more and more understanding of the situation in Shuzhou. Especially for the Ba Mansion where he was about to take office, he even asked a few more questions from Zhao Lingxiao.

However, he looked at Zhao Lingxiao's thin face and sunken eyes, and asked with concern: "Master Zhao, are you okay?"

Zhao Lingxiao smiled bitterly and shook his head: "It's okay."

After leaving the Zhao family, Chu Qiguang and his party set out on the road again, this time their destination was Ba Mansion, where he worked for hundreds of households.

But while Chu Qiguang was on his way, he didn't know that a piece of news had spread to the ears of all the demons and ghosts in Shuzhou.

…

In the evening of this day, Chu Qiguang and his party were riding towards the next station.

Hao Xiangtong said: "The scenery in Shuzhou is indeed beautiful, but there are too many mountains, and the journey is too tiring."

Chu Qiguang said: "We should be able to reach Ba Mansion tonight, and then we can have a good rest."

And while they were on their way, there were three big monsters observing them on a nearby cliff.

These three monsters were of different sizes and races, but they all had deep auras, and their eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of blood when they flashed.

If there are monsters from Shuzhou, or veterans of the Shuzhou Demon Suppression Department here, I am afraid they will be able to recognize the three-headed monsters at a glance. They are the three-headed monster kings who roam the mountains in the southeast of Shuzhou. Hundreds of little monsters roared in the mountains and forests, and for more than ten years they slaughtered the village and committed all kinds of evil.

And the Ba Mansion where Chu Qiguang is going to work this time is also one of their territories.

One of them resembles a tiger and leopard, and when it opens its mouth, it sounds like gold and stone. It is King Huntian among the four demon kings.

I just heard King Huntian say: "Is this the new Demon Suppressant Hundred Households in Ba Mansion? There are only the Demon Suppressant Hundred Households from the Four Realms. This is the first time I have seen them."

A white ape beside him laughed and said: "That's him, called Chu Qiguang. It is said that the emperor gave him many elixirs and wonderful medicines, and he will benefit a lot from taking them."

Another strange man who was completely black and looked like a human, but had a green face and fangs and a pair of wings said: "Babel... have you ever thought about what Chu Qiguang would do if he had eaten the elixir?"

The monkey demon known as Babel laughed again, showing a pair of fangs and said: "Old Jiji, what else can I say? Of course I'll eat him right down to his skin and bones."

The monster that was stunned by the quick ghost shook its head: "You and I have been in Shuzhou for so many years, relying on the mantra of relying on the strong to bully the weak, and bullying the weak and fearing the strong."

"It's easy to kill a hundred households of the Demon Suppressor, but then the Demon Suppressor becomes angry. What should we do? If we provoke Bai Shihe, we really don't know who will eat whom."

Hearing the name of the fierce god Bai Shihe, the three big demons present couldn't help but tremble.

The reason why Bai Shihe is called the fierce god is not only because he fights like a madman, but also because after killing monsters, he skins them alive and eats their flesh alive. He eats hundreds of monsters every year.

In the eyes of the demons and monsters in Shuzhou, these vicious men are out-and-out living kings of hell.

The Monkey Demon Tongtianweng laughed forcefully and said: "You don't have to be afraid. The Demon Suppressing Division is divided into four major sects. This Chu Qiguang belongs to the Demon Assassin School, and Shuzhou is the territory of the Hunter School."

"I heard that Chu Qiguang offended the Song Baoyi family on the first day he arrived at Jinrong Mansion. The Demon Suppressing Division in Shuzhou will not stand up for him."