Chapter 9: The Demon-Subduing Talisman

  Da Big turned his head and saw a sweet-looking woman standing behind him, wearing a long palace dress, with a radiant complexion and a smile. Although she was very different from last night, Da Big still recognized that this woman was Hua Lian, the female Taoist priest who had spoken loudly and eaten hastily last night.

  Since they were traveling together, Dà Yī couldn't refuse, so the two of them shared a carriage to hurry along. The space inside the horse-drawn carriage was not large, and as they sat squeezed together, it felt somewhat awkward. Huā Lián found out that Dà Yī had also received the Demon-Slaying Order and was an Exorcist, so she started talking about her experiences and stories of exorcising demons, and also spoke about the dangers faced by Exorcists, mentioning how many fellow practitioners had lost their lives while exorcising demons, which made them feel a sense of mutual sympathy.

  The two of them chatted from exorcising evil spirits to weapons and treasures, chatting enthusiastically until Huā Niǎn snuggled up close to Dà Yī's side, looking like a little bird relying on someone. Dà Yī saw Huā Niǎn reveal her snowy white neck and chest, couldn't help but feel moved, and lightly wrapped his arms around her. Huā Niǎn let out a gentle "en" sound and fell into Dà Yī's embrace.

  Having arrived at Chang'an, the two of them blushed and got off the carriage. Huā Lián asked: "Dà Yǎn brother, I'll accompany you to Su Xīn Temple to find Wù Yuān Dào Master first, okay?"

  When Hua Lian mentioned the name of Yu Yan Dao Ren, Da Ye immediately knew that he was talking about the Carefree Order. Da Ye had already noticed from the gambling house how much importance everyone attached to the Carefree Order, and now Hua Lian was following him, which showed just how extraordinary the Carefree Order really was.

  Huā Lián told Dà Yīn that he didn't know about the matter of Xiāo Yáo Lìng, so he explained it to him. Only then did Dà Yīn realize that Wù Yuān Dào Rén's reputation was extremely great, but because Wù Yuān Dào Rén's Exorcism Talisman was extremely powerful and could guarantee absolute safety, only those who held the command plate were allowed to buy it from Wù Yuān Dào Rén.

  Su Xin Temple was located in the western part of Chang'an City, and the two of them walked for a short distance before arriving at Su Xin Temple. The temple was not grand, nor were there many people burning incense, making it seem rather deserted. As they approached, Hua Lian grabbed Da Yun's arm and smiled sweetly: "Brother Da Yun, later when you see Daozhang Yuquan, can you help me buy a demon-suppressing talisman too?"

  Dahai smiled secretly in his heart, you followed me all the way just for this, buying one more for her wouldn't be a big deal, it's just that each talisman costs 50 taels of gold. Dahai then stretched out his hand and said: "Hand over the gold to buy the talismans."

  Hua Lian pouted, took out 50 taels of gold and handed them to Da Yun. Da Yun then entered the Su Xin Temple alone, showed his token, and stated his intention. He was led in by a Taoist priest. The temple was not small, spanning two courtyards, until they reached the residence of Yuquan Taoist. After hearing Da Yun's intentions, Yuquan Taoist accepted 100 taels of gold and handed over two wooden boxes containing talismans to ward off evil spirits. Yuquan Taoist added: "This token can be used to buy three more spirit talismans."

  At this time, Da Kun only knew that each token could only buy five demon-slaying talismans, and he immediately regretted agreeing to help Hua Lian. Da Kun bought the spiritual talisman and came out of Su Xin's observation room, where Hua Lian was waiting anxiously. Da Kun handed over a wooden box to Hua Lian, who opened it and took a look, instantly beaming with joy.

  Then, Huā Niǎn and Dà Yán arrived at the Heavenly Court Platform. Dà Yán received a reward for killing the evil ghost Yuán, which was 70 days of Taoist practice, more than the last time he killed the snake spirit. After completing their task, both of them accepted new extermination orders. Dà Yán went to the source of the Wei River in Chang'an, while Huā Niǎn's extermination order was near Chang'an.

  The two parted ways, and as they bid farewell, Hua Lin clung to Da Ye's bosom, reluctant to let go. They made a promise that when Da Ye returned, they would meet again at the Chang'an Inn. After leaving Chang'an, Da Ye headed west through Tong Pass and rushed straight to the upper reaches of the Wei River.

  Beyond the pass, a vast expanse of wilderness stretched out before me, with ancient yellow sand roads. All day, I hadn't seen a single household along the way, but as dusk approached, I finally caught sight of a small stream and a cluster of trees up ahead. Just in front of us was a small village, and in the distance by the roadside, what looked like an inn.

  It has been half a month since leaving Tongguan, and the journey should have ended. Dabai halted his crimson horse and looked ahead. The setting sun cast its glow on the inn, which was already tinged with a layer of blood color, and the road had also turned red, as if a stream of blood was flowing out from the inn. Dabai's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly felt extremely ominous.

  After hesitating for a moment, Dayou jumped off the horse and entered the forest, letting the horse graze freely. Having traveled this far, Dayou was also tired, so he found a large tree to hide behind and lay down to rest among its branches.

  As the sky gradually darkened, the sound of horseshoes echoed on the road again, and the voice grew louder. A man was heard saying, "Is Ant Village ahead?"

  A woman said: "It's definitely not wrong, let's go into the woods and rest for a while, and then we'll talk after we've refreshed ourselves."

  Three people dismounted and walked into the forest. Dabai sensed that all three were Taoist practitioners, so he jumped down from the tree, went forward to meet them, and bowed his hands: "Three Taoist friends, please."

  The three men were startled to see Da Wei suddenly appear. The three of them sized up Da Wei for a moment, then exchanged greetings with him. With quick hands and feet, they soon lit a bonfire, took out raw meat to roast, and invited Da Wei to join in the meal.

  The four people sat around the bonfire, introduced themselves to each other, and addressed each other as brother and sister. The man was called Qingping, his sister was called Qingsi. Another woman wearing a red hemp dress and skirt called herself Hong Chai.

  Four people talked about their journey, Hong Chui and three others received the order to slay demons, they came from Chang'an to exterminate evil spirits in this area. Da Bai's target, the black fox spirit, was also nearby, but he casually said that he was a wandering Taoist priest, just passing by. After resting, the three of them discussed going to the front village of ants to gather information, and Da Bai said: "Before nightfall, I saw what seemed like an inn on the side of the road ahead, why not go take a look?"

  Qing Xi laughed and said: "Since there's an inn, why didn't you say so earlier? I've been stinking all over, it's time for me to find a place to take a good bath and have a good meal."

  "Qingping smiled and said: 'Sister has always smelled good, no need to wash, but it's really good to have a good sleep.'"

  "Alright then, let's go, everyone be careful, that Wild Boar Spirit is around here somewhere."

  The four of them extinguished the bonfire and set off together. They hadn't walked far when they saw two red lanterns getting closer and closer in front of them, and indeed, right in front of them was a very large inn. The four of them approached, but found that the inn was eerily quiet, not hearing any sound at all, as if there were no people inside.

  With a gentle push, the inn's door opened. Inside, everything was spotless, and even a censer was lit, filling the air with fragrance. In the center of the room, a fire crackled in the stove, surrounded by several wooden tables and over a dozen wooden chairs. On the counter, wine jars, cups, and plates were neatly arranged. The four people cautiously entered, when suddenly a young servant rushed out from inside, holding a candle holder and smiling: "Four guests, please come quickly, please take your seats."

  The young shopkeeper invited the four of them to sit down and smiled: "Our humble store has a specialty roasted pork, would you gentlemen like to try some?"

  Hong Chai nodded and said with a cold smile: "Alright then, go get it."

  He looked around and suddenly found that the scenery in front of him was slightly distorted, so he said in a low voice: "That's not right."

  The two siblings, Qingping and her brother, were sizing each other up when Hong Chui calmly took out a small, exquisite purple-gold bronze mirror. She primped in front of the mirror, admiring herself from head to toe. Hong Chui beckoned to Da Yun with a wave of her hand, smiling: "Fellow Daoist, come take a look - is my hairpin straight?"

  The old man's heart knew something was amiss, and as he approached to take a closer look, he saw in the copper mirror a completely different scene. The store was filled with dust and cobwebs everywhere, and on the counter were piled up numerous white bones. At this time, the young shopkeeper walked out, and as the purple gold mirror rotated, it shone on him, revealing clearly a skull. That skull was clearly holding a human head, placed on the table.

  "Sir, please help yourself," said the shopkeeper. "Our specialty is roasted suckling pig, and there's no place within a hundred miles that can match it."

  Several people exchanged glances, and the big man slightly shook his head, signaling to everyone to calm down. At this time, another woman came out with a jar of wine and brought over several cups. The woman smiled: "Our small shop's specialty wine, after drinking it, you'll want more."

  The red tassel rotated the purple gold mirror, and the woman clearly saw that it was also a skull. Looking again, the wine jar was clearly a jar of black and red fresh blood. Da Yan stretched out his hand to take over the cup, one by one pouring it in, laughing: "With wine and meat, let's have a taste."

  The woman stood in front of everyone and smiled: "Honored guests, please eat slowly."

  The big man pretended to take a sip and then said: "Why don't I see your boss?"

  The woman smiled and said: "Our boss is coming, and he will drink with you too."

  The woman said, holding up the wine jug to pour wine for several people. Seeing the wine overflowing from the cup, the woman still didn't realize it, and the wine flowed straight onto the floor.

  At this time, footsteps came, a seductive woman walked over with a swing, the woman looked at everyone's wine cup and shook her fan coldly: "Is my family's wine not good to drink?"

  Dai Yi glanced at the purple gold mirror in Hong Chui's hand, and his face changed immediately. The mirror reflected a demon with fur on its body, a tail behind it, and a pointed mouth - a black fox demon. The demon that Di Zhu Ling wanted to exterminate was actually here, and Dai Yi's heart skipped a beat.

  Hei Lian Jing also tilted her head and took a few glances at the Zijin Mirror, suddenly asking: "Is it a demon-mirror? Can I borrow it to play with?"

  The four immediately stood up, took two steps back and stared vigilantly at the seductive woman in front of them. The woman chuckled a few times, then her figure flashed and disappeared. The four were stunned for a moment, only to see two identical women suddenly appear behind them, swinging an axe towards their backs.

  The four of them hastily dodged, but saw the woman's figure change again and eight figures appeared, all holding axes and chopping towards the vital parts of the four people. In an instant, the demon appeared with eight more figures. Seeing that in an instant, a dozen or so women had appeared, all holding axes and randomly chopping at the four people.

  Three or four axes were chopping towards Qingping from different directions, Qingping dodged three of them, but the last one was too late to dodge again. Qingping was already frightened pale, staring blankly at the axe chopping on his body. At this time, the axe and the woman's arm seemed to pass through Qingping's body like a shadow, Qingping was unscathed. Da Yun was stunned for a moment before realizing that all of these dozen or so women were just illusions.

  Seeing a dozen or so silhouettes closing in on the four from all sides, although they knew that most of these silhouettes were just illusions, the four still dodged and weaved, because the real body of the demon must be among them. The faces of the four changed color, if this continued, sooner or later, the four would die under the axe.

  Dai Yun dodged a few axe blows, stretched out his hand and took out a wooden box from his bosom, which was the item he had bought from the Misty Abyss Daoist. Dai Yun took out the Demon-Dispelling Talisman, activated his magical power, pointed with one finger and popped it, the talisman suddenly disappeared, and at the same time, a small sword with radiant light shot out on its own and flew away.

  A small sword pierced through two silhouettes, stirring up a burst of blood flowers in the room. Suddenly, more than a dozen women vanished into thin air, leaving only a black fox spirit frozen in place, with the small sword lodged in its forehead. The woman and young man turned into scattered bones all over the ground. Next, the small sword flashed with light, entering the black fox spirit's body, which let out a mournful cry, falling to the ground and curling up tightly.

  The black fox spirit died, and the entire inn showed its true colors, just like what was seen in the demon mirror. The counter was piled with white bones and limbs, and the wooden table had turned dark red. This inn had slaughtered countless passing travelers, but it was unknown how many.

  Dai Wen looked at the three of Hong Chuan again, Qing Xi's face was pale and her soul seemed to be wandering. Qing Ping comforted Qing Xi with a few words, then took a deep breath herself. Hong Chuan was slightly better off, his face not showing much shock, he made a fist at Dai Wen and said: "Dai Wen fellow Daoist, thanks for your timely intervention, otherwise it would have been disastrous."

  Dai Yun's guest asked curiously: "Dai Yun Daoist friend, what kind of magic did you use just now to solve the demon so quickly, it's too powerful."

  Dà Yǎn let out a hearty laugh, secretly pleased with himself. The demon-suppressing talisman was even more powerful than he had anticipated. He recalled the scene at Songfeng Inn, where those people were eager to get their hands on the carefree order, and Huā Lián had even taken the initiative to stick it on herself. No wonder, it was all because of the mighty power of the demon-suppressing talisman of Wù Yuān Dào rén.

  Dai Yun smiled without speaking, Qingping's curiosity grew even stronger, and she couldn't help but ask another question. Hong Chui intervened for Dai Yun: "Qingping, as cultivators, we must not pry into others' sects or techniques. Many sects have strict rules; don't make things difficult for Fellow Daoist Dai Yun."