Chapter 25: The Serpent Spirit, Liu Ruxian

"Take care, Young Master Xu. This is as far as I dare go with you. Any farther and I truly fear for my life..."

Seeing the fear in Er Niu's eyes, Xu Xuan did not press him further.

"Then return to the village and await my good news," Xu Xuan said, waving his hand for Er Niu to leave.

Relieved, Er Niu bowed hastily and departed at once, scurrying away as if a monster from Black Bear Ridge might descend upon him at any moment.

"That fellow is such a coward," Zhao Jinqian remarked in irritation, watching Er Niu's retreating figure.

"They're all simple villagers. Fearing monsters is only human," Xu Xuan replied with a faint smile. He straightened his robes and strode toward Black Bear Ridge, which was shrouded in thick mist.

"I wonder if the so-called monster troubling the villagers is actually that Bear Second Master. If so, my troubles will be much reduced."

This journey to the Ridge to exorcise the monster would be far simpler if his foe was Bear Second Master; old scores and new grievances could be settled in one stroke.

"If I slay Bear Second Master, the young lord will enjoy a feast."

"Indeed! Bear's paw steamed and served, bear gall soaked in wine, and a bearskin coat to ward off the cold—what treasures!"

Xu Xuan pressed on along the mountain path, his steps sinking and rising with the uneven ground as he made his way deeper into the mist.

The fog thickened, and soon he could not see more than ten yards ahead. Alone amidst the mountains, Xu Xuan felt something of the lonely hero's spirit.

He had not gone far when a sudden metallic tang of blood wafted to his nose. Animal carcasses, carelessly discarded, lay rotting nearby, filling the air with a foul stench.

"Help! Someone help me..."

A woman's plea drifted from within the mist ahead.

"Who goes there?" Xu Xuan called out sharply, gripping his golden spiked staff for protection.

In these remote, mist-cloaked mountains, a woman's sudden cry for help would convince no one but a fool that no supernatural forces were at work.

"I am but a humble tea picker, lost in the fog and waiting for rescue in a cave. Brave sir, will you save me?"

"A tea seller?"

The mention of tea triggered memories of Xu Xuan's previous life—newly picked leaves, invitations to taste, a time of sweet reminiscence.

Confident in his abilities, Xu Xuan pressed ahead, undeterred by the possibility of deception.

After walking half a mile or so, a great cave loomed before him.

"I am outside now. Come out and I will escort you home," he called into the darkness.

The cave exuded a chilling gloom that others might miss, but which Xu Xuan perceived keenly.

"My ankle is injured, good sir. Please, come inside and help me," the woman's voice coaxed from within, sensing he was not entering.

"Let us see what tricks you play," Xu Xuan muttered with a cold laugh, hefting his spiked staff and stepping into the cave.

A golden light flashed in Xu Xuan's eyes, and the cave’s layout became clear—shallow, strewn with animal bones and weeds, but otherwise empty. Of the supposed tea girl, there was no sign.

"Where are you, miss? It's too dark to see you," Xu Xuan called out, feigning ignorance as he continued to probe the unseen foe.

"Keep coming, brave sir. I am just ahead," the woman replied.

Xu Xuan narrowed his eyes and walked forward without betraying his suspicion. As he reached a patch of dead grass, the golden light of his staff blazed forth and he struck down with sudden force.

"You can see through my disguise!"

With a startled cry, a slender figure shot out from the grass, deftly dodging Xu Xuan's lethal blow like a streak of lightning.

Xu Xuan turned and saw a snake as thick as his arm, its eyes a blazing, blood-red, glaring at him.

"Monster, you dare deceive me? Seeking your doom, are you?"

With those words, Xu Xuan formed a spell; thunder rolled around him and lightning crackled in his palm. He hurled a bolt at the snake spirit.

The snake moved with astonishing speed, evading the attack. In the same instant, the flower-patterned serpent twisted its body and transformed into a woman clad in a green dress.

Half her face was strikingly beautiful, eyes bright and skin like porcelain, but the other half was hideous and covered in scales.

"What manner of fiend are you, running wild in these parts?"

"The flesh and blood of scholars is so sweet. Today, I, Willow Fairy, shall feast well!"

"Foolish creature!"

Xu Xuan snorted coldly. Lightning surged around him, and suddenly divine thunder appeared above Willow Fairy’s head, crashing down upon her.

"Ah! The Violet Heaven Divine Thunder!"

Willow Fairy shrieked in terror. She tried to flee, but the lightning struck her down, wracking her body with agony and leaving her gravely wounded.

"Monster, you have slain the villagers of Peach Blossom Village. Your crimes merit death!"

With that, Xu Xuan prepared to deliver the final blow and rid the world of this snake spirit.

Her cultivation was shallow at best, only at the level of a wandering spirit. She couldn’t even manipulate objects.

"You dare kill me? My godfather will never forgive you!"

Willow Fairy blustered, hoping her threat would frighten Xu Xuan into sparing her.

"So you’re just a pawn. Tell me, who is your godfather?"

"My godfather is Bear Second Master of Black Bear Ridge. If you kill me, he will never let the matter rest!"

"Hah! So it is that bear demon—a true nemesis, it seems."

Willow Fairy recoiled in shock. She realized the scholar before her must be an old enemy of her godfather.

"Let me make things clear for you before you die. Not long ago, I killed Badger Elder, and I have come to Black Bear Ridge today for Bear Second Master, to end this evil once and for all."

"What? My sworn brother was killed by you?"

Willow Fairy was horrified. She had only hoped to lure a passing scholar for a meal, never expecting to attract a true slayer.

"Indeed. Today I’ll send you to join him."

"Mercy! Spare me!"

Now terrified, the snake spirit groveled for her life, desperate for Xu Xuan’s forgiveness.

Her cultivation was far inferior to Badger Elder’s; since even her brother perished at Xu Xuan’s hands, how could she hope to escape?

"Tell me—where is the old bear hiding?"

"My godfather is in the Black Bear Cave, ten miles ahead. He should be sleeping now."

The snake, her courage broken, confessed everything without reservation.

"And the villagers from Peach Blossom Village—were they eaten by the old bear?"

"No, he kept them alive. He plans to use their blood to refine blood pills—just a drop of heart’s blood from each every day. Only after forty-nine days will he kill them."

"What a vile beast! To keep humans penned like livestock—utterly lawless!"

Enraged, Xu Xuan flipped his hand and summoned the Scarlet Mist Sword, which flashed like lightning and cut Willow Fairy into several pieces. He shattered her spirit as well, ensuring her complete annihilation.

When it came to monsters who harmed innocents, Xu Xuan showed no mercy.

Without reaching the Ghost Immortal stage, a monster’s spirit, once its body was destroyed, would drift away and dissipate in days.

But to ensure nothing went awry, Xu Xuan destroyed the snake spirit’s soul completely, sparing no chance for her to return.

With the snake slain, the merit counter on Xu Xuan’s Mirror of Virtue rose by two hundred, reaching a total of seven hundred.

He took only the serpent’s gall and wisdom pearl, discarding the rest of the corpse.

There was no time now to brew snake soup; the urgent task was to slay Bear Second Master and rescue the villagers without delay.