I have Taoism and can understand other worlds

Chapter 693 Exterminating Demons
A chilling fear coiled around the dog's throat like a venomous snake, leaving him stiff and unable to move even his fingertips.

In the darkness, those scarlet eyes drew ever closer, carrying with them a nauseating, fishy stench.

He could make out the creature's blurry outline; it looked like a wildcat magnified several times, but much thinner and longer, with mottled fur, thick saliva dripping from its gaping mouth, and sharp teeth gleaming coldly in the dim moonlight.

It's over, I'm going to end up like my second uncle. Dog's mind went blank, filled only with boundless despair.

Mother, sister, the dog is dying...

The cat demon bent its hind legs slightly, about to pounce and tear the dog's thin body apart with its sharp claws and teeth.

At this critical moment.

A gentle yet undeniable ray of light, like the first rays of dawn, descended silently and precisely enveloped the cat demon about to erupt.

The cat demon let out a shrill, mournful cry, a cry that was completely unlike the hiss of a cat.

The attack froze in mid-air, as if it had crashed into an invisible wall. The clear light, like the most intense flame, scorched the evil aura on its body, instantly turning its mottled fur black and curling it up.

The next second, Qingguang trembled slightly.

"puff--"

Like a punctured blood sac, the cat demon that terrified the dog and countless refugees didn't even struggle before turning into a wisp of black smoke in the clear light. With a final, short wail, it completely dissipated into the air, leaving only a foul, burnt smell.

The dog stared blankly at the empty ground in front of it, then looked up in the direction from which the light was coming from.

Suddenly, three extraordinary individuals appeared standing not far away.

The young man in the lead slowly withdrew his finger, his expression calm, as if he had just brushed away a speck of dust.

The immense shock of surviving the ordeal made Gouzi's legs go weak, and he collapsed to the ground, bursting into uncontrollable sobs as he kowtowed in the direction of those people.

"Thank you, thank you, immortal, for saving my life! Thank you, immortal!"

The young man walked up to him, lifted the dog up with a hand gesture, and said gently, "Kid, don't be afraid. That wicked creature is dead and can't harm anyone."

"Immortal, you are my savior! I will repay you even if I have to do anything for you!" the dog cried.

The young man couldn't help but smile, then shook his head.

These three were Jiang Wen and his companions, who had come from afar and had noticed the demonic aura emanating from the refugee settlement. They decided to come down to investigate and, incidentally, exorcise the demon.

Seeing the dog's expression, Jiang Wen sighed inwardly. He reached out and stroked the little boy's head, asking gently, "Where did you come from?"

When the immortal asked the dog a question, the dog sobbed as it recounted its origins.

From the famine in Qingshuipu to the tragic death of his second uncle, and the hardships along the way, to the separation of loved ones. After recounting his origins, Gouzi seemed to have thought of something.

As if grasping at a last straw, he scrambled to Jiang Wen's feet, knelt down, and pleaded, "Immortal! Please, save my mother and my sister! They... they're dying!"

Jiang Wen looked in the direction he pointed and saw a middle-aged woman and a thin girl lying in the tent. Both of them had their eyes closed and their brows furrowed, appearing to be in great pain. Their emaciated appearance indicated that they had suffered greatly.

Without hesitation, he walked over and bent down to examine it.

The middle-aged woman was barely breathing, her face ashen. The girl also had a persistent high fever and was delirious.

When his divine sense swept over the other refugees around him, most of them were in a similar state.

Hunger, disease, and fear—all sorts of suffering are rapidly devouring their remaining vitality.

Jiang Wen didn't speak, but stretched out his finger and pointed it in the air.

Two strands of pure spiritual energy flowed into the bodies of the dog's mother and sister.

The abnormal flush on their faces quickly faded, the bluish-gray turned pale, and their breathing gradually became steady and strong.

The dog's mother even slowly opened her eyes, staring blankly at the unfamiliar young man in front of her.

"Mother!" The dog rushed over. The woman came to her senses, saw that her child was unharmed, and felt the long-lost warmth in her body. She instantly understood what had happened.

She struggled to get up and kowtow, but Jiang Wen raised his hand to stop her.

"Thank you so much, Immortal Master! Thank you so much, Immortal Master!" The woman said repeatedly, tears streaming down her face and her voice hoarse.

Jiang Wen helped them up and asked them where they had been.

The woman, as if she had found someone to confide in, told them everything she knew.

Her words came out urgently, tinged with a thick local accent: “We’re from Qingshuipu. We’re on our way to Qinzhou to seek refuge with our great-uncle. We’re doomed, Immortal Master! The crops in the fields have all died, the river has dried up, and the officials not only don’t care, they even come to rob us. There are monsters eating people at night. Half of the village has died, and those who escaped have also died along the way…”

The woman pointed to the numb, huddled figures around the tent and said.

"They're all unfortunate people, with no food or water, and if they get sick, they can only wait to die..."

Jiang Wen listened quietly; he knew the situation in this refugee settlement.

Just then, his mind stirred slightly, and he noticed that the merit points on the stone tablet in his sea of ​​consciousness seemed to be increasing. The number jumped slightly, increasing by an insignificant little bit.

Though few in number, they are clear and accurate.

I never imagined that saving these refugees would also bring me merit.

He suddenly realized something.

In chaotic times, protecting living beings is both a form of self-cultivation and a way to accumulate experience.

“We intend to travel south. If you do not mind, we may accompany you for a while and I will protect you until you reach the border of Qin Prefecture,” Jiang Wen said. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of every refugee nearby.

The dog's mother was stunned, then overjoyed, and tried to kowtow again.

The refugees who heard the commotion also learned about it. They gathered around and looked at Jiang Wen, a faint light flickering in their numb eyes for the first time.

With immortals around, this great calamity doesn't seem so hard to endure.

That night, the mountain valley didn't seem so cold.

The next morning, Dog's mother spread the news that the immortal had slain the demon and saved people the night before, and had promised to protect them.

At first, some people were skeptical, but seeing the obvious improvement in the complexion of the dog's mother and sister, and the complete disappearance of the cat demon threat, hope spread like wildfire among the desperate refugees.

More and more people struggled to gather around, kneeling down in the direction where Jiang Wen and the other two were resting, chanting incantations and calling them "immortals" and "living saints."

They were ragged, emaciated, and their bony backs were exposed as they kowtowed, a scene both tragic and devout.

Jiang Wen clearly felt the merit points in his sea of ​​consciousness begin to fluctuate, from dozens to hundreds of points. Although each point was small, when they accumulated, they increased by several hundred points.

At this moment, several elderly refugees, led by an old man, walked over tremblingly, carrying a tattered cloth bag, and knelt heavily in front of Jiang Wen.

"Gods, we... we only have this much rice left. It was collected by the whole village. Please, Gods, give us a way to survive!"

Tears streamed down the old man's face as he held the shriveled cloth bag high in his hands. Inside was at most a bushel of coarse rice, a drop in the ocean for the thousands of refugees, but a life-saving treasure for the old man.

Jiang Wen did not take the rice, but looked at Jiang Su beside him.

Jiang Su understood and stepped forward expressionlessly.

She took the bag of rice and gently poured it onto a relatively flat open space.

The brown rice scattered on the ground was only a few grains, making it seem even more meager.

Jiang Su stood still amidst the refugees' puzzled yet expectant gazes.

(End of this chapter)