Thirteenth month of death

Chapter 7: Sword Test in Changlin
No...wait, there are more than just the three of them, there are others!
Looking closely, there was a middle-aged male corpse lying on the ground, and another one was clearly standing in front of the old man and two children, blocking them, but Li Daosheng didn't see him at all at first glance!
He was a young man dressed as a Taoist priest, with messy hair like a chicken coop. He had a sword on his back and another sword in his hand, a wooden sword, and was confronting the demon dog.

When Li Daosheng stared at him, the Taoist priest immediately noticed him. After a quick glance, he seemed to be sure that it was a human.

He opened his mouth to shout.

Li Daosheng frowned and was about to retreat, but he saw the young Taoist pause and shut his mouth. He didn't say a word and didn't point out his location.

It was then that Li Daosheng discovered that the Taoist's posture was wrong. He was not confronting the dog demon in front of him, but was actually holding something with his wooden sword!
Something that Li Daosheng couldn't see was wrestling with the young Taoist priest!

He was fighting one against two.

This Taoist priest should be quite capable. If he hadn't been protecting the old man and two children behind him, his situation would have been much better.

The young Taoist priest was indeed struggling to hold on. If he had encountered the dog demon alone, he would not have fallen into such a situation. Although the Tiangang Seven Star Steps were not a great magical power, he could find a place of survival under the attack with every step. But he could not hide now. If he dodged, the old man and two children would die.

After waiting for a long time, he finally waited for someone to come. He used the Qi-gazing technique to see that it was a mortal...

This dog demon possesses both yin and yang bodies. Its body has decayed, yet it is unfazed by weapons. Its ghost, though weak, is swift as the wind.

He could only block the ghost that was only visible to the Dharma eyes. At least when the rotten body visible to the naked eye attacked, the old man and two children could still hide.

At this moment, the dog demon Fushen, who had been motionless, suddenly leaped up and pounced directly at the young Taoist priest.

The Taoist gritted his teeth, thrust the wooden sword in front of him, and blocked the invisible dog soul. Then he pulled out the second sword on his back. This sword was not a wooden sword. The sword body flashed with cold light, and he slashed at the attacking rotten body.

The long sword entered the flesh, cutting off large pieces of flesh and blood with a "swish" sound, but the rotten body seemed unconscious. In just a breath, after landing on the ground, it kicked with its four claws, twisted its waist, and went straight to the old man and two children!

Oops!

The young Taoist priest was so confused that he was bitten by the invisible dog spirit. In the eyes of outsiders, blood flowed from his waist for no reason.

Just as the demon dog was about to kill three people in one bite, a flash of sword light appeared, and a dazzling spark suddenly appeared.

The blade of an ancient long sword was just lying across the interlaced canine teeth!
The man who drew the sword was Li Daosheng.

He has always been soft-spoken rather than tough-minded.

The sharp sword light forced back the rotten body of the dog demon. Li Daosheng's sword moved with his body, and his body moved with the sword. He passed around the rotten body of the dog demon as quickly as a feather. Pieces of rotten flesh and blood were cut off and flew into the sky, as if it was raining blood.

When the young Taoist saw this, he was first happy, then stunned.

Such a murderous sword!
But he also had a moment to catch his breath. He used his magic power to seal the wound on his waist, sheathed his long sword, and drew out the wooden sword again. He put his left hand together to form a sword and slashed the wooden sword.

Before he could even mutter anything, a faint white light appeared.

"cut!"

The young Taoist priest shouted softly, and his body swayed, crossing each other's sword with Li Daosheng's.

"Ouch...ow..."

A flash of sword light cut through the deserted area, a whimpering sounded in the woods, and a black mist appeared in the air. In the blink of an eye, it split into two and dissipated into nothingness.

At the same time, there was a sound of "clang".

Li Daosheng also stood beside the Taoist priest and put away his sword.

A skeleton, completely devoid of flesh and blood, fell heavily from the air and stopped moving.

"Huh...huh..."

The young Taoist priest was panting. He sheathed his wooden sword and tied it to his back. He sat down, looked up at Li Daosheng, and bowed. "Brother, you are very skilled... I, Chen Zhian, owe you my life..."

He thanked me, but he was worried in his heart.

I was wrong. How can this person be an ordinary person?

But this is really strange. Only when this brother takes action can you see the true energy and blood surging. Once he puts away his sword, he becomes like an ordinary person again.

Well, actually, he's not ordinary. This guy is wearing strange clothes, but they are quite exquisite...

The young Taoist priest lost his mind while thinking. The old man and two children, seeing that they were saved, did not wait to thank the two for their help, but knelt down and cried:

"Son!!!!"

The young Taoist priest Chen Zhian applied some medicine to the wound on his waist, stood up, and approached Li Daosheng, sighing, "Ah, these two little girls are the granddaughters of this old man, and the one lying on the ground with his body mutilated is her son."

"Monsters harm people..."

"May I know your name, brother?" Chen Zhian's mouth was almost close to Li Daosheng's ear.

Li Daosheng moved away a little and said, "Li Daosheng."

"May I ask what sect or school you are from, brother? I come from Heming Mountain and am going to Wanshou Village."

This young Taoist priest is quite outgoing.

Li Daosheng had roughly figured out his temperament and was about to say goodbye when he suddenly seemed to think of something: "Where are you going?"

"Wanshou Village." Chen Zhian answered blankly.

Wanshou Village...

The prologue says [Now, it is your turn to pass through this village again].

Could this "this village" be Wanshou Village?

I guess the thirteenth month won't let them go too far from their destination...

"I want to go to Wanshou Village too."

Li Daosheng looked at the young Taoist priest.

Chen Zhian's eyes lit up, and he nodded rapidly, "Great, great! We can go together! Wanshou Village's annual Immortal Ascension Ceremony is about to begin, and people from all over the world are coming. It's going to be so lively!"

Ascension meeting?
Li Daosheng has always been extremely skeptical of things that sound so good.

Li Daosheng glanced at Chen Zhian, thought for a moment, and asked, "Master, do you know Master Du Nan?"

"Master Du Nan?" The young Taoist frowned and rubbed his chin.

"I think I've heard of it before. A senior master mentioned it before, but... the master must have been a figure from many years ago and has long since disappeared."

"I was still young when I heard that story, hehe." Chen Zhian scratched his head embarrassedly.

Li Daosheng nodded slightly. Although his words were vague, they were basically the same as what Fei Zaixing said.

The prologue specifically mentions this master Du Nan, so I think this master plays a very important role in this story.

Judging from the existence of demons and ghosts in this world, could it be that the master has transformed from a Buddha into a demon and has become an evil spirit in the village where he died?
It's not impossible...

----

Unable to avoid the endless thanks from the old man and the two little girls, Li Daosheng and Chen Zhian helped dig a hole and buried the unfortunate man.

Then they parted ways.

The place they came from was exactly where Li Daosheng and Chen Zhian were going, so it was really not on their way.

Chen Zhian handed over several pieces of talisman paper and gave instructions for a long time, but the worry on his brow still remained.

"Your talisman can help them avoid misfortune and bring good luck," said Li Daosheng.

Chen Zhian shook his head: "If the talisman was so useful, I wouldn't have been so miserable just now."

"Times are tough..."

(End of this chapter)