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Chapter 93 Monster

The night was as dark as ink, spilling layer upon layer over Li Jing's camp. After three consecutive nights of bloody tragedy, the entire camp was as tense as a fully drawn bow.

The campfire burned brighter than usual, crackling and popping. The soldiers patrolled in groups of ten, back to back, weapons drawn. Each soldier's eyes scanned the boundless darkness around them like those of a hawk, the atmosphere so oppressive it was almost frozen.

At this moment, in a secluded corner near the mountains and forests on the edge of the military camp.

"Tsk, Old Cat, look at this setup..."

A sharp, shrill sound, as if it were being scraped against the ground.

"Hiss...it's a bit eerie." Another, rougher voice chimed in, carrying a hint of barely perceptible anxiety.

"If it were any other unit, with so many deaths, they would have run away in a panic long ago! But these soldiers are something else, they've built up an even tighter defense!"

In a dark corner, two strangely shaped, beast-like little demons were lurking in the bushes outside the camp, their four eerie green eyes scanning the heavily fortified camp warily.

"Hmph, what's there to be afraid of?" The shrill-voiced little demon rubbed its claws together, revealing a mouthful of jagged fangs.
"Let's do it a few more times tonight! I don't believe it, let's kill ten or eight squads and see if they're made of iron. We'll scare them out of their wits."

Just then, a slight commotion came from the direction of the side gate of the military camp.

The guards at the gate seemed to be dissuading someone. In the flickering light, a tall, slender young man could be seen leading two children dressed in Taoist robes with gold and silver trim, about to walk out.

"My lord! You mustn't! It's too dangerous outside! That man-eating monster..."

"They're just a few little monsters, nothing to worry about. Don't make a fuss."

Chen Guangrui's calm voice came through the night, clearly penetrating the darkness and reaching the ears of the two little demons.

"Ouch!" The little demon's beady eyes widened instantly, and it excitedly scratched at the ground with its claws.

"Did you hear that, Old Cat? A fat sheep has delivered itself to our doorstep! And it even brought two delicate little babies as treats!"

The little demon cat with the rough, hoarse voice seemed more cautious, but couldn't help but chuckle.
"Ha, what a big mouth! 'Little demon'? How dare he look down on us two brothers like that? Let's take him down first!"

The two evil spirits kept staring at Chen Guangrui. When he led the two young Taoist boys to a secluded place, two ghostly figures suddenly darted out of the darkness and instantly blocked Chen Guangrui and the two boys' path.

They stood upright, one with a pointed snout and monkey-like cheeks and rat whiskers, the other with a round head, wide mouth, and fangs, covered in dirty short fur, with green eyes, baring fangs, and emitting threatening growls from its throat.

They assumed the other would be terrified, its screams piercing the night and causing chaos in the camp. However...
The expected screams and panic did not occur.

The man paused slightly, looking at them calmly, as if they were just two stones blocking his way.

The boy in the silver-threaded clothes tilted his head curiously to examine them, and the golden pill bracelet on his wrist swayed slightly.

The boy in the gold-threaded clothes didn't tilt his head, but there was no fear on his face either. His eyes, however, held a hint of scrutiny, as if he were looking at something new and interesting.

"Huh?" The two little demons, who were ready to enjoy the panic, were stunned.

This reaction...something's not right!

"Hey, hey!" The shrill little demon couldn't resist any longer. She took a step forward, stretched her neck, and deliberately let her drool drip long as she made a fierce face at the two boys.

"Aren't you two little kids afraid? We're man-eating monsters, we love to eat tender-skinned children, one bite at a time, crunchy and delicious."

It deliberately bared its teeth at the Silver Incense Burner Boy.

Silver Furnace Boy blinked, not frightened at all, but instead burst out laughing, turning to Chen Guangrui and saying, "Chen Guangrui, the unresolved issue you mentioned, is it these two things?"

He waved the bottle on his wrist. "I don't even need a bottle to fight them."

The shrill little demon: "???"

The old cat and the little demon's green eyes narrowed sharply, and a chill instantly shot from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads.

"Something's not right! Little one, something's not right!"

It made rapid gurgling sounds in its throat, its eyes fixed on the inconspicuous little bottle on the Silver Furnace Boy's wrist, alarm bells blaring in its mind! It shoved its companion beside it, "Stop dawdling, act now! They're bait! They're definitely waiting for reinforcements! Strike first!"

The two little demons revealed their ferocious nature, roared, and their claws gleamed with a dark light as they pounced to tear each other apart!
Upon seeing this, the Golden Furnace Boy stepped forward, ready to make his move.

"I already said I'd do it!" Silver Furnace Boy raised his little face, not wanting to miss a chance to show off.

He stepped forward and casually pointed his little hand at the old cat demon who was charging at the front!
"Freeze!" There was no earth-shattering light, only an extremely condensed spiritual energy flashed by.

The muscular, ferocious-looking round-headed old cat demon was instantly gripped by an invisible hand, frozen in mid-air in an extremely comical forward-leaning posture. Its limbs were stiff, its eyes could still move, but it couldn't move even a single finger.

"You!" The shrill little demon was terrified and instinctively tried to run away, but the Silver Furnace Boy stomped his foot, and another surge of spiritual energy erupted, transforming into two pale golden ropes that instantly wrapped around its ankles and waist. "Thump!" The shrill little demon fell hard, like a tied-up chicken, writhing and struggling in vain on the ground, staring in horror at the child who, in its eyes, was nothing short of a devil.

"Stop playing around. I told you to finish this quickly. Don't make a big commotion and disturb the nearby soldiers," Chen Guangrui said calmly from the side.

Just as the Silver Furnace Boy was about to retort that he hadn't used his full strength at all, the Gold Furnace Boy quickly interrupted, "Are you finished? Is it my turn?"

"No, no! It's mine!" The Silver Furnace Boy immediately forgot to object, afraid that his credit would be stolen. He added another layer of spiritual power to the shrill little demon who was tied up like a dumpling, making the demon roll its eyes.

The two little demons were in a daze, their demonic lives having been shocked like never before. This was no delicate little boy snack, but a little devil that had sprung out of a rock! They were finished before they could even withstand a single move.

"Mr. Chen!" The Golden Furnace Boy used a respectful address for the first time. His little face was less arrogant than before and more cautious. He looked at Chen Guangrui and asked, "What should we do with these two monsters?"

Chen Guangrui's gaze swept over the two little demons who had been subdued.

“A monster,” he said, pointing to the old cat demon who was frozen in place by a spell and looked terrified.

“Take the other one to Gao Village.”

He pointed to the shrill little demon, who was tightly bound, and said, "I'll take her away."

"Take him to Gao Village?" Silver Furnace Boy looked completely bewildered, practically asking himself a question mark.
"Why take him there? To cause trouble for Zhu Bajie? He's all in cahoots with Gao Laozhuang now!"

He couldn't help but purse his lips when he thought of how affectionate Zhu Bajie and Gao Cuilan were.

Chen Guangrui looked at the two boys and patiently explained, "Take this monster with you. Keep an eye on it and let it cause a little trouble, just make sure it doesn't really hurt anyone."

He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You all just stand there and watch carefully, see if Zhu Bajie will make a move when faced with the monster causing trouble?"

"He made his move. How will the people of Gao Village react when they witness him display extraordinary abilities?"

"Either they know Zhu Ganglie is not simple but still keep him, then there is probably something wrong with Gao Village, and you can investigate it secretly."

"Or, if they're really scared and realize he's a monster, they'll definitely chase him away, saving you the trouble of trying to persuade him."

"Oh!" The Silver Furnace Boy's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands.
"That's right! If we chase him away, he'll come begging to our new village on his own. This method is easy. Good, good, let's do it this way. I'll take him to Gao Village to cause trouble right now!"

He rushed forward excitedly, grabbed the still-frozen old cat demon, and picked it up like a dead mouse. With a flick of his wrist, another rope flew out, binding the demon even more tightly and gagging it.

"Wait!" The Golden Furnace Boy rarely showed such thoughtfulness. "Mr. Chen..."

He hesitated for a moment, but still didn't call for someone to "start the fire." He looked at Chen Guangrui with a complicated expression, "Aren't you coming with us? That Pigsy..."

He knew he lacked experience, and Yinlu was reckless; he was truly unsure of himself.

Just as the Silver Furnace Boy was about to say, as was his habit, "What is he going to do? He'll just get in the way," he was silenced by a stern glare from the Golden Furnace Boy.

“Now that things have come to this point,” Jin Lu’s voice became more serious, “if another mistake is made, we really won’t be able to explain ourselves to the Ancestor!”

These words were like a bucket of cold water, making the Silver Furnace Boy somewhat deflated and temporarily shut his mouth.

Chen Guangrui looked at the Golden Furnace Boy, who rarely showed a solemn expression, and gently shook his head.

“It would be inappropriate for me to go now; it would seem deliberate and more likely to arouse Zhu Bajie’s suspicion. You go first and proceed according to plan. Once you have any results, whatever they may be, let me know immediately, and I will head to Gao Village right away.”

The Golden Furnace Boy stared at Chen Guangrui for a moment, seemingly trying to determine the truthfulness of his words. Finally, he nodded forcefully.

"Alright! Mr. Chen, let's go then." He pulled the Silver Furnace Boy, who was still figuring out how to cause trouble for fun, "Let's go!"

The Silver Furnace Boy said "Oh" and said no more. He picked up the old cat demon who was tied up like a dumpling, and with a flash of golden light, he was about to fly away on a cloud.

The Golden Furnace Boy nodded solemnly to Chen Guangrui again, signifying his approval and entrustment, and then he also made a hand seal. Two streams of light, carrying the two little demons, disappeared into the night sky.

Chen Guangrui watched the streak of light disappear, then stood there for a moment, lost in thought. He turned around, his gaze falling on the little demon on the ground, bound like a dumpling, writhing and whimpering in terror.

"Is this your weapon?"

He saw a spiked club next to the little demon, which he assumed was some kind of personal weapon.

The little monster's eyes flashed with fear as Chen Guangrui approached.

"what!"

After an unknown amount of time, a piercing wail ripped through the sky.

(End of this chapter)