The Rise of the Witch

The Tao Te Ching says: "Always without desire, one can observe its wonders; always with desire, one can observe its manifestations."

One can attain a state of pure bliss by being free from desires and wants; however, one must be moderate and have boundaries when having desires and wants.

Violence is the same; it can be vented, but it needs to be restrained and has boundaries. It needs to be controlled with reason.

Xing Yang yielded to Wu Ling's tyranny, throwing three punches before restraining himself and stopping. He had vented his anger without losing his rationality.

Straightening up, Xing Yang could still feel a gradually cooling warmth in the legs that had been submerged in the fish head, as well as the slight trembling of the demon's body.

Three fist-sized holes were left on the hardest part of the fish head, and through the three cracks, one could see the jelly-like brain matter inside...

Pulling his leg out and suppressing the violence in his heart, Xing Yang then looked around.

Everyone around was stunned, standing there dumbfounded, until Xing Yang's gaze swept over them, and they came back to their senses, breaking out in a cold sweat and subconsciously swallowing hard.

That's insane!

That's so wild!

Such demon-slaying is terrifying to behold.

Xing Yang looked at the demon corpse in front of him with some difficulty. It was so big that he definitely couldn't take it with him, but he was reluctant to give it up.

This is all vital energy, the resources for cultivation!

Or... how about... eating it raw, like sashimi? I can't quite bring myself to do it...

Finally, Xing Yang turned and asked, "How much money can I get for this corpse?"

Inspector Zhang's face turned pale. He swallowed hard again and said, "The main part is the fish scales and bones. Fish scales can be used to forge armor, and fish bones can be used to make weapons. The fish meat is the less important part... around eight hundred taels."

Xing Yang asked doubtfully, "After it's all divided, how much will I get?"

Inspector Zhang hesitated, but Inspector Lin quickly said, "You killed this carp demon all by yourself, so I consider it all yours!"

No one objected, but Xing Yang, having lived two lives, was not so ignorant of such basic human relationships as to not understand them. He said, "No! All of you brothers have been busy running around, and even lost a few brothers. How can I have the face to accept it all?"

Let's distribute them according to the rules, otherwise I won't be able to sleep tonight!

Upon hearing this, the expressions of those around him immediately improved, and Inspector Zhang even smiled, saying, "Good brother, you're so generous! After the department finishes its accounting, I'll personally deliver it to you!"

  

"Thank you so much, Brother Zhang!"

Xing Yang thanked him happily, and then said, "By the way, can I have some fish? You can deduct it from my share."

"Of course!" Inspector Lin replied quickly.

"Then I'll trouble you!" Xing Yang clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Now that the fish demon has been eliminated, I'll head back first."

"Young man, why don't you stay for a meal before you leave?"

"No, thank you," Xing Yang refused. "I just hope that next time there are demons, my brothers will still remember me."

The main problem is that at his age, it's not the time for him to socialize, and he can't even drink alcohol.

"That's natural..."

……

After He Zhou left with Xing Yang, the others gathered around the demon corpse and started discussing it amongst themselves.

"Is this kid a martial arts cultivator or a cultivator of immortality?"

"It must be martial arts! To lift such a huge fish demon over one's head and throw it onto the shore—that power is terrifying!"

"A Qi and Blood Realm Perfection cultivator with such terrifying power? This guy might have already reached the Cave Profound Realm, right?"

"How could that be? How old is he? A normal person his age hasn't even fully grown yet; they're still developing their muscles and bones!"

"Then how do you explain what just happened?"

"..."

Zhang and Lin exchanged a glance, and Inspector Zhang asked, "What do you think?"

Inspector Lin stared at the demon corpse for a moment, then said, "Unbreakable water-walking ability—this is clearly the divine sense manipulation of objects at the Profound Immortal Realm. Only by manipulating large, formless objects can one achieve this. But that immense power can only come from martial arts cultivation… Dual cultivation of immortality and martial arts?"

"How old is he? In the realm of immortality, one could say he has extraordinary talent, but in the realm of martial arts, even if one has been training since birth, his bones and muscles haven't even fully developed yet!"

"In any case, we have a real dragon hidden here. When he grows up, he will be extraordinary... In the future, we will have to rely on him a lot to suppress demons."

"Okay, next time there's a demon, call him along."

……

On the return journey, there was no need to rush. The two rode their horses at a leisurely pace, and He Zhou was finally able to sit upright on the horse and speak.

Through He Zhou's explanation, Xing Yang finally understood what he was riding. It was a dragon steed, a horse that contained the blood of the dragon race. It could traverse water and climb mountains, travel a thousand miles a day, and roam freely without fear.

There is also an even more advanced type of dragon steed, with horns on its forehead and even more terrifying speed. It cannot be ridden by anyone below the Cave Profound Realm, because they cannot withstand the gale-force winds generated when the dragon steed gallops.

Of course, besides dragon steeds, there are other types of mounts. The mounts provided by the Demon Suppression Division are dragon steeds.

He Zhou spoke with great pride, saying, "I heard that the commander-in-chief of our Demon Suppression Division rides a water-avoiding golden-eyed beast with the bloodline of a Qilin. It can not only ride the clouds and mist, but also enter and control water, truly roaming freely on land, water, and air..."

Xing Yang thought to himself, "Isn't that the Bull Demon King's mount? And isn't the commander-in-chief the Great Heavenly Witch Nuwa? She can already shrink the distance between people, so why would she need a mount?"

Xing Yang had become accustomed to the fact that the myths of his past life reflected in this world.

They were located in Qingzhou, one of the Nine Provinces, but on the border of Qingzhou, adjacent to Gunzhou. There were villages and towns here, but the truly prosperous place was in Qingzhou Prefecture.

One of the Nine Cauldrons, the Qingzhou Cauldron, is located in Qingzhou Prefecture. The Qingzhou Cauldron suppresses the fortune of the human race. Within the suppression range, the strength of the demon race will be greatly reduced, so it is naturally a place where the human race gathers.

Outside the suppression area, the Demon Suppression Division needs to pay close attention.

Xing Yang thought to himself: Oh, the Nine Cauldrons here haven't been lost...

……

After returning to the village, He Zhou took the dragon steed and left. The dragon steeds of the Demon Suppression Division were not privately owned; they were fed by designated personnel within the division and were only taken out when needed.

Upon returning from slaying the demon, Mi Xiaoling didn't ask any questions, as if she had sent Xing Yang to stomp on an ant.

On the third day, Inspector Zhang really did deliver a large piece of fish, weighing at least twenty catties, along with two hundred taels of silver.

Xing Yang carefully accepted the fish, casually picking up a silver note... Yes, this world even uses silver notes... He asked, "Brother Zhang, with this distribution, I'm not getting a bargain, am I?"

Inspector Zhang laughed heartily and said, "Brother Xing, you're overthinking it. After deducting the compensation for our fallen brothers and the subsidies for the other brothers, you've already received a meager amount considering you slew the demon all by yourself!"

As they were talking, Mi Xiaoling hurried past.

Inspector Zhang quickly suppressed his smile and greeted, "Greetings, Inspector Mi."

Mi Xiaoling paused, then continued forward, saying, "I've given him the token. From now on, he'll take my place as inspector. For matters related to demon slaying, contact him. Don't bother me!"

My footsteps never stopped as I walked away.

Inspector Zhang quickly replied, "Yes, I'll take care of the paperwork as soon as I get back!"

After chatting for a few more minutes, Inspector Zhang took his leave.

As soon as everyone left, Xing Yang excitedly approached Sister Qing: "Sister Qing, I need a meal!"