Liaozhai: Immortality Begins with Becoming Yan Chixia's Apprentice

Chapter 66 Slaying Demons and Eliminating Evil

Zhou Ning reviewed the list of materials for the Foundation Building Pill three times.

Thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum, ambergris, fire lotus from the earth's core, water from the icy pool, crimson fruit of the red sun...

It uses more than a dozen materials, each of which is extraordinary.

Especially the ambergris, which is said to grow only in the depths of the Yunmeng Marsh in the south, and is often guarded by monsters, making it extremely difficult to obtain.

"Master, your journey to Yunmeng Marsh will take at least one month and at most three months."

Zhou Ning carefully put away the prescription and bid farewell to Yan Chixia.

Yan Chixia sat cross-legged in the main hall, eyes closed, and said calmly:

"Go. Be careful on your journey. Remember, on the path of cultivation, haste makes waste. If you encounter danger, survival is of the essence."

Zhou Ning bowed respectfully: "Your disciple will remember."

He walked out of the main hall, stood at the mountain gate, and looked back at the temple where he had lived for more than a year.

The morning light shone on the mottled walls, bathing everything in a warm golden hue.

"Wait for me to come back."

He turned around and strode down the mountain.

The journey from Qingyun Mountain to Yunmeng Marsh is long, a distance of a thousand miles.

Zhou Ning did not ride a horse, but chose to walk.

Firstly, it allows one to cultivate along the way, and secondly, it allows one to gather information and learn about the local customs and traditions.

After traveling for three days, he arrived at a city called "Qingzhou".

Qingzhou is an important town in the south, with towering city walls, wide streets, and a bustling market.

Zhou Ning found an inn in the city to stay overnight, planning to continue his journey the next day.

As night fell, he was meditating in his room when he suddenly heard a low sobbing sound coming from next door.

Zhou Ning frowned but ignored him.

The crying lasted for about half an hour before gradually fading away.

The next morning, Zhou Ning went downstairs for breakfast and saw the innkeeper talking to a middle-aged woman.

The woman's eyes were red and swollen, clearly from crying for a long time.

"Shopkeeper, what's wrong with this lady?" Zhou Ning asked.

The shopkeeper sighed:

"She is the daughter-in-law of the Li family in the east of the city. Her husband disappeared half a month ago, neither alive nor dead. She reported it to the authorities, but after investigating for half a month, they found nothing."

Zhou Ning's heart skipped a beat: "Missing? Have people been going missing frequently in Qingzhou lately?"

The shopkeeper nodded:

"That's right. In the past month, seven or eight people have gone missing. There are men and women, young and old. The authorities can't find the cause, and they all say that they may have been captured by monsters."

Zhou Ning thought for a moment and asked, "Shopkeeper, where does the Li family live?"

The shopkeeper pointed to the east:

"Go three miles east out of the city, and you'll find Li Family Village. The Li family's house is right at the village entrance, with a big locust tree in front of it."

Zhou Ning thanked the shopkeeper, left the city, and headed towards Li Family Village.

Lijia Village is small, with only a few dozen households.

Sure enough, there was a large locust tree at the entrance of the village, and under the tree was a house with blue bricks and gray tiles, with a plaque that read "Li Residence" hanging on the door.

Zhou Ning stepped forward and knocked on the door.

A short while later, a middle-aged woman opened the door; it was the same woman who had been crying at the inn that morning.

"You are..." the woman asked warily, looking at him.

Zhou Ning cupped his hands and said:

"Sister-in-law, my name is Zhou Ning, and I am a cultivator. I heard that your husband has gone missing. I wonder if I can be of any help?"

The woman's eyes reddened again, and she stepped aside, saying, "Please come in."

Zhou Ning followed the woman into the courtyard.

Several flowers and trees were planted in the yard, and they were kept in a neat and orderly manner.

On the table in the main hall, there is a memorial tablet that reads "The Memorial Tablet of My Late Husband, Mr. Li Wenyuan".

"Sister-in-law, how did your husband disappear?" Zhou Ning asked.

The woman wiped away her tears and said:

"Half a month ago, he went to the outskirts of the city to collect herbs and didn't return overnight. The next day, I went to look for him and found his herb basket and hoe in the mountains, but he was gone."

"Which mountain?"

The woman pointed north: "Qingfeng Mountain in the north of the city."

Zhou Ning nodded to himself, then said, "I'll go take a look."

He left the Li family and headed towards Qingfeng Mountain in the north of the city.

Qingfeng Mountain is not high, but it is densely forested and has rugged mountain roads.

Zhou Ning walked along the mountain path, observing as he went.

After walking for about half an hour, he arrived at a mountain hollow.

There was a clearing in the valley, with some herbs and a worn-out medicine basket scattered on it.

"This should be where Li Wenzhong was collecting herbs." Zhou Ning squatted down and examined the area carefully.

Beside the medicine basket, there was a pool of dried blood.

The bloodstains were dark red and had turned black, indicating they had been there for some time.

Zhou Ning followed the trail of blood deeper into the mountain valley.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a cave appeared ahead.

The cave entrance is small and hidden by bushes, making it difficult to spot without careful observation.

Zhou Ning pushed aside the bushes and entered the cave.

The cave was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

Zhou Ning channeled his inner energy into the Qingfeng Sword, causing the blade to emit a faint blue light that barely illuminated the path ahead.

After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a huge stone chamber appeared ahead.

Inside the stone chamber, there were several piles of white bones.

Some are human, and some are animal.

Beside the bones, some clothes and tools were scattered.

Zhou Ning's heart sank.

These skeletons must be those of the missing people.

Just as he was about to examine it closely, he suddenly heard a rustling sound behind him.

Zhou Ning turned around abruptly and saw a pair of eerie green eyes staring at him from the darkness.

It was a giant spider, as big as a buffalo, covered in black hair, with eight legs like sharp scythes.

It was still chewing something in its mouth, making a crunching sound.

"A monster!"

Zhou Ning gripped the Qingfeng sword tightly and poured his inner energy into it.

The spider opened its mouth and sprayed out a clump of white silk, which coiled towards Zhou Ning.

Zhou Ning was prepared and dodged the silk threads with a swift movement.

At the same time, he slashed out with his sword, the cyan sword energy heading straight for the spider's head.

"Ding!"

The sword energy struck the spider's head, sending sparks flying.

Only a faint white mark remained on the spider's head.

Such a hard shell.

Zhou Ning felt a chill run down his spine, pulled out an "evil-repelling talisman" from his waist, and threw it at the spider.

"disease!"

The talisman transformed into a golden light and struck the spider's abdomen.

"hiss!"

The spider let out a scream as a charred wound appeared on its abdomen, from which wisps of black smoke rose.

Enraged, it swung all eight legs at once and lunged at Zhou Ning.

Zhou Ning used his lightness technique to fight off the spider in the cave.

He kept throwing "exorcising talismans" at the spider's abdomen.

That's its most vulnerable spot.

The spider was repeatedly injured and gradually became weaker.

Finally, Zhou Ning seized an opportunity, condensed his inner energy at the tip of his sword, and unleashed the "Demon-Slaying Slash".

A dazzling cyan sword aura, like a dragon emerging from the sea, rushed straight towards the spider's abdomen.

"Pfft!"

The sword energy pierced through the spider's abdomen, and green blood gushed out.

The spider let out a desperate hiss, then collapsed to the ground, motionless.

Zhou Ning, panting heavily, sheathed his sword.

He walked to the spider's corpse, cut open its abdomen with his Qingfeng sword, and found an inner core the size of a fist.

The inner core is dark green and emits a faint fishy odor.

"The inner core of a hundred-year-old spider demon is quite a treasure." Zhou Ning carefully put the inner core away.

He searched the cave again and found several of the missing persons' belongings, including a jade pendant belonging to Li Wenzhong.

Zhou Ning left the cave with the jade pendant in his hand.

When we returned to Lijia Village, it was already dark.

Zhou Ning handed the jade pendant to Li Wenzhong's wife and briefly explained the situation in the cave.

The woman held the jade pendant, weeping uncontrollably.

"Sister-in-law, please accept my condolences," Zhou Ning said.

"I've killed the wicked spider demon, so no one will go missing again."

The woman knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Thank you so much, my benefactor! Thank you so much, my benefactor!"

Zhou Ning helped her up, gave her a few more words of advice, and then left.

Back at the inn, Zhou Ning washed up and lay on the bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

The story of the spider demon made him realize more deeply that there are still many monsters in the world secretly harming the people.

All he could do was to the best of his ability to slay demons and protect the innocent.

The following morning, Zhou Ning left Qingzhou and continued south.

After walking for five days, he arrived at the edge of Yunmengze.

Yunmengze, spanning a thousand miles, is crisscrossed by a dense network of waterways and dotted with swamps.

The lake is shrouded in mist and covered with reeds, looking like a green ocean from afar.

Standing by the marsh, gazing at the vast expanse of water, Zhou Ning felt a surge of pride.