Chapter 18: Uninvited Guests, the Eight Wolves of Dongjun

Evening, the end of the Shen hour.

As the hour of You approached, the mountains of Qingping were already shrouded in darkness.

It was naturally dark early in the mountains, especially now in the depths of winter.

Jiang Sheng watched as Tian Ming'an finished his chores and came to take his leave, then suddenly spoke: "You heard the reason for the County Magistrate's visit today. Evil cultivators of the demonic path are causing havoc in Qingshan County, harming lives and leaving the people in a state of panic."

"I do not know how many families have lost their children or husbands; I only know that dozens of white funeral banners have been hung throughout Qingshan County."

Tian Ming'an froze for a moment, then said after a brief silence, "Daoist, I do not understand much of the Way. I only know to follow destiny and do my utmost."

"The Magistrate has asked you to subdue the demon in the river, so you must surely prioritize that matter and not lose the great for the sake of the small."

"If you were to act rashly, you could certainly deal with those evil cultivators, but the demon will undoubtedly be prepared."

"If the subjugation fails and the river demon is enraged, I fear more than half of Qingshan County might be swallowed by the river, leading to even more casualties among the people."

"There is always gain and loss in all things. Just like me—even though I come from a wealthy family, there are things I can seek but never obtain."

"Where in this world is anything perfect? The world is difficult; to seek only a clear conscience is already an immense feat."

Jiang Sheng looked at Tian Ming'an with some surprise, but ultimately could not help but let out a light chuckle: "To seek only a clear conscience in a difficult world is already an immense feat. Hearing those words from your mouth carries a peculiar flavor."

"Remember, even those True Persons who roam the five continents and four seas dare not claim to fully understand the hearts of the mortal world. We stumbling apprentices should certainly not trouble ourselves with such trivialities."

"Never mind. It is dark now; do not go home today. Rest in the temple for the night."

After a moment's thought, Jiang Sheng reached out and beckoned; a flicker of candlelight from the incense altar was drawn toward him. "The night is dark; take this light for illumination."

Tian Ming'an reached out to take the flame. The tiny, weak light hovered above his hand, neither hot nor scalding, yet sufficient to provide light and warmth.

"This junior thanks the Daoist for the gift of fire," Tian Ming'an said, carefully cupping the light.

"Go," Jiang Sheng waved his hand, then resumed his seated meditation before the portrait of the Patriarch, closing his eyes to rest.

***

Meanwhile, Zhang Qingyun, returning to the county magistrate's office, reported the outcome with great helplessness.

After listening, Zhang Qing fell silent for a moment before saying, "It is said that Daoist Jiang is a High Merit practitioner from Penglai. His establishment of a cultivation site here in Qingping Mountain is merely a temporary stay for cultivation."

"Furthermore, according to the people in Qingping Town, Daoist Jiang clearly has no intention of involving himself in secular disturbances; he prefers solitude and tranquility."

"Father, you thought you had successfully moved Daoist Jiang, but little do you know, perhaps he already intended to eliminate the demon of the Taiping River?"

Zhang Qingyun was stunned for a long while before asking, "What do you mean by that?"

Zhang Qing sighed. "While it may be that Daoist Jiang will leave Qingshan County in three to five years, Father, if it were you, and there were a man-eating demon right next to your cultivation site, could you still practice your cultivation in peace?"

"It is like if a Wei army were suddenly stationed on the borders of our Great Qi—could His Majesty the Emperor sleep soundly? One cannot allow another to snore beside one's own bed."

Zhang Qingyun realized the truth. "So, you are saying Daoist Jiang has never considered the lives of the people of Qingshan County?"

Zhang Qing nodded, raising a slender hand to gaze at the cold moon in the sky. "Those who cultivate are mostly steadfast in will, aiming for longevity. How many of them would care about the lives of us mortals?"

"But did Daoist Jiang not say that he only dealt with the demon tiger of Qingping Mountain because it had occupied his intended cultivation site?"

Zhang Qingyun suddenly sighed. "I thought Daoist Jiang was a kind-hearted man. I did not expect..."

Zhang Qing rose with a smile. "Father, it does not matter what Daoist Jiang's true nature is. It is enough that he is willing to help us eliminate the demon of the Taiping River."

***

Another night passed, and as darkness fell, Qingping Mountain was completely swallowed by the shadows.

At the midnight hour, hazy snowflakes began to drift from the sky, the fine snow obscuring all traces.

The Qingxuan Temple amidst the falling snow was extremely quiet. Jiang Sheng sat cross-legged before the portrait of the Patriarch, with only the faintest sound of breathing.

Outside the temple, however, seven or eight figures were closing in from the east and west.

Under the swirling snow, their tracks were perfectly hidden. Each of them stared at the lonely temple in the deep mountains with burning, fervent eyes.

"I heard the Daoist inside has quite a background. His wealth must be considerable!"

"Indeed. Didn't the Magistrate of Qingshan County just send a lavish batch of gifts a few days ago? Those resources will be enough to let us brothers live luxuriously for a while."

"More than that, I want to know just how capable this Daoist is to have so many people praising him."

"I wonder if using his flesh and bones to refine magical artifacts would yield even better results."

These people were talking incessantly; they were clearly a group of evil cultivators!

Known as the "Eight Wolves of the Eastern Commandery," they had fought their way out of seas of corpses and rivers of blood.

They worked in perfect coordination, having murdered countless lives to refine artifacts and killed many rogue cultivators to plunder their wealth.

Now, all eight of them were at the Foundation Establishment stage!

They were notorious evil cultivators throughout the Eastern Commandery and even the Qing Province. They were ruthless, fearless in the face of death, and willing to trade injuries for injuries or even risk their lives. For resources, they would stalk a cultivator for thousands of miles to find an opportunity to strike.

They were also experts in tracking and ambushing, surrounding and devouring their prey like a pack of wolves. Their ferocity and cunning struck terror into the hearts of countless cultivators.

After infiltrating Qingshan County, they did not act rashly. While watching their peers kill people in the county town to practice their arts, they gathered intelligence on the local situation.

Finally, they reached a conclusion: in all of Qingshan County, the wealthiest place was not the magistrate's office, but the Qingxuan Temple in the Qingping Mountains!

It was said that the master of Qingxuan Temple was a Daoist from Penglai!

Moreover, it was said he was alone in the mountains. No matter how powerful he was, how much strength would he have left when facing a group?

Thus, they had crept their way to Qingping Mountain and confirmed that besides Jiang Sheng, there was only a young boy in the temple.

They watched as Jiang Sheng left Tian Ming'an in the temple to stay the night.

Even though there was only one Foundation Establishment cultivator and one weak boy in the temple, they did not act prematurely.

Instead, they waited patiently until the middle of the night, waiting for the snow to fall and cover the mountains, before launching their operation.

Now, having finally confirmed their information, they began their hunt for Jiang Sheng.

They already had a basic assessment of Jiang Sheng's strength.

After all, they were not strangers to Foundation Establishment cultivators. Although such cultivators possessed more abundant spiritual energy, facing an ambush from eight people, they would eventually exhaust their energy and become lambs to the slaughter.

Furthermore, Jiang Sheng had a mortal with him. With that mortal as a burden, no matter how powerful Jiang Sheng was, could he truly exert his full strength?

Having made up their minds, the eight began to coordinate. They did not reveal their presence but instead spread out in all directions, surrounding the front hall of Qingxuan Temple.

In the front hall, Jiang Sheng, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly snapped them open. A sharp glint flashed within his star-like eyes.

"Heavy snow at midnight... to what purpose have you all come here so late?"

Jiang Sheng's clear voice rang out in the snowy night, sounding as if it exploded in the ears of the Eight Wolves, startling them!

They had been exposed!

"Surround him!" the alpha of the Eight Wolves barked.

Since they were exposed, they would strike head-on!

The other seven members of the Eight Wolves rose with sinister grins. In the snowy night, streaks of blood-red chains lunged toward the seated Jiang Sheng in the front hall, their sharp points aimed directly at his back!

These blood-colored chains were the magical artifacts the Eight Wolves had crafted from killing people. They could defile a cultivator's spiritual energy and damage their meridians, preventing them from circulating their energy to cast spells. They could also bind a cultivator's dantian and restrict their movements.

With the help of these blood-colored chains, the Eight Wolves had never failed once!

This time, they had received patronage from an unknown individual, allowing them to act freely in Qingshan County and providing them with a massive amount of resources.

They had used those resources to strengthen their own cultivation and enhance these blood-colored chains. The current Eight Wolves were stronger and more ruthless than ever before!

The blood-colored chains tore through the air, disturbing the falling snow.

The sinister, defiling sensation these artifacts exerted on cultivators caused Jiang Sheng to narrow his eyes slightly. "Such filthy artifacts... truly the methods of the evil path."

"We have long heard that a High Merit practitioner from Penglai resides in these mountains. We brothers have come specifically to experience your skills, Daoist! We hope you will not be stingy with your teachings!" the alpha said triumphantly, surging his spiritual energy to release a cloud of poisonous needles capable of defiling a cultivator's body.

By now, the commotion in the front hall had awakened Tian Ming'an.

He hurriedly rose and stepped out of his quarters, only to see several blurred figures in mid-air toward the front hall, along with several unsettling chains. It appeared they were attacking Daoist Jiang!

This discovery filled Tian Ming'an with dread. These people attacking Daoist Jiang in the middle of the night were undoubtedly evil cultivators!

Moreover, a worry gnawed at him: with so many evil cultivators, each looking so terrifying, could Daoist Jiang handle them?

One of the Eight Wolves spotted Tian Ming'an and immediately let out a sinister laugh, turning his chain artifact toward the boy.

The blood-colored chain, carrying a defiling aura, lunged toward Tian Ming'an like a venomous snake.

Tian Ming'an heard only a sharp whistling sound through the heavy snow, and then saw a blood-red, vicious chain rushing toward him!

For a moment, Tian Ming'an felt his mind go numb. His hair stood on end, and he froze in place.

Jiang Sheng was about to launch a counterattack, but seeing the chain suddenly lunging toward the temple's backyard, his brow furrowed. He snatched the portrait of the Patriarch from the altar and immediately lunged toward the backyard.

"Haha, he really does worry about that mortal boy!"

"A perfect opportunity!"

The Eight Wolves were as excited as hyenas smelling blood, controlling their chain artifacts to swarm forward.

"Daoist Jiang, just hand over your life and everything you own to us!"