A thin mist spreads down from Erniu Mountain, like gauze covering Xiaoshi Village.
Zhou Niu and Sun Dagou crossed the rushing stream and walked more than ten steps, when they realized that Zhao Chan had not followed.
The two looked back.
Zhao Chan stood on the short slope, looking at Erniu Mountain in the distance without saying a word.
It rained continuously in recent days, and the mountain roads were slippery and difficult to walk. He stayed in the town without picking paint, and Erniu Mountain, which was so ripe that it couldn't be more ripe, had some changes.
He didn't know how to describe this change, as if a kind and honest man suddenly became irritable and irritable without knowing what he had experienced.
Erniu Mountain is much higher than the unnamed mountain behind Shanniu Village. It is a majestic mountain with two peaks. This is also the origin of the name of Erniu Mountain.
Sun Dagou whispered: "What's wrong, little brother?"
"Shh, don't disturb him." Zhou Niu said.
He still couldn't understand why Zhao Chan, who cherished his life so much, joined the Demon Slayer Division. Not to mention the people of Youju Town, the villagers of Xiaoshi Village all knew that the Demon Slayer had a life to make money but not a life to spend.
Since the Demon Slayer Department was established in Youju Town, countless demon slayers have died at the mouth of demons because of their efforts to deal with demon troubles.
Zhao Chan crossed the stream and asked Sun Dagou: "Do you think Erniu Mountain has become different?"
"No, if you are talking about the falling fog, then where are you? At the end of last year, the mountain fog rushing down from Erniu Mountain submerged the entire village."
Zhao Chan shook his head slightly: "It's not fog."
"Yeah? What is that?"
"I can't tell you, I don't feel very good about Erniu Mountain now."
Zhao Chan decided to go and find out: "Let's go."
Zhou Niu took his arm and said, "Little brother, why don't we go?"
"It's okay. I just went up the mountain to check the situation. You and Brother Sun will go back to Xiaoshi Village and wait for my news."
"No! I'll accompany you up the mountain." Sun Dagou shouted.
Zhou Niu, who had a sallow face and skinny muscles, stuttered when he was anxious: "Little brother, you are now...now, now a demon slayer. You make up your mind. I, I...we will listen to you."
"I know Erniu Mountain as well as you do. If something happens to you and I go up the mountain, I can't take care of it." Zhao Chan said to Sun Dagou.
"Okay~"
Zhou Niu and Sun Dagou walked to Xiaoshi Village.
Zhao Chan took the road up the mountain and ran towards Erniu Mountain.
The dirt road was muddy and difficult to navigate. One foot was deep and the other was shallow. Zhao Chan was a paint picker. As long as it was not a slippery stone road in the mountains, this kind of frowning slope could not stop him.
The sun sets.
Zhao Chan adjusted his pace to make himself faster.
He made an appointment with the apprentice of the coffin shop and sent money there in the evening.
As well as visiting Brother Yang Yun to ask for a lesson in calligraphy.
He had to seize the time to explore Erniu Mountain.
"Brother Zhao!" Sun Dagou and Zhou Niu stood at the entrance of Xiaoshi Village, waving and shouting, "Be careful!"
He also waved his hand to show that he understood.
When he reached the foot of Erniu Mountain, he took off the sword on his back and pulled it out of its sheath. The sword's blade was glowing with green light. Although the long sword called Green Snake was magically empowered by the masters of the Demon Slayer Division of Yang County, he felt that it was not as good as the sword. A peach branch inserted diagonally around the waist.
After Lao Liu mysteriously gave him a peach branch, he went to the Evil Mountain.
He didn't ask where Lao Liu got the peach branches, because it was useless to ask. Lao Liu didn't want to tell you, and he wouldn't tell you even if he broke the casserole. If he wanted to tell you, there was no need to ask, he would repeat it over and over again. Again.
For example, the widow Zhang Cuicui mentioned by Lao Liu seemed to want to marry her, but in fact, every time he passed by the wonton stall, Lao Liu would not even look at her.
Zhao Chan asked, you keep talking about saving money to marry her, why don't you dare to open your eyes and look.
Old Liu said, Zhang Cuicui was walking on a single-plank bridge, and accidentally fell into an abyss and fell to pieces. He was walking on the Yangguan Road, and his future is infinitely bright. Don’t expect me to be a bachelor now. I raised my arms, and I don’t know how many fairies threw themselves into my arms. , the reason why I said to marry her is for your sake.
Zhao Chan was puzzled.
Old Liu laughed wildly, the wrinkles on his face piled up like a hill, and he said with joy, since you call me master, why can't you live without a master wife? I looked around in Youju Town, but only Widow Zhang was pretty.
Hold the scabbard with your right hand so that when there is danger, your right hand can draw the sword as quickly as possible.
He has never stopped practicing basic swordsmanship for five years, and many attacking and killing movements have become Zhao Chan's instinct.
Before going up the mountain, Zhao Chan looked west.
To the west of the mountain, about two miles away, there is a road that passes through Erniu Mountain. This road is not easy to walk, but it is the shortest way out of the mountain to Yang County.
In a place where Zhao Chan cannot see.
The business trip that left Youju Town came to this mountain road.
The mountain fog of Erniu Mountain pours down like a waterfall, and there are steep slopes on both sides, covered with dense jungle.
The leader of the caravan pulled the reins, and the reins were put on the draft horse. This draft horse was extremely patient, and dragging the truck along the mountain road was no problem at all.
"Hurry up!" he shouted over his shoulder.
It would be a disaster to kill the demon slayer, so they didn't dare to stop for a moment and ran towards Erniu Mountain.
Someone took out the fodder for the horses from the truck. The following was a difficult mountain road, and the draft horses had to be fed and drunk.
"Brother! Take a rest for a while, I'm exhausted."
The leader said angrily: "You think I don't want to rest?"
"Wu He said we would do it tonight. The sun has not set yet. Besides, it is not safe to walk on the mountain road at night. How about we go to the village and stay overnight?"
"Okay, okay, I forgot what we did just after leaving Youju Town! I tell you clearly, Wang Huan is a practitioner. If Qiu Gao kills Zhao Chan and is interrogated by him, we haven't left the mountain yet. , Wang Huan caught up and killed us all. We didn’t even have to take the regret medicine!” The leader ran over and beat us all over the face.
"Brother, stop fighting! Stop fighting! The horse will leave after eating the fodder!"
The reputation of the Demon Slayer is too great.
The leader of the caravan has traveled far and wide and has seen a lot, and he knows what a big thing they have done.
Dare to murder the demon-slayer, this is a grave crime without mercy.
But, what you did is what you did, and now it’s too late to regret it.
After the draft horses finished eating the fodder, the caravan entered the mountain road.
From time to time, various birds chirping could be heard from the woods on both sides. The clear sounds reached my ears and made my nervousness slightly relieved.
After about half an hour, the sun sets over the western mountains.
The chirping of birds, which was still there just now, suddenly disappeared without a trace.
The only sounds left were the crunch of wheels crushing stones and the breath of draft horses.
"Brother, something is wrong." Someone whispered in panic.
The caravan leader looked left and right, his heart beating in his throat: "I have walked through Erniu Mountain several times. There are no monsters in this mountain, so don't be afraid!"
"It's so quiet!"
"Shh, listen..."
One of the business travelers pointed to the woods on the hillside.
…
Half an hour ago.
Zhao Chan went up the mountain and felt a line of sight staring at him.
Staring at him with hair all over his body.
The left hand holding the scabbard of the sword unconsciously exerted force, causing veins to bulge.
He controlled his breathing.
Steady steps.
He knows that when encountering abnormal situations in the mountains, he must remain calm.
Once we get lost, the consequences will be disastrous.
To be honest, being a paint picker is not a profession that everyone can do, especially in Youju Town, which is surrounded by mountains and rivers.
Going up the mountain to collect paint, God knows where I will encounter a monster. I can't run fast and have no real skills, so I can only die in the monster's belly.
He learned how to pick paint from Lao Liu. The first lesson Lao Liu taught him was that when encountering a demon, don't worry about anything, and don't pay attention to your companions. Run as fast as you can.
He suddenly drew his sword out of its sheath. Before he could go up the mountain, a gray wolf squatted on the rock in front of him.
The color of the gray wolf's hair is almost the same as that of rocks. If Zhao Chan hadn't had good eyesight, he might not have noticed it.
The wolf's eyes were cold-blooded, staring at him without blinking. His teeth were bared and his face was fierce. He was larger than an ordinary wolf. He should be the leader of the wolf pack.
really.
The second one, the third one...
Except for the alpha wolf, a total of five wolves appeared around the rock, as if they were guarding their king.
Zhao Chan's heart sank into the abyss.
There were absolutely no wolves in Erniu Mountain before!
He dares to swear on his life for someone who cherishes his life so much!
The alpha wolf had a very human grin, but from Zhao Chan's perspective, it was actually sneering with pride.
The five wolves that appeared behind seemed to take the order.
Surrounding him from left to right, as if forming a formation to surround and kill the young man.
Zhao Chan made a decision extremely quickly.
I can't run away.
He must fight to the death.
Shake your legs and lunge forward.
Opportunities are fleeting.
He wanted to kill one of the wolves before they completed the outflanking.
Instead of picking the wolf closest to him, he rushed toward the male closest to the alpha wolf.
Zhao Chan put aside all the complicated emotions. As of now, dealing with the crisis at hand is the most important thing.
It seemed that the alpha wolf felt strange about his behavior, and a look of surprise flashed across its eyes.
The name of the sword was Green Snake. As Zhao Chan rushed to the target and raised the sword, the green light flowing on the blade instantly connected into a line. He clearly felt that there was a power reviving in the sword body.
The first level of "The Sword of Regret" is called "The Sword Comes out with God". When you make a move, the strength is just right, neither strong nor weak.
Those who have reached this point are cultivators in the low-grade body-forging realm.
When Wang Huan explained to Zhao Chan, he would never have expected that as the youngest paint picker in Youju Town, he was the best at using the paint knife.
Picking lacquer is a craft that pays special attention to strength. The lacquer knife cannot go too deep into the lacquer tree, nor can it be too shallow. Only by doing it neither deep nor shallow can the maximum amount of lacquer be harvested.
Zhao Chan looked down at the wolf with gray hair and white.
The long sword slashed down.
All the strength is in this sword.
But with a flash of blue light, the wolf's head flew nearly two feet away before rolling down into the pile of rocks.
After that, he didn't stop at all.
Ignoring the other four wolves, they ran towards the alpha wolf standing on the rock.
When Zhao Chan killed the wolf, the first wolf made a surprised expression, then jumped to the back of the rock and hid in the forest instead of fighting with Zhao Chan.
When he saw that the alpha wolf was avoiding fighting, Zhao Chan's original plan changed instantly.
He turned around, faced the remaining four wolves, and charged quickly.
He wanted to show a strong momentum and intimidate these beasts.
He has the Green Snake Sword in hand, plus the basic swordsmanship at his fingertips.
These four wolves were no match for him.
Wait for Zhao Chan to kill the last wolf.
The alpha wolf stood on the rock again.
His eyes were filled with shock.
Zhao Chan's strength was so great that every time he killed a wolf, the wolf's head flew out and separated from the body far away.
There is no time for rest.
When dealing with the alpha wolf, the only way to feel at ease is to kill it.
Otherwise, if you are taken care of by such a beast, you will not have a good life, and the alpha wolf will take the trouble to attack and kill you, unless Zhao Chan never steps out of Youju Town from now on.
Continue to stride forward.
The alpha wolf showed no interest in fighting. This time he ran into the woods and fled westward.
Zhao Chan sniffed his nose.
Hot pursuit.
He had murderous intentions.
If you don't kill the wolf this time with such a good opportunity, you may not have the chance in the future.
What's more, he is a paint picker and has a good nose. Sometimes when he climbs mountains and wades in rivers, he can smell the special smell of lacquer trees with his nose.
Zhao Chan remembered the stench of the first wolf.
Be flexible and avoid one tree after another as thick as a bowl.
The alpha wolf runs ahead.
He chased after her.
Half an hour passed.
There is a slope in front of the alpha wolf.
Zhao Chan knew this place. There was a mountain road under the slope. The mountain road meandered through Erniu Mountain, and then over four mountains was Yang County.
The merchants who come to Youju Town to collect paint are all from Yang County.
The alpha wolf lay down on its forelimbs and kowtowed its head as if kowtowing down the slope.
Zhao Chan frowned for a moment and couldn't help but get goosebumps all over his body.
It's just that the alpha wolf is close at hand and the opportunity is rare. Is there any reason not to kill him?
The teacher of the private school once recited a poem, The weeds are not burned out, but they grow again in the spring breeze.
The alpha wolf is just a weed. If you don't kill it, Zhao Chan will have trouble sleeping and eating.
The green snake sword slashed out again.
The green light on the sword's blade shone imperceptibly.
The wolf's head flew high into the sky and fell into the mountain road.
Now, Zhao Chan stood next to the headless wolf corpse.
He saw a colorful tiger with hair like a brilliant rainbow. The tiger was larger than an ox and looked like a hill. It lowered its head and gnawed on the carcass.
The wolf's head happened to land at the tiger's feet.
It raised its head and glanced coldly at Zhao Chan.
Zhao Chan is like falling into an ice cave.
According to Sun Dagou's description, the demon in question is this tiger.
"Lang...Lang Jun, Lang Jun, save me, save me!!"
The rest of the caravan was eaten by the tiger.
The person under its mouth was the leader of the caravan. His legs and arms were gone. He was lying on his back, just in time to see Zhao Chan standing on the slope.
"You are a demon slayer. It's your job to kill... demons. Kill it quickly. Please help me!"
In response to the flashback, the leader of the caravan suddenly spoke loudly.
The tiger lowered its head and swallowed the head of the caravan leader in one gulp, making a crunching sound, as if chewing a juicy fruit.
After swallowing.
It ate the rest of his body in two bites, and when it looked up again, the boy on the slope had disappeared.
demon!
Absolutely a monster!
Demons are indifferent and rarely have human emotions, but that doesn't mean they have no emotions!
Like the mountain ghost, Zhao Chan saw a strong sense of sarcasm in the tiger's eyes!
Run!
Suddenly there was a roar like thunder.
Immediately the forest shook violently.
The branches rustled.
Immediately afterwards, a fishy smell hit his nostrils.
Zhao Chan quickly looked back and saw that the demonic tiger was less than a foot away from him.
There was no way he could outrun it.
Let out a breath.
I don't believe that the Green Snake Sword can kill this monster.
Zhao Chan took out the three-foot peach branch inserted diagonally at his waist.
He was a paint picker. He walked on level ground in the mountains and forests. He stepped on the tree with his feet one after another, bent his knees, and immediately kicked hard.
The tiger leaped under him.
He flew over the tiger.
