Strange Tales: The Seventy-Two Arts of the Earthly Fiends

Chapter 74: The Remnant of Incense

The monkey troop scattered.

At the edge of the cliff, Lu Shusheng slumped on the monkey carcass, the net that had flown back dangling in his hand, his chest heaving as he gasped for breath.

Liu Youxia planted his blunted goose-feather saber in the ground, tilted his head back, and drank the last mouthful of wine, the strong liquor mixing with the blood on his face as it streamed down.

Butcher Wang was in the worst shape; the wound on his left arm was still bleeding, but he grinned foolishly and said, "When I get home, I'll never again show off by killing demons and pests. From now on, I'll live a good life with my wife."

A gentle breeze swept through, and the fishy smell from the cliff edge gradually faded.

Song Quyou sheathed his sword, his Taoist robe dripping with thick, black blood.

Silently watching the decapitated remains of the golden-winged bird, which hissed and spewed out crimson flames.

The flames gradually grew stronger.

The remains of the golden-winged bird shrank and charred in the cleansing fire, eventually turning into a pile of gray-black dregs, which were scattered into the forest by the cliff wind.

Song Quyou stood before the ashes, watching them scatter. Something, about the size of a thumb, was revealed in the ashes.

He bent down to pick it up, wiped off the dust, revealing a golden hue with fine feather patterns engraved on it.

Song Quyou weighed the object in his hand and found that it was made of the same material as the gold needle at his waist, indicating that it was a piece of incense residue.

However, according to the local earth god of the demon market:

The incense residue is formed from the incense consumed by the Heavenly and Earthly Officials, and it relates to the cultivation level of each official. However, the Garuda retinue from the Western Regions left behind incense residue after burning it. What is the connection between these two?

As I was pondering, a loud shout suddenly reached my ears.

"Master Daoist!"

Lu Shusheng staggered to his feet from the pile of monkey carcasses, his face still wet with blood, but he first bowed deeply in the direction of Song Quyou:

"Thank you so much for saving our lives, Taoist Master. If it weren't for your sword slaying the demons, we would be nothing but the remains of the monkey horde by now."

Liu Youxia also struggled to his feet, clasped his hands in greeting, and said:

"I, Liu, have been wandering the martial world for more than ten years and I consider myself to be quite skilled with a sword. But after seeing the Taoist priest's skills today, I realize what it means to be outmatched."

Butcher Wang clutched the wound on his left arm, wincing in pain, and said:

"Master, if you ever need my help in the future, just ask. Go to the butcher shop in the south of the city and I'll give you the best meat."

Song Quyou turned around, his face still calm beneath his bamboo hat, and returned the greeting with clasped hands:

"No need for formalities. The courage of the three of you in withstanding a horde of tens of thousands of monkeys without retreating is more valuable than any skill."

Furthermore, without your help, I would have been unable to eliminate that golden-winged bird.

"Master, please don't be modest. The three of us would never dare to take credit for this."

……

As dawn broke, I realized I had been up all night.

Song Quyou tucked the piece of incense residue into his sleeve and continued:

"Gentlemen, let's descend the mountain for now, collect the monkey-eating owl's head from last night, and rest for a while."

However, I only covet money and have absolutely no desire for that kind of demon-slaying guard registration...

The wandering swordsman and the butcher were both taken aback upon hearing this, then looked at each other and smiled.

The scholar surnamed Lu stepped forward and gave a wry smile:

"I'm not afraid of being laughed at, but after studying hard for twenty years, I'm still just a scholar. All I want in this life is to receive a salary from the imperial court. Once I'm down the mountain, I'll share the reward money with you all. I want to get as many demon heads as possible to make up a number of demon-slaying guards."

Song Quyou waved his hand and said, "I'll only divide the money; the three of you can discuss the rest."

……

The way down the mountain was much easier than the way up.

As the morning light filters through the treetops, the mist in the forest gradually dissipates, and the birdsong returns.

The four returned the way they came and retrieved the twelve bird heads. When they arrived at the military camp outside Qiantang County, the clerk verified their authenticity and registered them in the register. The scholar was then given a record as a demon-slaying guard.

As for gold and silver, there wasn't even a single tael of silver.

The government officials told them to rest in the military camp first. Hot water, wine, and food had been prepared in the camp. They said they would wait until this round of demon-slaying was over to calculate the total merits and then distribute the money together.

As for when the demon-slaying campaign will end, all that is known is that it will be in seven days.

After a long night of hard work, Song Quyou ate a meal and was led to a military tent. He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and, with the help of the jade leaf given to him by his senior brother, arrived in the 'Ruins' realm.

A verdant valley, shrouded in mist, with lush green grass underfoot, a babbling brook in the distance, and the air filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees.

I walked through a thin mist and arrived at the open space where we had chatted last time.

There was already a stone table in the open space, where a bald monk and a noblewoman were drinking tea and chatting.

"What a coincidence, Benefactor Song! We were just talking about you when you came in. Come in, come in!" said the bald monk Huiming, waving his hand.

Song Quyou stepped forward with a faint smile, cupped his hands in greeting, and sat down at the stone table.

"This must be the first time Benefactor Song has met this person..." Huiming paused for a moment before continuing:

"This is Miss Zhao from Chang'an."

Song Quyou smiled faintly, cupped his hands in greeting to the woman, and said:

"Song Quyou".

"Zhao Heng".

"Benefactor Song, since our last parting, I've been spending all my time in this desolate place and haven't seen you come in. What brings you here today?"

Song Quyou smiled faintly and said, "I have been cultivating to exorcise demons recently, so I haven't entered this 'Ruins' Realm."

"I see. It's me, this monk, who has plenty of free time. I come in every day under the pretext of meditation to steal a moment of laziness."

……

Song Quyou added, "Last night I killed a golden-winged bird that had formed its own lineage of Garuda in the Western Sect. Judging from its speech, it seemed to have read the celestial scriptures of the Heavenly Court."

Upon hearing this, the two raised an eyebrow, showing interest.

Song Quyou recounted what had happened to the golden-winged bird the previous night.

The two men frowned, deep in thought.

"The Western Paradise is the sacred site of the Buddha, and monks who have attained enlightenment are not allowed to enter."

Listen to what Benefactor Song said about the appearance of the golden-winged bird. It is indeed not of the Garuda lineage of the Eight Legions. Since it said that the path to immortality in the Central Heaven is cut off, it is indeed true that it has seen the immortal scriptures.

However, what puzzles this humble monk is that this demon has no rank and is not a direct descendant of the Garuda lineage of the Eight Legions of Arhats. How did it enter Mount Sumeru? And how did it glimpse the immortal scriptures?

Song Quyou pondered for a moment, then continued:

"After killing it, the body was burned, leaving behind a remnant of incense."

Upon hearing this, the elegant woman named Zhao Heng spoke up:

"I should know a thing or two about this."

Song Quyou and Huiming looked at the woman with suspicion.

But she smiled faintly and said:

"I am skilled in puppetry. One way to make a puppet move is to transfer Qi to it by connecting it with strings. Another way is to use the remaining incense as the core and incense as the source."

As for making the puppet as intelligent as a human, what is needed is a soul...

Song Quyou looked at the woman and said, "What you mean is that the golden-winged bird is not a demon, but a puppet."

"This is just a guess. There are many kinds of puppets, but they can be roughly divided into puppets made of inanimate objects and puppets made of living flesh."

The puppet made from the body of a living being, after being processed using special secret techniques, can continue to cultivate. Just like a heretical cultivator possessing another's body, the physical body is still that person, but it is no longer that person; it becomes someone else's clone.

"According to what the young lady said, the golden-winged bird claimed to have cultivated for four hundred years, swallowed the remains of a high monk, and knew about the bloodline of the Garuda clan. These memories and knowledge may not be its own."

Zhao Heng nodded and said, "After all, this is just my guess. It would be great if we could see the remnants of incense and gold."

Huiming looked at Song Quyou and said, "Benefactor Song, if you have that item on you, you only need to think about what it looks like, and it will appear in this 'Ruins' world."

As Song Quyou pondered the incense burner fragment covered with fine lines, he suddenly felt a weight on his palm, and sure enough, something appeared in his hand.

Zhao Heng looked at him with a furrowed brow.

"As I suspected, this is indeed the core of the puppet."

Zhao Heng pursed her red lips, her phoenix eyes fixed on Song Quyou, and said, "Daoist Song, I wish to exchange this fragment of incense gold for my cultivation research. I wonder if you would be willing to part with it?"

Song Quyou looked at Zhao Heng with surprise and said, "This item is useless to me. But what would you like to exchange it for, young lady?"

"I wonder what Master Song needs?"

After a moment of silence, Song Quyou said, "I need spiritual medicines and elixirs to enhance the Qi of the Five Palaces."

Zhao Heng smiled faintly and waved his hand generously. Five plain white jade bottles appeared on the stone table. Looking at the labels on them, they were Yu Mu Dan, Bao Huo Wan, Huang Ya Dan, Bai Geng Dan, and Gu Jing Wan.

"If you are willing, Daoist Master, these five bottles of pills should satisfy you."

Song Quyou did not understand elixirs.

Seeing that Song Quyou was somewhat dazed, Huiming spoke up:

"Benefactor Song, each of these five bottles of pills requires no fewer than dozens of kinds of spiritual herbs to refine. Although the incense residue is precious, it is not a loss to exchange it if it is useless."

After a moment's thought, Song Quyou nodded in agreement.

"Since the two of you have encountered the jade leaf and exchanged the manifested items, you will naturally obtain the exchanged items after leaving the 'Ruins' Realm."

As instructed, Song Quyou and Zhao Heng touched the jade leaves together. When the two emerald green jade leaves touched, a shallow ripple appeared, and the incense burner gold leaf covered with fine feather patterns turned into a stream of light and disappeared into Zhao Heng's jade leaf.

At the same time, the five bottles of pills also fell into Song Quyou's hands.

The transaction concluded, and Zhao Heng accepted the remaining incense money, her face beaming with undisguised joy. She lightly tapped her slender fingers on the stone table and said:

"Master Song just said that the golden-winged bird claimed to be acting on the orders of the Western Buddhist sect, gathering demons and evil spirits in the deep mountains, waiting for its opportunity?"

"That's exactly what the demon said."

Zhao Heng remained silent for a moment, then suddenly stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "I have other matters to attend to and cannot stay any longer. I shall take my leave now."

……

After the woman left, Huiming looked at Song Quyou and said, "The reason why Qiantang County is now waging such a large-scale exorcism is because of this woman."

"Who is this woman?"

Huiming smiled mysteriously and said, "Of course he's a member of the royal family, otherwise how could he be so noble?"

……

Inside the military tent, Song Quyou opened his eyes, and suddenly five plain bottles appeared in his arms, which were the five bottles of pills.

He put away the jade bottle; outside the tent, the sun was already high in the sky.

A commotion gradually rose in the military camp. Soldiers were running back and forth, and righteous men from all sides were returning one after another, some carrying the demon's head, others helping the wounded. However, there were far fewer people now.

Lu Shusheng was sitting on a blue stone outside the tent, holding a bowl of hot tea. When he saw Song Quyou come out, he quickly got up to greet him.

"Has the Taoist priest rested well? Just now, the Military Advisor sent someone to say that another group of righteous men will be entering the mountain tonight, and asked if we would like to explore further."

Song Quyou shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the people coming and going in the camp from under his bamboo hat.

Those demon hunters who were full of vigor yesterday are now either sitting or lying down, many of them with blood-soaked strips of cloth wrapped around their bodies, their faces ashen.

Lu Shusheng came over with a cup of hot tea: "I just counted, there were more than twenty teams that went into the mountains, and only about 60% of them have returned this morning. Most of the returning teams are not complete; none of them are without injuries."

Another team had only one man left to return—the man who had been squatting in the corner, silently munching on his dry rations.

The military camp was filled with a heavy stench of blood, mixed with the pungent smell of wound medicine, making people's throats dry.

Song Quyou glanced at the man squatting in the corner eating dry rations. The man was covered in blood, his clothes were mostly torn, and his eyes were so empty that it seemed as if his soul had been stolen away. He had been eating the dry rations in his hand for a long time, but they didn't seem to have decreased.

"I heard that they ran into a powerful boar demon. The demon had thick skin and was impervious to swords and spears. Even the hundred-refined steel sword in his hand broke, but it couldn't hurt the beast in the slightest. Of the five people in the team, he was the only one left."

Song Quyou, having withdrawn his gaze, said nothing more.

Turning to Lu Shusheng, he cupped his hands and said, "I will not be going into the mountain tonight. Yesterday, fighting that golden-winged bird, I have used up most of my talismans. I plan to rest for a day, buy some cinnabar and talisman paper, and draw some talismans to prepare for going into the mountain again."

Lu Shusheng also cupped his hands and said, "In that case, I will also take a day off. Next time you go into the mountains, I hope I can join your team."

Furthermore, I would appreciate it if you could leave an address, so that I can deliver the silver to you once it arrives at the government office.

……

Song Quyou left his address, left the military camp, and soon returned to his small courtyard.

The courtyard remained unchanged. Su Tang, who was eating noodles, saw Song Quyou return covered in blood. She put down her bowl and chopsticks and quickly went to greet him.

"Junior brother, are you injured?"

"Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister. I am unharmed. This blood is all from monkeys."

Hearing that she was unharmed, Su Tang breathed a sigh of relief, then quickly waved her hand and said disdainfully, "You stink! Go change your clothes right now."

Song Quyou took a bath and changed into a clean Taoist robe.

Su Tang served him a bowl of noodles and cut some braised meat into a dish. She sat across from him at the stone table, resting her chin on her hand, and watched him eat.

"Junior brother, you were out all night. Tell your senior sister what happened!"

Song Quyou ate a mouthful of noodles and recounted the most important events of the previous night. From the monkey-eating owl to the swarm of tens of thousands of monkeys to the golden-winged bird in a cassock reciting false scriptures, he finished speaking and then took out the five bottles of pills from his sleeve and placed them on the table.

"My junior brother got a piece of incense residue about the size of a thumb. He traded it with someone for some pills. Senior sister, can you help me see if it was worth it?"

Su Tang opened the pills, sniffed them, and nodded.

"Yu Mu Dan nourishes the liver, Bao Huo Wan replenishes the heart, Huang Ya Dan strengthens the spleen, Bai Geng Dan moistens the lungs, and Gu Jing Wan replenishes the kidneys, which corresponds perfectly to the Qi of the five Fu organs."

Each bottle is of superior quality. With the help of these pills, Junior Brother's lightning magic can advance further, and he has a good chance of condensing a lightning pill on the day of the Awakening of Insects.

……

The sunlight outside the window gradually slanted, casting a long shadow on the red plum tree in the courtyard.

Su Tang washed the dishes and sat back down at the table. She took out her sewing basket and, in the lingering sunset, began mending the cuffs of Song Quyou's Taoist robe that had been torn by a monkey's claws the night before.

Song Quyou, on the other hand, came to Cuisong Hutian.

Sitting cross-legged under the ancient pine tree by the pool, watching the long sword bobbing up and down in the water, he made hand seals, and strands of Qi from his body flowed into the sword embryo.

……