The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 42 Zhou Yan's Unbridled Audacity
"Drive, drive!"

The sound of horses' hooves echoed along the mountain road, making a continuous, crisp sound.

Zhou Yan rode his little yellow horse, speeding along the mountain path with a drifting motion. The Mountain Lord's jade talisman allowed him to sense the hostility and malice emanating from behind. His lips twitched, while Yin Zichuan beside him muttered to himself:

"Young hero, you did a good job, didn't you? If you need any acting services, weddings or funerals, name selection, divination, fortune telling, letter writing, lock picking, herb gathering, forgery, seal making, or document forgery, you can come to me."

Zhou Yandao:
"Wait, forgery?"

Yin Zichuan chuckled awkwardly, "Just trying to make a living, my lord."

"A poor scholar, without official rank, still has to support his family."

"Please forgive me, please forgive me."

"Well, I did a pretty good job just now, didn't I? If it's alright, could you...?"

Yin Zichuan floated beside Zhou Yan, somewhat embarrassed, and held up two fingers to rub them together. Although he looked embarrassed about asking for money, his gaze was as firm as if he wanted to join the army and fight.

Zhou Yan pulled out a handful of copper coins from his pocket and threw them out.

So the scholar beamed, grabbed the handful of copper coins, counted them one by one, and happily put them away: "Young master, you are indeed a good person. Next time you need me to do this kind of work, I will give you a discount!"

"99% off".

Zhou Yan, carrying his knife, ignored the quick-witted scholar.

The power of the [Mountain Lord Jade Talisman] is limited by Zhou Yan's own cultivation level and magical power, so he cannot use it perfectly. However, this is where this fierce tiger grew and cultivated, and it has a very high affinity for the earth veins of this mountain. Its perception ability is still greatly enhanced.

Zhou Yan could hear the sound of the wind, the rustling of leaves, and the sound of flowing water. Through the medium of these mountains, he could also hear the sound of iron cavalry rushing forward, the sound of Dahei's horse hooves, and the voices of the group of monsters.

These sounds converge in the mountain breeze and flowing water, flooding into the mind.

It's like having an extra sense of perception among the five senses.

"Hahaha, I found you!"

With a loud shout, a monster burst out of the bushes beside him. It had a pig's head and a human body, covered in scraggly hair, and was carrying a spiked iron club. It swung fiercely at Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan could defeat this monster, but he would have to use all his strength.

However, on this mountain, Zhou Yan's perception was heightened to an extremely high level. He pulled on the reins, and the little yellow horse swerved to avoid the fierce blow. At the same time, he swung out the Hungry Ghost Blade in his right hand.

The weapons clashed with those of the monsters.

A notch appeared on the blade, and Zhou Yan's eye twitched.

My knife!

Zhou Yan's mind stirred, and he felt something being pulled away from his spirit. The next moment, a gust of evil wind appeared, causing the monster's force to deviate by three points. Zhou Yan pulled on the reins, and the yellow horse galloped forward. He then pushed it with his knife.

The monster stumbled backward, lost its footing, and tumbled down the mountain with a scream, turning into a lump of flesh.

Zhou Yan gasped for breath.

The enhanced perception, along with the increased power brought by the Mountain Lord Jade Talisman and the initial ability to control the wind, allowed him to use the mountain's momentum to push a monster off the mountain in an instant. However, a severe fatigue began to emerge.

Using the Hungry Ghost Jade Talisman comes at the cost of making Zhou Yan increasingly hungry.

The Mountain Lord Jade Talisman placed a great strain on Zhou Yan's physical and mental strength.

It's like an ordinary person wielding an ancient heavy weapon.

It works, but it will become exhausted after a few swings.

Zhou Yan had just fought Wang Chun, and now, facing a horde of demons and knowing that Shen Cangming was covering their retreat, he was extremely exhausted, both physically and mentally. In addition, he sensed even more chaotic noises:

'Hurry, hurry, that guy should be here.'

"Cheng Shier is seriously injured, and that kid is right here!"

These sounds faintly reached Zhou Yan's ears. The power of the Mountain Lord made him realize that these monsters were blocking the mountain road. Some were riding the wind, some were running wildly in their true forms, and some wolf demons, with their keen sense of smell, had already surrounded and attacked.

The downhill road on this side has been blocked.

Zhou Yan gripped the knife.

A surge of anger rose in my chest; if all else failed, I'd fight back.

Just then, the little guy he had placed on the horse suddenly reached out his finger and grabbed Zhou Yan's sleeve and tugged at it.

The little girl looked at him, her words not very clear, and said earnestly:
"I know."

"place."

The little girl's eyes were pure and innocent. Zhou Yan sensed that the hundred or so monsters were approaching him. He made a desperate decision and asked, "Where are they?"

The little girl seemed happy because she felt believed.

Because over the years, no one has believed her; they've all just beaten her.

She pointed in one direction: "Here."

Zhou Yan pulled on the reins, spurring the little yellow horse towards the little girl's secret base. He used the Tiger Mountain Lord's affinity with the mountain, along with the wind and the previous rain, to conceal his tracks. He urged the horse forward, using the Mountain Lord's jade talisman to stir up the wind and disperse the scent. After many twists and turns, they finally found a hidden path.

Following the stream upstream, we arrived at a deeply hidden cave.

"Here, here."

The little girl pointed there, a happy look on her face.

Zhou Yan held his breath, holding his knife on guard. The monsters couldn't find this place; the stream and the rain outside concealed their tracks and sounds. The monsters wandered and howled outside the cave for a while before running away.

Zhou Yan breathed a sigh of relief, leaned against the rock with his knife, and gasped for breath.

We are safe, at least for the time being.

Yin Zichuan wiped away non-existent sweat and said, "We're finally safe, my lord."

Is it safe?

Zhou Yan pursed his lips. The little girl landed on the ground and ran to the small pile of stones. There were many stones and some rags there, which she collected.

Seeing Zhou Yan resting, Yin Zichuan asked the little girl:
"Huiniang, what is this?"

The little girl answered earnestly, "It's home."

Yin Zichuan's expression paused for a moment. The little girl pointed to a place made of piled-up stones, the contents of which were indistinguishable, and said, "This is the courtyard, and this is the house. My mother, grandmother, and uncle are all here."

“Huiniang is here too.”

"Father is not here, Father..."

Yin Zichuan looked at the little girl and at the home she was trying so hard to build. She wasn't actually that smart; she was just like a five or six-year-old child who understood the concept of home. She seemed to think that as long as she could build a home, the brief, warm time in her memory would come back.

It's like sewing up a rag doll.

So she wandered on this mountain, searching for the non-existent way home.

Yin Zichuan sighed, feeling sorry for the child.

With his eyes closed, Zhou Yan sensed what was happening around him through the connection between the Mountain Lord Jade Talisman and the Misty Hidden Peak. The demons were searching for him, and the black wind revealed its true form, spinning around on the black wind.

On the other side of the mountain range, heavy cavalry charged forward, about to make contact with the one-armed Shen Cangming. Everywhere was filled with killing intent and desperate situations.

In the current situation, Shen Cangming will face a life-or-death battle. He has confidence in Shen Cangming, but if he manages to escape the pursuers and then runs into those monsters, Shen Cangming's chances of survival will be slim.

Black Wind used its supernatural powers to search for itself, but once it found itself, it would be dead.

This world is fraught with danger, where every step is a matter of life and death.

How to do how to do?
Martial arts could at most kill one or two minor demons, and magic? After the fight and escape, Zhou Yan was exhausted, and his brow was aching. Moreover, at the level of Hungry Ghost and Lantern Shadow, he was no match for the encirclement of a hundred or so demons.

Blood Pill? This thing needs to be refined into a pill.

Mountain Lord? His own cultivation level is so low that he can't even use his true abilities.

Zhou Yan suddenly thought of something.

He rummaged through the package and found Wang Chun's fragment of the Taoist scripture. He quickly flipped through it. It described the mountain spirit's supernatural powers, magic, and methods of advancement. It said that the mountain spirit even had the ability to summon wind and rain in its own mountain.

However, this scripture states that even a tiger demon, if it wants to become a mountain lord, lacks an imperial decree and the earth's veins. Only with an imperial decree can it utilize the earth's veins and the fortune of the human dynasty to unleash great supernatural powers.

Even without the ability to sense ley lines, other methods can still be used.

A glint flashed in Zhou Yan's eyes:

"One imperial decree is still missing."

As Shen Cangming was rushing to his death to cover the rear, the demon subordinates of the Qingming Pavilion Master were already approaching.

Zhou Yan felt an extreme sense of crisis. He was completely unrestrained by the so-called etiquette of this era. A huge threat and resentment gathered in his heart, which finally turned into an extremely bold and rebellious act in this era.

Zhou Yan slowly raised his head, stared at the gossipy scholar, and said, "Yin Zichuan?"

The scholar, who was squatting there listening to the little child tell a story, looked up and asked, "Huh?"

Zhou Yan said, "You say you can do everything: divination, fortune telling, letter writing, lock picking, herb gathering, forgery, seal making, document copying, is that right?"

Yin Zichuan said proudly, "That's right, my lord. You should go around and ask around. My skills are widely recognized as cheap and good. I can do any job except for childbirth."

Zhou Yan exhaled and said:

"Then can you forge the imperial edict appointing the mountain god?"

? ? ? ?
Yin Zichuan's smug expression turned into a blank stare.

She slowly raised her head, looking at the young man over there who was deep in thought.

"what??"

(End of this chapter)