Headless Immortal

Chapter 32 Drawing Talismans and Making Paper Kites

The next day.

early morning.

The old plum tree in the courtyard sheds its plum blossoms in the spring breeze.

The shirtless, burly man, Gao Qingzhi, stood in a horse stance and looked at the tiger: "I'll teach you a set of punches."

"This fist style is called Tiger Venerable Fist."

"The starting stance..."

The burly man with the leopard head performed a set of tiger punches with great speed and force, as if a real tiger were teaching a cub, while a crouching tiger beside him watched the moves and postures intently.

Gao Qingzhi added, "Tiger Fist emphasizes intent over form. It is a type of Xingyi Quan. If you are a real tiger, you will be able to use it with even more ease."

"Wait, emerge, pounce, probe, scissors..."

"Make good use of your strength, let your muscles and bones move as one, let your waist and hips drive your limbs, don't use brute force, if you use too much force you will not only lose strength but also greatly deplete your physical strength."

"The most important thing when making a move is to relax and stay calm."

Lu Xun, the fierce tiger, diligently learned his skills.

Strangely enough, humans learned the tiger's martial arts and then taught them back to the tiger.

Lu Xun, being a real tiger after all, quickly grasped the secrets of Tiger Fist.

It's something animals are born with.

"it is good!"

Gao Qingzhi clapped his hands and cheered, then walked to the side, rinsed his mouth with tea, and even ate the tea leaves and stems.

After Lu Xun performed a set of Tiger Fist, his muscles and bones were completely stretched.

I strolled and stood in front of the steps.

With her eyes red from crying, Xiaoyue leaned against the tiger. In the morning, when the others were practicing their kung fu, they heard that Sanjiao had returned, and Xiaoyue came excitedly.

Upon seeing the tiger and hearing from the master that it was a three-legged creature, the cat was immediately terrified and cried, thinking that the tiger had eaten the black cat. It was heartbroken for a long time before the tiger turned back into a black cat and the cat calmed down.

"It's time to eat!"

"The lady calls for dinner."

……

After eating and drinking his fill, Lu Xun changed back into his cat form.

The spotted tiger couldn't walk around the county town; a cat would be much more comfortable.

Zhao Jia hurriedly left. The county government was busy with official business, and he had to visit all the families who worshipped the Five Gods, and also collect all the clay sculptures and tax silver.

Gao Qingzhi didn't go to the yamen. He left his house early in the morning and went to the market. At the market, he spotted a white-feathered rooster with a black comb and bought a jar of black dog blood from a dog meat shop. On his way back, he counted the items he had acquired: "cinnabar, wolf hair brush, kun shank, locust branch, tree sap, oil paper,..."

Lu Xun, the black cat, purred softly and stared at Gao Qingzhi with narrowed eyes.

The captain washed his hands and face, tidied his appearance, opened his box which resembled a small warehouse, lifted the blue cloth wrapping, took out a portrait, and pasted it on the shelf. He then turned to look at the black cat in the study: "Don't look at it anymore. I'm going to pray to the Three Officials Emperor for a talisman to be drawn. You can't withstand the Emperor's divine power."

The old cat didn't overestimate its abilities and insist on staying.

Lu Xun knew his own limitations; he wasn't even a minor demon anymore. The Demon-Suppressing Captain clearly had a background and wouldn't try to intimidate him.

He wisely left, changed back into his tiger head, and resumed performing the Tiger King Fist.

As the saying goes, even last-minute sharpening can make a tiger's claws sharper.

……

Wang Ruo raised the ancient book and stood in front of the statue of the sage. In the classroom sat Xiao Yue, who sat upright, and a black cat that was nearly four feet tall. In front of each of them was a sand table, which was prepared for writing: "Today we will learn the character '义' (righteousness)."

Even Wang Ruo, who had seen it all, hesitated when passing by the black cat.

Ordinary monsters are one thing, but a black cat can turn into a tiger.

No matter how much mental preparation you do, you'll still feel intimidated.

She never dared to imagine teaching monsters to read before, but before she knew it, she was already doing it.

Lu Xun the Black Cat studied very diligently. He memorized a few words thanks to his good memory, and now he can truly begin systematic training and learning. If he wants to move freely in this world, he definitely needs to learn to read and write well. He can't be an illiterate mute who can only listen for the rest of his life.

With the black cat's company, Xiaoyue became more diligent in learning to read.

Wang Ruo held Xiaoyue's hand, teaching her to write stroke by stroke. The black cat on the side stretched out its paw and practiced crookedly on the sand tray. After writing a character, it snapped the horizontal bar on the sand tray from left to right, and the fine sand tray was flat again, ready for more practice.

"I'm learning."

As Gao Qingzhi stepped out of the study, he saw several people and a cat in the courtyard.

"Master," Wang Ruo bowed.

Gao Qingzhi nodded in return.

"What is that, sir?" Xiaoyue looked curiously at Gao Qingzhi's hand behind his back. Following the hand, Xiaoyue immediately spotted the object: "Oh, it's a kite! Is sir going to fly a kite?"

"We're going to fly kites."

"Try it."

Gao Qingzhi smiled as he hung the kite he had just finished making in the sky.

Lay out the line, then reel it in.

Soar high with wings outstretched.

"Aren't you going to stop releasing them?"

"Not now."

When will it be released?

"night."

"night?"

"Correct."

Gao Qingzhi then pulled the kite he had just finished making down from the sky.

"Don't disturb the master while he's doing his business," Wang Ruo instructed.

Xiaoyue must have run to the cat's side.

Wang Ruo wanted to say something more, but swallowed her words before she could speak.

Children of this age are playful and active.

Back then, she had maids to keep her company in her secluded chambers, otherwise she would have been bored. Why deprive Xiaoyue of her joy? However, she felt uneasy about the monster that could turn into a tiger. No matter how human-like a beast is, it is still a beast.

Lu Xun, the black cat, tilted his head.

Taking care of children is a skill, especially for teenagers.

The black cat, which remained motionless, felt its arms and legs go numb.

"The master is back!"

Lu Xun felt as if he had been granted a pardon.

Zhao Jia entered the room and gulped down two cups of tea. He said, "We've investigated. A total of four clay sculptures and 1,200 taels of silver were confiscated. Many families have also invited the Five Gods, but the Five Gods didn't leave any clay sculptures behind. It's probably because they only give clay statues to those they value."

“I have decided to set up an altar in the courtyard to perform rituals and summon monsters.”

"The Third Master will lead fifty ambush soldiers, with those in heavy armor at the front, and archers and crossbowmen behind. As soon as it shows its face, shoot it into a sieve."

These fifty soldiers must be brave and fierce, otherwise they might easily let the Five Gods escape.

It's not that he doesn't want to allocate more manpower.

First, the alleys and streets are narrow and short, and a large number of people would make the area feel cluttered. Second, many soldiers were injured in the last attack on the bandits, and they were also terrified by the monsters. When they heard that they were going to hunt down the Five Gods, they all cowered in fear.

Wang Ruo asked with surprise and worry, "Will it come?"

From what Jia Ge'er said, Wang Ruo realized that the monster must be quite intelligent.

If even a tiny elf like the Three-Legged One is so intelligent, then that monster, being so powerful, should be strong, not weak, and could probably easily see through the trap.

Zhao Jia said, "My lady, don't worry, it will definitely come."

"It is arrogant, but that doesn't mean it's careless."

"After visiting and investigating, we found that the Five Gods came to Meilan before the New Year. The reason why it has only appeared now is because it found that no one can control it."

"The last time they brazenly plundered tax silver was after our campaign, which is enough to show that they have assessed the county government's combat capabilities."

"But it doesn't know that I've already asked my master to suppress the demon."

"And it was lucky last time that we didn't have to do anything."

"Make full preparations now, so they won't come back alive!"

Wang Ruo was still worried about Zhao Jia's safety, fearing that failing to kill the monster might instead invite a frenzied revenge. He used Sanjiao as an example, saying, "Brother Jia, don't underestimate those mountain spirits and monsters. I've seen that Sanjiao is more cunning than a monkey and more treacherous than a ghost. How could that great monster be easy to deal with?"

"The three legs are not the same."

Gao Qingzhi comforted her, "Don't worry, his wife, I will protect him."

Zhao Jia stepped forward and took his wife's hand, and Wang Ruo said no more.

"Tonight,"

"The altar's casting has attracted a monster!"

(End of this chapter)