Slaying God: I, the insane and witty god

A corner of the kitchen's door curtain was lifted by the wind, and as the handsome young man stepped in, he heard the gurgling sound of boiling water in a clay pot.

Wu Hen leaned against the Eight Immortals Table, turning a dark jade tablet in his hand.

Lin Qiye squatted in front of the stove and added firewood, sparks crackling on his blue-gray Taoist robe.

"Finally you're here." Wu Hen knocked the jade token onto the table and raised his head with a smile at the corner of his eyes.

"Have a cup of tea first?"

"There's tangerine peel and Pu'er tea simmering on the stove. Lin Qiye insists it needs to be cooked thoroughly to be fragrant."

The handsome young man didn't respond, but simply pulled a bench and sat down: "What's going on with Merlin?"

"Didn't you say you wanted to investigate the connection between Red Moon and the Dark Demon?"

She glanced at the table - besides the jade plaque, there was also half a piece of osmanthus cake wrapped in oil paper.

Crumbs were scattered among the wood grain, looking like someone had taken two bites and then put them down.

Lin Qiye straightened up, his cuffs stained with ash. "The keeper of the Meilin tomb is named Chen. He's over ninety, and his back is hunched like a bow."

"When we went there, he was pruning the plum trees. His shears were sharpened to a shine, and he cut through the dead branches with greater skill than a demon-slaying sword."

He took out a cloth bag from his bosom and untied it to reveal a bead as big as a pigeon egg, shining with moonlight.

"He said it was condensed from the heart of the last plum blossom in Merlin, and it's called the 'Moon-Reflecting Pearl.'"

The handsome young man leaned in closer to take a look: "Mei Xin?"

"The plum tree lives for over a thousand years, its roots deep in the earth. Every year, as its petals fall, they condense their essence into the stamens."

Wu Hen picked up the tea bowl and blew on it.

"Old Chen said that when the Red Moon first appeared fifty years ago, Merlin's plum heart suddenly turned completely black."

"After that, every time the red moon appeared, the plum heart would change color. Before the last beast tide, he secretly picked a plum heart."

"I soaked it in a wine jar, and it exploded, filling the yard with the smell of blood and rust."

The handsome young man felt a chill down his spine: "Then this Moon-Reflecting Pearl..."

"Old Chen said this is the first plum blossom to bloom this year, and its color is brighter than snow."

Lin Qiye pushed the beads in front of her,

"He told us to give it to the most important person, saying that when the red moon rises again, the bead will reveal the Dark Demon's true form."

Wu Hen suddenly laughed: "He also told us not to thank him."

"He has been guarding Merlin for eighty years, waiting for someone like this—someone who can take the beads and overthrow the Dark Demon's lair."

The handsome young man didn't take the beads, but stared at Wu Hen: "What are you two hiding?"

She tapped the edge of the table with her fingers, "It takes less than half an hour to ride from Merlin to the Demon Suppression Division.

You came back in such a hurry, it must be more than just giving me beads."

Lin Qiye and Wu Hen looked at each other.

Wu Hen pushed the jade token over and said, "This is the second thing Old Chen gave me."

The front of the jade token was engraved with the two seal characters "Zhen Mo" (to suppress demons), and the back had some crooked scratches, as if they had been made with fingernails.

The beautiful young lady turned it over and took a closer look, and was suddenly stunned - the shape of the scratch was exactly the same as the totem she had seen in the dark demon's lair.

"Old Chen said that this jade token was passed down from his grandfather."

Wu Hen's voice lowered a little.

"His grandfather was the governor of the Demon Suppression Division of the previous dynasty. The year Red Moon first appeared in the world, he led thirty-six demon slayers into the Far North.

Later, only one returned, holding the jade token in his arms, muttering, "There is a person in the moon, and the man is sharpening the sword."

The handsome young man clenched the jade token tightly, his nails almost digging into his flesh. "Is there someone in the moon?"

"Old Chen said his grandfather wrote in his notebook that the red moon is not a celestial phenomenon, but a mirror."

Lin Qiye stirred the firewood in the stove, and sparks flew up with a bang.

"There is a city on the other side of the mirror, and the people in the city hold their swords, and every time the red moon rises,

"They push things into the mirror—dark demons, beast tides, and those evil spells that can make monks go astray."

The handsome young man suddenly stood up, his stool banging against the wall. "So the Dark Demon wasn't born from heaven and earth, but was... man-made?"

"That's what Old Chen said." Wu Hen put down the tea bowl.

"He also said that half of the thirty-six demon slayers died in the Far North, and the other half..."

He paused, "The other half of the bone is still embedded in the red moon."

The kitchen suddenly became quiet.

The wind came in through the window, rustling the oil paper on the table.

The handsome young man stared at the Moon-Reflecting Pearl, and it seemed as if there was a ball of mist swirling inside the pearl.

Her face was vaguely reflected - her brows were tightly knitted, a bit like her mother's appearance before she died.

"Old Chen didn't say what happened?" She sat back on the stool, her voice hoarse.

“Yes.”

Lin Qiye took out a piece of paper from his Taoist robe and unfolded it to reveal a picture - there was a city on the moon, and a man stood at the gate of the city, with the tip of the sword in his hand dripping with blood.

"He said that to break the Red Moon, we must first find the gate to Moon City."

"Where is the door?" He pointed to the handsome young man's arms.

“In that meteorite of yours.”

The handsome young man suddenly touched his chest.

The meteorite in my arms suddenly became hot, burning my skin even through two layers of clothes.

She took out the meteorite, and the moonstone in the middle was shining with a faint blue light -

The light from the Moon-Reflecting Pearl combined with the light from the Moon-Reflecting Pearl cast a small door-shaped shadow on the table.

"Old Chen said that this meteorite was brought out from Yuecheng by the governor back then." Wu Hen reached out and touched the shadow.

“When the door is open, moonlight will leak in.

What leaked out was not light, but..."

"It's a sword." The handsome young man suddenly interrupted.

She remembered the voice that rang in her ears when the meteorite iron was hot in the dark demon's lair - "The sword bearer is coming."

Wu Hen raised his eyebrows: "You know?"

"I guessed it." The handsome young man held the meteorite in his palm.

“Last time in the Abyss, when this thing was getting hot, I heard someone talking.

Say 'Here comes the sword bearer.'"

Lin Qiye and Wu Hen looked up at the same time.

Wu Hen's eyes lit up: "Old Chen said the same thing!"

"He said that the people of Moon City have waited a thousand years for someone to take over the sword."

The handsome young man suddenly laughed, a little awkwardly: "So I am the one holding the sword?"

"I don't know." Wu Hen spread his hands.

"Old Chen simply said that the meteorite recognizes its master. Whoever can make it bleed under the crimson moon will be the sword wielder."

The handsome young man looked down at the meteorite.

There is a very fine crack on the moonstone, like a small wound.

She scratched it lightly with her fingernails, and blood actually seeped out, crawling along the cracks to form the word "砍".

"Fuck." She cursed and quickly wiped it with her sleeve.

Wu Hen laughed out loud: "Looks like it's you."

Lin Qiye didn't laugh. He stared at the meteorite in the handsome man's hand and said in a voice as heavy as a stone, "The red moon will rise in seven days."

"Old Chen said that when the time comes, Merlin's Moon-Reflecting Pearl will change color, and the meteorite iron will lead us to the gate of Moon City."

He paused. "But he doesn't know what's behind the door."

The handsome young man stuffed the meteorite back into his arms and pressed it.

My heart was beating so hard, like a drum beating in my chest.

She thought of Cao Yuwei's red eyes in the martial arts arena, and the hands covered with scales in the abyss.

I remembered what my mother said before she died: "I must live" - ​​but now, living seems not enough.

"Seven days later," she whispered.

“I’ll go.”

Wu Hen didn't respond, but took out a piece of braised beef from his pocket and threw it to her: "Eat something first.

I tried the pickled mustard greens cake that Old Chen gave me, and it was too salty.

The braised beef in soy sauce that you like is still the best.

The handsome young man took the beef and took a bite.

The aroma of meat mixed with the bitterness of tangerine peel tea spreads in your mouth.

She suddenly remembered that the last time Wu Hen gave her braised beef, it was the same way - wrapped in an old newspaper.

The oil soaked through the paper and felt warm in his palm.

"What about you guys?" she asked, chewing some beef. "Will you join me in seven days?"

Lin Qiye put the Yingyue Pearl into the cloth bag and said, "The communication talisman from the Demon Suppression Division just sounded.

The Phoenix team discovered traces of the Dark Demon in the northern border, and Xia Simeng said that they should deploy defenses in advance.

"I'm going to the northern border." Wu Hen took out a cigarette and lit it with a lighter.

"Lin Qiye stayed at the Demon Suppression Division, keeping an eye on the new batch of talisman paper for the psychic team."

"You..." He exhaled a puff of cigarette,

"Stay in the martial arts arena for two more days. Don't let Cao Yuwei notice anything's wrong."

The handsome young man stuffed the last half piece of beef into his mouth: "Okay."

"And." Wu Hen suddenly became serious.

"Old Chen said that when the gates of Moon City are opened, a cold wind will blow out."

"That wind is poisonous. It will rot your skin if it touches it."

He pointed at the feathers in her sleeves and said, "Use the feathers to block it when the time comes. Don't force it."

The handsome young man nodded.

Lin Qiye stood up and patted the ashes on his robe: "I'll go to the storehouse to get the talisman paper.

Wu Hen, are you sending the beautiful girl back to the martial arts arena?

Wu Hen put out his cigarette and said, "Let's go."

The three of them walked out of the kitchen.

The sun was setting, but the eaves of the Demon-Suppressing Division were still bright, like a handful of scattered gold.

The handsome young man touched the meteorite in his arms, which was cool.

It was the same temperature as the braised beef in Wu Hen’s hand—both had been warmed and then cooled, but it felt solid when held in his hand.

"Seven days later." Wu Hen responded and kicked the small stone at his feet away.

The stone rolled into the grass, startling two sparrows, which fluttered off towards Merlin.

Lin Qiye stood there without moving.

He looked in the direction where the sparrow disappeared, and his hand unconsciously reached for the demon-slaying sword at his waist.

The cloud pattern on the scabbard was polished to a shine, like a solidified light.

Red Moon, Moon City, Sword Bearer.

He suddenly remembered what Old Chen said when he was pruning the plum branches: "The plum tree lives for a thousand years, not just to bloom."

"It's to wait for someone—someone who can take its branches and chop off the moon."

The wind blew over with the fragrance of plum blossoms.

Lin Qiye took a deep breath, turned around and walked towards the warehouse.

The hem of the Taoist robe was blown up by the wind.

The demon-suppressing pattern embroidered on the lining is revealed - it is a phoenix holding a sword.

The golden threads on its wings sparkled in the sunlight, as if it was about to fly.