Chapter 45: The Miao Borderlands

Escorting a ghost with a hundred years of cultivation for the very first time still brought a little surge of excitement. Although Scholar Li was not subdued by Liu Jun's own might, he was at least moved by his sincere affection, wasn't he?

Liu Jun and Fatty collapsed onto the ground, looking at each other and smiling. It felt truly wonderful to be alive. The thrilling and heart-pounding events of this night had almost cost them their lives.

"Liu Bro, was your buddy fierce tonight or what?"

"Fierce, how could you not be fierce? Running a marathon while carrying a zombie grandpa on your back—even the most reckless folks wouldn't pull off a stunt like that," Liu Jun teased.

After bragging for a little while, a flurry of urgent wailing sirens echoed, and a dozen police cars drove through the gates of the construction site. The leading black vehicle, flashing a lightbar on its roof, belonged precisely to that kid Chu Feng from Section Nine.

*Thump, thump, thump*—a rapid succession of doors opening and shutting followed as a crowd of police officers stepped out, holding their firearms and scanning their surroundings with vigilance. Chu Feng walked briskly up to Liu Jun, looked at the chaotic scene all around, and his expression turned grave.

"Master, are you alright? Where is that century-old ghost?"

"We are doing just fine. If you folks had arrived any later, we would have already gone home to sleep. The century-old ghost in this place has already been escorted across, but there was also a century-old zombie that was taken away by Lord White Impermanence." Liu Jun directly informed Chu Feng that White Impermanence had been here. Given his own abilities, even he wouldn't believe it if he claimed to have subdued a century-old ferocious ghost and a century-old zombie single-handedly.

Upon hearing Liu Jun's words, Chu Feng paid no mind to the sarcasm, nor did he look overly surprised. Instead, a lingering fear washed over him. Once a ferocious ghost and a zombie went on a rampage, bringing disaster to the mortal realm, the consequences would be immeasurable.

"Director Lin, please come over for a moment," Chu Feng called out to the police officers. A man in police uniform with a straight and upright posture strode over, exuding a righteous and formidable aura.

"What is it, Captain Chu?" It turned out that Chu Feng was a young captain.

"The matter here has already been handled by the Masters. Let me introduce you; this is Daoist Priest Gold-Money, a highly accomplished disciple of Daoist Priest Clear-Wind."

Then, turning slightly toward Liu Jun, he introduced the middle-aged police officer, "Master, this is Lin Lei, the Deputy Director of the Yanshi Public Security Bureau."

Liu Jun shook hands with Deputy Director Lin and glanced at the police insignia on the director's shoulders—three blossoms and two bars. Clearly, he held a high rank.

"Hello, Daoist Priest Gold-Money. Your master, Daoist Priest Clear-Wind, has always helped us handle various supernatural incidents, preventing demons and ghosts from harming living creatures. Now that you are doing the same for the people, I hold the utmost admiration." Liu Jun thought to himself that if Director Lin admired his master, that old geezer, he had definitely chosen the wrong person to respect. The old man undoubtedly handled matters strictly for money.

"You are too kind. My master is not around for the moment. If you have any matters needing assistance, you can always look for me, especially those with generous bounties."

After exchanging a few polite pleasantries with Director Lin, the director led his men away. One could tell that Director Lin possessed a distinct military demeanor—few words, formidable presence, pragmatic, and always charging at the forefront.

Liu Jun and Fatty bid farewell to Chu Feng and headed home to sleep. Tonight had been far too thrilling and exhausting.

Meanwhile, Mo Li had already arrived in Yunnan and rested there for a period of time. She had originally intended to wait for the old man to rendezvous with her, but she never saw him. The old man's phone was unreachable as well, so Mo Li set off for the Miao village, hoping to find him there.

The Miao people residing in these villages were divided into two categories: the cooked Miao and the raw Miao. Those who had accepted Han assimilation were called cooked Miao; they could obtain civil registration and household registration. As for the uncivilized Miao people known as raw Miao, their farmland was exempt from taxation, and they generally lived deep within wild and savage mountains. The terrain was remote, paths were rugged, and fierce beasts roamed amidst the harsh mists and toxic vapors, making it extremely rare for ordinary Han people to reach such places.

What we usually encounter are the cooked Miao; they are hospitable and treat others with kindness. Moreover, the scenery of the cooked Miao villages is exceptionally picturesque. Nestled deep within the mountains and concealed by forests, the air quality is pristine. The surroundings feature sheer cliffs and dense forests. Small streams flow through the villages, adorned with elegantly styled bamboo houses, small bridges, the melodious singing of the Miao people, and wonderful dances—truly an ideal resort destination.

It was unlikely that the old man was in a cooked Miao village, because those places were heavily populated, very lively, and mobile phones had signal there. Most importantly, nobody knew what the old man had done to offend Granny Bai, the great shaman of the cooked Miao. Every time he entered the Miao border region, he was easily hunted down by Granny Bai.

Therefore, the destination of Mo Li's journey this time was a raw Miao village, nestled deep within the mountains. Along the way, there were not only miasmas and poisonous creatures, but the paths were also difficult to traverse, which was why very few people could ever go there. Furthermore, the people of the raw Miao village were quite xenophobic and not very friendly toward outsiders.

The folk customs of the raw Miao village were fierce and bold; children grew up in the village from birth, possessing their own customs and language, and they did not intermarry with outsiders.

Mo Li followed the mountain path, heading in the direction of the raw Miao village. The further she walked, the scarcer the paths became. In this deep, primitive forest, only someone as bold and extraordinarily skilled as Mo Li would dare to walk alone. As Mo Li ventured deeper, the narrow paths beneath her feet vanished entirely, leaving only waist-high bushes. The surrounding tall trees grew so luxuriantly that they blocked out the majority of the sunlight from above.

With no other choice, she had to hack her way through the thorns and brambles. Even with Mo Li's formidable cultivation, she was left drenched in fragrant sweat. Walking a bit further ahead, she discovered a large lake before her. The lake water was crystal clear to the bottom, resembling a massive mirror from afar. Mo Li walked to the lakeside, looked up at the sky, and realized it was already dusk.

Consequently, she found a large boulder by the lake to rest upon. After resting for a while, Mo Li decided not to continue pushing forward today. In this deep mountain forest, the terrain was rugged, sheer cliffs surrounded them on all sides, and nighttime visibility was low, making it unsuitable for traveling.

She stood up, gathered some branches and wood, and started a fire by the lakeside. While Mo Li was searching for branches, a venomous snake lunged at her like lightning from behind. Mo Li waved her hand holding a dagger and slashed, severing the snake's head. Dodging to the side, she watched the snake's head fly a distance along its original trajectory before hitting the ground. Mo Li picked up the snake's body, inspected it, and took it straight to the lakeside to skin and clean it.

One had to admit that if an ordinary person encountered a venomous snake, they would practically be done for. As for Mo Li, it simply looked like she had acquired an extra meal.

Night fell, and the nocturnal forest grew exceptionally quiet; the sounds of insects, birds, and animals seemed to have completely vanished. Dark clouds slowly blotted out the moon, enveloping the entire earth in darkness, with only the campfire in front of Mo Li casting a faint glow.

Mo Li raised her head to look at the pitch-black forest. Gradually, a chilling wind seemed to blow through the woods. The sound of the wind carried over, resembling someone weeping. Slowly, ferocious human faces began to emerge on the massive trees ahead, and branches continuously lashed out, reaching toward Mo Li. Gradually, the bark began to peel off the trunks of the trees, revealing blood-red patterns.

The corners of Mo Li's mouth curled up slightly, and she chuckled softly, "A bunch of tree demons, daring to harm people. I suppose your brains must be overgrown with tree roots."

"Heavenly Fire Thunder God, Five Directions Divine Thunder. Earthly Fire Thunder God, subdue demons and vanquish monsters. Evil spirits retreat, heed the decree of my Emperor. Swiftly as the law commands. Summon the thunder!"

As the incantation concluded, a burst of lightning flashed and rumbled as bolts of divine thunder crazily struck the giant trees before her. These massive trees had long lost their dancing and clawing appearance, howling incessantly and thrashing their branches wildly in a desperate attempt to distance themselves from this terrifying place.

Mo Li showed no pity for these trees. The piles of skeletal remains scattered around them seemed to be accusing the trees of their crimes to Mo Li.

Mo Li slowly seated herself, ignoring the giant trees being battered by the divine thunder, picked up the snake meat, and continued roasting it. Just as the snake meat was done, the divine thunder overhead ceased. The area where the trees had stood was left in utter ruin, filled everywhere with ashes burned by the thunder and fire.