Demons Strutting Through the Streets

Su Qing felt somewhat helpless about the situation.

While she wasn't entirely sure how the two had ended up in such a heated argument, she knew she couldn't let it continue.

She let out a soft cough and said, "Alright, stop bickering. We need to keep moving!"

Su Qing's intervention was effective. Seeing her speak up, both women fell silent and stopped their arguing.

However, it was clear that they were still displeased with each other.

Su Qing shook her head helplessly but said nothing more.

She simply continued the journey with the group.

At first, the atmosphere was quite quiet. Fortunately, this silence didn't last long, and things soon returned to their usual state.

However, Su Qing could see that Chen Mei remained vigilant toward Bai Rou'er.

Bai Rou'er, on the other hand, maintained an air of indifference toward Chen Mei, seemingly either unbothered by the vigilance or simply looking down on her.

Regardless, they stopped arguing on the surface, though there was very little communication between them.

As Su Qing dealt with the situation between the two, she was also pondering how to resolve it permanently. After all, she hoped that for the remainder of the journey, everyone could get along harmoniously.

But finding a solution was proving to be a significant headache for her.

While Su Qing on the Northern Continent was fretting, her Clone No. 1, far away, was feeling exceptionally frustrated.

Their journey hadn't been particularly smooth either.

They had encountered numerous troubles along the way. After facing so many bandits and highwaymen, Su Qing had become somewhat numb to it all.

How many times had they encountered them on this single trip? Su Qing had lost count.

In addition to these outlaws, there were many rampaging demons, as well as other people causing chaos or staging rebellions.

In short, the journey so far had been absolutely dreadful.

She had originally thought that after leaving the most troublesome areas, the road ahead would be much easier. Clearly, she had been overoptimistic.

"Times of chaos are truly a headache," Su Qing thought with a sigh as she watched Li Yichou slaying enemies outside the carriage.

"Because of these fellows, our travel has slowed down significantly."

At the beginning, Su Qing thought they would reach the capital very quickly. Who would have guessed it would take this long?

Beside Su Qing, Ao Yiyi was also watching the scene outside. She let out a sigh and asked, "Sister Su, why do people always love fighting each other? Before, I didn't have much of a concept of mortal warfare, but now that I've seen it, I don't understand. If war brings pain to everyone, why do they keep doing it?"

Su Qing turned to look at Ao Yiyi.

"Probably because of human greed," Su Qing said, looking at the chaos not far away.

"Greed?" Ao Yiyi murmured a Buddhist mantra and asked, "Sister Su, do you think... if everyone believed in Buddhism, would wars stop happening?"

Su Qing was momentarily stunned by the question, then shook her head. "No. This is human nature. As long as they are still human and not Buddhas, nothing will change. Besides... for some people, so-called faith is merely a tool for them to exploit."

"Can even the Buddha not change it?"

"He cannot." Seeing her dazed expression, Su Qing patted her shoulder. "Alright, these are matters that even the Buddha cannot resolve. You shouldn't think too much about it."

Ao Yiyi nodded, but Su Qing couldn't tell what she was actually thinking. Seeing that Ao Yiyi had stopped speaking, Su Qing left her to process things on her own.

After all, some things couldn't be helped by others; Ao Yiyi had to figure them out herself.

However, this was indeed an opportunity for her to grow. Perhaps through this experience, she would find the answers she was seeking.

Li Yichou's speed in killing the enemies was very fast. As a powerful martial artist who had learned some of Su Qing's techniques, dealing with bandits who lacked even basic coordination was incredibly easy for her.

Especially since she had been killing so many lately, the lethal skills she had honed during her time wandering the Jianghu were becoming sharp once again.

Soon, the bandits lost their nerve and began to flee in all directions.

However, Li Yichou possessed no misplaced mercy. She killed essentially everyone she could reach.

As for those who fled quickly... there was truly nothing she could do. Fighting alone, she was bound to be stretched thin.

The battle ended.

Bodies littered the ground.

Li Yichou wiped the blood from her face, flicked the gore off her sword, and returned to Su Qing's side.

"Miss, it's all settled," Li Yichou said with a smile. "These bandits today took a bit longer to break than the ones we met a few days ago... But honestly, we've been running into so many lately, it's getting annoying."

Su Qing nodded and said, "Indeed. But as long as it's resolved... let's dig a pit, bury them, and move on."

Although Su Qing was also reluctant to bother... if these corpses were left here, they would eventually cause problems. More importantly, Ao Yiyi certainly wouldn't allow them to be left behind. After all, she was even more kind-hearted than Su Qing.

She was, in the end, a Buddhist cultivator. Even though Su Qing had influenced her quite a bit, the personality forged by the core tenets of Buddhism remained unchanged.

Li Yichou nodded. "Understood!"

Ao Yiyi also spoke up, "I'll help as well..."

Su Qing naturally had no objections.

After making some brief preparations, they began digging the pit. It wasn't just the three of them; Jin Xin and Hu Lin'er helped as well.

As for the young Su Qingyu, it wasn't that she didn't want to help, but she simply couldn't. She could only watch from the side while holding the small cat, making sure that the clumsy Coal Ball didn't cause any trouble.

With everyone working together, it didn't take long to bury all the bodies.

Once finished, Ao Yiyi took the opportunity to perform rites for the deceased. After everything was done, Su Qing and the others returned to their respective carriages and set off once more.

Inside the carriage, Hu Lin'er was driving. Su Qing leaned against the window, admiring the surrounding scenery. Ao Yiyi was lost in thought, and Su Qingyu looked exhausted.

Su Qing turned back, looked at Ao Yiyi, and asked via Sound Transmission, "Are you still thinking about that question?"

Upon hearing the transmission, Ao Yiyi nodded. She pulled the drowsy Su Qingyu into her arms to prevent the little girl's head from hitting anything if the carriage hit a bump. The little one had suffered for it once before and cried for quite a while.

"Yes... I'm still somewhat bothered by it."

"If you're bothered, then try to do something about it!" Su Qing rubbed her chin and said, "The process of taking action is also a process of learning."

Ao Yiyi simply nodded and fell back into silence.

Seeing this, Su Qing gave a helpless smile. It seemed that no matter which side she was on, things were full of complications.

She decided to first think about how to solve the friction between Bai Rou'er and Chen Mei... and then there were the administrative duties at Great Emperor Zhenwu's monastery.

As Su Qing thought, she continued to stare blankly at the passing scenery.

The carriage rolled on. After traveling for an unknown distance, they arrived at a small town.

The town looked very ordinary, the kind with no distinguishing features. If one had to find something special about it, it was that Su Qing vaguely sensed an ominous feeling, as if the town were shrouded in demonic Qi.

However, it wasn't a major issue. Even if there were demons here, they wouldn't exactly be parading through the streets in broad daylight, would they? Besides, how powerful could a demon in a place like this be? She could deal with it in her spare time at night.

Thus, after arriving at the town, Su Qing and the others decided to rest for a day. After all the travel, Su Qingyu was struggling to keep up, and Sister Zhou, who was with Li Yichou, was also finding it difficult.

The carriage moved slowly through the town's streets. Su Qing watched the pedestrians as they passed. Most of the people on the street looked lifeless, as if they had lost all hope in life.

There were very few street vendors, and the few that were there didn't bother shouting their wares; they just sat at their stalls, taking whatever business came their way. Su Qing figured this was likely the result of the war.

Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats echoed from a distance. They were very hurried, and unlike Su Qing's group, which slowed down on the street, these newcomers seemed to be charging through recklessly.

Upon hearing the hoofbeats, the previously listless pedestrians suddenly panicked and began to scramble out of the way. The vendors hurriedly packed their things and hid to the side. Those who couldn't pack in time even abandoned their goods and retreated to the edge of the street, standing respectfully and rigidly as if facing a great enemy.

Su Qing's eyebrows shot up at the sight. She leaned out of the carriage window, wanting to see exactly who this 'great personage' was that terrified the people so much.

Just as Su Qing poked her head out, a staff came swinging toward her face. At the same time, a voice shouted, "Who permitted you to stick your head out?! You're asking for a beating!"

Su Qing frowned. She reached out to block it, her Dharma power vibrating slightly. Instantly, the person attacking her was knocked off their horse, falling to the ground and unable to move. This wasn't from the fall itself, but rather internal damage from Su Qing's Dharma power.

Su Qing was quite annoyed now—even more annoyed than when she encountered the bandits. To be honest, in all her time traveling, she had never met someone so unreasonable. Even bandits would at least shout a challenge before attacking. Meeting someone who swung a staff the moment they saw her was a first. They were even more irrational than bandits.

"Hmph! Who is in that carriage? Come out! How dare you injure my man?! Do you have a death wish?"

A deep, gruff voice boomed from behind Su Qing's carriage after the man was knocked down.

Su Qing raised an eyebrow and stepped down from the carriage. She wanted to see what kind of person made the locals so afraid and who was being so unreasonable.

Beside her, Ao Yiyi also frowned, confused by what was happening. "Sister Su?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll handle it," Su Qing replied calmly via Sound Transmission. She then stepped out of the carriage and looked at the newcomers.

However, what Su Qing saw took her by surprise. These people... their looks were quite abstract. They looked like demons.

"Wait, these people actually are demons..."

Su Qing pinched a hand seal and cast a spell. In an instant, the true forms behind those ugly human faces were revealed to her. Every single one of the riders, including the 'person' Su Qing had just punished, was a Rat Demon. These Rat Demons had somehow obtained a secret method to partially transform into human form and had pasted some false skin onto their faces to pass as humans.

This was why they were so uniquely hideous and distinctively ugly. After all, they didn't actually possess normal human faces. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them rats walking upright.

"Oho? You're quite the beauty!" While Su Qing was still surprised, the man who had ordered her out of the carriage spoke again. "Come here and entertain me well, and I might spare your life! If not, I'll kill you, cook you, and feed you to the dogs!"

Listening to the Rat Demon's threats, Su Qing couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter.

"You're seeking death! What are you laughing at?" The man asked, visibly enraged by her laughter.

Su Qing shook her head and said, "I'm laughing at your lack of wisdom, and I'm laughing because you're seeking death."

To be honest, although Su Qing had been amused, her mood remained poor. Consequently, her tone lacked its usual gentleness. After all, gentleness was for her own people, not for those who provoked her.

"You! You're dead!" The Rat Demon roared. He spurred his horse forward, attempting to trample Su Qing.

Beside her, Li Yichou didn't look panicked at all; she was already offering a silent prayer for the man on the horse. While she didn't know the full extent of Su Qing's power, she knew that such a minor matter didn't require her to step in. The only thing she couldn't understand was why the usually low-profile Su Qing was taking action personally today. She even sensed a hint of anger from her.

Su Qing didn't panic either. She simply held out her hand and said, "Yiyi, hand me the sword... I'm afraid hitting him with my fists would dirty my hands."

Ao Yiyi handed the longsword to Su Qing. Upon taking it, Su Qing didn't even use a hand seal; she simply glanced at the horse. The animal immediately froze, not daring to take another step forward.

As Su Qing walked toward the Rat Demon, she said calmly, "I truly wonder... just how useless the local government must be to allow creatures like you to strut through the streets like this and still be alive."

The Rat Demon wanted to counterattack, but he suddenly found himself unable to speak—and even worse, he couldn't move a muscle. He could only watch in terror as Su Qing approached him with the sword.

She then swung the sword, planting it into the ground right beside the Rat Demon, and said: "However, just because the local government can't handle you doesn't mean we can't. That said, I won't kill you here! If you don't want to die, get lost!"

Hearing Su Qing's words, the Rat Demon could only swallow hard, his entire body trembling with extreme fear. This sense of oppression from a superior being was something he hadn't even felt from his own Great King. This suffocating dread made him feel like he was about to die.

"Get lost!" Su Qing said again, her voice flat.

The Rat Demon scrambled up and fled instantly, not daring to look back once.

Su Qing let out a cold snort, her gaze sweeping over the other few Rat Demons. In an instant, the remaining small demons lost their wits and fled in a desperate scramble.

Seeing them flee, Su Qing quietly pinched a spell and marked the escaping demons. She planned to settle into an inn first and then wipe them all out in one go later. It was better to cast a long line to catch the big fish; killing a few small demons wasn't as effective as taking down the Demon King behind them.