Chapter 35 Slaying the Weasel
After leaving the house, the two found a breakfast shop to eat something quick and then headed towards Cheng Ming's house.
"How did you rest last night? Did the weasel come to bother you again?"
Upon seeing Cheng Ming, Chen Cheng asked.
"No, no, Lili and I both slept very well last night."
Cheng Ming answered excitedly.
"That's good. Let's make something delicious for lunch so we can go up the mountain this afternoon to make preparations. We'll definitely get rid of that nasty weasel tonight!"
"Okay, okay, I'll go to the market to buy groceries in a bit, and I'll make sure you're satisfied with lunch."
Mu Lili hadn't been "picked" in the furnace for the past two nights, and her energy and spirit had recovered considerably. At noon, she helped Cheng Ming cook a table full of dishes, including braised prawns, braised chicken, steamed sea bass, and braised pork. Chen Cheng was extremely satisfied with the meal.
"What a foodie."
Zhang Qian watched him wolf down his food, lacking any semblance of a master's demeanor, and couldn't help but laugh and scold him inwardly. However, she also knew that this was Chen Cheng's true nature—unpretentious and genuine, a quality that the men pursuing her lacked.
In the afternoon, the three of them returned to Panlong Mountain. Chen Cheng gave each of them a concealment talisman, while he himself pushed aside the dense vines and thorns and came to the edge of the cliff. Zhang Qian's heart was in her throat as she watched.
He nimbly climbed up the cliff face like a monkey toward the tall, smooth rock, took out the nylon rope he had infused with magic the night before, set a trap there, and then returned the way he came. Zhang Qian quickly went to the edge of the cliff, grabbed his hand, and pulled him up.
Once the three were far from the cliff, Cheng Ming finally spoke, "Master Chen, I'm so moved. You risked your life for us, I...I..."
Then she choked up and couldn't continue.
"Brother Cheng, I'm not only doing this for you, but also for all living beings. After it killed my sister-in-law, it will go after the next family. That's why we have to get rid of it as soon as possible. Now, all we can do is wait, wait for the full moon tonight, and wait for it to come out and worship the moon..."
After an anxious wait, night finally arrived. Tonight, the moon was indeed round and bright, its silvery light spilling over the mountains, creating a dreamlike atmosphere. The reflections of the mountains layered upon each other under the moonlight, forming mysterious shadows, like giant monsters lurking in the shadows, ready to devour everything at any moment. These shadows sent chills down one's spine, and one couldn't help but shiver. The chirping of some unknown birds or insects added to the eerie atmosphere of the silent forest.
At this moment, Zhang Qian and Cheng Ming, who were sitting in the car, felt a sense of oppression and fear, and their bodies even trembled slightly. This was caused by the yin energy of the mountains in the dark night.
Chen Cheng took out a calming talisman, made a hand seal, and silently chanted twice. With a "whoosh," the talisman burst into flames, and the oppressive emotions in the car instantly vanished. Cheng Ming and Zhang Qian felt a lightness on their bodies, and their anxious hearts suddenly calmed down.
After the talisman fire went out, the car was plunged into darkness again. Zhang Qian leaned against Chen Cheng and gradually slid into his arms, holding him tightly with both hands.
Cheng Ming sat in the driver's seat, and Chen Cheng didn't dare to refuse, but simply put his hand gently on her slender waist.
Two more hours passed, and it was already midnight. This was the time of day when the yin energy was at its strongest. If I'm not mistaken, the weasel had already begun preparing to worship the moon.
Chen Cheng gently patted Zhang Qian's back, gesturing for her to sit up. Knowing that what he was doing tonight was important, Zhang Qian obediently got up and whispered, "Be careful, I'll wait for you here."
After saying that, she gently kissed his cheek without making a sound.
"Okay, I understand. You two, take your talismans and don't get out of the car."
Cheng Ming, sitting in the front row, said, "Yes, Master Chen, don't worry, I'll listen to you."
Chen Cheng was about to open the car door when Zhang Qian grabbed his arm again: "You must be careful!"
Chen Cheng gently patted her small hand, then opened the car door and silently made his way to the edge of the cliff. He had a natural ability to see ghosts, and things like darkness and fog were nothing to him. He quickly found his way to the edge of the cliff.
Under the cold, silvery moonlight, atop the towering rock knelt a weasel over a foot long, its front paws clasped together, devoutly worshipping the moon. Its body trembled slightly, and its eyes gleamed with a chilling light. Its fur appeared soft and glossy in the moonlight, as if it had absorbed the moon's essence. Each time it worshipped the moon, it would lower its head slightly and then raise it again, as if expressing its reverence to the moon.
If we don't act now, when will we?
Chen Cheng found one end of the rope and exerted a slight force. The weasel, which was kneeling in devout worship, began to squeak loudly. However, no matter how it struggled, it could not break free from the rope infused with Taoist magic. The reason it hadn't noticed was because Chen Cheng had used two concealment talismans beforehand while it was soaking. Furthermore, it had been hit by Zhang Qian's sulfur powder and had a portion of its soul severed by Chen Cheng, causing its cultivation to decline. This made it unprepared and hastily rushing to the night of the full moon, hoping to recover some energy with the moon's essence before attempting to kill the couple in the Nightmare Array. Unexpectedly, before it even began, it was captured by a trap set by someone!
Chen Cheng pulled the rope up in a few quick movements. It struggled to bite, but Chen Cheng stepped on its neck, rendering it unable to move.
"You wicked beast, you have defied the laws of Heaven by entering the mortal world and harming several women. Tonight, I will act on behalf of Heaven and kill you here to pay for the lives of those mortals who died at your hands!"
The weasel was terrified. Enduring the pain of burning its cultivation, it spoke in human language: "Daoist, please forgive me. I have finally cultivated for two hundred years. I will not go down the mountain to harm people again. I will cultivate in the mountain. Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life. Please let me go this time!"
"You dare to say that Heaven cherishes life? If I release you, how can I give an explanation to the women you used as a furnace to kill?"
Seeing that Chen Cheng was determined, the weasel revealed its ferocious nature, wanting to conjure up its own phantom image to fight him. However, Chen Cheng was prepared. When he planted the concealment talisman in the rope, he also planted the soul-fixing talisman. It would take more than three hundred years of cultivation for it to break through the shackles, let alone the fact that it was only two hundred years old and its soul was damaged.
"Please, don't kill me..."
The weasel continued to yell.
Chen Cheng ignored it, took out a peach wood sword from his bag, infused it with Taoist magic, and then chopped down on the weasel's head. A golden light flashed, and the weasel's head and body separated. Immediately afterward, he quickly lit a talisman and shot it at the body, then took out another and shot it at the severed head.
"Squeak squeak squeak"
The weasel's spirit was also burned to ashes by the karmic fire, and from then on, the world was free of a harmful monster!
A thicker, golden psychic force appeared above his head and entered his body through the crown of his head.
"Comfortable"!
Chen Cheng stretched out his hands, feeling the power brought by his mental energy. Compared to the last time he dealt with Lü Xiachan, when his mental energy was like a drop of water, tonight he received ten drops of water gathered into a small column of water, causing small waves in his dantian. His master told him that the more mental energy he had, the stronger his Daoist magic would become. Right now, his Daoist magic was still very weak compared to those great powers. He could easily defeat ghosts and minor demons, but he would be a bit lacking if he encountered a great demon or a ghost king.