Chapter 33 - Old Servant Qian Bao
The casting of Dharma spells instantly portrayed how deep and profound a cultivator"s attainment in the Dharma. Furthermore, casting them would only expend a tiny bit of Quintessential Essence. For methods such as relying on Dao talismans to cast Dharma spells, it was necessary to know that every Dao talisman was difficult to produce as every material used in its production was worth a fortune. Furthermore, the production of talismans had a high failure rate. Failure also meant that the materials would end up worthless.
For Qin Yun who did not know the art of producing talismans, Dao talismans were things he would try his best to gather.
Using Dao talismans could simply be said to be throwing fortunes! A simple Dao talisman thrown meant a hundred taels of silver. More powerful ones meant a thousand taels. Who wouldn"t feel the pinch? Who could afford such expenditures? Therefore, the value of a talisman amulet that could be used multiple times was accentuated. As long as one took good care of the talisman amulet, one could use it their entire life. However, the price was ridiculously high. Qin Yun had only managed to get a rather low-end pair of talisman amulets.
"She is beginning to channel the Dharma spell and a wind is beginning to stir. This is the precursor to a Dharmic Dao." White Tiger did not dare ignore it. He took a step forward and charged at Yi Xiao as he cleaved his axe down at her. However, Qin Yun"s sword blocked the axe. With a curve of the sword beam, it thrust straight at a vital part beneath White Tiger"s hip, making it defend in shock.
"This sword immortal is too agile. The Dharma treasure he has is also way too powerful. He can completely defend against me. There is no way I can stop that la.s.s from channeling her Dharmic Dao."
As for using the Wind Thunder Rocks?
Under Qin Yun"s hindrance, there was no way for him to divert his attention to control the Wind Thunder Rocks. They would end up extremely weak in strength, implying that they would be unable to pose a threat to Yi Xiao.
"Underlings!" White Tiger bellowed angrily. "All of you, come here and kill that female cultivator!"
He could not spare the time to kill Yi Xiao but there were nearly a hundred demons! Those who were adept at Dharmic Dao were usually weak in melee combat. As long as a handful of demons closed in on her, it would disrupt her channeling even if she was not killed.
"Yes!"
"Yes, King White Tiger."
"Kill the female cultivator!"
The demons did not dare make any delay as they immediately gave up dealing with Jia Huairen and his servant. They turned and charged at Yi Xiao.
Going back to a few minutes ago in time, there had been two battlefields in Mist Lake Valley. On one side, it was White Tiger cleaving his axe at Qin Yun with great confidence while Qin Yun blocked it head-on. On the other side, more than a hundred demons were swarming crazily towards Jia Huairen and his servant.
"Run!"
Uncle Qian was darting forward while closing the distance with Jia Huairen.
"Are the both of you hoping to escape?" Several demons pounced over from the mountaintop. They jumped over and were the first to block the duo"s route of escape.
"Whoever obstructs us shall die!" Uncle Qian roared ferociously. With a flash of his figure, he appeared beside a demon. He stabbed his claw straight into the demon"s head, instantly killing it on the spot.
"Be careful!" The other demons were alarmed.
Uncle Qian was like a ghost. Although he was severely injured, his frenzied state was enough to scare the demons into retreating. Even so, another demon had its heart shattered by Uncle Qian.
These demons began avoiding him as they circled their surroundings but did not retreat far.
"I know you. You are that old dog from Heightened district. How are you to fight us with your serious injuries?"
"You want to protect that human?"
"You won"t be able to protect him. Both of you will die today."
As the demons in the vicinity began arriving, their numbers naturally increased. The numbers went from a handful to ten as it continued increasing. These demons also knew about a dog demon in Grand Dominance County. He was extremely powerful, stronger than the nineteen demon leaders under the water G.o.d"s command. However, he had been loyally offering his services to the Jia family of the Heightened district!
However, at that point in time, the surrounding demons could tell that the demon dog servant was severely injured. After all, he had been injured by a weapon that was controlled by the Connate realm White Tiger. It possessed immense power.
"Get lost, all of you! Even if I were to die, I"ll drag you down with me! Come up if you have the guts!" Uncle Qian roared as he crazily took the initiative to attack the demons.
It was because he was acutely aware that if he allowed the demons surrounding him to increase in number, he and Huairen would eventually be doomed.
He had to give his all.
"Rip." Uncle Qian left a gaping hole in a demon apart as he ripped its chest.
"Phew." He bit with his mouth and snapped the neck off a demon.
"I"m going to die this time but Huairen has to live on. He has to!" Uncle Qian was in a frenzy.
"This old dog is mad."
"Let"s join forces!"
"Surround and kill him!"
The surrounding demons were originally waiting for their numbers to increase. With the numbers advantage, they could vanquish the human and demon in front of them in one fell swoop. However, if they did not take the initiative to attack, they would be killed by Uncle Qian"s incessant attacks!
"Attack!"
"Kill!" The demons immediately closed in frenetically.
"Come on. Come on. Coming here means death!" Uncle Qian"s figure flashed again and again. His speed was extremely fast. It was what he was best at. Every flash he made, his sharp claws would rip a gaping wound or penetrate the demons" vital spots. At times, he would directly bite the other demons to death.
As he was surrounded, the attacks from the other demons landed on Uncle Qian. To possess such strength after being struck by the Wind Thunder Rocks, it showed how mighty his body was, one that could match Chu Yong. The attacks of these demons constantly piled more injuries on his body.
"Roar!" A lizard demon bit the old servant"s thigh.
Uncle Qian turned around and pierced his claw through the lizard demon"s neck. With a twist, he snapped off the lizard demon"s head! However, large amounts of flesh were still missing from his thigh. Immediately, his speed decreased drastically.
Bam! A bear demon"s paw slammed onto the enc.u.mbered Uncle Qian. He was sent flying with blood spewing from his mouth. In mid-air, he did a somersault and scratched another demon that tried to sneak up on him to death.
"It"s almost the end for this old dog."
"He has become slower."
These demons were turning increasingly furious because more than ten of their peers had died since they began their a.s.sault just moments ago.
However, Uncle Qian continued his mania. The fur on his head stood up as his eyes burned with derangement. All the demons that were slightly closer to Jia Huairen received a crazy retaliation from Uncle Qian.
A huge chunk of flesh had been bitten off my thigh?
Faster! Be faster!
In his mania, Uncle Qian was able to maintain about seventy to eighty percent of his peak speed.
However—
There were more and more demons gathering. The old servant"s injuries were worsening. The situation began to make the old servant feel despair.
"No, no. Even if I were to die, I have to let Huairen live on." Scenes began arising in the old servant"s mind.
"Qian Bao, come. Try carrying him." An elder handed a baby from a cradle to his old servant, Uncle Qian.
Uncle Qian looked into the cradle at the baby excitedly. When he saw the baby giggling, he could not help but gently stroke the baby"s face.
"Master, what name are you giving him?" Uncle Qian asked.
"I"m just an abject scholar. Qian Bao, you managed to gain sentience, allowing you to help me establish my career and have a child in my advanced years." The elder looked at the baby in the cradle. "I won"t be able to take care of him for long. I just wish that his heart will be kindhearted and just, so as to make my Jia family flourish. Let"s call him Huairen."
"Huairen? Huairen?" Uncle Qian muttered the name and was overjoyed.
"Father."
A boy was kneeling by the bedside. On the bed was an old man who was fatally ill. He looked at Uncle Qian beside him and said, "Qian Bao, I"m leaving Huairen to you. I don"t feel at ease if it were anyone else. Please take good care of him."
"Alright, Master. Don"t worry. I will definitely take good care of him. Definitely." Uncle Qian"s face was covered in tears. He had gained sentience and had turned into a demon. During his transformation, he ended up looking like an old man because his master was also an old man.
His master was the most important thing in his life.
When he was still an ordinary puppy, his master had taken care of him well. Whenever his master had food to eat, he too would be given food.
"Huairen." Uncle Qian looked at the child kneeling beside him.
As he watched Huairen grow up, he hired private tutors and obtained Qi Refinement methods. He had even thought of means to get Huairen into a cultivation sect! Of course, Jia Huairen could only enter a third-rate cultivation sect with a possibility of becoming immortal. Uncle Qian had done his best. He had also sought all sorts of cultivation methods. Although they were mostly incomplete, he had already done his best.
When Jia Huairen was young, he could still discipline him.
However, he couldn"t do so when Jia Huairen grew up. Or it could be said that he was a dog demon after all. He did not know how to discipline a child. He only knew how to leave the best to Huairen.
"Pu!"
A scorpion tail pierced through Uncle Qian"s abdomen, boring a huge hole in his torso. Poison began seeping into Uncle Qian"s innards.
Uncle Qian turned around and gave a fearsome scratch. The poisonous scorpion had fled frantically when its attack succeeded but its tail was torn off.
"Phew. Phew. Phew…" Uncle Qian threw the scorpion tail away. He could feel that his breathing was turning heavy and tiring. There were more than thirty demons surrounding him. All of them were hesitating as they were waiting for the moment to strike a heavy blow at him.
The demons could tell.
The old dog demon couldn"t last much longer!
"Block them. I have to block them." The old servant desperately tried his best.
Suddenly—
An angry bellow was heard.
"Underlings! All of you, come here and kill that female cultivator!"
It was the angry bellow from White Tiger in the valley.
"Yes, King White Tiger."
"Kill that female cultivator!"
The surrounding demons did not dare hesitate. They immediately retreated like a receding tide. Even the demons in the valley that were rus.h.i.+ng over came to a halt and turned back to charge at Yi Xiao.
"There"s no need to care about that old dog. He"s too severely injured. He will soon die even if we don"t touch him."
Uncle Qian stood at his spot in a daze as he watched the demons retreat. Following that, he reacted and clenched his teeth to make two forceful spurts of flight to arrive at the mountaintop. He had slaughtered a path up, almost reaching the top of the mountain all this while.
At the top, Uncle Qian collapsed to the ground. He struggled to sit up and leaned on a boulder beside the cliff.
He looked into the distance.
In the distance…
Jia Huairen had already reached as far as the eyes could see. His figure in the woods was already a blur.
"Huairen managed to live on." Uncle Qian leaned on the boulder and revealed a smile. He calmly sensed the vitality in him drain away.