Transcendent Dawn

Chapter 607: Chapter 0607: Grass Demon (Three more requests for subscriptions)

The next day.

Li Shitou joined the Village Protection Squad, carrying bows, arrows, and spears with several companions, they started patrolling around the village and farmlands.

The weather was clear, a pleasant breeze blowing, the grass lush and verdant…

Roaming in the wilderness, Li Shitou could smell the fragrance of wildflowers on the tip of his nose.

If the ubiquitous “demons” were not taken into account, it would be quite a pleasant scene for an outing.

“Stay alert! Beware of the many ‘unusual’ things in the wild. Even though the majority of them are ‘demon’-level, carelessness may still cost lives… Also, there are some inexplicable bizarre things that appear and disappear randomly. If encountered, even Captain Wang can only blame his bad luck…”

The team leader Lv Bao said in a cold voice.

He was a hunter in the village, carrying a black longbow. On the days when he had no patrol, he could hunt a lot of game, which made him the object of envy in the village.

“Understood.”

The young men answered loudly.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Li Shitou looked around and found that in addition to two official members, two village teenagers known as Iron Egg and Xu Changqing were also joining them. Iron Egg’s father was a blacksmith, he was carrying a tiny heart-protecting plate on his chest. As for Xu Changqing, he was an orphan, who had been taken care of by the village. He appeared somewhat frail.

Though his father had given him a gentle and elegant name, most people still preferred to call him ‘Little Qingzi’.

Just then, Xu Changqing stumbled as if he had been tripped by a stone. He shrieked and fell at the roadside, plunging into the bushes.

“Can you not even walk properly?”

Lv Bao glared at him, his eyes round and glaring: “Are you here to protect or to be protected?”

Li Shitou rushed forward and helped Xu Changqing up immediately.

Suddenly his pupils constricted, and he quickly stepped back, “Little Qingzi, there’s grass growing on your head!”

“Huh?”

All eyes were on Xu Changqing, seeing strands of grass sprouting stubbornly atop his head, a vibrant green.

“Grass demon!”

Lv Bao snorted coldly: “The lowest-level ‘minor demon’, it’s not very lethal, but if you leave it alone, the grass roots will pierce your scalp, your skull, and finally your brain!”

With that, he snorted again in disdain: “Before leaving the village, we all had Talisman Water that made our resistance to demon-like beings comparable to that of a master martial artist who has attained ‘Refining Essence’. Such a minor demon cannot parasitize us. You being infected indicates that you are utterly worthless. You haven’t even practiced your martial arts to the point of strength suffusing your skin.”

“Deputy Captain, Little Qingzi often couldn’t afford meals and had to work for different families. Where would he have the time to practice martial arts?”

Li Shitou couldn’t help but retort.

In his mind, however, Su Lu exclaimed excitedly: “Great! What a fine block of talent… A bachelor with lush green hair on his head… If it were the beginning of a journey through time, surely he’d make a big difference.”

Li Shitou couldn’t understand any of this, but seeing the lush green grass growing rapidly, he knew that if things continued like this, Little Qingzi would be doomed. He anxiously asked in his heart, “Old man, can you save him?”

“I can’t do anything, but you can.”

Answering with a light laugh, Su Lu said, “Didn’t you see Lv Bao standing by with a cold eye? He’s waiting for you guys to make a move!”

“Me?”

Li Shitou was puzzled.

“Yes, you guys. Do you think this is a joke? The moment you leave the village, you must be ready to face death at any time. This minor grass demon is nothing but the ideal object for trial. However, don’t try to pull it out forcefully, otherwise, you will pull out your friend’s skull along with it…Under such circumstances, nip it in the bud!”

“I understand.”

Li Shitou unsheathed his crude iron knife, staring at Xu Changqing, “Little Qingzi, bear with it, don’t move!”

He took a deep breath, and slashed horizontally, “Evil Dog Pounces!”

Swoosh!

His blade swept over Xu Changqing’s head, cutting off a bunch of green grass and, at the same time, most of his hair.

Hissing sounds could be heard!

The grass made strange sounds, their roots curling.

“Ah…my head, it’s so itchy and painful.”

Xu Changqing fell to the ground, the grains of grass seeds sprouting from his head popped out and maliciously darted into the grass at the roadside, resembling “Little people” with legs.

“See that? Shitou used the correct method. They are weak creatures, just scare them and they will run away. If you are ‘Qi Refinement’ warrior, it will be much simpler. You can kill these grass demons directly with your True Qi.”

Lv Bao stepped forward to inspect and gave Xu Changqing a kick, “Get up if you’re not dead.”

“Oh.”

Xu Changqing scrambled to his feet, feeling his bumpy bald scalp, he said to Li Shitou, “Thank you for your help…”

“It…it’s nothing.”

Li Shitou sheathed his knife, he too felt relieved.

“Pretty good, you’re not bad. That one move had depth, speed, and ruthlessness…”

Another official member patted Li Shitou on the shoulder.

With such a member on the team, they could rest assured!

Xu Changqing watched this scene and silently retreated to the side, understanding this was a common human nature.

“Good boy, your muscles and bones seem well-honed, and your cultivation is almost on par with mine…”

Lv Bao marvelled, “Once you have a breakthrough and enter the Qi Refining Realm, you will be the future team leader. Then, you can eat whatever’s good in the village first and choose the prettiest girl first.”

Li Shitou hadn’t reacted to the first half of what was said, but hearing the second half made his face turn red, from his cheeks all the way to his ears, prompting Lv Bao and others to burst into laughter.

After the laughter subsided, the group continued on their way.

“There are many ‘demons’ at night, some physical, like the grass demon just now, and some non-physical… We mainly deal with them.”

Lv Bao took them up onto the ridges between the fields, looking at the farmers at work, he sighed.

“What about…the ‘Demons’?”

Li Shitou asked.

“Encountering a ‘Demon’?” Lv Bao shook his head as if recalling something unbearable, and promptly banished the thought from his mind: “Demon’s are highly aggressive and terribly powerful… facing such a disaster, if we can hang on and send a signal to the village, it would be our utmost fortune. But I can assure you this, if we encounter a ‘Demon’, none of you will survive.”

Seeing the pale faces of the young men, he laughed again, “But don’t worry, it’s not easy to run into a Demon. We may not even encounter one in several years.”

Li Shitou looked silently at the ridges of the fields.

Because the strong men were all on patrol, those working in the fields were mostly the old, weak, sick, disabled, and women.

Only during the harvest season would the patrol team join the labor-force.

His gaze swept across several women, lingered for a moment, but when he saw that they were not the woman he yearned for, he moved his gaze away.

“Huh?”

At this moment, Li Shitou noticed something strange about a young girl who was drinking water.

Clang!

The ceramic bowl she was drinking from fell to the ground and rolled about on the yellow muddy ground, the water inside spilled all over the ground.

The girl’s face was blank, slowly losing all colour, then, she suddenly turned around and walked towards the thick woods nearby.