Chapter 428.2: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind - Part 2
A young man in black carrying a saber walked out, it was precisely Chen Chao.
Seeing this young man whom he had crossed paths with before, the middle-aged scholar exclaimed, "How did you find this place?"
Chen Chao looked at this demon who already gained the ability to take human form and replied with a smile, "After killing demons so many times, I guess I've gained some experience."
The middle-aged scholar's expression fluctuated. It was a long time before he sighed and said, "I initially thought that sword cultivator would be the most difficult to deal with, but I didn't expect it to be you."
Chen Chao said calmly, "In a real fight, I may not be his match, but when it comes to tracking down demons, even ten of him can't compare to me."
The middle-aged scholar spoke softly, "It seems like you've killed many demons."
"Demons eat humans, and humans kill demons. Isn't that normal?"
Chen Chao rubbed his head. He was not in a hurry to attack, instead, he asked, "You've eaten many humans, right?"
The middle-aged scholar replied calmly, "I used to enjoy it more in the past, but in recent years, it's been less frequent."
Chen Chao nodded and said, "Well, killing you now wouldn't be entirely unwarranted."
The middle-aged scholar sneered, "You're just here for something on my body, so why pretend to be so righteous?"
Chen Chao shook his head. "It's just a side task. Killing you is still a priority."
The middle-aged scholar was momentarily puzzled.
"I hold a position in the imperial court, serving as a military official. Killing demons and protecting the people is my duty," Chen Chao added a few more words.
"So you're a warden, from Yellow Dragon Prefecture?"
The middle-aged scholar seemed to know that he had no chance of escaping this calamity, appearing rather indifferent at this moment.
Chen Chao smiled and said, "I served as the warden in Wei Prefecture a few years ago, and now I'm in the Divine Capital."
"Quite the big shot, impressive."
The middle-aged scholar praised expressionlessly.
Chen Chao did not speak.
Suddenly, the middle-aged scholar said, "I can break off the demon horn and give it to you. It's just a matter of cultivating for a few decades again. But perhaps you haven't acted yet because you're not confident of winning, right?" "In other words, you're worried that even if you exert effort to kill me, someone else will swoop in and reap the benefits?"
Chen Chao responded, "I didn't expect a demon like you to have such thoughts."
"Having eaten a lot of people, they nag in my ears all day long, so naturally, I can understand some things."
The middle-aged scholar said with a sneer, "Speaking of which, you humans are even worse than us demons."
Chen Chao did not refute but instead agreed, "Some people are indeed very scheming, and their hearts are not red. They are indeed worse than demons, but you're definitely not included."
The middle-aged scholar did not want to waste any more words and said indifferently, "So, what's your decision?"
Chen Chao did not answer that question but instead asked, "Who was the sword cultivator who inflicted that sword strike on you earlier?"
Mentioning that sword cultivator whom he hated to the core, an inexplicable trace of fear rose in the depths of the middle-aged scholar's heart for no reason. But at this moment, he did not want to dwell on these trivial details and simply said, "That man called himself Liu Banbi."
Chen Chao nodded thoughtfully, "Indeed, it's him."
The middle-aged scholar was taken aback and was about to speak, intending to inquire about their relationship.
But Chen Chao chuckled, "It's not that there's no way to kill you, I just wanted to know about this matter. Now that I know, you can die."
Before his words had even finished, Chen Chao had already arrived in front of him with a single step. Grabbing the middle-aged scholar's head, he delivered a heavy punch to his wound with his other hand.
Then, in the blink of an eye, the broken saber at his waist unsheathed, seemingly chopping off the scholar's head as ab afterthought.
Afterward, Chen Chao threw the head away, sheathed his saber, and muttered to himself, "You really thought you could survive? What were you thinking?"
The lifeless middle-aged scholar quickly transformed back into his original form. Turns out that he was a rarely-seen white deer with a pair of snow-white antlers emitting colorful lights, clearly indicating its value.
Chen Chao reached out, severed the antlers, took the demon bead, and then walked out of the main hall.
But at this moment, a figure had already appeared in front of him.
It was Xu Bai who had come flying on his sword.
Chen Chao smiled self-deprecatingly, realizing that he had underestimated this sword cultivator after all.
Xu Bai saw the snow-white deer antler in Chen Chao's hand at one glance. After landing on the ground, his expression became complicated for a moment, unsure of what to say.
Chen Chao took the initiative to speak, "These deer antlers have an owner now. Does Fellow Daoist want to test my skills?"
Xu Bai was lost in thought, thinking of his wife Jiang Ying. In the end, he shook his head and said bitterly, "Since this item has already been obtained by Fellow Daoist, I naturally won't snatch it."
After some thought, Chen Chao threw out the demon bead in his hand, "You were the one who injured the demon first. I guess I got lucky. The demon bead is yours, and I only want this pair of deer antlers."
Catching the demon bead, Xu Bai nodded, feeling somewhat ashamed as he said, "Then I'll be impolite."
Chen Chao nodded and was about to leave.
But at that moment, a voice sounded from afar, "Young friend, why didn't you inform this destitute monk when you learned of the demon's whereabouts?"
South Mountain Maitreya arrived with Jiang Ying, smiling as he looked at the snow-white deer antlers in Chen Chao's hand.
Xu Bai turned abruptly, saying in anger, "South Mountain Maitreya, do you want to die?!"
He could naturally tell that South Mountain Maitreya had captured his wife, Jiang Ying.
Unable to speak, Jiang Ying could only look at her husband with some guilt in her eyes.
"Master, how did you capture this fellow Daoist?" Chen Chao also spoke at this moment, seemingly puzzled.
South Mountain Maitreya smiled gently, "Young friend, stop playing dumb. Today, it seems this destitute monk has misjudged you. Turns out that young friend is no fledging."
Chen Chao also smiled, "But I still fell for Master's trick and had some tracker planted on me."
"It's nothing worth mentioning. Young friend, can you part with these deer antlers? They will be of great use to this destitute monk."
South Mountain Maitreya continued to smile gently, resembling a Maitreya Buddha.
"That will depend on the price Master is willing to offer."
Chen Chao put away the deer antlers, his hand resting on the hilt of his saber, narrowing his eyes.
South Mountain Maitreya narrowed his eyes, "It seems young friend is unwilling. In that case, I'll have to trouble Fellow Daoist Xu."
Xu Bai was taken aback, then immediately understood, his expression turning ugly.
It turned out that South Mountain Maitreya wanted to use him to snatch the deer antlers. Normally, Xu Bai would have left in disdain. But right now, his wife was in his hands, Xu Bai had no choice but to comply.
"Fellow Daoist Xu's Sword Dao cultivation is unmatched in the Yellow Dragon Prefecture. It shouldn't be too difficult for you to deal with an uncouth martial artist, right? However, Fellow Daoist Xu must be fully prepared. If you fails, I'm afraid that I can't guarantee Madame's life."
South Mountain Maitreya held victory in his grasp. The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. At this moment, he was the oriole.
Suddenly, Chen Chao asked, "If I hand over the antlers, will Master let me go?"
South Mountain Maitreya nodded with a smile, "Of course, after all, monks are compassionate by nature."
Chen Chao nodded, repeating, "Compassionate indeed."
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶