Ch. 35
Chapter 35: The Horse-Cleaving Saber Leaves Its Sheath
Luo Li was secretly delighted.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt that hiring Chen Guan to escort this shipment had truly been the bargain of a lifetime.
Even the extra money had been worth it.
Luo Tong and the others, meanwhile, all swallowed unconsciously, and the taut string in their hearts suddenly loosened.
But none of them truly relaxed their guard. With the death of that demon python leader, the scattered roars of beasts in the surrounding marsh only began rising and falling all the more.
The oppressive aura over this region had been lifted, and the lurking little demons and monsters had begun moving about again.
More importantly, if the Demon Kings of neighboring territories discovered what had happened here, they would soon come to seize the land for themselves. And when that happened, another brutal battle would follow.
After carefully examining the surroundings and confirming there was no immediate danger, Luo Tong finally strode up and cupped his fists toward Chen Guan.
“Escort Master Chen, what should we do with the corpse of this demon python?”
Chen Guan turned his head and glanced at the enormous snake corpse, then answered flatly, “Don’t touch it. Take some of its blood and smear it onto the bellies of the horses.”
“This...!”
Everyone froze.
If that demon python’s corpse could be taken out of the marsh, its value would be no less than the reward for this escort itself!
This was a genuine great demon, at least at the peak of the Profound Passage Realm. Its flesh and bones were supreme nourishment for martial artists. If even a portion of it were carried out, the wealthy would surely fight one another like mad to seize it.
This python weighed at least twenty thousand jin.
Even if they only carried away a small portion, it would still sell for several hundred taels of silver at the very least!
The corner of Chen Guan’s mouth twitched. Looking at their reluctant expressions, he thought that this lot truly cared more for money than for their own lives.
To the human race, the body of a great demon was a wondrous treasure. But to other demons and fiends, was it not equally a feast worthy of gluttons?
To carry the corpse of a great demon with them on the road was no different from putting a blade to their own throats.
Just then, something stirred in Chen Guan’s heart. His gaze shifted toward the distant grass, and his brows drew together slightly before he spoke.
“Quick, leave this place!”
Luo Tong instantly sensed that something was wrong as well.
The insects and birds around them had, all of a sudden, fallen silent again!
He dared not hesitate. At once he ordered Liu Shuo and the others to go take the snake blood and smear it quickly onto the bellies of their remaining five horses.
Zhang Yuan, who no longer had a mount, was placed in the middle of the group for protection.
In the marshland, horses could not move very quickly. With Zhang Yuan kept within the formation, he did not find it particularly difficult to keep up.
Even so, the confusion on everyone’s faces only grew stronger.
They had originally assumed that the Grudge-Bearing Demon Apes would pursue them to the death, yet even now there was not the slightest sign of movement.
Could it be... that they had given up?
But that made no sense. Luo Li was still with them. As long as that tracking mark remained, how could the apes possibly abandon the hunt so easily?
Thus, burdened with countless doubts, the group advanced onward without incident.
Without realizing it, they covered another hundred li. Along the way, they killed two witless demonic beings and three fiendish beings that blocked their path.
But none of those creatures were especially strong. All of them were only at the Subtle Insight Realm, and under Liu Shuo and the others’ coordinated effort, they were cut down without much trouble.
Yet even so, there was still no trace at all of the Grudge-Bearing Demon Apes.
Only when the sky began to brighten and the first faint light of dawn pierced the darkness did Luo Tong finally lose the ability to hold back.
Urging his horse forward, he rode up beside Chen Guan and asked,
“Escort Master Chen... we’ve already entered deep into the Ten Directions Marsh at this point. Why have those Grudge-Bearing Demon Apes shown no movement at all?”
Hearing that, Luo Li turned her weary face around as well and looked at Chen Guan.
Chen Guan pulled on the reins and brought his horse to a halt. He turned slightly, glanced at Luo Tong, then at the others, and only then said,
“Find a place to rest first. I’ll explain afterward.”
Having said that, he flicked the reins, and the white horse beneath him resumed its steps.
“This...!”
Luo Tong seemed already accustomed to Chen Guan’s habit of holding things back. He let out a sigh and did not press the matter.
Very soon, they found a relatively clean and open pool of water.
The group halted, checked the surrounding area, casually killed two small demons nesting there, and, after confirming that there were no other lurking dangers, made their way to the edge of the pool.
Every gaze turned at once toward Chen Guan.
Clearly, all of them were waiting for him to explain the strange events they had encountered along the road.
A faintly teasing smile curled onto his lips.
“Because I’ve already removed the mark from Miss Luo.”
“What?!”
At once, everyone’s hearts jolted. Then uncontrollable joy surged upward!
Luo Tong even took an excited step forward.
“Escort Master Chen, is that true?”
Chen Guan lazily lifted his eyelids.
“Whether it’s true or not, didn’t you all see the answer for yourselves on the road?”
Luo Li was equally taken aback. By reflex, she lifted her sleeve and smelled herself—but that faint rotten-peach scent still lingered about her body.
She was just about to speak when she suddenly felt Chen Guan’s toe nudge the top of her foot lightly.
Her heart tightened.
At once, she understood something, and immediately closed her mouth without saying a word.
Only, her dusty pretty face turned visibly paler, and her beautiful eyes began darting around in fearful aftershock.
Seeing this, the last trace of doubt in the others’ hearts vanished completely, and all of them let out a great breath of relief.
After trembling with fear for three full days and nights, the noose hanging around their necks had actually been removed just like that!
Liu Shuo also hurried up with an excited expression.
“Escort Master Chen, what method did you use to remove that mark? It’s truly miraculous!”
Chen Guan took in every one of their reactions and answered casually,
“A family secret art. It isn’t convenient for me to explain.”
Luo Tong and the others immediately understood.
Who in the jianghu did not have a few hidden tricks kept at the bottom of the chest?
Since it was a secret art, it naturally belonged among the things not to be passed down. They did not ask any further.
The tension in their nerves, wound tight for days, finally relaxed. Luo Tong asked with visible ease,
“Then from here, can we leave the Ten Directions Marsh and go meet up with Li Fei and the others?”
Chen Guan swept his gaze around the area, then raised a hand and pointed ahead.
“If we continue straight on from here, we’ll eventually reach the Cangliang Mountains.”
“The Cangliang Mountains stretch across Great Zhou. Crossing them would cut a third off the journey, so we’ll head directly into Great Zhou.”
“Once we arrive, we can have the local Escort Guild Council send word by carrier pigeon to Li Fei and the others in Wangbei City. We’ll wait for them in one of the towns ahead.”
“That works.” Luo Tong nodded. “It will also give them enough time to rest and recover from their wounds.”
At those words, Zhang Yuan’s smile stiffened ever so slightly, though he concealed it almost immediately.
Then Chen Guan’s gaze once more shifted ahead as he said,
“One hundred li farther on, we’ll enter the territory of another great demon.”
“So long as we cross that great demon’s territory, we’ll be able to cut straight through.”
“Good!”
The others answered in unison, their morale rising sharply as they immediately followed after Chen Guan.
“Hyah!”
Chen Guan pressed lightly against the horse’s belly. Just as the horse began to move, his face turned grave in an instant.
Then he fully opened his six senses, drawing every movement of wind and grass within a li into his perception. Step by step, he advanced with calm steadiness and utmost vigilance.
By contrast, Luo Tong and the others behind him now wore easy expressions filled with the comfort of those who had survived calamity.
Liu Shuo had even relaxed enough to begin chatting quietly with Zhang Yuan and the others.
Thus they advanced with intermittent stops and starts. When some witless little demons or monsters blocked the road, they killed them if it was convenient. If they encountered a powerful aura, they simply detoured around it.
The sun gradually rose higher, and the demonic wind sweeping through the marsh carried a damp, bloody stench.
Chen Guan glanced at Luo Li before him and noticed that this little girl had suddenly become especially obedient. All along the road, she had not uttered a single word.
Then his gaze swept across everyone’s faces one by one, and in the end lingered on Zhang Yuan for a few moments longer.
He noticed that, though Zhang Yuan was clearly the youngest Escort Master in the group besides himself, the man wore a perpetually haggard expression, as though he were still exhausted from the great battle at all times.
And just then, the grass ahead suddenly stirred!
Shing!
With a swift motion, Chen Guan drew the horse-cleaving saber from his shoulder in one fluid stroke!