CHAPTER 196: CHAPTER 118: ITS EXTERNAL SOUND, EXORCISE MOUNTAIN TECHNIQUE_2

When the distance to the shepherd was close enough that the blade edge could reach, the hunter could no longer suppress the anger in his heart.

He held the Mountain-Cracking Saber, standing like an upright bear. Unsure of what technique he used, his momentum suddenly surged to a level far beyond that of ordinary martial artists.

The Mountain-Cracking Saber was powerful and heavy. Just as it seemed like he would split his opponent in half, the shepherd unexpectedly lifted his smoking pipe and blew into the burning bowl.

With the sound of strong winds mixed with countless sparks and smoke, Xu Qing saw only darkness in his vision. From then on, only the sounds of the ongoing fight continued.

The scene seemed like a silent movie, but it wasn’t the sound that was silent, it was the picture.

Xu Qing could only listen blankly, helpless.

He wanted to know what methods the old shepherd had, but this initial puff from his smoking pipe had blinded him.

When the dark screen brightened again, only the hunter was left.

At this moment, the hunter lay on the ground, surrounded by birds. A crow had some clear dew and dropped it onto his smoke-blinded eyes.

After a while, the hunter faintly saw some scenery, but from Xu Qing’s perspective, it was as if a layer of mist covered everything. Anything beyond two steps was unrecognizable.

The hoarse voice of the old crow sounded: "That shepherd spared your life, but your eyes will be hard to heal."

The hunter, with a voice like charred coal in his throat, replied in the same hoarse voice.

"I’m not going to live. That old man used some sinister technique; my internal organs are already turned to charcoal. If not for that, how would he have left so easily..."

The old crow was astounded: "What nonsense are you talking about? If you’re dead, who am I speaking with?"

The hunter let out a laugh like a bellows.

"I swallowed a grass seed. As long as the Tongue-pressing Grass hasn’t drained my blood and energy, I won’t die."

The old crow looked at the hunter who was sitting up slowly, with a gaze that contained both confusion and some admiration.

"The Tongue-pressing Grass is countered by crows. If you want to detoxify, just open your mouth and let me spit some saliva. That will make it come out on its own."

"But according to you, clearing the toxin might harm you... "

"Mountain child, this thing is too difficult. I really can’t help you."

The hunter didn’t mind. He stood up, staggered a few steps, and said: "My life isn’t important, but if you really want to help, could you pass on some messages in a few days so that the immortals in the mountains know..."

The message the hunter wanted to pass on wasn’t anything else, it was the ’rumors’ that Huang Immortal Hall had taken the task to punish the shepherd.

The old crow was obviously embarrassed upon hearing this.

"The Huang Elder holds grudges. If he finds out I spread rumors, he’ll surely trouble me..."

The hunter looked in the direction of Huangpi Village and said: "This isn’t difficult. I have my ways to make him accept this task verbally."

...

Fifty miles south of Huangpi Village.

A hunter was driving the mountains.

"Over here, please turn around!"

"I am a villager of this mountain. May I ask if the Huang Elder of Huang Immortal Hall is cultivating here?"

"Hee hee, he calls me a little immortal. We are gods too!"

"If Xiao Er is a little god, then I am a great god, and Grandpa Huang is the old god..."

"Everyone quiet!"

Among the high-pitched voices of the children, a slightly older one spoke to quiet the noise.

The hunter turned to look and saw a glossy yellow weasel mimicking human speech.

"You speak well, kind sir. My name is Huang Lao Xu. I am an immortal of Huang Immortal Hall and the master of this Yellow Stripe Mountain within fifty miles..."

Huang Lao Xu’s eyes darted around, his gaze continuously falling on the game in the hunter’s hand.

They were a few lively pheasants.

The hunter’s gaze swept over the crowd of yellow weasels before finally focusing on Huang Lao Xu: "The disciple greets the immortal."

"I’ve heard the Huang Immortal Hall worshipped in Huangpi Village is also your Huang Immortal Hall. Is this true?"

Huang Lao Xu replied cheerfully: "Within a hundred miles of Yellow Stripe Mountain, ninety-nine percent worship our Huang Immortal Hall. Huangpi Village is naturally no exception."

The hunter responded calmly: "If that’s the case, I have a small matter to request, and I hope the immortal can help."

"You may say what it is. If it’s a small matter, there’s no need for me; the little immortals under my hall can solve it."

"It’s not a big deal. It’s just that some small items have gone missing from my home recently, and I suspect a passerby thief took them. If the immortal would help find the thief and the lost items, that would be enough."

Huang Lao Xu, hearing that it was a trivial matter of lost and found, decided to hand it over to one of the young immortals in his hall for practice.

Calling upon his most talented and advanced grandson, Huang Lao Xu entrusted the task to him.

The young yellow weasel, with only fifty years of cultivation, had yet to understand human treachery.

The hunter was worried that Huang Lao Xu would be hard to fool. Seeing the naive young yellow weasel gave him a chance to set a trap for the immortals to fall into.

Initially, the young Huang Immortal found it troublesome when the hunter mentioned other villagers had lost items too. But when the hunter promised generous offerings after the matter, the young Huang Immortal eagerly agreed.

If this task was accomplished, his grandfather would look at him with newfound respect, and he could walk proudly in the hall.

"Kind sir, you are generous! Then one immortal for one old chicken, and a basket of boiled eggs with double yolks!"

The young Huang Immortal didn’t know the going rates of Huang Immortal Hall or the amount of offering needed. He just spoke of what he liked.

"..."

The hunter, hearing such an exorbitant demand, couldn’t help but twitch his eyelid.

One yellow weasel for one chicken, who knows how many wives and children the elders have taken over the years!

Moreover, a basket of double-yolk eggs wasn’t easy to find. This wasn’t an animal organ readily available!

The hunter had no choice but to haggle with the young Huang Immortal.

And he had to bring the price down. Otherwise, Elder Huang Immortal would certainly notice something was wrong.

A trivial matter with such a high price, wasn’t that suspicious!

It took great effort to settle the matter, and the hunter finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, immortal. These few pheasants are offerings for now. If I need your help in the future, I hope you will lend your assistance."

Leaving Yellow Stripe Mountain, the hunter hurried home. By the time he reached his doorstep, he was already deathly pale.

At home, his pregnant wife was at a loss, dragging his body and weeping.

"Don’t cry. Let me tell you some good news. The most famous Huang Immortal Hall in the area has agreed to find the kidnapped children and punish the child traffickers. When arranging my funeral, remember to share this good news with everyone..."

"But you’ll have to endure hardship in the future." Having said his piece, the hunter looked at his wife, and his last breath left him with a sigh.

The hero’s tragic song, the warrior’s severed wrist.

After Xu Qing performed the ritual for the hunter’s body and watched his life replay, he found it vastly different from the despicable human image Huang Lao Xu had painted.

Sadly, even with the effort, the Huang Immortal Hall couldn’t defeat the shepherd.

Fortunately, the Jin Sect still had the Cat Immortal Hall keeping watch.

...

Ultimately, the Sutra of Salvation bestowed two earthly rewards.

One was "It External Sound," and the other was "Mountain Driving Technique."

"It External Sound" allowed one to hear ghost talk and divine sounds, enabling communication with birds, beasts, and insects. It was a profound technique that returned to simplicity.

Xuan Yu had once told Xu Qing that for a demon to learn human speech, one must first learn bird speech, mastering all dialects of birds before speaking human language.

However, for humans to learn bird and beast languages, a clear mind and the ability to comprehend nature were sufficient to understand their words.

As for the Mountain Driving Technique, it contained various practical secrets for Mountain Drivers who patrolled the forests. It included treasure hunting, recognizing mountain treasures, avoiding venomous creatures, enhancing strength with the Bear-Walking Qi Strengthening Technique, and using the Armored Horse Talisman for lightness.

In a short time, Xu Qing transformed from an urban zombie ignorant of foreign languages and wilderness survival into a mountain driver proficient in bird and beast languages and mountain skills.