Chapter 123 The Conclusion of Tiger-Slaying

　　The Tiger-Slaying operation, mobilizing the powerful firearms of the Shenji Camp, came to an end.

　　Lord Tiger was executed.

　　However, Wei Yuan's heart remained complex. The Mountain God Temple had already been destroyed by continuous rocket bombardments. After the substitute 'Mountain Lord' lost its aura, the remaining structure of the Mountain God Temple collapsed with a crash. The previously solid beams and wood visibly rotted.

　　The rear troops quickly ascended Crouching Tiger Mountain.

　　Behind the Mountain God Temple, they found a mass grave.

　　The missing people were all inside, a full hundred of them, all killed by the demons.

　　Such a scene, in the long-peaceful Hua country, could be described as shocking.

　　While the soldiers began to deal with this Mountain God Temple, Wei Yuan looked at the huge corpse of the fierce tiger. The Crouching Tiger Waist Token still radiated a burning sensation. He drew out his broken sword, following the feeling transmitted from the waist token, and found the part where the sensation was strongest.

　　It was the bird-faced sore.

　　He drew out his broken sword, pierced the bird-faced sore, and cut it open.

　　A low tiger roar echoed in his ears, followed by the unwilling cries of a bird. Extreme resentment and anger converged, gathering in the bird-faced sore, stirring up a gale, and finally transforming into a delicate feather, slowly fluttering into Wei Yuan's palm, faintly carrying the insane aura of a demon choosing someone to devour, then being enveloped by the Crouching Tiger Waist Token.

　　The feather was sucked into the waist token.

　　"What happened?"

　　Zhou Yi stood beside him. Wei Yuan put away his broken sword, unsure how to explain for a moment. He thought for a moment and said:

　　"Lord Tiger had a bird-faced sore."

　　"And there are still doubts about this matter."

　　He put away his sword and said, "The real Mountain Lord may still be alive."

　　…………………………

　　Rear Command Post.

　　Wei Yuan and the first batch of special forces soldiers to ascend the mountain, the special operations team members, had all returned.

　　But he felt that the gazes of the people around him were a little strangely hidden.

　　A bit like looking at rare animals in a zoo.

　　The calm-faced officer gave Wei Yuan a complex look. After listening to him finish speaking about the possibility of the Mountain Lord being alive, he was silent for a moment, then opened his mouth and said, "First of all... we need to confirm Mr. Wei Yuan's identity."

　　"Identity?"

　　The officer nodded.

　　This was in the military camp, and he also wanted to confirm the doubts in his heart. Lord Tiger had indeed said that, but his reason told him that even the most accomplished people could not live as long as demons. After thinking left and right, he chose the most direct style of the military and asked, pressing a button.

　　The last part of the communication, the Mountain Lord's words, echoed in the room. The communications officer, who had been in the rear, had already experienced the shock once and was still able to maintain the expression on his face. Zhou Yi and the other members who ascended the mountain together changed their expressions drastically, turning their heads to look at Wei Yuan, who was holding his sword, as if seeing an old monster.

　　Several Daoist priests from the Tianshi Mansion stared at him intently, seemingly prepared to carry him back to the mountain if he admitted it.

　　A living ancestor, they would tie him up and take him back.

　　Wei Yuan was stunned and said, "This information was interfered with by demonic power, right?"

　　He explained, laughing wryly, "What Lord Tiger said at the time was, 'So it's you,' not referring to me. The sentence after that, he said, 'Your ancestors suppressed me here.' As for mentioning Celestial Master Zhang Daoling..."

　　Wei Yuan paused slightly, and said with a free and easy manner:

　　"Probably because the talismans I used were cast by Daoist priests from the Tianshi Mansion."

　　"So he mistook me for a disciple of the Tianshi Mansion and said that since Celestial Master Zhang had already passed away, he would first take revenge on this junior of mine. Do you really believe that I am an ancient cultivator from two thousand years ago? The first generation of Celestial Master Zhang has already ascended to immortality, so why would I still be alive?"

　　"Moreover, my place of origin, my files, and the household registration database should all have them."

　　"Surely these can't be faked, right?"

　　Wei Yuan's expression was calm, and what he said could be completely explained.

　　Moreover, compared to the idea that he was an old senior from the same generation as Zhang Daoling, his statement was more convincing and more in line with the common sense of modern people. At least everyone could accept it more easily and was more willing to accept it. The officer slowly took a breath and said:

　　"So that's how it is. It seems it was just a misunderstanding."

　　"But Mr. Wei, what did you mean when you said that Lord Tiger isn't dead?"

　　Wei Yuan pondered for a moment and said:

　　"When I was cleaning up my ancestral home, I found a fragment of an ancient classic, which had a portrait of the demons in this Mountain God Temple, so I carried it with me. When I killed the painted-skin Bone Lady before, a part of the portrait turned gray, and when I killed Lord Tiger just now, what turned dark wasn't Lord Tiger, but his subordinate."

　　"And that Lord Tiger had a bird-faced sore. I suspect that what we killed was just his substitute."

　　………………

　　When he went down the mountain just now, Wei Yuan had quietly used the Crouching Tiger Waist Token to imprint an image on a piece of white paper, so that the white paper showed those portraits with a trace of spiritual charm. When erasing the two demons, the burning-like situation also made the white paper turn yellow and extremely ancient.

　　He handed over this volume of strange and chaotic records to the military.

　　Wei Yuan saw the special operations team members video-calling an old man with white hair.

　　His expression wasn't very good.

　　The old man looked in Wei Yuan's direction, smiled slightly, and then ended the video call.

　　The Daoist priest from the Tianshi Mansion who had applied the Evil-Breaking and Demon-Slaying Talisman to Wei Yuan said:

　　"According to my elders in the Tianshi Mansion, there are indeed similar methods, but this is generally done after defeating a demon, because for some reason it cannot be killed, so it can only be sealed, in order to remind the guards when the demon shows signs of disturbance. It contains a trace of the demon's soul."

　　"So that Mountain Lord is really still alive, and we don't know where he's run off to."

　　The expressions of the crowd darkened slightly.

　　Wei Yuan thought of what the painted-skin Bone Lady said when she begged for mercy.

　　An ordinary wealthy woman from ancient times had become cunning and treacherous after a thousand years.

　　Not to mention a fierce tiger in the mountains with an unknown amount of cultivation.

　　The great demons of ancient times, the opponents of the first Celestial Master Zhang Daoling, of course, would not be such simple characters.

　　However, the sky is falling, and there are tall people to support it. Eat as much as your stomach can handle.

　　His current strength is enough to deal with some small demons and monsters, but this kind of big demon should be left to this generation of Daoist Celestial Masters and Zen Buddhist monks to worry about. After blessing a bunch of talismans, facing a weakened version of the fake, he could only entangle with it for a moment. If he went up against the real big demon now, he could only deliver a meal as a sliding delivery.

　　Seeing that there was nothing for him to do next, Wei Yuan took the initiative to say goodbye and leave.

　　After Wei Yuan left, the officer took a sip of water, and the communications officer next to him took off his glasses and said in a familiar tone: "...Old Li, do you really believe what Wei Yuan said? His file has no problems, which is normal, but combined with his skills, it's quite abnormal."

　　"And there are many coincidences in what he just said. I can be sure that it's not that simple."

　　The officer shook his head and interrupted him, saying:

　　"Alright, alright, stop it..."

　　"Everyone has secrets. He helped us, so there's no need to get to the bottom of things."

　　"And what if he really is, what if he really is an old monster? Are you really planning to have a living ancestor in your sect? A friend of Zhang Daoling, what should the current Celestial Master do? Even if the old Celestial Master doesn't care, what about the old Celestial Master's disciples? What would they think?"

　　"Less trouble is better than more trouble. He says he's an ordinary person, so let him be..."

　　"My Divine Land is so big that it can accommodate these so-called strange people and strangers."

　　………………

　　Zhang Yue finished his live broadcast for the day.

　　As his fame grew, he had quit his original job and no longer had to run outside to drive fast, nor did he have to do live broadcasts until dawn.

　　Today, a wealthy fan made a bold statement on the spot, saying that as long as he could eat a whole sheep tomorrow, he would receive a big reward.

　　That was a number that Zhang Yue was looking forward to.

　　But he knew his appetite, and even if he added that seasoning, he wouldn't be able to eat the whole sheep.

　　What should he do?

　　Zhang Yue thought as he put the food on the table.

　　His daughter sat obediently opposite him, but her little face seemed a little paler.

　　Zhang Yue put food on his daughter's plate, and then ate while thinking about this problem. The little girl carefully glanced at her father and said:

　　"Daddy, Daddy, why are your teeth getting sharper and sharper?"

　　Zhang Yue said with a smile, "If your teeth aren't sharp, how can you crush bones, tear muscles, and eat them?"

　　The little girl nodded, and then whispered:

　　"Daddy, Daddy, why are your eyes getting redder and redder?"

　　Zhang Yue replied, "Is it because I look at the screen every day, making the corners of my eyes red?"

　　"Daddy, Daddy, why is your face getting paler and paler when you eat so much?"

　　Zhang Yue replied with a smile, "Maybe I'm not eating enough?"

　　"If I don't do this, how can I cure your illness?"

　　He thought about how he could eat a whole sheep, add more of that seasoning, and that should do it.

　　But the little girl lowered her head and murmured:

　　"But, Daddy, Daddy."

　　"I'm not sick..."