Chapter Ten: The Woeful Enchantress!

“Does Lin Yue know about this?” Hao Yun wasn’t particularly eager to bring Lin Yue along. After all, while instructing Ling’er on the journey, he couldn’t just shut Lin Yue out entirely.

“Does she know me?” Lin Tiannan chuckled. “That girl? The moment she hears she can go out to play, she’s overjoyed. Forget refusing, she might not even remember me.”

“Tsk tsk, you’re not doing a very good job as a father,” Hao Yun sneered, giving Lin Tiannan a disdainful look. Just that, huh? Hmph!

Still, he didn’t refuse. After all, in his past life, watching dramas, he quite liked that girl, Yue.

“Hehe, Grand Master, you agree then? Yue, hurry up! The Grand Master has agreed to take you and Ling’er to Nanzhao!”

…

Under Lin Tiannan’s crafty persuasion, Hao Yun was forced to accept Lin Yue’s company.

After bidding farewell to his father, Lin Yue clung to Ling’er’s arm, her eyes shining brightly as she asked, “Grand Master, where are we headed next to slay demons and eradicate evil?”

“To slay demons and eradicate evil? That’s quite a list…” Hao Yun silently glanced at the demon profiles Su Ping had just sent over, his gaze tinged with amusement. Given Tang Dynasty’s current might, the original story’s demons hadn’t escaped a single one…

Heh, the Celestial Court really thinks humans are fools?

Whether fox spirits, spider demons, toad demons, or even the Red Demon King—ask around, does any dare to act recklessly before the Tang?

If you kill a single person, whether in the highest heaven or the deepest underworld, the Tang will drag you out and execute you!

To put it bluntly: kill them all, kill them all, kill them all!

“Grand Master? Grand Master?” Noticing Hao Yun lost in thought, Lin Yue boldly poked his cheek. Feeling the moisture on his face, Hao Yun opened his eyes just in time to see Yue’s finger pointed straight at him.

“What are you trying to do?”

“Hehe… Grand Master,” Yue teased, “I just want to touch your skin to see if it’s as smooth as Ling’er said…”

That sentence spoke volumes. Hao Yun glanced expressionlessly at Zhao Ling’er, whose face flushed crimson as she quickly pulled her best friend aside. “My dear bestie, I still need to stick close to the Grand Master!”

“You said that, and Master will definitely guess all the mischief I did while he was asleep… Oh no, I’m doomed! I’ll surely be expelled from the sect!”

Hao Yun wasn’t interested in the petty concerns of the two young ladies. Stroking his beard thoughtfully, he mused: Since you’ve both come knocking at my door, refusing you doesn’t seem very fitting, does it?

I am a protector of the human realm; surely I can’t let you be bullied.

“All right, I just received a report—a fox spirit and a snake demon have been abducting many townsfolk in Suzhou Town. Normally, this would be handled by the Jin Yi Wei and the Suzhou branch of the Astronomical Bureau. But since you want to train, go ahead and give it a try!”

“Really? That’s fantastic!”

Upon hearing they could exorcise demons, Lin Yue immediately leapt with excitement. Her favorite tales were those of ghosts and monsters. She had long dreamed of becoming a great hero, a sword immortal!

“Master, are you sure we can intervene? What if we accidentally harm the townsfolk?”

Compared to Yue, Zhao Ling’er, having interned at the Suzhou government office, was more cautious. Her first concern wasn’t the training but whether innocent civilians might be hurt.

Hearing Ling’er’s words, the once elated Lin Yue instantly calmed down.

“Yes, Grand Master, there will be plenty of chances to train. We cannot recklessly endanger the lives of the people. Perhaps it’s best to let the Jin Yi Wei handle it?”

Hao Yun nodded approvingly. Both girls were excellent—Ling’er was prudent, Yue kind-hearted. Once matured, they would become pillars guarding humanity.

“Haha, what are you two thinking with those little heads? With me around, nothing will go wrong. Stop overthinking and focus on rescuing the people.”

Ruffling Ling’er’s hair and gently nudging her toward Yue, Hao Yun’s backing instantly dispelled their earlier worries. The two girls began chattering excitedly, plotting how to deal with the enemy.

“Ling’er, I heard demons are very cautious… maybe throw a stun spell first?”

“A stun spell is too weak. I think a binding spell is better. But the safest is to hit them with a Grand Master’s talisman right away—instant kill!”

“Uh… if it doesn’t kill immediately, I’ll finish with Dragon-Slaying Sword Qi?”

“Then use a hurricane spell to blow the ashes into the sky, ensuring no chance of resurrection!”

“No, I think the Taoist Golden Light Spell is better—it can bless the souls without harming the environment…”

The girls’ conversation grew increasingly fierce. Hao Yun followed behind, sweating profusely. Apart from the stun and binding spells, the others were supreme immortal arts!

For just two minor demons who hadn’t even reached the Golden Core stage, they’d be reduced to ashes at first contact. But could the girls really survive a single encounter?

Had he perhaps taught them to be too cautious?

Soon, the three arrived at the snake demon’s lair. Upon entering the mountain, a chilling, sinister cold swept over them.

“Be careful, the air might be toxic!”

Ling’er’s face changed as she swiftly cast twelve talismans that hovered protectively before them.

Hao Yun twitched at the corner of his mouth, looking down at the four glowing spells on his body: Vajra Spell, Purification Garment Spell, Ice Heart Technique, and Triggered Resurrection Spell. He had maxed out revival, detoxification, abnormal status removal, and defense support!

All this for a tiny fox spirit? Really?

In front, Ling’er prepared her Five Qi to Yuan (a major healing spell) with one hand, and Crazy Thunder Descent (an ultimate area lightning attack) with the other, ready to heal and unleash havoc at any moment, while constantly reminding Yue.

“Yue, draw your sword! Watch out for surprise attacks!”

“All right!”

Lin Yue already had her left hand poised in a Yang Finger strike, the right wielding Dragon-Slaying Sword Qi. Hao Yun shook his head helplessly. Fox spirits, snake demons—I’m not that I won’t spare you. In fact, I quite admire your cross-species love…

But I doubt you’ll get a single word in before we finish you off.

And as for telling Ling’er not to be so jumpy… what a joke! When facing enemies, the only option is to utterly annihilate them! What if they harm my precious disciples? The enemy’s fate is sealed.

As expected, just as in the original Sword and Fairy storyline, the snake demon and fox spirit, who had caused so much trouble for the protagonists, didn’t even manage to utter a single word before being blasted into ash by thunder, sword qi, and Yang Finger. They were then whipped by Golden Light and Falling Rock spells—an utterly grisly scene.