Guarding the Prison for 100 Years, I Emerge to Overwhelm the Demon Venerable

"Sir, you exterminated the Demon Tiger for our village, saving a great deal of our property and the lives of thirteen villagers. For that, it is only right that we give you something."

"Besides, if you hadn’t intervened, Sir, we would have had to go to the county to hire someone. After all that, it would have cost us a great deal of silver taels."

"It’s a small token of our appreciation. Please accept it, Sir."

In the gentle sunlight, a stooped old village chief tapped his cane on the ground. He held out a brown bundle, his voice filled with gratitude.

Su Bai looked down and saw that the bundle contained, besides some assorted food, a small amount of broken silver. A quick glance told him it was about forty or fifty silver taels.

In these times, the common folk led hard lives. This much silver was likely more than many people would ever see in their entire lifetime. It could even be the village’s savings from several years.

Even hiring someone from the county seat to slay a demon wouldn’t cost this much silver. The extra amount was mostly to thank Su Bai for his life-saving grace.

But this was an amount of silver taels that Su Bai would never accept.

So, he took only a few pieces of dried fruit and candied preserves, then politely refused the rest of the village chief’s kind offer.

Early this morning, after bidding farewell to Aunt Chen and the others, Su Bai had headed south.

In the Great Xia Border region, he had spotted a black Demon Tiger attacking a village. He intervened and struck the Demon Tiger dead, which led to the scene just described.

Now, hearing Su Bai’s refusal, the old village chief was at a bit of a loss.

However, he also felt, ’The man before me, Su Bai, is truly remarkable—quite different from the many Jianghu masters who covet wealth and power.’

Seeing the helpless look in the old village chief’s eyes, Su Bai smiled and spoke.

"Actually, I’m traveling south on this trip simply to enjoy the scenery. If you know of any beautiful sights, old sir, I would be grateful if you could tell me about them."

Hearing this, the old village chief’s expression brightened. He quickly replied, "Sir, if you have the leisure and no urgent matters, you can travel south by water to Ling County!"

"By water?"

"Yes! The waterways are much smoother and more comfortable than traveling by land. You might not know this, Sir, but heading south from our village, downstream, you’ll pass through layer upon layer of mountains and water."

"If you travel to Ling County by water, the scenery along the way is as beautiful as a painting. It’s a truly magnificent sight!"

"What is the name of the river to the south?"

"The Bi River. It flows all the way to Ling County!"

"How do I get to the waterway?"

Su Bai’s interest was gradually piqued.

The purpose of his trip was, after all, to travel and enjoy the scenery.

To find joy in being free and unrestrained.

The chance to admire such beautiful landscapes along the way was certainly a welcome one.

The old village chief explained the details to him.

How to get there, how to board a boat, where the ferry crossing was, and so on...

"Farewell, old sir!"

"Take care, Sir!"

The old village chief was still shouting from behind, leaning on his cane.

But he saw that Su Bai was already growing distant.

...

After a bowl of beef soup and passing through a small county town, Su Bai followed the old village chief’s directions and had walked for about twenty li.

As he continued along the route and reached a small hill, the view before him suddenly opened up.

Below, in a shallow, verdant bay, by an old ferry crossing with a green bank, small boats dotted the river’s surface. Larger boats were tethered by thick ropes to crowds of dark-skinned boat pullers on the other end.

Every one of them leaned forward, a rope slung over their shoulder, straining with all their might. Sweat flew as their bodies slanted at an angle.

From a distance, they looked like shadows cast by the slanting afternoon sun.

Su Bai watched as he walked, and before he knew it, he had arrived at the ferry crossing.

"Are there any boats to Ling County?"

"Sorry, customer, we’re already full!"

"Full?"

"That’s right! In two days, it’s the founding anniversary of Ling County, so there are more travelers than usual."

Su Bai was about to turn away.

"This old man can take you!"

The next moment, he stopped and looked toward the voice.

A wooden boat with a canopy, not too big and not too small, was dark brown all over. It was just the right size not to run aground in the shallows.

At the bow stood an old man wearing a bamboo hat and a straw cloak, holding a pipe in his right hand. Inside the boat, a few people were already seated.

"How much?"

"It’s several hundred li to Ling County. For one person, it’s five hundred cash."

The old man took a deep puff from his pipe.

"When do we depart?"

Su Bai’s figure blurred. He tapped his toes on the river’s surface and landed on the boat, then asked with a smile.

"We’re all here. Let’s go!"

The old man picked up his bamboo pole and laughed heartily.

The boat slowly drifted away from the bank, spreading faint ripples in its wake.

Su Bai glanced back and saw three other people and a cat in the boat.

There was a scholar holding an Ancient Scripture, reading it intently, and an older woman with a young child, their heads bowed, their destination unknown.

In a corner of the cabin, a black cat was curled up, dozing with its eyes half-closed.

He paid them no mind, simply standing at the bow by himself. He watched the ferry crossing recede into the distance, listened to the desolate, mystical sound of the boat pullers’ chant, and saw their figures shrink until they were tiny specks.

His Heart Spirit was completely tranquil.

The scholar in the green robe behind him, however, had just seen Su Bai’s agile leap and looked up to strike up a conversation.

"Are you a master of the Martial Dao, sir?"

"I know a little Martial Arts."

"Have you never seen a ferry crossing before, Sir?"

"I’ve always stayed at home. This is indeed my first time seeing one."

"Haha! I found it novel the first time I saw one too, but after a while, you realize it’s all the same!"

The scholar was quite talkative, closing the distance between them in just a few sentences. He then invited, "The wind is strong out here. Why don’t you come inside and sit for a while, Sir?"

"To be honest, Sir, I also have some understanding of the Martial Dao. I even brought a few Martial Dao Ancient Scriptures with me. If you wouldn’t mind, we could discuss the Martial Dao and share a drink. Wouldn’t that be delightful?"

Su Bai remained standing at the bow, merely offering a smile.

The sound of the boatmen’s chant grew more distant, but the farther it got, the more unique its charm became.

The surrounding landscape was picturesque, and fish swam joyfully in the water.

Egrets often cried out as their white feathers reflected the glowing sunset.

The scholar, however, had no idea what was on his mind.

’How could an Ancient Scripture compare to this beautiful scenery?’

...

Time passed slowly. The sky grew dark, with only a final streak of sunset lingering on the horizon. The mountains became deep, demonic silhouettes. Hues of blue and cyan light descended from the sky, reflecting in the water along with the mountains’ outlines.

Even a portion of the river water was stained with vivid colors.

A small boat drifted with the current. The lamp placed at its bow, seen from a distance, was barely bigger than a soybean. Its light also reflected on the water, wrinkled by the Qingliang evening breeze.

The old man sat at the bow, took a puff of his pipe, and poled the boat leisurely.

A line was wrapped around the end of the pole.

The fishing line entered the water, creating small ripples.

At a certain moment, the old man suddenly lifted his pole, then reached out to catch something.

He glanced down.

It was just a small, silver-white fish, which he casually tossed onto the boat.

The fish flopped and thrashed about in the cabin.

The old man smiled and said to the black cat.

"This is for you!"

"Meow~"

The black cat let out a soft cry, as if in thanks.

Only then did it lower its head and begin to eat, its eyes half-closed in enjoyment.

The scholar was also sitting by the boat’s edge, enjoying the cool breeze. Watching the old man fish, he would occasionally reach down, his fingertips touching the surface of the river, creating tiny waves.

Suddenly, he chuckled and looked at the old man.

"Old sir, you’ve been sitting at the bow, working so hard fishing with your pole, and after all this time you’ve only caught a tiny fish less than two taels. But look!"

"There’s a fish floating right in front of me! It’s almost right in my face!"

As he spoke, he braced himself against the window eave with one hand and stretched his right arm out as far as he could, as if trying to grab the fish.

"Don’t try to catch the fish with your hands!"

Suddenly, the old man whipped his head around, his expression grave as he warned him.

"Hmm?"

The scholar froze his right hand in mid-air and quickly pulled it back.

Then he asked in confusion, "Why is that?"

Seeing the scholar retract his hand, the old man’s expression softened into a slight smile. "Just remember not to catch it with your hands, customer."

"But why, specifically? Can you explain?"

"There’s not much to explain..."

"It’s just that for us folks who work the boats, fish at night, or cast nets—when we see a fish like that, floating by the water’s edge, not too far, not too close, looking like you can just reach out and grab it... we know never to touch it."

The old man turned his head away again, holding his bamboo pole to fish, his voice drifting on the night wind.

"It’s just a habit, that’s all."

The scholar’s interest, however, was now thoroughly piqued.

Su Bai, who had been smiling at the scenery, also looked over.

"You must understand, customer, when does anything good ever fall from the sky for free?"

"Things that can be obtained for no reason, with the greatest of ease, are usually not simple. There’s likely a deeper meaning to them," the old man said leisurely, still seated at the bow.

"Take that fish you just saw, for example. You thought you could just reach out and grab it, but you don’t realize that when you lean over, if there’s a Water Demon or a water ghost hiding underneath..."

The old man stopped mid-sentence.

The scholar, now understanding the implication, turned slightly pale.

"Have things like that happened on this Bi River before?"

the scholar asked, a lingering fear in his voice.

The old man just smiled without a word and continued fishing into the wind.

Time continued to pass...

The small boat drifted downstream.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn passed.

Suddenly, strange, dark shadows flickered across the shimmering surface of the surrounding river.

The old man shot to his feet, his face contorting in alarm!

Before he could even react.

BOOM—

In an instant, waves crashed and Demon Qi surged!

The boat rocked violently!