0035 Unleashing Demonic Might

A-Zi showed no fear, giggling, "Fine, fine! We shall live as lamas together, and if we die, we shall be lama ghosts together—that is what I call true loyalty!"

She swung her broken sword and charged straight ahead.

Jiang Mingzhe gritted his teeth, thinking, *Forget it. Since it has come to a life-or-death struggle, what is the point of debating right from wrong? Besides, different environments have different rules. If I try to apply modern moral standards to this world where human life is as cheap as grass, I am nothing but a pedantic fool!*

Whether A-Zi was a demoness or a witch, she was, at this moment, his most reliable companion.

With this realization, Jiang Mingzhe felt a sudden clarity. He let out a wild roar, a fierce light flashing in his eyes, and shifted his claws, ready to join the fray. But A-Zi shouted urgently, "Don't come over here, you big ginger!"

As she spoke, she darted between the five lamas. In the sunlight, Jiang Mingzhe saw clearly that as she moved and dodged, a faint powder drifted from her body.

Jiang Mingzhe realized what was happening and stopped immediately, still not daring to relax, he retreated several more paces.

Just then, a cloud drifted by and obscured the sun, making the powder vanish instantly. Jiang Mingzhe was struck with terror, thinking, *This poisonous powder is so inconspicuous; how could the opponents, caught in the thick of it, possibly notice a thing?*

Since joining the Star-Sutra Sect, his martial arts progress had been rapid. In just a few days, he had cleverly defeated Ming Zhuzi and held his own against Zhai Xingzi, and his internal energy had even surpassed A-Zi, who had been in the sect for years. It would be dishonest to say he hadn't felt a bit conceited.

But today, witnessing A-Zi's ghostly, lethal methods, Jiang Mingzhe finally understood: the terror of the Star-Sutra Sect disciples was not something he could truly grasp just from reading the original story.

He was only Jiang Mingzhe, not Xiao Feng, Xu Zhu, or Duan Yu. Never mind Zhai Xingzi—even if it were Ming Zhuzi, in a life-and-death battle, he would undoubtedly be the one to die.

This was the truth of the saying: *Knowledge gained from books is shallow; one must experience it to truly understand.*

In an instant, Jiang Mingzhe’s somewhat restless state of mind returned to the cautious, humble vigilance he felt when he first met Ding Chunqiu.

The sounds of clashing metal filled the battlefield. After all, the opponents were many. While dodging, A-Zi occasionally used her broken sword to parry, yet within three or four rounds, the lamas' offensive slowed visibly.

A-Zi became increasingly at ease, giggling, "Feeling weak in the limbs? That's right. I'll tell you the truth..."

The young girl’s smile vanished. She lowered her voice and hissed, "I am a Great White Snake spirit from the Kunlun Mountains, my dharma name is Bai Suzhen. I specialize in killing stinking lamas like you who love to 'subdue demons and eliminate devils.' You have been poisoned by my thousand-year-old snake venom; now you can only obediently become my lama ghosts."

She spoke unhurriedly. As she flashed past, a lama's scimitar swung into empty air as he collapsed. A-Zi pointed at him and shrieked, "Die!"

The lama twitched twice and went still, his exposed skin turning a faint shade of blue.

"Another one dead," A-Zi giggled. "Who shall I kill next? After I finish you all, I'll eat you slowly—enough to last me until the New Year."

These lamas were more superstitious than most. A-Zi’s story was coherent and specific, and most importantly, her method of killing was eerily inexplicable. They could not help but believe her, and panic ensued.

"I will hold off the snake demon! You all run!" one lama shouted.

Chanting scriptures aloud, he slashed out with all his might. A-Zi dodged easily. Seeing his eyes had turned blue, she knew the poison had reached his marrow. She stuck her tongue out at him and made a "hissing" sound. The lama cried out in terror, "Oh no! The snake demon has blown poisonous gas on me!"

He tilted his head back and fell—he was truly dead.

The remaining lamas completely broke down. They turned and fled, but before they could run more than a few steps, they collapsed one after another.

Only one lama wielding a vajra remained. He was as burly as a bear and had the strongest internal energy. Seeing his companions die miserable deaths, he was filled with despair and roared, "Even if I die, I will not be the snake demon's lama ghost!"

His Chinese was mediocre, and hearing A-Zi constantly talk about "lama ghosts," he assumed it meant he would be enslaved as a vengeful spirit after death. He smashed the vajra against his own head with desperate force, but his strength was already mostly gone. He only succeeded in covering his face in blood, and in his growing panic, he kept chanting, "Buddha preserve me, Buddha preserve me..."

He died with his eyes wide and mouth agape, his face twisted in sheer horror.

In the distance, the lama with the bow saw A-Zi’s demonic power and realized that even suicide was impossible. Terrified to his core, he fired an arrow, dropped his bow, and ran.

A-Zi raised her broken sword to parry, but the arrow whistled three feet above her head. She shook her head in disdain, then broke into an excited grin, shrieking, "I, the Great Snake Demon Bai Suzhen, am coming for you!" She unleashed her light-agility skills and gave chase.

Hearing her in pursuit, the lama was pale with fright. Unexpectedly, as he ran past the carriage, the driver grabbed him and wailed, "Lama Qingxi, please, take the Princess and go!"

The lama, regretting that he hadn't been born with four legs, was furious at being blocked. He knocked the driver over with a punch, smashed the carriage door with another, dragged two cloaked women out onto the ground, and yelled, "They are delicious to eat, but I am not!"

He then grabbed the mount of the lama who had wielded the iron staff and galloped away.

A-Zi laughed heartily, seeing that the man truly believed she was a snake demon. Just as she was about to throw her broken sword to kill him, the driver suddenly went mad. He scrambled up and threw himself at A-Zi, screaming, "Princess, run!"

A-Zi dodged to the side, and her broken sword pierced the driver's throat. The driver gurgled, still trying to grab A-Zi’s arm. A-Zi, caught off guard by his bravery, quickly released her sword and pulled back, but she heard a scream from behind. She ducked just in time to avoid a short blade thrust by one of the women.

The iron-staff lama’s horse was a fine steed; it quickly picked up speed and bolted north like a gust of wind. A-Zi knew she couldn't catch him and was deeply annoyed.

The woman, however, seemed to have a death wish, holding a gem-encrusted short blade and thrusting at A-Zi again.

The woman’s movements were chaotic. A-Zi sneered, caught the woman’s wrists with both hands, disarmed her, and swiped the blade toward her throat.

Just as the woman was about to meet her end, A-Zi suddenly thought: *Oh, if I kill everyone, how will the big ginger refine his poison?*

She quickly pulled back, the blade stopping just against the woman’s swan-like, white neck.

A-Zi glanced at her, a thought crossing her mind: *This woman’s skin is even whiter than mine!*

Seeing the cloak obscured most of the woman’s face, she pulled it away. With a gasp of surprise, she turned and shouted, "Big ginger, come look! This woman is so beautiful."

Jiang Mingzhe looked at the pile of lama corpses with trepidation and shook his head repeatedly. "There is poison on the road; I dare not come over."

A-Zi stomped her foot and laughed. "Coward! Even if my invisible powder was light, it has already settled on the ground by now. You’ll be fine."

She giggled at the woman under her blade, "You look so beautiful, sister; I almost can't bear to kill you. But since my big ginger needs living people to refine his poison, I’m afraid I have to apologize."

No sooner had she spoken than another woman cried out, "Please, don't kill the Princess! If you need a living person to feed your poison, kill me instead!"

A-Zi looked over. The crying woman was about fourteen or fifteen, with delicate features but dark skin and flushed cheeks—nowhere near as beautiful as the Princess. She must be a maid.

With the blade at her throat, the Princess trembled, yet her lake-like eyes showed a stubborn, defiant spark. She said in a trembling voice, "Sangzhu, do not beg this evil creature. The descendants of Gyalpo never yield, and the Imperial Preceptor will avenge me!"

A-Zi giggled, "I am a thousand-year-old snake demon; I’m not afraid of any Imperial Preceptor!"

She added curiously, "So you are a princess? No wonder you are so beautiful. This is my first time seeing a princess. Big ginger, have you ever seen a princess? Hmm? You! What is that look in your eyes!"