The river froze for the entire duration of an incense stick.
During this time, Old Man Lv had already cleaned up the surrounding monsters. His method of cleaning was quite artistic.
Let's start with the Earth Dragon Demon. When Old Man Lv approached the Earth Dragon Demon, the ice around it automatically melted. First, he skinned it, a dagger glinting with cold light cut in from under the jaw, and then with a pull and a tug, a skin over ten meters long was peeled off.
He quickly rolled it up, reached into the muddy brain of the Earth Dragon, and pulled out a fist-sized demon core glowing with blue light.
Moving to the Earth Dragon's back, he cut a piece of the slender loin.
All of this was completed in less than three breaths of time.
Other monsters were dealt with differently based on their cultivation level.
Starting with those with higher cultivation, he dug out demon cores. Then, he checked if there were valuable parts on the monsters. Crabs had their claws taken, carp had their lips taken, shrimp had their heads and tails removed...
At a glance, it was an old expert. Not only was it an old expert, but also a formidable one. The speed of his hands created phantom images. His body technique manifested afterimages.
Chen Xuance and the other three on this boat were amazed by the scene.
Fortunately, their boat was not small, with a length of more than ten meters from front to back, or else these things really wouldn't fit.
Seeing Old Man Lv picking and choosing, Chen Qianqian and San Zang couldn't help but jump off the boat and pick up the parts that Old Man Lv discarded. They thought the better parts were worth keeping on the boat.
As the ice melted, half of the river water turned red with blood.
Lord Wang, who had returned to the boat, looked at the snake demon and the bald guy sighing and full of reluctance. Enraged, he entered the cabin, preferring not to see it.
In the cabin, Old Man Lv added fire to him again.
"Qingzhi, activate the Autumn Water Sword every half an hour. In this damned weather, it's easy to spoil without refrigeration."
Frustrated, Lord Wang walked in and out again.
Standing at the side of the boat, the Autumn Water Sword immersed in the river, Old Man Lv activated his inner energy, condensing two large cylindrical ice blocks.
Lord Wang, with a changing complexion, carried the two ice blocks back into the cabin.
Chen Qianqian looked at the ice blocks with envy; she also wanted to use them to store the ingredients they had collected.
She didn't dare to ask Lord Wang and could only look at Chen Xuance expectantly.
Chen Xuance gave her a disdainful look, used his palm to collect the 'junk' that Chen Qianqian and San Zang had picked up.
In his eyes, these were just junk. He didn't have any cultivation techniques that required demon cores, and these things took up space without much use.
Palms collection consumes mana based on the quantity of items, as per the "Demon-Sealing Chart." The consumption is minimal, just enough to sustain it. At this moment, Old Man Lv emerged from the cabin, holding a square table, a square inkstone, a wolf-hair brush, and a stack of rice paper. Placing them in front of Chen Xuance, he turned around and went back into the cabin.
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Chen Qianqian, with keen eyes, approached and began grinding the ink. Now it was Chen Xuance's turn to be uneasy; he couldn't really write. Sitting at the dining table, he looked around, hoping for more monsters to avoid copying the Soul Scripture.
Until Chen Qianqian finished grinding the ink, he still hadn't touched the brush. A cold snort came from the cabin, and the entire boat exuded a chill in the scorching August weather.
Chen Xuance hesitated for a moment, then sat up straight, no longer glancing around.
Dishonesty was not an option. In just this short time, ice chips appeared on the hem of his demon-sealing robe. He didn't doubt that if he continued to dawdle, he would follow the path of the Earth Dragon King.
The cold on the boat quickly diminished, and Lord Wang's voice came from the cabin, "In the ways of literature and martial arts, mastery comes with practice. In the past, Qiu Ruotong of the Tongtian Sect struggled for twelve years without success. After two more years, he sat under a elm tree in front of the door, copying scriptures every day. Six years later, the elm tree grew from thin to thick. In the midst of the cicadas' singing on a summer day, he suddenly realized, entered the realm of Yang, and held the Dao for two hundred years. People say Qiu Ruotong was gifted, but few know about his six years of relentless penance in harsh conditions. Chen Xuance, you can't even handle a scripture for one part of demon-sealing, why bother cultivating for twelve years like cicadas?"
Chen Xuance calmed his emotions and sat at the square table.
Unrolling the paper, raising his wrist, lifting the brush, dipping it in ink.
His strokes were bold and fierce, like iron hooks, displaying an extraordinary demeanor. Lord Wang, drinking at the dining table, had a very satisfied expression; this young man could be taught.
Chen Qianqian stood by the table, looking at the words on the paper with amazement. The monk and the Taoist had never seen their young master in such a state. Chen Xuance was usually carefree, and coupled with Chen Qianqian's astonished expression, they couldn't help but approach him.
Then, Wang Qingxuan twitched his mouth, and San Zang's forehead veins pulsated. The two quickly exchanged glances.
"San Zang, is this some kind of spell?"
"Yes!"
"Do you think if Lord Wang finds out, he'll freeze Chen Ge into an ice lump, then shatter it and throw it into the Tian Water to feed the tortoises?"
"Definitely."
"What should we do?"
"Slip away."
The two left from behind Chen Xuance, displayed their techniques, and ran to the back of the boat. Chen Qianqian, not being foolish, snapped out of her daze and followed suit.
Lord Wang in the cabin sensed this scene and felt very satisfied, "These little guys don't want Chen Xuance to be distracted."
Taking a sip of the wine, he enjoyed it leisurely.
The boat moved slowly, and the redness in the river had long disappeared. As the sun hung in the sky, Lord Wang walked to the stern, gazing at the long river and setting sun for a long time. Then, he began to sing:
"In the past, hundreds of miles of peach blossoms bloomed, occasionally a white deer came in the forest, A chest full of poems and books, tens of thousands of volumes, couldn't match the sorrows of life and death in the courtyard; I advise you to have a drink, don't think about the red walls, deep as the sea; Peach blossoms scattered, white deer gone, a farewell not seen for sixteen years."
The monk, the Taoist, and the demon listened to Lord Wang's singing, somewhat puzzled. But in the song, there was a sense of sorrow and resentment, as if experiencing great joy and great sorrow.
On one side of the Tian Water, a flat boat entered from a tributary, breaking the river water and rushing forward. A young man in a green shirt, holding a snake spear, stood on the boat, his eyes reddened, and a murderous aura surged toward the boat.
Downstream, a black iron cable stretched across the Tian Water, blocking the boat's way. An old man, standing on one foot on the iron cable. The iron cable was just an illusion, not a physical object.
On both sides of the riverbank, the fallen reeds collided, the clash of gold and iron, roars, the sound of weapons breaking armor, the release of crossbows, and the tearing of flesh and blood drowned in the rushing river water.
Old Man Lv sat not far from Lord Wang, holding a sharpening stone, grinding the tip of the steel spear against the river water, creating a rhythmic sound.
The clash of iron and stone, sound after sound of battle.
Lord Wang, following the rhythm of the clash, continued to sing, "Demons and monsters run rampant across the Nine Provinces, devouring humans without leaving heads. Broken walls and ruins, no signs of human activity, where can you find a white-haired elder? Achieving fame is easy, but securing the world is difficult, chaos in the universe; may I hold the three-foot green peak, slay demons and eradicate evil, exchanging a clear and bright world!"
Chen Qianqian and the others were already prepared for battle, while Chen Xuance at the bow continued to write talismans as if all this had nothing to do with him.