“Werewolves?” Tang Hao was surprised again.
He had heard of werewolves and vampires, two famous types of monsters from the West. He did not expect that he would be encountering werewolves in Huaxia.
“Werewolves, indeed. They’re getting more and more daring, and they dare to bully us on our home turf now. They wouldn’t have dared to step into Huaxia before this though.” Shabby Taoist Master got even angrier as he spoke.
“Why… Why did they abduct Taoist Master Chang Qing?” Tang Hao asked.
“This bunch of whelps has been causing trouble in Huaxia. Chang Qing was on their trail and found their den, and that was why he was abducted,” Shabby Taoist Master said.
Tang Hao furrowed his brows. “When did this happen?”
“It was just last night. Chang Qing gave me a phone call before he got abducted.”
“Then… Is Taoist Master Chang Qing OK now?”
“Yeah! He’s not dead yet though. His life indicator is still with me and it’s still in one piece. I doubt the bunch of whelps would dare make their move. It’s one thing to kidnap someone and another to kill them. That would have serious consequences. It’ll cause a large-scale war between the East and the West.”
“It’s good that he’s fine!” Tang Hao breathed a sigh of relief.
“He might still be alive, but I think he’s not in a comfortable situation. That’s why I implore you to help us save Chang Qing,” Shabby Taoist Master said.
“Just us two?”
“No, there’s another person. One of my Senior Brothers is coming,” Shabby Taoist Master said, “There are many masters from Mao Mountain, but we’re wandering all over Huaxia to fight evil and kill monsters. Only one of them is available to help.”
“How many enemies are there?”
“That… I’m not too sure. Three of us should be able to take care of them. Right, you should bring more jade talismans.”
“Alright! I’ll come over now!” Tang Hao said.
“OK! Come over as soon as you can! I’m already in Provincial City. I’ll go fetch you when you’re here!”
After ending the call, Tang Hao pondered the situation for a while.
He was friends with Taoist Master Chang Qing and he cared for him. Furthermore, he was curious to see the werewolves of legend.
He had seen vengeful ghosts, zombies, and Nanyang shamans, but not werewolves from the West.
He was also quite indignant that foreigners were causing trouble on his home turf.
With that reason alone, he thought that he ought to teach them a lesson.
He immediately gave Assistant Han a call and told her that he would be away for a few days. Then, he gave a call to Sis Xiangyi that his Taoist master friends needed him at Provincial City.
Tang Hao left home after he ended the call, then bought a ticket at the train station. After a short wait, he took the train toward Provincial City.
The train arrived at its destination a little more than three hours later.
Tang Hao had been in constant contact with Shabby Taoist Master while on the train. The Taoist master was already waiting for him outside the station when he arrived.
Tang Hao got off the train and headed toward the exit. He saw two conspicuous figures waiting for him.
They were in Taoist robes. The Taoist robe on the person on the left was torn and dirty, which complemented his shabby appearance. The one on the right was quite unique. He wore sunglasses and his hair was permed into a trendy hairstyle.
Tang Hao was shocked. He stared at the Taoist master on the right for a very long time.
Was he… Shabby Taoist Master’s senior brother?
Tang Hao’s expression was incredulous. ‘Why are the Taoist masters from Mao Mountain one weirder than the other? Can they still be considered as Taoist masters?
‘When you hear the term ‘Taoist master’, would you not expect them to be clean and austere? Taoist Master Chang Qing is probably the only proper Taoist master out of the three.’
Unfortunately, Taoist Master Chang Qing was useless, while the two weird ones in front of his were actual Taoist masters from Mao Mountain. There was no justice in this world!
‘Don’t tell me the other masters from Mao Mountain are like this too!’ Tang Hao thought.
Shabby Taoist Master happened to notice Tang Hao. He waved enthusiastically and shouted, “Over here, kid!”
The trendy Taoist master followed Shabby Taoist Master’s gaze and looked along.
He was slightly taken aback when he saw Tang Hao. “Junior Brother, he looks very young indeed. Are you sure we can trust him?” He whispered.
“He’s very reliable indeed! Don’t see that he’s young, he’s at a higher level of cultivation than you!” Shabby Taoist Master said.
“What?” Trendy Taoist Master was surprised. Then he chuckled, obviously not believing his claim.
“Even if that kid started practicing in his mother’s womb, I’ll still be more powerful than him!”
As he spoke, he walked toward Tang Hao and stretched out an arm.
The scene was just like when Shabby Taoist Master first met Tang Hao.
Tang Hao did not dodge and allowed Trendy Taoist Master to lay his hand on him. Then, he channeled the qi in his body toward where the hand was.
The Taoist master’s body trembled. He let go of his hand and stumbled backward with an expression of extreme shock on his face.
“F*ck me, you kid, have you taken divine pills? You’re a monster!” That Taoist master cursed.
Shabby Taoist Master chortled when he saw his senior brother’s surprise. “Looks like you’ve misjudged him too, Senior Brother!”
Trendy Taoist Master’s face was bright red. He felt ashamed of himself.
He glared at Shabby Taoist Master. “What are you laughing at?” Then, he turned to look at Tang Hao and assumed the air of a veteran. “Not bad, Junior! You’ll put up a good fight against me.”
“However…” His tone of voice changed. “You might have a high level of cultivation, but you shouldn’t be that great in other aspects. You’re still young, and you don’t have plenty of experience like us. It’ll be a long time before I recognize your powers!”
“Oh!” Tang Hao replied calmly, “I’ve brought a lot of jade talismans today. I thought I’d share some with you, but since you said so, I’ll only be sharing them with Taoist Master Xuan Ling.”
“What? Jade talismans?” Trendy Taoist Master nearly jumped.
Tang Hao retrieved a bag from his backpack and pretended to count the talismans. “One, two, … Oh! There’s so many!”
Trendy Taoist Master’s eyes were sparkling as he stared unblinkingly at the bag.
“Master! Can I call you Master?” He exclaimed loudly. He was almost kneeling and hugging Tang Hao’s leg.
Tang Hao rolled his eyes. ‘What a quick about-face! Don’t you have any integrity?’
Chapter 138 - Octagon Alley
“Master! I’ve already called you Master! Why won’t you show them to me?” Trendy Taoist Master smiled fawningly at Tang Hao.
Tang Hao rolled his eyes again. ‘Your skin is too thick!’
“Here, take this. You can split it evenly with Taoist Master Xuan Ling,” Tang Hao gave him the bag.
The bag contained fifty jade talismans. He had prepared it for Taoist Master Xuan Ling. Over the past few days, he had crafted jade talismans every night.
The Taoist master took the bag and opened it to see. “Wow!” He exclaimed. His eyes were bulging.
“Heavens! They’re really jade talismans! There’s so many of them!” Trendy Taoist Master’s voice was trembling. His eyes were shining, like a miser stumbling upon a treasure trove of gold and gemstones.
“These are Flame Talismans… Heavens! There are Lightning Talismans too!” Trendy Taoist Master exclaimed. He was more shaken than ever.
“These are all mine!” his eyes sparkled, then stuffed the bag into his sack.
Shabby Taoist Mas
ter was agitated when he saw that.
“Hey, Senior Brother! What are you doing? Didn’t he say that we’re splitting this evenly?”
“Ahem! What are you so worried about, Junior Brother? I’ll give you your share! But it’s best to put them under my care for now. I’m your Senior Brother, and I won’t lie to you! Am I right?” Trendy Taoist Master coughed lightly and said.
“You filthy liar! I can’t recall a time when you didn’t lie to me. Give it to me now, half of it!” Shabby Taoist Master said sternly.
“Hey, Junior Brother, how can you speak like that? I’m your Senior Brother, shouldn’t you respect me?” Trendy Taoist Master said guiltily. His eyes flashed with a thievish gleam.
Tang Hao was speechless when he saw that. How was he a Taoist master?
“Respect my *ss!” Shabby Taoist Master was becoming angry.
His Senior Brother was notorious in Mao Mountain for being a liar and cheater. He had been the victim multiple times ever since they were disciples.
“Hey! My kind Junior Brother…” Trendy Taoist Master said.
“I’m not your kind Junior Brother!” Shabby Taoist Master said angrily.
“Fine… I’ll give you ten pieces!” Trendy Taoist Master said agonizingly.
“I said half!” Shabby Taoist Master’s face was impassive.
“Alright, fifteen pieces!” Trendy Taoist Master’s face was already scrunched up.
“If you continue like this, Senior Brother, I’ll complain about you when we get back!”
“Don’t, don’t! Please don’t do that, Junior Brother. Here, here take this! There are twenty pieces here. That should be enough!” Trendy Taoist Master’s demeanor immediately changed.
Shabby Taoist Master was unmoved. There was at least fifty jade talisman in the bag. Twenty pieces were not enough!
Trendy Taoist Master gnashed his teeth and said, “Alright, half it is then. Look at how good I’m treating you, Junior Brother!”
He slowly pulled out the bag of jade talismans and gave Shabby Taoist Master half of it. It was as though parting with a piece of his flesh.
Then, he leaned close to Tang Hao and asked fawningly. “Master, do you… have any more of these jade talismans?”
Tang Hao did not know how to react. “Don’t you have any self-respect, Taoist Master?”
“Self-respect? What’s that? Is it edible?”
Tang Hao was utterly speechless.
“I have some, but that’s for personal use. Don’t have any ideas on my jade talismans. How about let’s think of how to save Taoist Master Chang Qing!”
The two Taoist masters’ faces darkened when they heard that.
“Damn this bunch of whelps. They dare come over to Huaxia and mess with our people from Mao Mountain! If we don’t teach them a lesson, I’ll change my title from Xuan Yang’zi to Fail Yang’zi.” Trendy Taoist Master said indignantly.
“I’ve hired someone to investigate. Their den should be in a mansion in the countryside. We’ll storm this mansion later and save Chang Qing,” Shabby Taoist Master said.
“As for the bunch of whelps, since they dare mess with us on our home turf, we’re not showing them any mercy! Kill them all!” Shabby Taoist Master’s eyes narrowed and flashed with killing intent as he spoke.
“Alright!” Tang Hao nodded.
“We’ll be making another stop to replenish our equipment,” Shabby Taoist Master said.
“Equipment?” Tang Hao was surprised.
“That’s right. We’ll need some special equipment to fight against werewolves. Silver weapons, that is.” Shabby Taoist Master headed toward the exit as he spoke.
The three people rode in a black car outside of the station. Shabby Taoist Master was the driver.
On their way there, Tang Hao looked at the scenery outside the window.
It was Tang Hao’s first visit to Provincial City. Everything was new to him. The size and bustle of Provincial City was an eye-opener.
Ten or so minutes into the journey, they passed by an educational institution. Tang Hao looked closely and was stunned to see that it was Z University.
If he had not been expelled from high school, he might currently be studying at Z University and enjoying college life.
Tang Hao felt melancholy when he looked at the throngs of well-dressed young men and women walking energetically in and out of the main gate.
‘College life seems fun,’ he thought to himself.
He was reminded of Liu Bingyao. She said that he should contact her whenever he came to Provincial City.
He subconsciously reached toward his phone, but he came to his senses and thought that he ought not to.
There were more important matters to attend to. Rescuing Taoist Master Chang Qing was the main mission; everything else was secondary!
The car sped along the road. Soon, Z University was left far behind them.
About twenty minutes later, the car entered the downtown area of the city. Skyscrapers graced both sides of the road, a sign of a thriving economy. The car soon went into a small alley and stopped there.
“We’re here. This is Octagon Alley!” Shabby Taoist Master said.
He got out of the car first, then took the lead and walked ahead. Soon, they went into a shop.
The shop looked old and sold various wares laid out in a classic fashion. An old man in a classic Chinese suit sat behind the counter. He stood up immediately when he saw Shabby Taoist Master.
“Taoist Master Xuan Ling!” The old man cupped his hands.
“Shopkeeper! Are the goods ready?”
“They are ready. Follow me inside to take a look!” The shopkeeper brought them to an inner chamber.
He retrieved a big black chest and opened it. There were swords of various sizes inside, and also many throwing knives and long nails.
All those items were made of pure silver and shimmered under the light.
Shabby Taoist Master inspected them one by one and nodded with satisfaction.
“Thank you, shopkeeper!”
Shabby Taoist Master packed up the chest and went outside.
When they went out of the shop, Trendy Taoist Master explained, “This shop specializes in selling stuff like these. You can find peach wood swords, virgin boy urine, and all sorts of talismans. The price is quite reasonable. You can come here if you need anything.”
Tang Hao nodded understandingly.
Back in the car, Shabby Taoist Master opened the chest. The three of them picked out some silver weapons for themselves. Tang Hao preferred throwing knives, and so he took some more of those.
Then, the car started again and drove toward the den of the werewolves.
Chapter 139 - Saving Taoist Master Chang Qing
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
They arrived at their destination an hour later.
The three people got out of the car near the mansion then completed the rest of their journey on foot.
The sky was already dark by then.
Lying prone on the ground and looking ahead, they could see an ancient Western-style mansion not far away from them.
Tang Hao cast the spell of Heaven Eye and Earth Ear, and soon he could hear all the happenings in the mansion.
He could hear many voices within. Some people were speaking in English, and some in Chinese.
A while later, Tang Hao said, “There are twenty opponents. Taoist Master Chang Qing is in the basement with one guard.”
The two Taoist masters looked at him with surprise.
“Are you sure?” Shabby Taoist Master said.
Tang Hao nodded.
“There’s twenty of them! That’ll be a little tricky. Werewolves don’t know sorcery, but they are physically strong. It’ll be our big disadvantage if they get close to us,” Taoist Master Xuan Yang said.
Shabby Taoist Master nodded his head. “They have the advantage of numbers. We’ll have to work as a team and stay close to each other.”
He paused for a while and continued, “I think it should be manageable. They’re not pureblood werewolves. You can’t even consider them half-blood. They’re just mixed-blood werewolves who have been turned and are not as powerful.
“There should be a half-blood werewolf among this crowd. He’s the alpha, and he’ll be the toughest opponent.”
“Check your equipment. We’ll move together,” Taoist master Xuan Yang said.
As he spoke, he performed a quick inspection of the various bags and sacks that he carried.
“Werewolves have a keen sense of smell. We’ll definitely be discovered once we get close. We’ll have to storm the mansion to catch them by surprise.
“Also, don’t show any mercy. Just kill them right away!” Shabby Taoist Master gave his instructions, then stood up.
“Oh!” Tang Hao replied and stood up. “We need to be fast, right?”
“Yes, we’ll have to be fast! The faster the better!” Shabby Taoist Master said.
“Got it!”
Immediately after, gusts of strong wind rose around him. His body flashed, then disappeared.
The two Taoist masters stood stiffly on the ground with incredulous faces.
When they saw him again, he was already at the main entrance of the mansion.
The two Taoist masters went slack-jawed as though they had seen a ghost.
“F*ck me!” Taoist Master Xuan Yang cursed. “That’s too fast! Is the kid human?”
Shabby Taoist Master was also shocked. “Amazing! He’s an expert in wind sorcery!”
At the main entrance to the mansion, Tang Hao flicked his wrist and a jade talisman shot toward the door.
Boom!
Fire flashed and the door was blown into smithereens.
The two Taoist masters came to their senses when they saw the fire light. They rushed over with jade talismans and silver swords in hand.
Tang Hao’s body flashed again, and he was already in the mansion.
The mansion was in chaos. One could hear the frantic sounds of activity inside.
The Mightiest Little Peasant c1-799 Page 66
