Volume One: The Journey of the Useless—Fiery Demon-Slaying Chapter Eighty: The Calamity Demon—Strange Events in a Dream

Setting out for Chen Family Town, they found the distance from Bamboo Peak Town not far—half a day’s journey at most. With two Taoist masters traveling alongside them, the journey was so smooth that Yang Chengzi almost felt out of place.

On the road, he asked how his master had come to Bamboo Peak Town to seek them out, and finally learned the whole story. The main reason was that Yang Chengzi and Chen San had delayed too long on their way; the two old men, having nothing to do while waiting, began exchanging secrets. Knowing that Old Master Tai Xuan was fond of forbidden techniques, Real Master Tai Yuan generously shared all he knew.

After decades, Old Master Tai Xuan was no longer the reckless youth with weak spiritual power and shallow cultivation. He too consulted Real Master Tai Yuan about the Taoist arts he had mastered over the years.

While discussing Maoshan soul-breaking curses, they inadvertently summoned a fragmented soul. This broken soul astonished them both.

Such souls are rare in the world, often linked to practitioners of evil arts. When a person dies, their soul usually remains intact unless magic is involved.

This fragmented soul was among those from the night Chen San and Yang Chengzi arrived at Bamboo Peak Town—after Chen San beat Qu Lao’er, and in the cellar, the beggars’ souls hadn’t fully entered the talisman before Yang Chengzi tore it apart. This soul was one of those.

The two elders calculated the soul’s origin; it pointed southwest, toward Bamboo Peak Town. Fearing an evil sorcerer was killing to harvest souls, they reinforced the seal and hurried over.

Upon arriving, they immediately saw Yang Chengzi and Monk Sui Chang at a disadvantage—destiny had spared them.

Though the silver-haired elder ultimately escaped, truthfully, if only Old Master Tai Xuan had come that night, everyone might have died in Bamboo Peak Town.

Having learned the story, Chen San marveled at his own luck, always escaping disaster.

Old Master Tai Xuan glanced at Chen San with disdain. “It’s not luck, but the many people ensuring you survive.”

Their journey ended as they arrived at Chen Family Town. Once there, Monk Sui Chang fell silent, and everyone settled into Chen San’s house.

Chen San and Chang Yu tidied the side room, long filled with old clothes, bedding, and an unfinished embroidery left by his parents, all thick with dust.

After half a day’s work, the room was fit for guests. The young men who had carried Monk Sui Chang received some talismans from Yang Chengzi to ward off evil and were sent home.

The first thing Chen San did was go to the nearby stream for a comfortable bath, changing into clean clothes. Yang Chengzi followed suit, donning Chen San’s garments.

When Chang Yu washed their outerwear, the water turned black, and she spent a whole incense stick’s time scrubbing, grumbling about Chen San afterward.

Chen San, newly clever upon returning home, didn’t retort—he still relied on Chang Yu to wash his clothes.

Seeing many townsfolk back from their travels, Chen San wondered if Chen Xin had returned, and was about to rush to her home.

Old Master Tai Xuan appeared as if he read Chen San’s mind and bluntly told him Chen Xin had not returned.

Hopeful and cheerful, Chen San’s face fell. He went off to help with the cooking.

Chen San had gathered everyone, but the real business was just beginning. Monk Sui Chang was a Buddhist master skilled in sealing arrays; Real Master Tai Yuan, the Maoshan sect leader, commanded Taoist arts with powerful souls and eight mighty curses.

The fierce demon beneath Chen Family Town was an ancient calamity demon, a true monster.

Old Master Tai Xuan had learned by chance that a thousand-year-old demon lay sealed beneath Chen Family Town, but he didn’t know it was a calamity demon that could not be destroyed.

After arriving, Real Master Tai Yuan couldn’t determine where the demon was sealed, so he and Old Master Tai Xuan decided to wait until Monk Sui Chang recovered his soul strength. Rather than reinforcing the seal, they’d set a trap array, let the demon break free, and then slay it.

It wasn’t the best solution, but with no way to locate the seal, it was the only option for now. Then, they discussed the phantom demon inside Chen San.

Chen Xin and Madam Nian had returned to Madam Nian’s family home. Besides longing for her father, Chen Xin often thought of Chen San—the unruly, brash youth who had nearly died helping her father carry his coffin. She wondered if he was living well, eating enough, or if he had found the person he was searching for.

Night had deepened. Normally, Chen San would be lying in bed thinking of Chen Xin, but now he lay on the floor. There were only two beds: one his own, the other his parents’. Chang Yu, being a girl, was given the bed in the side room and, afraid to be alone, dragged Yang Chengzi to sit with her all night.

Chen San’s bed was lively—Monk Sui Chang, Real Master Tai Yuan, Old Master Tai Xuan, three elders sitting cross-legged like statues, meditating.

Chen San suffered in silence. Since they were here to deal with the town’s demon, he let them have the bed, making do with a quilt and straw mat on the floor. It didn’t stop him from thinking about Chen Xin; lost in thought, he sometimes grinned foolishly, and eventually drifted off.

In his sleep, Chen San dreamed of his parents, whom he hadn’t seen in dreams for over ten years. As in his memories, they chopped wood and cooked, smiling at him, his mother serving him food, making everything feel real.

He wasn’t aware he’d grown up in the dream, holding a toy his father made, happily watching outside. Suddenly, the sky darkened. Turning, he couldn’t find his parents.

The food still steamed on the table, but his parents were gone. The darkness deepened, fear grew, and Chen San, unable to find them, began to cry. Drip—a drop of water echoed, chilling his heart. Looking up, he saw scattered glowing points not far away.

He stopped crying and followed the lights. There was a small tree; after careful inspection, he saw the glow beneath it. He pulled twice, uprooting the tree, and the glow faded as the tree was removed.

Disappointed, he went to other glowing spots, pulling up four more trees but finding nothing beneath them.

Suddenly, he saw his parents beside a distant tree, calling him over, saying what he sought might be under that tree.

Overjoyed, Chen San ran to them, and together they dug. Another small tree was pulled out.

“Chen San, wake up! Chen San, hurry and wake up!”

He was shaken awake, groggy and confused. As soon as his eyes opened, demonic energy surged before him—Yang Chengzi stood there, with Real Master Tai Yuan and Old Master Tai Xuan behind.

Chen San, startled by the demonic aura, looked around. To his shock, the surging demon energy was emanating from his own body.

He wasn’t even indoors, but outside, at the site where he and Old Master Tai Xuan had buried the Eight-Gate Golden Lock Array. At his feet was a tree trunk inscribed with now-blurred spells.

Seeing Chen San awake, Yang Chengzi asked, “Why did you come out here in your sleep?”

Chen San, utterly confused, stammered, “I don’t know! I was dreaming, eating with my parents and searching for something. What’s going on? Why did you pull out this tree trunk? What’s this stuff coming from me?”

The two elders behind frowned deeply, while Yang Chengzi’s brows nearly knotted.

He shouted, “You dug it up yourself! Dreaming is fine, but why dig up trees—especially the array’s tree trunk? Now the Golden Lock Array is broken, demon energy is everywhere, and the ancient demon beneath is about to emerge.”

Chen San stared, incredulous. “Why didn’t you stop me? I was dreaming—I didn’t know!”

Yang Chengzi, exasperated, replied, “How could we? By the time we noticed the demon energy leaking out, you’d nearly finished pulling them all—what was there to stop?”

It was the first time Chen San heard Yang Chengzi curse, realizing how serious the matter was. But it was even more dire than the elders feared.

Once Chen San was awake, Old Master Tai Xuan and Real Master Tai Yuan hurried toward the source of the demon energy, near Chen Xin’s house.

Monk Sui Chang, not yet recovered, followed shakily with his staff.

Chang Yu was still inside. When Yang Chengzi rushed out, she had already awakened. Her past experiences told her to stay put and await their return, though the wait was agonizingly long. If she followed, she would only bring trouble.

Yang Chengzi dragged Chen San, racing to Chang Yu’s room. Upon entering, Chang Yu threw her arms around Yang Chengzi.

He was deeply worried for her, knowing that Old Master Tai Xuan would gather Monk Sui Chang and his own master, and that the demon would be hard to face. Now, with the demon about to break free without any array to restrain it, if they failed, Chang Yu would also be in danger.

Yang Chengzi kissed Chang Yu’s forehead, gazing into her eyes. “Go with Chen San to the mountain behind the town. You can’t stay here—go quickly.”

“Take her and hide in the back mountain.”

Chen San looked at Yang Chengzi in surprise. “Your wife—you want me to take her and run? Plus, I’m smoking all over; are you sure?”

He even doubted himself.

Yang Chengzi, anxious, explained, “Only you know the way to the back mountain. You must take her somewhere safe. The demon energy on you is from the phantom demon—it hasn’t shown signs of breaking free. That’s something we’ll deal with after the ancient demon is handled.”

Chen San finally understood—the smoke was demon energy, and the ancient demon was about to break free.

Swallowing hard, he grabbed Chang Yu’s hand and, without looking back, hurriedly ran toward the mountain path.

Chang Yu, running, kept looking back at Yang Chengzi, her eyes blurred with tears that fell one by one. In Yang Chengzi’s eyes was a resolute farewell, as if this departure might be forever.