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Everything was ready, and Lingfeng called the middle-aged man to cook, as she was already hungry.
Zhi Lian and the middle-aged man were puzzled, not knowing what Lingfeng was doing, let alone why she summoned a cat from the underworld.
Lingfeng looked at the two of them mysteriously, chuckled, and said, "Don't worry, we just need to wait for the monster to appear tonight. What we need to do now is eat well, drink well, and sleep well. Once we are well-rested, we will capture the monster in one go!" Lingfeng seemed very relaxed, as if she were joking.
"Shixu, what do you mean?" Zhi Lian asked in confusion.
Lingfeng whistled while looking at the Mound not far away, squinting her eyes and saying, "Opportunities must not be leaked!"
Dinner was quite lavish; the middle-aged man personally brewed some milk wine and prepared some beef and lamb.
In the Taoist temple, Lingfeng usually ate only vegetables, so she was drooling over the meat in front of her. Zhi Lian was also swallowing hard, making gurgling sounds.
"Forget it, forget it! Who cares about rules or regulations? Let's eat first; who can know!" With that, Lingfeng reached for the chopsticks to eat the meat.
Zhi Lian quickly blocked Lingfeng with his chopsticks and reminded her, "Shixu, back in the day, Ancestor Master said that eating meat would cause impurities in one's body; it might be difficult to become an immortal."
Lingfeng pushed Zhi Lian's chopsticks aside and retorted, "The human body is made of flesh; humans are born full of impurities. Besides, eating meat now is just a feast; by tomorrow morning, it will all be gone!" Under normal circumstances, Taoism does not prohibit eating meat. However, the Ancestor Master of the Demon Suppression Sect once stated that eating meat is one of the great sins, thus forbidding disciples from consuming it, which is somewhat similar to Buddhist practices.
However, practitioners of Taoism were still not as strict as those in the Buddhist Sect; they could not completely control their appetites. Many disciples of the Demon Suppression Sect had broken this rule over time, and Azure Vine was one of them.
Zhi Lian was already somewhat wavering in his resolve. After hearing Lingfeng's "guidance," he could no longer resist temptation and quickly picked up several pieces of meat with his chopsticks and unhesitatingly stuffed them into his mouth.
After a meal, Lingfeng and Zhi Lian had grease all over their mouths, leaving the middle-aged man shocked. The look in his eyes was indescribable; it contained confusion and horror as he thought to himself how could disciples of the Demon Suppression Sect be so shabby that they were so fond of meat? Little did he know that disciples of the Demon Suppression Sect were forbidden from eating meat.
After finishing the meal and burping several times, it was already dark outside.
Lingfeng sat by the bed, listening intently, and asked, "It's strange. Usually on the mountain, I need to listen to the chirping of crickets and frogs every night to fall asleep, but here it’s so quiet that it feels unsettling."
The middle-aged man replied, "There used to be sounds, but ever since that incident happened, both crickets and frogs seem to have disappeared. However, every night there are many locusts that keep banging against the windows. The holes in the window paper are made by those locusts."
At this, Lingfeng felt a chill breeze blow across his face. Looking closely, he indeed saw some small holes in the window, through which the cool wind was blowing.
"Locusts?" Lingfeng asked in confusion. "Aren't locusts supposed to appear only during the day? Why are they out at night?"
The middle-aged man sighed, "I’m not sure either. This has never happened before; locusts never dared to bang on windows. Yet not a single one has come inside; it seems like they are just trying to scare us."
The more Lingfeng listened, the more he felt something was off and secretly thought this situation was unusual.
After waiting for a while, it was completely dark outside, and they walked toward an endless cave.
"They're coming soon," the middle-aged man murmured, fear evident in his eyes.
Lingfeng and Zhi Lian exchanged glances and picked up the Bagua Sword, preparing to investigate.
Just as they got ready, a sudden strong wind swept through outside, stirring up dust and debris. The wooden door rattled restlessly in the wind, creaking loudly. A gust of wind blew through the window paper, carrying with it a smell of yellow earth.
"Uncle," Lingfeng said as he took out a talisman and handed it to the middle-aged man. "Wear this on you; low-level spirits can't harm you. Stay inside no matter what you hear; we will subdue the monster right away."
The middle-aged man nodded gratefully, then took the talisman paper and hid under the bed.
The strong wind gradually changed, seeming to be on the verge of calming down. Lingfeng and Zhi Lian rushed out of the house, observing the direction of the wind. They saw a faint blue light appearing in the cattle and sheep pen, but the cattle and sheep seemed to be under a paralysis spell, completely motionless, resembling lifelike wooden figures.
Lingfeng said nothing and quietly approached the cattle and sheep pen. From a distance, he saw a green object glowing in the blue light; its head was triangular with two green wings flapping. It was clearly a giant grasshopper.
The most striking feature of this giant grasshopper was its two blood-red eyes, which were as large as marbles. Since both eyes were red, it was impossible to tell if it blinked or looked elsewhere. Countless grasshoppers filled the cattle and sheep pen, all with red eyes, but their size was no different from ordinary grasshoppers.
"It seems I was mistaken; it's just an immature Locust Spirit!" Lingfeng whispered.
Zhi Lian was equally astonished. Having seen countless demons at the Demon Suppression Sect, this was the first time he had heard of a Locust Spirit. Watching so many grasshoppers surrounding that peculiar giant grasshopper made him feel uneasy, so he asked, "Shixu, what should we do?"
"I don't know!" Lingfeng blurted out. This was his first encounter with a monster, and he felt hesitant. Although he had learned some methods for using talismans, he had never participated in actual combat, so he naturally felt uncertain.
Upon hearing Lingfeng's words, Zhi Lian nearly fainted.
Lingfeng furrowed his brow and thought for a moment when suddenly there was a loud thud. The previously motionless cattle and sheep suddenly came to life, restlessly stirring within the pen.
Although this grasshopper had not fully matured, it had learned how to absorb the essence of animals. However, it could only target lower-level animals and could not harm humans or higher-level creatures. The sound just now was caused by a cow that had its essence completely drained and collapsed heavily.
Lingfeng was even more astonished as he watched the grasshopper's eyes turn bright red while its body grew significantly larger.
"Shixu, aren't we going to take action? It might become even harder to control later," Zhi Lian reminded him from the side.
"Let's go for it!" Lingfeng shouted, then drew the Bagua Sword and charged forward. He took out a Spirit Talisman, recited the incantation, and rushed towards the giant locust.
The locust, which had been content, heard the noise, and the surrounding locusts began to stir restlessly. They all flew up in a flurry, forming a massive army of locusts, their countless red eyes turning the night into a crimson hue.
"Shixu, watch out!" Zhi Lian called out as she drew her sword and followed suit.
Lingfeng had never seen a Locust Plague before, but he had learned some knowledge about it. He understood that when these locusts flew to a certain place, the crops there would vanish in an instant. They might not eat humans, but if countless locusts charged at one person simultaneously, that person would likely be severely injured or worse.
Lingfeng was startled and waved the Bagua Sword wildly. As he finished reciting the incantation, the Spirit Talisman emitted a faint red glow, resembling a flickering flame hanging from the sword, making popping sounds.
To his surprise, it actually worked; the locusts avoided Lingfeng's Spirit Talisman and flew past him.
However, Zhi Lian was terrified and thought to herself that Shixu was truly capable since these locusts dared not approach him.
Seeing Zhi Lian frozen in shock, Lingfeng urged, "Zhi Lian, use your Spirit Talisman! Make it shine; these foolish locusts are afraid of fire!"
Zhi Lian didn't have time to think much and quickly took out her Spirit Talisman. She silently recited the incantation, and the Spirit Talisman immediately emitted light, even brighter and covering a larger area than Lingfeng's. After all, Zhi Lian's magical power was slightly superior to Lingfeng's, making her ability to use the Spirit Talisman stronger.
In reality, both Lingfeng and Zhi Lian were using low-level talismans meant for dispelling spirits. The locusts were afraid of fire, and Lingfeng had stumbled upon this by chance. Although the Spirit Talisman was not very effective in Lingfeng's hands, it could emit a flame-like brightness that frightened the locusts.
The locusts had no choice but to hover in the air out of fear of the "fire" in Lingfeng's and Zhi Lian's hands.
The locust in the sheep pen remained motionless but had turned its head to observe every move of Lingfeng and Zhi Lian. Its red eyes now resembled two eggs, alternating between green and red as if blinking.
Zhi Lian took the opportunity to approach Lingfeng, the red light emitted by the Spirit Talisman enveloping the two of them like a giant protective membrane.
"Shixu, I can only hold on for half an hour. Can you handle it?" Zhi Lian asked, still shaken.
Upon hearing Zhi Lian's question, Lingfeng puffed out his chest and confidently replied, "Of course! Back in the day, Azure Vine Brother and I ate plenty of Braised Locusts!"
Zhi Lian broke into a cold sweat, secretly sticking out his tongue, thinking to himself that seeing such red-eyed locusts would make anyone lose their appetite. However, Lingfeng added, "I think this big locust has a lot of meat. Once we take it down, we can borrow Uncle's big pot and braise it!"
Zhi Lian felt nauseous, nearly on the verge of vomiting.
It seemed as if the locusts understood Lingfeng's words; they collectively became enraged and their flying speed suddenly increased. Countless wings flapped rapidly in the air, creating a chaotic wind field.
The enormous Locust King spread its wings wide, its two massive green wings resembling the ears of an elephant, radiating a chilling green light. In the haze, those wings appeared incredibly sharp.
Lingfeng smiled inwardly, "I've angered it!" This was Lingfeng's strategy: attacking the enemy's psychological defenses was the best way to defeat them, a tactic taught to him by Azure Vine. Unexpectedly, it was now being put to good use.
Lingfeng's Robe fluttered with the wind, rising and falling like a grand dress, elegant and mysterious.
At that moment, the Locust King seemed like an arrow released from a bowstring; with a whoosh, it flew right in front of Lingfeng.
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