Chapter Sixty-Two: Exorcising Demons at the Gao Family Village (Part One)

Six Rivers County was named for the multitude of rivers that ran through its lands.

Among them were the Zhang River, the Qing River, the Huangyan River, the Flying Fish River, the Moon River, and the Longtang River, all weaving across the county.

Gao Family Village stood along the banks of the Longtang River.

At the entrance to the farmhouse, Gao Liangping, accompanied by two sturdy men, peered anxiously down the country road ahead.

“Why are they not here yet?”

The master of the Gao Family Village muttered incessantly, “Could it be that Young Daoist Fang won’t come?”

The two laborers exchanged uneasy glances behind him.

They wanted to comfort him, but could not find the words.

Over the past half month, their master had nearly been driven mad by the demon hog in the pigsty!

Just then, Gao Liangping’s eyes suddenly brightened, and he cried out joyfully, “Here they come!”

From afar, dust billowed along the country road. A man and a donkey raced toward them!

With a loud, resonant bray, the big blue donkey came to a steady halt before the Gao family.

Fang Xiao leapt lightly to the ground, pressed his fists together in greeting, and said, “Elder Gao, thank you for waiting!”

He had not expected the host to await him at the gate.

“Thank you for your trouble, Young Daoist Fang!” Gao Liangping replied excitedly, returning the greeting. “Please, come inside!”

Yesterday, at the small Jing Mountain Taoist temple, he had hardened his heart and offered two spirit stones as a deposit.

After returning, he had not been without regrets. Fang Xiao was not Daoist Pang, after all—so young, barely into adulthood, and the task of slaying a demon was hardly assured.

If Fang Xiao ran off, or denied the agreement, he would be powerless.

Now that Fang Xiao had arrived as promised, the heavy burden in Gao Liangping’s heart finally eased.

He was filled with hope for what was to come!

Leading Fang Xiao personally into the house, the master said, “Young Daoist Fang, I’ve already had my people deliver steamed buns and bean meal to the demon hog, so there won’t be trouble for a while.”

“You’ve traveled far—why not rest in the hall and have some tea before we discuss matters?”

“There’s no need for such trouble,” Fang Xiao replied bluntly. “Take me to the pigsty now.”

Seeing Fang Xiao’s insistence, Gao Liangping could only change direction.

The Gao Family Village pigsty stood right on the riverbank, built of rows of earthen and stone walls with bamboo sheds atop them.

Orderly and sizable, it was clearly well-kept.

A gust of river wind brought a pungent stench to Fang Xiao’s nose.

He paused.

It was not the unpleasant odor that startled him, but the sudden stirrings of memory.

As a child, he had lived with his mother in the village, their days full of hardship.

To earn extra grain and money, Fang Xiao’s mother raised a pig assigned to the production team by the commune.

In those days, keeping that pig fed was the family’s highest priority.

His mother would tell him,

“People can go hungry for a while, but the pig must never be underfed.”

Every day, she rose before dawn to cut wild greens in the fields, chopped them fine, mixed in a little bran, and boiled the mixture over the large stove until it was steaming hot.

Finally, she poured it into a wooden bucket and carried it to the pigsty.

Fang Xiao was responsible for feeding the pig.

This pig had to be raised to at least one hundred and twenty-one pounds.

Every day after school, still wearing his backpack, he had to take a bamboo basket and head out to cut pig grass.

By the riverside, at the foot of the hills, in the fields and corners—wherever edible wild greens could be found, none were spared!

Only when the basket was full did he return home.

Those days of toil seemed endless.

Later, with the help of one of his father’s comrades, the two moved to the city and enjoyed government rations.

Sadly, his mother passed away within a few years, leaving Fang Xiao all alone.

These memories flooded his heart like the drizzle mixed into the autumn wind, soaking him unawares.

“Young Daoist Fang?”

A cautious voice from Gao Liangping jarred Fang Xiao from his reverie.

He stopped, gazing toward the pigsty ahead. “Elder Gao, please take your family and leave the farmhouse.”

If he had to fight the demon hog inside, he could not guarantee the battle would stay confined to this area, nor could he ensure their safety.

Gao Liangping clearly understood Fang Xiao’s concern.

Swallowing his dry throat, the master nodded. “All right.”

He added quickly, “Young Daoist Fang, be careful in all things!”

“Mm.”

Fang Xiao waited until the Gao family had disappeared before he stepped into the pigsty.

The refined black iron spear, once stored in his satchel, was now firmly gripped in his hand!

The Gao Family Village pigsty was tidy, evidently cleaned often.

But the separate pens held no sign of the native pigs that should have been there.

In the next moment, Fang Xiao heard the “snorting” and “chomping” of something eating.

His eyes flashed.

Following the sound, he proceeded to the deepest part of the pigsty.

There, a monstrous black-haired hog appeared in Fang Xiao’s sight!

It lay sprawled on the ground, as massive as a small mountain.

Its entire body was covered in thick bristles, its corpulent frame trembling, packed with unknown quantities of fat and grease.

Its head was especially enormous.

A hideous pig face, tinged blue-black, bore two thick, curved tusks protruding from its lower jaw.

Their tips seemed honed to razor sharpness!

When Fang Xiao arrived, the demon hog that had tormented the Gao Family Village was busy eating.

Around it lay several wooden buckets, their contents—white steamed buns—spilled all over the ground.

The demon hog opened its mouth and inhaled. Instantly, four or five fist-sized buns vanished into its maw.

It chewed twice and swallowed.

Such gluttonous eating, and an astonishing appetite—no wonder the Gao family could not keep up.

“Snort!”

The blue-faced demon hog, happily feasting, suddenly lifted its head and fixed a pair of eyes, as large as bronze bells, on Fang Xiao twenty paces away.

It sniffed with its round pig nose.

In a gruff, muffled voice, it asked, “Boy, are you the hired help old Gao brought in?”

Fang Xiao was surprised by the hog’s intelligence—it had seen through him at a glance.

He did not deny it. “That’s right.”

“Heh heh heh,” the blue-faced demon hog chuckled.

Its pig eyes rolled upward, revealing a look of utter disdain.

The hog lazily drawled, “Boy, you really don’t know your place, daring to meddle in old pig’s affairs!”

“Do you have a death wish?”

Its gaze flashed with cunning. “Don’t say old pig didn’t give you a chance.”

“If you leave now, old pig will spare your life.”

“Go back and have old Gao send over two hundred pounds of steamed buns with sugar.”

“As compensation!”

With that, the blue-faced demon hog twisted its jaw left and right.

Crunch! Crunch!

Its upper and lower teeth ground fiercely against each other, as if eager to bite something—threatening, menacing.

Fang Xiao did not reply.

He suddenly swung his right arm, instantly brandishing the refined black iron spear.

At this moment, the badge pinned to his left chest told Fang Xiao—

The demon hog before him was powerful and dangerous.

But—

He could fight!