I Can Strengthen Infinitely-Chapter 62 - 57: Spider

Meteor Mountain is just a general term for a range of mountains, with many peaks and hills each having their own names.

Pengqiao Village is located beside Taigong Mountain, next to the Jingli Road. Many people in Cyan Yang City know it, and you can hire a guide for just a few dozen coins.

The mountain path was shrouded in fog.

"Young master, the moisture in the mountain is heavy today; we might arrive at Pengqiao Village a bit later."

The middle-aged man leading the way for Qin Yuesheng looked back and said.

"No worries, I’m not in a rush."

Qin Yuesheng wore a gray outfit, with the Evil-Subduing Saber sheathed and slung behind his back. He looked quite formidable, with an extraordinary presence.

After walking for about half an hour, a tall wooden wall finally appeared in Qin Yuesheng’s view.

The wooden wall was embedded with various iron spikes and wooden stabs on its surface, a testament to the efforts Pengqiao Village’s villagers put into defending against mountain bandits.

"Young master, the villagers here are very vigilant. Many mountain bandits have tricked them by posing as merchants from Cyan Yang City, so you’ll need to hand over your weapon to them for safekeeping; otherwise, they won’t let you in."

Qin Yuesheng removed the Evil-Subduing Saber, "Okay."

Following the guide’s words, a basket was lowered from above the wooden wall. Qin Yuesheng placed the Evil-Subduing Saber in it, and once the villagers pulled the basket back up, the wooden gate slowly opened a crevice.

"Young master, my task here is done, I won’t accompany you inside."

"Alright, you can head back; take care on the road."

"Will do."

Watching the man leave, Qin Yuesheng then stepped through the gate’s crevice and entered.

The scenery inside Pengqiao Village was quite pleasant, with an idyllic view similar to what one might find in a peach blossom land, delightful to the eye.

As soon as he appeared, an elderly man came to greet him.

The old man had white hair and a white beard, leaning on a withered wooden staff, looking quite kind.

"Brave young warrior, what brings you to our Pengqiao Village?"

Qin Yuesheng cupped his fist in greeting: "I heard your village is troubled by a Spider Demon, and the Governor of Cyan Yang City sent me to help handle the situation."

"Oh!" The old man’s eyes lit up instantly: "To think the young warrior is sent by the Governor himself, that’s wonderful, please, come in. Er Gouzi, return the young hero’s saber."

The young man holding the Evil-Subduing Saber promptly handed it back to Qin Yuesheng, who accepted it: "I’m Qin Yuesheng, may I know how to address you, elder?"

"Everyone here is surnamed Peng. The young hero can call this old one Village Chief Peng."

"Let’s talk while we walk, I know the details from the dossier. Is there anything else Village Chief Peng wants to add that hasn’t been reported to the officials?"

"Young hero, did you come alone this time?"

"Yes, just me. Why? Does Village Chief Peng not trust my capabilities?"

"Not at all, not at all. Since the young hero was specially sent by the Governor, you must possess remarkable skills, I dare not underestimate you."

As Qin Yuesheng and Village Chief Peng walked further away, the villagers guarding the wooden walls and gates couldn’t help but whisper, "The young hero is so young, can he really slay the Spider Demon? Just two days ago, Er Niu’s uncle was bitten to death by the Spider Demon."

"Er Niu’s uncle was just sturdy, without any martial training, why compare him? I reckon he should be compared to that Peng Fei lad."

"It’s a pity, had Peng Fei not gone mad, he would have likely killed the Spider Demon for the village already."

Led by Village Chief Peng, Qin Yuesheng toured Pengqiao Village, and indeed, this was a basin that was easy to defend and hard to attack, surrounded by steep and rugged mountains except for the entrance.

Unless one had mastered the Lightweight Skill, even a martial artist would struggle to climb up.

However, such terrain poses no obstacle for certain demons. The Spider Demon, adept at climbing vertical terrain, is one of them.

"Did you figure out which direction the spider came from?" Qin Yuesheng asked, standing at the basin’s edge, looking up at the cliffs.

This area was a peach grove, with peach blossoms on the branches still in bud, small dots of pink seemed scarce.

"It only appears at night, making it extremely hard for us to track it, let alone answering your question, young hero." Village Chief Peng smiled wryly.

"No worries, I’ll stay here tonight. If the spider appears again, I’ll help you slay it."

"That’s very kind of you, young hero Qin." Village Chief Peng said warmly, "After walking for so long, young hero Qin must be tired. Come and rest at my humble abode."

Just as Qin Yuesheng was about to nod in agreement, his gaze suddenly caught sight of an old house deep in the peach grove, immediately drawing his attention.

The old house comprised three connected sections: left, middle, and right, surrounded by an earthen wall made of piled yellow mud, seemingly abandoned for quite some time.

"Village Chief Peng, what’s with that house? It’s so far from the other villagers’ houses." Qin Yuesheng asked curiously.

"It’s nothing much. A fellow villager moved out of Pengqiao Village, so his house naturally became vacant."

"I see." Qin Yuesheng nodded, paying little heed.

Then he left together with Village Chief Peng.

...

In the few days since the Spider Demon appeared, almost fifteen people in Pengqiao Village have died. If this weren’t the ancestral land, many villagers would have likely left already.

Nighttime.

Qin Yuesheng sat in the assembly hall of Pengqiao Village, leisurely picking at the dishes on the table.

Apart from his table, over twenty other tables were set up nearby, and all the villagers of Pengqiao Village gathered in the assembly hall to eat together.

This was naturally Qin Yuesheng’s intention. Since he was here, he would not allow any more harm to come to Pengqiao Village. Gathering everyone together was the best way to prevent danger.

"Everyone will stay here tonight. Besides going to the outhouse, no one can leave the assembly hall without my permission.

Moreover, even if going to the outhouse, ten people must go together. Even if only one person wants to go, nine others must accompany him. Remember this clearly."

Qin Yuesheng said.

His voice was like a booming bell, resonating throughout the entire hall.

This is the benefit of having ample energy, being able to speak much louder than others.

"Young Master Qin makes a good point. Everyone must remember this well. Wasn’t it just last night that someone was captured by the Spider Demon when they went alone to the outhouse in the middle of the night? This is very important; please do not get confused again tonight."

Village Chief Peng chimed in.

For a moment, the assembly hall was filled with bustling responses. Qin Yuesheng didn’t mind; if the spider appeared again tonight, he would simply kill it. Reminding the villagers was merely because he hoped fewer people would die.

After the meal, without needing to clean up the dishes, everyone sat around the tables, starting their post-dinner conversations.

Meanwhile, Qin Yuesheng stepped out of the hall, leaping onto a roof, finding a flat part of the ridge to sit, tightly gripping the Evil-Subduing Saber, and focused on monitoring the surroundings.

...

The night grew deeper.

The wind was a bit chilly.

The assembly hall was the only place in Pengqiao Village still lit by candlelight, making it look like a lighthouse on the seaside at night, capable of drawing in ships wanting to dock.

"Baa!"

A sudden sheep bleat made Qin Yuesheng open his eyes from meditation.

However, the sound ceased after just one cry, making it almost seem like an illusion.

Qin Yuesheng got up, unsheathing the Evil-Subduing Saber slowly, his entire body on edge, ready to strike at the slightest movement.

Ch-ch!

The sound of crawling echoed near the assembly hall, and in the darkness, Qin Yuesheng noticed a moving shadow.

Without hesitation, he leapt in that direction.

Sea One Slash!

In the blink of an eye, several rapid slashes of saber energy landed on the shadow, followed by shrill cries, and the shadow ceased to move.

"Hmm?" Qin Yuesheng frowned.

Was that it?

Landing lightly, he took out a fire starter, lit it, and tossed it toward the shadow, revealing a massive black spider the size of an adult water buffalo, its body a mess from the saber energy.

"That was easy," Qin Yuesheng said, picking up the fire starter, confirming the spider was dead beyond doubt. Now all he needed was to cut something from its body as proof to claim his reward from Bai Hao.

"Ah!!!!"

But before Qin Yuesheng could act, a series of screams came from the direction of the assembly hall.

He left the spider’s corpse, rushing back to the hall.

"Help!" A woman who had fallen was trying to get up when a sharp spider leg stabbed into her back.

The young and strong villagers around grabbed the iron forks and hoes they had prepared earlier, assaulting the red spider before them.

But unfortunately, the spider’s body was coated in a thick gelatinous substance, rendering their attacks ineffective.

Three red spiders rampaged through the hall, and in a matter of breaths, more than ten villagers lay dead beneath their feet.

Upon entering the hall and witnessing the scene, Qin Yuesheng’s face turned livid with rage, and he charged at the spiders with his saber.

No one expected there to be so many spiders. According to Village Chief Peng, Qin Yuesheng had unconsciously assumed there was only one.

The Evil-Subduing Saber struck a red spider forcefully, leaving a several-foot-long gash on its back, from which fluid spurted out.

Fearing poison, Qin Yuesheng distanced himself, sending another saber energy from afar that sliced off half the spider’s face, the gelatinous coating offering no protection.

Under Qin Yuesheng’s control, the red spiders were quickly eliminated. The hall was filled with a nauseating stench.

"Why are there so many? Why didn’t you clarify beforehand?" Qin Yuesheng grabbed the trembling Village Chief Peng and shouted.

"I—I didn’t know, either! The spiders always attack deep in the night, and no one has ever seen clearly how many there really are."

Qin Yuesheng released his grip: "It seems the appearance of the spiders isn’t accidental. There must be a spider nest near your village. At first light, we’ll find it and eradicate it to ensure this never happens again."