"Is Young Master planning to give a gift?" the waiter asked, surprised.
"Naturally. Coming here and encountering such a joyous occasion, one must offer congratulations," Jiang Wen said with a smile, taking out a gold ingot for the waiter to see.
The waiter's gaze lingered on the gold, then he looked at Jiang Wen reluctantly.
"Young Master should think it over. Befriending this tyrant isn't a good thing," the waiter advised.
"It's nothing, just a gold ingot. I have plenty. I simply enjoy making friends and believe that someone who can marry one hundred and sixty wives in a few years must have some ability," Jiang Wen said, laughing.
Seeing that he couldn't dissuade him, the waiter could only agree with a wry smile.
As the two were chatting, they heard an old man calling from outside.
"Shopkeeper Xu, Shopkeeper Xu."
Looking towards the speaking old man, it was Wang Da, the old man from the family celebrating the joyous occasion.
Old Man Wang was carrying things, with people behind him.
Evil spirits wreaked havoc, and demonic beasts roamed the world. Did those people from the Grand Divine Palace really not know? Perhaps not necessarily, Jiang Wen thought.
"Why haven't you captured it yet?" Jiang Wen said, annoyed, looking at the village men behind him who didn't dare to step forward.
The howling wind rushed over.
The people at the banquet were so frightened by the appearance of the wolf demon that their legs trembled and their teeth chattered. After a moment of silence, cries of fear shook the heavens.
"Great Immortal, Great Immortal, spare the little demon!" the wolf demon wailed.
"Young Master Jiang, my little daughter is entering the city today, please come to the banquet."
Jiang Wen's gaze fell on the little girl. He had seen her before as a lively girl, but he didn't expect that after only one night, she would become like this.
Jiang Wen's words seemed to have some kind of magic, attracting everyone's attention. He told the story in a loud voice, but it made the old man's son-in-law's face turn ugly.
"Willing, of course, I'm willing," the old man quickly nodded.
"Write a poem?" Jiang Wen pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't have a poem, but I have a story. I wonder if the old man would like to hear it."
"He is indeed a sincere person," Jiang Wen praised.
As for going to the mansion for a word, he felt that if this waiter went in, only bones would come out.
"Spare you? It's not impossible," Jiang Wen said. "But you have to answer a few of my questions."
Suppressing the anger in his heart, Jiang Wen's expression was calm.
"When did you come to this place?"
It looked at Jiang Wen, a hint of fear in its eyes.
"When did you gain intelligence?"
The old man said he was sending gifts, but when Jiang Wen looked, they were all gold and silver, presumably the dowry sent by the wolf demon.
"But speaking of which, I didn't expect that Brother Xiao'er is actually the shopkeeper of the tavern."
Jiang Wen smiled and raised his glass, slowly saying, "It is said that outside Suzhou City, there was a butcher. One evening, the butcher returned home, and all the meat in his load was gone, leaving only bones. On the way, two wolves followed him closely..."
If the wolf demon wasn't lying, then who would allow a demon to wreak havoc in the human world, while the official government turned a blind eye? Jiang Wen couldn't help but think of the events in Taicang City, feeling that the water was quite deep.
So he sat in the tavern drinking, and before long, he heard the old man's voice.
"Yes, yes!" The wolf demon kowtowed, the iron chains clanging loudly.
Guests at the table were drinking and laughing, and before long, the wolf demon was seen leading the bride out.
Following the old man to his home, the house was already full of villagers.
And that was why, even though the wolf demon had married more than a hundred times in three or four years, no one said anything. It was just a matter for wealthy families, blaming the girls for having bad fates and not being able to hold onto their blessings.
All that was heard was the wolf demon roaring angrily: "Die!"
"If there is time in the future, I will definitely visit your mansion," he said, making an excuse to brush it off. Xiao'er then introduced Jiang Wen to the old man.
If Jiang Wen hadn't appeared, this wolf demon would probably have continued to cause trouble. They were just a few girls, who would care about their lives and deaths? Saying more would only be about the affairs of rich families, blaming those girls for having bad fortunes and not being able to suppress blessings.
"Yes, yes, Immortal Master."
"This is just my family business passed down to me, it's nothing," Xiao'er said.
If someone hadn't told it to come to this nearby county to be a wealthy merchant, it would probably still be catching mice in the mountains.
The old man was naturally delighted to learn of this, and after accepting the gifts, he repeatedly called him his good brother. After exchanging pleasantries, the old man left with his wolf son-in-law, and the wolf demon reluctantly looked back at the two of them.
Jiang Wen found a corner to sit down and took a few sips of the dishes on the table. They were bland and tasteless, just a bit greasy.
Just now, he heard what the Huai spirit said, that this wolf demon didn't have much Taoist skill, relying entirely on its strength.
Jiang Wen intentionally brushed against the bride's sleeve. In the corner of his eye, he saw bloodstains on a white cloth.
It was a wolf-headed humanoid figure with sharp teeth and claws. Unlike the Western werewolves Jiang Wen had imagined, it had a bit more wildness.
The wolf demon looked content, raising its glass to drink with everyone.
He walked up to Xiao'er, saying with a smile, "I bought wine from Shopkeeper Xu before, but I never paid the old man. I always felt bad about it. Today is the day of your daughter's wedding, so I'm here to give Shopkeeper some gifts. I hope Shopkeeper won't refuse."
When everything was over, Jiang Wen looked at the wolf demon, whose collarbones were nailed and was covered in blood.
But now that it had encountered him, Jiang Wen, it could be considered the wolf demon's bad luck.
Jiang Wen remained calm and unhurried, looking at the nearly ten-foot-tall behemoth in front of him with a calm expression.
"Great Immortal, those people were sucked to death by the Red Serpent King. The little demon only picked up some leftovers, eating dead corpses," the wolf demon hurriedly said. "Great Immortal, please believe me!"
"The little demon gained intelligence two hundred years ago."
Looking back at the old man, the wolf demon's eyes were shining, licking its sharp teeth as it looked at them. Jiang Wen felt disgusted and turned his head away, unwilling to look at it.
Wanting to compete with him in strength was just a wolf demon. His current strength was extraordinary, not inferior to that of a wild beast. Even if an elephant came, he would be able to knock down a few.
Its figure swelled, transforming into a ten-foot-tall blue-faced wolf demon.
Its fangs were exposed, like a fierce beast from a book.
"The Red Serpent King practices human magic, which requires the yin energy of women. The women that the little demon married were all sent to Red Bite for him to cultivate."
"The little demon doesn't know who they are, but they all wear veils, saying that they let the little demon come here to enjoy the good life. As long as the little demon offers beautiful women every year, he will be allowed to do whatever he wants."
A joyous wedding banquet turned into a graveyard for escape.
Old Man Wang was even more swift, clutching his chest and falling to the ground unconscious. His son-in-law was actually a wolf demon, which no one could accept.
Some fled, some crawled. Those who couldn't crawl simply collapsed on the ground, their eyes rolling back as they fainted.
The men looked at each other, and finally, with gritted teeth, they stepped forward. Taking out iron chains, they tied up the wolf demon, who had been pinched and had no strength left, securely.
When the wolf demon came over, he also raised his glass to congratulate him. The old man saw that Jiang Wen was gentle and jade-like, with the appearance of a noble young master, and asked pleasingly, "Today is a great day, Young Master, can you write a poem for my little daughter?"
His eyes were like round pearls, and the hair all over his body stood on end, which was extremely frightening.
Only the old man's little daughter was pale, her eyes dull. As if she had had enough of the torment, she had no energy at this moment.
"Tell me the details of the matter, and if there is even the slightest lie, I will tear you apart."
"Truly a beast!" He felt a surge of anger in his chest.
"This wolf demon has good strength, you still need to nail its collarbones to prevent it from breaking free on the way. If it runs away, I will hold you accountable," Jiang Wen instructed again.
"Yes, this little demon would never dare to lie," the wolf demon quickly said.
"This... roughly thirty years ago? The little demon has forgotten a bit," the wolf demon was stunned, shook its head and calculated for a long time before stuttering.
The men naturally didn't dare to neglect, using all their strength to trap the wolf demon.
But this couldn't scare Jiang Wen.
"Who told you to come here?" Jiang Wen asked the question that had been hidden in his heart.
"You better not be lying," Jiang Wen said coldly. "I'll ask you again, you have married one hundred and fifty-nine wives in a few years, where are these people?"
In the end, he looked at the wolf demon meaningfully, drank the wine in his glass, and smiled: "The wolf is also cunning, but it is killed twice in an instant. How much deceit can beasts have? It only adds to the laughter."
The sharp claws were like blades, and the fangs were like daggers, which looked very scary.
As man and demon collided, Jiang Wen instantly grabbed the wolf demon's neck. The muscles in his arms were taut, like fine iron, strangling the wolf demon hard.
Some hid under the table, praying to themselves not to be eaten by the wolf demon.
"Young Master is probably stuck here," Xiao'er sighed. "It's really troublesome."
"Troublesome? I don't think so," Jiang Wen said with a smile, looking at the departing wolf demon. "Maybe it's a surprise?"
Hearing this, Jiang Wen saw the wolf demon staring greedily at Xiao'er. It probably thought that this young man had tender skin and flesh, and unconsciously became greedy.
"Great Immortal, please speak, the little demon will say everything he knows."
"You mean you gained intelligence two hundred years ago, and then someone sent you here thirty years ago?" Jiang Wen couldn't help but frown, and didn't doubt whether the wolf demon would lie. After all, a demon with such low Taoist skill shouldn't lie.
Hearing this, Jiang Wen pretended to decline. The old man invited him again and again, and he couldn't refuse the kindness.
"Bastard!" The wolf demon was furious, knowing that this young man was talking about himself. Realizing that his true face had been revealed, he simply stopped hiding it.
The wolf demon was quite polite, learning to bow and salute to the two: "Just now, I heard the old man talking about the shopkeeper many times. I didn't expect the shopkeeper to be such a promising young man. If you have time in the future, Shopkeeper, you must come to my mansion for a visit."
The wolf demon's vital point was strangled, and its whole body was exhausted.
"Great Immortal! This little one has absolutely not eaten people casually!" The wolf demon knew that these words would determine his life and death, so he immediately cried out for injustice.
"After the Red Serpent King sucked away their yin energy, these women also lost their lives. The little demon only regretted burying them like this, so he secretly ate some."
Hearing the wolf demon's words, the anger in Jiang Wen's heart couldn't help but rise. He had long known that demons harmed innocent people, but how could he know that they were so cruel?
There were few demons like this who had any humanity! They really deserved to be killed!
