Starting from the steel of the heart, slaying demons and monsters.

Chapter 42 will broaden your horizons.

monster!

As soon as the monkey finished speaking, it stared straight at Jiang Ning, its eyes filled with curiosity.

When Zhang Ping killed that black demon last time, he didn't see it outside, and when he returned to the city, the demon was burned. So he hadn't seen it since, and he had been itching to see it.

Zhou Zheng also came over and added a piece of firewood to the fire, sparks crackling and popping.

Although he had done a few official business trips and seen some of the world, those were all things in the city. Hearing that this scholar had traveled all over the country for eight months, he must have a lot of knowledge to offer; it would be a good way to relax.

Liu Dazhuang was still lying there snoring, the snoring rising and falling, sounding like a broken bellows.

Jiang Ning smiled slightly, reached out and moved closer to the fire, then slowly opened her mouth, but her tone was completely different from when she was chatting earlier.

"I have seen quite a few demons."

He paused, as if recalling something, then pointed outside and said, "I've seen mountains taller than that."

Zhou Zheng was taken aback and subconsciously glanced outside the hall.

It was pitch black outside, and he couldn't see anything. But he had seen how high the mountain facing the palace gate was when he came. He estimated that it would take him most of the day to climb it.

Taller than that mountain? What could that be?

"That was after we passed Liangzhou, when we crossed a mountain called Qingyue."

Jiang Ning's voice was unhurried, "I walked in the mountains for three days. On the evening of the third day, I reached a ridge and suddenly felt the sky darken. I thought it was just dark clouds obscuring the sun, but when I looked up..."

His voice trailed off at this point.

The monkey listened intently, even softening its breathing.

Jiang Ning's voice suddenly grew louder, "But then I saw a large bird circling above my head, its wings flapping, creating an incredibly strong wind that almost blew me off the cliff."

The monkey asked, "What kind of monster is that?"

Jiang Ning shook his head. "I don't recognize it either. But after it flew by, it left a fishy, ​​foul smell in the air that lingered for days."

Zhou Zheng swallowed hard.

At this moment, Jiang Ning added, "I have also seen demons that have already taken human form."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ping raised his eyelids, showing some interest.

"That was in a town."

Jiang Ning continued, "The transformed demon was an old woman who sold tofu. I stopped in town to rest and even ate a bowl of tofu pudding at her stall. The old woman was quick and agile, and spoke fluently, just like any other old woman. If it weren't for what happened that night, I would never have guessed that she wasn't human."

"What happened?" Zhou Zheng asked immediately as the story began.

"That night, I stayed at an inn in town and was awakened in the middle of the night by a scream. When I opened the window, I saw the old woman standing in the middle of the street, her kind appearance from the daytime gone. Her body had become twice the height of a normal person, with long, thin limbs that looked like four bamboo poles supporting her body. Horns had grown on her head, and her mouth was full of fangs."

Jiang Ning's voice lowered slightly, "I was terrified at the time and hid in the inn, too scared to move. Later, dozens of Taoist priests joined forces to subdue the monster. The whole street was destroyed during the fight, and the old woman was forced to reveal her true form, which turned out to be an old scorpion that had become a spirit."

"Wow!" the monkey exclaimed in delight upon hearing this.

This startled everyone, and Zhou Zheng patted him on the shoulder to tell him not to make a fuss.

Jiang Ning smiled slightly and then said, "There are also demons who cultivate swordsmanship and qi just like humans. Those demons have incredibly powerful magic and supernatural abilities, but they are not common."

"And I've only seen it once."

Zhou Zheng and the monkey were completely stunned.

He then turned to look at Zhang Ping, who appeared calm and even somewhat nonchalant.

I couldn't help but admire him secretly.

"The boss is really calm; he didn't even change his expression after hearing all this."

In fact, Zhang Ping was also pondering this in his heart.

He recalled the methods Jin Kui had used that night, which had reached a level beyond comprehension.

Compared to that, what Jiang Ning said, while certainly intriguing, wasn't anything particularly surprising.

It was at this moment that Jiang Ning's gaze fell on Zhang Ping's face.

He looked at Zhang Ping's calm demeanor, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, then cupped his hands and said, "This official doesn't seem surprised by what I've said. Have you perhaps seen these demons before?"

Zhang Ping glanced at him, and at the same time, he thought to himself that since this scholar had shared so much knowledge and experience, it would seem petty of him not to say anything.

Besides, just a few things he has in his head would be enough to keep these guys entertained for half a day.

He coughed lightly, cleared his throat, and began to speak slowly and deliberately.

"What does this matter?"

Zhou Zheng was taken aback.

The monkey was also taken aback.

Even Jiang Ning was slightly taken aback, then adopted a posture of listening attentively.

Zhang Ping looked at the fire and said slowly, "Have you ever seen a monster that is made of iron, has wings, can carry a hundred people in its belly, and can fly a thousand miles in a short time?"

Jiang Ning blinked.

Zhang Ping continued, "That monster was made entirely of iron, with enormous wings. When it flew, its roar was like thunder, audible from a hundred miles away. It did not eat flesh and blood, but drank a peculiar kind of oil, and a single sip could allow it to fly a thousand miles."

Zhou Zheng opened his mouth wide, and the monkey stared even more intently.

Zhang Ping didn't stop, and continued, "There is also an indescribable monster called Cthulhu."

"No one knows what that monster looks like. All that is known is that anyone who sees it will go mad, become insane, and forget who they are. Moreover, its body has no fixed shape; it is like a lump of mud that keeps changing. You see it as one thing, and in the blink of an eye, it becomes something else entirely."

Jiang Ning's expression immediately changed upon hearing what he said.

It wasn't fear, but rather a look of both shock and longing.

"And there's a monster that can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 0.35 seconds and feeds on lightning."

When Zhang Ping said this, his expression remained calm and composed, but Zhou Zheng and Monkey's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

"head!"

Zhou Zheng's voice changed, "Are you telling the truth? You really saw those monsters?"

The monkey was even more excited. "Boss! Are those monsters incredibly powerful? What's 0-100 km/h acceleration? What's 0.35 seconds? Feeding on lightning—that must be an incredible feat!"

Zhang Ping glanced at them, then said mysteriously, "Don't you two know that before I became a constable, I traveled all over the place?"

In fact, Zhang Ping was just fooling them when he said that, since the original owner had never left Fenggu City, and even if he had, he hadn't gone very far.

Seeing their curiosity, he continued, "There is another kind of monster, no bigger than the palm of your hand, yet it can hold all the words and pictures in the world. If you say a sentence to it, it can find the answer for you from thousands of miles away."

Jiang Ning remained silent for a moment after hearing this.

He then slowly stood up, straightened his patched gray-blue long gown, and bowed deeply to Zhang Ping.

"I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable, sir."

His voice was filled with respect, "Jiang Ning has read countless books and traveled thousands of miles, thinking he has seen many strange and wonderful things. But after hearing your words today, sir, I realize that I am nothing more than a frog in a well. As for the monsters you speak of, sir, Jiang Ning has not only never seen them, but cannot even imagine them."

Having said that, he looked earnestly at Zhang Ping, "May I ask, sir, where are you going? Is it beyond the Great Yu? Is it the Endless Sea, or Mount Mifu? Or perhaps the place where the demon race dwells in the myriad mountains?"

Zhang Ping was taken aback by what he said.

An endless sea? Mount Mifo? Countless mountains?

He had never heard of any of these place names.