This Daoist before him was somewhat putting on a show. Baisha Port was only about one or two miles from here, yet this Daoist had stubbornly walked all this way with slow, deliberate steps.
When the Waterwork Daoist saw Xu Qing, his lips still carried a faint smile.
The water monkey he trained would occasionally catch living people for fun; this was no surprise.
The only thing he was dissatisfied with was that the water monkey had not followed his orders and killed all the bothersome officials on the boat, leaving one alive and stranded on the riverbank.
"Daoist, you are indeed extraordinary. Even in the dead of night, you have the leisure to stroll by the riverside..." Xu Qing’s smile was even more radiant than the Waterwork Daoist’s, the kind of smile an angler displays when a big fish bites the hook.
"It’s quite the coincidence. It seems we are destined to meet. Had you walked even a bit slower, had you been a step later, I might have left already. Wouldn’t that have been a shame?"
The Waterwork Daoist felt something was amiss upon hearing Xu Qing’s words of lament.
Why did the other party’s tone imply a sense of purpose achieved, and relaxation that one would feel after a fruitful trip?
Who was the hunter, and how did this government official muster such confidence?
The smile vanished from the Waterwork Daoist’s face, and his eyes turned menacing. "Trouble is at your doorstep and you are still oblivious."
"Water Child!" By the Daoist’s side, the water monkey that had earlier submerged in the water resurfaced. Upon hearing the command, it hesitated, occasionally raising its gaze to the Daoist with a pleading look.
The Waterwork Daoist immediately sensed something was wrong.
Anything that could make the water monkey hesitate was no ordinary official.
"You are not an official? Could you be a lackey of the Demon Hunting Bureau?"
Anything that could instill fear in the water monkey must be a cultivator, and anyone sharing a boat with officials could only be operatives of the Demon Hunting Bureau.
Xu Qing did not respond. Holding the treasure sword confiscated from Bai Luo, he formed the Sinan Sword Technique with his hands and locked his gaze on the demonic Daoist of the Celestial Wu Temple.
"How much salary could the Imperial Court possibly give you to make it worth your effort?"
"We cultivators have long transcended the mundane. Why lower yourself to work for these mortals? You might as well give it up and I’d be willing to befriend you..."
While speaking of befriending, the Waterwork Daoist took out a pitch-black bowl and placed it on the water monkey’s head.
Instantly, wisps of black vapor emerged from the bowl atop the monkey’s head, with thick water vapor converging from all directions.
Moss-like spots spread over the bowl. Upon seeing this, Xu Qing understood and said, "A Water-Soaked Bowl that can collect water vapor within ten miles. So, this water monkey is your conduit for Water Control..."
The Waterwork Daoist squinted slightly. "You know quite a bit."
Xu Qing thought to himself that he knew more than that. When he exorcised Madam Cao of the Salt Gang, he had seen in her last moments not only the Waterwork Daoist using the Water-Soaked Bowl but also that he was commissioned by the Jinmen Gang, who had received the Water-Soaked Bowl from their backers.
Combining memories from exorcising various people, Xu Qing was even more aware of the filthiness behind it than the Waterwork Daoist.
The Jinmen Gang was backed by the Celestial Heart Sect. Killing Madam Cao’s entire family was just a means of seizing control over the salt trade. The Waterwork Daoist merely played the role of a hired tool in this plot.
"In others’ hands, the Water-Soaked Bowl can only show thirty percent of its power. But in my hands, it can perform twelvefold. Are you not afraid?" the Waterwork Daoist tested.
"Fear is not something I feel." Xu Qing replied, smiling. "You have your trained water monkey to assist in battle. I have my trained little ghost to serve as my protector."
"In these times, who doesn’t have a pet beast?"
The Waterwork Daoist was taken aback and couldn’t help but laugh aloud.
"Youngster, you have no idea! You think you’ve mastered true skill just by raising a little ghost. How could that compare to the power of my Water Child?"
"Then watch closely."
Xu Qing took out a Rampage Flag, recited the Rampage Soldier Spell, and in the next moment, the riverbed surged. A pair of dark red horns broke through the ground, surrounded by thick, malevolent qi. As the black mist dispersed, a demon with dark red skin and a body the size of a pavilion emerged.
Bull’s hooves, a demonic head, white bone hands - the ’little ghost’ Xu Qing spoke of, was over a yard tall, glaring with copper bell eyes and exhaling a fierce, evil breath as it looked down on the three-foot-tall water monkey not far away.
You’re telling me this is a little ghost?
The Waterwork Daoist cursed silently.
Knowing a fight was inevitable, he decided to strike first.
River water surged back, flooding the shoal within moments. The water monkey manipulated the water control ability, and in merely a split second, countless water plants and river sand rushed toward the Fierce General.
Flooding water, nullified.
River sand, nullified.
Water-Soaked Bowl draining bodily fluids, nullified.
Seeing the unscathed Fierce General, the Waterwork Daoist felt a tightness in his heart.
"Impressive techniques. No wonder you aren’t afraid of me with such a water-impervious demon protecting you."
The Waterwork Daoist sneered coldly, deciding to capture the leader to end the trouble.
The demon might not fear water techniques, but the mortal Xu Qing, who controlled the demon, was still a flesh and blood human. If he couldn’t kill the demon, he could at least kill the one commanding it.
Drawing upon his water techniques, the Waterwork Daoist made a desperate move, directing the water monkey to attack Xu Qing despite sustaining injuries from the Fierce General.
Water Command Spell, Water Control Technique, Water Covering Spell, Water Returning Spell.
A repertoire of water spells more varied than the water monkey’s was unleashed, leaving Xu Qing drenched but otherwise unaffected aside from a scattering of jumping fish and shrimp on his head.
He was simply in a disheveled state.
Xu Qing finally understood that while these water techniques were formidable in their extensive range, they were difficult to avoid without getting a bit wet.
"Wait, Daoist, hold on!"
Seeing Xu Qing approach as leisurely as he had earlier, the Waterwork Daoist became utterly panicked.
He retreated while rapidly forming hand seals and chanting spells, sparks nearly flying from his fingertips.