Over the next half month, news that both Immortal Venerable Shuanghua and a Demon King were in Xiushui spread like wildfire. Cultivators arrived in wave after wave, and the city lord’s household collected bag after bag of spirit stones.
Naturally, some refused to pay the entrance fee, while others complained about the price. But with so many major sects in the city—and Yaoshang’s Immortal Venerable Shuanghua himself—they could only grit their teeth and endure it. They could hardly lose face before such illustrious company.
Often, no sooner had the spirit stones reached the residence than they were piled before the snowy little creature.
They formed small mountains, packed in sack after sack, radiating dense spiritual energy. One glance confirmed their excellent quality. There were enough to cover a small sect’s expenses for ten years, yet they had simply been set before a single demonic beast.
Even the little creature, noble from birth, could not help staring at such extravagance.
“Eat up. There’s more when you’re finished. As much as you want.”
The smiling voice beside its ear sounded as casual as if he were offering plain rice.
“…”
After a brief hesitation, it swallowed all the stones.
It needed to recover its spiritual energy as quickly as possible. Otherwise, discovery of its present condition and true identity would bring unnecessary trouble upon the sect.
And there was still the demon in hiding. It had to capture that creature soon.
“So adorable.”
That fond, amused voice sounded again.
The creature: “…”
Never mind. Restoring its spiritual energy came first.
When the elderly servant entered, he found his young master resting his chin in his hand, watching the little creature on the table munch on high-grade spirit stones.
Stones that even low-grade magical weapons could not crack were disappearing into this puppy-sized beast’s mouth, one per bite. The sight was chilling. Yet their young lord watched with open affection, repeatedly calling it adorable.
What was adorable about it? Would it still be adorable while eating human flesh and bones?
Pretending to have seen nothing, the servant approached.
“Young Master, cultivators from Yaoshang and Taixuan request an audience. They say they’ve found the master’s newest concubine.”
Without thinking, Song Liang replied, “I’m not seeing them.”
“But the master has already gone to meet them.”
Song Liang: “…”
He had forgotten about that old man.
“Fine. Let’s go have a look.”
Stretching, Song Liang crouched before the creature.
“Would you like to come with me?”
It hesitated, then shook its head.
Though it could see Feishuang, the presence of the Taixuan cultivators meant someone might notice something amiss.
“Then stay here and be good. Don’t wander off. If I come back and find out you have, I’ll kiss that little mouth of yours raw~”
“…”
“Just joking.”
At the sight of its rigid body, Song Liang grinned wickedly, scratched beneath its chin, and rose to leave, humming to himself.
Behind him, the creature watched his retreating figure in silence. At last, unable to restrain itself, it crushed a high-grade spirit stone beneath its paw.
The elderly servant’s expression changed sharply. He hurried out, closed the door, added three more layers of restrictions, and only then followed his master.
Before Song Liang even reached the front hall, he heard heart-rending funeral wails from within. The voice was hoarse and coarse, like a drake being roasted alive—so dreadful that, despite having heard it only once, he immediately recognized the original owner’s father, the man his kick had incapacitated.
“My Cuiying! What a terrible death! You haven’t even been left a whole body! That beautiful face of yours, chewed into such a state…”
Song Liang frowned and stepped into the front hall. It was crowded with people: Jing Feishuang and the other Yaoshang disciples he had met before, along with several figures in black-and-white robes resembling ink-wash paintings. Their faces differed, but their expressions were uniformly grave.
A corpse lay in the center of the hall. A white cloth covered only its lower half, leaving the upper body exposed. It was a woman in a white inner robe, perhaps in her early twenties, with a slender, graceful figure.
She had probably been attractive, though it was impossible to tell now. Almost nothing remained intact on her face. Most of the skin was gone, leaving a bloody mass of exposed flesh. One eyeball hung precariously from its socket; the other side was an empty, dark cavity. Her chin and lips had been gnawed down to white bone. Half her neck had been eaten away, and distinct animal bite marks remained on the rest.
Clearly, this was someone the demon had not yet finished eating.
Beside the body crouched a stout, middle-aged man, sobbing bitterly. Overcome with emotion, he reached to touch the dead woman’s face, stopped abruptly, gagged, and resumed crying.
The corpse had not nauseated Song Liang, but the man’s retching nearly did. He stepped forward, kicked him aside, and asked the others, “Where was she found?”
The cultivators from both sects had noticed him enter and were about to offer greetings. Seeing him kick away his own father before asking that question left them momentarily stunned.
“In the forest outside the city,” Jing Feishuang replied.
The forest outside the city. Where he had found Xie Yun.
Song Liang paused, then asked, “Are you certain a demon did this? Could it have been a wild beast?”
“The demonic aura on this corpse is practically spilling through the roof. How could a wild beast be responsible?”
A young man in ink-black robes frowned at him.
“Does the young city lord not understand even that?”
Just then, the old city lord got up, dusting off his backside. Hearing this, he sighed.
“My son is in poor health and knows nothing of cultivation. Please be understanding, Fellow Daoist Chen.”
Chen You looked at the footprint on the man’s backside and found himself at a loss. If this youth was in poor health, what counted as healthy? Did they think he had failed to notice the several dozen catties of spirit stones and formations he was wearing?
Unwilling to waste time on the pair, he said sternly, “Demons favor women and children with spiritual sensitivity or tender flesh. They are also fiercely protective of their food. One would never abandon a body before finishing it. Someone must have wounded this creature. It is certainly hiding in Xiushui now.”
“Our fellow Daoists from Yaoshang have searched the city for half a month without finding it. Only the city lord’s residence remains unsearched. We ask that you both cooperate.”
The old city lord answered with an affable smile, “Of course, of course.”
“He’s agreed,” Song Liang said. “Then search his room. And the rooms of all sixteen of his concubines.”
The old city lord hurriedly tugged at his clothes.
“Now, don’t be like that. They’re all your aunties. How can we casually let people into their private chambers…”
Chen You studied Song Liang.
“As a mortal, aren’t you afraid a demon might be hiding in the residence and taking lives?”
“I’m quite all right.”
Song Liang remained unruffled.
“Search the rooms of whoever’s afraid. There’s no need to search mine. I have quite a few high-grade spirit stones stored there, and I don’t trust others to enter.”
The members of both sects fell silent. They all knew they had contributed to that collection.
“No matter,” Chen You suddenly said. “I happen to have an artifact that detects demonic aura within ten feet. A walk around the residence will tell me whether there is a demon here.”
Song Liang: “…”
3085: 【In the original story, Taixuan is the sect most skilled at capturing demons. They even experiment on them and use them to refine pills. If they catch your husband, he’s finished.】
Song Liang snapped his fan shut.
“Make yourselves comfortable. I’m unwell and will return to my room.”
“In that case, we can escort the young city lord there first.”
“…”
Song Liang raised an eyebrow at the man blocking his way.
“Fellow Daoist Chen, you seem rather intent on targeting me.”
Chen You’s gaze was deep and unreadable.
“Perhaps that is because the demonic aura on you is so strong.”
Song Liang’s expression stilled.
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