Free Web NovelChapter 125: Chapter 91: Capturing Spirit Monsters in Succession
"So why haven’t the local residents had a similar reaction?"
"This Demon was probably more restrained in the past. It didn’t drain people to death directly, and it even seemed to feed on only a small amount each time."
Xu Lei said while surveying their surroundings, "That’s why the villagers didn’t notice anything. It’s just that recently, this Demon has gotten a bit hasty for some reason.
It drained quite a bit from that visiting wife all at once, which is what caused her reaction."
"I see."
Mu Yao had a look of realization. "The locals are really unlucky, then. They’ve had their lives shortened without even knowing it. That young man was lucky. He married into a family in the city and doesn’t have to live here. He avoided getting drained. When we saw him at the restaurant, he didn’t look any older than his peers. He probably thinks it’s because he doesn’t do farm work and is sheltered from the elements in the city, completely unaware that his family is being drained by a Demon."
"It’s just a guess for now. Nothing’s confirmed."
Xu Lei added, "It’s also possible that the local environmental and sanitary conditions are just poor. We can’t be sure until we actually find a Demon."
After that, Xu Lei and Mu Yao pretended to be tourists visiting the area.
They found a farmer’s house and rented a place to stay.
At the same time, Xu Lei spoke with some of the villagers to learn more about the situation.
He heard that a number of elderly people had indeed died recently.
In the past, people would at least live to fifty before dying of old age.
But a while back, the elders of several households passed away one after another, all of them just in their forties.
However, the villagers didn’t find this particularly strange.
After all, old people eventually die, especially those who perform manual labor all year round and suffer from more aches and pains.
Besides, in a world with an ancient, feudal background, lifespans were shorter than on modern Earth. A simple illness without a cure could be fatal.
While dying in one’s forties was a bit early, it was still within the realm of what people here accepted.
「In the blink of an eye, another night passed.」
Xu Lei had thought that by staying in the village, the Demon Spirit would show up at night to drain Essence Qi, but nothing happened.
He wasn’t worried, though. After all, a Demon Spirit that could blend into the Mortal World without getting killed was bound to be relatively cautious.
So, he decided to continue renting a place in the village.
"But I thought the Demon would come last night! I was afraid that Charitable Giving might interfere with the Living Buddha’s demon-slaying, so Yaoyao couldn’t even get any Charitable Giving from the Living Buddha."
But now Mu Yao was pouting. "I can’t believe it didn’t show up. How long are we going to have to wait?
When will Yaoyao get another Charitable Giving from the Living Buddha?"
"Amitabha Buddha."
Xu Lei smiled and said, "Since this benefactor is so upset, how about this humble monk gives you some Charitable Giving right now?"
"Isn’t that a bad idea?"
Mu Yao said, "It’s still daytime!"
"The Demon shouldn’t dare to make a move during the day."
But Xu Lei wrapped an arm around Mu Yao and said, "That’s why a little fun in the daytime won’t affect our serious business of subduing demons."
Soon, the guards all withdrew, leaving only Xu Lei and Mu Yao in the rented farmhouse.
Xu Lei had Mu Yao turn her back to him, then pushed her onto a millstone in the courtyard.
「A few hours later.」
Xu Lei and Mu Yao had just stepped out of their rented house, planning to wander around the village under the guise of sightseeing, when they saw a lively and noisy commotion.
Moreover, the couple they had met at the restaurant yesterday was there as well.
However, the other couple who had been at their table was not with them.
It was just the two of them.
"Young Master Mu, Young Master Xu, what are you doing here?"
The beautiful young wife saw Xu Lei and Mu Yao and approached them enthusiastically. "Could you be scholars of geography?"
Xu Lei remained silent in response to her guess.
"You?"
Mu Yao asked in surprise, "Did you... hire a Daoist to catch the Demon?"
That’s right. Traveling with them were an old Daoist with an otherworldly air and a young assistant, a Little Daoist.
They proceeded forward, performing a ritual as they went. The old Daoist held a Peach Wood Sword, lit talisman paper, sprayed mouthfuls of wine, and chanted incantations. The whole performance looked quite authentic.
He looked more like a demon-slayer than Xu Lei did.
"Yes, and it’s thanks to you two for speaking so frankly."
The beautiful young wife said, "My stubborn husband kept thinking about it and finally concluded that something might be wrong.
I found some people, a few experts in environmental surveys from the city, to come take a look.
But then my husband said, what if there’s something unclean in the village?
So, he went and found a Daoist priest to come over!"
「Another hour passed.」
Xu Lei and Mu Yao watched this so-called Daoist priest’s ritual from the sidelines.
"Living Buddha, he isn’t going to compete with you to catch the Demon, is he?"
Mu Yao couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, "How deep is his Dao Practice? Is he a threat to you?"
"They’re just two ordinary Daoists."
Of course, Xu Lei laughed in surprise, shaking his head. "They’re not real Daoists. I imagine they’re just here to make some money performing rituals.
I just don’t know if they’ll startle the Demon, and how it will react if they do!
Perhaps it will retreat with extreme caution, even if these are fake Daoists.
Or maybe it’ll see they’re charlatans and secretly use its powers to mess with them.
If it’s the latter, that would be perfect! But if it’s the former, that would be a bit troublesome.
It all depends on whether it uses Demonic Power when it retreats, or if it doesn’t, whether it can leave quietly enough."
「That evening.」
Xu Lei and Mu Yao were still staying in the village.
The Daoist priest also stayed in the village, performing his rituals through the night.
Xu Lei kept his senses peeled all night but still didn’t detect any Demonic Qi.
