People often joked that someone ugly-looking could ward off evil.
But ghosts were not afraid of ugly people. No matter how ugly a person was, could they possibly be uglier than a ghost?
Today, Li Chu proved through personal experience that being handsome was what truly warded off evil.
After dealing with the Vengeful Spirit, he did not linger in the empty Xue Family Residence and simply walked out.
The moment he stepped out the gate and onto the street, he heard shouting from across the road.
Zhou Dafu emerged from the alley opposite with a group of constables and hurriedly called out, "Little Daoist Priest Li, where are you going?"
Li Chu did not answer. Instead, he looked them over strangely.
After a moment's thought, he guessed it. These officers had not fled at all—they had simply been too scared to enter, so they had all stood watch in the alley.
Now they had run out, probably thinking that he was about to flee as well.
When he came closer, Zhou Dafu's face heated beneath his gaze. He gave a chuckle and said, "I just gathered the brothers back together. We were going to come back and support you! We can get started now!"
Li Chu shook his head. "It's already over."
"Huh?" The constables were greatly astonished.
Zhou Dafu was stunned too. "Little Daoist Priest Li, you... ended the First Wife... that quickly?"
"Mm. It went rather smoothly," Li Chu said blandly.
Seeing the expressions on the constables' faces, he decided to summarize the exorcism process in a single sentence, lest they be heartbroken.
"Then where are you headed?" Zhou Dafu knew Li Chu would not lie, and he immediately breathed a sigh of relief, a smile piling back onto his face.
Li Chu said, "It's still early. I'm planning to return to Ten Li Slope first."
Night had only just fallen. If he went back now to farm monsters, he would basically not fall behind on his daily progress, which satisfied him greatly.
After a pause, he added, "But I exorcised the Vengeful Spirit ahead of schedule. The reward should still be paid as we agreed, right?"
"Don't worry, there won't be any problem with the reward." Zhou Dafu waved a hand, then leaned closer and tugged Li Chu's sleeve. In a low voice, he said, "How about we men celebrate tonight? Go enjoy some flowers and grass together?"
"Flowers and grass?" Li Chu did not understand.
A constable beside him gave a lewd grin. "It means going to Spring Full Pavilion, spending some flower money, and getting grassed..."
Li Chu was embarrassed and politely declined. "No."
Another constable laughed. "Is Little Daoist Priest Li too embarrassed? Don't worry, you'll get used to this sort of thing."
"I just think..." Li Chu raised his eyes to look at him and said unhurriedly, "there's no need to spend money on this sort of thing, is there?"
Then he nodded to the crowd and turned to leave.
Watching his straight-backed figure, an older constable quietly sneered, "Who would've thought this little Daoist priest was such a miser. Tch, without spending flowers, where would the grass come from?"
But the moment he said it, he felt something was off.
Thinking about Li Chu's face, it seemed that... even if the girls of Spring Full Pavilion had to pay him instead, no one would refuse.
Thinking of it that way, it was no wonder Li Chu felt there was no need to spend money.
The constables exchanged looks, suddenly feeling that tonight's wind was somewhat chilly.
"Damn it!" someone cursed in irritation.
Though he did not know what exactly he was angry about.
The cool summer night was bright with stars and moonlight.
Yuhang Town was only ten li from Ten Li Slope. Even if Li Chu walked at an unhurried pace, he would arrive in no time.
Though the route was a broad Official Road, wild forest lay on both sides, without a soul in sight.
The He Luo Dynasty's curfew was not particularly strict, but the city gates were controlled rather tightly. Besides, this was a world where Evil Things ran rampant. Unless there was a matter of utmost urgency, normal people would never leave the city to travel at night.
Cultivators, of course, were an exception.
As he walked, Li Chu sensed that something was wrong near Half River Pavilion midway along the road.
It was too quiet. A summer night in the wilderness ought to have been filled with Living Creatures—the frogs in the puddles, the Rodent Birds in the woods, the cicadas in the trees, the Wild Beasts howling in the mountains. They were usually clamorous and noisy, yet at this moment, they had all vanished.
And a fishy stench began to reach his nose.
Among the four types of Evil Things—Demons, monsters, ghosts, and fiends—Demonic Qi was fishy and foul, and prolonged exposure would make Mortals dizzy. Fiendish qi was sharp and pungent, and would stir savagery in Mortals' hearts. Ghost Qi was cold and sinister, and would make Mortals nauseated enough to vomit.
Monsters were a collective term for the strange and bizarre beings of the world. They came in every conceivable form, were not truly of one kind, and had no unified type of aura.
It could be said that an aura was an Evil Thing's clearest feature, as well as the most important basis for judgment. Because the overwhelming majority of Evil Things could not conceal their auras, they could only operate outside human settlements.
Otherwise, if all Evil Things could freely blend into cities, humanity might not have enjoyed such peace.
Li Chu could determine that the smell he was now detecting was Demonic Qi.
And it was denser than anything he had ever sensed before.
Out of caution, he did not intend to stir up more trouble. He quickened his pace, wanting to return to Virtuous Cloud Temple as soon as possible.
But trouble refused to be avoided.
After taking three quick steps, his waist seemed to suddenly brush against a thin yet tough strand. A burst of recoil instantly sprang back.
He swiftly twisted away and retreated, only to discover that his white sash had already been corroded black.
This thread was poisonous!
By the bright moonlight, he widened his eyes and carefully swept his gaze around. Only then did he discover that the threads ahead formed a bagua pattern, like an enormous Spider Web!
Not only was the Official Road blocked off, but both forests were densely covered in these black threads! Several animal carcasses lay amid the woodland grass. It seemed they had touched the threads and died from the poison.
Above and below, left and right—even birds could not escape.
What was this for? Hunting?
It was Li Chu's first time encountering something like this. He cautiously took two steps back, intending to seek another route.
At that moment, a black figure flashed out from Half River Pavilion by the roadside.
Hearing the movement, Li Chu immediately looked over.
He saw a bald man in tight black clothing, with his sleeves bound and his trouser legs tied.
Li Chu did not know why he wore night-traveling clothes, because there was not much point to it.
His bald head was simply too conspicuous at night! When moonlight shone upon it, it reflected like a halo around his body. If Li Chu had believed in Buddhism, he might have dropped to his knees and kowtowed.
Precisely because his bald head was so bright, it created darkness beneath the lamp, making his features difficult to see instead.
It was also because of that bald head that Li Chu only noticed at a second glance that the most astonishing thing about him was not his head, but his arms.
He had a full eight arms!
Each one looked robust and powerful, with knotted muscles.
As he appeared, the Demonic Qi around them grew even denser and rippled outward. Clearly, he was the real master here.
Li Chu stared at him without speaking. He had encountered few demons, and without knowing this one's background, he did not know how to address him.
The Eight-Armed Man also sized Li Chu up. So young, with no fluctuation of true qi—he appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary Little Daoist Priest.
So he let out a strange, wheezing laugh.
Just as Li Chu was wondering what he was laughing about, he suddenly made his move!
The Eight-Armed Man swiftly raised one right hand. A pitch-black slit split open in his palm, and with a hiss, it shot out a beam of black light, nearly invisible in the night!
Had Li Chu not possessed exceptionally sharp eyesight, he would almost have failed to see that black light. He hurriedly shifted sideways, barely evading it.
A strange sizzling sound rose from the ground. Only then did Li Chu see that the black light was venom. The instant it landed on the Official Road, it corroded straight through the gravel and dirt! If it struck a person, their bones and flesh would surely be utterly destroyed.
Li Chu frowned at him. "I have no grievance or enmity with you. Why did you suddenly try to kill me?"
"Hehehehe." The Eight-Armed Man grinned cruelly. "Who told you to show up here tonight? Blame your bad luck!"
The Eight-Armed Man lifted his head, and only then did Li Chu see clearly that his face actually had two rows of eyes! It was utterly horrifying!
He spread all eight arms beneath the moon, fierce and evil, looking like a wicked demon!
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