The Television Appeared

Regarding whether this "Mr. Nangong" was a Demon Hunter, a charlatan, or just some chuunibyou passerby (the last option being unlikely), Hao Ren and Vivian debated for quite some time without reaching a conclusion.

Vivian claimed to have a special sensitivity to Demon Hunters due to an injury she sustained years ago. However, she herself admitted that this talent was unreliable, sometimes working and sometimes not, making it far from concrete evidence. As for Lily, there was no hope for her. This silly girl had never even seen a Demon Hunter before. In Vivian's eyes, Lily was less mature than a child; if a Demon Hunter were to attack their doorstep, Lily probably wouldn't even react.

According to Vivian, Demon Hunters were "half-human, half-monster." During combat, they could unleash various powers beyond human capabilities, and in some cases, their bodies would even mutate. However, in their daily lives, they appeared completely normal, with no special aura or other easily identifiable traits. This "secrecy" was one of the Demon Hunters' trump cards for dealing with Otherworldly Beings. In Vivian's opinion, Mr. Nangong's behavior didn't resemble that of a Demon Hunter, especially his proactive approach in striking up conversations and seemingly flaunting his identity. This was vastly different from the arch-nemeses Vivian remembered. However, this alone couldn't rule out the possibility that he was the "real deal." After all, the vampire girl hadn't seen a Demon Hunter in many years, and even those she had encountered were only a small fraction of the entire Demon Hunter population. Her understanding was limited, and her memories were hazy. More importantly, she was unlucky—even Hao Ren wasn't sure if he would be dragged down by Vivian's bad luck, only to encounter a "real one" on his first day out.

Therefore, Hao Ren felt quite uneasy.

The trio found no better options in this unfamiliar place. Although the language barrier had been resolved, the journey had been exhausting. Even Lily was too tired to move. After eating, the three of them returned to their rooms. Lily was currently sprawled on the sofa in the center of the living room, flipping through TV channels. Despite not understanding a single word, she seemed quite entertained. Vivian, meanwhile, was engaged in a very meaningful activity: she had taken out all the cash she had prepared for the trip and was now counting it over and over...

Hao Ren sat beside Vivian with extreme vigilance, maintaining the closest possible distance, his eyes never leaving Vivian's slender, pale hands. He was terrified that if he blinked, the vampire's aura of misfortune would activate, and the pile of cash would instantly vanish. He had now realized that Vivian's terrible luck with money was far beyond simple "bad luck"; it was practically the will of the universe, a law-level passive effect. Letting Vivian touch money was definitely an extreme sport for his nerves.

Vivian counted the money with great enthusiasm, occasionally sighing, "Oh my... this is truly a rare moment of luxury in my life... So this is what it feels like to count money... Life is so much better following the Landlord... Hey, Landlord, why are you so nervous?"

"I've told you to just call me Hao Ren when we're outside," Hao Ren said with a forced smile, looking at Vivian. "Also, I have a reason to be nervous, I swear. If I don't watch you for even a moment, you could fritter away all our funds. And can you be a bit more ambitious? I thought you were going to do something significant when you took all the money out of my wallet, but you're just counting it for fun?"

"Can you understand my heart, which has been scarred for thousands of years?" Vivian sighed poetically. "Alas, the last time I felt this good counting money was back in the Republic of China era. I carried sacks to buy rice and spent half an hour counting silver dollar coupons at the grain store... But that time didn't feel as good as this. After all, that stuff was practically worthless paper, unlike these pounds. Hehe, I've finished counting this stack, let me count it again... Hey, Hao Ren, don't be like that, let me count it again!"

Hao Ren resolutely took the money back and secured it close to his person. Only then did he say earnestly, "My dear Blood Clan lady, if you really want to count money, we can go to Zimbabwe later and let you count to your heart's content. As for now, please have some dignity and do something normal—we were just discussing Demon Hunters, why aren't you the least bit tense anymore?"

"I've been through a lot, you know. How long can such a small matter keep me tense?" Vivian looked longingly at where Hao Ren had put the wallet before turning her head away with disdain. "Do you know what a real Demon Hunter should look like?"

Hao Ren's interest was immediately piqued. "What are they like?"

"Based on my experience, they like to wear black when they're on the move. It used to be hunting attire, and later it became tight-fitting suits. Demon Hunters in the East also wear kung fu outfits. Basically, whatever looks stiff and formal. But in their daily lives, they dress like normal people. Also, they tend to be a bit gloomy, difficult to talk to, and very low-key. They'll do everything they can to hide their identities, fearing they'll alert us if they attract attention. Not only do they not reveal their identities to others, but sometimes, if ordinary people find out about their activities, they'll even kill those ordinary people to silence them—though this is the practice of a few extremists, it speaks volumes about the Demon Hunter community. Besides being low-key, another characteristic of Demon Hunters is their 'ordinariness.' They are very, very ordinary and are adept at making their words and actions seem like those of a normal person, which is also a method of concealing themselves. When people around them are talking about witches, they talk about witches too. When people are talking about Napoleon's victory, they talk about Napoleon's victory. When people are talking about atheism and denying the existence of ghosts and gods, they also declare their belief in science. Do you understand now? This is how they completely hide themselves. They look like the majority of people you see on the street, from the inside out, layer upon layer of disguise—so the more I think about it, the less I feel that 'Mr. Nangong' is worth being wary of. Who would so brazenly announce their ghost-exorcism business? Even if Demon Hunters had no business, they wouldn't be this high-profile. It completely goes against their core tenets."

Concluding, Vivian nodded emphatically, "So I think we were just overly nervous. I was nervous about Demon Hunters, and you were nervous because it was your first 'mission.' We were probably just spooked by a common ghost-exorcising con artist."

Hao Ren nodded repeatedly, "Mmm-hmm, that makes sense. But should we completely let our guard down just like that?"

"We should still maintain the necessary vigilance," Vivian said, shaking her head. "He doesn't seem like a genuine Demon Hunter, but he's likely had contact with that line of work. He knows the history of Demon Hunters and speaks knowledgeably about some 'work-related' matters. So I suspect he might be a subordinate of some real Demon Hunter. Those cunning fellows occasionally do this, so we need to be careful not to let that 'Mr. Nangong' notice anything too unusual. Other than that, he shouldn't pose much of a threat. Anyway, our goal is just to find someone, not to fight."

Hao Ren nodded. The discussion about "Mr. Nangong" had reached its conclusion.

By this time, Lily had cycled through all the TV channels multiple times, completely unable to understand what was being shown. The werewolf girl seemed a bit bored. She casually tossed the remote aside and began scratching Hao Ren's back with her claws, "Landlord, talk to Raven 12345 and ask her to prepare a data terminal for each of us. You might have to host people in the future, maybe even foreigners. It would be so awkward if they couldn't understand us."

Hao Ren chuckled. This silly werewolf was actually using her brain! To watch a foreign program, she had come up with such a well-reasoned excuse. But just as he was about to explain the organizational structure to Lily, a word that caught his attention suddenly came from the television nearby: "...Yuefu'erde Castle, located near Brusar, has recently attracted many paranormal enthusiasts..."

Hao Ren immediately perked up his ears and turned his head. He saw a news interview program on the television. A blonde, blue-eyed foreign woman was standing next to a broadcast van, holding a microphone. Behind her was a rugged, rocky wilderness. In the distance, a nearly completely collapsed ruin could be seen. Standing next to the female host was a short, stout uncle wearing a white T-shirt. The latter was clearly not a TV station staff member. He was full of beard, slightly balding, and his clothes were a bit worn. He looked like an ordinary local farmer, likely being interviewed.

"...What we are seeing now is Yuefu'erde Castle. It's obvious that it has completely collapsed and its original scale can no longer be seen. Because there are no roads here, the broadcast van had to stop here. Later, I will walk to the castle to show everyone what it looks like up close," the female host introduced the current situation, then gestured to the short, stout uncle beside her. "This gentleman is Mr. Angus, who first discovered the paranormal events at the ancient castle..."

(I casually clicked on the Dream Cup... so if anyone has free tickets, please vote. It seems high-tier VIPs have tickets every day.)