"Those three corpses appeared out of nowhere just now, so this courtyard is extremely sinister. It seems to be shrouded in a 'perception-confusing barrier.' I somehow ended up in this side room earlier as well," Yun Ruzhou explained.
Upon hearing this, Yun Qingsu's expression darkened completely. She realized that she had entered rather recklessly.
Judging from Yun Ruzhou's description, there was probably more than one Evil Spirit lurking in this courtyard.
"Alas..." Yun Ruzhou let out a long sigh, his tone filled with helplessness.
"The monsters and demons across Cangzhou are growing increasingly rampant. I've sent word to the sect so many times, yet it has never received the attention it deserves."
A trace of guilt and solemnity flashed across Yun Qingsu's face.
"This matter was indeed due to the sect's negligence. We failed to notice the severity of the situation here in time.
"But Junior Brother Xiao Zhou, Cangzhou isn't the only place like this. The sect has also been passing through troubled times recently. Disorder has arisen everywhere, and I only barely managed to free myself to come here..."
"All right, all right. There's no use talking about this now."
Yun Ruzhou interrupted her and held out his hand bluntly.
"The urgent matter is to leave this damned place first. Senior Sister Qingsu, quickly take out every good treasure you brought with you.
"Whether we can get out alive depends on how deep your pockets are."
Creak~
The door closed on its own behind them.
"Th-this... how could this be..." Xu Qiaoqiao held up the lamp, her beautiful eyes wide as she stared at the scene before her in disbelief.
Outside the door, there had clearly been a pile of firewood, so it should have been the kitchen. Yet after stepping inside, what met their eyes was a neatly arranged main hall.
Chen Duan's gaze swept rapidly across the entire hall. The furnishings were plain and ancient, thick with dust, and exuded an air of desolation.
His gaze eventually returned to Xu Qiaoqiao. "Stop spacing out. Where is that thing?"
"The Talisman Snake's response... it should indeed be here... Ah!"
Before Xu Qiaoqiao could finish speaking, she suddenly let out a shriek and spun around, covering one buttock with a hand.
Though the lamplight was dim, it could not conceal the shame and embarrassment on her face.
From the moment they met, this overbearing man had repeatedly crossed the line. First he had touched her foot, then her waist, and now he had gone even further and directly touched her butt!
Was he really Junior Uncle's friend?
Xu Qiaoqiao was shocked and furious.
"What is it?" Chen Duan turned his head, his brow slightly furrowed and a trace of puzzlement on his face. Why was this woman suddenly acting crazy?
Seeing that he looked completely unwilling to admit anything, Xu Qiaoqiao grew even angrier. But after glancing at Chen Duan's sandbag-sized fists, she could only endure it for the time being.
"It... it's nothing."
"If nothing's wrong, then stop barking like a dog." Chen Duan tossed out the remark and ignored her, beginning to pace around the room and inspect every corner.
Barking like a dog? This damned Demon Lord took advantage of me and still called it barking!
Xu Qiaoqiao clenched her pearly teeth and balled up her little fists before joining him in examining the surroundings.
I'll endure it again!
A moment later.
Xu Qiaoqiao's ears felt burning hot. Not only had the Demon Lord failed to restrain himself, he had grown even more brazen. That wicked hand had actually begun to... knead and squeeze?
She could endure no more!
Just as she drew a deep breath and prepared to "make a little scene" to stop this lecher's behavior—
"Don't move!"
Chen Duan's voice suddenly rang out.
"Huh?"
The voice was rather fierce, instantly intimidating Xu Qiaoqiao into freezing in place, afraid to move even a finger.
What's going on?
What does this Demon Lord want to do to me?
She began to panic.
They were completely alone here, and her opponent's martial strength was so formidable. If he truly wanted to do something to her, she would have no power to resist.
"All right."
Just as her thoughts ran wild, Chen Duan's voice came again.
It's over?
That fast?
Xu Qiaoqiao was stunned for a moment. She reached out and touched the fabric over her buttocks. It was still completely intact...
"Why are you still standing there?" Chen Duan said impatiently. "Come see what kind of damned thing this is."
Only then did Xu Qiaoqiao hurriedly turn around. In Chen Duan's palm, he seemed to be holding something invisible.
To the naked eye, there was nothing at all. Only several black markings were spreading upward along his arm.
She immediately came to her senses and quickly pulled a scarlet talisman from her robes, rapidly pouring her inner force into it.
The red talisman ignited without fire, transforming into a crimson ball of energy that shot toward Chen Duan's clenched palm.
"Ah!"
A twisted, monstrous cry erupted.
When the crimson energy touched Chen Duan's palm, it suddenly exploded outward. Its light temporarily dispelled the gloom and illuminated a silhouette.
It was a short, childlike figure, but its entire body was a dark, purplish-black. Its hollow eyes constantly seeped Black Qi.
It was struggling desperately in Chen Duan's hand.
"What kind of Evil Spirit is this supposed to be? A lecherous ghost?" Chen Duan weighed the little fellow in his hand.
The "little ghost" was frantically urging its evil aura to corrode Chen Duan.
At first, everything went smoothly. But when the Black Qi tried to burrow deeper, it struck something.
A powerful being seemed to lie dormant within Chen Duan's body, easily cutting off its corrosion.
Seeing this, how could Xu Qiaoqiao fail to understand that the little ghost had been responsible for everything just now?
Then, hearing Chen Duan's teasing remark about a "lecherous ghost," her entire face instantly flushed crimson. She wished she could crawl into a crack in the ground.
Thinking back on all those messy fantasies she had just entertained, she was mortified beyond words.
Chen Duan had no time to care about her rich inner drama. His attention was completely focused on the little ghost, while a certain "Great Sage" inside him shamelessly urged him on, as if saying:
"This filthy Evil Spirit is exceedingly dangerous. Since I happen to have time, I shall reluctantly subdue it. I will not be responsible if you miss this opportunity."
Chen Duan slightly relaxed his suppression of Righteous Qi. As he exerted force with his palm—
In an instant, Righteous Qi surged into his palm. Taking the little ghost's invading evil aura as a guide, it devoured it in reverse along its path.
"Ahhh!"
The little ghost let out a pained howl.
Hearing the scream, Xu Qiaoqiao jolted awake from her embarrassment. Her expression changed drastically as she hurriedly warned him:
"You can't forcefully take it! You have no method to restrain it. The Evil Spirit will devour you in return..."
The little ghost disintegrated into a stream of Black Smoke and burrowed into Chen Duan's arm.
His entire right arm turned pitch-black, a shocking sight. Yet soon, a warm and gentle power spread over it, and the blackness rapidly faded. After a few breaths, it had returned to normal.
Xu Qiaoqiao had been about to step forward and perform emergency treatment, but after seeing this, she was rendered speechless.
Chen Duan saw her worry and shook his hand. "It's fine. Just a minor trick."
Xu Qiaoqiao swallowed. He calls this a minor trick?
With such potent evil aura entering the body, even she would have to expend considerable effort and suffer a little before dispelling it. Yet Chen Duan had handled it as effortlessly as eating or drinking water.
This ability was comparable to Junior Uncle's Rare Blood.
Now, she finally believed Chen Duan's claim that he was a fellow practitioner.
"Senior, please forgive Little Qiaoqiao's poor eyesight. May I ask which sect you inherited your teachings from?"
This time, her tone held sincere respect.
"Just a trifling skill, not worth mentioning. But if you insist on asking about my sect..."
Seeing the curiosity on Xu Qiaoqiao's face, Chen Duan pondered for a moment.
These Daoist sect people seemed to attach great importance to their sect lineages. If he wanted to deal with them in the future, having a plausible background would indeed make things much easier...
He suddenly remembered Yin Feng, another person who possessed Rare Blood, and said calmly:
"As for my lineage, my ancestors were people of the Daoist sect on Cun Tian Shan."
"Cun Tian Shan!"
Xu Qiaoqiao cried out, her eyes filled with astonishment and awe.
She naturally knew the name Cun Tian Shan. It was an ancient Great Daoist sect that stood alongside her own ancestral home, Chi Di Peak.
"So you're a senior of Cun Tian Shan. Little Qiaoqiao was rude earlier. Please be magnanimous and forgive me."
She hurriedly bowed and cupped her fists, her attitude becoming even more respectful. Her heart also let out a long sigh of relief.
Since he was a legitimate Daoist successor with a pure lineage, she could feel much more at ease associating with him.
Thinking back to when they had first met, she had indeed been the one to block his path and question him in an unfriendly tone. Most of the later "misunderstandings" had also stemmed from her own imagination.
Chen Duan felt that this girl seemed rather foolish. He had even prepared a few lines to bluff her, but he had not expected her to believe him so easily.
Well... of course, it was also possible that this was due to the effects of Righteous Qi.
Regardless, it was a good thing. With one more Daoist sect member recognizing his identity as a "successor of Cun Tian Shan," this disguise would only become more secure.
"Enough idle chatter. The little ghost just now seemed different from the one you described earlier. How do you explain that?"
Xu Qiaoqiao frowned slightly at his words.
"I also find this strange. Given the current situation, I suspect there is more than one Evil Spirit in this courtyard.
"On the road to Exorcise Evil, the most troublesome thing is encountering Evil Spirits that suddenly appear like this. We have no information at all and can only test them bit by bit, learning their traits and weaknesses."
Seeing that the girl apparently had no further clues, Chen Duan felt a trace of irritation rising in his heart.
These Evil Spirits were truly inconvenient things. They hid their heads and showed only their tails, far less direct and satisfying than strange monsters.
Xu Qiaoqiao did not find the situation especially troubling. If she had been alone, she would certainly have felt utterly hopeless by now. But with Chen Duan, this "senior of Cun Tian Shan," beside her, she felt much more secure.
"We can investigate slowly. We'll figure out its origins eventually. It won't take too much time—"
"That's too slow." Chen Duan interrupted her and shook his head. "My instincts tell me that we need to use a special method now."
"Oh?" Xu Qiaoqiao's eyes lit up.
"Could it be that Senior still has some profound method you haven't used yet?"
The corner of Chen Duan's mouth lifted. "I do have one method. I just can't be sure what the result will be."
"Please, Senior, go ahead. Little Qiaoqiao will cooperate with all her might!"
Before you continue