The 13th of the Month Devil

Not long after the whistle sounded, Cheng Wanli and the other three arrived, pulling a handcart.

Seeing the dead Crocodile Dragon, they were all overjoyed.

There was nothing left for Luo Zhou to do.

The four of them loaded the Crocodile Dragon onto the handcart, but they didn't hurry to leave.

Crocodile Dragon hunting grounds usually had spirit materials.

Everyone started searching...

Sure enough, before long, they found seven lotus roots. They were called Purple Qi Lotus Roots, a Body Tempering spirit medicine worth three Broken Spirit each.

Once they'd finished searching, they all pulled the handcart away together.

The Crocodile Dragon weighed over thirteen hundred pounds, so Luo Zhou had to lend a hand. All five of them put their backs into it and dragged it away.

Once they pulled it out of Baiyang Marsh, things got easier.

They'd ridden ten horses there. They led six of them out to pull the cart.

They wrapped the Crocodile Dragon tightly in white cloth, then deliberately stuffed the cloth bags they'd brought with branches and other odds and ends, piling them on the cart to keep anyone from discovering that they had a Crocodile Dragon.

Once everything was ready, Cheng Yubo stopped riding and took the reins.

That was when Zhang Chuan's role became clear. At a critical moment, he would use his martial strength to protect the cart.

Still, everyone hoped Zhang Chuan wouldn't have to fight. Battles always came with casualties.

Cheng Wanli and Lu Yue stayed on guard as well, ready to fight at any moment.

A Crocodile Dragon was worth the lives of several people like Luo Zhou. Even Qi Refining cultivators would find it hard to resist making a move!

Fortunately, they were experienced and had traveled carefully. At the hour of the monkey that afternoon, they returned to the outskirts of Green Ridge City.

They didn't even need to enter the city. Someone was already waiting three miles away, too impatient to wait any longer.

The city's major restaurants, especially, were eager for Crocodile Dragon meat and blood to boost their reputations.

Ingredients like that were hard to come by, and they paid handsomely!

Cheng Wanli went over to negotiate. They quickly settled on a price, and he handed the cart straight over to the buyer.

Then Cheng Wanli returned, gathered everyone together, and led them into the city.

At the Gong Family's Old Shop, they set out a table laden with fine wine and dishes.

They drank and chatted, and the place buzzed with life.

After every dragon hunt, the leader treated everyone to a meal to strengthen their bonds.

After three rounds of drinks and five courses, Cheng Wanli said:

"Everyone, we killed a Crocodile Dragon this time and found seven Purple Qi Lotus Roots. We all made a little profit!"

He began dividing the money. Luo Zhou got five shares, the organizer, Cheng Wanli, got two, and everyone else got one each.

The money was handed out in red envelopes, so nobody knew how much anyone else had received. That kept disputes from arising.

They were all old hands in the jianghu, with families of their own. They knew how to behave, and they all knew roughly what was fair. There wouldn't be any messy trouble.

Luo Zhou received three thousand eight hundred and fifty Broken Spirit!

It was only the earnings from one dragon hunt, so he didn't care at all about the Spirit Grain Porridge he'd bought for his classmates.

They had Broken Spirit but no Spirit Stones. In fact, a thousand Broken Spirit couldn't buy a single Spirit Stone on the market; you had to add another seventy or eighty Broken Spirit. That was why the merchants settled their accounts in Broken Spirit.

When the banquet ended, everyone went their separate ways.

Luo Zhou deliberately packed up three dishes to save as a late-night snack.

As they were about to part, Cheng Wanli said:

"Everyone, be careful. Tomorrow night is the third day of the month. The 13th of the Month Devil will kill people and wipe out entire households.

"Be careful. Either gather with a few other families or stay at an inn. That way, you won't be one family in one household, and you'll break the 13th of the Month Devil's ritual of killing an entire household."

Cheng Yubo couldn't help saying, "Those useless officials—The 13th of the Month Devil has killed so many people, and they can't do a thing about him."

"They call it a curfew, and arrest anyone they see, but they still can't catch that fiend."

Zhang Chuan shook his head. "That fiend must be a Qi Refining cultivator. He's mastered spirit arts like Shadow Evasion, Dark Evasion, Flight Evasion, and shapeshifting. That's why he's so brazen and impossible to catch!"

Cheng Wanli shook his head and said:

"Some people even suspect that the 13th of the Month Devil might be an official!

"The thief cries 'stop thief,' so they'll never catch him."

Everyone was startled by that!

But it made sense. The devil was hiding right under their noses, so of course they couldn't catch him.

"Maybe he works at an inn or restaurant and is using this to drum up business.

"He never targets wealthy families, powerful clans, the nobility, or cultivators. He only bullies ordinary people from small households.

"Maybe the 13th of the Month Devil isn't one person at all, but a whole group!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Luo Zhou thought so too. He knew better than anyone that this 13th of the Month Devil was truly unusual.

Those he killed turned into Dead Spirits. They were completely impossible to communicate with and couldn't pass along the slightest bit of information. He had no idea how the devil managed it.

"Nothing's happening tonight. Everyone, be careful tomorrow night. And Lu Yue, hurry up and look for the next Crocodile Dragon!"

"Don't worry, Leader. I'll keep looking tomorrow. I'll definitely find one within three days."

"Brother Lu, don't rush. Wait until my spiritual sense recovers a bit, or it'll be hard to curse one to death."

"Young man, why are you resting? Hurry up and work hard to make money. You need to save up for a wife!"

They chatted for a while, then went their separate ways!

Luo Zhou headed home. When he reached the door, he found a child waiting there.

It was the child from the Wang Family who'd been beaten yesterday.

Luo Zhou took a look. He hadn't paid much attention the day before, and only now realized the child was a girl.

She had delicate features, especially her eyes, which were strikingly bright.

No wonder everyone called her Ya-zi. She really was a little girl.

The little Wang girl had been waiting outside the Luo Family's home. When she saw Luo Zhou return, she hurried over to bow.

"Thank you, Big Brother Luo. You saved me yesterday!"

"This is the only doll my mother left me. I don't have anything else, so I can only give it to you, Big Brother Luo. Thank you for saving my life."

As she spoke, she held out a tattered little cloth doll. It was the only keepsake she had from her mother.

Luo Zhou scolded her. "What are you doing, kid? Who wants your beat-up doll?"

His scolding brought tears to Wang Xiaoya's eyes, but she held them back.

"Don't cry. You haven't eaten, have you?

"Come in and have a bite. I made this for a late-night snack."

As he spoke, he grabbed Wang Xiaoya and brought her inside, then served her the food.

When she saw the delicious dishes, Wang Xiaoya's eyes lit up, but she was very polite and didn't eat a bite.

"You little rascal, hurry up and eat. If you call me Big Brother, I'll make sure you always have enough to eat.

"Back when your mother was still alive, I couldn't get enough to eat, and she gave me food..."

Luo Zhou was lying. He'd never even met Wang Xiaoya's mother!

"Really? My mother really was a good person!"

Hearing Luo Zhou praise her mother made Wang Xiaoya's eyes light up. She was delighted.

"Eat. Hurry up and eat."

Only then did Wang Xiaoya begin to eat. The braised pork and Four Happiness Meatballs were so delicious that she ate until grease shone on her lips.

"Remember, if your dad hits you, don't let him corner you. Run straight to me, and I'll help you.

"Your dad won't hit you again. You should be all right now!"

Luo Zhou kept muttering.

As Wang Xiaoya ate, she suddenly burst into tears, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I can't even remember what my mother looked like anymore, but if she were alive, she'd definitely be this kind to me too!"

Luo Zhou let out a long sigh. "I'm about to forget what my parents looked like in this life, too!"

He spoke so softly that only he could hear:

"I can't remember what my mom and dad from my previous life looked like, either!"

"But I know that in both my past life and this one, they treated me well!

"I miss them so much!"

Only those who'd been caught in the rain would hold an umbrella over someone else!

Wang Xiaoya finished eating, bowed to Luo Zhou, and left.

Luo Zhou said, "Little girl, come back tomorrow morning and eat again!"

"As long as I have food, you'll have some too!"

"Remember, if your dad hits you, run straight here. I'll protect you!"

Wang Xiaoya left with the cloth doll in her arms. Her name really was Wang Xiaoya, because her father had never given her a name!

After sending Wang Xiaoya off, Luo Zhou continued cultivating!

Every hour, every moment, he was cultivating!

Another day had nearly passed. There were only thirty days left!

Time crept by. Midnight was almost here. Killing the Crocodile Dragon had produced Dead Spirits, fulfilling the requirements of the Netherworld Crossing reward method. There would definitely be a reward.

Luo Zhou waited in silence!

Suddenly, he thought he heard someone cry out, "Ah..."

Luo Zhou froze. Had that sounded like Wang Xiaoya?

But it hadn't quite sounded like her. It wasn't a full cry.

In the middle of the night, had Bald Old Wang gone crazy? Was he beating his kid again?

He immediately headed for Old Wang's house.

Midnight was almost here, and it was very late. Everyone had long since gone to bed, and not a light shone.

Luo Zhou used his Eye of Insight to look around carefully, then activated Listening and listened for a while. There wasn't a sound anywhere in the entire neighborhood, except for the distant beat of the night watchman's clapper.

All was peaceful!

It was almost midnight. Luo Zhou hurried back home, sat down, and continued waiting for his reward!

It's the new-book period, so I humbly ask everyone to keep reading. "Keep reading" means reading the latest update, and this metric is extremely important. Xiao Shan humbly begs you!

Also, thanks to Qiyue, GHLGHL, the new fan Wuwai Jiangshan 001, and book friend 20200202001842400 for the tips. Thanks to all my classmates and book friends!