The Monster's Lure

Leaning against the doorframe, the woman struggled to stand.

Jiang Yan's expression was calm. He cupped his fist in a salute to the woman, "All these methods are merely for self-preservation. I ask for your understanding, miss."

"I am Jiang Yan. May I know your name, miss?"

The woman curtsied slightly, returning Jiang Yan's salute, "I am Ou Yanling. Greetings, Brother Jiang."

Jiang Yan nodded and said to her, "I apologize for the inconvenience these past few days. Your companion harbors ill intentions towards us, so please bear with us for a few days."

"In a few days, if he doesn't cause trouble, I will definitely let you go and offer compensation."

Ou Yanling showed no surprise, her voice quick, "So, I'll have to eat this Bewildering Powder for a few more days?"

"Yes, though the dosage will be smaller. As I said, I... only seek self-preservation!"

Jiang Yan said softly, without a trace of guilt.

Ou Yanling remained silent. She knew Xia Fengshe's personality; that fellow probably wouldn't come. Staying here for a few days would put Jiang Yan and his group at ease, and they would naturally let her go.

Of course, she wasn't afraid of Jiang Yan and his group having ulterior motives. She had her trump cards, so she remained calm.

"It's fine! I understand."

But I won't be passively controlled like this, she thought to herself.

Within her body, streams of scarlet blood, different from ordinary blood, flowed slowly, absorbing a certain substance. Her body was rapidly recovering.

"Thank you!"

Jiang Yan cupped his fist again, "Miss, you are free to move around in the courtyard."

The woman had just taken the Bewildering Powder, her limbs were weak, and she couldn't escape. As long as she left the courtyard, she would be discovered. The patrol team and the villagers of Yuyang Village were all eyes and ears.

Ou Yanling nodded slightly and watched Jiang Yan enter the house.

When she first met this man, she thought he was ruthless. She had almost been killed by him, and even when he confronted Xia Fengshe, she noticed he was very wary of her. Unexpectedly, after spending more time with him, she realized he was actually reasonable and hadn't treated her harshly.

Shaking her head, she slowly paced into the courtyard. By the well, there was a large wooden bucket with several pears floating inside. She picked one up and brought it to her lips.

Pfft!

Pear juice splashed. "Mmm... these old pears are really sour."

Her face twitched slightly, but her eyes showed a look of intoxication. She liked... sour things.

Finally, Ou Yanling straightened her body, and a series of crackling sounds echoed. The Bewildering Powder in her body was completely eliminated by her spiritual blood, and her body fully recovered. Then, she hunched her body again.

For the next few days, I need to act. This place is quite far from Guihua City. It's hard for me to get there on my own. She didn't want to take risks and could only find another opportunity.

At noon, Jiang Yan, who had rested all morning, suddenly woke up. As soon as he stepped out of the house, he saw Ou Yanling sitting by the well, eyes half-closed, basking in the sun.

Jiang Yan had sharp eyes and a good memory. If he remembered correctly, there were still eight or nine pears in the large bucket next to her, not like now, where only a bucket of clear water remained.

"Miss Ou," Jiang Yan greeted her, "if you like pears, I can bring you some when I return from my night shift."

"Mmm, thank you. I want sour ones." Ou Yanling didn't stand on ceremony.

Jiang Yan nodded, "Please wait a moment, I'll prepare lunch." Today, he decided not to join the communal meal at the square but to cook for himself, as a celebration of his new home. He effortlessly caught a rooster, held its neck in his left hand, and with his right, wielded a cleaver, making a swift cut. The rooster let out a shrill cry and its body went limp. He boiled water, plucked feathers, removed innards, and cut the meat into pieces... Half an hour later, a rich aroma of meat filled the air. He set up the table, bowls, and chopsticks...

"Miss Ou, please." Jiang Yan served her a bowl of chicken and invited her to taste it.

"Thank you." Ou Yanling thanked him verbally but didn't touch her chopsticks until Jiang Yan had taken a few bites. Then, she began to eat.

He picked up a piece of chicken and tasted it. The rich aroma of the meat told him Jiang Yan's cooking was good.

"Very good."

"I like it a lot."

Ou Yanling didn't hold back her praise.

"Naturally, this is the culinary skill I honed over twenty-five years of being single in my past life," Jiang Yan said to himself silently.

"Right, I need to go out this afternoon. Miss Ou, feel free to do as you please," Jiang Yan advised with a hidden meaning. "You're still weak, Miss. You should rest."

He was hinting.

The meaning was clear: Don't run around. Stay put and behave.

"Brother Jiang, do you have patrol duty this afternoon?" Ou Yanling knew Jiang Yan was part of the patrol team.

"No."

Jiang Yan shook his head. "I'm on night duty today. I don't have much to do this afternoon. Want to go kill some Monster?"

"Kill Monster?"

Monster attacks on villages were usually unpredictable. Some villages could go for days without an attack.

How could he talk as if Monster could be found just by stepping outside?

She ate her meal silently, not voicing this thought.

They were still strangers, and asking more would be overstepping.

Still, she asked, "Can I follow you to take a look?"

"As you wish."

Jiang Yan didn't mind. What he was doing wasn't dangerous anyway.

This was just a test. Jiang Yan was experimenting with how to gain Monster points quickly.

His trip to Qingshan Village had shown him a way to rapidly gain Monster points.

One way was to follow powerful sect experts and effortlessly gain a large amount of Monster points as they killed Monster, with no risk.

The only difficulty was that he didn't know any sect big shots.

The second way was to find some low-level Monster that he could definitely handle. Killing them would also earn Monster points. While the rewards were low, the danger was also low, making it stable.

He was now trying the second method.

The Dynasty had a book called the Monster Compendium, which recorded a considerable number of common Monster, including their habits, weaknesses, and ranks.

For example, the Submerged Grass Monster: it liked water and light, had a short temper, its grass blades were sharp, and it could shoot grass threads...

After eating, Jiang Yan prepared for a while. He picked up a basket, slung it over his shoulder, and walked out the door.

Ou Yanling's eyes gleamed as she watched Jiang Yan's basket.

She closed the door and followed him step by step, mimicking the movements of a martial artist who had taken the Spirit-Disturbing Powder.

At the Village Boundary, there was a large pond.

Yesterday, Jiang Yan had killed a Submerged Grass Monster here and earned some Monster points.

Arriving here, he subconsciously looked at the pond's surface again.

A gentle breeze rippled the water.

"No Monster."

He sighed, not disappointed. If there was still a Submerged Grass there, it would only mean the Talisman Soldiers's defensive capabilities had weakened, which was not a good sign.

Standing by the ditch, he suddenly threw his basket across the ditch.

Jiang Yan looked up, his vision unobstructed, and saw further away. He reached out and touched forward.

He felt nothing, but he knew that in the middle of the ditch, there should be a defensive barrier from the Talisman Soldiers.

The Monster Compendium recorded the preferences of some common Monster. What was in his basket were things Monster liked.

For example: ancient pottery, rusted metal, the sharp horns of cattle and sheep, etc.

What he was doing now could be summarized in two words.

Luring Monster!

PS: The update is a bit late today.

Today is a very important person's birthday. So, I won't ask for votes today. Can I ask for a "Happy Birthday" from you all?