What sort of monster had disappeared into that little puddle?
Yi Shuyuan ran through small creatures such as toads, fish, snakes, and martens in his mind. Meanwhile, he had quietly slipped away and lay behind a wall over a hundred feet away, pretending to be a wandering martial artist sleeping off his drink.
In barely a breath, two ghostly deities had arrived almost exactly where Yi Shuyuan had been standing.
Though the wall blocked his view of them, Yi Shuyuan could sense their unmistakable yin aura and the scent of sandalwood, giving him a rough idea of their whereabouts. He could also hear their conversation.
Beside that weed-choked patch, two Wandering Spirits dressed like constables stood at the puddle hidden in the grass.
One of them chuckled.
"It really is that fellow!"
"Heh, when we smelled that demonic aura at the alley entrance, who else could it have been? We only came to take a look because it's our duty."
Yi Shuyuan pondered behind the wall. So it's a habitual food thief, then?
Just then, one ghostly deity looked at his colleague.
"What should we do? These are unusual times. Should we take it into custody?"
The other ghostly deity shook his head.
"Let it be. Children from the neighborhood often play here. If it hadn't caught all the venomous snakes nearby, some of those children would surely have died young. Taking a little food from the neighbors isn't excessive!"
The ghostly deity beside him nodded.
"True enough."
As he spoke, this Wandering Spirit walked to the puddle and addressed it.
"We'll let you off today. But if you come out and cause trouble during the gathering and catch the attention of those above, don't blame us for failing to warn you when you lose your life."
The ghostly deity