Giving up on thinking it through, Cheng Yu looked at the old village chief. He naturally knew that the old man's request probably had something to do with this so-called Demon Monster.
He raised his head, looked at the old village chief, and smiled.
"If I'm not mistaken, sir, your request has something to do with this Demon Monster as well, doesn't it?"
At that, the old village chief sighed.
"To tell you the truth, my lord, if you leave the village and head toward the county town, you have to pass through a stretch of woods. According to those who escaped, there's a Demon Monster in there that looks like a large tree. It lures passing travelers over and eats them. Our village once sent several strong young men to investigate, but none of them ever returned."
Cheng Yu cut in.
"Then couldn't you just set fire to the woods?"
The old village chief shook his head.
"We tried. It didn't work. Whenever a sizable open flame appears in those woods, it quickly goes out. I don't know why, but in the end, I can only assume it's that Demon Monster's doing."
As he spoke, the old man bowed respectfully to Cheng Yu.
"My lord, you're a man of great ability. And if you're going to the county town to find Taoist Stillwater, those woods are the only way through. I beg you to slay the Demon Monster and give this village chief a chance to survive."
Cheng Yu felt helpless. His "skin" and his few tricks for storing things had gotten him the necessities of survival from the old village chief, but they had also put him in a position where he couldn't back down.
On further thought, though, it wasn't really so bad. He did need to