[Side Quest: Eliminate Red-Named Evil Demons (Progress 1/20)] This time, the system has learned its lesson and actively displayed the updated quest progress bar in front of Yu Ling.

The monster was finally dead. Yu Ling breathed a sigh of relief and released the energy sword.

The original owner's non-original heart is useless; just maintaining this energy sword is almost ruining it.

"Senior is truly amazing! You actually managed to wear down this monster to death. If it were just the two of us, we probably wouldn't have lasted even three moves."

Zhang Li kept showering Yang Wen with compliments, while disdainfully tugging at Yang Wen's clean clothes as he moved closer to Yu Ling. Once in front of them, he instantly switched to a fawning smile and said...

"Now that the task of hiring the concubine from the Li family has been completed, shouldn't we... head back?"

Even though Yu Ling was chasing the monster, he also tried to dodge the monster's skills and accidentally rolled in the dirt. Now he can't stay there any longer.

"You can go back first, I'm staying here a little longer." Yu Ling hasn't even seen the spirit deer yet (she hasn't extorted any treasure), and she hasn't even received her reward. Why should she leave? No way!

But just as the two turned to leave, Yu Ling called them back. She said:

"You can leave, but leave the bronze mirror with me. Didn't it help you just now? I'll check it for you to see if it was accidentally broken. I'll return it to you when I get back."

"An inspection? Really... It's just that you were too exhausted from fighting the monster and wanted to borrow my magic weapon. Senior is too concerned about saving face. Is it really necessary to use such a lame excuse as 'it was broken'?!" Zhang Li was having another brainstorming session.

His inner thoughts: I'll spoil you this time, I'll lend it to you! (Imagine him exuding domineering charisma and sassiness)

His last words were: "......Okay, senior, goodbye!"

What Yu Ling really wanted to do was: I hope these two don't go back and leave me behind, steal the bronze mirror, and then I won't be able to absorb its energy anymore. That would be such a waste. I want to get some more energy from it for a few more days!

After handing over the bronze mirror, the two of them dragged each other back to the inn. They had gotten covered in dust from Yu Ling's fight earlier, especially Yang Wen, who had been sprayed with blood and was in a terrible mood. They were really eager to go back and wash themselves clean.

The MVP of this game, Yu Ling, was clean and tidy from head to toe, except for a little dirt on the soles of her shoes. Apart from looking a bit weak and tired, you couldn't tell from her appearance that she had been in a fight.

"System, turn on navigation, I want to go to Linglu's place," she said.

[System navigation is now activated. Please follow the indicated route through the illusionary maze.] The system responded proactively, remembering that the fact that its host had been tricked in this world was its fault for complaining to the main god, and it felt it had to compensate its host elsewhere.

This illusion array is described in words, but it wasn't set up by human hands; rather, it was created by that spirit deer.

The reason why spiritual creatures are hard to find is that they all have their own protective measures. Their habitats form a natural barrier, and they use various means to prevent themselves from being disturbed by the outside world.

Unless you want to be discovered by others, it is very difficult to see them.

This is also why Yu Ling saw through the fact that the spirit deer and the others had not actually been injured by the red-named monster, and was not worried at all.

It's likely that the concubine from the Li family had a hazy memory of the dream and imagined that the little deer was being bullied, which is why she frantically tried to come up with a solution. Luckily, Yu Ling was there; otherwise, the two demon hunters she brought over would have just been delivering takeout to the demon.

[Take three steps forward, then turn right, walk straight for 300 meters, then... (details omitted)... You have reached your destination. This navigation session has ended. Thank you for using our service.]

With the navigation system's enhanced guidance, Yu Ling arrived at the Spirit Deer's territory a full three seconds faster than she could use her divine sense to decipher the formation. Yes, she could have easily found her way in, but she couldn't stand the system idly watching the show, so she asked it to activate the navigation.

"I came with goodwill, without any malice."

Upon entering the spirit deer's territory, Yu Ling first made it clear that she was harmless, trying her best not to exude any dangerous aura. She then spoke softly to the spirit deer, who was nestled under a fruit tree munching on leaves.

"Hmm~ If it's alright, could I trade you some food, little deer?"

Yu Ling's eyes were practically bulging out of shape; the spirit deer was munching on that spirit leaf that was being offered as payment!

The deer seemed to sense that Yu Ling had no intention of harming it. It did not react to the intrusion of an outsider. Instead, it raised its head blankly and continued chewing on the leaves.

"Human, do you want these leaves?" The spirit deer did not open its mouth to speak, but its question was conveyed to Yu Ling's mind through another form of spiritual communication.

It was the first time Yu Ling had ever heard someone call her human, and she found it quite novel. However, she was more interested in these leaves than spirit deer, and she had secretly used her divine soul to search the vicinity, but she hadn't found any other treasures that she needed more at the moment.

So she gave an affirmative answer.

Linglu finished eating the leaves while pondering, and then seemed to smell a hint of demonic energy in Yuling's cobbled-together body. She stood up and leaned closer to sense it carefully.

Well, it was still the yak demon's aura that dominated, which prevented Yu Ling, who had a demonic heart but a human body, from being exposed.

"Thank you for getting rid of that ugly thing in front of my house, human. Here, these leaves are for you, no need to exchange them."

The spirit deer was quite generous, directly offering over a dozen spirit leaves. It's true what they say, you have to ask a rich person for payment; these casually given tips represent the entire fortune of those poor folks. These spirit leaves could almost refine the demon heart within Yu Ling's body!

If all this attribute-less spiritual energy were faked as the magic energy of a Celestial Master, wouldn't their combat power skyrocket?

Most people would have taken the spirit leaves and left by now, but is Yu Ling an ordinary person? She wouldn't be satisfied with just a few leaves, and she started chatting with the spirit deer again.

He told her all sorts of things, like how he subdued evil demons and made contributions, how he protected the environment and was kind to small animals and monsters, and how he was injured but still insisted on fighting on the front lines. He completely fooled the spirit deer into believing he was crippled.

"Human, you must be working so hard, always so busy."

As a spirit creature that can solve any problem in a magical way, this spirit deer usually just eats, drinks, and sleeps all day. Little did it know that the celestial master who fought the monster for it was so powerful and still living such a tiring life. With a wave of its hand, it sent over another bunch of leaves.

"Then I'll skip a couple of meals and give all of these to you. Oh, by the way, I always have a bit of a dangerous feeling about the capital. It's like some kind of monster has infiltrated there."