The journey to find the demon is fraught with difficulties.
Xicuo Town is composed of several villages of varying sizes.
Humans and demons live together here, but because of its proximity to the territory of Yao Ri Ce Mie, the people who live here like to disguise themselves as demons.
This is to avoid the situation where, when Yao Ri Ce Mie goes mad and comes here to arrest people, he/she will be confused because he/she cannot distinguish between humans and demons, thus buying time to escape.
Even though the transvestites here are wary of Yao Ri Ce's demise, they are unwilling to leave Xi Cuo because it is a sacred place for spiritual cultivation.
Moreover, this area is also close to a volcano. The humans and demons living here dug canals to divert lava, opened ironworks, and made this place a holy land for weapon making. They also brewed the intoxicating Yangyan Jade and the famous volcanic hot spring baths.
Its renowned reputation naturally attracted countless humans and demons to Xicuo Town. Xicuo Town, a place of outstanding people and abundant resources, was a highly coveted location, which was precisely why Yaori Cemie had been eyeing this territory day and night.
Upon arriving at Xicuo, Huaiwen and his group were first greeted by a multitude of small vendors, followed by Taoist priests and demonic beasts who had come to cultivate.
They are all different; the small vendors like to disguise themselves as demons, while the Taoist priests do not. Thus, on the road, one can see humans and demons living together freely.
If people disguised as demons were mixed together with ordinary demons, Huaiwen and Jiang Liyan wouldn't be able to tell who was human and who was demon. However, when the small vendors saw their clean-cut appearance, they all beckoned them over to buy the disguised trinkets.
"Esteemed guests, since we've come to the village, why not do as the locals do and buy some costumes?" The stall owner ran up to the group and asked, "You can dress up as any kind of demon you want. I have whatever you need."
The stall owner, dressed as a monkey, scratched his back as he recommended the items to Huaiwen and the others: "The things I sell here are the best. Just put this hairpin in your hair, and you'll immediately see a change. And the effect lasts a really long time; my monkey look lasted for almost half a month!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Liyan immediately began selecting her favorite hairpins. From the little white rabbit to the little cat, she tried them all on.
Huaiwen turned around, looking bewildered, to the three people behind him: "Aren't you going to use it?"
Cang Lun and Shi Yulu shook their heads and transformed into the appearance of demonic beasts. When Huai Wen glanced at Xuan Ye, he also transformed into a demonic beast with a disgruntled expression.
Looking at Xuan Ye's furry ears and tail, Huai Wen really wanted to touch them and ask if this was his true form, but she didn't dare to ask, so she gave up.
In an instant, Huaiwen's gaze met Xuanye's. She saw him glare back at her, and then silently looked away.
Jiang Liyan held the selected tigers in his hands, comparing them. Finally, he chose a gray wolf, saying it was fierce and resilient. He then casually placed a tiger hairpin on Huaiwen's head, saying, "I chose a tiger for you; it's cute yet fierce, perfect for you."
The moment the hairpin was put on, Huaiwen immediately changed. First, she grew two furry ears, and whiskers grew around her mouth. Then, tiger stripes appeared on her skin, and finally, a tiger tail appeared.
Huaiwen touched his beard and ears, marveling at the incredible sight.
Jiang Liyan was incredibly excited to see how powerful the small hairpin was. He grabbed the gray wolf hairpin and put it on his head. Soon, wolf ears, wolf stripes, and a wolf tail appeared on his body.
If it weren't for the incongruous outer garments they were wearing, the two would look like two clumsy little demons who had just learned to stand, with low cultivation levels.
Although strange, calling it a monster is somewhat plausible.
The vendor chuckled and said, "Impressive, isn't it? This tiny hairpin can be used to disguise yourself as a demon."
Jiang Liyan chimed in, "Amazing! Amazing!"
The vendor stretched out his hand, staring intently at Jiang Liyan and Huaiwen with a bright smile: "What are you two waiting for? Hurry up and pay me."
Jiang Liyan, who had no money, looked at Huaiwen, and Huaiwen, who also had no money, looked at Xuan Ye. Finally, the two of them looked at each other with unanimous longing at Xuan Ye.
Cang Lun couldn't stand it anymore and kindly advised, "Don't you plan to try another one?"
Shi Yulu nodded and commented, "I had the same thought."
Jiang Liyan grinned, showing his big teeth, and said this was pretty good. He liked the ferocity of the gray wolf. Especially after wearing the hairpin, a scratch mark appeared on his right cheek, making him stand out.
Upon hearing Canglun's words, Huaiwen wanted to find a mirror to look at himself, but the peddler said he didn't have any. Huaiwen hesitated.
Worried that Huaiwen wouldn't agree, the shopkeeper immediately persuaded the cheerful Jiang Liyan to help convince the hesitant Huaiwen. In no time, Huaiwen was convinced.
Finally, under the barking glares of Huaiwen and Jiang Ligou, Xuan Ye resigned himself to his fate and paid the bill.
Although this hairpin cannot completely disguise itself as a demon, it at least achieves what the small vendor said: if Yao Ri Ce Mie came to arrest people, they would be stunned when they saw it.
In that instant, they had time to escape.
This temporarily solves the problem of disguising oneself as a demon.
Cang Lun still made the two stay in Ce Mie's territory to pretend, otherwise he really couldn't eat. Jiang Liyan and Huaiwen looked pitiful and aggrieved, but still obediently listened to him.
The group continued walking, and as darkness fell, they found an inn to rest and regroup.
Xuan Ye paid for the accommodation again this time. This was the first time he had taken the initiative to pay, and Huai Wen didn't have to pay him back, which moved Huai Wen deeply.
They would smile and serve him food during the meal, which the other three people thought was just flattery.
But Xuan Ye's eyes were not innocent. He wasn't simply enjoying himself; rather, he was filled with a kind of lingering, indistinguishable desire.
How could such feelings fall upon a companion?
It's bizarre, really bizarre.
But the three of them didn't say anything, they just ate their own food.
After finishing their meal, Jiang Liyan took Huaiwen away under the pretext of wanting to take a stroll around Xicuo Town.
The two wandered aimlessly along the street, looking at the bustling shops on both sides, wanting to go in and take a look. But then they remembered that they were both penniless, and their spirits immediately dampened.
On a whim, Jiang Liyan said, "Brother, why don't you resell some things and let us make some money?"
Huaiwen gave a wry smile: "You know it, right? We can't sell them..."
Jiang Liyan patted his forehead, deflated like a punctured balloon, and sat on the steps of a nearby shop, resting his chin on his hand: "I've come all this way, and I can't even enjoy anything."
Huaiwen sat next to Jiang Liyan, looking up at the moon. She had been away for quite some time and wondered how her master and Oni-slayer were doing.
"No!" Jiang Liyan stood up abruptly. "We're already here, I absolutely cannot allow myself to do nothing. Huaiwen, let's go in and take a look."
"Let's not," Huaiwen advised. "That Yangyan Jade Qiong is just too expensive."
"Then let's borrow it from Ah Ling."
"Uh... Oh no, I already owe him a lot of money."
Jiang Liyan's mind raced, and he immediately blurted out, "Oh yeah, then why has he been spending money on us all day?"
Well... Huaiwen doesn't know either.
Suddenly, Jiang Liyan leaned down close to Huaiwen, his voice filled with menacing pressure as he questioned, "You...you...did you catch him doing something wrong? Otherwise, why would he suddenly be so generous!"
Huaiwen leaned back and shifted his buttocks to the left: "Uh...maybe it's because he finally acknowledges that we're in cahoots."
Jiang Liyan was half-believing and half-doubting, but finally gave up questioning Huaiwen under his innocent gaze. He let out a long sigh, said it was boring, and left to go back to the inn.
The moon hid behind the clouds, then disappeared again. Huaiwen followed Jiang Liyan, stepping on the moonlit shadows.
But as he continued walking, Jiang Liyan's shadow disappeared. Huaiwen quickly looked up and, sure enough, Jiang Liyan was nowhere to be seen.
As she searched around, a black cloud flashed by, startling Huaiwen. But she quickly recovered and chased after it.
That dark cloud seemed to be toying with Huaiwen, hiding and appearing again like a mischievous child. It was determined to keep Huaiwen hooked.
Seeing how mischievous the black mist was, Huaiwen planned to write something on the white talisman and send it to chase after it. However, the moment the white talisman was taken out, it was snatched away by the black mist.
Huaiwen sighed, chased after him for a few more steps, and finally stopped, bending over and panting heavily.
Seeing that she was no longer moving, the black cloud of energy grew a little bolder and ran up to her, ready to strike Huaiwen, but was suddenly restrained by Huaiwen with a white talisman.
However, the white talisman was quickly broken free of the black mist. Immediately, the black mist shrank and thinned, suddenly transforming into a cold arrow. Even though Huaiwen was prepared, the arrow still struck him squarely in the forehead and entered his body.
Huaiwen became distressed. She slowly knelt on the ground, clutching her chest, struggling silently.
She heard tens of thousands of cries of anguish as they poured out their suffering to Huaiwen. They said they were in unbearable pain because of Huaiwen and they wanted him to pay with his life. As they spoke, they began to argue, and the sounds of fighting and crying mingled in Huaiwen's ears.
She covered her ears in pain, but nothing came out.
Soon, the sounds disappeared.
She heard those familiar words again.
"You deserve to die."
"Killing you would be as easy as turning my hand."
"Only the winner is a saint."
The voice was so clear that she should have recognized it, but she couldn't place it against anyone.
The road was deserted, and she was all alone. Huaiwen knelt on the ground, her eyes vacant, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. She wanted to escape, but she couldn't get up.
Tears fell, and Huaiwen tasted bitterness.
After an unknown amount of time, Huaiwen heard someone calling her name in the distance. She moved her lips, but responded silently.
"Huaiwen, where are you? Ruan Huaiwen, where are you..."
Huaiwen looked up at the sound and saw a faint red figure in the distance in the darkness. As the figure drew closer, she finally saw the person's face.
Xuan Ye rushed over and, seeing Huai Wen's miserable state, hurriedly knelt down and helped Huai Wen up, asking, "What happened? Tell me, who hurt you?"
Huaiwen felt a lump in her throat, unable to speak, only able to shed tears. Seeing this, Xuanye panicked and could only comfort her: "Don't be afraid, I'm here. Have you forgotten? We are bound by fate, no one can hurt you."
But Huaiwen continued to weep, unable to utter a single word for a long time.
In that instant, Huaiwen felt the pain that the curse had brought her. The voices that echoed in her ears, the voices that said she had harmed them, filled her with remorse.
How can people be born with a curse?
That must be because he did something wrong in his previous life, which is why he was punished.
The suffering of the past life must be repaid in this one; it is far too heavy a burden. Even though the curse foreshadows unease and danger, Huaiwen's desire to live at this moment outweighs them.
Tears welled in her eyes as she staggered, clutching Xuan Ye's sleeve tightly, and told him everything without reservation.
He said they were bound by fate, and she could only trust him.
The red lanterns lit up, the shops on both sides of the road became bustling, and more and more pedestrians appeared. Xuan Ye cast a spell with one hand, which landed on Huai Wen. Red light enveloped Huai Wen, layer upon layer, until it disappeared.
Immediately, Xuan Ye helped up the badly injured Huai Wen and supported him as he walked forward.
At this moment, his eyes were cold and his heart was heavy; he had reached a new conclusion.
Even in the darkest night, the moon shines, illuminating the path ahead.
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