Chapter 121: Demonic Disturbance

The bracelet, crafted from eighteen stone beads, shimmered as the power of the Yellow Springs circulated through it. Each bead displayed intricate golden patterns, radiating a striking beauty.

As Xu Cheng recovered his magical energy, he was surprised to find an excess of golden light of merit remaining. He recalled that the last time he practiced the *Supreme Precious Record*, he had exhausted all his merit—how could there be any left?

Suddenly, a wisp of golden light drifted in from the void. After a brief investigation, Xu Cheng understood: Chrysanthemum and the others had successfully harvested souls and shared a portion of their merit with him. This was a welcome development. According to the information on his Yellow Springs token, Chrysanthemum was safe and diligently collecting wandering ghosts; had his soul been extinguished, his Ghost Judge token would have returned to Xu Cheng. However, there was no news of Yan Mengdie, and he had no idea of her current state.

He pondered whether to seek out members of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect for information or continue his hunt for spirits. The dilemma gave him a headache.

Because he had been forging magical artifacts continuously, time had slipped by quickly. Winter had passed, and a brand-new spring had arrived. Pale green buds emerged from the withered trees nearby. In a hole not far away, a rabbit poked its head out to survey the surroundings, but upon seeing Xu Cheng, it seemed startled and immediately retreated.

"If it were before, I surely would have turned you into braised rabbit head!" Xu Cheng, his energy restored, stood up and said with a laugh.

He later reasoned that Yan Mengdie must be fine, so he decided to let fate take its course. His primary goal remained the investigation of the supernatural.

Riding a streak of light, he crossed the desolate wilderness and arrived at the nearest small town: Guangling Town. It was a southern settlement, crisscrossed by several small rivers, with a damp and humid air. The wooden buildings and brick tiles were polished to a shine, coated with an unknown sealant to protect against the moisture.

Not long after settling into the Bright Moon Inn, Xu Cheng observed several funeral processions passing by. It was highly irregular. Even during times of war, he had never seen so many funerals; it was as if every household in the town had lost someone.

Curious and confused, Xu Cheng cast a layer of illusion over his face to avoid startling the common folk before pulling the innkeeper aside. "Manager, what has happened here? Why are there so many funeral processions?"

The manager of the Bright Moon Inn, a man with a sharp, monkey-like face and eyes that darted with cunning, pulled Xu Cheng closer and whispered into his ear, "Shh! Guest, there is a terrible demon haunting this place! I've heard it comes out at dusk to eat people! It’s best not to go out at night!"

"A demon? A monster?" Xu Cheng asked, surprised.

"Indeed," the manager added quickly. "If you are afraid, you had best leave at the crack of dawn tomorrow."

Leave? Xu Cheng was, at the very least, a practitioner at the Origin Spirit stage; he would not simply walk away. Nodding to show he understood, he returned to his room and quietly waited for nightfall.

Within his spirit, dark magical energy pulsed, while emerald energy drifted across the surface; the two flowed in parallel, never interfering with one another. At night, nightingales sang. There were no dark clouds, and a crescent moon hung in the sky. Subconsciously, he removed the Yellow Springs Fire-Scale Blade from his earlobe. The crescent moon in the sky and the artifact in his hand were almost identical in shape.

"Yellow Springs Fire-Scale Blade is too clumsy a name. How about I call you Moon Wheel from now on?" He whispered to the artifact. It emitted a faint vibration, as if in response. Regardless of what the vibration truly meant, Xu Cheng took it as an agreement.

"Moon Wheel! Hehe! Moon Wheel!" Xu Cheng stared at the artifact, grinning like a fool.

Soon, a roar interrupted his laughter. It did not sound human; it was likely the demon the manager had mentioned. Through the open window, he used his movement technique to soar into the sky. From such a height, the view was wide, and he could easily locate the source of the disturbance.

After a quick sweep, Xu Cheng spotted it in a chicken coop. To his eyes, this was not a demon, but a ghost—a human soul that refused to leave the mortal world, fused with the body of an animal. The creature had finished off the entire coop of chickens and still had feathers and blood clinging to its maw. By the moonlight, Xu Cheng saw clearly that the creature’s face resembled a cat’s; it had merged entirely with the feline form.

Just as he prepared to use the Moon Wheel to dispatch it, the sharp-faced manager of the Bright Moon Inn appeared abruptly. With a flick of his fingers, a ring of green flame enclosed the cat-demon.

"I didn't want to get involved, but you ate all my chickens! Damn it! You’ve forced my hand!" the manager gritted out.

"Y... You’re a practitioner!" The cat-demon still retained human consciousness. Not only was the demon surprised, but Xu Cheng was also taken aback.

The innkeeper truly was a man of hidden depths; he had seen no sign of the man’s cultivation.

"Nonsense. My Five Pecks of Rice Sect's concealment techniques are not something a fledgling ghost like you could detect!" the manager said with hidden pride. "But you’ve eaten so many people lately, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"It wasn't me! It really wasn't me!" the cat-demon cried out in desperation.

"If not you, then who?" the manager asked, his expression fierce.

"It wasn't me, I only dare to eat poultry and livestock! How could I dare eat a human? It was that thing! It was her! She ate a group of people carrying great swords!" the cat-demon said pitifully, suddenly remembering something.

"A group of people with great swords? From the Cangshan Sword Sect? I heard they were coming to investigate, so I didn't interfere. They’ve already arrived—and been eaten?" the manager muttered, realizing the gravity of the situation.

"I don't know if they were from the Cangshan Sword Sect you speak of, but the thing that ate them had wings and looked like a woman! She was terrifying! She not only ate them, she wanted to eat me, too! If I hadn't been able to burrow into the ground, I would have been her meal! Manager, you’re so powerful, you must be able to destroy her!" the cat-demon said, trying to curry favor.

"The techniques I’ve learned from the Five Pecks of Rice Sect aren't suited for combat! This matter must be handled by the Cangshan Sword Sect!" The manager felt a surge of fear. What kind of cultivation must a ghost have to dare eat members of the Cangshan Sword Sect?

Seeing this, Xu Cheng revealed himself, holding three tokens of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect in his hand. "Manager, you really are a master of concealment."

"You... you actually have three tokens! I misjudged you, I truly misjudged you!" The man’s eyes widened.

"Likewise! Though, when I arrived, I searched carefully and found no sign of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect's secret marks," Xu Cheng said, wanting to verify the man's identity.

"The mark is under my counter!" the manager said hurriedly.

Xu Cheng released his spiritual sense, sweeping through the entire inn, and finally found the mark belonging to the Millet Gate in a corner behind the counter. The man had hidden it so well that one would need to use spiritual perception to ever find it.