Chapter Seven: Evil Demon

Evil demons are a type of existence that is widespread yet rarely seen across the Ancient Spirit Realm continent.

One theory suggests that they are the lingering resentments of the demons slain by the Four Saints during the ancient times, thousands of years ago, when they quelled disasters. These demons retained habits from their prior lives and harbored intense hatred towards everything related to the Four Saints, resulting in indiscriminate attacks on all living beings within the Four Nations.

【Great demons leave strong evils, small demons leave shallow disasters.】

This phrase implies that the more formidable evil demons are essentially the remnants of powerful demons from their former lives, while the more ordinary evil demons originate from the resentments of smaller creatures.

However, whether evil demons and true demons have a necessary connection has not reached a clear conclusion, as in reality, most demons die without leaving behind any resentment.

Unlike true demons, ordinary people’s eyes cannot perceive evil demons. Still, if one has a keen sense, they may occasionally feel an eerie chill and an uncomfortable wind when an evil demon approaches.

Of course, since evil demons are creatures of the darkness, they fear the light, especially the smaller ones. Under normal circumstances, they don’t approach crowded places or roam about during the day. Most evil demons instinctively hide in the hills and remote areas, where human presence is sparse, so many people actually go their entire lives without encountering an evil demon.

Not to mention, the protective talismans that are a staple in every household in Yangyuan County serve as an effective defense against ordinary evil demons.

“So, while I’ve seen people afflicted or harmed by evil demons, they were mostly travelers wandering in the wild without a protective talisman. Cases like that of Er Gouzi being attacked at home… that’s simply unheard of.”

Said Zeng Zhuang, glancing at the villager who was now resting on the bed after Miss Vilyric “exorcised” the evil demon, his face showing confusion and bewilderment.

“Moreover, even if the protective talisman in his home was removed by someone, it isn’t far from others’ talismans that still remain intact. How could the Dog Demon ever invade a village rich in light without reason?”

Across the table, the black-haired girl, who was discussing the matter with him, gave a slight nod, seemingly deep in thought.

“From what you’re saying, there’s really only one possible explanation.”

Zeng Zhuang’s expression brightened.

“Oh? Miss Vilyric, please enlighten me.”

“I’ve told you, I don’t have the surname Vilyric… How to put it… Anyway, just call me Miss Vilyric directly.”

She shook her head helplessly and, listening to the retreating footsteps outside, returned to the topic at hand.

“Most likely, someone deliberately brought the Dog Demon into Er Gouzi’s home, or this evil demon actually originated from within his room, and the disappearance of the protective talisman… Honestly, I see such things as something that can only be driven away, not prevented. Whether it’s there or not is unimportant; it feels more like a cover-up.”

“This…”

Zeng Zhuang fell silent for a moment, his expression turning serious.

“Miss… Vilyric means that someone is manipulating the evil demons to cause chaos? But evil demons are insubstantial beings, how can they be manipulated by a person? Moreover, what grievance could that person have with Er Gouzi to want to harm him?”

“There must be a way… But let me ask first, do these so-called evil demons even possess intelligence?”

“Hard to say. Some well-known evil demons, like the Bone Demon and Heart-Snatching Evil Demon, are indeed recorded to exhibit logical behaviors, setting traps to lure prey, and can even manifest in the human world without attaching themselves to the living…”

At this point, the villager turned the conversation.

“But in my experience, things like the Dog Demon still fall under the category of evil and haven’t evolved into proper demons. They probably lack the ability to execute such precise actions.”

“So, you’re saying they have no intelligence…”

Just as Zeng Zhuang had mentioned, the murky void energy referred to as the Dog Demon, although attached to Er Gouzi, aimlessly controlled him as he ran around, biting and howling. After the Priestess attempted to cleanse it away, it simply vanished without a trace, leaving her with no valuable information to extract.

To be honest, according to Vilyric’s observations, this evil demon may even have directly sprouted from within him, but despite the implications that pointed in that direction, Zeng Zhuang seemed completely oblivious to this possibility.

Perhaps to this Villager, evil demons could only invade from the outside; they are viewed as more independent entities.

There’s no point in continuing the discussion.

The Priestess stood, adjusting her white robe.

“Regardless, you all should remain vigilant for a while. Though I’m unclear about the details, circumstances like this one are seldom simple.”

Zeng Zhuang forced a smile.

“Ah, indeed, it’s just the worst timing…”

He also stood up and made a slight bow.

“Thank you, Miss Vilyric, for your righteous action in helping Er Gouzi drive away the evil demon. I shall have the villagers check their protective talismans and stay alert for any newcomers while I wait for Er Gouzi to wake up. May I ask what your plans are next?”

“Who knows? Just taking it one step at a time. I’ll be on my way now, and if fate allows, we’ll meet again. By the way, thanks for the book ~”

“Uh, so sudden…?”

Before he could persuade her to stay, the girl waved her hand, turning to leave, leaving Zeng Zhuang, the Villager, at a loss for words.

…

Half an hour later.

“Hey, this should about do it.”

At the low cliff that just overlooks the entire Zeng Family Village, the black-haired girl, who had just arrived, pulled out a small stool and took out a bag of fresh melon seeds she had bought from the holy city and saved in her backpack, leisurely snacking while waiting.

Initially, she hadn’t planned on leaving Zeng Family Village in such a rush. At the very least, she intended to stay until after tonight.

From Villager Zeng Zhuang, Vilyric learned that they were busy preparing for a festival — a celebration of the day the Four Saints quelled the disasters and established a prosperous era, marking the thousand-year anniversary of the Four Saints’ founding year.

In other words, today is the last day of the year 999 in the Four Saints’ Calendar.

If this alone wasn’t enough to stir up significant events, another matter, truly the culprit keeping Zeng Zhuang busy lately, would be.

To honor the grand moment of the thousand-year anniversary of the Four Saints’ Calendar, starting tomorrow, the Divine Princess of Yangyuan County will embark on a holy procession, traveling through the lands of Yangyuan County and celebrating this event with the public…

That route happens to pass through Yangyuan County.

The divine princess has already set off, and although the specific itinerary hasn’t been disclosed, the probability of her appearing in Zeng Family Village is still quite low, but no one can guarantee that it’s a definite zero.

Regarding safety, it’s certainly no issue with the Ling Wei Army, who guard the divine princess and her relatives.

However, to prevent the rural folk from offending nobility due to ignorance, the Prefect of Yangyuan City has already dispatched orders to officials of various towns and villages, urging them to do their utmost to prepare for the festivities, plan for the villagers’ outings, and be ready to welcome the arrival of the divine princess.

As the Villager of Zeng Family Village, Zeng Zhuang naturally received the same command.

However, it was unexpected that evil demons would appear at such a time.

Zeng Zhuang is indeed hospitable, but he’s not a fool. If we’re talking about the suspicious event of the evil demons appearing, it’s clear who the prime suspect is: it’s none other than the Miss Vilyric who suddenly appeared nearby and visited the village.

Even though she treated the villager afflicted by the Dog Demon to show intent, she couldn’t completely wipe away this suspicion.

There’s no point in saying more; staying would only cause more trouble for Zeng Zhuang, so the Priestess decided to leave directly.

   

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