Chapter 82: So, where is your lair?

When the black-haired girl brought up the serious matter, everyone’s expressions grew somewhat grim, and they lowered their voices slightly as if avoiding the surrounding attention.

“First, it can be confirmed that those are indeed demons controlled by the Demon-Suppressing Sect. The Demon-Suppressing Sect has two main methods of controlling demons: one is using life or other important things as leverage to coerce them; the second, a more complex and troublesome method, involves turning the target into a soulless puppet.”

“And this Elder Tian San is clearly the first type. Or rather, most of the time, the Demon-Suppressing Sect wouldn’t bother with the second, labor-intensive method. I suspect this is also the case within the Ground Mouse Gang.”

“If it’s just that… it’s actually not that hard to resolve.”

Saying this, Ling Feng paused, as if recalling something, a shadow crossing her features before quickly continuing.

“After our discussion last night, while I was interrogating Bai’er, I also asked Mr. Murong to gather information about the Ground Mouse Gang and discovered some issues.”

The two exchanged glances. Murong Yun nodded and took over the conversation.

“Little Mole, you should be one of the more peripheral members of the Ground Mouse Gang, right?”

The little demon sitting upright beside the black-haired girl nodded.

“Yeah… because I’m weak, and mole demons are generally not good at fighting among earth-type demons; we specialize more in digging and running.”

“But as Lord Ling Feng said, demons typically rank based on pure strength. So, although I’ve been part of the Ground Mouse Gang for nearly a hundred years, I still haven’t been able to rise to a small cadre position. I’m sorry…”

The white-clad middle-aged man shook his head and smiled reassuringly.

“Miss, you misunderstood. I didn’t mean it that way; I just wanted to confirm some circumstances.”

“Last night, I gathered a certain piece of insider information, and this intel is likely related to the two matters we’re investigating.”

After a brief pause, Murong Yun lowered his voice slightly again.

“—Among the twelve peaks of Cangyun Mountain, the peak master of Peach Blossom Peak, Saint Peach Blossom, may have some subtle relationship with the Leader of the Ground Mouse Gang, the Digger King. In just the past few decades, the latter has frequently visited Peach Blossom Peak, almost a hundred times.”

“That frequency is completely beyond reasonable bounds, and Saint Peach Blossom is undoubtedly one of the core figures in this incident. It stands to reason that their relationship must be complex.”

“Saint Peach Blossom…”

The Priestess tilted her head, glancing at Ling Feng, who appeared to be deep in thought.

“It seems we’re on the right track with our investigation. Do you know anything about this Saint Peach Blossom?”

The gray-haired girl shook her head slightly.

“I haven’t had any contact with Saint Peach Blossom. Cangyun Mountain is quite isolated; the twelve peak masters are very mysterious and usually have little interaction with the upper echelons of the Ancient Spirit Realm’s four countries. However, I have seen some limited information about this Saint Peach Blossom in certain… ancient texts.”

“Her given name is Peach Mu, and her true form is likely a Peach Blossom Demon. She has existed for an extremely long time, serving as the peak master of Peach Blossom Peak even before the Four Saints descended. In fact, the name Peach Blossom Peak comes from the existence of Saint Peach Blossom.”

“Throughout history, the twelve peak masters of Cangyun Mountain have not lacked changes, but Saint Peach Blossom has always remained in her position, never facing any challengers. Her strength is unfathomable, and she possibly holds certain true mysteries of Cangyun Mountain deep within.”

“Hmm…”

Miss Vilyric sipped from her noodle soup, noncommittal.

“Now that I roughly understand, let’s go back to the Ground Mouse Gang. Did you manage to extract any crucial intelligence from Elder Tian San?”

Nodding, Ling Feng didn’t elaborate on the process but directly provided the result.

“The reason the Demon-Suppressing Sect targeted the Ground Mouse Gang is actually to have them assist with a certain task. This plan has been in preparation since several months ago, and although Elder Tian San isn’t aware of the specifics, he has encountered several extremely critical nodes.”

“For instance…”

“Wait.”

Just as Ling Feng was about to speak, Vilyric suddenly interrupted, putting down her empty bowl and standing up.

“It’s about time; let’s talk as we walk.”

“?”

The gray-haired girl slightly furrowed her brows and instinctively scanned the surroundings, then nodded in understanding.

“Alright, Bai’er, Mr. Murong, let’s go.”

Pulling along the still somewhat puzzled Little Mole, Vilyric and the others left behind the money for their meal and accommodations and headed straight out.

Only after stepping onto the sunlit street, leaving the noisy morning scene of the inn behind, did the Priestess open up the conversation again.

“We should be fine here. Their movements are quite swift; it seems the power of the other party in this area is denser than we imagined.”

Walking alongside her, the little mole demon appeared confused.

“What do you mean by ‘they came knocking’? Miss Vilyric, are you referring to…?”

Looking back at the gradually disappearing entrance of the Welcome Lodge, the black-haired girl smiled.

“It might be your Ground Mouse Gang’s demons or perhaps some other folks under the control of the Demon-Suppressing Sect. I can’t say for sure, but it’s likely due to Elder Tian San not returning on time last night, which raised their alertness, prompting them to send out new spies.”

“They’re unlikely to know that I captured Elder Tian San, but with your presence, those hidden eyes have started gathering around, making it hard to distinguish who is who in such a crowded lobby. So, we need to move to a more open area.”

Little Mole’s expression changed in alarm.

“They’ve already begun to act?!”

“There’s no doubt about it; a single thread can unravel the whole tapestry. Those sewer rats from the Demon-Suppressing Sect won’t allow themselves to be exposed. Their instincts are quite sharp, and once they catch wind of something wrong, they’ll either strike first or run away. We must hurry.”

“Vilyric, do you mean…”

“Yeah, just as you think, Little Mole. Where is your Ground Mouse Gang’s lair?”

…

The lair of the Ground Mouse Gang is actually just in the vicinity of this place called Cangyun Town, but the actual area stretches far beyond the town itself.

Although it seemed a bit difficult to comprehend, Little Mole ultimately followed Vilyric’s instructions and led the group to the nearby area.

It was a dilapidated spirit shrine.

There are many such abandoned spirit shrines and temples scattered throughout the Ancient Spirit Realm, and Vilyric had seen quite a few in her time.

Most of them are dedicated to deities and exotic beasts that the Priestess had never heard of. Some had once featured statues, which she could barely recognize through their crumbling forms, but mostly, only a shaky plaque remained, or spirit tablets lay on the ground, forgotten and unattended.

The people here don’t have the clear and unified beliefs like those in the Holy Empire on another continent.

The objects of their worship are diverse; aside from the most orthodox Four Saints and Four Sacred Beasts, various local spirits, nameless demons—anyone who made a significant contribution to the locals, whether intentionally or not, could be honored with a shrine and offerings.

And these so-called saints and immortals, if they don’t “appear” again, their significance usually doesn’t last long in the mortal realm.

Humans have much shorter lifespans compared to fairies and monsters; within two or three generations, the gratitude for past contributions fades with time, fading into legends, leaving no one to manage the temples, causing them to fall into disrepair. Ultimately, what remains are these ruined spirit shrines.

Just like the Nine-Pattern Earthly Spirit Grand Shrine that Vilyric and the others stood before now.

   

---