Chapter Forty-Three: Demons and Monsters

"Oh! I know!" Upon hearing the term "Domain of the Righteous Bandits," Ziqing Rong hurriedly replied, "Within the Flowing Domain, there are the Domain of the Righteous Bandits, the Domain of the Law Enforcers, and the Domain of the Sacred Rituals."

"But in truth, all of these are outlaws roaming free. There’s an unwritten rule in the Land of Flame: if a criminal manages to enter the Flowing Domain, none of the major tribes' authorities can pursue them anymore. However, once inside, the criminal can never leave for the rest of their life. The Bandit Domain and the Law Enforcer Domain have always been at odds, though no one really knows why. The Domain of Sacred Rituals claims to be truly holy; those who join refuse to believe in the Star God. None of the major tribes nor the rest of the Flowing Domain trust them, but even when the Bandit and Law Enforcer Domains attempt a joint crusade, they end up defeated..."

"The entire Exiled Domain seems lawless, but in fact, doing as one pleases is the only law here."

Ye Pei laughed upon hearing this, "Oh, what a well-reasoned chaos."

Ziqing Rong looked at Ye Pei and said, "Yezi, you always seem to wear a coffin face around others."

Ye Pei replied, "Why, do you not want to see me smile?"

Ziqing Rong quickly said, "No, it’s not that... I just feel that you're cold to everyone except me. Do you still... hold a grudge against the Flame Tribe?"

Ye Pei said, "I used to, but after hearing you say it was the Star Tribe that stirred things up, it has faded quite a bit. With what I've been through, it's hard to stay kind to anyone. But as for why I smile at you..."

At this, a pleasant smile once again graced Ye Pei’s pale face. "Because, here, one can do as they please."

As they spoke, the two arrived at the Shi family’s residence in Canglong Town.

Upon entering, Ye Pei immediately felt uneasy. He knew it was no illusion.

“Canglong Town...” Ye Pei murmured the name. “My teacher used to talk about ghostly feng shui... Judging from this name and my reaction, it matches what he described. Could there be some hidden mystery in the feng shui of this place? I never believed in it and didn’t study it properly... This is really...”

While Ye Pei was lamenting his lack of knowledge, the servant driving their carriage, Shi Kuang, spoke up, “Heroes, madam, our Canglong Town was founded by the first town chief, Cao Dalong, who wished to declare that a hidden dragon sleeps here.”

Inside, Ye Pei was roaring inwardly, “So that’s all it is!”

Ziqing Rong noticed Ye Pei’s twitching lips and asked, “Yezi, what’s wrong?”

Ye Pei let out a long breath, “Nothing.”

When they reached the Shi residence, they found a sign on the door reading “You Mansion.” Ye Pei asked, “Young man, are you sure we haven’t taken the wrong turn?”

Shi Kuang looked up and said, “No mistake, this is the place.”

“Well then—”

“No need for questions, hero. Just focus on banishing the demon.”

Ye Pei frowned but said nothing more.

After announcing their arrival, a young man and woman, both bearing anxious expressions, came out and respectfully ushered Ye Pei and Ziqing Rong inside.

Once seated in the main hall, Ye Pei asked, “Where is the person in charge?”

The young man ordered tea for Ye Pei and said, “I am the master of You Mansion, You Siwan. This is my wife, Lady Wang. May I ask your names...?”

Ye Pei sensed something was off. “I am Ye Pei, and this is my wife, Lady Rong.”

Ziqing Rong’s surname was too recognizable in the Land of Flame, so to avoid unnecessary trouble, they had agreed on this introduction.

“Young hero, Shi Kuang must have told you about our troubles on the way?” You Siwan asked.

Ye Pei shook his teacup. “Not at all. I spent the journey chatting with my wife, never asked the young man.” As he spoke, he glanced at Ziqing Rong and lowered his eyelids.

This too was part of their plan; Ye Pei always checked their food and drink in advance. While shaking his teacup, he discreetly dropped Mu Piaoyan’s special ink rice for poison testing into the tea. Seeing the rice didn’t change color, Ye Pei signaled to Ziqing Rong that it was safe to drink.

You Siwan said, “Since that’s the case, I’ll explain in detail. Half a month ago, a strange demon appeared, unknown from whence, and every night it tries to attack our home. On the first day alone, it killed over ten servants. But when an old night watchman came running with a lantern, the demon was frightened away. The demon is relentless; though we fill the house with lamps and candles each night, keeping ourselves safe, we often see shadows lurking nearby, creating gusts to blow out the flames. If the lights go out, the demon enters and massacres. We fear being wiped out at once, so every night everyone sleeps alone in their own room.”

Ye Pei pondered for a few seconds, “Have you tried moving?”

You Siwan sighed, “This is the third house we’ve moved into in just half a month. The demon pursues us relentlessly; moving is useless.”

Ye Pei frowned, “To be honest, I’ve never encountered such a situation. Since the creature fears light, we could lure it into a dark room, then quickly light the lamps to trap it. Whether to kill or capture it, it would be at our mercy.”

A nameless terror flashed across You Siwan’s face, making Ziqing Rong shiver. Ye Pei sensed her unease, patted her hand, and said, “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.” Then he said, “Master You, please speak plainly.”

You Siwan swallowed hard, “Young hero, it’s not that we won’t help, but none of us have the courage to face the demon, let alone stay in the same room with it.”

Ye Pei sighed, “In that case, please make sure my wife is safely settled tonight; I’ll confront it in the courtyard myself. If anything happens to her, perhaps you won’t need the demon to come after you.”

You Siwan heard the threat in Ye Pei’s voice but had no choice. “Rest assured, young hero, I’ll arrange a safe room for your wife.”

After dinner, Ye Pei took a chair and leisurely sat at the exact center of You Mansion’s ten-zhang-wide front courtyard.

“Shi family... You Mansion. The young servant wouldn’t let me ask questions, but something is definitely off here. It feels... You Siwan doesn’t have the air of a stable household master, but more the aura of a wandering swordsman...”

While he was lost in thought, Ziqing Rong approached, “Yezi, are you really going to keep watch here tonight?”

Ye Pei smiled, “I’ve accepted their payment and promised to resolve their trouble. I’ll see what manner of spirit this is. It’s getting dark, you should go to your room.”

Ziqing Rong said, “Mm, I have faith in you!”

Watching her retreat, Ye Pei called out, “Remember to light the lamps!”

Soon, dusk deepened. Sparse, ragged clouds hung in the sky like the broken fangs of a beast. The faint wind and dropping temperature made Ye Pei wonder if he was in a ghostly prison.

Every occupied room in the mansion was ablaze with candles, as if a single trace of darkness would be fatal. In the courtyard, only the dim moonlight and the shadow of Ziqing Rong’s window cast by her candle lit the ground.

It was worth noting that only Ziqing Rong’s bedroom was beside the front courtyard, while everyone else stayed in the rear. When Ye Pei asked about it, You Siwan claimed there were no rooms left in the back.

Ziqing Rong sat hugging her knees in the chair, watching the proud, solitary figure bathed in cold moonlight.

When midnight arrived, Ye Pei, who had been resting with closed eyes, suddenly opened them, feeling the sudden surge of fierce wind and an almost imperceptible evil energy in the air. Alert, he scanned the surroundings.

A mournful howl echoed. When Ye Pei saw its owner, the humanoid monster was already less than five steps away.

“So fast!” Ye Pei marveled inwardly, but his movements were unhesitating. He straightened his waist and backflipped, landed firmly, gathered his energy, and struck with his palm, meeting the creature’s blow head-on.

A thunderous crash sounded. Ye Pei staggered back three steps, shaking his numb hand, and sized up the monster by moonlight.

“What is this thing? Its strength and speed are beyond reason... The moon is shining, yet it doesn’t seem afraid at all. Perhaps it only fears firelight? Or just fire?”

There was no time for thought—the monster attacked again. Ye Pei, not daring to take chances, drew his demon iron spear and faced it.

Upon engaging, Ye Pei’s amazement grew. The creature’s reflexes were extraordinary, dodging deftly beneath the spear, sometimes even seizing opportunities to land blows on Ye Pei.

Now, close up, Ye Pei could see it clearly: its body was pitch black, exuding an indescribably foul stench. Its face was pitted and cratered, no semblance of humanity left. In the countless pits, small insects seemed to crawl in and out, nauseating to behold.

A black cloud drifted across the sky, perfectly veiling the moon. As the silvery light died, the creature shrieked, twisted aside from Ye Pei’s thrust, and lunged at him.

“How did it get so much faster all of a sudden?!” Ye Pei was shocked, hastily parrying with his spear, but couldn’t withstand the force of the creature’s blow. Both man and spear were smashed backward, crashing through the main hall’s doors and landing heavily.

In the nearby room, Ziqing Rong’s face paled with terror. She covered her mouth with both hands to keep herself silent, afraid any sound might distract Ye Pei and put him in even greater peril.