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墨書 Inktalez
Xing Ruyi carefully examined the dog's corpse and concluded that this local dog from Sun Sister's Home was not killed by a person, but rather by a kind of "beast," most likely the Drought Demon mentioned in legends. Above the broken neck of the dog, she found some strange bite marks; these marks were not from an animal but were characteristic of human teeth, with two of them being particularly sharp, resembling her ingrained impression of a zombie.
"Does the Drought Demon also have two sharp teeth?" Xing Ruyi asked quietly as she returned to the fox.
The fox raised an eyebrow. "In legends, this Drought Demon is quite similar to a zombie, but this zombie is different from the Walking Corpses we saw in the Arsenal. It undergoes abnormal changes after being buried in a grave. However, I am not entirely clear on the specifics; after all, with their Daoist Practice, they wouldn't dare provoke me."
"That's true," Xing Ruyi nodded thoughtfully, recalling how Yin Yuan had easily defeated those Walking Corpses in the Arsenal. The fox's cultivation was far superior to Yin Yuan's; if she were an Evil Spirit, she certainly wouldn't dare to provoke her easily.
"What should we do now? Should we go directly to find that Drought Demon?" Xing Ruyi glanced at the Village Chief, feeling that there was more than just harassment between him and Sister Sun. "I think there's something strange between these two people. The Village Chief's character can be somewhat discerned; he's not a good person. But what's odd is Sister Sun's reaction. If she were an ordinary woman, encountering such a reckless person, even if she couldn't openly resist due to his status as Village Chief, she wouldn't at least give him a pleasant expression. Sister Sun's reaction is quite strange; it's like she's both welcoming and rejecting him, deliberately distancing herself, which indicates there’s an issue between them."
The fox remained silent but gave Xing Ruyi an approving glance.
"I've already figured out where the Drought Demon's lair is; it's in that field behind the village."
"So close to the village?" Xing Ruyi frowned. "What if a fight breaks out and harms the villagers?"
"That won't happen," the fox said, gesturing that this issue could be left to the Village Chief.
"True enough; most people in this village are likely timid. Otherwise, they wouldn't let such a person become their leader. We just need to find an excuse later for the Village Chief to order them to stay indoors and not go out unnecessarily," Xing Ruyi said as she stood on her tiptoes to look into the distance.
Due to the drought, almost all the surrounding fields were barren, with cracks and gaps as thick as a thumb everywhere. Standing in the village and observing, nothing seemed unusual. At this moment, what worried Xing Ruyi was not anything else but what the fox had said before entering the village—she needed to be mentally prepared.
"Before entering the village, you hinted that I should be mentally prepared for what lies ahead and that there was a terrifying aspect hidden in that story. Now that we're about to confront the Drought Demon, shouldn't you give your wife some insight? In case of an emergency situation, I could adapt accordingly."
"Fool, with me here, there's no need for you to adapt," the fox gently ruffled Xing Ruyi's hair. "I was just trying to scare you earlier. With me around, there's no situation we can't handle."
"Really?" Xing Ruyi was skeptical.
"Really!" The fox smiled affectionately.
"If you deceive me, what will happen?"
"Then punish me by turning me into a fox!"
"Sly!"
"Slyness is the nature of a fox! Thank you for the compliment, Wife!"
"I can't be bothered with you!" Xing Ruyi secretly made a face at the fox, then immediately returned to the serious demeanor expected of Ruyi Rouge, walking over to the village chief and saying, "I have found the source of the drought in your village, but what happens next depends on your decision, Chief."
The village chief's eyes darted around before he reluctantly spoke, "As you can see, we are just a small village. Even though I am the chief and should do my best for my fellow villagers, I do not have spare silver at home. If you do not mind, I am willing to pay one tael of silver on behalf of the villagers. Does that seem appropriate to you?"
When it came to that one tael of silver, the village chief almost bit his teeth in reluctance; it was clear he was very unwilling. Xing Ruyi had not originally wanted any silver, but seeing how reluctant the chief was, she felt embarrassed to refuse. Clearing her throat, she said, "One tael of silver will do; after all, it's for the sake of Sister Sun and Brother Sun. I can't ask for too much. However, regarding this silver matter, what truly requires your effort will come later."
"Need me to put in effort?" The village chief hesitated as his eyes darted around again.
"Have you heard of the Drought Demon?"
"It seems I've heard the elders in the village mention it before." As soon as the village chief responded, he suddenly realized: "Based on your question, could it be that our village's drought is caused by such an evil being?"
"Whether it is or not, we will know once we investigate. Since you have heard of the Drought Demon, you should also know what it is. To verify it, we must open graves and dig tombs. The Fox Demon is an outsider; whether we open this grave and how we do it will depend on your arrangements. However, let me make this clear: if we do not open the grave or dig up the coffin, even if we know it's the Drought Demon causing trouble, the Fox Demon will be powerless to act. Please weigh the pros and cons carefully. It’s getting late; I ask you to make a decision quickly."
"Can you be certain?"
"Certain or uncertain? Do you have another method regarding this severe drought in the village?"
The village chief wiped his forehead; despite the cold weather, there wasn't a single bead of sweat on him.
"Chief, Ruyi is not an ordinary person. You must have heard about my maternal family's affairs in this village. Just a few days ago, Ruyi resolved issues concerning the Gou Family Ancestral Home and saved many people. You saw that last night our dog was injured; if that thing comes again tonight and injures a person, what will we do? Your home is not made of iron; do you really think that thing won't dare to come?"
Seeing the Village Chief hesitating, Sister Sun became anxious.
"As the saying goes, a dead horse is treated as a living one. Given the severe drought in the village, I truly have no other options. Since you brought someone here, I believe the young lady must have some real skills. Fine, I will trust you this once, regardless of whether there is a Drought Demon in this village or not. I will take full responsibility for what happens next." The Village Chief rarely displayed such boldness as he patted his chest and looked into Xing Ruyi's beautiful eyes, asking, "If you need any strong young men or tools, just let me know. As long as it's available in our village, I will gather everything for you."
"I need a few strong young men, preferably unmarried ones; those born in the Year of the Tiger or Dragon would be best. Additionally, I need some tools for digging graves. As for what those tools are, I assume you don't need me to specify?"
"You don't need to worry about that; we will bring our own tools. Do you have any other requests?"
"I want a dog—a pure black dog!"
"We do have several dogs in the village, but pure black ones are quite rare," the Village Chief said with a troubled frown.
"If there aren't any, then find me a man born in the Year of the Dog; preferably someone with a pure Yang fate."
"What does pure Yang fate mean?" The Village Chief scratched his head. "To be honest, we are just simple country folk who don’t recognize many characters; we really don’t understand pure Yang or pure Yin."
"Jia, Bing, Wu, Geng, and Ren are Yang; Zi, Yin, Chen, Wu, Shen, and Xu are also Yang," Xing Ruyi explained while secretly signaling to the fox. When it comes to fortune-telling, the fox was indeed more knowledgeable than her.
Receiving Xing Ruyi's message, the fox didn't even need to calculate with its fingers and directly addressed the Village Chief: "Is there someone in your village named Lai Qi? He has thick black eyebrows and a red birthmark on his chest."
"There is someone named Lai Qi; however, that's not his surname. He’s a bit of a rogue and doesn’t do anything proper, which is why he got that name. How did you know about him? Do you happen to know him?"
"Go fetch him; this person possesses the pure Yang fate that the Fox Demon needs. Not only does he have pure Yang fate, but he is also a living Ghostly Fiend. With him around, that Drought Demon will be somewhat restrained." The fox did not respond to the Village Chief's question but instead instructed him to find Lai Qi.
As long as the person Xing Ruyi was looking for wasn’t herself and the one taking risks with the evil entity wasn’t herself either, the Village Chief found everything easy to negotiate and quickly gathered a group of people. A large crowd set off towards the fields behind the village.
Xing Ruyi intentionally lagged behind a bit and quietly asked the fox, "What’s up with that Lai Qi?"
"I just figured it out too; I didn’t expect there would actually be a living Ghostly Fiend in this village."
"What is a Ghostly Fiend?"
"A Ghostly Fiend, simply put, is a living Taoist and the best candidate for practicing extraordinary arts. According to your human laws, this is called fate.
Any Ghostly Fiend must possess a pure Yang fate, which is the exact opposite of those belonging to Yin. Their features are pronounced, with bright, piercing eyes and thick black eyebrows. Even if they engage in treacherous deeds, there will still be an aura of righteousness about them. In contrast, those of Yin nature often have sleepy eyes, appearing as if they have just woken up, and are inherently susceptible to ghostly influences."
"Is it really that impressive?" Xing Ruyi looked at the fox with admiration. "What about me? What kind of constitution do I have?"
"You? You are inherently susceptible to me!" The fox chuckled and took a step forward, slightly passing by Xing Ruyi. "A pure Yang fate is also known as belonging to Yang, while a pure Yin fate belongs to Yin. Both genders can possess either Yang or Yin traits. The most formidable among the Yang types is the Ghostly Fiend, which has a constitution that counters ghostly influences. The most obvious characteristic is that dogs in the village, especially black dogs, treat such people as if they were their closest kin and show exceptional affection.
On the other hand, those of Yin nature are afraid of cats, particularly pure black ones. In severe cases, hearing a cat's cry at night could lead to nightmares, and they are also easily trapped in Ghost Fog, often experiencing sleep paralysis."
As the fox finished speaking, a group of people had just reached the edge of the farmland. The fox glanced around and pointed at a Tomb Mound. "Dig!"
"We can't dig! We can't disturb that grave!" The Village Chief rushed over upon seeing the fox pointing at the Tomb Mound.
"Why can't we dig?"
"Because..." The Village Chief looked awkwardly at Xing Ruyi before finally speaking up. "Because my father is buried there!"
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