Human Cultivators, have their levels divided into Three Levels and Nine Realms.
The Human Barrier dictates cultivation of the self, through Body Refinement, Qi condensation, and Divine Consciousness; The Earth Barrier dictates cultivation of external matters, through Golden Core, Five Elements, Dharma Body; The Heaven's Gate dictates cultivation of grand principles, achievable through Wen Dao, Tianyuan, and Tongxuan.
Although there are diverse schools of training including Martial Artists, Evil Demons, and other branches, ultimately, they have more similarities than differences.
The Shu Mountain Sect requires labor in exchange for resources. It might seem harsh but it is for the disciples' training. In truth, the disciples are cared for. The first realm and the second realm disciples, for example, aren't allowed to accept down-mountain tasks and can only accept chores such as spirit plant care, spirit bird feeding, and other odd jobs within the sect.
At the Divine Consciousness Realm, one would already be a formidable figure in the Jianghu yet within the Shu Mountain Sect, this only allows them to carry out the task of demon exorcising outside of the mountain.
Dealing with demons have great differences, but the most popular would be the mysteries from wealthy households.
The first reason being, unlike in the mountains and wilds, you won't really encounter any giant demons in city territories, hence the danger is relatively less. Secondly, the bustling city life allows for enjoyment beyond the demon extermination. Lastly, wealthy households are generous; beyond the expense due to the sect for the task, there's always a rich bounty after the job, which is solely for the exorcist, allowing for a neat profit.
Exactly such a task is what Elder Shen picked for Chu Liang.
"Greetings, Warrior Chu!"
"Greetings, Landlord Ming."
"Warrior Chu, you must be tired!"
"Serving the people."
"..."
Chu Liang flew to Xingzhou City on his sword and headed to Landlord Ming's mansion in the city. Upon revealing his identity, he was warmly received.
Landlord Ming was a thin middle-aged man with a refined air. With a short beard under his chin, he left a good impression. However, his darkened eye sockets and exhausted demeanor made it apparent he'd been under significant strain.
"Now that a warrior from the Shu Mountain Sect is here, our household can finally see peace," Landlord Ming led Chu Liang to a seat in the main hall and gestured to his attendants to serve tea. Then, he said with a sigh.
"Please tell me the full story." Chu Liang responded with a smile.
"Ah…" Landlord Ming sighed, "My family has been a benefactor for generations, yet I do not know why we are now plagued with such strangeness…"
"It started three days ago, the eerie mewling of a cat began to be heard outside our residence. The sound was haunting and spine-chilling. Two days ago, the mewling was heard in our front yard, and some of our servants even saw the demonic creature, a wave of blood energy emanating from it! By yesterday, the mewling had migrated to our backyard! It's caused quite a disturbance for my wife…"
"Young Hero…" He looked at Chu Liang earnestly, "If it's not stopped soon, I fear it might start killing people tonight!"
Landlord Ming had moved quickly, seeking assistance from the Taoist temple outside the city on the second day.
Usually, these bustling Taoist temples are either the residence of Cultivators or have close ties with some Immortal Sect. Otherwise, they would not be able to grow to their current scale. The Taoist temple outside Xingzhou City had a close relationship with the Shu Mountain Sect, so this request was swiftly received by the Sword Exchange Pavilion on Shu Mountain.
"Hmm…" After listening, Chu Liang fell into deep thought for a moment.
This unusual behavior…only appearing at night…moving one step at a time…it didn't seem like a monster but more like a spirit, the so-called "ghost".
After all, if a demonic creature cultivates successfully, its intelligence would be indistinguishable from a human's. They wouldn't act in such an elusive way. Only ghosts with lower cultivation, as they have lost their intelligence due to experiencing death once, would be driven by their resentment to do some strange things.
Like this cat demon…
It could very well be the spirit of a deceased cat.
Thinking along these lines, Chu Liang asked, "Has the mansion killed any cats lately?"
"Of course not…" Landlord Ming shook his head, "My wife has a compassionate heart and has always treated animals kindly. For stray cats and dogs in the neighborhood, she has always sent our servants to care for them."
...
By the time Chu Liang arrived, it was afternoon. After hearing about the situation and making an initial exploration of the area, it was almost dark.
The household hurriedly prepared a banquet to receive him.
After all, when it gets later, the cat demon would come 'online'.
The banquet was filled with luxury and delicacies, needless to say. Landlord Ming and Chu Liang were seated there, each served by a maid from behind. They were undoubtedly enjoying treatments that they wouldn't have on Silver Sword Peak.
However, after waiting for a long time, and not all the guests had arrived, another maid came to report, "Master, Madam says her illness has worsened and she is unable to attend the feast. Please don't blame us, Warrior Chu and Master."
"Oh..." Landlord Ming suddenly looked anxious, stood up, glanced at Chu Liang, and apologized, "Warrior Chu, please don't blame me, I'm going to see my wife right now, I'll be back soon."
Having said that, he left Chu Liang there and hurried back to the backyard.
Chu Liang was not annoyed at all, but just smiled and commented, "Landlord Ming and Madam truly cherish each other."
"Yes." The maid next to him said with admiration, "My master and madam have been married for ten years and still love each other deeply. A few years ago, when Madam could not have children due to illness, she suggested that Master should marry a concubine to continue his family line, but Master has refused to do so to this day."
Another maid also sighed, "Only a woman as beautiful and kindness as Madam can deserve Master's deep love and loyalty."
A moment later, Landlord Ming hurried back again.
"Is Madam alright?" Chu Liang asked.
"She's fine. It's just that she was frightened by the evil spirit attack these days, and is not feeling well. Once we get rid of this demonic creature, she will be fine." Landlord Ming explained.
"I will do my best." Chu Liang promised.
Before the feast ended, the sound of a gale blowing was heard from outside.
The cold wind along with the demonic aura, rolled up, slammed open the door of the hall, causing the dishes and chopsticks on the banquet table to jingle.
"It's that Cat Demon, it's here again!" Landlord Ming exclaimed in fear.
Chu Liang immediately sprang to the door and carefully sensed this aura.
There was a heavy ghostly aura, indicating the presence of ghosts. But it was also mixed with a strong demonic wind, could it be...
"Something is strange, you guys should hide..." He turned to advise the non-combatants of the Ming family to hide.
But when he turned around, he found that the banquet hall was empty. Apart from himself, no one else was there. The voice of Landlord Ming echoed from a distance, "Warrior Chu, we're depending on you..."
Well.
They ran really fast.
He had been worried about the safety of the Ming family beforehand. Now he felt that his worries were completely unnecessary. Judging from their speed of escape, even if the entire infested Xingzhou City was captured by monsters, they would still be safe.
"Meow--"
Before he could think further, a sharp, piercing scream had already sounded, chilling to the core.
"Draw!" With a clear shout from Chu Liang, the flying sword bracelet transformed into a longsword in his hand, and he walked out of the hall.
At a glance, he saw the blood-red aura outside the mansion!
On the wall of the mansion, a cat-faced creature was crouching, with a pair of odd pupils shining with a lifeless white light. Its black fur stained with fresh blood made it look very young. The strangest thing was that the creature had a cat's head, but its body seemed to be that of a human infant, covered in blood with no hair on it.
It was terrifying to look at!
This sight tightened Chu Liang's heart.
This creature...
It was a resentful spirit, a ghost transformed from extreme resentment! It was also an infant spirit, a kind of ghost created by the death of unborn children, whose resentment was ten times stronger than ordinary ghosts! Additionally, it was a demonic spirit, a ghost formed after the death of a monster!
No wonder it was so enigmatic, a resentful spirit, an infant spirit, a demonic spirit... each alone would have been considered a distinct entity among ghosts.
And this creature right before his eyes...
Was a combination of all!