After cleaving through the darkness, Lin Yan, carrying the lantern, advanced again at a brisk pace.
This time, he managed to travel several miles without incident.
But then, darkness blocked his path once more.
These evil spirits lurked in the night, seemingly omnipresent.
No sooner had he repelled one group than another appeared.
All because in this night, Lin Yan was the sole living person.
The scent of flesh and blood.
The breath of life.
An intact soul.
It was as if a rare delicacy had been placed before a great throng of evil spirits.
Lin Yan understood that the further he was from High Willow City, the further he was from Liu Venerate's true form, the weaker the Tiger Whisker Night Lamp's effect became.
Here, so far away, the light of the Night Lamp alone could no longer suppress the evil spirits and demons.
At this moment, Lin Yan set down the Tiger Whisker Night Lamp and drew his long sword.
"After all, Liu Venerate is not here. I can understand if you don't show Him face," he said gravely, his sword pointing forward.
With a swing of his sword, he bellowed, "Who the hell won't show face? Step forward!"
In the past year, he had taken over a hundred lives, more ruthless than an executioner!
With an aura of fierce Evil Qi, bolstered by the Demon Suppression Divine Power, it seemed as if in a mere instant, his ferocity increased a thousandfold!
It was as if a vision of mountains of corpses and seas of blood had been conjured, with Evil Qi churning like tsunami waves.
This was the might of Demon Suppression!
The darkness surged as if "in emotional turmoil," hesitant and uncertain.
After a moment, the darkness receded like a tide.
The flame of the Tiger Whisker Night Lamp slowly illuminated the path ahead.
"Ungrateful for the face given!"
Lin Yan picked up the Tiger Whisker Night Lamp and, sword in hand, dashed forward.
Any obstruction ahead was met without a second word — with a cleave of his sword.
His initial intention was to abide by the rules of this world, to avoid conflict and conserve energy.
For he knew well that a bloody battle was inevitable later on.
But this place was too far from High Willow City, and these evil spirits clearly didn't want to play by the rules.
So he would have to use the sword in his hand, and his own intense Evil Qi and killing intent, to teach these obstacles the rules of this slayer!
He rushed onward, covering another three or five miles, and entered a dense forest.
"I'm almost there!"
Following the rugged mountain path, Lin Yan finally found an ancient locust tree at the waist of the mountain.
Legend had it that this old locust tree had gained sentience, and travelers passing by had to offer three sticks of incense to ensure a safe journey.
"I've heard there are tigers nearby, and I have urgent matters that require seeking counsel from this 'Mountain Lord'!"
Lin Yan said softly as he re-lit three sticks of incense, planting them in the soil before the tree and bowing deeply in a greeting.
"Tonight, I present three sticks of incense, and I plead with the Locust Venerate to guide the way!"
As the words were still hanging in the air, a sudden gust of wind arose.
The three sticks of incense fell over in the wind.
The incense was refused!
"..."
Lin Yan's eyebrows knitted tightly.
Perhaps the Locust Venerate feared the Mountain Lord.
Or perhaps these three sticks of incense had been previously offered to the evil spirits that blocked the way, making the current offering to the Locust Venerate seem like leftovers.
He sighed, then said with a bow, "I had to leave home in such a hurry that my preparations were inadequate, and I may have been disrespectful. Once this matter is concluded, I shall present a sacrificial offering and incense to the Locust Venerate with proper respect!"
As his voice ceased, he picked up the three sticks of incense again and planted them in the ground.
This time, he buried the bottoms of the incense sticks deep into the soil.
But before he could straighten up,
The three sticks of incense fell over again.
"..."
Lin Yan took a deep breath, his thoughts on his brother's life hanging by a thread.
Suddenly, a streak of light flashed in the darkness.
The blade's edge grazed the trunk of the tree.
The bark was split by the sharp sword.
A shallow cut was left on the trunk of the tree.
Then he picked up the three sticks of incense and emotionlessly inserted them into the cut made by the sword on the tree.
The cut was very shallow, not even an inch deep.
The incense sticks were about to fall as Lin Yan released them,
but a gust of yin wind suddenly blew!
The fallen incense sticks were pressed against the tree by the night wind, stable and firm as if they had naturally grown there as branches.
Then the yin wind grew stronger, and the treetop began to sway.
All the branches started to point towards a position to the back left.
"Thank you!"
Lin Yan said expressionlessly, giving a quick bow.
He then picked up his long sword and hurried in the direction the Locust Venerate had indicated, not daring to delay a moment.
----
Through the desolate wilderness and rugged mountain roads,
three figures walked side by side in the darkness, their movements assured and steady as if on flat ground.
The person in the middle was still holding half a roast chicken, looking somewhat dazed as he gazed up at the pitch-black sky.
But he squinted as if he found the nonexistent light too bright and dazzling.
"Big Treasure, your family has moved so far away?"
Lin Lei, visibly worried, said, "The sun is about to set, and if it gets dark, I fear I won't make it home in time."
Dressed plainly, with an honest face, he seemed concerned.
"It won't be a problem, it's still afternoon. Come to my place first, and we can talk about important matters. You can head home in the evening. If not, you can stay at my place for the night," replied the other shadow, his voice rough and laced with a slight rasp.
"That won't do, my wife's waiting for me at home," Lin Lei immediately shook his head, then added with a laugh, "Speaking of which, since when did you recognize a daughter, and when did she catch the eye of my younger brother?"
Chen Jiangbao didn't reply and simply pushed forward on the road.
The figure on the far right was small and delicate, like a young girl, whose footsteps quickened upon hearing the others, as if embarrassed.
Seeing this, Lin Lei couldn't help but laugh. He then pulled Chen Jiangbao closer and whispered, "I was telling you, you still owe me two silver taels. Pay me back first, so I can gather enough funds to prepare the betrothal gifts, book the banquet, and invite guests."
"Our old house is too small. It's enough for my younger brother alone, but not suitable once he's married. Let the newlyweds move into my place for the time being."
"My Ah Yan can earn money now; all he's missing is a wife to manage him."
"Make sure your daughter keeps a tight hold on him, saves up some silver. I can scrape together a bit more silver over the next three to five years. Together with my brother and some loans from relatives, we could afford to build them a new house."
As Lin Lei spoke, he looked around and then said, "But speaking of which, the location of your new home is ridiculously far. My feet are sore from walking. By the time we finish discussing business, it'll be dark, and I won't be able to make it back."
No sooner had his voice faded when he saw a town ahead with people coming and going, bustling with activity.
"Here we are, we've arrived."
Chen Jiangbao raised his hand, pointing to the darkening sky, and said, "The sun is still up. If we wrap up our talk early, you can make it back to High Willow City before nightfall."
At this moment, the voice of the young girl rose again, "My family has the Tiger Whisker Night Lamps in this city too."
Chen Jiangbao replied, "That's true. With the Night Lamps in the city, which have the power of 'Mountain Lords,' you could walk back more than ten miles, and no evil spirits would dare to trouble you."
However, Lin Lei was still worried, "But if it's too far, I fear the Night Lamps in the city won't suppress the evil spirits."
"That's no problem; my family also has some willow branch Night Lamps stored away. You can take one with you."
Chen Jiangbao said, "The farther from here, the closer to High Willow City... With the 'Mountain Lord' watching over the first half of the journey, and 'Liu Venerate' protecting the latter half, the journey should be carefree and secure."
Then, the girl's voice spoke up again, "Even if it's late, you can stay at my house. Uncle, you can first stay in my brother's room."
Upon hearing this, Lin Lei joyfully said, "You're quite charming, girl. You haven't even become part of our family yet, but you've already changed your way of addressing."
With that, he continued forward.
In his eyes, he had already entered the town.
It was still light out, with shops lining the streets.
People were bustling about, creating a lively scene.
Yet for some reason, at that moment, it seemed as if everyone turned to look in their direction, with somewhat stiff expressions.
The many gazes made Lin Lei feel uneasy.
Then he heard the girl say, "We just moved here, and the neighbors in the area are very hospitable and kind."
"That's very good, very good indeed," Lin Lei replied, his gaze starting to become a bit dazed as he failed to notice anything amiss.
It wasn't until he was close to Chen Jiangbao's new house that he suddenly sensed that something was off and abruptly awoke to the abnormality.
"Da Bao, why is your house a temple?"
"..."
In Chen Jiangbao's rigid voice, which had become shaky and tearful at that moment, "I didn't want this... You kindly lent me silver, but I never thought of paying it back."
"I'm already dead. If I don't trick you into being devoured by the Mountain Lord, how will you be able to ask my son for the money later on?"
"It's not my fault. Who else in Linjiang Square would be so kind as to lend me money?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Lin Lei felt a chill run through his body as he turned his head.
He saw Chen Jiangbao.
But he also saw through Chen Jiangbao's body, the vegetation behind him.
Was Chen Jiangbao's body just an apparition?
In an instant, Lin Lei's hair stood on end.
The night wind blew, carrying a bone-chilling coldness.
In a daze, the scene transformed.
Where was the town?
Where were the streets and shops?
There were no bricks or stones on the ground, only grass, wood, and mud.
The surrounding barren grass and withered trees, the figures were indistinct, all illusory.
All the phantom figures stiffly turned their heads, their faces expressionless, their eyes hollow.
A howling sound erupted, piercing and sharp.
Suddenly, a frosty cold wind blew through the treetops, slicing across the dry branches, the sound mournful to the extreme, like the wailing of ghosts.
Were these all ghosts?
Lin Lei's pupils constricted, and he turned to flee, only to find his body entirely unresponsive to his mind's control.
At this moment, he was completely rigid, his legs weak.
Meanwhile, in that temple, a cold, cruel light slowly brightened, like a lamp in the night.
The howling wind grew more intense.
The wail like the crying of ghosts grew even more mournful.
The girl walking ahead took Lin Lei's hand, whispering softly, "Uncle, we've arrived at my home, let's go."
Lin Lei tried to struggle, but found himself completely stiff.
The girl almost dragged him towards the temple.
And Lin Lei's eyes grew more and more dazed, gradually bewildered.
"Shouldn't I address life's big issues myself?"
Just then, an indifferent voice sounded.
The atmosphere suddenly froze.
The wailing of the ghosts around became even more mournful and frosty.
But this time, it wasn't the sound of wind blowing through the branches.
It was real ghostly wails.
The peripheral ghosts screamed in terror and panic.
Not far away, a light appeared.
It was a faint flame, flickering in the wind, emitting a warm glow.
This was an incense candle.
The hand holding the candle reached forward.
Where the fire illuminated, like fiercely burning flames, the ghosts screamed and fled in a panic.
In the blink of an eye, they scattered like catkins in the wind, escaping in all directions.
Under the light of the fire, the newcomer's hair was disheveled, slightly out of breath, as if after a forceful run.
But his face remained utterly devoid of emotion, the indifference extreme.
He was clad in a black robe; in his other hand, he held a long, narrow blade.
The blade was dark, about three and a half fingers wide, and three feet three inches long.
This blade had beheaded over a hundred people!
Today it would sever ghosts!
And tomorrow, cut down demons!