```
Night,
Torrential rain,
Wild Crossing,
Half of the ruined inn has collapsed, swaying on the verge of falling amid the storm.
Inside, a bonfire rises, its firecrackers popping, dispersing the chill of the wilderness.
By the fire, an elder in a straw raincoat is seated with a knife propped up.
A six- or seven-year-old girl is lying asleep on his lap.
The old man looks down at the girl in his arms, his withered hand gently caressing her tender cheeks.
Body slightly bent.
His eyes hidden in the shadow of the conical hat.
With the flickering fire casting his shadow, the old man's reflection is elongated, as if torn open with a slit.
Just then, a crisp sound of bells rings out, drawing nearer and nearer.
The sound seems to have awakened the girl.
She rubs her eyes and sleepily asks, "Grandpa, where are we?"
The straw-coated elder has already straightened his body, looking towards the door with a slight whiteness in his eyes.
Soon, the sound of the bells is close.
The broken door is knocked open.
The cold wind swirls in with the rain, causing the bonfire to flicker.
A shepherd in coarse clothes and a straw hat, damp with rain, ushers a flock of sheep inside.
"Anyone here? Just in time, this spring rain is heavy; may I take shelter here for a bit?"
The shepherd has a hunched back and a lean figure, with narrow eyes and eyebrows, holding a stick in his hand, shaking off the rain on his clothes, grinning with a mouthful of decayed teeth, and cheerfully striking up a conversation with the old man.
"May I borrow some fire? These sheep are drenched, chilled to the bone; if anything happens to them, my master might take it out on my old bones."
The straw-coated elder doesn't speak, only pulling a stick from the fire and tossing it over.
The shepherd thanks him and drives the sheep to a corner, gathering them in a circle, and kindles a fire.
The sheep obediently stay quiet, not making a single sound.
The girl by the old man's side curiously watches everything, then suddenly shakes the old man's arm, her young voice asking:
"Grandpa, look, that sheep is crying!"
The girl points to one sheep in the flock.
Its dirty white fur covered with fierce lash marks, that sheep's eyes, looking in their direction, are actually shedding tears.
The straw-coated elder looks over.
But he sees the shepherd's face suddenly turn fierce, striking the sheep harshly with his stick.
"You unruly beast, behave."
After speaking, the shepherd grins, showing a mouthful of teeth to the girl:
"It's okay, how can a sheep cry? Young girl, you must be mistaken; don't scare this old fellow out here in the wilderness."
Under the flickering firelight, the corners of his mouth appear exaggeratedly raised.
The girl is frightened and burrows into the straw-coated elder's embrace.
The elder hugs the girl, telling her to turn away, his voice sharp with a throaty edge, "This is my granddaughter; children speak nonsense."
The shepherd just grins with bared teeth.
"Oh, is that so?"
"What brings you and your granddaughter to this desolate crossing?"
He says, lowering his voice: "I advise you, once the rain stops, you'd best be on your way."
Upon hearing this, the elder's voice deepens:
"Why?"
"Because not so long ago in these parts... a demon was on the prowl, specifically abducting children to eat their hearts, livers, and brains," the shepherd's voice suddenly takes on a profound depth.
"Young girl, you need to be careful!"
The girl, terrified, begins to cry, calling out to her grandfather.
Meanwhile, the elder's hand holding the knife trembles, his gaze fixed on the grinning shepherd.
"Boom"
A streak of lightning cuts through the rain curtain.
In the next second, the shepherd's face wrinkles, as if something is about to crawl out.
The withered, stooping back straightens, bones crackling like firecrackers.
In a flash, he reaches out across the space with a pull.
The frightened girl, screaming, falls into his hands
And then, she faints.
Quickly, the hunched and gaunt shepherd transforms into a handsome young man, his hair like drifting clouds and his eyes a glossy black.
```
And the old man in the straw raincoat, with his expression turning twisted and vicious, sprouted sharp grey hairs on his face and bared his teeth at the young man.
"Who are you?"
"I am the Heavenly Patrol Officer, tasked to chop down mountains and demolish temples!" Chen Yuan gently set down the little girl and spoke with the rumbling thunder in the background.
"Mountain Patrol Military Officer!" The distorted figure in the straw raincoat seemed to hear something he dreaded, and let out a shrieking howl.
He swirled the fire in front of him towards Chen Yuan.
"Swoosh."
It burst through the window!
Upon another look, only a few garments remained.
"Trying to paint a tiger that ends up looking like a dog."
Chen Yuan snorted coldly, flicked his sleeve, and the sparks flew into his sleeve like a dragon, instantly.
Then, stepping into the thick rain and mist.
In a moment, at the banks of the Spring Tide River, a piercing and tragic scream was heard.
The chest of a grey-haired Mountain Demon was punched through by a fist, left devoid of life.
This creature had a vicious appearance, fed on resentment, adept at transforming and enchanting the hearts of people, turning into someone dear to you; and then, when the disbelief and resentment were the deepest, it would devour one's heart, liver, brain, and marrow—especially children's.
Chen Yuan withdrew his fist, and the energy shook, scattering the dark green stench of blood from his hand.
At this moment, a sound like a grand bell resonated in his mind.
"Slaying a Mountain Demon in the First Realm, Luck Points +1"
"Main quest: Hundred Demon List progress at ten percent, rewarded with the Divine Skill [Heart Eye]"
"Heart Eye: One of the Five Eyes and Six Powers, can see through falsehood, cultivable"
As the voice faded, Chen Yuan closed his eyes.
Inside the Mud Ball, a black gold token with dragon patterns stood tall like a mountain, engraved with landscapes, flora, and fauna.
The token vibrated; birds and beasts cried in unison, and a white vapor swept through, rushing straight into his eyes.
A cool sensation, bit by bit, merged into his eyes.
After the coolness faded, Chen Yuan slowly opened his eyes.
A sharp gleam gathered in his gaze.
The night looked like daytime to him; the grass, stones, and leaves around him were clearly visible.
Under his intentional gaze, even the raindrops falling from the sky magnified and slowed down in his vision.
He reached out, pinched a leaf, and flicked it,
A water droplet in the air was split into two.
"Nice item!"
Chen Yuan finally smiled.
He picked up the corpse of the Mountain Demon, taller than himself, and headed back.
Entering the house, the sheep were still there.
But they seemed restless.
When the sheep saw Chen Yuan carrying in the corpse of the Mountain Demon, their eyes filled with fear.
They immediately quieted down.
Chen Yuan tossed the Mountain Demon's body into the fire.
Instantly it blazed like oil in a roaring fire, shooting up to the roof.
Then he turned to gaze at the few sheep, watching silently.
When the sheep could no longer contain their fear and knelt down,
Chen Yuan recited a mnemonic.
Suddenly, these sheep rolled on the ground.
And immediately revealed their True Bodies.
There were wild boars, Mountain Cats, foxes, squirrels...
None had cultivated into anything substantial.
"Be gone!" Chen Yuan gave the command.
Immediately, these small creatures, turned into birds and beasts and dispersed.
These were all his Contracted Demons.
The basic force for a Mountain Patrol Military Officer.
Put simply, they were his spies.
With his current abilities, he could only make use of these unremarkable Spirit monsters.
Of course, it was not by their free will.
But they had no choice,
For those not of my kind, respect is born of fear rather than gratitude.
Otherwise, how could he possibly patrol these vast lands?
Eight Hundred Miles Langdang Mountain—all under his jurisdiction!