Afterward, they went to investigate the other victims’ families once more, but still didn’t obtain any information.
According to what was already known, tomorrow would be the day the demon beast attacked again, so there wasn’t much to do today. It was actually possible to spare some free time.
Unconsciously, the sun had already sunk toward the west, and the sky was growing darker.
Lin Huanhuan and the others politely refused the village chief’s invitation to stay overnight, and instead came to an open space outside the village.
“This place looks good. Let’s stay here for tonight.”
Lin Huanhuan said with a smile, glancing at Dong Yun’er. Dong Yun’er understood, and immediately took out a special talisman paper from her Qiankun Bag.
That talisman paper was carefully cut into the shape of a courtyard. Dong Yun’er casually tossed it out, then formed hand seals and chanted an incantation. Instantly, the talisman caught the wind and grew, bricks and tall walls appearing from nowhere. In the blink of an eye, a three-sectioned courtyard sprang up from the ground.
“A Paper Courtyard Talisman Treasure. I remember it takes 20 Contribution Points to exchange for one at Lingyun Sect. Converted to spirit stones, that’s 200 spirit stones, and it only lasts a month. That’s really extravagant.”
Ye Jinxiu reached out and touched the wall directly, her face full of amazement.
Lin Huanhuan lifted her chin proudly and strutted into the courtyard like a crab. “What’s this? Just a few spirit stones, nothing worth mentioning to me. If you’re obedient and listen to me, maybe I’ll reluctantly let you enjoy it too. Resistance is useless, your resistance is feeble.”
Ye Jinxiu only glanced at her with a beaming smile, not responding. “Then I’ll take advantage of your generosity and enjoy such a nice place. You don’t mind, do you?”
Lin Huanhuan felt there was something implied in her words, so she decided to jab back. “If you don’t agree to my terms, I’ll throw you out! Don’t think you can freeload!”
Ye Jinxiu tilted her head. “Weren’t you the one who invited me to do this task together? If you just ignore me now, it might affect the Lin family’s reputation, right? Hehe, Senior Sister Lin, you don’t want those kinds of rumors to start, do you?”
“You!”
Lin Huanhuan’s willow-like brows furrowed tightly, completely unprepared for Ye Jinxiu’s response.
‘Come to think of it, what’s going on with Ye Jinxiu? She’s not afraid of me at all anymore, and what does it mean that she’s not afraid of a yellow-haired girl? It almost feels like she can see right through me. Am I imagining things? No, I have to find a chance to teach her a lesson and show her what it means not to insult a yellow-haired girl!’
Dong Yun’er saw this and realized she couldn’t let them continue bickering, so she stepped forward to explain. “Though this talisman treasure is expensive, it’s not without its advantages. This courtyard might look like an ordinary one, but its defense is quite good. Even a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator would be blocked for over half an hour. To a certain extent, it can serve as a defensive artifact.”
“I see.”
Ye Jinxiu nodded. “That way, it’s worth the price.”
After entering the main hall, Lin Huanhuan voiced her doubts. “I don’t think this matter is so simple. If it was just a normal demon beast attack, why would it target specific people? And demon beasts usually prefer to eat people directly—the Demon Tiger is the same—but the victims had all their blood drained, almost like they were bitten by zombies.”
Ye Jinxiu asked, “So what do you think is going on?”
Lin Huanhuan shook her head lightly. “It’s hard to say. There are a lot of possible scenarios that fit, it’s too early to draw conclusions. We’ll just have to observe again when the demon beast attacks tomorrow.”
Dong Yun’er praised, “Catching a demon beast for research is definitely a good idea. As expected of the young miss.”
Lin Huanhuan lifted her chin. “Of course.”
Ye Jinxiu couldn’t help but feel a little dubious. “You two…”
At night, as she lay down to sleep, Lin Huanhuan used her arms as a pillow, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling and unable to fall asleep. This was her first time traveling far since coming to this world, and she just happened to run into something like this on her first trip. She couldn’t help feeling a bit sentimental.
Suddenly she remembered something. “Speaking of which, what’s next in Ye Jinxiu’s story again? Oh, right, in the original work, Ye Jinxiu lost her Youquan Spirit Vein and her cultivation was completely crippled. After Bai Lingfeng rescued her, she fell into despair and jumped into a river to kill herself—but survived.
After that, she felt that heaven wouldn’t let her die, so she pulled herself together and cultivated with determination, and soon recovered her cultivation back to the peak of Qi Refining. Her efforts caught the eye of an elder, who accepted her as a disciple.
That elder thought she shouldn’t have lost her precious spirit vein, so he used his mystical powers to help her recover her Youquan Spirit Vein. After a series of events, she eventually became one of the strongest experts in the world.”
Lin Huanhuan muttered helplessly, “That’s really a twisted path, but I guess she’s pretty lucky. Is that the protagonist’s halo? Too bad I don’t have a villain system or anything like that—I can’t steal the protagonist or female lead’s luck. Otherwise, I’d be having a blast.”
Thinking this, Lin Huanhuan finally drifted off to sleep.
*****
The next day at noon, they kept watch at the village entrance. If the demon beast tried to come in, there was no way to avoid this place—they’d definitely catch it.
Ye Jinxiu felt the demon beast might not be so dumb. “Is this really okay? With so many cultivators blocking the way, won’t the demon beast just take another route?”
Lin Huanhuan dismissed it. “A so-called demon beast is just a wild beast that’s just started on the path of cultivation. They’re not very smart. It’s not like they’re a true demon race. How could they be that clever?”
Ye Jinxiu didn’t argue further, folding her arms as she thought, ‘I can’t wait to see your face when this backfires.’
As she pondered, her ears suddenly twitched, sharply catching a sudden swift sound.
“What’s that?”
“Hey, what are you standing around for? Dodge, now!”
Ye Jinxiu’s gaze instantly sharpened as Lin Huanhuan’s urgent voice rang in her ear, making the hairs on her body stand on end.
Demon beast attack!
Those words flashed across her mind for an instant, but it was already too late to run. She could only step forward, her waist bending backward with agility, both arms swinging.
A gust of foul, bloody wind rushed toward her, and sharp claws nearly grazed her skin. Those cold, gleaming eyes met hers; the sneak attack had failed, and the massive body landed to the side, kicking up sand and mud. It let out a sky-shaking roar, sending another wave of that terrible, stinking wind.
It was a demon tiger that had gained sentience!
Ye Jinxiu looked at the giant beast, only to feel a chill down her spine—her back was already soaked with cold sweat.
This demon tiger looked truly terrifying, its body nearly two zhang long, fur bristling like steel needles, and claws and fangs frighteningly sharp. If she’d been caught in that pounce just now, she would’ve been gravely injured if not dead.
At this moment, Ye Jinxiu finally understood the village militia: why, even knowing the demon beast was after the children, they’d still run for their lives. Faced with such a monstrous tiger, even a cultivator like her felt fear, let alone ordinary people.
The demon tiger singled her out as the weakest and was about to pounce again when a wind blade slashed across its body, prompting another angry roar.
Lin Huanhuan burst out laughing. “What a fine demon tiger! You dare act so wild in front of me? Watch as I skin you and take you back for a snack with wine!”
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