Chapter 116: Demon Hunting

In the northwest of Anyu County, within a somewhat sparse mountain forest.

Chen Mu stood atop a towering tree with a trunk thick enough to embrace, his entire body balanced on a thin branch that seemed as if it might break at any moment, his gaze sweeping across the nearly endless forest below.

After carefully observing for a moment, he pointed to a direction in the west, saying, "There."

Not far away, on the canopy of another ancient tree, Xu Hongyu also stood on a thin branch, her eyes carefully examining the forest below. Hearing Chen Mu’s words, she immediately turned her gaze, and after scrutinizing the area, she said, "Indeed, it should be there."

As soon as she spoke, she and Chen Mu simultaneously leapt, without descending the tree, directly across the tree crowns, traversing the forest canopy.

Xiao He stood on the top of a slightly shorter tree behind them, also carefully observing her surroundings. At this time, she also quietly followed Chen Mu and Xu Hongyu, the three of them advancing together.

The incident of the wolf demon eating people had happened a few days before. Finding its traces in the remote mountains and forests was not an easy task, and for ordinary people, it would almost be impossible.

However, Chen Mu and the others were different.

Having entered the Tendon Transformation Realm, the enhancement of their qi and blood made their senses far more acute than ordinary people. Even in sparse forests, they could quickly find faint traces.

After all, the wolf demon was a demon, and especially in a frenzied state, its movements were often crude and reckless. It would either leave footprints along the way, or break small trees, or tear apart some bushes, all of which were traces of its passing.

Along the way, Xu Hongyu showed a very keen sense of observation and clear judgment. After all, her demon hunting experience was not limited to one time. Even before she took office as the Chief Constable of the South District, she had followed her elders from the Yu family to hunt demons, giving her far more experience than Chen Mu, who was venturing out for the first time.

Along the way, Chen Mu listened to Xu Hongyu’s explanations on various aspects of tracking and observation, etc. Although he understood them very quickly, it was, after all, his first time, and he could not help but feel somewhat unfamiliar. After all, it was not an instinct engraved in his blood.

However, after tracking for about half a day, Chen Mu’s experience in other aspects might still be lacking, but his observation skills had directly surpassed Xu Hongyu. The range his gaze could cover was wider, and he could also more keenly capture the traces. Often he would discover the remnants of the wolf demon before Xu Hongyu.

After a period of tracking, they arrived above an ancient tree. This ancient tree was not particularly thick, but there was a thicket of shrubs below. This thicket had obviously been crushed and fragmented.

These vines and shrubs were still green, and they had been growing well before they were broken. They were very resilient, and even a wild bear or boar in the mountains would not be able to forcefully break them. The broken and fragmented traces before their eyes, like something that had been completely crushed, were clearly not something an ordinary beast could have done, but only a demon.

"There," Xu Hongyu carefully observed the bushes and pointed towards a direction in the south.

Chen Mu pondered, carefully looking at the traces in the bushes, and then glancing in the direction Xu Hongyu had identified. He nodded slightly, "Yes, it should be. Let’s continue chasing. This thing is running around everywhere, it is really hard to find."

Xu Hongyu took the lead, once again leaping onto a tree top, continuing their journey from tree to tree, while saying, "Since it was driven mad by its demonic nature on a full moon night, its tracks are naturally chaotic. It would be very normal to go east then west, and its intrusion into the village was just a coincidence."

"Mm," Chen Mu followed her.

A third-tier white wolf demon could not have appeared out of thin air. It must have been living in the mountains for a long time. It had never entered a village to eat people before. This time, it must have wandered in by accident under its frenzy.

However, even so, they must deal with it. Even if it was not deliberately heading towards the village, but simply wandering about in a frenzy, once there was a first time, there would be a second. As long as it was still alive, it would be a huge hidden danger to the villagers near this mountain range. Eliminating these dangers was the meaning of the Demon Slaying Division’s existence.

Of course.

A third-tier white wolf demon also had great value. If its fur was intact, it would be worth at least a thousand taels of silver. Its bones and blood had medicinal value, and its meat was a highly nourishing edible type.

The sky grew dim, and night gradually fell. None of them were in a hurry, as it would be difficult to discern traces at night. So, they found a place to rest and, after taking a night of rest, they continued their tracking the next morning.

For the next two days, though they were constantly taking winding routes, they had gradually penetrated deeper into the mountains.

"Very close," Xu Hongyu said, standing amidst a patch of shrubs, staring at a pool of dried blood, as well as some bone fragments.

Judging from the bone fragments and the remaining fur, it should have been a grizzly bear, a rather large and ferocious beast. Though these beasts were not demons, their danger level was sometimes no less than that of first-tier demons. For example, the Blood Vein Demon Rats that the Black Crow Cult had tried to cultivate were not particularly strong types and, even when fully grown, they could not hunt large beasts like grizzly bears. They would mostly try to avoid them.

The signs before their eyes were obvious. This large beast was powerless to resist and had been directly crushed, then devoured alive. And based on the dryness of the blood, it likely occurred within the past two hours.

After confirming this, Xu Hongyu took out a small jade bottle from her pocket. From the jade bottle, she gently poured a drop of light cyan liquid, then, with a wave of her right hand, she turned that drop of ‘rosemary’ into a mist. Following which, she took out a silk ribbon from her person, flicked it, and used it to stir and absorb all the mist.

"Let’s go," Xu Hongyu said, holding the silk ribbon. "Though this should be the white wolf demon’s territory and there are no other demons, it’s still better not to use too much rosemary. It’s important to keep the concentration moderate, to avoid causing other changes… Why are you staring at me?"

Chen Mu smiled and said, "I was just thinking your method was very skillful, and I was listening carefully to your guidance."

"…It’s just having more experience." Xu Hongyu shifted her gaze slightly, feeling a little unnatural, and said, "These are just things that we use to hunt demons during ordinary times. If we encounter severe celestial phenomena such as the ‘Great Cold,’ ‘Great Drought,’ ‘Great Tide,’ or even ‘Two Suns in the Sky’ or ‘Eternal Night,’ the whole world will be a mess, and you might stumble directly onto a vicious demon anywhere. These methods are basically useless then."

Upon hearing Xu Hongyu’s words, Chen Mu looked thoughtful and said, "Last year, during the end of the year, it was the ‘Great Cold,’ right? And the last ‘Great Drought’ was five years ago… As for ‘Two Suns in the Sky,’ it seems like that hasn’t happened for several decades. Looking at the Great Xuan Records of Anomalies, there doesn’t seem to be a clear pattern to these celestial phenomena."

He had personally experienced the Great Cold.

As for the Great Drought, the most recent one had occurred four years ago. These kinds of celestial phenomena were not simply about not having rain for a long time, but about rivers and wells drying up in a very short period.

The Great Tide was the opposite. River levels would rise, and water from wells would overflow, often accompanied by thick fog, the damp water vapor filling the world, making it nearly impossible to find anything dry, or even light a fire.

Of course.

These were considered more common celestial phenomena, which often occurred once every few years, and did not last very long. The biggest problem was the demon disturbances caused by the phenomena. Some demons would become frenzied from the cold, and some from the drought, causing havoc everywhere. Though the Demon Slaying Division would try to suppress them, these disturbances would still cause some disasters in various places.

Compared to those, ‘Two Suns in the Sky’ was considered to be a more severe situation. According to historical records, during such an event, another red sun would appear in the sky, as if reflected in the water. This celestial phenomenon would affect more types of demons, over a wider range.

As for the most terrifying of all, that was ‘Eternal Night’.

According to the records, during this event the sky would be dark, the sun and moon would be without light, and the earth would be plunged into complete darkness. Demons would run rampant beneath the veil of night and it would not last just for a day or two, but would continue for months, even half a year.

"Mm, the last time ‘Two Suns in the Sky’ happened was fifty-seven years ago, and ‘Eternal Night’ was two hundred and forty-one years ago. If we were to look for patterns, things like the Great Cold and Great Drought tend to happen every few years, while the others take much longer. Many people will never see them in their lifetime, and we probably won’t see them either…. Ouch."

Xiao He was following behind Chen Mu, speaking playfully, but before she could finish, she suddenly cried out in pain.

Thump!

A red mark appeared on Xiao He’s forehead as she covered it with a ‘tearful gaze’, looking at Chen Mu.

Chen Mu, feeling annoyed, retracted his finger and said, "Don’t speak carelessly! What if the heavens hear you, and punish you?"

Xiao He covered her forehead in grievance, saying, "If the heavens could punish me for one sentence, then what kind of great sin did I commit in my last life…"

Xu Hongyu looked at Xiao He, the corners of her lips twitching, her eyebrows curving as if she was trying to smile, she said, "Alright, Xiao He, it’s best you stop talking nonsense, and don’t joke about the heavens."

Among the various sects and social classes, there seemed to be some swindlers who told fortunes and divined the future. They would say that certain bad things should not be said aloud, because speaking them would bring them about, but she had always been one to disbelieve them. Even if there were such a thing as fate, it would not be something that could be calculated by a few pretentious Taoists. According to the rumors, there was a sect in the neighboring prefecture called the ‘Xuanji Pavilion’ that could see the mysteries of the world, but no one knew if that was true.

"Miss…"

Xiao He looked at Xu Hongyu with a pitiful gaze, and then at Chen Mu.

Just then, Chen Mu suddenly twitched his ears. His eyes became calm, and his footsteps came to a halt. He turned his head in one direction, saying, "There is movement, it seems like it is coming."

Xiao He also immediately stopped joking, and grew serious.

Xu Hongyu also stopped and, as if sensing something, gently shook her right hand, her soft sword already drawn and in her grip, her gaze becoming solemn and serious.

Finally.

A commotion sounded from the forest in the distance.

It sounded as if some ferocious monster was charging straight toward them. It had yet to appear, but a surge of imposing force was already approaching, causing a flock of birds in the forest to take flight, screeching loudly.