nycdaug Chapter 38 Hush, Keep quiet
Chapter 38 Hush, Keep quiet
It's so quiet, eerily quiet.
The three exchanged a glance and instinctively became wary.
Huangshui Village is close to Lihua Town, so it naturally has more residents than a typical village, and the main roads are paved with stone bricks, making it look like half a town at first glance.
The weather outside was fine, and the streets, which should have been bustling, were now deserted as everyone stayed indoors.
Lu Xihan's expression flashed. It seemed that this matter would not be so easy to accomplish. She was not the female lead, so even if she had the upper hand, she still had to be extremely careful.
"Xixi..."
Xiao Yiyi called out to Lu Xihan with a slight sense of unease.
The latter gave her a reassuring smile, and then Lu Xihan looked around before walking to a house under their watchful eyes.
"Tuk-tuk-tuk."
No one responded.
Lu Xihan patiently knocked on the door a few more times.
After a long while, someone inside the house finally spoke up and asked, "Who is it?"
The voice was filled with barely contained panic and unease.
“Disciples of Xuanshan Sect, someone reported that there are demons causing trouble in this area, so we came to investigate. Brother, would it be convenient for us to come and ask them?” Lu Xihan replied in his standard manner.
The people inside seemed to hesitate for a moment before creaking open a crack in the door. Seeing that it was indeed the attire of a disciple of the immortal sect, they then opened the door properly.
Lu Xihan gave a polite smile, glancing through the door at the somewhat simple but very clean room, as well as at his older brother and the wife and daughters he was protecting behind him.
His wife was a typical rural woman, healthy but with a sallow complexion. His daughter was also well-fed, clearly used to going up mountains and down rivers in the wild. But now she had lost her previous vitality and looked listless.
Although their clothes were a bit old, they were very clean and they looked quite simple and honest.
However, those innocent eyes were curiously observing the three spotless strangers outside the door.
So there really are people in the world whose clothes never get a speck of dust or dirt on them.
The eldest brother was extremely excited at this moment: "Immortals! Immortals, you've finally arrived!"
The elder brother, in his haste, pulled his wife and daughter over and said, "Quickly, greet the immortal!"
The woman awkwardly performed some rather inaccurate worldly etiquette and uttered "Immortal," while the little girl remained silent, staring at them intently.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere outside, Lu Xihan still politely asked, "Let's skip the formalities. Would it be convenient for us to go inside and discuss what happened in Huangshui Village?"
"Yes, yes! Please come in and speak! It's just that my home is simple, I hope the immortal won't find it offensive."
"It doesn't matter."
Lu Xihan gestured for the two people behind him to follow him inside.
The three had only been inside the house a short while when, despite the bright sunshine outside, they could clearly feel the changing weather. They even noticed sand being brought in from somewhere, gradually turning into a cloud of dust.
Before the three of them could even ask anything, they were startled by what they saw outside through the crack in the window.
It was as if they had waited for them to come in before launching their attack.
The little Nightshade couldn't have made such a commotion. Could it be that Xiao Yiyi's jinx was right and it was a succubus?
The three exchanged glances a few more times, and then made up their minds.
"Ugh……"
The eldest brother, however, seemed unfazed by this, sighed deeply, and began to recount his story.
Two months ago, Huangshui Village was not like this.
On the fourth day of the fourth lunar month, Granny Liu from Huangshui Village found a five- or six-year-old girl who had been lost while washing clothes by the stream in the morning. The girl looked unfamiliar and didn't seem to be a local. Moreover, the girl looked very much like a young lady from a wealthy family.
The little girl hadn't spoken since being found by Granny Liu. Granny Liu had no idea what to do, so she took her to the village chief, hoping he could ask around and see if she might be lost from a family in the next town.
But the little girl didn't speak and refused to leave Granny Liu's side. Granny Liu didn't know if she really couldn't speak or what, so she had no choice but to take her to the next town to ask.
After asking around but no one came to claim the girl, Granny Liu had no choice but to take the girl to stay at her place for the night, thinking she would ask the government office or something the next day.
The next day, Granny Liu was found dead in her home, the cause of death unknown, and the little girl also disappeared without a trace.
The villagers said that Granny Liu was really pitiful, and that she must have picked up something unclean.
The story circulated for almost a month without any follow-up, and everyone thought it would just fade away. Then, people started dying inexplicably in the village, all in the middle of the night, and they were all young men.
Rumors started circulating again in the village that a female ghost had come to claim lives, and people were reminded of the little girl from before...
I heard that people are starting to die in the neighboring town too. The dust storms in Huangshui Village are getting worse every day, and they come without warning and end without warning each time.
Some villagers have already reported to the deities, but no one knows when they will arrive. After all, their village is insignificant, and the villagers are currently staying at home to avoid disaster, waiting for the deities to come.
After hearing the story, Lu Xihan and the other two remained silent for a long time.
Yu Yunyang pondered for a long time before finally speaking, "It seems a succubus is a good choice."
"But can a succubus turn into a child?"
Xiao Yiyi had doubts.
Lu Xihan could not deny it. Whether it was a succubus was debatable, but it was definitely not that little girl. Her purpose this time was to target the little girl.
The little girl is actually the essence of a thousand-year-old jade spirit, which has been deposited in the river for many years. It can absorb sacred energy and transform it into spiritual energy, recognize all treasures and distinguish between good and bad, just like a treasure-hunting rat.
In this part of the book, the female protagonist did indeed only encounter an ordinary Night Demon, and she easily gained the favor of the Jade Spirit and was brought back to the sect.
To others, the Suiyu Essence might just be an inexhaustible fortune, but to Lu Xihan, it was a turning point that concerned half of her life, and she had to obtain it.
It's easy for the female lead, but Lu Xihan, the "vicious female supporting character," has long been prepared to shed a layer of skin. Transforming from a night-ghost into a succubus is just the minimum cost that Lu Xihan has estimated.
"Immortal, what's the current situation? Could it be that a female ghost has really come to claim my life?"
Lu Xihan didn't answer him, but asked instead, "Big brother, can we stay here for the night?"
"Of course! Why not? Please, immortal, stay here!"
The family of three was naturally very happy to welcome it, as they were sure to be much safer with the protection of a deity.
……
Since it gained sentience, the Suiyu spirit has been watching the people on the river, generation after generation, separated by a shallow stream.
It watched Liu Laoma grow from youth to old age, and then to her twilight years. Sometimes she would come here to cry, sometimes she would come here to talk to herself, but most of the time she would cry. Her life went from being a widow in life to being a widow in death, until she became Liu Laoma.
The jade spirit didn't understand, but it thought that when it transformed and went ashore to become one of those people who could walk, it would bring more treasures to Granny Liu so that Granny Liu wouldn't always cry.
But the jade spirit didn't understand. Her very existence was a crime against her. She looked at what she had attracted, and then at the girl who was still so beautiful in her memory but always in tears, and her gaze swept over her heart...
At that moment, she understood. She understood.
Sui Yu understood; she was a menace!
She hid in fear, but the thing threatened to kill more people to force her to show herself. She tried to drive people away, but they only hid in those flimsy houses and didn't leave!
She also hid in her "room" and didn't leave; she really, really resembled them.
……
The moonlit night was lonely, but the crickets chirped merrily.
"Boom!"
A pebble was thrown into the stream, creating a small splash.
The crickets around seemed startled by the sudden sound and stopped chirping.
"Hey kid, don't soak in the water so late at night. The water's cold, you'll catch a cold."
The sound wasn't loud, but it was clear enough; the tone wasn't very good, like a clumsy disguise.
Sui Yu poked her head out of the water, somewhat angrily. She still hadn't figured out this "thing" that was making her feel so upset, and she didn't want to talk to any humans.
Wait, didn't she turn back into her original form? How could this human tell?
"Come on, anyone would take a second look at a stone that can get angry."
The man seemed to have read her mind.
Sui Yu was still puzzled.
After watching the show all day, Liu Xingxing said that the source of the flying sand was easy to find out.
She really wanted to catch that thing that only dared to hide in the shadows and cause trouble on the spot and give it to Lu Xihan to gain experience, but Liu Xingxing still didn't want to ruin their training experience.
People have to be involved, right? Besides, Liu Xingxing's original purpose was just to wait for the Demon Lord, but she didn't expect to get such a big surprise.
Oh, isn't this the lovable treasure-hunting cheat code Sui Yu, loved by everyone from all dynasties, young and old, male and female protagonists alike? I heard he can even purify the air and turn waste into treasure.
Sui Yu emerged halfway from the water, her illusory head barely visible, and asked in an unusually calm tone, "Are you here to steal mine too?"
"No."
Liu Xingxing answered so quickly that Sui Yu thought she had misheard.
"what?"
"I mean, I want to introduce you to an older sister. She will treat you very well, she will answer all your questions, and she will even help you..." become an immortal or a god.
I almost let it slip.
"do you want?"
Aunt Liu Xingxing is online abducting little kids.