Chapter 34: A Frenzied Dance of Demons, Part 27

As Shi Xianyu and Lin Yuan stepped out of the room, they caught sight of Xu Xiangyun’s furious silhouette receding down the corridor. Shi Xianyu couldn’t help but worry, “Brother Shen, will speaking to Miss Xu that way offend the Xu family?”

“It’s of no consequence,” Shen Xiao replied, unconcerned. He turned to the pair and said, “After breakfast, let’s first visit the place where Lin Yuan was trapped yesterday and search for clues.”

Shi Xianyu nodded. “Alright.”

...

Qingshan City was built along the mountains; to reach the spot where Lin Yuan had been trapped, they needed to cross a mountain ridge. Determined not to fall behind, Shi Xianyu rode a goat, and the three of them walked along the uneven stone steps, attracting considerable attention.

An elderly woman stood by the roadside, holding her grandson. Seeing them from afar, she reverently stepped aside, kneeling, and urged her grandson to bow his head in respect.

“Grandma, I saw the Wandering Taoist!”

“Hush… Lower your voice. Quickly bow to the Taoists. They’ll bless you in the future.”

Shen Xiao gently patted the child’s head, offering no explanation, and they passed by the old woman and her grandson.

Soon they walked past a porridge shop, drawing even more onlookers. Those nearer knelt directly; those further away clasped their hands and murmured prayers.

Shi Xianyu watched the crowd in curiosity, hearing someone in the throng whisper, “Look, it’s the Wandering Taoist! … Has the Wandering Taoist come because he knows there are monsters here, and brought friends to help?”

When she had gone out shopping with Xu Qingfeng before, the people hadn’t behaved this way. Now, the treatment was markedly different; it was clear the townsfolk mistook Lin Yuan, cloaked in black robes, for the famed Wandering Taoist.

She glanced silently at the two men ahead.

Yet Shen Xiao and Lin Yuan seemed indifferent to the misunderstanding. It made sense; they hunted monsters not for fame or fortune. If the credit went to the Wandering Taoist, so be it. If assuming another’s identity could bring peace to the townsfolk, what harm was there in pretending just this once?

With that thought, Shi Xianyu let go of her concerns.

Once they left the city, the signs of human habitation faded, and the mountain path grew ever more rugged and treacherous.

Pushing through dense forest, Lin Yuan led them to the place where he’d been trapped, his expression tinged with apprehension.

---

The spot appeared utterly ordinary, much like any other patch of thick woods. Shen Xiao paced slowly around, scrutinizing the surroundings with keen caution. After a long inspection, he finally spoke, “There’s residual demon energy here. It seems this is a place of illusion.”

“Illusion?” Shi Xianyu asked hesitantly. “Does that mean it creates hallucinations?”

Shen Xiao nodded slightly, his gaze grave as he surveyed every tree nearby. “Those caught in an illusion are easily deceived in their senses. Fortunately, the formation here is a basic, low-level one, so it only muddled Lin Yuan’s vision and posed little danger.”

“Since it’s a low-level formation, can we deduce that the demon who set it isn’t very powerful?” Shi Xianyu pressed.

“Not necessarily,” Shen Xiao replied in a low voice. “Take me, for example—I specialize in fire arts, but if my goal is merely to light a candle, a tiny flame suffices. If the demon’s aim was simply to trap Lin Yuan, there was no need for a grand illusion.”

“There are larger formations?” Shi Xianyu felt uneasy. “It sounds like this demon will be hard to defeat…”

“If this fox demon is adept at formations, it will indeed be troublesome,” Shen Xiao said, frowning. “Cultivators each have their strengths—some in alchemy, some in talismans, some in arrays. Among them, mastery of formations is the most enigmatic and unpredictable. Those capable of setting grand formations are exceedingly rare.”

He paused, murmuring in confusion, “If that fox demon’s cultivation has truly reached this level, why confine itself to a remote town, swaggering about? An eagle soars the skies, a dragon roams the seas—such simple truths, why does it not understand?”

Yet, no matter their doubts, they found no clues.

Or perhaps, the clues lay before them, yet they were unable to piece them together: the suspicious Lady Xu, the peculiar Shopkeeper Wu, the eager-to-marry girls, the puppet with a hundred eyes… The mysteries of Qingshan City were too many, leaving Shen Xiao at a loss.

Upon returning to the Xu residence, Shen Xiao’s mood was noticeably somber.

He paced the courtyard restlessly, pausing often to ponder, only to shake his head, as if denying his own thoughts, before resuming his pacing.

Shi Xianyu sat on the threshold, watching Shen Xiao, and sighed deeply.

“We have no clues, so now we’re at a disadvantage. Brother Shen must be anxious about this,” she said to Lin Yuan by her side. “Apart from waiting for the fox demon to come for the wedding, there’s nothing we can do.”

Lin Yuan’s face showed his worry, though he could think of no solution.

“How about this,” Shi Xianyu proposed, “after the fox demon delivers the wedding gown, it usually sends the bridal sedan within a few days. I could take Miss Xu’s place and marry instead.”

Lin Yuan stared at her, confused. “You… want to marry the fox demon?”

---

“It’s just pretend,” Shi Xianyu replied. “I’ll just act the part. Since the fox demon is making a spectacle of the wedding, it surely won’t devour me immediately after the ceremony, right? You could prepare weapons for me ahead of time. As long as I get close, I’ll have a chance to strike! Besides, aren’t you two here? You’ll come to rescue me, won’t you?”

Her words reached Shen Xiao, who pondered, murmuring, “It is indeed a solution, though… it’s risky.”

Lin Yuan, too, was uneasy, and looked at her seriously. “You’re not afraid?”

“Not really…” Shi Xianyu smiled, embarrassed. “I’m not sure why. If it were that monster with the eyes from last time, I’d be terrified. But a fox demon… it doesn’t seem so bad.”

She suspected it was the influence of modern films and dramas.

Shen Xiao regarded her with care. “I can hurry and craft a high-level fire talisman. Once it’s placed on the fox demon, it’ll be burned to ashes. But, Little Fish, are you sure? Even if Lin Yuan and I protect you from the shadows, the risks are enormous.”

Shi Xianyu nodded. “I’m sure. Don’t worry—if real danger arises, I have something to protect myself.”

She still had the pearl left by her little attendant spirit. The spirit had said, if she ever wished to return, she need only crush the pearl and he would come fetch her.

Shen Xiao watched her for a moment.

Shi Xianyu’s figure was indeed quite similar to Xu Xiangyun’s. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been mistaken for Xu Qingfeng when she changed clothes before.

After much thought, Shen Xiao finally made his decision. “In that case, I’ll go discuss it with Master Xu and Lady Xu. To impersonate Miss Xu, we must prepare the wedding gown before night falls.”

“Alright.” Shi Xianyu nodded calmly, as if storms were common to her.

...