Seeing his disappointed look, Yan Jiaojiao walked over and patted the puppy's head, "All the food is sold out today. I'll prepare more for you tomorrow morning. You should rest here and don't run around. I'll be back in three to five days."
Yan Jiaojiao didn't intend to tell a beast what had just happened. She just urged him to be good and mentioned that Wei Congling, who shared her room, would help take care of him.
Dongfang Cangwu didn't care where Yan Jiaojiao was going. He thought that if she left, she could leave. He had eaten quite a bit these past few days, and his appetite was satisfied. He would have another meal tomorrow morning, and then he would leave this place to find the traitor who had injured him again for revenge!
Thus, the two, each with their own thoughts, spent another night before the storm.
The next day, as dawn broke, Yan Jiaojiao got up early. She rushed to the mess hall as soon as it opened to buy a large amount of food. After arranging everything for the little black dog and bidding farewell to Wei Congling, Yan Jiaojiao went to the courtyard gate to wait.
She hadn't stood there for long when she saw Sheng Mobai and Jiang Yiling walking side by side from the small woods to the south.
Gonan Academy held an assessment every two years. After passing, one could be promoted to a higher rank. After two promotions, various benefits would increase, such as being able to choose an independent small house in that small woods. Sheng Mobai and Jiang Yiling had naturally been promoted to the second rank long ago, which was why they were coming from that direction.
Yan Jiaojiao was focused on the Mingzhu Pill. Seeing them approach, she immediately went to meet them, even calling out politely for the first time, "Senior Brother, I'm ready. Let's depart now."
Jiang Yiling glanced at Sheng Mobai and couldn't help but gossip, "Didn't I hear you two are engaged?"
Yan Jiaojiao's face immediately darkened. She glared at Sheng Mobai, who was about to grin, and then said seriously, "That's not true. He's just talking nonsense."
"How is it nonsense? We are..."
"I am no longer the legitimate daughter of the Yan family. If you are determined, then you should be with Yan Ruxue!" Yan Jiaojiao became increasingly impatient. She turned and walked ahead, feeling resentful. She had already explained this to him when she left Kunyang City. It was meaningless to pester her about it again.
Sheng Mobai saw that she was truly unhappy and immediately shut up. He winked at Jiang Yiling, signaling him not to mention it again, lest he displease Yan Jiaojiao and suffer the consequences himself.
Jiang Yiling understood and smiled, thinking it was just a lover's spat between two young people. It was enough for outsiders to know, so he didn't say any more. He walked out with Sheng Mobai.
The place where the mission to capture the Night Demon was posted was a small village tens of miles outside Gonan City.
This place used to be very poor. In the past ten years, it had become prosperous by raising silkworms and weaving cloth. It had always been peaceful and worry-free. However, these past few days, something strange had happened. It was said that people were dying every few days. Most of the deceased were young girls in their teens. They were all killed at night, their faces terrifying, their deaths gruesome. They were also entangled with black silk threads, which was truly unbearable to look at.
Yan Jiaojiao nodded upon hearing this introduction from Sheng Mobai on his flying sword, "This is indeed the work of a Night Demon, which feeds on fear."
Jiang Yiling, flying his sword nearby, couldn't help but look at Yan Jiaojiao with a slight surprise in his eyes, "Junior Sister Yan actually knows the characteristics of a Night Demon."
"I've read some books these past few months and learned about it," Yan Jiaojiao dared not say it was from her past life's experience, so she made up a casual excuse.
Sheng Mobai couldn't help but stroke his chin, "I inquired long ago and heard that you've been spending all your time in the Lianyun Hall reading books these past few months. I was worried that your aptitude was too poor to keep up with the progress of learning cultivation techniques. I didn't expect you to be reading leisure books."
Yan Jiaojiao, behind him, raised her hand and hit his back, "Who are you calling poor aptitude!"
Sheng Mobai, having been hit, swayed. The huge sword beneath his feet also wobbled. He quickly said, "No, no, no, I was wrong. It's no joke to fall off at this time. Can't I just stop talking nonsense?"
Yan Jiaojiao then gave him a sidelong glance and stopped bothering with him. Sheng Mobai just chuckled foolishly and didn't dare to be sarcastic anymore.
With them flying their swords, the journey of more than ten miles took less than half an hour.
As the three landed at the entrance of the village, villagers excitedly swarmed them, "The immortals are here, the immortals are here to save us!"
"Everyone, calm down. We are just ordinary cultivators, still some distance away from being immortals," Sheng Mobai said humbly, but his face was very smug, which made Yan Jiaojiao want to hit him again.
However, the villagers didn't care about these distinctions. As long as they could help them capture the Night Demon, they were their great immortals!
Thus, more and more villagers heard the commotion and gathered around, pouring out their grievances about how tragic their village had become since the appearance of the Night Demon, and how they lived in constant fear and unrest.
Even those whose daughters had died were filled with anger and tears, and the scene became chaotic.
Even Sheng Mobai, who had been smug at first, became serious. It would indeed be heartless to smile in the face of others' suffering.
Just then, a majestic female voice sounded from outside the crowd, "Why aren't you all moving aside? Don't you want the immortal masters to eliminate the demons?"
With just this one sentence, the noisy voices quieted down. The villagers no longer dared to step forward to pour out their grievances.
Yan Jiaojiao looked in the direction of the voice and saw a woman in a black, luxurious dress walking over.
The woman was in her thirties, with some traces of age on her face. Although she exuded nobility, she was not beautiful. She possessed a powerful aura that warned others to keep their distance, clearly indicating she was in a high position.
Indeed, an old man next to her introduced, "Immortal masters, this is Madam Hua, our village chief."
It turned out to be a female village chief.
This era was still male-dominated. Few women held important positions at any level, especially in such backward and stubborn villages where women had no say. For Madam Hua to hold the position of village chief in a merchant village, she must be no ordinary person.
Yan Jiaojiao couldn't help but look at Madam Hua again. Unexpectedly, Madam Hua immediately looked at her sensitively. Her gaze was indifferent but contained a hidden pressure. An ordinary person would definitely not dare to meet her gaze. Seeing that Yan Jiaojiao did not flinch, Madam Hua's eyes showed a hint of unreadable caution. Only then did she look back at Sheng Mobai and Jiang Yiling, "Three immortal masters, if you don't mind, please rest at my home for a moment before discussing the matter of the Night Demon."
Madam Hua politely invited them, and the three had no reason to refuse. Jiang Yiling bowed and thanked her, and they followed Madam Hua into the village.
Madam Hua's home was in the center of the village. A rustic mansion with three courtyards and three entrances was clearly the standard for a wealthy family.
However, the black aura above this mansion was also the densest in the village!