Tao Yao Yao and the others were also troubled by this, and could only say: "We know the general direction, so we plan to head that way and try."
"Is your information about the demons accurate?" Yan Nan Shan frowned. "If demons are indeed appearing, this is no small matter!"
"It can be basically confirmed. We found residual demonic energy on those mummified corpses," Jiao Long answered first.
Yan Nan Shan closed his eyes and pondered for a moment before taking out a circular jade pendant. "As far as I know, the teachers at the Tong Ling Academy have a communication tool that can contact the Great Immortals of the Star Continent. How about this: take this jade pendant to Fire Spirit City and find a great demon named Yan Jiu Xing. Have him find a way to get you into the Tong Ling Academy. I will write a letter in advance to accompany you, as payment for escorting my son to Fire Spirit City. Does this sound feasible?"
Upon hearing this, Jiao Long and Bai Qiu Shui (Xiao Wen Qiang) both looked at Tao Yao Yao. After exchanging glances, Tao Yao Yao stepped forward and agreed.
Tao Yao Yao chose to agree to Yan Nan Shan for three reasons: First, Yan Nan Shan had pointed them towards a clear path to contact the Immortals. Second, she saw that this great demon was kind-hearted and truly protecting the local populace. Third, Yan Qing Huai looked thin and small, appearing quite weak, and she understood that Yan Nan Shan would be worried about him traveling alone.
Since they were going to Fire Spirit City anyway, why not escort Yan Qing Huai? It could be considered a good deed.
Thus, after bidding farewell to Yan Nan Shan, a swallow demon was added to their traveling party, and the four demons set off grandly.
"By the way, your name is Yan Qing Huai, right?" Tao Yao Yao asked curiously on the road. "Your father never mentioned anything about your mother before. Where is your mother?"
Yan Qing Huai, who had been silent until now, lowered his head, his eyes turning red. "My mother has already passed away."
"Oh, I'm so... so sorry..." Tao Yao Yao felt awkward and reached out to pat Yan Qing Huai's head to comfort him.
Unexpectedly, Yan Qing Huai dodged her touch, moving with a speed that surprised everyone.
Tao Yao Yao's hand hung in mid-air. She looked at him in confusion, then awkwardly retracted her hand.
Jiao Long, who had been observing Tao Yao Yao, was about to speak up for her when Yan Qing Huai apologized first. "I'm sorry. My mother sent me to my father's side and we encountered many dangers along the way, so I'm very afraid of sudden contact. It makes me feel like I'm being ambushed."
Yan Qing Huai said that his mother and father were once deeply in love. However, shortly after he was born, they had a huge argument due to differing ideologies. In anger, his mother secretly took him away from his father, Yan Nan Shan.
His father had searched for them for a while but couldn't find them. He then returned to their home at "Yan Zi Ling," thinking that with their home and restaurant there, his wife and child would eventually return.
He waited for over a thousand years. Yan Qing Huai's mother had encountered issues with her cultivation, so she decided to bring him back to find his father.
They faced many dangers on their journey. Yan Qing Huai's own demonic power was insufficient, and his mother already had hidden injuries from her cultivation problems. Thus, it was a difficult journey for her to bring him back to "Yan Zi Ling."
They had only been back for two days when his mother couldn't hold on any longer and passed away.
Yan Qing Huai secretly wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and said with a determined little face, "My mother is gone. My father is my only family. And he treats me very well. Now he is wholeheartedly trying to save the people of Yan Zi Ling. So I must study hard at the Tong Ling Academy and come back to help my father bring rain to this place."
"You are also a wonderful child!" Tao Yao Yao praised. "And actually, you are very fast. That is also your strength."
Yan Qing Huai awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "It's because I'm from the Swallow Demon tribe. Our flight speed and evasion speed are a bit faster. Otherwise, we wouldn't survive."
"You mean this is your instinct!" Jiao Long pointed to Bai Qiu Shui (Xiao Wen Qiang) beside him. "Generally, when we animals become spirits, we retain some of our instincts. But apart from loving carrots, I haven't seen any other instincts in this rabbit. Aren't rabbits supposed to be fast runners? Why are you so lazy?"
Bai Qiu Shui (Xiao Wen Qiang) was still a bit bewildered as to how the topic had turned to her.
"Oh, Brother Jiao~ How can you talk about our Qiu Shui like that! Qiu Shui still retains the instinct for cuteness!" Tao Yao Yao said with a smile, helping her out. She couldn't resist pinching her cheek.
"Yes, yes, cuteness is also a skill! And I've been working hard on my cultivation recently, so my speed will catch up soon." Bai Qiu Shui (Xiao Wen Qiang) lifted her little arm. Xiao Wen Qiang was telling the truth, but whether they believed her was up to them.
Thus, the four demons chatted and laughed. Twenty days later, they arrived at "Ba Ling Bay." They were a bit tired from the continuous travel and decided to stop and rest.
"Ba Ling Bay" was a small village. Unlike "Yan Zi Ling," it did not have restaurants open to the public; all the houses were for human residents.
It was still early, and the sun had not fully set. Normally, there should have been quite a few people outdoors. But strangely, every house had its doors and windows tightly shut. It was clearly felt that there were living people inside, yet no one was outside.
"Knock, knock, knock, is anyone home? We are travelers passing by. May we rest at your home for a while and ask for a bowl of tea?" After knocking for a long time with no response, Bai Qiu Shui (Xiao Wen Qiang) rejoined the other three demons.
"I'm sure there are people inside, but they won't speak or open the door," Tao Yao Yao said with a distressed expression.
"It's even worse at my place. I stood at the door for a while, and I could still hear them talking inside! The moment I knocked, all the sounds stopped," Jiao Long said with some annoyance. "We're not exactly terrifying, are we?"
"The house I knocked on was the same, and I was very quiet!" Yan Qing Huai said with some grievance.
"Is there something wrong with this place? My house also wouldn't open," Bai Qiu Shui (Xiao Wen Qiang) said, blinking her large, dark eyes that occasionally flashed with red light.
"It's possible! It feels like they're all afraid to open their doors," Tao Yao Yao said, looking around but finding nothing out of the ordinary.
"Can you smell a faint, intermittent fishy odor here?" Bai Qiu Shui (Xiao Wen Qiang) asked, sniffing with her little nose.
"That's normal. This village is by the sea, so it should be the smell of seafood," Jiao Long said with an air of worldly wisdom.
"What do we do now? It's getting dark, and we can't find a place to stay. Should we just find an open space and sit on the ground?" Yan Qing Huai suggested.
"Where we sit doesn't matter much to us demons. It's just that the situation here is really strange. Maybe we should wait and see!" Tao Yao Yao was quite curious.
Jiao Long naturally followed Tao Yao Yao's lead. So, the four demons found a nearby house and sat down at their doorstep, waiting.
Time ticked by. The last rays of sunlight disappeared below the horizon, and countless stars began to twinkle in the night sky.
The houses, which had been quiet all along, began to emit faint sounds of conversation...