Chapter 9: 009 Hometown, I

Wang Wu's three neighbors are all very kind to him; they can be said to be extremely kind.

And because Wang Wu was a human back in his hometown, he is also quite different from ordinary male demons.

Mainly he has many tricks; although in his previous life he was a virgin magician, lacking hands‑on experience does not mean he hasn't watched demonstration videos. With the abundant stamina of this life, even some ultra‑high‑difficulty moves come easily, and the direct experience is maximized.

Then, supplemented by various extra favor‑boosting incidents stemming from his past‑life human habits during everyday interactions, the favor cannot be said to be insufficient.

Moreover, Wang Wu's neighbors have been holding it in for far too long; now that a public demon finally appears, they cannot possibly endure it.

Shu Niang is actually okay; after all, she hasn't been in human form for long, but Zhu San Niang and Wu Er Niang have truly been holding it in for a very, very long time.

Zhu San Niang has been holding it in for at least fifty years; since she arrived here she hasn't opened a meat dish, and Wu Er Niang's duration is even more unknown.

To be honest, although this world has nothing, he even turned from a human in his previous life into a demon. But truly speaking…

Um, his days over the past few months have actually been quite comfortable.

Quite comfortable, one could say.

Food and drink are not a worry; though the food is unpalatable, there is at least something to eat. Entertainment is monotonous, but as long as one is willing to study and develop, there will inevitably be new ways to have fun.

Wang Wu and his three fellow demons live in an extremely remote part of Wang Gu Lin; ordinary people could never find it, and it is unlikely anyone would stumble upon it alive.

The big pit used for discarding corpses lies deep within Wang Gu Lin; once entered, it would take several days of wandering to locate.

Wang Gu Lin is filled with dangers, and for demons, these are not the dangers most people who enter would encounter.

It is the wandering souls, malicious ghosts, stealthy ghosts, and cursed corpses that they usually encounter.

Winding through Wang Gu Lin, he has become very familiar with the place; whether there is business or not, he often runs to the forest edge, climbs a tree, and watches the Guan Dao outside for passing people.

Outside Wang Gu Lin there is a very wide Guan Dao, not far from the forest; after exiting the woods, walking seven or eight hundred meters reaches it. One side of the Guan Dao borders Wang Gu Lin, the other side is a barren plain.

Two or three villages sit on that barren plain, adjacent to Wang Gu Lin. From the tree one can see the vast wheat fields beyond the villages and two or three watchtowers standing at the edge of the fields.

That is the human settlement, but Wang Wu does not intend to go there. Villages generally do not sell goods, and the nearest village has someone who knows him.

Although several months have passed, Wang Wu still feels a bit uneasy.

So he heads to He Dong Xian, the place the two people killed by Zhu San Niang mentioned.

The sun lies directly over the plain opposite Wang Gu Lin, and He Dong Xian should be to the left after leaving Wang Gu Lin. Wang Wu is not quite sure, but he can walk farther to another village to ask for directions.

At 1:30 p. m., Wang Wu left Wang Gu Lin and arrived at the Guan Dao he had often been spying on these past months.

Wang Wu's phone shows the time accurately. Yes, Wang Wu has a mobile phone that traveled with him to this place.

And this is his golden finger—a phone that has all the functions of a regular mobile phone and can connect to the internet. However, the network it connects to is not his hometown's, but a world he has never heard of.

His cultivation technique also came from that world.

Besides that, he can store the phone in a special space, allowing him to carry it everywhere even without wearing a single piece of clothing.

The moment he stepped onto the Guan Dao, Wang Wu felt a slight discomfort, but the feeling was faint. This clearly indicates that the Guan Dao possesses powers similar to the Monster-detecting Stone and the Demon-destroying Stone, capable of partially warding off evil.

The entire Guan Dao is paved with gray‑white unknown monoliths; one cannot see its beginning behind nor its end ahead. It shows that the world's imperial power is not weak.

Of course, this world might have no imperial court, being ruled by various sects as in the novels he read in his previous life.

Who knows, after all Wang Wu is just a demon living in a cave, never having encountered civilized society.

Wang Wu's pace is swift, far surpassing that of ordinary humans; in just about half an hour he had walked along the Guan Dao to the vicinity near the first village outside Wang Gu Lin.

The village is roughly seven or eight kilometers away, his estimate may not be accurate.

He can already see the village encircled by a wall made of massive round logs, leaving only a few gate entrances.

Behind the wall, each gate is flanked by two watchtowers, each staffed by local militia in short armor wielding crossbows.

"Dad, you said that when we're out, we should watch out for good‑looking people. Why is that?"

At this moment, about twenty to thirty meters ahead of Wang Wu, a human father‑daughter pair were walking. The father, slightly older, stood a little over 1.7 meters tall, and the girl speaking to her dad was a bit taller than him.

She was about as tall as Shu Niang, roughly 1.75 meters.

In ancient societies, a woman of that height would be considered very tall.

"Out here in the wilderness, if you suddenly see a man or woman who looks exceptionally beautiful, that might not be human…" the father said affectionately, patting his daughter's head.

"If you're in a city and meet such a person, it may simply be because they are good‑looking, or perhaps they are a cultivator from somewhere. But out in the wild, regardless, when you encounter someone strikingly beautiful, you must stay extra vigilant!"

"Those demons who have taken human form are all exceedingly beautiful—men like jade trees in the wind, women capable of toppling kingdoms."

"A handsome man or a beauty like that, even if you live in the county town you might not see one in ten years, but in this wilderness, if one suddenly appears, it must be a ghost!"

"Moreover, if he is especially close to you, that's even more supernatural!!" the man said gravely.

"I‑I see…? Then I'll definitely be careful! Absolutely careful!" The girl, apparently frightened by her father's serious expression, quickly nodded like a chick pecking at grain.

"Is that so?"

At that moment, a strange voice suddenly sounded behind the two.

In an instant, the man turned around, drew a long knife from his waist, and shielded his daughter behind him.

When he saw the figure behind them, the man's expression instantly turned extremely grim.

(End of Chapter)