Chapter 291: Little Shrimp

After thoroughly inspecting the house to confirm no strange spells had been left behind, Feng Xue nodded and instructed the broker to buy him some grain and vegetables.

The broker, accustomed to wealthy clients too lazy to shop for themselves, immediately agreed, settled the payment, and returned Feng Xue several ingots of gold—this gave Feng Xue a clear sense of the value of the dozens of pounds of 3D-printed jade in his bag.

"By the way, guest, will you be joining the 'Hunting Demons' tonight?"

Just as the broker reached the door, he suddenly remembered something and asked.

"'Shou Sui'? Not 'Shou Sui'?" Feng Xue felt the tone was odd; knowing he was a novice, he didn't assume it was an accent or mishearing—he pressed for clarification.

Hearing this, the broker realized Feng Xue didn't understand and quickly explained:

"Due to complex reasons, the capital has accumulated many malevolent spirits, so there's a dedicated activity to hunt them. In past years, it usually began on the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth month, but this year, for some reason, they haven't appeared yet. Some cultivators say the spirits may be influenced by the legend of the Nian Beast and will surge en masse tonight. All notable cultivators in the city have been notified. If you wish to make a name for yourself here, this event would be a good choice."

"Sounds interesting. Is there a specific procedure? Who's organizing it? How are the zones divided? Can't just have everyone rush in chaotically?"

Thinking of the earlier girl he'd been testing, Feng Xue felt gaining even a little reputation might be beneficial, so he pressed further. The broker understood Feng Xue had intentions and replied immediately:

"The mayor funds it, and the Chenghuangmiao organizes it. To join, go to the Temple's Merit Pool and claim a Spirit Disc—it records your contribution. With the Underworld's guarantee, there's no risk of backdoors on the disc. Besides money, you can exchange it for other benefits, like acquiring rare resources hard to obtain privately, or directly convert it into Yin Virtue, giving it to Underworld elders or storing it for future use in the afterlife."

"..." Feng Xue found each detail more absurd, yet oddly plausible; in the end, he could only sigh inwardly—he still hadn't adjusted to a world where ancestors truly existed below.

Ah, no—he had no ancestors below him.

Feng Xue mentally grumbled but decided to join anyway: first, he truly needed some reputation; second, he was quite curious about malevolent spirits.

Back when he was a rookie, impure wishes and malevolent spirits meant nothing to him. But now, he'd made progress in studying wish-energy, and had even used the "Demon-Slaying Art" to weaponize the entire Neon's impure wishes. He thought collecting some impure wishes might aid his research.

With that thought, he didn't linger at home—just reattached the Yin Bag of the Pot-Bag to the villa's storage room, swapped his lightweight exoskeleton for a longer robe fitting the era, then tied his belt and stepped out the door.

The Chenghuangmiao wasn't hard to find—even without a map or prior inquiries, the flow of wish-energy alone allowed Little Xiao Lingdang to confirm the general direction, let alone now that night was falling and many were already heading to the temple for the already-opened fair.

As he left Chicken Coop Village, firecrackers began to crackle; the entire capital now radiated a heavy festive atmosphere—even Yangrenjie, where foreigners lived, was lit with lanterns and decorations, and the mayor's residence blazed with light.

The city's prosperity could be measured entirely by brightness—except for one place: the Chenghuangmiao.

Feng Xue followed the crowd, occasionally giving mischievous hands a lesson, and squeezed through the throng until he reached the fair.

All kinds of cheap snacks were everywhere; acrobats and performers drew gasps and cheers. Feng Xue bought a few pastries on a whim—surprisingly, the street offered not just Chinese treats like osmanthus cake and pear syrup candy, but also Western pastries like butterfly cookies. He briefly entertained the idea of visiting more stalls to see what other novelties he might find.

But when he looked up and saw the shopkeeper's lifespan above his head, that surprise instantly cooled; he grabbed his purchased pastries, ate them as he walked toward the Merit Pool.

"Is the cultivator density in this place too high?"

Feng Xue muttered to himself, but Little Xiao Lingdang disagreed:

"Not at all. Proportionally, it's even less than the superhuman density in He Zujie. You just happened to be heading to the Merit Pool."

Feng Xue didn't care—he nodded casually and asked: "More importantly, can you sense malevolent spirits? Or impure wishes?"

"I sense some kind of flow underground, but the barrier is strong—I can't detect specifics. And it seems subjective, unlike in He Zujie, where it's easier to manipulate."

Little Xiao Lingdang paused before answering. Feng Xue fell silent.

"He Zujie is the exception, not the rule. Normal sedimented impure wishes are hard to manipulate—that's why they're called impure wishes."

As Feng Xue spoke, he suddenly felt a tremor in his fingertip. He frowned slightly, stopped walking—but didn't look around. Instead, he kept moving while activating the over-the-shoulder view, sweeping his surroundings from above.

"Nothing unusual?" Feng Xue muttered, then quietly activated Mo Ying's communication mode. Liu Yunxi's voice echoed in his mind:

"I sense heavy yin energy nearby."

"Yin energy? Not ghost energy?" Feng Xue narrowed his eyes. The term "yin energy" was too abstract—broadly speaking, all cultivators here cultivated yin spirits, and their qi naturally leaned toward yin.

Liu Yunxi fell silent briefly, then continued:

"Not ghost energy. It's purer—like moonlight, but without the moon's presence... It's definitely a demon."

"But I didn't see any being with abnormal lifespan! If it's a demon, even if it's not like that 'girl' who lived thousands of years, it should still have a thousand or eight hundred years of yang life, right?"

Feng Xue adjusted the scope of "Heavenly Lifespan View" from "human" to "animal," yet still saw no individual with lifespan beyond normal. Oh—he spotted one, but only two hundred years of yang life. Probably just a cultivator.

Though curious about the yin-energy demon, Feng Xue saw cultivators appearing frequently in his view and decided to head to the Merit Pool first. After all, if so many cultivators hadn't noticed it, yet Liu Yunxi could sense it, it was clearly a brush-by level. Even so, if he couldn't find it, lingering was pointless.

(End of Chapter)