Chapter 316: Little Shrimp

Feng Xue thoroughly inspected the entire house, confirmed there were no strange spells left behind, then 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.

“‘Hunting Demons’? Not ‘Guarding the Year’?” Feng Xue sensed the tone was odd; knowing himself a novice, he didn’t assume it was an accent or mishearing, but pressed further.

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

“Due to complex reasons, the port city has accumulated many malevolent spirits, so there’s a dedicated activity to hunt them. Normally, these outbreaks begin on the twenty-ninth day of the lunar year, 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 is a good opportunity.”

“Sounds interesting. Is there a specific procedure? Who’s organizing it? How are the zones divided? Can’t just have everyone rush around chaotically?”

Feng Xue thought of the earlier Shitan girl and decided a little reputation wouldn’t hurt, so he pressed further. The broker, sensing Feng Xue’s interest, immediately replied:

“The mayor funds it, and the Chenghuangmiao organizes it. To join, go to the Chenghuangmiao’s Merit Pool and claim a Spirit Disc—it records your contribution, guaranteed by the Underworld, so no backdoors. Besides money, you can exchange it for other benefits, like acquiring rare resources hard to obtain privately, or directly convert it into Merit Points, which you can give to Underworld elders or store 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 curious about malevolent spirits.

When he was still a novice, impure wishes and malevolent spirits meant nothing to him. But now, he’d made progress in studying wish-force, 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 Hutian Sack 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 Chenghuangmiao wasn’t hard to find; even without a map or prior inquiry, the flow of wish-force alone allowed Xiao Lingdang to pinpoint the general direction. Besides, as dusk deepened, many were already heading toward the temple for the already-opened fair.

As he left Jilongzhai, firecrackers began to crackle; the entire port city 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 swatting away wandering hands, 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 momentarily considered visiting more stalls to see what else he might find.

But when he looked up and saw the vendor’s lifespan, that curiosity instantly cooled; he picked up his 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 Xiao Lingdang disagreed:

“Not at all. Proportionally, it’s even less than the superhuman density in He Zujie. You just happened to encounter them because you’re 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. Also, it seems subjective, unlike in He Zujie, where it’s easier to manipulate.”

Xiao Lingdang paused before answering; Feng Xue fell silent.

“He Zujie is the exception, not the rule. Normal 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, halted his step—but didn’t look around. Instead, he kept walking 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 ghostly 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 ghostly energy. It’s purer—like moonlight, but without the moon’s presence... It’s definitely a demon.”

“But I didn’t see any abnormal lifespans! 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 more years of yang lifespan, right?”

Feng Xue adjusted his “Observing Heavenly Lifespan” range from “human” to “animal,” yet still saw no individual with lifespan beyond normal. Oh—he spotted one, but only two hundred years of yang lifespan; 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 missed it, yet Liu Yunxi sensed it, it was clearly something passing by unnoticed. Even so, if he couldn’t detect it, lingering was pointless.

(End of Chapter)