Something's wrong with this demon.

Chapter 79 Vampire

Outside the teahouse.

A group of people from Xueyu Palace sat down around a table.

The innkeeper carried the teapot, poured tea for each guest one by one, and asked cautiously, "Would you like something to eat, gentlemen?"

They also have alcoholic beverages, including fruit wine and sorghum liquor.

A round-faced girl said, "Boss, I heard your steamed buns are delicious, give me two baskets."

Another girl said, "They're talking about the Anjia Inn up ahead."

The innkeeper quickly smiled and said, "The inn up ahead has steamed buns, and we have them too. They taste pretty much the same. We also have beef, pork, and all kinds of fruits and vegetables."

"Let's have two baskets of steamed buns first, we're not hungry yet."

Another slightly older young man spoke up.

"Alright, everyone, please wait a moment!"

The shopkeeper immediately went to the kitchen.

The round-faced girl asked, "This place is called Anjia Teahouse, and the inn in front is called Anjia Inn. Are they the same place?"

"I heard it's run by two brothers."

The older young man answered.

Then he added, "Opening a shop in this desolate wilderness, with all sorts of people coming and going, is not something a family of two can manage."

The middle-aged woman said sternly, "Rest for a while, drink your tea, and then leave."

"Senior Uncle, shall we go straight to that canyon ahead today?"

"Are you sure there are monsters there?"

"Hopefully there are monsters. This is our first time out here, we can't go back empty-handed."

39

The male and female disciples all started discussing it animatedly.

At this moment, the shopkeeper brought over two baskets of steaming hot buns and placed them on the table.

The middle-aged woman asked, "I heard that quite a few merchants have gone missing along this road recently? Do you know exactly where?"

The shopkeeper's expression changed. He glanced at the merchants at the two tables over there, and said with a forced smile in a low voice, "Sir, please keep your voice down. Don't disturb our business."

He then replied in a low voice, "Indeed, some people have gone missing, but as for their exact locations, I don't know."

The middle-aged woman frowned and asked again, "After those people disappeared, didn't they leave any trace? Clothes, valuables, or blood, limbs, or anything like that?"

The shopkeeper shook his head.

The round-faced girl whispered, "Boss, don't be afraid. We are disciples of the Snow Jade Palace. We came to Qinghe City on other business, but after hearing about the case here, we decided to come and take a look. If there are demons causing trouble, we will definitely help you get rid of them."

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper was overjoyed and said, "Then thank you very much, fairies and immortals. Actually, we have already invited disciples from the Demon-Slaying Sect, but it would be even better if you could help us."

"The Demon Control Sect?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the Snow Jade Palace tensed up.

"Who did you invite?"

A girl suddenly asked.

Before the shopkeeper could reply, she had already gotten up and walked into the house.

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

The shopkeeper seemed to realize then that one was from a righteous sect and the other from a demonic sect, and his expression immediately changed. He dared not say another word.

Xue Feixue entered the house and first looked at the five people at the table nearby.

The five men were all looking at her.

Is there no one else?

Xue Feixue's gaze swept around the room, but she didn't see anyone else besides the five people.

The innkeeper hurriedly followed, and seeing that the young man from the Demon Sect was no longer there, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said with a smile, "This fairy, there are only five guests in the room."

"Fei Xue, come and sit down!"

The middle-aged woman from Xueyu Palace outside spoke sternly.

Xue Feixue glanced at the curtain leading to the inner room again, then turned and returned to the table outside.

Just as the middle-aged woman was about to speak, the five people sitting inside the room came out.

The tall young man at the head of the group bowed to the Xueyu Palace members and said, "So you are friends from Xueyu Palace. I am Xu Mang, a disciple of Zhenguo Academy. These are my junior brothers and sisters. We are here today because of the recent disappearance case."

"The Zhenguo Academy?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman showed a hint of surprise on her face.

Then, leading the disciples of Xueyu Palace, he rose to return the greeting, but said in a mocking tone, "So you are disciples of Zhenguo Academy. Hmph, I thought you imperial cultivators only cared about the prosperity within the city and ignored the desolation outside."

The young man named Xu Mang looked embarrassed and said frankly, "The Qinghe City government is indeed corrupt and incompetent. We came here today because we heard about this on the streets of the city."

Seeing his attitude, the middle-aged woman decided against continuing her mockery and asked coldly, "Do you have any clues? Where are you planning to investigate first?"

Xu Mang smiled and said, "We're planning to stay at the Anjia Inn up ahead for the night. Senior, how about we talk as we walk?"

The middle-aged woman glanced at the vendors at the two tables next to her, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.

"Walk."

She gave an instruction to the disciples of Xueyu Palace.

The round-faced girl quickly picked up a steamed bun from the table and said, "Uncle-Master, we haven't eaten any buns yet. Let the boss pack them all up for us to eat on the way."

As he spoke, he opened his mouth, intending to take a bite first.

Before she could even take a bite, a hand suddenly reached out from the side, snatched the bun from her hand, and tossed it to a black dog lying on the ground nearby, saying, "Lin Zhenzhen, you said you were going on a diet, didn't you? You forgot again?"

The one speaking was Xue Feixue.

"Ugh—you can't just throw it away like that, it's such a waste."

The girl named Lin Zhenzhen let out a sob of dissatisfaction.

Another young girl was preparing to pack up the two baskets of buns when the middle-aged woman frowned, seemingly afraid of being laughed at by the five members of the Zhenguo Academy. She immediately said seriously, "Let's go, no need to pack them up."

The girl said "Oh" and had no choice but to give up.

"We plan to explore the canyon ahead for the night first—"

Walking down the street, the middle-aged woman revealed her plans.

Xu Mang nodded, glanced at the Snow Jade Palace disciples behind her, and suddenly smiled, "Senior, we're all new disciples this time. How about our Zhenguo Academy disciples compete with your Snow Jade Palace disciples to see who solves the case first?"

Upon hearing this, both sides' disciples showed expressions of eager anticipation.

The middle-aged woman snorted coldly, neither accepting nor refusing.

The teahouse owner, named An Da, warmly saw both groups off for quite some distance, saying with a smile, "The inn ahead is run by my second younger brother. You distinguished guests can stay there for the night before continuing your journey."

Xue Feixue lagged behind, glanced back at the teahouse, and caught up with him, saying calmly, "Uncle-Master, I think we shouldn't compete. It would be embarrassing if we both lost."

"Fei Xue, how could you lose every time? It's definitely our Snow Jade Palace that should win!"

Lin Zhenzhen immediately interjected.

"Hmph, that's not necessarily true!"

Behind Xu Mang, the girl dressed as a boy snorted coldly.

An Da returned to the teahouse and hurried inside. He saw that the young man from the Demon Exorcism Sect had somehow returned to his seat.

He secretly broke out in a cold sweat, and was about to step forward with a forced smile to explain when Luo Qingchen asked, "Shopkeeper, where in the surrounding mountains and forests are there most wild animals?"

An Da was taken aback upon hearing this, and said, "It should be Tiger Leap Mountain in the south. I heard that several large tigers have appeared there. Lord Luo, you—"

"I'd like to check out the surrounding area first."

Luo Qingchen got up and asked again, "Do you have any hunting spears at home?"

An Da quickly replied, "Yes, this is essential for opening a shop here. There are many forests nearby, and wild boars often run out. Without this, those beasts can be quite ferocious."

As she spoke, she led him toward the backyard.

Luo Qingchen asked, "Is the shopkeeper also a cultivator?"

An Da smiled wryly and said, "He is indeed a cultivator, but after all these decades, he hasn't even broken through to the Bone Strengthening Realm. He's just stronger."

The two chatted as they walked to the backyard.

An Da went to the small hut in the back, took out a hunting fork, handed it to him, and warned, "Lord Luo, be careful. There are not only tigers in those mountains, but also black bears and wolf packs. I heard that a hunter just died there last month."

Luo Qingchen took the hunting fork and nodded: "I'm just going to take a look. If there are any beasts possessed by demons, I will notify the sect immediately."

After saying that, he took the hunting fork and left through the back door.

"A giant insect, a black bear, a pack of wolves—"

He secretly began to look forward to it.

Hopefully, these wild beasts, like the wild boar in Medicine Man Town, will trigger his blood-sucking abilities.

If it is indeed possible to absorb their blood, then the blood in the second blood bar will soon be upgraded from ordinary blood to gilded blood.

As for the case here, there's no rush.

The people from Zhenguo Academy and Xueyu Palace have already started investigating.

He'll go and find out then, and then go back and tell the sect what he found out.

Anyway, this task was just to have him investigate.

It would be best to earn fifty taels of silver, but it doesn't matter if you can't.

There will be another chance next time.

The most urgent task now is to test the blood of other wild animals.

If he can absorb and advance through blood, then his cultivation speed will definitely become faster.

The sect is fraught with danger.

Even if he cannot break through to the Nourishing Spirit Realm within a month, he must make greater progress.

Otherwise, it will be dangerous in a month.

As evening fell, he arrived at a dense, ancient forest.

Then he took out a short-handled shovel from the package and began to build a trap.

Night quickly enveloped the entire mountain forest.

A cold wind swept through the forest, and the howls of wild beasts began to rise.

The mountains and forests were pitch black.

Before long, a lone wolf with gray fur came down from a hillside.

As it walked, it sniffed around, its bright green eyes carefully searching the surrounding darkness, its ears standing straight up, alert to any movement around it.

"Whoosh!"

As it passed under a large tree in the forest, a hunting fork suddenly fell from the sky and swiftly and accurately snagged its neck!

The lone wolf was utterly terrified, whimpering and groaning as it struggled desperately.

Luo Qingchen fell from the tree and smashed its head with a single punch.

The lone wolf twitched a few times before dying completely.

Luo Qingchen immediately drew her hunting fork, held her breath, and placed one hand on its body.

"Blood sucker!"

He thought to himself.