I defeated the saint with a parry.

"What kind of look is that?"

Li west touched his clothes to make sure there was nothing strange about them, then scolded, "Does the Demon Slayer have some kind of peculiar hobby?"

"It's nothing. I just had a nightmare. I dreamt that you died, and I woke up after killing the monster that killed you." Xu Ling lied without batting an eye. "I'm a little surprised to see you here, all right here."

"..." Li west looked a little embarrassed when he heard this: "What a coincidence, I also had a dream just now. In the dream, Lord Xu wanted to kill me, but I killed him instead, and then I woke up."

"This dream seems real, but it's full of flaws. As long as you don't get caught up in it, you'll see through it."

"This is probably what makes the village unusual."

Hou Le, who was standing to the side, didn't say anything. In his dream, he had noticed something was wrong from the beginning, so he slapped everyone to death, so there was nothing awkward about it.

Xu Ling nodded silently. Although Li west wasn't a very likable person, he was honest.

"What time is it now?"

Hou Le said, "It's around midnight."

"There's someone outside," Hou Le warned. "They're not from the village."

Xu Ling asked in confusion, "Hmm? Came here at night during the period of demonic calamity? Who are you here to confront?"

Li west said, "Who else could it be but me? It seems my family couldn't wait any longer. Seeing that I hadn't died on my way home, they rushed to see me off."

Xu Ling reminded him, "Young Master Li, your family feuds are not within my escort scope. I, a demon slayer, only slay the spirits of demons."

"I'll pay more."

Xu Ling remained silent, so Li west had no choice but to continue, "Double."

Xu Ling then laughed and said, "Look at you, this is so inappropriate. We chivalrous people should draw our swords to help those in need without hesitation. Remember to befriend the Li family when you come here."

Li west rolled her eyes, muttered "greedy devil," and asked, "What are you planning to do?"

"No rush! Let's get the strange things in the village to help us out first."

A group of about twenty cultivators dressed in black appeared in the village, all of whom possessed an aura of being at least at the Opening Meridian Realm.

The leader, a cultivator at the Concentration Realm, held a compass in his hand, pointing directly at the courtyard where Xu Ling and Li west were: "They're over there."

After the guide waved, the group dispersed and surrounded the courtyard.

Throughout their journey, they made no attempt to conceal their whereabouts.

The cultivator beside the one holding the compass, who was also at the Nascent Soul stage, asked, "Manager Li, are you sure this young master only has one old servant with him?"

The guide, Li Hong, nodded: "Master Zhang Xi, don't worry. There's another demon slayer at the Body Tempering Realm who is definitely no match for you."

"Something's not right. The marks in that temple don't look like something a Body Tempering Realm cultivator could leave. It's more like something a Spirit Condensation Realm cultivator could leave."

"Wait a minute! Look what that is!"

Following the direction Li Hong pointed out, several wisps of white mist appeared in the center of the village and quickly spread. As the mist increased, it also turned pink and spread even faster.

"Poisoning?"

"No! It's Peach Blossom Miasma! It can cause hallucinations and attract inner demons, everyone be careful!"

A misty fog, tinged with pink, surged in, quickly enveloping the group, and the entire village was shrouded in thick fog.

"At midnight, fog rolled in outside."

Xu Ling noticed fog rising outside through the crack in the door: "It seems the village chief's rules were to prevent this."

Pink mist began to seep in through the cracks in the door.

Hou Le frowned slightly: "It's actually peach blossom miasma. How could such a thing be found in a place of worship?"

Li Xi handed over a pill: "This is a Heart-Clearing Pill. It can protect you from this peach blossom miasma. Take it quickly."

The fragrant aroma of the pills cleared Xu Ling's mind, and he knew it was a good thing. Without hesitation, he popped it into his mouth: "Why is there miasma here?"

Hou Le chimed in, "Although this place is a valley, there are no major rivers or lakes. The air is clear and the stars can be seen at night, proving that it is bathed in sunlight during the day, which does not fit the cause of miasma formation. It must be either naturally formed or man-made. This peach blossom barrier is most likely an array."

Xu Ling cautioned, "The Peach Blossom Barrier attacks the mind and can trigger inner demons in cultivators. Its effect is amplified when combined with an array. Even though we've taken the Heart-Clearing Pill, we can't let our guard down. We all had dreams just now, which must have been influenced by the array. The person behind this specializes in attacking people's minds and is no ordinary individual."

Xu Ling then asked, "Do those people outside have any calming pills?"

Li west nodded: "If nothing unexpected happens, there should be. They wouldn't dare attack without some preparation. Besides, these kinds of detoxifying and cleansing pills are essential for those traveling the martial world. At most, their quality might not be as good as mine..."

Xu Ling felt like she had entered a new world: "Why didn't I?"

Li west didn't mince words: "You're only at the Body Tempering Realm. Normally, you shouldn't be able to access or use this."

Xu Ling: "It seems like none of you have even reached the Body Tempering Realm."

This time, Li Xi didn't reply, but Hou Le sneered, "You dare to compare yourself to my young master? My young master has a special physique. He started building his foundation from a young age and can only start cultivating as an adult. When that time comes, he will progress by leaps and bounds. How can your broken meridian compare to that?"

"凸(艹皿艹)!"

Hou Le pressed on relentlessly: "Besides, my young master comes from a wealthy family; why would he lack one or two pills?"

Xu Ling was not angry upon hearing this.

He was no longer the naive boy he once was. He had long since realized that the two servants surnamed Li were not simple people, so he wasn't angry at all; they were just telling the truth.

He stretched out his hand in front of Li west.

"What for?"

Li west was puzzled, his face full of doubt.

Xu Ling winked, remaining silent, but the meaning was clear: pills.

"One Qingxin Pill is enough; it will last for four hours. Any more than that will be useless," Li west explained.

"We're brothers who've risked our lives for each other, how could I possibly covet your Qingxin Pills?" Xu Ling laughed. "You're a good person. I have no other flaws, except that I'm too poor. I'm just a poor commoner, and all I've ever seen in my life are low-quality Qi and Blood Pills. They're too bitter and painful!! Brother Li's family is quite wealthy, and I'm very envious. How about you just give me some Qi and Blood Pills and Rejuvenation Pills so I can try them out?"

"I've never seen such a shameless person!" Li west pointed at Xu Ling, both angry and annoyed, her face flushed red: "I...I...why should I give it to you?"

"It's not your fault, it's mine! If it weren't for you, I would never have seen a medicine like the Qingxin Pill in my entire life. I should be thanking you, how could I possibly ask you for it?!"

Xu Ling shrugged, feigning sadness and regret. In reality, he didn't care at all; he was just being sarcastic. Having seen plenty of prostitutes in his past life, he could easily imitate them.

Even if he were given the Qi and Blood Pill, he wouldn't be able to use it. His cultivation level is currently at the ninth level of Body Tempering. Even if he took the Qi and Blood Pill, he would only be stuck at the ninth level because his meridians are blocked and he cannot break through to the Meridian Opening Realm. On the contrary, there is a possibility that his physical body will not be able to keep up due to excessive Qi and Blood, resulting in a backlash.

So... it's not so bad to tease underage bosses.

Li west had never seen such a combo before. He frowned and tossed over a jade bottle, which Xu Ling caught.

"I don't have any Qi and Blood Pills, but I can give you some Rejuvenation Pills, otherwise if you die, I won't be able to live either."

"Thank you, boss. You're very generous."

Xu Ling opened the jade bottle with great joy. The aroma of the medicine that wafted out made his eyes light up, and he could faintly see the pill patterns on the pill.

Top-grade Rejuvenation Pill!!

As expected, powerful families are all corrupt and ruthless.

Rejuvenation Pills are the most commonly used healing pills among cultivators, and top-grade ones are a luxury item used only by cultivators at the third level of the Transcendent Realm. Xu Ling couldn't even afford ordinary Rejuvenation Pills before. He would only go to a doctor when he was injured and had free time. If they were too expensive or he didn't have time, he would simply tough it out and wait for them to heal on their own.

Xu Ling put away the pills and looked at the room covered in miasma. He couldn't help but say, "The miasma from Peach Blossom Village is rising. I reckon the village god is about to emerge."

Li west asked, "Oh? How do you know?"

"It's obvious that with so many outsiders coming to the village, and such a perfect hunting opportunity, now's the time to act," Xu Ling explained. "But I still need to give them a push."

He looked at Hou Le: "You knew about the group of people outside, so you must have known they would come. You must have something on you that can lure them away."

Hou Le laughed and said, "That's clever of you. You're trying to lure the enemy in?"

Xu Ling nodded: "Exactly!"

Xu Ling took a jade pendant from Li west and immediately slipped out of the room without hesitation.