I defeated the saint with a parry.

With Xu Ling's guidance, everyone obediently watched the Nuo opera troupe dance throughout the entire village before stopping, without uttering a single complaint.

The matter was over, and it was already dark.

After the ceremony, a pinkish-red dome rose outside the village, covering the entire village and half of the peach orchard, before disappearing.

Xu Ling and his group happened to be at the village entrance, standing inside the enclosure, taking in everything.

"The world is full of wonders." Hou Le rarely spoke up and gave a comment, looking around the village with great interest: "We've come to the right place this time. With this thing protecting us, ordinary monsters can't get in at all. No wonder this village has survived the monster calamity until now."

Xu Ling asked, "What did you figure out?"

"No." Hou Le shook his head: "I've only lived a few years longer than you, how could I possibly know everything?"

Seeing that Xu Ling was about to roll his eyes, Hou Le continued unhurriedly, "However, I know they are worshipping a god. This village is protected by a god, but I don't know which god it is."

"God?" Xu Ling exclaimed in shock, "There really is a God?"

"Of course there are," Hou Le explained. "There are gods watching over us. Haven't you heard of that? It's just a matter of incense offerings. It's different from the martial arts path of cultivation, but it's still a form of cultivation."

"Aren't you from the Demon Suppression Division? Don't you even know this?"

Ha ha!

Xu Ling cursed inwardly that people from aristocratic families were indeed annoying. Just because they had a family background didn't mean they were superior, yet they still dared to engage in intellectual discrimination.

"You're amazing. No wonder you're an old man. You know more than us young people."

"..."

Hou Le's eyes widened in anger, wishing he could immediately retract the ink-black blade. This damned demon slayer really wasn't willing to suffer even the slightest loss, and his mouth was truly venomous.

The old man snorted coldly, turned his head, and said no more.

Even without Hou Le saying much, everyone could sense the difference. A village that could still have a hundred households during an era of demonic calamity must have something special. After the ceremony, the area became noticeably quieter, as if even people's hearts had calmed down.

During the period of demonic calamity, everyone felt a rare sense of security, which was truly a wonderful thing.

Not long after, several people who had glared at Zhao Yi from the previous ceremony appeared before the crowd with an old man.

"Village chief, that's the person who almost interrupted the ceremony just now."

The group pointed at Zhao Yi, clearly intending to cause trouble, which frightened Zhao Yi so much that he hid behind Xu Ling.

The old man's clothes were very elaborate; they were not the plain linen robes that ordinary people could afford, but silk robes embroidered with the same kind of eerie masks seen in the procession earlier, and wrapped in various ancient runes.

The old man didn't pursue the matter; instead, he greeted them with a smile: "Have you come here to stay the night?"

Xu Ling cupped his hands in greeting, not wanting to offend a smiling face: "Yes, sir, I wonder if there are any empty courtyards in the village? We can squeeze in together."

"I am Wang Lijun, the village chief. If you are just looking for lodging, I can arrange for an empty house on the outskirts of the village. You can give that family ten taels of silver. But you must leave at dawn tomorrow. Our village does not welcome outsiders, please understand."

"Then I'll trouble you."

"Since there are many of you, I'll find a small courtyard with three rooms."

Thank you.

Wang Lijun raised his hand, indicating to Xu Ling that there was no need to be polite, because he said directly, "You must abide by the village rules."

He scanned the crowd with his eyes, roughly estimating the number of Xu Ling and his group: "Starting at 9 PM, no one may leave the house."

"Before dawn, there will be a ceremonial procession in the village. If you hear any sounds, you must not respond."

Do not respond to any invitations or calls from anyone during this time.

"Don't think I'm being long-winded; if I break any taboos, I might lose my life."

"We will remember what the village chief said." Xu Ling waved his hand, and Zhao Yi quickly presented ten taels of silver to the village chief.

The old man left satisfied.

The three-room courtyard he mentioned was on the outskirts of the village, not far from there. But on the way there, Xu Ling and his group found that the villagers were extremely xenophobic. Every household would lock their courtyards as soon as they saw Xu Ling's group, as if they had encountered a plague.

It was not yet Hai Shi (9-11 PM), and there were hardly any people to be seen in the village. The village chief had said that everyone was following the rules, and it was not directed at Xu Ling and his group.

After escorting Xu Ling and the others to their destination, the villagers who had led the way also hurriedly left, rushing home to lock their doors before 9 PM.

There were three separate rooms. Xu Ling and his group of more than ten people were in one room. The business was divided into two rooms, with Xu Ling and his group of three sharing one room.

Zhao Yi originally wanted to share a room with Xu Ling, but Li west was not willing.

That night.

Peach Blossom Village was eerily quiet, but the area outside the village was far from peaceful. A group of fiery red foxes carried two people to the edge of the village.

"Master, we've arrived."

The young monk called out to the old monk Xumi, who leaped off the fox and waved his hand. All the foxes hissed and ran back into the mountains, as if there was some terrifying presence in the village that they dared not approach.

The old monk was still wearing his blood-stained robes, and the wound on his chest from the stone had long since healed.

He sniffed greedily at the lingering scent in the air, his face filled with fascination: "Little dog Egg, it's almost 9 PM, isn't it?"

"Yes, Master."

The young monk, Gou Dan, glanced at the sky and nodded: "There's no one in the village."

"Let's go home."

The two stepped directly into the village, ignoring the hundred households scattered throughout, and strode towards the courtyard where Xu Ling and the others were. Even those who saw them through the windows pretended not to notice.

The old monk knew, but didn't care. He stopped at the house next to Xu Ling's with his little dog, Dan, knocked on the door, and when no one answered, he went in.

"Master, the village chief forbids us from acting at 9 PM..."

"Little Egg, you need to understand, some rules are just for show, not something you actually need to follow. In our village, the real danger is midnight..."

"Yes, Master, I understand. What about the demon slayer next door?"

"Them?" Sumeru smiled. "Those things are hungry; they need to be fed."

It was midnight.

Xu Ling, who was fast asleep, was startled awake from her dream.

"When did I fall asleep?"

Xu Ling was completely puzzled; he had no idea what he had dreamt about.

All he remembered was that after entering the room, he spoke a few words with the Li family's master and servant, then sat cross-legged and began cultivating. He had no idea when he fell asleep or had a nightmare.

Something's so wrong with this village, how could he possibly sleep?

Li west was fast asleep beside him, mumbling something in his sleep.

When Xu Ling woke up, Hou Le also opened his eyes, and when Xu Ling looked over, he said, "Awake?"

Xu Ling asked, "What just happened?"

Hou Le shook his head slightly: "It's nothing. There was a demon in the village, but it was driven away by that thing."

"How did I fall asleep?"

"It's not just you, everyone in the village is asleep."

The voice just fell.

Xu Ling suddenly heard a knock on the door.

"Demon Slayer, open the door! It's me, Zhao Yi! Something's happened!!"