Chapter 405: Hengyang Village! The Way of Slaying Demons and Exorcising Evil! The Proper Use of Cuihua! The Stone Cave!

“Why not report this to the prefectural city, or at least inform the

yamen

?” Li Yanchu asked.

“I fear there may be demons involved,” Zuo Qian explained earnestly. “If I report too soon, the culprits may kill or move the girls before we can act. And... to be frank, I do not trust the county

yamen

.”

“You don’t trust them?” Li Yanchu said in mild surprise.

“Indeed. The place I discovered, the one where the missing girls are likely hidden, is none other than Hengyang Village.” Zuo Qian lifted his head slightly, meeting Li Yanchu’s gaze.

Li Yanchu paused in thought. He did know that place. Hengyang Village was famed for its tribute silk offered to the court each year, which many nobles and officials prized highly.

Silk usually came from the Jiangnan regions, but for it to be produced here in the northern lands, Hengyang Village was truly unique.

“This,” Li Yanchu said slowly, “does not sound like the usual way officials handle a case”

In this era, whether it was the county

yamen

, the prefectural

yamen

, or the Court of Judicial Review that specialized in dealing with demons, investigations were simple and brutal, especially the latter. If someone was a suspect, they got arrested. If they refused to speak, they got beaten and tortured until they confessed!

Of course, this often led to wrongful convictions, giving corrupt officials plenty of room to force false confessions.

But looking at it from another angle, the efficiency was damn high. If the suspect really was guilty, after being put through all that, escape from justice was nearly impossible!

In particular, when it came to cases involving demons and spirits, Kingdom of Qian’s stance was always uncompromising, and ninety percent were executed without mercy. They didn’t even bother with trials; if a demon harmed humans, it was killed on the spot. As for the remaining ten percent, some of them were simply too difficult to subdue. The others were like the monsters in

Journey to the West

and had powerful backers.

What looked like negligence or inaction from the court was, in truth, tacit approval, indulgence, or outright protection. Otherwise, how could the imperial court handle it? The Kingdom of Qian was a land where Buddhism and Daoism flourished, teeming with hidden masters. Why didn’t those eminent monks and true Daoists step in?

Zuo Qian was a passionate young man. His respectable family background could have let him live as a pampered young master, or take the imperial exams to become an official, or fight on the battlefield to earn military merit.

One day, he might even have risen to general or prime minister. That was the path a young man of his standing was supposed to pursue. But instead, he chose to join the Prefectural Tribunal! He became a blue-clad constable, handling criminal cases and injustices.

This particular case had piled up in the prefectural city for a long time, ignored and unsolved, gathering dust as a cold case. Only Zuo Qian, full of hot-blooded zeal, pursued every lead. In the end, all the clues seemed to point toward Hengyang Village.

That was why he sought out Li Yanchu, the most renowned young Daoist in Wei City.

“I’ll go with you,” Li Yanchu said solemnly.

As for the hidden twists and turns behind the matter, he couldn’t care less. Murderers, demons, and evil spirits all had to be eliminated. Partly for merit, partly for peace of mind.

After years of cultivation, Li Yanchu didn’t see himself as especially noble, nor did he harbor lofty ideals of saving the world. But being able to follow his own will, to use his saber to cut down this rotten world, that was something he found very appealing.

As for accumulating merit? He had no need to hide it.

“Many thanks, Daoist Master Yanchu!” Zuo Qian bowed gratefully.

“No need for courtesy. My cultivation path is precisely one of slaying demons and exorcising evil. Driving out ghosts and slaying demons only aid my progress.” Li Yanchu waved his hand dismissively.

Hearing this, Zuo Qian froze for a moment.

This Daoist Master Li... truly is a straightforward man.

The two young men hit it off at once, and before long they set out together for Hengyang Village.

***

At Hengyang Village...

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

The village held four to five hundred people. For generations they had lived in poverty, until some twenty years ago when a wandering fengshui master passed through.

Moved by the villagers’ simplicity, he altered the village’s fengshui by concealing wind[1] and gathering water[2], bringing prosperity and fertility.

He even taught them the art of silkworm raising, setting the people of Hengyang on the path to wealth. At first, only the wealthy families of Wei City prized their silk. Later, by chance, word spread farther, and eventually the silks caught the eye of nobles within the imperial palace.

From then on, Hengyang transformed from a destitute hamlet into a village supplying tribute to the court. Each year, they offered fine silk and brocade to the palace. Successive magistrates of Wei City placed great importance on the village, for it was a tangible achievement they could present as political merit.

Just then, the thunder of hooves rolled closer from afar. Two riders appeared, both young men. One was tall and upright, carrying a broadsword at his side.

The other wore Daoist robes; he was handsome, refined, and otherworldly, his garments fluttering in the wind as though he were an exiled immortal descended to earth.

Neigh!

The two reined in their horses and looked over the village that provided tribute to the throne.

“Daoist Master Li, this is Hengyang Village. I’ve scouted it before and found nothing unusual, but all the clues point here.”

The speaker was none other than the blue-clad constable of the Tribunal, Zuo Qian.

Li Yanchu gave a slight nod, then leapt lightly from his horse. At the same moment, Cuihua also sprang down from the saddle.

Considering his tendency to run mounts ragged, and the fact this matter involved demons, Li Yanchu hadn’t brought Blackie along. According to Cuihua, Blackie wasn’t even a demon beast, just an ordinary donkey.

Where its devilish, roguish grin came from, no one knew, and it only made the creature seem as though it actually had some intelligence.

Li Yanchu’s eyes glimmered with Daoist radiance as he cast his Qi Sight upon the village.

The whole village appeared peaceful and harmonious, no different from any ordinary settlement.

“Heh. The Qi Sight has far too many limitations.” Li Yanchu shook his head slightly.

This ancient Daoist art was accurate when used to read individuals, but when applied over a wide area, it was easily obscured by certain formations or concealments.

“Cuihua, have you noticed anything?” Li Yanchu sent his voice directly through divine sense.

At his words, Cuihua lifted her chin proudly, padding forward with slow, graceful steps.

Her delicate ears twitched ever so slightly, then suddenly she darted straight toward one of the village homes.

She’s found something...

Li Yanchu’s eyes lit up.

He could have continued searching slowly with Qi Sight combined with his Spirit Eyes. If all else failed, he could rely on his Clearheart Jade Pendant to “cheat.” Or, he could bring Lady Yun out from the Taiping Inn; after all, Lady Yun was practically a human detector.

But now, with Cuihua here, it was just as good. Hadn’t she claimed that her kind possessed insight-type divine powers? Time to see if she was bluffing.

The two men and one cat quickly arrived at the doorway of a villager’s house, where a plainly dressed young woman happened to be standing. As their eyes met, she seemed faintly startled.

The woman had a melon-seed face[3], soft red lips that parted slightly in surprise, and a shapely figure carrying a rustic, countryside charm.

“May I... help you with something?” she asked softly.

Cuihua let out a sharp

meow!

then smacked the ground with her paw.

“Don’t waste words with this woman, there’s something under this house!” Her voice was urgent.

At that, Li Yanchu didn’t hesitate, and he and Cuihua rushed inside. “Where is it?”

Light flared in his eyes with Daoist brilliance, but frustratingly, he saw nothing.

Meanwhile, Cuihua’s body blurred into a streak, flashing straight into the bedroom. “Under the bed!”

“Alright!” Without another word, Li Yanchu gripped the edge of the bedframe with one hand and heaved. For him, it was effortless.

The oversized bed, so out of place in the simple room, was lifted aside, revealing a dark, gaping hole beneath. The hole was like the maw of a beast, waiting to devour whoever drew near!

1. 藏风 ‘Concealing wind’ is a feng-shui term referring to a burial or dwelling site whose surrounding terrain forms a tight, protective configuration. Mountains and rivers encircle the spot in a way that shields it from external winds and prevents vital energy from dispersing.” ☜

2. 聚水 jushui “Gathering water” is a Chinese term whose original meaning refers to a body of water formed through accumulation. In ancient texts, the word appears as a synonym or interchangeable form of ‘jishui’ (积水) or ‘zhushui’ (豬水). According to Xunzi · Ruxiao, “jishui” is the classical written form of “jushui,” reflecting both the natural phenomenon of converging water and the patterns of lexical evolution in early Chinese. In modern Chinese dictionaries, “jushui,” as an equivalent concept to “jishui,” encompasses not only the physical properties of naturally accumulated water but also the philological nuances found in ancient literature. ☜

3. In Chinese culture, a “melon-seed face” (瓜子脸) refers to a facial shape that resembles a melon seed: slender and slightly pointed at the chin, with gently rounded contours that taper downward. It’s often considered a classic ideal of feminine beauty, associated with elegance, softness, and a refined appearance. The forehead is usually a bit wider, the cheeks smooth without being full, and the chin delicately narrow. This shape has been praised in traditional literature, art, and modern aesthetics alike, making it one of the most enduringly admired facial types in Chinese beauty standards. ☜