Chapter 104
Chapter 104: Working for the Wolf
***
“Recently, a wolf demon has come to our village. That monster has already harmed many of our fellow villagers. Now every household is so frightened they dare not step outside.”
The village chief’s withered fingers gripped the table edge tightly, his wrinkled face filled with unresolvable worry.
“Yes, yes!”
The village chief’s wife hurriedly chimed in, her face showing the same concern.
“That wolf demon is extremely vicious, it can snatch away a grown man in one bite. Now, forget about going to the fields to work, even going to the village well to fetch water requires several people to go together, fearing that while walking…”
She deliberately shivered halfway through her words, her eyes full of terror.
Lin Muyu sat upright at the table, observing the two people’s synchronized performance before her. Her eyebrows raised slightly, and a thoughtful glint passed through her eyes.
She then continued to ask:
“What is the wolf demon’s strength like?”
The village chief sighed heavily upon hearing this, his voice nearly overflowing with fear:
“Strength? We’re just common folk who farm the land, how would we understand such things! We only know it runs faster than a horse, its claws are sharper than sickles. The hunters in the village surrounded it twice with bows and arrows, but didn’t even touch its shadow. Instead, we lost two young men…”
“Right, right! Fairy, look at me!”
The village chief’s son, who had been sitting in the corner, suddenly spoke up. He patted his sturdy chest, but his tone lacked any confidence.
“With this build of mine, I’m considered strong in the village. Last time I caught a distant glimpse of that wolf demon’s tail and was so scared my legs went weak. In front of it, I’m like a three-year-old child, completely worthless!”
However, while speaking, his gaze couldn’t help but glance at Lin Muyu, as if appraising some rare treasure.
Lin Muyu symbolically took a couple of bites of the vegetables on the table, but her gaze quietly shifted to the far end of the table.
There sat a woman holding a child, the village chief’s son’s wife.
Throughout the entire time, she kept her head down, hands tightly gripping her sleeves. Her lips moved several times, but she never dared to speak, looking as if she wanted to say something but held back.
“Is it really… like that?”
Lin Muyu put down her chopsticks, her voice unhurried and calm.
Upon hearing this, the woman was about to open her mouth to say something, but the village chief suddenly interrupted, his voice rising sharply:
“Absolutely true! That wolf demon is truly ferociously cruel. Fairy, you have great divine powers, please act to suppress it and save all of us villagers!”
Before his words finished, the village chief dropped to his knees with a thud, pressing his palms together and bowing repeatedly to Lin Muyu.
Seeing this, the village chief’s wife and son quickly knelt down as well, not forgetting to reach out and pull the woman beside them, pressing her down too.
“Please save us, Fairy!”
The three pleaded in unison, their voices full of earnestness.
“Please get up! Please get up!”
Lin Muyu quickly stood and reached out to help the three up, putting on an expression of being overwhelmed by the honor.
“Eliminating demons and monsters is my duty. I certainly won’t stand by and do nothing. I will definitely slay that harmful wolf demon!”
“Thank you, Fairy! Thank you, Fairy!”
The three rose to their feet, their faces instantly filled with grateful smiles.
“Since that’s the case, then first tell me where that wolf demon usually appears, and I’ll go find it right away!”
Lin Muyu straightened her chest slightly, her eyes determined, displaying a righteous and ready-to-depart appearance.
But the village chief, who had just been urgently begging her to slay the demon, suddenly put on a warm smile and reached out to stop her:
“Fairy, don’t rush. Look, it’s already getting dark. The mountain roads are difficult to walk, and the wolf demon might be even more ferocious at night. Why don’t you stay in the village for one night? Tomorrow when it’s light, you can set out. Let us fulfill our duties as hosts.”
“Yes, yes!”
The village chief’s wife immediately agreed, hurriedly clearing the bowls and chopsticks from the table.
“Get a good night’s sleep to restore your energy, and tomorrow you’ll have better chances when slaying the demon. Don’t you think that makes sense?”
Lin Muyu looked at the gradually darkening twilight outside the window and slowly nodded:
“Very well, then I’ll take action tomorrow.”
Seeing that Lin Muyu wasn’t suspicious, the village chief and his wife secretly exchanged a glance. At an angle Lin Muyu couldn’t see, both their lips curved into barely perceptible smiles.
Soon, dinner was over.
The village chief’s wife carried an oil lamp and led Lin Muyu toward the east side of the main hall, finally stopping in front of a small room:
“Fairy, our village has limited conditions. Please condescend to stay in this vacant room tonight. The bedding has all been freshly aired, it’s very clean.”
“Thank you for your trouble, madam.”
Lin Muyu responded but didn’t immediately enter. Instead, she casually mentioned:
“During dinner earlier, I noticed your daughter-in-law seemed to have something to tell me. Why did she just start to speak before being interrupted by the village chief?”
The village chief’s wife’s smile froze for a moment, then quickly relaxed again as she explained naturally:
“You mean her! That girl is young. Hearing you’re a cultivator, she was curious and wanted to ask about cultivation. But cultivation isn’t something one can casually inquire about, is it? The old man was afraid she might offend you, Fairy, so he quickly interrupted. Please don’t take it to heart.”
“I see.”
Lin Muyu nodded thoughtfully and asked another question:
“The wolf demon won’t break in tonight, will it?”
“Absolutely not!”
The village chief’s wife patted her chest in assurance.
“We’ve observed for several days. That wolf demon only comes out to hunt during the day, it never comes to the village at night. You can sleep peacefully!”
“Good, then I understand. Thank you, madam.”
Lin Muyu nodded, pushed open the door, and entered the room.
“Fairy, if you need anything, just call for me. I live in the adjacent courtyard!”
The village chief’s wife gave another instruction before carrying the oil lamp and leaving.
Lin Muyu closed the door and looked around the room.
The room was ordinary, with a wooden bed against the wall, an old wooden table at the head of the bed, and a chipped clay jar on the table. Apart from these, there was nothing else, but it was kept fairly clean with all basic living facilities complete.
She walked to the bed and sat down, her feet gently swinging as her mind rapidly sorted through the various details from earlier.
There was something strange here!
At the same time, in the adjacent small courtyard.
The village chief was anxiously pacing in circles in the yard. When he saw his wife return, he immediately approached her:
“How was it, old woman? She didn’t suspect anything, did she?”
The village chief’s wife placed the oil lamp on the stone table and waved her hand dismissively:
“Don’t worry! Looking at her appearance, she’s just a young girl who hasn’t come down from the mountain much. Her mind is very pure, how could she discover our arrangements?”
“That’s good, that’s good…”
The village chief breathed a sigh of relief, but his brow remained furrowed.
“I wonder if the medicine Lord Wolf Demon gave us will work when mixed into the food.”
He felt his eyelids twitching badly, as if a stone was pressing on his heart, giving him a vague sense of unease.
“Lord Wolf Demon is a formidable character who can swallow a tiger in one bite, how could there be a problem with the medicine he gave?”
The village chief’s wife curled her lip, but upon further thought, she became somewhat worried.
“However, speaking of which, she suddenly asked about our daughter-in-law. Could it be that our daughter-in-law’s behavior earlier made her notice something?”
“Probably not. Besides, don’t worry, our son is watching our daughter-in-law!”
A strange gleam flashed in the village chief’s eyes as he lowered his voice further.
“That girl is just timid, afraid that if things are exposed, we’ll all suffer.”
“But as long as we handle this matter cleanly without leaving a trace, even if Qinglan Sect wants to investigate, they won’t be able to trace it back to us! Once this is done, the gold, silver, and jewels that Lord Wolf Demon promised to give us will last us a lifetime!”
The village chief’s wife’s eyes instantly lit up, but she quickly calmed down:
“That’s what you say, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“I think we should do this: let’s also light the Bewildering Smoke given by Lord Wolf Demon and blow it in through the window cracks. Even if she has some cultivation, she’ll still pass out. This way it’s more secure.”
The village chief nodded vigorously:
“Good! Let’s do as you say!”