That cold mechanical voice rang out again in his mind, carrying an unmistakable warning: 【Character collapse is character collapse.】
Shen Qingxuan rolled his eyes internally, but on the surface, he had to maintain that inscrutable deadpan expression. Along the way, he didn't dare breathe too loudly, afraid of triggering some terrible judgment somewhere. Finally, he managed to endure until they reached the territory of Shuangxi City.
Although Shuangxi City was not a major metropolis, it was still quite sizable, with bustling markets and a dense population. The group went straight to the residence of the city's wealthiest man, Elder Chen. This Elder Chen was the one who had sought help from the Lingxiao Mountain Sect; two of his beloved concubines had already fallen victim to the Skin-Flaying Fiend. Now, seeing the cultivators arrive, he was as if seeing a living bodhisattva of mercy.
As soon as they were seated, Elder Chen tightly held the tender hand of his third concubine beside him, weeping profusely as he wailed to Shen Qingxuan and his group: "Immortal Masters, you must seek justice for this old man! Now my Die'er cannot leave my side for even half a step, fearing that if I'm careless for just a moment, that accursed demon will take her life!"
Watching this elderly man past sixty being all clingy with that charming young girl, Shen Qingxuan felt a wave of revulsion, and the corner of his eye couldn't help but twitch. The NPC vibes were way too strong—he really didn't want to witness this old-young romance scene!
Fortunately, his current identity was that of an otherworldly expert, so he only needed to maintain his dignified bearing. Shen Qingxuan gave a few perfunctory responses, then put on a cold, aloof "I don't like to waste words" demeanor and went straight to his guest room, leaving Mingyuan outside to continue dealing with the situation. This was the advantage of being a high master—as long as you were cold and aloof enough, others would only dare to look up to you and wouldn't dare say much.
Just as he was about to relax, there was a knock on the door. Ning Ling'er poked half her body in, speaking in a cloyingly sweet voice: "Master, Ling'er wants to go browse the market. Master, come with Ling'er!"
Shen Qingxuan had his back to the door, holding some unknown book, striking a perfect pose as he turned his head slightly and said indifferently: "If Ling'er wishes to relax, she can find your senior and junior brothers to accompany her. Before capturing that Skin-Flaying Fiend, I need to meditate and regulate my breathing."
Find senior and junior brothers? Shen Qingxuan knew perfectly well in his heart—was she really wanting to go shopping? She clearly wanted to find Luo Hanchuan!
Shen Qingxuan was suffering inside. He had finally come down the mountain and didn't have to stay cooped up in the bamboo hut on Qinglan Peak pretending to be that artsy master, but the system used "initial setting 'Shen Qingxuan' prefers quiet" as an excuse to trap him in his room. He couldn't even be bothered to pretend to meditate, so he just lay on the bed and started thinking about how to deal with that Skin-Flaying Fiend.
Based on the summary of the previous nine cases, the Skin-Flaying Fiend specifically targeted young, beautiful women. Therefore, any respectable family in Shuangxi City would close their doors and stay inside at night. Yet even so, that fiend still came and went as he pleased, impossible to guard against.
It wasn't until sunset that Mingyuan pushed open the door and came in to report the findings of his investigation.
Finally, someone to talk to. Shen Qingxuan's heart, lonely all day, felt somewhat balanced: "Did you examine the bodies?"
Mingyuan nodded: "Yes. This disciple thoroughly questioned the coroner and also examined the remains." As he spoke, he solemnly presented what he was holding.
Shen Qingxuan didn't take them, but looked closely—they were two stacks of cinnabar yellow talismans, and the paper surfaces had now turned the black of rotting flesh.
He nodded slightly: "You used these talismans to test for demonic energy on the bodies?"
Mingyuan replied: "Master sees clearly. This disciple applied the talismans in two places—one in the grave soil of the already-buried women, and one on the body that has not yet been encoffined at the coroner's."
Even the grave soil had been eroded by demonic energy to this extent—it seems the Skin-Flaying Fiend is undoubtedly of the demon race. At least he now knew the enemy's background.
Shen Qingxuan snorted coldly, putting on a righteous stance: "To dare harm living beings right under the nose of the Lingxiao Mountain Sect—since these remnants of the demon realm are seeking their own death, don't blame my disciples for delivering justice on behalf of heaven."
Believe him, he really didn't want to say such cliché lines. But he had to—the system would deduct points!
Mingyuan's eyes were full of admiration: "Master is wise! As long as Master takes action, that demon will surely be killed in one strike, eliminating this scourge for the people!"
"..." It seems this master-disciple pair had always operated in this "you give orders, I worship you" mode, with quite seamless coordination.
Honestly speaking, Shen Qingxuan was quite satisfied with his eldest disciple Mingyuan. Though a wealthy family's son with some spoiled tendencies, he never dared to act presumptuously before his master, and he handled matters efficiently, arranging food, lodging, and transportation along the way in perfect order. If he wouldn't later lose his intelligence and become an evil school bully when encountering the protagonist, this child would have been a promising young man.
Moreover, thinking about how this child would eventually be thrown into a pit of insects by Luo Hanchuan to suffer the agony of being devoured by ten thousand ants, Shen Qingxuan felt somewhat sympathetic...
"This trip down the mountain was originally meant to train all of you. Unless absolutely necessary, I will not take action. Mingyuan, as the eldest senior brother, you must arrange things carefully and do not let your fellow disciples be harmed by that demon."
"Yes! This disciple has already set up a formation. As long as that demon dares to appear..."
Before he could finish, someone stumbled in, interrupting Mingyuan.
Luo Hanchuan's face was deathly pale as he urgently called out: "Master!"
Shen Qingxuan's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained cold: "Panicking like this—what kind of behavior is that?"
Luo Hanchuan said breathlessly: "Master, Senior Sister Ning Ling'er went to the market with this disciple today. At dusk, this disciple urged her to return to the residence, but she refused. In the blink of an eye, she had disappeared. This disciple searched the entire street but couldn't find her, so I could only return to ask for Master's instructions."
Disappearing at a time like this was no small matter. Mingyuan immediately exploded: "Luo Hanchuan! You..."
Shen Qingxuan flicked his sleeve, and the teacup on the table shattered with a "pa" sound. This move both intimidated the scene and maintained his dignified bearing as a high master, while also timely stopping Mingyuan's death-seeking words.
He suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice: "What's done is done; more words are useless. Luo Hanchuan, come with me."