The leaves and branches of the banyan tree suddenly began to rustle. It felt a bit strange, as if someone were speaking to it.
“What is wrong? I am asking you.”
The voice rang out again, and it finally noticed Jiang Lu sitting on one of its branches.
It had survived for thousands of years to cultivate this sliver of divine sense, and now someone could actually hear its thoughts. It was instantly filled with pleasant surprise.
“You can hear me? Are you a cultivator?”
The tree spirit's voice echoed.
“Of course. Why did you sigh just now?”
Jiang Lu asked.
Receiving an answer, the tree spirit felt a momentary surge of joy, but then it recalled the news it had gathered and relayed everything.
“I have lived here for thousands of years, watching them flee famine to settle here, plant roots, and raise children. I have seen off generation after generation, witnessing all the ups and downs of the mortal world.”
“I sigh for the common people here. They are as fragile as ephemera, easily crushed by any natural disaster or human calamity.”
Hearing its words, Jiang Lu gained an understanding of the current state of affairs.
Suddenly, hearing excited voices from beneath the tree, Jiang Lu craned her neck to look down.
They immediately scrambled up from the ground, patted the dirt off their clothes, and gathered around him one by one.
“He's back! The village chief is back!”
“Chief, how did it go?”
Their faces were filled with urgency as they eagerly pressed for answers.
They looked excited, holding onto a sliver of hope.
The village chief looked at them, hesitating to speak. A glimmer of tears flashed in his eyes, ultimately dissolving into a long, heavy sigh.
“Sigh—”
In an instant, the noisy chatter around them died down. The hands the excited crowd had raised fell limply to their sides.
An elderly man even took a few steps back, squatted on the ground, and wept with his head in his hands.
“Several of us village chiefs went to see the county magistrate. The magistrate said that the vassal kings are currently stirring up trouble across the land, and our region is no exception. All the capable individuals have long been recruited into their ranks to fight for the throne. They have no time to deal with our minor troubles.”
Seeing their despair, the village chief spoke in a muffled voice, pain flashing in his cloudy eyes.
“The old emperor hasn't even passed away yet, and they are already so impatient.”
“What is the point of fighting for the throne if they don't care about us commoners?”
“Are our lives not worth anything?”
“...”
The crowd cried out continuously, but there was no one to answer them.
“For now, we can only have everyone patrol daily. Do not go out alone, and especially keep the children indoors for the time being.”
The village chief said in a heavy voice.
Man-eating monsters had appeared in every village. With no capable experts dispatched by the imperial court, this was their only way to protect themselves.
“Are there monsters?”
Jiang Lu asked the tree spirit. From what she heard, it didn't seem to be a case of local officials exploiting the people.
“Yes.”
The tree spirit's voice sounded as it gradually recalled the details.
“Starting last month, some monsters that came from who-knows-where began roaming this area. They scouted the place first, starting by feeding on wild beasts in the mountains, and then they began absorbing the vitality of humans.”
“By the time the villagers noticed, only empty skins were left. Their flesh, blood, and essence had all been consumed by the monsters. Moreover, they especially target young, virginal men and women.”
“Now that this has happened in several villages in a row, they went to the government to seek help.”
Monsters that absorbed vitality?
Jiang Lu frowned. Her first thought was of the escaped demonic cultivators.
“Do you know how many there are? Have you seen what they look like?”
Jiang Lu pressed. She had come here specifically to slay demonic cultivators, and now that she finally had a lead, she was naturally unwilling to let it go.
“What they look like?”
The tree spirit recalled, its voice trembling slightly.
“I have. There are about ten of them, wearing black robes. They look somewhat like humans, but their statures are much taller and straighter. A group of them came from the south and passed through here.”
“They carry a terrifying aura, and their bodies seem shrouded in a layer of mist. I only caught a whiff of it, but it was highly repulsive.”
“However, they seemed to have had a disagreement. A few went west, a few went east, and a few stayed here. The ones absorbing human essence are the ones who remained.”
Hearing this, Jiang Lu exhaled a breath. It was a stroke of effortless luck.
She continued to ask:
“Do you know when they usually come out?”
Hearing this, the tree spirit's leaves rustled once more. Could this person be planning to help the local people?
It said with some excitement. Having lived here for so long, it naturally did not want to see such tragedy. If someone was willing to slay the demons, it would be more than happy.
“Once they feed on a person, they have to rest for five days. They should be coming out today!”
Five days?
Jiang Lu was slightly puzzled.
Given the strength of demonic cultivators, how could they possibly need to digest for so long, especially if several of them shared one person?
There was only one possibility: their strength had been suppressed, and the Heavenly Dao of this realm imposed restrictions, limiting their ability to feed on mortals.
Having figured this out, Jiang Lu spoke to the people beneath the tree, “Is there an evil spirit causing trouble here?”
The crowd suddenly heard a cold, clear female voice, causing a momentary panic.
They looked around and huddled closer together.
Jiang Lu leaped down from the banyan tree. As her toes touched the ground, a lotus flower bloomed upon the earth.
A woman dressed in purple stood beneath the tree. The gentle breeze lifted the hem of her simple yet elegant robes, and her long hair fluttered freely in the wind. A faint, lustrous spiritual light enveloped her, resembling a shroud of moonlight.
The young woman's features were exceptionally pure, and her ethereal aura was entirely natural, like a goddess from the clouds stepping onto mortal soil. For a moment, no one dared to make a sound to disturb her. They only stared in silence, their hearts filled with awe.
The crowd instantly froze in place, the farming tools and pipes slipping silently from their hands.
Had the heavens heard their cries and sent a goddess to aid them?
“I am asking you. Do you need me to slay the evil spirit?”
Jiang Lu asked again, feeling a bit pleased with herself.
Her master had told her that on this trip to the mortal realm, she also needed to earn merit.
If no one saw her, what if the merit was credited to the wrong person? She naturally had to show herself.
Upon hearing her words, the crowd immediately fell to their knees, kowtowing and pleading.
“We beg for the Goddess's mercy!”
“We beg the Goddess to show great compassion and save us!”
“We beg the Goddess!”
“...”
Jiang Lu had originally planned to use the identity of a disciple from a Hermit Clan, but now they were directly addressing her as a goddess.
There were both pros and cons to this.
The pro was that no one could steal her credit.
The con was that if word of this reached the ears of those in power, she would have to be careful with her movements.
However...
Perhaps she could use this to lure those demons out.
Once Jiang Lu reasoned it through, she accepted the title of Goddess, her expression becoming increasingly compassionate.
As the aura of her light spiritual root emanated, the people felt the atmosphere around Jiang Lu suddenly grow even gentler.
Jiang Lu followed them into the village and cautioned, “Do not leak the news of my presence here. If there truly is an evil spirit, I will certainly restore peace to your lives this time.”
Jiang Lu gave them reassurance. If her guess was correct, those demonic cultivators would certainly be no match for her.
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