Demonic Dao Fanfiction: Protecting You from Worries for a Lifetime

Wei Ying didn't say anything, but gestured to Chief Liang to continue.

"The fourth one was a stranger who had only been in our village for about a year. We don't know his name, but everyone called him Lai Gouzi. He was over fifty years old. He was found dead in the jungle four days ago. He died in the same way. Lai Gouzi didn't live in our village, but built a simple dwelling in the jungle near the village. He had no wife and no children. As far as we know, his father had already passed away, and his mother followed him the day after."

"Lai Gouzi's residence was not far from the village, but because he usually kept to himself, he was not discovered until a few days after his death. When he was found, his condition was the same as the previous victims. His neck was strangled, his mouth was sewn shut, his hands were tied behind his back, his heart was missing, and his genitals were cut open." Chief Liang's voice was low, revealing deep fear and uneasiness.

Wei Ying frowned, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Is there any connection between these four cases? Are there any commonalities, such as the relationship between them, or the environment when the crime occurred?" He tried to find clues from these details in order to better understand the nature of the evil spirit and its motives.

Chief Liang shook his head and replied, "Aside from the same manner of death, there doesn't seem to be any direct connection between them. Liang Ming is an orphan, Liang Wang and Liang Baoer are both from the village and usually play together, and Lai Gouzi is an outsider, so there's no obvious connection between them."

Xue Yang couldn't help but ask, with a hint of urgency in his tone: "Are all the dead men?"

"That's right!" Patriarch Liang replied, a hint of heaviness in his voice. He bent down unconsciously, as if to pay respect to the deceased, or perhaps to conceal his inner uneasiness.

"Those who died were all single, without a partner! Right!" Wei Ying added with a smile as he stood beside Lan Zhan.

"Yes, they're all bachelors." Patriarch Liang nodded gravely, his gaze shifting between Wei Ying, Xue Yang, and Lan Wangji, as if searching for a glimmer of comfort. "Everyone in our village is in a state of panic, fearing they might be next. Everyone says the evil spirits prey on bachelors, but no one can explain why." There was a slight tremor in Patriarch Liang's voice, and it was clear that the topic made him uneasy.

Lan Wangji pondered for a moment, then asked, "Do you know what Xie Chong looks like?"

Upon hearing this, Clan Leader Liang's face showed a trace of helplessness and worry. He slowly shook his head, his tone heavy, "Alas, in truth, none of us here have ever truly seen the true face of those evil spirits. After all, those who came from the immortal sects seemed powerless and even somewhat helpless when facing the evil spirits. Their faces were gloomy when they left. Under such circumstances, ordinary people like us dare not easily ask them about the evil spirits, for fear of getting into trouble and bringing unnecessary trouble to ourselves and our clansmen."

When Wei Ying and Xue Yang heard this, they were filled with contempt, "That's it? People from this immortal sect are still practicing Taoism? What a waste of spiritual energy." However, since Lan Wangji was present, they did not show it.

"Before the deaths, were there any unusual signs or abnormal circumstances? For example, someone died or a large number of livestock died suddenly." Wei Ying was full of doubts. After saying so much, there was no key information. Wei Ying could only ask from before the incident to see if he could find some clues.

However, when Wei Ying asked this question, the Liang clan leader was obviously not expecting Wei Ying to ask such a question. He was caught off guard for a moment and couldn't help but exclaimed, "Ah!"

"What? Is there a way or not?" Xue Yang's tone was filled with obvious impatience. He was already very dissatisfied with the procrastinating attitude of Patriarch Liang, and now he was asking even more eagerly.

An indescribable, strange expression crossed Patriarch Liang's face, as if he were struggling to find the right words to express his thoughts. A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes, as if he were considering the appropriateness of his next words. After a moment, he finally spoke, but his voice still held a hint of uncertainty and hesitation.

"This..." Patriarch Liang continued hesitantly.

Xue Yang saw that Patriarch Liang was struggling to utter a complete sentence, appearing anxious and impatient. He immediately threatened, his tone tinged with threat: "If you don't explain the situation clearly, how can we exorcise the evil spirit? If anyone else dies, you can't blame us for not trying hard enough."

"Ah! This, this is to deal with evil spirits, shouldn't the immortals personally kill them?" Upon hearing this, the Liang clan leader said hurriedly, his face full of anxiety and worry. However, he secretly thought in his heart, why is it necessary to ask such detailed questions! This is not an investigation.

"This evil spirit is no ordinary demon. We must delve deeper into its origins and its reason for wantonly killing people in this world. Remember, whether in the living or the underworld, resentment and debt have their roots. The ancient saying, 'Every resentment has its perpetrator, every debt has its owner,' applies equally to both the Yin and Yang realms."

Wei Ying chuckled softly, his eyes glittering with cunning, as if hinting at some profound truth. "Death doesn't mean all debts are wiped out. Everything in the world is subject to karma. Even in the underworld, the judges' sentences follow a clear process. We can't just arbitrarily execute them simply because they're evil. Wouldn't that violate the laws of heaven?"

He paused and continued, "Behind every soul lies a story, and behind every grievance lies a reason. As cultivators, we must not only maintain order in the human world, but also seek out forgotten truths. Only by truly understanding the source of their resentment can we make the right judgments and truly resolve the problem, rather than simply and crudely eliminating it. Otherwise, the resentment will only take root and sprout in dark corners like seeds, eventually erupting again and causing even greater disasters. Isn't that right, Patriarch Liang?"

As Patriarch Liang listened to Wei Ying's words, his expression changed from anxiety to embarrassment, and then to cold sweats as he said, "Really?!"

Lan Wangji, standing beside him, quietly interrupted and explained, "The Immortal Sect's actions are: first, salvation; second, extermination; and third, suppression."

Patriarch Liang listened to Lan Wangji's explanation, but to him, these words were putting pressure on him, forcing him to take this issue more seriously.

Lan Wangji is the head of the Lan family. During his time as a student in the Lan family, Lan Wangji made the direct descendants of the hundreds of immortal families unable to withstand the pressure of his eyes and words in front of him, let alone an ordinary person.