Even hybrid monsters have their day

Before he could finish speaking, the young man shouted, "Stop making excuses!" and rushed towards the old man. With one hand, the young man pulled Geng Miaowan away, and with the other, he lightly flicked his whisk, and a beam of light shot out from the whisk and towards the old man.

"Ouch..." Caught off guard by the attack, the old man, before he could finish speaking, retaliated with a single blow and then dodged and ran towards the village.

The young man pressed his advantage, retracting his whisk and chanting incantations. With a flick of his finger, a cold light struck the old man, who cried out and collapsed to the ground. The young man approached him, pinning the fleeing old man down with one foot, and coldly said, "Today, I will subdue you, you fiend."

As he spoke, another spell was cast at the old man. Suddenly, a cloud of white smoke rose from beneath his feet. Seeing this, he exclaimed, "Oh no!" and quickly brushed away the smoke with his sleeve. There was no trace of the old man on the ground; he was only standing on a withered locust tree branch.

"He got away again." He kicked the locust branch on the ground, saying with some resentment. He didn't know what magic he used, but the locust branch suddenly ignited without fire.

Once the branches on the ground had been burned to ashes, the young man turned around and saw Geng Miaowan staring blankly at him. He smiled gently and said, "Little girl, don't be afraid. I've already driven the monster away."

Geng Miaowan glanced at him, then at the ashes on the ground, a sense of unease creeping into her heart. What was wrong with her? Last time she came to the human realm, she encountered demon hunters because she had mistakenly entered a passage opened for someone else. She never expected to run into a demon again this time. Had the human realm already reached a point where demons were everywhere…?

However, she was fortunate to have met this young man in front of her; otherwise, she didn't know what the demon would have done to her.

Seeing that Geng Miaowan remained silent and stood there blankly, the young man assumed she was terrified and said, "Don't worry, young lady, with me here, I doubt that monster will dare to cause trouble again. But may I ask who you are and why you are wandering here so late at night? If I hadn't arrived in time, I'm afraid..."

Upon hearing his words, Geng Miaowan felt a chill of fear. She quickly put down Xiaobai and bowed to the young man. "I was just passing through this place when I saw that it was getting late and decided to stay overnight in this village. However, I didn't expect the people in this village to be so strange. I thought I would leave the village first, but I never expected to encounter that monster. I am truly grateful for your help, chivalrous man. May I ask your name? I will definitely repay your kindness in the future."

After landing, Little White first sniffed around the ashes, then waddled over to the young man and began sniffing him. As it sniffed, it also scrutinized the young man, a hint of suspicion in its eyes.

The young man ignored Xiaobai and went straight to Geng Miaowan, saying, "I am Xu Ruwen, a disciple of the Green Mountain Sect. There's no need for formalities. Exorcising demons is the duty of a disciple of our sect. May I ask how you are addressed, young lady?"

Xu Ruwen looked to be only in his early twenties, with a gentle and refined appearance. His words carried an air of righteous indignation, and Geng Miaowan immediately felt a sense of admiration for him. She felt that this young man had already reached such a high level of understanding and was destined for great things.

"My name is Geng Miaowan." After saying that, she smiled slightly at him, her beautiful appearance as delicate as a flower blooming in spring, making Xu Ruwen's eyes widen. He blinked, concealing the strange light that flickered in his eyes.

However, Geng Miaowan did not notice any of this. She glanced at the dark village and turned to ask Xu Ruwen, "Hero Xu, when I passed through this village just now, the people inside were acting strangely. Every house was tightly shut. Do you know why?"

Xu Ruwen looked at the village in surprise. "Is that so? Wait here for a moment, I'll go take a look."

Having said that, he walked forward to the spot at the end of the village where the old man had stood. He looked around first, then began muttering incantations. Suddenly, he pointed forward and shouted, "Break!"

A beam of white light shot from his hand, heading straight towards the village. However, it was blocked by something just before entering the village. Instantly, a bluish-green light shone out, and the white light vanished without a trace.

While Xu Ruwen was casting his spell, Xiaobai barked a few times at his back. After he finished casting the spell, it lay back down at Geng Miaowan's feet.

Xu Ruwen returned with a somewhat grim expression, and Geng Miaowan quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

"This monster is truly cunning. It has actually set up a barrier outside the village. It seems that the people in the village have all been controlled by that monster. With my skills, I really can't break this barrier. I need to go back and ask my master for help."

"Huh? What kind of monster is this? It's so powerful! No wonder the villagers were acting so strangely earlier," Geng Miaowan said. Suddenly, she remembered, "But I came out of there just now too!"

Xu Ruwen was taken aback, perhaps not expecting her to ask such a question, but he quickly offered an explanation, "I just checked, and that old man is a thousand-year-old locust tree spirit, and this barrier was set up by him. However, I don't know why you came from there unharmed. Perhaps I will find out after I go back and ask my master."

Upon hearing this, Geng Miaowan realized that her body was that of a demon, and perhaps the barrier that demons use to trap people couldn't trap demons. So she stopped asking questions.

Hearing Xu Ruwen say that it was a thousand-year-old locust tree spirit, she couldn't help but think of the old locust tree at the entrance of the village.

Xu Ruwen looked at her and said, “Miss Geng, this place is not safe to stay for long. I wonder where you are going. It is getting late and the road ahead is not safe. Why don’t I escort you for a while?”

His sincerity and earnest words moved Geng Miaowan deeply once again. She truly felt she had encountered a benefactor on her journey, who not only rescued her but also saw her off. However, even she herself didn't know where she was going…

She thought for a moment and said, "I'm new here and don't know anyone. I'd like to find a slightly more lively town to stay in for a while. Does Mr. Xu know of any such place nearby?"

Xu Ruwen pondered for a moment, “There is a small but lively town at the foot of Qingshan Mountain, which should be suitable for you to live in. Anyway, I need to go back to Qingshan Mountain to ask for my master. If you don’t mind, Miss Geng, why don’t you travel with me? When we get to the foot of Qingshan Mountain, I can make some arrangements for you.”