I have a high-risk profession in the cultivation world.

Chu Chenmu grabbed a young man, who trembled as if startled. He looked at Chu Chenmu several times before he was sure there was no danger and slowly lowered his guard.

But she still frowned and urged in a low voice, "What's wrong? I'm in a hurry to get home, let go quickly." Clearly, she didn't want to linger any longer.

“I am a monk. Tell us what happened here, and we will handle it.”

Upon hearing this, the young man's tense body suddenly relaxed, his eyes instantly turning bloodshot. He knelt down on the ground with a thud before Chu Chenmu and the others, his head about to kowtow, pleading, "Save my wife! Save my wife! Please, immortal lords, save my wife and the others!"

"Don't rush, get up and tell me about the situation here."

The young man, named Zhang Hu, was helped up by Chu Chenmu and, after calming himself down, he trembled as he recounted what had happened recently. "Immortal Lord, it was seventeen days ago. Our town was going to worship the Willow Goddess, but on the day of the worship, we somehow angered her. She actually... she actually... kidnapped the young girls chosen by the town to perform the dance and set up the altar. Now, it's the seventeenth day, and we haven't heard a word from them!"

"Thirteen young women vanished in the blink of an eye. I thought I smelled a woody scent... then I felt a moment of disorientation, and when I opened my eyes again, my wife was gone," Zhang Hu recalled, a look of lingering fear on his face.

"At that time... people were very panicked. Everyone heard a voice saying that we had done something wrong and angered the Willow Goddess, which was why she had punished us, forbidding us from approaching the willow tree there in the future, and forbidding anyone from worshipping it."

"The voice was very close, like someone was speaking right next to my ear."

After Zhang Hu finished speaking, he stood cautiously in place. After thinking for a moment, he remembered something and spoke again, "Oh right, a few days ago, Uncle Niu's daughter was also kidnapped. Sigh... I heard from Aunt Niu that Uncle Niu went to look for her secretly afterward, but she never came back."

Now that everything was explained, Zhang Hu stood to the side waiting for Chu Chenmu to speak.

"We understand. Tell us the location of the sacrifice, and we will investigate as soon as possible. Don't worry."

Chu Chenmu continued to inquire, "Have you heard that some cultivators from Gusu City have also come here in the past few days?"

"This... people have been in a state of panic these past few days. I don't know either; I haven't heard anyone spread this news."

Hearing this, Su Chengdian became even more anxious. His father had been away from home for so many days, how could no one have heard about it? Could something really have happened?

Tian Yige was also very worried, but at this moment she had to calm Su Chengdian down first. "Chengdian, don't panic, your uncle will be fine. Let's go and find out what's going on today."

“That’s right, Senior Brother. Your uncle is a lucky man, and we will do our best to help you. Besides, Master can’t stand the existence of demons.” Luo Suichen grabbed Su Chengdian’s arm from the side and patted it comfortingly.

Luo Suichen's worried expression seemed genuine, but his words struck Tian Yige as odd. Wasn't it normal for Master to dislike evil demons in the world? Why did Junior Brother's tone sound so subtle about this matter?

But this thought only flashed through Tian Yige's mind for a moment before she was immediately drawn to something more important.

"Please tell me more about this Willow Goddess. When did you start worshipping her, and what deity is she from?"

“I heard my mother say that two or three hundred years ago, a girl seemed to have encountered some misfortune. In a moment of despair, she hanged herself on the willow tree by the river. The tree became a spirit and preserved the girl’s soul. From then on, the girl became a tree spirit and protected our Muliu Town. For the past few hundred years, Muliu Town has enjoyed favorable weather and abundant harvests, and even the crop yields are better than those in the neighboring towns.”

"Is she the Willow Wood Lady?"

"Yes, we are grateful for her care, so we spontaneously organize a festival every December to add some incense to the Willow Goddess."

"Judging from your description, that Lady Willow Wood should be a good person. How come her temperament has changed so drastically this year, and she has kidnapped so many girls?"

"Nobody knows. We don't believe that Lady Willow would be so cruel. Some knowledgeable people in town said that she might be influenced by a demon and told us to report to the Chongshan Sect that a demon is causing trouble."

At this, Zhang Hu's eyes lit up. "Could it be that these immortal lords were sent by the Chongshan Sect to help us?"

Tian Yige denied it, saying, "We are disciples of the Wuji Sect, and this is my master. However, we all have the same goal: to eliminate demons."

Luo Suichen listened silently from the side, and then suddenly spoke up, "If Lady Willow Wood is good at heart, and only killed people under the influence of demons, then Master... would you also get rid of her?"

"She was merely corrupted by external forces; naturally, the demonic energy will be removed." Chu Chenmu was puzzled. Neither he nor the original owner were indiscriminate killers, and besides, killing required effort.

Luo Suichen raised an eyebrow. "What if it's not an external force, but rather the presence of demonic energy within the body itself?" If it were me, if one day my demonic veins were to manifest and I were to absorb demonic energy, would you make an exception for me?

Chu Chenmu was somewhat puzzled. "If it wasn't a willing fall into demonic possession, how could demonic energy arise in your body? Don't worry, it's easy to tell whether it was corrupted or formed voluntarily." When did his little apprentice become so kind, even caring about Lady Willow's life or death, afraid that he had misjudged the situation?

No! You can't tell whether it's voluntary or not! In your past life, you imprisoned yourself without any regard for right or wrong when your demonic lineage was revealed, and you're telling me that demons deserve to die!

You keep saying it's easy to distinguish, so are you deliberately trying to kill me?!

Or is it that you would rather extend your kindness to strangers than forgive even a little bit of your former disciple?

Hypocritical.

Luo Suichen spoke again, like a dutiful disciple humbly seeking guidance from his master: "Oh? Is it true, Master? Isn't it true that all demons deserve to die?"

Chu Chenmu finally understood what Luo Suichen had been dawdling about for so long. He spoke sincerely, looking at Luo Suichen with his clear eyes, "Humans are divided into good and evil, cultivators are divided into good and evil, and we have no right to judge a demon before it kills someone."

Due to his persona and the system in his mind, he couldn't give Luo Suichen a firm "of course not," but he still tried his best to be clear enough that he wasn't someone who didn't distinguish right from wrong.

That's really what he thought. In his previous life, with the internet so developed, he had seen too many news reports. He would occasionally see seemingly respectable principals and teachers physically punishing or even harassing children, well-known companies exploiting their employees and defaulting on wages, and philanthropists getting involved in illegal and criminal activities in the gray areas.

I've also seen uncles with frightening appearances because they injured their faces while performing acts of bravery, strangers who followed little girls home even though it wasn't on their way because the streetlights along that stretch of road were broken, and scavengers who found bags containing cash and waited for the owners to return.

It is not true that a person's character is determined by their social status, nor should we make arbitrary assumptions about a person's personality and inner thoughts based on their status, family background, appearance, etc., which are beyond their control.

He understood the question Luo Suichen had just asked. He realized that the child was too concerned about the demonic vein hidden in his body and about the possibility of unfair treatment from others. He was so concerned that he had become somewhat obsessed.

Although he had no intention of staying in this world and knew that he would eventually be killed by Luo Suichen, he still wanted to correct the male protagonist, whose values ​​had become somewhat distorted due to his own experiences, at some point, as a way to accumulate blessings for Tian Yige and the Wuji Sect.

Even though it wasn't said very directly, Chu Chenmu still heard the warning from the system: "[You have been detected to have seriously violated the original owner's character settings]," and a sharp pain exploded in his head again.

Chu Chenmu was mentally prepared; he knew he probably wouldn't be able to fool Luo Suichen this time. Even with a terrible headache, he forced himself to meet Luo Suichen's gaze with a gentle look. However, fine beads of sweat slowly seeped from his forehead, and his lips turned slightly pale.

Luo Suichen was stung by Chu Chenmu's sudden, sincere gaze. He lowered his eyes uncomfortably, pondering the credibility of Chu Chenmu's words, and missed Chu Chenmu's strange behavior just now.

The punishment passed quickly. Chu Chenmu steadied himself and his breathing, making sure no one noticed anything amiss. He comforted Zhang Hu and led the group to the location of the altar that Zhang Hu had mentioned.

The altar was easy to find near the willow tree. From a distance, the group saw a towering willow tree, as thick as two people could hug, standing by the river. Despite it being the dead of winter, the willow branches were incredibly green, drooping from the treetops and moving without any wind.

This must be the Willow Goddess that Zhang Hu mentioned. A small temple had been built just a few dozen meters away from the willow tree, with a large open space in front of it, presumably where the townspeople usually worshipped.

The group did not approach, but remained hidden and observed from a distance.

Chu Chenmu carefully sensed it but didn't detect any demonic energy. Could this really be a drastic change in Lady Willow's nature?

According to Zhang Hu's description, Uncle Niu was also kidnapped later. If someone were to impersonate a villager, this Willow Wood Goddess would probably kidnap them as well.

Chu Chenmu didn't dare to rashly investigate Willow Wood Lady's cultivation level, but if Su's father really came here and there was no news, then Willow Wood Lady should at least be at the Foundation Establishment stage. To be on the safe side, he decided to take action himself.

Chu Chenmu told the other three about the plan. Luo Suichen frowned. "Zhang Hu described feeling dizzy. If Master is accidentally caught in the trap and is really kidnapped, wouldn't the three of us be helpless? It would be better if Master stayed outside so that we could rescue him in time if anything went wrong."

Chu Chenmu was somewhat surprised. It turned out that Luo Suichen genuinely wanted to rescue those people. He suddenly felt a sense of accomplishment, as if he had discovered the shining point of the problem student that people talked about through his own efforts. He knew that Luo Suichen was not a bad person, but just a little sensitive about certain things.

Tian Yige agreed, "Junior Brother is right. Why don't I go? I'm a girl too, and I think Lady Willow is more likely to be careless."

Su Chengdian wanted to speak, but before he could, Luo Suichen flashed onto the road, revealing his figure and pretending to be a passerby, walking towards Lady Willow.

"Junior Brother!!!" Tian Yige and Su Chengdian also wanted to follow, but Chu Chenmu stopped them, "Don't affect Sui Chen, we'll follow secretly and be ready to rescue him."

Chu Chenmu was also startled. He never expected it to be Luo Suichen. He rushed out without saying a word, and Chu Chenmu didn't even have time to stuff a few more life-saving talismans into Luo Suichen's hands.

He watched as Luo Suichen approached the willow tree, slowly drawing near and then slowly walking past it, without anything unusual happening.

Did things pass peacefully?

Does it only trigger when you perform a ritual?

Luo Suichen also realized this, so he took a few steps back, stood under the willow tree, bowed slightly, and whispered, "May the Willow Goddess protect and bless me..."

Before he could finish speaking, several willow branches suddenly emitted a strange red light, rapidly growing longer and thicker, their leaves becoming incredibly sharp. They bound Luo Suichen tightly, instantly slashing many wounds across his body.

Luo Suichen suddenly felt weak all over, knowing that Lady Willow was about to make a move. He controlled his protective spiritual power so that it wouldn't be too conspicuous, only protecting his inner body. He obediently let himself be bound, and then the willow branch carried him toward the tree trunk. He didn't feel the pain of his flesh colliding with the hard tree trunk. He only felt that the willow trunk was incredibly sticky, enveloping him inside.

"Junior Brother is missing!"

"It turns out that the townspeople who were kidnapped all entered the body of the willow tree."

“This makes a direct attack difficult. If Lady Willow fights to the death, Sui Chen and the townspeople inside her will be in great danger.” Chu Chenmu frowned, not expecting Lady Willow to use his own body as a vessel.

"When she first made her move, I vaguely sensed that her cultivation level was no higher than mine. You two stay here and guard the area, advising passersby not to beg her, so that no more people can be put in danger."

"I'm going to save people."

Chu Chenmu quickly assigned the task, then concealed his aura, pretending to be a passerby as he approached the willow tree. He only managed to utter a few words before he was trapped by the sharp and tough willow branches and thrown into the trunk of the tree.

After Luo Suichen was thrown in, he felt himself sinking into a viscous substance that was pitch black. He felt that he was falling downwards and soon hit the bottom. He used the force to roll and stabilize himself.

The ground felt like wood when he stepped on it, and he guessed that it was probably transformed from the roots of the Willow Goddess.

He didn't make any rash moves, staying where he was and waiting for his master and senior brothers and sisters outside to take action. But after a while, he heard a dull thud, as another person had fallen to the ground.

Has someone else come down?

"Following the dust?"

Chu Chenmu sensed another breath beside him and called out softly. At the same time, he used his spiritual sense to perceive Luo Suichen's presence—a humanoid creature not far away, filled with fire and wood elemental spiritual energy.

Why is it Master? Luo Suichen's head was still a little dizzy, probably because the poison he had just been in hadn't been completely cleared.

He groped his way to the source of the sound. It was too dark here. He felt like he had forgotten something, but his mind was foggy. He answered instinctively, "It's me. Why did Master come down?"

Chu Chenmu looked at Luo Suichen, who was fumbling around like a fool, with a wry smile, and reminded him, "Your spiritual root is fire, which can be used for lighting."