Nonsense! How could my adopted son be a villain?

To find the other party's whereabouts, one should naturally start by investigating the most recent events.

Xu Lingguang decided to start with the incident of the demon clan causing trouble in the eastern suburbs of Qingyu City half a month ago.

"Let's go to the eastern suburbs first and see what's going on with those troublesome demons."

Because the information was gathered hastily, Manager Zhao only provided the general time, place, and content, but the ins and outs and other details were completely unknown.

To save time and find Si Yuan as soon as possible, I decided to go there myself.

Lan Jian and Nie Yuqin naturally had no objections, and the three of them headed directly to the eastern suburbs of Qingyu City.

The eastern suburbs of Qingyu City are also a mountainous area, but the area is not as vast as that of the Ailao Mountains. It consists mostly of low-lying hills and mountains. Because of the nearby rivers, the land is fertile and the vegetation is lush. Although no large towns have been formed, there are a few scattered villages.

However, not many people live in the village permanently. Those who have some wealth try to move to Qingyu City, because living outside the city always makes them worry about bandits or demons causing trouble, which inevitably makes them feel anxious.

As the three traveled, they easily learned the whole story of the demon clan's rampage from the villagers in the eastern suburbs.

The villagers said that about half a month ago, a villager went into the mountains to cut firewood and stumbled upon three or four demons devouring a living person. The villager was so frightened that his legs went weak and he almost wet his pants. However, he was lucky. The demons were busy wolfing down their food and did not notice the villager hiding in the bushes. The villager held his breath and hid in the bushes, waiting for the demons to finish eating and leave before fleeing back in a panic.

The story of demons eating people in the eastern suburbs spread in the vicinity. In addition, some villagers went into the mountains and never returned. For a time, the surrounding villages were filled with fear, and no one dared to go into the mountains anymore.

The villagers here relied on the mountains and rivers for their livelihood. Before the cannibalistic demons appeared in the mountains, the strong men in the village would go into the mountains to hunt or collect medicinal herbs and spiritual plants to exchange for money in Qingyu City to make a living. Now that the demons have appeared in the mountains, no one dares to go into the mountains anymore, and the villagers' lives have suddenly become very difficult.

Later, a young cultivator who happened to be passing by heard about this and immediately took action to help, going into the mountains alone to exorcise the demon.

When talking about the kind-hearted cultivator who went into the mountains to exorcise demons, the villagers felt both grateful and complicated: "The cultivator looked young, still a teenager. He was doing it out of kindness. Although we felt it was inappropriate for him to go into the mountains alone, we didn't dare to question him. None of us had the courage to go with him, so we just watched him go into the mountains alone with his sword."

"Later... later, as you three have heard, the boy was no match for the many hands he had, and ended up falling into the hands of the demon race."

"Fortunately, he was lucky. Those demons were probably full and not hungry anymore. In the end, they just shaved his head and hung him at the city gate. It was Huang Er from our village who first found him when he went to the city to buy groceries..."

Xu Lingguang continued, "What about that young man? Did you see him afterward?"

The villager shook his head: "The boy was injured at the time. Huang Er brought him back to the village, intending to let him recuperate at his home. But the boy was proud and probably felt ashamed for not being able to exorcise the demon and having his head shaved. The next day, he disappeared, taking only the wound medicine that Huang Er bought for him and the money he had spent on the medicine."

"Hey, actually, none of us think it's a big deal. Those demons are eating people alive, and no one cares even if we report it to the authorities. We're already very grateful that this young boy is willing to step forward, even if he doesn't manage to eliminate the demon."

After listening, Xu Lingguang seemed to understand something, and then asked, "Which mountain is the demon clan located on?"

When the villager heard him asking about this, he advised, "Do you gentlemen also want to go into the mountains? I've heard there are quite a few demons there. They are not only ferocious but also quite powerful. Even the government can't control them. You three should not venture into the mountains and risk your lives."

Seeing the genuine concern on his face, Xu Lingguang smiled and said, "Don't worry, sir, we will be careful. We won't act recklessly if we are outmatched."

Hearing this, the old man figured these three must be reliable, and felt somewhat relieved. He then handed Xu Lingguang the herbs drying in front of his house, saying, "I've heard these herbs are good for healing. You gentlemen might find them useful."

The herb was indeed one of the ingredients needed for wound medicine. It was commonplace for Xu Lingguang, but it was a considerable income for these ordinary villagers. Xu Lingguang thought for a moment and did not refuse. Instead, he took out some money and said, "I appreciate your kindness, old man. However, we cultivators have our own rules and cannot take your things for free."

Seeing his insistence, the old man hesitated for a moment before accepting the money.

After bidding farewell to the old man, Xu Lingguang followed the directions he received and headed towards the mountain where the demons were entrenched.

The path into the mountains is not hard to find. Because villagers from the surrounding area often go into the mountains, a fairly flat path has been worn into the lush vegetation.

The three of them followed the path into the mountains. As Xu Lingguang observed the surrounding terrain, he speculated, "If what that old man said is true, there are probably more than one group of demons in these mountains."

The villagers who first encountered the demon race witnessed them eating people alive; this was clearly the first wave of demons.

The young cultivator went into the mountains to exorcise demons, and although he was defeated, he did not die. Instead, his head was shaved and he was hung at the city gate, which was obviously a malicious mockery.

The demon race's behavior before and after was completely different, clearly indicating that they were two separate groups.

Lan Jian agreed: "It does seem like two separate groups."

Nie Yuqin was greatly surprised: "How come the demon race can be so rampant in this world? Back when my father threw me out of the house, I was not very good at imitating humans after I transformed. I had to hide when I entered human cities, afraid of being recognized."

Now that he's older, he's gained experience and can blend in with the human race with ease, but he won't easily reveal his true identity.

Xu Lingguang said, "Who knows? Neither of these groups seems very smart."

In other words, Qingyu City is a small border town. The Qingyu Sect, which was originally stationed here, has disbanded. The imperial troops sent to guard the city happened to be Yu Xian, and Yu Xian happened to be gone. So now there is no one in charge, and things have become chaotic.

Once the imperial court has time to intervene, or if a righteous cultivator with considerable skill steps in, these demons will inevitably suffer a great misfortune sooner or later.

Xu Lingguang thought about it, then glanced at Lan Jian beside him and realized that it was only a matter of time before they were in big trouble!