Don't you want to explain anything, Miss Sun?" Qi Yi asked. After taking a deep breath, Sun Li began her explanation as she sat down next to Wan An.
"Since the beginning, the giant forest has been filled with creatures, but no one dared to cause trouble because they had previously made an agreement with the ancestors of the Sun family. However, last month, the outermost village was wiped out overnight. The corpses were pale and their internal organs were missing." It was the first massacre carried out by evil spirits in the human world. Initially, they concluded that it was the terror of the forest monsters or criminals, but after coming to the demon realm and hearing the stories of the Demon Emperor and General Gu, Sun Li became doubtful and began to attribute it to the evil spirits roaming around.
"That was just the beginning, but after that, local residents often complained of discomfort. In the past few days, many local residents have disappeared. It's quite strange because they have lived and explored the giant forest for years. Although outsiders and traders often disappear, we can find them immediately. But not this time." It is not unusual for many people to disappear or get lost in the giant forest on the way to Senlin Village, but they are quickly found because disciples of the Senlin Sun Sect always patrol every corner of the forest. If there is a report of missing people, they can immediately search. Or not, it is rare for them to find lost visitors confused in the middle of the forest before being brought to the village.
In fact, the residents along with the people of the Senlin Sun sect have marked the entrance to the giant forest by building statues of their ancestors in the four cardinal directions, they made paths and cleared any vegetation that was in the way, so that the number of lost visitors could be reduced.
However, recently, many migrants, traders, and even local residents who spent their days in the giant forest have also disappeared. Usually, after being reported missing, they are quickly found, or if they were attacked by wild animals, their remains can still be found. But not now.
Hearing Sun Li's explanation, Qi Yi couldn't conclude that all of this was related to the evil spirit even though all of this happened right after the village massacre.
"This evil spirit, does it have a name?" Yun Guoqu's question was a bit off topic, but General Gu still answered politely. He might be an arrogant and stubborn general, but he also didn't guarantee victory when fighting Yun Guoqu. Remembering their last fight, if not for emperor Qi, he would have died. "No background, no name, or anything else. When it attacked, all it did was laugh."
"Then let's give it a name." Everyone ignored Wan An and asked Sun Li to continue, Wan An curled his lips.
"At first I wasn't too worried about this problem, but when my little sister came and told me about her discomfort…."
"She said she always felt like something was following her wherever she went. When she was in the park, she felt something watching from the woods. Or when night fell, something would bang on her window. I know what Jia is like. She must have been so troubled that she came and told me everything." Sun Li finished in one breath.
"So this is why you called us?"
"I know you're busy chasing that spirit, and I don't have any solid proof that the recent events in the giant forest were caused by the creature you're looking for, but I need your help." Sun Li said earnestly.
"You still have Shen Xing, who's closer than here." Sun Li sighed heavily to Wan An, then Fu Ziya hit her cousin's head without holding back the strength, making a loud, painful thud. Sitting there, Qi Yi smiled, holding back laughter. It must have hurt like hell, because the sound was no joke.
Qi Yi considered several possibilities. If she wasn't mistaken, the giant forest was guarded by the Du tree spirit. The spirit wasn't the aggressive type, let alone the one who would kill people. Their only mischievous trait was that they enjoyed confusing visitors and leading them astray, but they probably wouldn't kill, let alone disturb a young lady.
"General, besides the Gu tree spirit, are there any other creatures living in the giant forest?" Qi Yi's question piqued the curiosity of the others, who all turned to look at General Gu, who was deep in thought. She had been observing many places, so she might have missed some.
"Virgin ghost, tree spirit, ordinary lower class ghost hmmm…" General Gu thought deeper, it seemed that was still not all.
"The wolf demon," Yun Guoqu continued. General Gu put on a face of winning a big prize. "Lang Zong. Of the many ghosts and monsters that inhabit the giant forest, only Lang Zong is difficult to deal with. He is too stubborn and has too much pride."
"But Lang Zong doesn't have that much power; he's just a low-ranking wolf demon," Wan An interrupted. He had met Lang Zong several times. When his sisters started to disturb his peaceful days in Bingshan, he would flee to the human world. He had encountered other creatures in the human world several times, including Lang Zong. Lang Zong was just like an ordinary wolf, and his energy output wasn't that great. With a single snarl, the creature would immediately flee and disappear into the forest.
"Then, let's investigate this tomorrow. The sun's setting. Besides investigating where everyone disappeared, I also need your help tonight. It's just my sister and I today. She started getting paranoid when everyone left."
"I'm sorry, but the demon emperor can't accept the job of being a guard for a human like you." General Gu commented scathingly, but before he could say anything further, his body went numb, Qi Yi beside him replied casually. "It's okay. I'm happy to help even though this may have nothing to do with the escaped evil spirit. I suppose I also need to keep an eye on the other demons living in the human world." said Qi Yi, who had not left the dark palace for a long time.
On the other hand, Yun Guoqu himself preferred to travel and solve problems in places that needed help rather than sitting quietly on his throne. After all, he had already handed over the affairs of the upper world to his confidants.
Everyone nodded in agreement and Sun Li sincerely thanked Qi Yi. General Gu who had already escaped Qi Yi's restraints was powerless to make a comment, "Your Majesty—"
"Another comment? I'll make sure your axe breaks next time." General Gu's mouth immediately snapped shut. Sometimes, Qi Yi was truly cruel. Fu Ziya, who saw this, laughed and teased General Gu nonstop.
Sun Li entertained them well. Sun Jia, the second daughter, didn't leave her room, so Sun Li personally delivered the food. After confirming nothing was amiss, they retired to rest. Luse had plenty of empty rooms to occupy, so they settled into adjacent rooms.
Qi Yi couldn't sleep. Ever since their discussion this afternoon, she had been feeling uneasy. It was no wonder Miss Sun Jia felt uneasy and felt like something was following her, because Qi Yi herself felt the same way.
Qi Yi finally emerged, heading towards the backyard of the place they had visited earlier that afternoon. It wasn't yet dark, but the majestic Luse was already deserted, with only a few sect disciples patrolling. Qi Yi took off her shoes and stepped onto the grass. This time, no plants emerged from her footsteps.
That night, the moon was approaching its fullest phase. It shone brightly, like dawn. Qi Yi stood at the edge of the forest, her hand raised to feel the barrier Sun Li had set up. It was quite a powerful barrier, but it still wasn't enough.
The cold air touched Qi Yi's skin. There was no wind, and even the trees in front remained motionless. She directed her power throughout the forest, searching for any hidden places she might have previously missed.
And—her breath hitched. A figure stood two or three trees away in front. The figure had red eyes that stared straight at her, unblinking. Its lips were parted, but it wasn't a smile. Qi Yi didn't know what the figure looked like, but she could clearly sense it with her powers.
The figure took out something and said softly. "I have something for you." She wasn't afraid, of course not; she was the Demon Emperor. Just from its aura, Qi Yi concluded that it was the evil spirit they were looking for, but the aura it emitted was slightly different from their last encounter. A full moon in the forest could generate a lot of evil energy.
Curious, Qi Yi broke through the barrier in front of her, but her hand was held before she could pass through the transparent veil.