Is that so?

Fang Yue frowned. Could there be something on me attracting it?

He took stock of his belongings. Besides the parchment, there didn't seem to be anything else of value.

Could it be coming for that?

[Don't talk nonsense! The great and pure Parchment-sama, although with countless predecessors, has never attracted any youkai!]

Alright, the parchment itself has denied it, so it must not be related.

Then what is it?

Fang Yue was frowning, deep in thought, when suddenly, for some reason, an idea he had in Mo Village surfaced in his mind.

Back then, Fang Yue and Ni Dongmei had discussed the issue of youkai spiritual roots, although it was rejected. However, Fang Yue had indeed been youkai-ified for a short period. Could this be the reason why he attracted the giant Bi Gua Gui's prioritized attack and forced devouring?

On the surface, it seemed to make some sense. Humans who have been youkai-ified taste better?

But upon closer inspection, he felt like he was just talking nonsense.

Han-daren then pondered and said, "Perhaps… it's related to the [Youkai Curse] on you!"

Youkai Curse [Wu Yu]! (Black Rain)

Fang Yue was shocked.

This youkai curse was too abnormal, too well-behaved.

Other youkai curses had strong effects, shoving everything right in your face.

But this thing, if Han-daren hadn't mentioned it, and if it hadn't been hot and feverish on that night the rain fell, Fang Yue would have forgotten that he was someone carrying a youkai curse.

"Xiao Ye, if it's really the Wu Yu clan's youkai curse acting up, then we need to speed up our progress. The Wu Yu clan's youkai curse is not simple. No one in a small place can handle it. Only when we get to Qing Si County will there possibly be someone who understands it."

"En."

Having experienced the Bi Gua Gui's attack, the team simply decided not to stop and continued on their way.

They traveled from night to day.

And then from day to night again.

Along the way, everyone was silent, vigilant about their surroundings, and mentally strained.

Except for that Tiandan Zhiyuan Wu (Sky-fading Paper Kite Dance), who, after struggling to finish a large piece of frog drumstick, immediately logged off to rest.

Along the way, the only two horses they had also collapsed completely due to their severe injuries.

The carriage was back to being pulled by manpower, but fortunately, they also had much less stuff.

The only thing to be thankful for on this journey was that there were no youkai attacks. The process was very peaceful.

After the sun set and darkness descended.

Just as everyone's eyelids were drooping, a new village finally appeared ahead.

It was exactly their intended destination—Dedao Village.

"He won't see anyone."

"What about the other captains?"

"They don't see anyone either. To be precise, they don't leave the village and don't interact with anyone from outside."

Lin Ling was stunned when he heard this.

He remembered that when Chen Mu was still alive, he had visited Dedao Village. He had even talked to him about his experience back then, but Dedao Village clearly didn't have so many rules back then.

Seeing that Lin Ling's emotions were unstable, Fang Yue quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, then said.

"We won't go in. We'll just set up camp and rest at the entrance of your village. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"It should… be okay?" The guard asked the person next to him uncertainly.

"...Set up camp then. When the captain asks tomorrow, we'll say no one came."

Compared to the fat guard who actively communicated, the silent skinny guard next to him was clearly much more worldly-wise.

Jing Yan's eyes darted around. "Then can we buy some supplies? We encountered a youkai attack, and the carriage was destroyed, so it's very inconvenient to be outside like this."

The skinny guard shook his head slightly. "No, the captain's orders specifically mentioned that we cannot trade with people outside the village."

Alright, let's just set up camp and rest for now.

Fang Yue and Lin Ling sighed and exchanged glances.

The team had been holding their breath and speeding here with all their might, only to be turned away. It was really uncomfortable.

And, most importantly, they didn't get any supplies.

There was no other way. Everyone set up camp and rested.

Tiandan Zhiyuan Wu logged in at this time.

As soon as she logged in, she mysteriously winked at Fang Yue.

"Ye-ge, guess where the tail's gone?"

"...Glacial Sect?"

"Eh?! No fun, no fun! As soon as I said 'tail,' Ye-ge guessed what I was going to say!"

Tiandan Zhiyuan Wu walked out in a huff, and then saw… that they were actually camping at the entrance of the village.

"Ye-ge, Ye-ge, why aren't we going into the village?"

"They won't let us in."

"Then let's kill our way in!" Tiandan Zhiyuan Wu violently waved her pink fist and got a knock on the head from Fang Yue.

Kill our way in? Do you think we're youkai, going to massacre the village?

If we really did something like that, how would we fare when the Qing Si investigated? Would we be treated like rats scurrying across the street, with everyone shouting to kill us?

Without thinking too much, after the team set up camp, everyone except the two members assigned to guard duty rested.

Fang Yue didn't sleep. Instead, he entered meditation and cultivated for a little while.

After all, this was already at the entrance of the village. There shouldn't be any youkai attacking right at the village entrance, right?

But even though he felt it was safe here, Fang Yue still chose to immediately exit after completing a small circulation of the Lie Huo Xin Fa (Blazing Fire Heart Sutra), maintain a clear-headed state for a while, and only enter meditation again after confirming that nothing was wrong.

He switched between these states until late at night.

After Fang Yue exited the small circulation…

Fang Yue suddenly felt a wave of fatigue wash over him.

However, this wave of fatigue came quickly and left quickly. He was completely awake again after just shaking his head slightly.

Fang Yue didn't take it to heart at first, but the system prompt suddenly sounded.

"System Notification: You have fallen into [Drug: Soul-Scattering Powder] state."

"System Notification: [Drug: Soul-Scattering Powder] state has been removed."

Fang Yue: ???

A drug? Not just me being too tired?

Fang Yue was stunned for a moment before realizing that Ye Zhi Huxi (Breath of the Night) had instantly removed the state again.

"Shh!"

Han-daren, who was supposed to be sleeping on the table in the tent, with clothes underneath as a makeshift bed, suddenly spoke.

Clearly, not only was Fang Yue unaffected, but Han-daren wasn't fooled either.