White Cloud Village is located to the south of Misty Peak, a beautiful place nestled by mountains and rivers, surrounded by a sea of bamboo and famous for its woven embroidery products.
This time, the task is to exorcise evil spirits from a Wang Family household. The mission was assigned by the Demon Extermination Sect, which distributes assignments across the extensive Cultivation World, dividing them geographically among different sects.
Early in the morning, Shen Yanli was already standing at the mountain entrance waiting for Mo Bai to arrive. The task for this outing had been explained yesterday, and according to reason, Mo Bai should be here by now.
"Master!" A sharp, youthful voice suddenly drilled into Shen Yanli's ears. She looked up to see Mo Bai, all cheerful, bounding down the high stone steps.
The boy was in his prime, with a handsome face finely chiseled as if crafted by a master artisan. His elegant brows carried an air of youthful exuberance, and he had a naturally bright and heroic demeanor. His jet-black hair was tied high, and his thin lips were attractively set. He wore a black tight-fitting outfit, with a golden-threaded belt at his waist highlighting his firm waistline clearly.
He loved to smile, and when he did, it was clear and pleasant, with a little tiger tooth at the corner of his mouth that often peeked out, making him look quite playful and cute.
Even though he was younger than Shen Yanli, he was taller, so Shen Yanli often had to look up at him, which left her with a peculiar sense of displeasure.
"Master!" Mo Bai's smile was dazzling, and that face gradually overlapped with the outline of someone in Shen Yanli's mind.
Such an attractive face, yet Shen Yanli couldn't help but be shocked, taking two steps back.
Mo Bai saw Shen Yanli's face change, and asked with concern, "Master, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Shen Yanli regained her composure, shook her head, "I'm fine."
Only then did Mo Bai feel at ease, smiling, with the cute little tiger tooth poking out again, "I'm relieved that Master is alright."
"This is your first time going down the mountain to exorcise evil spirits. I explained the precautions to you yesterday. You must not act impetuously during the mission, just follow me, understand?" Shen Yanli instructed him.
Mo Bai obediently nodded in agreement, "Yes, I will heed Master's instructions."
For Mo Bai who had never gone down the mountain to deal with demons or spirits, he was very excited. Though he often sneaked down the mountain for fun, dealing with evil spirits was a first, and he couldn't be more thrilled.
With a short flight on their swords, they reached the Wang Family, who were troubled by demons. The Wang Family was considered a major household in this small village.
Upon arriving at the Wang Family's entrance, they saw the manor standing grand and solemn. The vermilion gates were luxurious and imposing, contrasting sharply with the impoverished and run-down homes of the rest of the village, with two lifelike stone lions at the gate, and red drapes hanging from the beams, as if they had just celebrated an event recently.
Shen Yanli approached the door, while Mo Bai reached out to knock. After a long wait, the door was finally opened, and a short, stout man in his fifties poked his head out.
In a low, cautious voice, he asked, "Who are you looking for?"
"We received a mission to exorcise evil spirits," Shen Yanli stated their purpose.
The man showed a look of understanding, glanced sneakily around, and only invited them in after ensuring no one was watching.
Upon entering, Shen Yanli immediately sensed a strong demonic aura. She recalled that things weren't like this in her past life, and it seemed the situation had changed.
In the front hall, the man who opened the door revealed his identity. He was Wang Xicai, the head of the Wang Family, who had sent the request for exorcism to the Demon Extermination Sect.
This Wang Xicai was corpulent, with a face full of fat, and his shrewd little eyes kept glancing at them, thinking about something unknown.
"Could you tell us what happened?" Shen Yanli asked.
At this moment, Wang Xicai looked troubled, hesitating and stumbling over his words, unable to speak a word for quite some time.
Mo Bai was almost out of patience and said anxiously, "What's going on? Tell us quickly!"
Shen Yanli gave him a sharp look, and Mo Bai, realizing he spoke too much, immediately quieted down.
She curled her lips in a slight smile and said calmly, "It's okay, take your time."
Seeing Shen Yanli's kind demeanor, Wang Xicai finally began to speak, "This is truly something hard to talk about."
Shen Yanli's eyes coldly scanned over him, waiting for him to continue.
Wang Xicai furrowed his brow, swallowing hard as if it was difficult to speak. Knowing that the matter wouldn't be resolved unless he spoke up, he sighed helplessly, "All of this trouble was caused by my eldest daughter-in-law's foolish actions!"
"What exactly happened? Please tell us slowly," Shen Yanli said.