How to Handle a Sickly Yandere Demon God - Chapter 20

“Delicious!” Xu Xingxing praised.

Qin Feng: ???

“I was talking about Xuanxuan’s cooking,” Xu Xingxing stuck out her tongue at Qi Danxuan, who was nearby. “Sorry, please continue.”

“Although we discovered this cave dwelling last night, we didn’t find any demonic creatures,” Fang Zhiming said while eating.

“What about the female ghost? Did you interrogate her yesterday?” Xu Xingxing asked after swallowing her food.

Qin Feng shook his head: “Her resentment runs deep, but she has forgotten everything from her past. We tried every method yesterday but made no progress. Early this morning, we went to the magistrate’s office and found that among the missing families from that village, there was no family of four with one son and one daughter as you described yesterday, Senior Sister.”

“Was there a family of three with only one son?” Xiao Hei suddenly spoke up.

“Yes,”

Lin Yue chimed in from the side, “I made a point of remembering. There were three missing families in that village, and one of them consisted of two adults and a young child. But does this have anything to do with the female ghost?”

“Not at all.”

“Then why did you ask?” Xu Xingxing wondered.

“If I’m not mistaken, that family of three is the household from last night,” Xiao Hei looked at Xu Xingxing. “But this family should have no connection to the female ghost.”

“How do you know?”

“Their auras are different.”

“If that’s the case, why would the female ghost create such an illusion for no reason?” Qin Feng frowned.

“This female ghost had her tongue torn out and her memories damaged. She must have suffered inhuman torment both in life and death. Yet her magical power is weak, so she likely hasn’t harmed anyone. If, as Xiao Hei says, she has no connection to that family, then it’s probably because that household gave her a sense of familiarity and longing,” Fang Zhiming reasoned.

“Most vengeful spirits lose their humanity. Why would she refrain from harming people and instead hide in a deserted place?” Lin Yue asked, puzzled.

“We’ll only know once we find out who this female ghost really is.”

Qi Danxuan said, “Early this morning, my brother sent an artist to sketch a portrait of the female ghost as she appeared in life. It has already been distributed to the rogue cultivators in the prefecture for investigation.”

“But with the heavy snow outside, most people are likely staying indoors. It won’t be easy to find anyone,” Xu Xingxing suddenly had an idea. “Xuanxuan, the snow in Qingzhou has been falling for so long. How are the common people managing to survive?”

“The court has allocated relief grain, and my brother has also led major merchants to set up porridge kitchens. This has helped calm the people and prevent major unrest.”

Xu Xingxing looked at the group: “Doesn’t that make it easier to find her?”

For the next two days, the group split up and traveled between the various porridge kitchens, showing the female ghost’s portrait to the common people and asking for information.

One day, while Xu Xingxing was at a porridge kitchen holding up the portrait and questioning people, she suddenly received a messenger talisman from Qin Feng, telling them to return immediately.

She and Xiao Hei hurried back to the prefecture and entered the main hall, where Qi Rongli, Fang Zhiming, Lin Yue, Qin Feng, and Zhang Long were already waiting. Fang Zhiming’s lips were pale, and there were traces of blood on his clothes. When he saw Xu Xingxing, he gave a weak smile.

Lin Yue knelt beside him, treating his injuries. She bit her lower lip tightly, her eyes seemingly brimming with tears.

Xu Xingxing quickly stepped forward: “How were you injured?”

“It’s nothing, just a minor wound. Fortunately, we’ve found a lead.”

Fang Zhiming handed over the booklet that had been lying on the table and continued, “Today, we questioned a man who avoided eye contact during the interrogation. Lin Yue and I followed him after he collected his porridge and went to his home. There, we found him flipping through this illustrated register.”

Xu Xingxing opened it and saw that each page featured a portrait with annotations below, names, ages, and in some cases, places of origin. The booklet contained records of over twenty individuals, both men and women.

“What is this?”

“A register for human trafficking.”

“Slaves?”

“Unlikely.”

Qi Rongli remarked, “Buying and selling slaves is legal and regulated. While large-scale transactions are recorded by the authorities, they are not documented in such detail. The people in this register are likely from respectable backgrounds.”

“Senior Qi is correct.”

Fang Zhiming coughed a few times before adding, “The people in this register include women abducted from villages, children snatched from the streets, and even noble ladies from secluded households.”

“It’s her!” Xu Xingxing exclaimed as she flipped to a particular page. The portrait depicted a woman who bore a striking resemblance to the female ghost, though she appeared much more serene and gentle.

“Yes, it’s her.”

Fang Zhiming recited the text he had memorized: “Shen Rongjun, sixteen years old, daughter of the former Vice Minister of Revenue.”

“The former Vice Minister of Revenue was stripped of his rank and reduced to commoner status two months ago for offending the Empress Dowager. It’s said he took his own life out of despair.”

Qi Rongli sighed. “To think his daughter suffered such a cruel fate after his death. If he knew of this in the afterlife, how could he rest in peace?”

“How were you injured?” Xu Xingxing asked after a moment of silence.

“Lin Yue and I pressed the man for answers. He claimed the register belonged to his cousin, Zhang Li, who is involved in human trafficking. Zhang Li trades in attractive individuals, and this batch was his latest acquisition. He even boasted that among them was an exceptional beauty, worth nearly a thousand gold… cough…” Before he could finish, Fang Zhiming began coughing again.

Lin Yue’s eyes filled with concern as she gently patted his back to help him catch his breath. She continued, “About twenty days ago, Zhang Li sought out this man and entrusted him with the register, insisting it must be kept safe. He said that if the register remained intact, Zhang Li would live, but if it were lost, he would surely die. After giving these instructions, Zhang Li left Qingzhou overnight, and his current whereabouts are unknown.”

“Just as we were about to bring the man back for further questioning, we were suddenly ambushed. Dozens of black-clad assailants surrounded us, and one of them possessed cultivation skills superior to both of us.”

Tears welled in Lin Yue’s eyes. “If not for protecting me, Senior Brother Fang could have escaped unscathed. Fortunately, Qin Feng arrived in time, and we managed to return safely.”

“So, Zhang Li is the key.”

Qin Feng frowned deeply. “But he has already left Qingzhou. The world is vast, how are we to find him?”

“Immortal Lord,”

Zhang Long, who had been standing quietly to the side, finally spoke up. “I… know where he is.”

“Where?” Qin Feng asked.

“I met him at a banquet. He was eager to befriend me, and since he was generous and open-handed, I maintained occasional contact with him.”

Zhang Long cautiously glanced at Qi Rongli. “Half a month ago, he came to me, saying Zhou Wuxia was trying to kill him and begged for my protection… He offered lavish gifts in gratitude. I thought it was a simple favor, so I took him in…”

“Hmph!”

Qi Rongli slightly turned, his expression unchanged, yet the gentle and harmless jade-like aura around him instantly transformed into the imposing majesty of a king’s arrival. He spoke lightly, “Zhang Long, I never knew you were so kind-hearted.”

“Master, I beg for your forgiveness!”

Zhang Long immediately knelt to the ground. “I had no idea he was involved in such vile deeds. Had I known, I would never have associated with him!”

Qi Rongli stared at him for a long while before sighing and saying to Xu Xingxing, “Zhang Long has been serving my father since his youth and has always been loyal to the Qi family. Today, he misjudged someone. Immortal Lord, you may punish him as you see fit.”

“Mr. Zhang did not act intentionally, so punishment is unnecessary,” Xu Xingxing advised. “Besides, if not for Mr. Zhang taking him in, we wouldn’t have known how to find him. It’s better to bring Zhang Li here quickly.”

“Thank you, Immortal Lord, for speaking on my behalf,” Zhang Long glanced at Qi Rongli again. “Master, then I…”

“Go quickly.”

By this time, Fang Zhiming had already collapsed from exhaustion and fallen asleep, with Lin Yue accompanying him to care for him.

Once everyone was seated, Qi Rongli turned his gaze to Zhang Li, who was kneeling in the hall.

Zhang Long, standing nearby, angrily demanded, “Zhang Li, your evil deeds have been exposed. Will you confess honestly today, or shall I use magic to extract your memories?”

“I’ll speak, I’ll speak!”

Zhang Li pleaded repeatedly for mercy. “The woman the Immortal Lord asked about is named Shen Rongjun. Her father was the former Vice Minister of Revenue in the court. After he took his own life, she also contemplated suicide. Seeing her exquisite beauty, I drugged and abducted her when she was about to end her life. Originally, I intended to make her my wife, after all, who wouldn’t covet such a beauty?”

Zhang Long kicked him to the ground. “You lecherous scoundrel! How dare you? Stop joking around and tell us how you brutally murdered her!”

“Murder? I didn’t do it! It must have been Zhou Wuxia! Immortal Lord, please see the truth!” Zhang Li hurriedly kowtowed to the crowd, and soon, blood seeped from his forehead.

“Why are you so sure it was him?” Qin Feng asked.

“He was the one who bought Rongjun. After seeing her portrait, he actually offered ten thousand taels of gold, so I sold her to him.”

“Then why did you flee?”

“Immortal Lord, you may not know, but trafficking people isn’t something I could do alone. I have two brothers, one responsible for finding buyers, the other for delivery. I only handled the captures.”

His face showed fear. “Both of my brothers never returned on the day of the delivery. I grew suspicious and quickly spread the rumor that I had left the city. Relying on Brother Zhang’s protection, I’ve managed to survive until today.”

“Who is Zhou Wuxia?” Xu Xingxing asked.

Under Qi Rongli’s signal, Zhang Long explained, “The Zhou family is an influential clan in Qingzhou. Zhou Wuxia is the cousin of the current Minister of Personnel. The Minister of Personnel’s mother holds a title conferred by the Empress Dowager herself, and Zhou Wuxia addresses her as aunt. His father passed away early, and his aunt dotes on this nephew dearly. Even the current Prefect of Qingzhou obeys his every command.”

“The ones who attacked Immortal Lord Fang today were likely sent by the Zhou family. In Qingzhou City, there are only two cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage, one is me, and the other is Zhou Qing of the Zhou family.”

Zhang Long frowned deeply. “That man specializes in unorthodox and demonic paths, not the righteous way of cultivation. I should have realized it when I saw the female ghost. I always thought we simply followed different paths, but who would have guessed he could be so ruthless and venomous!”

The group fell into silence. After a long while, Xu Xingxing was the first to break the quiet: “Mr. Zhang, please take him to Rongjun’s room. I believe Rongjun has been waiting for him to apologize.”

“Rongjun?”

Zhang Li’s face twisted in horror. “Didn’t you say she was already dead?”

“Feed him a calming pill,” Qi Rongli said calmly. “He still has some use later, don’t let him be frightened out of his wits.”

Zhang Long acknowledged the order and led the man away.

“It’s getting dark,” Qi Rongli stood up and looked at Xu Xingxing. “What are your plans, Immortal?”

“The snowscape tonight is exceptionally beautiful,” Xu Xingxing raised an eyebrow with a smile. “Naturally, we shouldn’t waste such a fine scene. Come on, Xiao Hei, I’ll take you for a walk.”