frightfiction Chapter 264 Exorcising Demons
Chapter 264 Exorcising Demons
The sky was a clear blue after the rain. The further south you went, the fainter the traces of demons became. You could hardly see the Celestial Master Pavilion's residence in the city anymore.
Strolling through the streets, one sees a thriving human race.
In areas with large crowds, there are officers to manage and guide traffic, preventing congestion.
Entering Sucheng, Xuzhou, feels like stepping into another time and space.
The experience of the northern ice fields and western deserts felt like a dream.
Wearing a light and soft long dress, with embroidered shoes adorned with pearls, her hair styled with a red hairpin, and holding an oil-paper umbrella, she strolled leisurely along the tree-lined path.
At the end of the tree-lined road, there is a wine shop. The aroma of wine is so strong that it is hidden deep in the alley. If you are not a connoisseur, you will not be able to find it.
Ning Xiaoxi has been drinking at this shop for three consecutive days. The light drinks have almost no alcohol content, and the slightly tipsy feeling after drinking them is very addictive.
The owner of the wine shop was no longer young; there were fine lines at the corners of his eyes, and his narrow eyes held a subtle glint.
The shop has only four tables by the window, not for people to drink, but for customers who buy wine to sample it. Only occasionally do enthusiasts come to taste and enjoy a small drink when a new wine is released.
There is a courtyard outside the shop, with a stone mill, a small bamboo grove, a pavilion and a fence, creating a quiet and pleasant environment!
Ning Xiaoxi sat at the innermost table, where the glowing charcoal in the small ceramic stove heated the wine in the pot.
The warm wine dispelled the chill of the autumn rains.
The shopkeeper sat down opposite Ning Xiaoxi with a pot of hot tea and poured her a cup of hot tea. The bright red tea soup had steam rising in wisps.
Ning Xiaoxi took the teacup and smiled as she looked at the owner across from her.
"I've been running this shop for ten years." The owner's voice was gentle and unassuming.
"I was just passing by." Ning Xiaoxi took a sip of tea.
The boss smiled, "This young lady is different from the others."
"Oh, how is it different?"
"Others might turn a blind eye, but the woman won't."
"It's obvious?"
"No one will come to my little shop to drink for three days in a row. If they could, they would have left long ago. Since they won't leave, I won't show them any mercy."
Ning Xiaoxi nodded, "A recluse in the city?"
"Just barely surviving."
"Your winemaking skills are quite good. Would you be willing to teach me?"
The boss's eyes lit up slightly, as if there was anticipation.
"Daddy!" A five- or six-year-old child stumbled in from outside the door, while the woman holding the umbrella smiled at the shopkeeper.
Ning Xiaoxi's face darkened, and the boss's face also darkened.
The shopkeeper got up, walked over, picked up the child, and handed him to the woman, saying, "Take the little one home; I have a guest here."
The woman glanced at Ning Xiaoxi with a worried expression.
The boss pushed the woman out the door, shouting, "Go back quickly!"
Ning Xiaoxi poured herself another glass of hot wine, drank it all in one gulp, and stood up.
The shopkeeper turned around, stood in front of the door, his face sorrowful, and his voice pleading, "Young lady!"
The woman, holding the child, quickly turned around and was about to run away.
Ning Xiaoxi's slender figure blocked her way.
The woman hugged the child tightly and took a step back.
The boss quickly stepped forward and stood in front of the woman and child again.
Ning Xiaoxi's eyes narrowed, and in a flash, she grabbed the little boy by the neck, silencing it.
A thick black mist emanated from the boss and struck Ning Xiaoxi, who was gripping Xiaotong's arm.
With a flick of his left hand, the golden cage enveloped the black mist and the boss, radiating golden light. The mist quickly dissipated, and the boss, pale-faced, knelt down.
The child in Ning Xiaoxi's hands turned black, with no whites left in his eyes. "We were just trying to survive, we didn't harm anyone, why do you have to kill us all?"
"Not harming anyone for ten years doesn't mean you haven't harmed anyone for a hundred years. If you've harmed someone, you must accept the consequences." The cold voice carried a chilling tone in the light rain. Thorns protruded from the child's body in his hand, but there was no blood, only thick black mist.
The child was thrown directly into the golden cage. After dissipating amidst the thorns, the child coalesced into a cloud of black mist, which the boss then embraced.
The golden railings began to shrink, and flaming thorns sprouted from them.
The woman ran crying toward the cage, clutching the flaming thorns with both hands, blood flowing down the bars.
"Thump! Thump!"
A rapid running sound came from afar.
A glimmer of hope flashed in the woman's eyes, and she cried out, "Help! Help!" Her shrill cries carried far in the cool rain, and the footsteps in the distance drew closer even faster.
Ning Xiaoxi frowned, her right hand closing, and the golden cage burst forth with a dazzling golden light before suddenly closing. The boss, embracing the black mist, was swallowed by the golden light and disappeared.
A group of bailiffs strode into the courtyard, only to find a woman kneeling on the ground, her hands covered in blood, wailing.
There are two black dots and one red dot on the map.
The map had acquired a new function at some point. Before, she had to manually explore to find out if there were any demons nearby. Now, it could directly point out any demons within a hundred miles of her. Red indicated demons, and black indicated monsters. The images kept flashing in her mind until they were completely eliminated, making her lose her appetite and feel dizzy.
Moreover, these demons attack indiscriminately. They don't discriminate against newly formed demons, nor do they abandon newly conscious demons. As long as the word "demon" is involved, there is only one word: kill!
She entered this city four days ago. Although she liked the atmosphere of the small bridges and flowing water and appreciated the light food, she really didn't want to kill these demons hiding among the humans anymore.
A black-clad, white-collar policeman walked into the food stall and sat opposite Ning Xiaoxi. Three other policemen of the same type stood guard across the street.
Ning Xiaoxi picked up a piece of chicken and put it in her mouth to savor it. It was rare to find that salt-water chicken could have such a rich flavor!
"Where did the lady come from?" The constable had a serious face and was not tall, but he was able to meet Ning Xiaoxi's gaze even though he was sitting opposite her.
"Flame Capital".
"Yanzhou, the City of Flames?"
"Hmm, the constable is indeed knowledgeable." Ning Xiaoxi sincerely praised him. It was not easy for a constable who had almost never left Sucheng to know about Yandu, which was thousands of miles away.
The constable was not swayed by Ning Xiaoxi's pretty face. "Is the journey long, young lady, traveling alone?"
Ning Xiaoxi picked up another piece of chicken breast and put it in her mouth. After savoring it, she nodded. "Going out to gain experience after studying was a suggestion given by my teacher."
"Has the young lady been to the wine shop deep in the woods?" The constable was no longer going to beat around the bush.
"After going drinking for three consecutive days, I remembered what the teacher said about self-discipline, so I stopped going."
“I went yesterday too.”
"Yes, the wine is good, and the owner is good too."
"The boss was killed yesterday." The constable stared intently at Ning Xiaoxi.
Ning Xiaoxi's hand stopped, her eyes filled with horror. "How could this be? I saw him at the banquet yesterday."
The constable didn't notice anything unusual, but the woman's description was very clear: "The proprietress pointed out the young lady."
Ning Xiaoxi dropped her chopsticks on the table and pointed at herself in surprise, "Me?"