Chapter 56

Yang Tingyong had seen the inside of the house from a distance before, and he had a general idea of what it was like. However, as soon as he entered the mansion, he felt a difference. There was no cold, eerie atmosphere, and the sunlight was not as pale as it used to be. In late summer, the mansion was filled with the sounds of birds and cicadas, brimming with vitality, and there was not a trace of malevolent energy. Turning his head, he saw talismans posted in every corner of the mansion, which reassured him, thinking that the ghosts must have been completely subdued by these talismans.

From this, it seemed that the Taoist indeed had some skills.

Yang Tingyong's displeasure lessened, and he was no longer afraid. He moved forward, and suddenly heard voices inside the mansion. He followed the sound and arrived at the inner courtyard garden, where he saw a man and a woman sitting by a stone table.

Both were dressed in ordinary robes, far from luxurious, but they were very clean, and their appearances were outstanding. The man was graceful, and the woman was beautiful. Every move they made exuded an otherworldly aura, completely different from the common people in the county.

"True Taoist demeanor," Yang Tingyong praised inwardly, and his impression of the Taoist began to improve.

Though one should not judge a person by their appearance, a good face can indeed play a significant role in social interactions.

He dismissed the bailiffs and then walked up, saying nothing. As a county magistrate, he bowed deeply to the two people, saying, "I seek your help, Daoists."

Aren't you proud of your talents? Then I will show you the utmost respect. If you fail to exorcise the demons later, I will settle accounts with you and punish you. This was his true intention.

Seeing the magistrate's respectful demeanor, Sun Ran subtly winked at Bai Tingxuan, a hint of smugness on his face, clearly meaning: Look, the county magistrate is already in our trap.

Bai Tingxuan smiled back at him, finding Sun Ran's behavior at this moment to be like a child trying to impress adults. She did not dislike it; rather, she liked it, feeling a sense of closeness with him.

Sun Ran could roughly discern the magistrate's thoughts. Officials were all like this, and Yang Tingyong was not bad. He could be flexible and had a deep understanding of human nature. However, since he had already shown his submission, he should continue to be submissive.

Of course, he would not let the magistrate bow for long. He and Bai Tingxuan stood up, went forward, and helped the magistrate up, saying gently, "Sir, you are the father and mother of the county. How can you bow to us, who are outside the secular world? Please rise and take a seat."

The previous gesture was to show respect, and now he needed to say more pleasant words to ease the relationship, using both firmness and gentleness to get things done.

Yang Tingyong felt much more comfortable, but he was determined to show respect. Although he sat down, he insisted on sitting in the last seat.

After sitting down, Yang Tingyong said, "May I know the names of the two Daoists?"

Sun Ran was well-prepared. He first pointed to Bai Tingxuan and said, "This is my junior sister, Daoist Xuanyiji." Then he pointed to himself, "My secular name is Xu Changqing, and my Daoist name is Changqingzi. Our sect prefers to remain hidden, so we will not reveal our sect name. I hope you can understand."

Not seeking fame, they truly are recluses. Yang Tingyong's impression changed again, and he said, "No problem, no problem."

He sighed deeply, "Recently, there has been a demon causing chaos in Hebian County. As the father and mother of the county, I am powerless, and I am ashamed to be seen by the two Daoists."

Sun Ran stroked his beard... then remembered he had no beard, so he moved his hand to pick up a cup of tea, took a sip, and smiled, "Sir, why belittle yourself? I see that your aura is bright and dignified, with a purple aura in the middle, indicating great wealth and nobility. If there is any danger, it will surely be turned into safety."

This was the truth. Ghosts have ghostly auras, and humans have human auras. Those with strong human auras, or VIPs, are protected by the game company and have dedicated maintainers to ensure their safety. From the perspective of the Dharma Eye, they are surrounded by purple auras.

Everyone loves to hear good words, especially from Taoists. As the saying goes, those with purple auras around them will surely become high-ranking officials.

Yang Tingyong was overjoyed and found the Taoists very pleasing to the eye. He humbly said, "There is no such purple aura. You can say this to me, but please don't tell anyone else."

If others heard it, it would surely cause jealousy, which would not be good.

Sun Ran nodded repeatedly, "Sir, rest assured, I understand."

After some polite conversation, the magistrate got to the point and asked, "Daoists, you must be here to exorcise the demon, right?"

Sun Ran nodded with a smile, "Sir, you are correct. The demon is causing chaos among the people, and we, as Taoists, cannot stand idly by."

Yang Tingyong felt somewhat relieved and promised, "Daoists, your benevolent hearts are commendable. I, Wenchang, thank you in advance. If you need any assistance in exorcising the demon, just let me know." Wenchang was Yang Tingyong's courtesy name.

However, his expectations for the success of the two in exorcising the demon were not high. The haunted house was one thing, but the water monster in the Wensu River was truly formidable. Many skilled people had failed there in the past.

Sun Ran gladly accepted the magistrate's good intentions. They had been putting on a high-minded act to gain the magistrate's cooperation. Now, they had achieved their initial goal.

While Sun Ran and the magistrate were having a pleasant conversation, the ghost that Sun Ran had driven out of the haunted house had already rushed to the upper reaches of the Wensu River the previous night, traveling through the night and arriving just in time.

The water monster, naturally, was a demon in the water. The destroyer of the Wensu River was a demon cultivator who had secretly entered the game through a large blue fish and had been carefully cultivating for over six hundred years, achieving second-level magical power and transforming into a human form. Due to this mission, he had received a powerful third-level magical artifact from the upper echelons of the mercenary group, which could exert 2.7 levels of power, equivalent to seven times that of a beginner at the second level, allowing him to easily defeat black iron-level maintainers.

However, unless the destroyer's brain was crushed, no one liked to stay in the water all the time. Normally, he stayed by the river and built a simple hut on a secluded spot on the Wensu River, where he transformed into an old fisherman.

Early in the morning, just as he was about to go fishing, he saw a black-clad accomplice rushing over. He frowned and asked, "Qingtougui, why are you not staying in Hebian County? Why did you come here?"

Qingtougui was the destroyer's code name. He sat down on a wooden stool in front of the hut and said resentfully, "Two agents came and broke all my tricks. I came to warn you. They are powerful, so be careful."

The fisherman's face turned serious, and the wrinkles on his face almost merged. He looked around to make sure no one was around, then jumped off the boat and asked, "Tell me what happened."

Qingtougui then recounted everything that had happened the previous night.

After listening, the fisherman frowned and thought deeply, "It seems the game company has sent experts. The man looks like a Western mage, which is not a big concern. But the woman can condense a sword with her magical power, which is very powerful. She must be a genuine disciple of the Taoist sect and cannot be underestimated. Qingtougui, you need to go and inform the second in command."

Qingtougui nodded and asked, "Brother, why don't we just kill Yang Tingyong?"

The fisherman thought for a moment and said, "The client's requirement is to humiliate him first and then kill him. I will go and assess the strength of these two agents. If they are extremely powerful, then we will kill him."

Although the Scorpion Mercenary Group had a bad reputation, it was only towards the game company and the maintainers. They were very credible to the clients who issued the missions, strictly following their requirements and even delivering mission videos for the clients to watch.

This time, they had already caused enough chaos, and the county magistrate had been in a state of distress. This was considered a form of torment, but it had not reached the point of despair and collapse. Killing him now would not fully meet the client's requirements, but if the situation was hopeless, they would have no choice.