Chapter 41

The tall, thin man chuckled, a bit embarrassed: "You might think it's absurd, but I'm actually a demon hunter, specializing in exorcising ghosts all over the world..."

A demon hunter!

As soon as the man finished speaking, Hao Ren heard a splash beside him. Turning his head, he saw Vivian lifting her head from her plate, the vampire girl wiping the sauce from her face and trembling as she asked, "What do you do?"

"I knew you'd react like this," the tall, thin man's face showed more resignation than surprise, as if he was quite used to such reactions from his audience. "When I told others before, some reacted even more strongly than you. But I really am a demon hunter—have you seen movies? Like Van Helsing, I do similar work, but the methods we use to exorcise ghosts are quite different from what you see in the movies."

The tall, thin man spoke earnestly, and Hao Ren subconsciously scooted his butt back to keep some distance from the man, a series of questions popping up in his mind. A demon hunter? Real or fake? A genuine superhero or a delusional charlatan?

If it were an ordinary person, they might have taken the tall, thin man's words as a joke, or just a story, or seen him as a charlatan. But Hao Ren had to think one step further: he knew that demon hunters were a real group!

Of course, he didn't immediately believe the man's words and take him for a demon hunter. It was more likely that the man was just joking. Real demon hunters probably wouldn't go around telling everyone their identity so casually, right?

"You don't believe me?" The tall, thin man spread his hands helplessly. "That's fine, most people don't. And look, I'm Chinese, so if I said I was a lay disciple from Mount Wutai, it might be more convincing. But I'm a genuine demon hunter. The term sounds Western, but in fact, they exist in every country. Our history is very long, dating back to the origins of the four great civilizations..."

Hao Ren subconsciously exchanged a glance with Vivian. This sounded a bit more credible: in most people's minds, "demon hunter" is a Western term, and few know that they have been roaming the world from the beginning. In China, they were called immortals or alchemists, and in other countries, they were called wizards or priests. But demon hunters themselves don't use these foreign terms. The man's words clearly aligned with the facts—facts that ordinary people wouldn't know.

"Mr. Demon Hunter, right?" Lily, who had finally stopped eating, asked. The werewolf girl had never seen a demon hunter, but she had heard many terrifying stories from Vivian and was now a bit nervous. "Are there really demon hunters in the real world?"

Lily, at least, wasn't completely clueless and knew how to probe indirectly.

"Most people take it as an urban legend or a horror story," the tall, thin man chuckled. "But I'm genuine. And to be honest, there are still many people who believe in ghost stories. In places you don't know, exorcisms and demon hunts still happen. My main job is exorcising ghosts. I came here because I heard that the old Jofford Castle was haunted."

"Oh, so your job is pretty confidential, right? How can you just tell anyone?" Vivian's expression calmed, and she asked calmly, though she was thinking: Why is this "demon hunter" suddenly revealing his identity?

Regardless of whether the man was real or not, his high-profile attitude was a bit unusual. This was a profession that usually operated in the shadows, with most demon hunters living in seclusion and trying to hide their identities even when living among ordinary people. Hao Ren had never heard of a demon hunter who went around telling strangers about their job. Vivian thought back to the demon hunters she had encountered in her long life, and a question kept circling in her mind: Could it be that these people, like her, had finally been cursed and couldn't find work in modern times, so they had to publicly seek employment?

Hao Ren was thinking along similar lines, but in a different direction: When did the profession of "demon hunter," which should be hidden in dark corners, become so high-profile? Shouldn't these world-saving heroes always keep their identities hidden? Hao Ren himself never went around telling people he was a police officer sent from heaven... Of course, the main reason he didn't was due to organizational rules.

"What's there to keep confidential?" The tall, thin man's expression was dismissive. "It's not a shameful job. Look, even palm readers and fortune tellers have their own websites now. Why can't we talk about our work as demon hunters?"

Hao Ren and Vivian quickly exchanged glances, thinking about how they should act to appear like "ordinary people" in this situation. They soon reached a tacit agreement, showing interest but disbelief, as if they were just listening for entertainment. Vivian smiled politely but kept a slight distance: "So, are you going to exorcise the spirits in the castle?"

The tall, thin man's enthusiasm dropped by half when he saw Vivian's expression, but he still smiled: "We'll have to see when I get there tomorrow. I know you don't believe me, and I don't expect you to. But we can travel together. When are you leaving? If it's tomorrow, we can go together. I know the route well. There's a train that leaves in the morning and arrives in the evening."

Hao Ren was about to say that he had just arrived in the UK and needed a day to adjust to the time difference, but Vivian spoke up on her own: "Sure, it's fate that we met. We don't know the way, so it would be a great help if you could guide us. What's your name?"

"My surname is Nangong, a compound surname," the tall, thin man stood up. "My specific name... well, for work reasons, I can't reveal it. You can just call me Nangong. How about this: I'll meet you in this restaurant at 6:30 AM tomorrow. We'll go together. But I'll only wait for fifteen minutes—any later and we'll miss the train."

Hao Ren was about to say that he had a time difference issue and a troublesome girl who might not wake up early, but Vivian nodded on her own: "Sure, Mr. Nangong. See you at 6:30 AM tomorrow. By the way, I'm sorry, we were so busy talking that we forgot to introduce ourselves. I'm Vivian, and the one next to me is..."

Hao Ren stared blankly at Vivian, who was calmly conversing with the "demon hunter" as if nothing was wrong, and only had a chance to speak after Nangong left: "What if he really is a demon hunter?"

"He doesn't seem like one," Vivian said after Nangong disappeared from the restaurant entrance, sitting back down and letting out a slight breath. "And to be honest, we do need someone to guide us. Our destination is the same as Nangong's, so there's a good chance we'll run into him in Jofford. It's better to travel together and understand his actions, and then we can separate when the time comes, giving us the upper hand. Of course, this is assuming he's a real demon hunter. If he's just a regular exorcist charlatan... that would be easier to handle. Ordinary people aren't much of a threat, and we can just let him guide us."

Vivian's analysis was logical and well-reasoned, and Hao Ren had to admit that the vampire girl thought more deeply than he did. But he still had one question he wanted to confirm: "Vivian, do you have any way to determine if someone is a demon hunter? They must have some distinguishing features—what about that Nangong, besides his 'style,' can you confirm his identity?"

Vivian frowned, her eyes slightly unfocused as she looked in a certain direction: "It's really hard to determine. Demon hunters can hide among ordinary people until they activate their abilities. My clan often suffered because a demon hunter was hiding among the blood slaves. As a high-level vampire, I can analyze someone's identity through their blood, but I need blood to do that, which is difficult. Very difficult."

After a moment of silence, Vivian, feeling a bit embarrassed that she couldn't be of much help, said uncertainly: "But if I have to say, I did feel something different about him—when I fought a demon hunter in the past, my right hand was injured, and since then, it heats up when a demon hunter is nearby. I felt..."

"Stop feeling, your hand is in the soup."

"Ah!"

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