On the same morning, in the dilapidated house.
When Shi Li got up and walked out of the room, he saw Chu Shisan busy in the yard.
Specifically, it is about maintaining the equipment.
"You got up really early."
This reminded him of the hardworking mushroom.
"Good morning, Master."
Chu Shisan had not forgotten yesterday's apprenticeship, and said with a wry smile: "The demon hunting ended too late last night, and I didn't have time to drink, so I got up early."
He looked a little haggard, and it seemed that he didn't get enough or sleep well.
"Are there so many tools for exorcising demons?"
Shi Li walked closer and saw that there were at least a dozen tools and weapons of various sizes.
"Of course, if you want to do your job well, you must first sharpen your tools."
It seemed that because they had let down their guard, everyone except Thirteen had a completely different attitude today.
"You saw this demon-slaying sword yesterday."
He raised the small dagger: "It is sharp and has the blessing of the formation. It can cut through many evil things."
"It can also be extended and transformed, making it quite concealable."
As he said this, he blew on the dagger.
clang!
The small dagger suddenly stretched out into a large sword.
"I heard you say yesterday that this is an heirloom?"
Shi Li had never seen this kind of magic or magical weapon on Blue Star, so he was quite curious.
"That's right. My Chu family is a great demon-killing family of our time."
"Let's talk about this sword again. It can be considered my main weapon. It has accompanied me through life and death over the years."
"Once I mistakenly entered a dangerous place of the demon tribe. At that time, the big knife of the horned snake demon king was only 0.01 away from my neck..."
Except for Thirteen, who seldom has the opportunity to talk about these things with others on weekdays, once he opens his mouth he talks nonstop.
"This spike is specially used to break the golden demon's shield."
After introducing the demon-slaying sword, he picked up a palm-length iron spike.
"Back then, I fought an armored monster for three hundred rounds, all thanks to it..."
"This water-repellent bead is aimed at water monsters that like to do evil underwater. Once I was ordered to go to a big river to eliminate monsters. There was a kind of shrimp called a slippery shrimp..."
"The Root Cutting Axe, even though it's rusty and has no blade, it's actually very powerful against wood monsters. There's a headless monster tree on the Headless Mountain, which often comes down from the mountain at night to hurt people..."
Unexpectedly, Thirteen was quite interested in the story. The origin and experience of each weapon were introduced clearly.
Shi Li got up around noon, and by the time he had finished speaking everything, the sun was almost setting.
Fortunately, the physical fitness of a LV5 card player is much better than that of an ordinary person, so he can still endure a meal of hunger.
So in order to further understand the world, I did not stop the other party.
After listening to this introduction, he felt that "Ci Shisan" might not be a name but a nickname.
Because all these tools add up to a total of thirteen.
Besides that, he also had questions of his own.
"From what you said, it seems that monsters are divided into five categories: gold, wood, water, fire and earth?"
The guy last night was undoubtedly a fire demon, it couldn't be more obvious.
"Yes, Master. Among these five categories, there are five great monsters at the head."
"Or at least in name, they are the rulers of all kinds."
"The names of these five great monsters are -"
"Gold, the galaxy is flawless."
"Mu, Mu Tongzi."
"Water, Hanxian Mirror."
"Fire, Burning Heaven's Karma."
"Earth, Porcelain Princess."
When these five names were mentioned, there was a hint of solemnity in Thirteen's eyes.
"So the demon tribe still has a leader? Where are these guys now?"
Shi Li felt that just by hearing the name, he knew they were quite powerful.
He didn't expect to be able to kill the other party, but if he met him, would there be a chance to include his projection in the card pool?
"Where are you?"
Obviously, Chu Shisan was confused by this question.
"Master, your question is very tricky. I have never thought about it before."
After all, who would go looking for a big demon for no reason?
"But I do know a little bit about where Xinghe Wuque went."
"oh?"
These words immediately aroused Shi Li's interest.
"Xinghe Wuque...is actually a sword."
"And its owner is rumored to be a top demon slayer."
"So it can be said that among all the great monsters, Xinghe Wuque is the most human-friendly."
Except Thirteen said.
"According to legend? Where is that top demon slayer now?"
Shi Li asked curiously.
"I have no idea."
Unexpectedly, Chu Shisan shook his head and suddenly his expression became nostalgic.
"Legend has it that several hundred years ago, a group of alien visitors suddenly descended upon the Earth."
"They are brutal and cruel, and their leader is extremely powerful."
"In order to protect our land, the human race and the demon race have joined forces unprecedentedly."
Upon hearing this history, Shi Li's first reaction was that it was an alien invasion.
However, he always felt that something seemed strange in his mind, but he couldn't put his finger on it for the moment.
"In order to defeat the leader of the outer world, the five great demons and several top demon hunters fought with him for ten days and ten nights."
"In the end, it was Xinghe Wuque's sword that cut it down."
"Without a leader, the remaining group of alien visitors were eventually repelled."
"At that time, the top demon hunter held the Galaxy Perfect Sword and swung out a sword named - [Forgetfulness]."
"I remember it was recorded in the books that the sword was an extremely powerful one, a sword that created the world."
"However, using this sword move requires paying a huge price, and that is being forgotten in the long river of history."
"To put it bluntly, all memories and records related to it in the world have been erased."
Hearing this, Shi Li felt that this sounded a bit like the side effects of super powers, but more exaggerated and outrageous.
At the same time, I can't help but ask: "Since everything has been erased, why do you still know about this?"
“That’s why I said it was rumored.”
"The great demons and demon slayers present at the time were all top-notch in the world, so they were able to offer some resistance to the power of Oblivion."
"But even so, they could only barely recount part of the situation."
"I don't remember who that person was or what his name was."
“The concept was also summarized afterwards.”
"As for Xinghe Wuque, he disappeared after that battle."
"There are only some vague rumors that someone has seen traces of it in certain places."
"Because of the disappearance of their leader, the gold demon tribe has been in the most chaos in recent years. Now there are rumors that they are planning to select a new leader."
"I don't know if this is true or when it will happen."
In the end, after all the talk, Shi Li was still disappointed.
After all this talk, isn’t it still the case that we still can’t find the gold-type monster?
"Oh, it's already this late."
It was not until this time that everyone except Thirteen finally realized what was happening and looked at the sky.
After talking about so many rumors about the demon-hunting world, I now feel dry mouth and extremely hungry.
“…”
Shi Li now discovered that this guy should have three personalities.
One is used to exorcise demons, one is used to gamble, and one is used to live a miserable life.
"Master, please wait a moment. I need to take a shower and change clothes. Let's go to the casino."
Well, he is really living a miserable life, not even eating for the sake of gambling.
While he was doing those pre-gambling rituals, Shi Li went out to eat something.
Then the two of them went to the gambling house where they had been yesterday.
"Master, you have to teach me well tonight. I don't want to lose again!"
When they arrived at the entrance of the gambling house, everyone except Shisan stopped.
"I'll teach you how to play cards, and you'll help me kill monsters, how about that?"
Shi Li had waited for so long, and the time to negotiate the terms of exchange had finally come.
"Of course it's no problem. Didn't you follow me last night?"
"You just need to stand back and be safe."
In order to learn gambling skills, Chu Shisan seemed quite generous.
"Okay then."
Shi Li nodded and asked, "When do you plan to investigate the source of the monster yesterday?"
He did not forget the purpose of entering the copy.
"By the way, I received a notification from the Demon Exorcist House when you went out to eat just now."
"It is said that there has been no progress at the government office."
"It seems that for this kind of thing, we demon hunters have to do it ourselves."
Except for Thirteen, he spread his hands.
"Then why are you here to gamble?"
Shi Li frowned.
"Haha, now isn't the right time yet."
"I'm free anyway, so I might as well have some fun to kill time."
Except for Thirteen, I will just have to smile.
"Okay, but I have to tell you first."
"If you want to learn to play cards from me, I have my own taboos."
"You can only watch and not ask. How much you can learn depends on your own luck."
At that time, such a path was established.
What a joke, he doesn't have any skills to teach you about playing mahjong.
But do I have to tell the other person that I have a perspective cheat?
Perhaps the most that can be taught is how to act cool at the poker table.
"Okay, Master!"
The more the other party did this, the more Chu Shisan bought into it.
Because it looks very mysterious!
So just like that, the two of them stepped into the gambling house again.
We won’t go into detail on the process, but they came out around early morning.
Except for Thirteen, his face was full of smiles, just like last night.
He didn’t make it to the table tonight, but had a great experience.
The reason is simple, the master helped me win money again!
Now, it's time to get down to business.
He took Shi Li all the way to the market where he was interrogated by the yamen runners during the day.
At this time, the market is naturally empty.
There was nothing but moonlight.
"The man last night said that he bought his portrait from this market five days ago."
"So if we want to find the source of the monster, we must start from here."
"The moonlight is nice tonight, perfect for work."
Except for Thirteen, he looked up and expressed his satisfaction.
"Among the methods we use to exorcise demons, there is a secret technique called Moon Shadow Technique."
"Specially used to detect traces of demonic energy."
"Only an excellent demon slayer can master it."
He had a cocky expression on his face.
"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up."
But Shi Li did not indulge him.
"OK."
Chu Shisan’s attempt to show off failed, so he took out a yellow talisman from his pocket in disappointment.
Following a long incantation, his expression gradually became serious.
It’s time to go online with the demon-hunting personality.
"go!"
After the spell was finished, the yellow talisman was thrown forward.
As soon as it left the fingertips it began to burn and turned into ashes in mid-air.
While still turning into ashes, a blurry figure shrouded in moonlight appeared in front of the two.
【……】
The figure bowed silently towards Chu Shisan, then sat cross-legged on the ground.
A thread of light floated out from its body and fell to the ground.
The threads of light in the darkness were clearly visible on the ground, winding and gradually extending in a certain direction.
"That man probably didn't lie. There has indeed been a demonic presence here recently."
Except for Thirteen, he introduced the trace of light: "The aura of every demon in the world is unique."
"To put it simply, it's just like we judge people by their appearance."
"Now we just need to follow this thread of light and we should be able to get at least some clues."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shi Li noticed that something seemed wrong.
Because another thread of light split out from the body of the sitting light and shadow, extending to other places.
"This monster...is there more than one?"
He asked.
"Yes, more than one."
However, after Thirteen stretched his head to look at the new line, he waved his hand and said, "This is a guy you don't need to worry about."
"Ever since the two tribes joined forces to resist the alien army, the relationship between humans and monsters has entered an unprecedentedly harmonious stage."
"Due to the signed covenant, the human and demon races basically do not invade each other now."
"Of course, the monsters here refer to spiritual monsters, that is, the kind with intelligence."
"We demon hunters target those spiritless demons that have no intelligence and can only do evil , or spirit demons that have committed crimes with malicious intentions."
"Ever since humans and demons officially established diplomatic relations, some spirit demons occasionally come to our territory to settle down."
"However, in order to avoid misunderstandings and disturbances, they usually disguise themselves as humans and must first report to the demon palace."
"The owner of this evil spirit is one of them. He is probably just passing by the market to buy vegetables."
"I play cards with it occasionally. I'll introduce it to you next time."
"He's a nice guy, and he always loses."
Hearing the last sentence, Shi Li couldn't help but complain: "It's the other way around. Maybe it's because you always lose at cards that you think it's a good guy."
But before he could finish his words, he saw a third beam of light appear.
"Huh?"
Everyone except Thirteen also discovered the same situation.
When he got closer, he saw that the curved pattern of the light was not the kind of monster he knew.
Then, the fourth, fifth, and sixth...
Strands of light appeared and pulled out, and the size of the sitting light and shadow became smaller and smaller, as if it was about to be drained away.
"Oh no, this is going to be a big trouble!"
After scanning the light threads one by one, he found that there were actually ten of them.
And only three of them are known to me!
When did so many monsters come to the city at once? !
Thinking of this, he hurriedly cast a series of spells towards the sitting light and shadow.
There are so many evil spirits that it is impossible to track them all.
Right now, I can only choose the one with the strongest aura, the strange demon.
"Master, this could be a big deal tonight."
"For safety reasons, why don't you go back first."
Looking at the demonic energy that was gradually extending the farthest, Chu Shisan said solemnly.
After saying this, he didn't wait for Shi Li to answer, and disappeared into the darkness along the evil spirit.
Shi Li originally planned to follow, but almost at the same time, he heard a voice in his ear.
[Ding Dong! ]
【Phase 4 Completed】
[Mission 5: Search and discover a monster independently]
[Hint: Thirteen doesn’t trust you enough right now, maybe you need to show some other means]
“Is this the completion of stage 4?”
Shi Li was a little surprised that Stage 5 would change the previous rule of being linked to the elimination of Thirteen and issue a task of independent action to himself.
"But then again, what do you mean by 'other means'?"
"Are you suggesting that I stop playing mahjong all day?"
Shaking his head, he smiled bitterly.
"But it seems a bit difficult for me to track it alone."
As Chu Shisan walked away, the Moon Shadow Spell he released quickly dissipated.
Even if he could remember the distribution of those light threads through memory, he would not be able to find clues to the target if they were not extended long enough.
"Fortunately, I haven't used the one chance for the follower card yet."
At this moment, he thought of one of his cards.
【Ahhh woof! 】
With a series of panel operations, a tall zombie dog with all its hair gone and dry gray-brown skin appeared in front of him.
This is the only possible follower card that could be useful right now.
The Miserable Hound was already his own follower card, so there was no need for Mushroom to translate it. He conveyed it with just a thought.
【Ahhh woof! 】
The hound responded by barking and began to sniff the ground with its head down.
After smelling it carefully for about 5 minutes, it gave Shi Li feedback.
There are eleven very special smells in this land.
“It actually works.”
Shi Li touched its head in praise.
There were eleven special smells, almost matching the number of light threads that had just appeared.
It's not the dog's fault if there's a slight error, after all, it's not specifically used to exorcise monsters.
So he let the dog randomly choose one of the smells for him.
Then follow it and start moving through the night.
The man and the dog walked along the main roads and small paths for about several kilometers.
We came to a very ordinary family.
The zombi dog, which had been reminded not to make any sound, tugged at Shi Li's trouser leg with its mouth and then wagged its tail.
It seems that this place is the final location of the smell.
“…”
Shi Li first looked around, and then looked at the family.
Although the house looks very ordinary, it is a bungalow with a tiled roof and surrounded by a low earthen wall half a person's height.
But something was not right about this family.
Because at this time, everyone around had turned off the lights and gone to sleep.
This was the only household with the lights still on.
After thinking about it, his first action was to pull out the hard iron rod from his pants.
Even though the moonlight is dim, you can still see a few wisps of fairy air floating on its surface.
During the day, I heard from Chu Shisan that it is difficult for ordinary objects to cause much damage to monsters.
So this iron rod should be his only effective weapon.
Walking to the window of the house, he dipped his finger in saliva and poked it.
When I watched TV dramas before, I knew that ancient people used to peek in this way.
As a result, after poking it, he found out...it was not paper, but cowhide.