Seed of Demonic Intent

Gu Ning'an's calm departure stood in stark contrast to the panicked figure of Zheng De trailing closely behind him.

The storyteller popped a fennel seed into his mouth, glanced at the shop assistant nearby, and chuckled. "It seems your Lexiang County has a few brave souls after all. That gentleman in the green robe—he really didn't show even a trace of fear."

"Sir, you may not know, but that man in the green robe is quite a famous figure here at Ansi Courtyard," the shop assistant replied proudly.

"Oh?" The storyteller's interest was piqued. "Do tell—what exactly does he do?"

"Well... I only heard it from some of the patrons..." The shop assistant leaned in closer, lowering his voice. "Some say he's an immortal."

"Heh..." The storyteller chuckled dryly, refraining from further comment. As someone who spun tales of strange and extraordinary events, he was well aware of how easily rumors could spiral out of the smallest details.

Seeing the storyteller's skepticism, the shop assistant wisely chose to withdraw.

Meanwhile, outside the teahouse, Gu Ning'an led Zheng De toward Ansi Courtyard.

"Mr. Gu, did you discover anything?" Zheng De asked in a low voice.

Gu Ning'an replied while walking, "Nothing unusual. That storyteller isn't a problem either."

Hearing this, Zheng De's expression grew even more troubled. "Then what about my dreams? And my wife's habit of eating raw meat—what am I supposed to do?"

"Don't panic... unless you think your wife might eat you." Gu Ning'an's jest only made Zheng De more nervous, his face turning pale.

Noticing this, Gu Ning'an pulled a copper coin from his waist and handed it to Zheng De. "Take this coin and hold it in your palm as you fall asleep tonight. I can't guarantee your nightmares won't return, but at the very least, you won't be devoured by anything."

Zheng De examined the coin, finding it indistinguishable from an ordinary copper coin. Still, having witnessed Gu Ning'an's capabilities firsthand, he placed great trust in him and quickly tucked the coin into his shirt.

"Thank you, sir!"

"Do you think my wife might be possessed by some kind of evil spirit?" Zheng De asked gloomily.

Gu Ning'an smiled faintly. "Rest assured, if there really is an evil spirit involved, the coin will protect you."

Zheng De hesitated before asking, "It won't harm my wife, will it? Or... maybe you could come back with me to check on her?"

"I'll refrain for now. This coin only harms malicious entities. If your wife isn't one, she'll be fine." At a fork in the road, Gu Ning'an stopped and said, "We part ways here. You should head home."

"Alright..." Zheng De reluctantly agreed, walking toward his home. After a few steps, he turned back and asked, "Mr. Gu, if my wife is possessed, what should I do then?"

Behind him, the street was empty. In the brief moment it took to turn around, Gu Ning'an had vanished without a trace.

Left with no choice, Zheng De clutched the coin against his chest, his face filled with worry as he continued homeward.

...

Elsewhere, in the City God Temple, Gu Ning'an sat before City God Xu.

"What brings you here so suddenly, Mr. Gu?" City God Xu asked, pouring him a cup of hot tea.

Gu Ning'an replied solemnly, "There's a great disturbance brewing in Xiangzhou Prefecture."

Seeing Gu Ning'an's serious demeanor, City God Xu's heart sank. He quickly asked, "What has happened?"

Without wasting time, Gu Ning'an recounted everything he had witnessed and deduced that day.

First, the storyteller who arrived in Gucheng County coincided with the time when a certain "True Demon" went into hiding. The fact that his story originated from a dream further supported this. For a True Demon, implanting thoughts and images through dreams was an effortless task.

Second, there was something Gu Ning'an had noticed in the teahouse but had neither mentioned nor revealed...

That is, after the wife in the story had her red veil lifted, everyone present, except for him, lost their faces!

The tea house was completely dark, and no one noticed that they, or those around them, had lost their faces, just like the protagonist in the story.

Those who lost their faces included Zheng De, who was next to Gu Ning'an!

This was also the reason why Gu Ning'an didn't say too much to him.

When everyone lost their facial features, Gu Ning'an felt a familiar demonic intent from each person—an intent that was exactly the same as the demonic flame that had been emitted earlier... However, once the storyteller finished, the demonic intent on everyone's body vanished without a trace. No matter what method Gu Ning'an used to probe, he couldn't find the hidden demonic intent.

"Gu sir, this matter is serious. I will report it immediately to Marquis Lingyou!" After hearing this, City God Xu didn't bother with formalities. He uttered one sentence, then used the special communication method of the Yin Division to send the message to Marquis Lingyou.

After Marquis Lingyou learned of the situation, he immediately ordered the other city gods of surrounding counties to investigate!

Within half an hour, the reports from the other counties arrived back at City God Xu's office.

City God Xu received the message but didn't look at it immediately. Instead, he brought it to a secret room to observe with Gu Ning'an.

A stick of faint golden incense was lit, and the smoke curled up to form a series of large characters in midair.

[The nine counties of Xiangzhou and even the Xiangzhou Prefecture have discovered the storyteller telling the story of the faceless demon!]

[The city gods observed with their law eyes and confirmed that during the storytelling, everyone present temporarily lost their faces!]

[All individuals present, regardless of age, gender, or status, emitted faint demonic intent after losing their faces...]

[The city gods conducted random checks of dozens of people in their jurisdictions. Using their law eyes to search the Three Souls—Heavenly, Earth, and Human—they all detected demonic intent...]

Crack!

After reading this, City God Xu couldn't help but crush the teacup in his hand, the boiling tea spilling out through his fingers. "This is a calamity... a calamity! Could it be that the people of the nine counties in Xiangzhou, even those in the county city, were already implanted with demonic intent long ago?"

Gu Ning'an fell silent for a moment before speaking, "Demonic intent is different from demonic flames. Its concealment method prevents one from seeing it at a glance. The tricky part is, if it doesn't reveal itself, to eradicate it, one must use spiritual power to carefully examine the Three Souls of the one with the demonic intent!"

"The Xiangzhou Prefecture has a population of several hundred thousand. Using spiritual power to purge them one by one is obviously impossible!"

"Furthermore, if the demonic intent is eradicated too hastily, and the true demon uses its own methods to trigger the demonic intent to explode, then the entire Xiangzhou will instantly turn into a demonic land!"

City God Xu, with a grim expression, nodded, "This matter is probably something even Marquis Lingyou cannot solve... He sent word but didn't mention a solution for law enforcement, which shows he's at a loss... However, he will surely report this to the Prefectural City God. We can only wait and see if they have a countermeasure..."

Upon hearing this, Gu Ning'an nodded, "Hmm, if there is any further news, please inform me, City God Xu. I'll take my leave now to make some preparations."

City God Xu cupped his hands and replied, "Please take care, Mr. Gu!"