Chapter 4 

Ji Yu ignored the glances, both overt and covert, and sat down leisurely.

When the servant came over to serve tea, Hong Xiao first tested the temperature of the tea, then had him replace the pot, saying, "The tea must be brewed with spring water melted from mountain snow. This water is well water and has an earthy taste. My young master doesn't like it. This tea won't do either…" 

　　After discussing the tea, she instructed the servant to prepare some soft, easily digestible snacks—not too sweet, with a delicate texture, and not too throat-clogging… 

　　All in all, it was just tea and snacks, but the demands were immense, meticulous, and nitpicky.

　　The servant responded patiently and diligently went to prepare everything. 

　　Not to mention the demon exorcists who were secretly observing them, even the disciples of the Xu family couldn't help but glance at them. 

　　Demon exorcists were busy slaying demons and monsters. When traveling, they generally lived very roughly and were happy to have hot food to eat. They didn't have high standards.

　　Especially after arriving at Yanyue Mountain Villa, everyone was preoccupied with the demons causing trouble here, so they didn't care about what they ate.

Ji Yu sat there, her body slender and delicate, yet her posture was upright, exuding an air of elegance and refinement. She returned the stares with a polite smile.

　　This composed demeanor made it hard for others to look away, and they couldn't help but mutter to themselves, "This young master of the Ji family seems like a decent person, but he's so demanding." 

　　Thinking about the rumors surrounding her, they suddenly understood a bit more. 

　　It seemed that the Ji family wasn't raising a demon slayer, but perhaps one of those pampered young ladies from the aristocratic families of Yunjing.

　　Soon after, the disciples of the Chen family arrived.

　　Chen Qingfeng led the disciples of the Xu family to their seats, which were relatively close to those of the Xu and Ji families. This was an unspoken agreement among them. In the eyes of outsiders, the four major families were closely connected, closer than other demon exorcists, even their seats were arranged together.

　　Seeing Ji Yu sitting there, Chen Qingzhe snorted, giving her a disdainful look.

　　This snort drew the attention of many people.

Although they were of different genders, Ji Yu and Chen Qingzhe's appearances made it clear at a glance that they were related by blood. They were both equally beautiful, especially Chen Qingzhe, who was still young and had an androgynous appearance. If he were to dress as a woman, he would probably resemble Ji Yu even more.

　　Seeing this brother and sister, many people recalled their father, Shang Yunxiao, once the most handsome man in Yunjing. 

　　The siblings' appearances were inherited from Shang Yunxiao. 

　　However, though Shang Yunxiao possessed a face that could rival the heavens, he was born into slavery. He first escaped his fate through the Ji family of Wuhuan Mountain, marrying into the Ji family as a son-in-law.

　　After his wife Ji Lan passed away, he left the Ji family and became a son-in-law of the Qingyu Chen family. 

Shang Yunxiao also had two children with his two wives: Ji Yu and Chen Qingzhe. 

Chen Qingzhe saw that Ji Yu didn't even glance at him, treating him like air, which made him even angrier. If it weren't for Chen Qingfeng holding him back, he might have rushed over and confronted Ji Yu directly.

　　"Qingzhe, calm down. This isn't our home," he whispered, feeling deeply regretful. 

　　He should never have agreed to his aunt's request to bring Chen Qingzhe along. Although Chen Qingzhe was indeed talented, he was still young, had not yet completed his training, and had an impulsive temperament, which could easily cause trouble.

　　Shortly after Chen Qingfeng restrained Chen Qingzhe, the master of Yanyue Mountain Villa finally arrived.

　　The master of Yanyue Mountain Villa was surnamed Yue, which was the surname of the imperial family, but whether Yanyue Mountain Villa had any connection with the imperial family of Yunjing remained unknown to this day.

　　Seeing the appearance of Master Yue, Xu Xiu Jue and the others were all secretly startled.

　　The master of Yueyue Manor was sitting in a wheelchair, pushed in by his steward.

　　He was very thin, similar to the gatekeeper who had opened the door for them last night, both of them skin and bones. However, he was slightly better off than the gatekeeper, as he still had some vitality left in him, though his soul fire was weak, it was still stubbornly holding on.

　　The other exorcists had already seen him, so they were not surprised by the master of Yueyue Manor's appearance.

　　The Moon Manor Master looked very weak, able only to sit in his wheelchair. His forehead was dark and blue, his face weary, resembling a zombie clinging to life. His voice was weak and feeble. 

　　He first welcomed the disciples of the Xu family and Ji family who had arrived the previous day, apologizing with a guilty expression that his body was severely weakened, unable to walk properly, and that he could not provide proper hospitality.

　　After the initial greetings, the Moon Manor Master asked the other demon exorcists if they had made any discoveries. 

　　He would come here every day at this time to inquire about the situation. 

　　-

　　This story began three months ago.

　　Three months ago, strange things began to happen at Yanyue Mountain Villa. At first, only one or two people went missing, but soon more and more people began to disappear, causing Yanyue Mountain Villa to become alert and take many precautions. Unfortunately, none of them worked, and within a month, half of the people in the villa had disappeared.

　　Among the missing were servants, disciples, and even the estate master's own children.

　　Soon after, everyone noticed that their vital energy was mysteriously depleting, causing them to grow increasingly emaciated. The estate master's condition was particularly severe, as if something were rapidly consuming his vital energy.

　　Such circumstances left no doubt that demonic forces were at work.

　　The Moon Manor Master immediately invited several exorcist friends to help eliminate the demonic entity. 

　　Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain. Instead, the exorcists also began to exhibit symptoms of vital energy depletion, rapidly losing weight. The longer they stayed in the manor, the more severe their condition became. 

　　Those individuals dared not linger and departed immediately.

　　Yue Zhuangzhu also wanted to have his family and the disciples of the estate leave, prioritizing their safety.

　　However, they soon discovered that anyone from Yanyue Mountain Estate could not step beyond the estate gates, or they would die suddenly.

　　As they watched the people in the manor disappear, grow emaciated, and even begin to die from blood deficiency, the atmosphere in the vast Yanyue Manor grew increasingly eerie. The Moon Manor Master had no choice but to seek help from the outside world, offering a generous reward. 

　　Upon receiving the news, various exorcist factions, lured by the generous reward, sent people to investigate.

　　The Four Great Families were also among those invited, as they too sought to uncover the truth behind Yanyue Mountain Villa—what demonic forces were causing the chaos? Naturally, they dispatched their elite disciples to investigate.

In recent days, exorcists have been arriving at Yanyue Mountain Villa from all corners of the realm.

These details were already known to everyone before their arrival. When the villa master inquired, Ji Yu and Xu Xiu Jue, who had just arrived the previous day, listened intently.

　　Unfortunately, all the demon exorcists present shook their heads, indicating that they had found nothing.

They didn't even know what kind of demonic entity was causing the trouble or how it was devouring the life force of living beings. The entity hadn't revealed any weaknesses, making it impossible to track down.

The Moon Villa Master's tired face showed disappointment as he looked at the disciples of the Chen family.

"Master Chen, have you discovered anything?"

　　The Chen family disciples had been here for two days, and their arrival had filled the Moon Manor Master with joy. The disciples of the Four Great Families were indeed formidable. 

　　Chen Qingfeng also apologized, "Nothing to report." He paused for a moment and asked, "Moon Manor Master, does your manor have any hidden chambers or forbidden areas?"

　　Master Yue was taken aback. "Forbidden areas? Of course there are some, but..."

　　He seemed somewhat reluctant.

　　A place like Yanyue Mountain Villa naturally had forbidden areas, but as forbidden areas within the villa, how could they be opened up for outsiders to explore?

　　Not only Master Yue, but everyone else also looked at Chen Qingfeng, wondering why he wanted to explore their forbidden areas.

　　Chen Qingfeng replied calmly, "Over the past two days, we have thoroughly searched every corner of Yueyue Mountain Villa. Though everything seems normal, there are oddities everywhere, and we can't figure out what they are. Perhaps there are forbidden areas or underground chambers we haven't discovered yet, and we could investigate those." 

　　This made sense. 

　　Many people nodded in agreement, glancing at the Moon Villa Master.

　　If there truly was a forbidden area, they would need the owner's permission to enter, lest they violate any taboos.

Yue Zhuangzhu was torn between two choices. Finally, he sighed and said, "Now that Yanyue Mountain Villa has become like this, if everyone is gone, Yanyue Mountain Villa is nothing more than an empty shell. There is no need to continue following the rules left by our ancestors."

　　He then informed them that the forbidden area of Yanyue Mountain Villa was actually a secret chamber located beneath the villa.

　　He turned to instruct the steward to lead the demon exorcists to the secret chamber later.

　　The demon exorcists present showed signs of delight, their expressions filled with excitement.

　　If they could quickly resolve the crisis at Yueyue Mountain Villa, not only would they receive a generous reward, but they would also no longer have to worry daily about the demonic energy lurking in the shadows consuming the blood energy within their bodies.

　　The estate master was weak and began to pant heavily after speaking for a while, his spirits low. The steward had him taken back to his room to rest, then personally fetched the estate's map and showed the exorcists where the secret passages leading to the underground chamber were located. 

　　It was surprising to see how many secret passages and entrances there were beneath the Yanyue Estate.

　　"How could there be so many secret passages?" asked Xu Xiu Jue.

　　The steward shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either. They must have been dug when Yanyue Mountain Villa was first built, and these secret passages all led to the underground chambers within the villa.

　　As the forbidden area of Yanyue Mountain Villa, only the villa master himself was allowed to enter, and no one else was permitted to do so lightly.

　　Someone else asked, "How big are these chambers?"

　　With so many secret passages leading to the underground chambers, the scale must be enormous.

　　The steward shook his head again, "Our estate master has never explored them. We dare not offend our ancestors, so he doesn't know either."

　　The demon exorcists noted down the entrances to the secret passages marked on the map and began their investigation.

　　The members of the four major families were no exception. Since Yanyue Manor had rarely opened its doors, they naturally hurried to explore, lest they miss the opportunity.

　　Now, except for the disciples of the Pei family from Yufuya Cliff, the disciples of the other three families had all arrived.

As they walked out of Taofeng Courtyard, Xu Xiu Jue looked at Ji Yu and asked, "Sister Ji, would you like to join us?"

　　The Chen family disciples hadn't gone far and overheard this. Chen Qingzhe turned to look at her, his eyes fixed on Ji Yu until she refused, at which point he snorted. 

　　The Chen family disciples saw this and didn't bother to say anything. 

　　No one knew why Chen Qingzhe harbored such hostility toward his half-sister. Every time she was mentioned, he would explode like firecrackers.

　　Xu Xiu Jue didn't press the matter. After all, people naturally have a desire to protect the weak, especially when it comes to a beauty like her.

"In that case, be careful, Ji Yu. If anything happens, you can come find us."

Ji Yu thanked him for his kindness and walked away with Hong Xiao toward another area.