Chapter 41: The Demon Exorcism Formation – A Calm Heart to Conquer Demons

To know someone else’s secrets, the only way is to tell the truth first. (Gu Long)
……
A group of five, riding five fast horses, left Shenmen amidst swirling dust and headed back to Fengmo Town. With the magical artifacts in hand, Liu Yi felt much more relaxed. All he needed to do was subdue the evil forces in Fengmo Town and send Ah Jiu back to the palace, after which he could go find Jili. Only then would he truly be at ease…
The others also had their own thoughts. For example, Shi Jieyi had stayed by Ah Jiu’s side these days, wanting to take one last look at him before they parted. But love or not—there was no choice…
Over the past few days, the five of them had laughed and talked, though Ah Jiu and Shui Er would sometimes argue, only for Da Dao Wang to resolve their disputes.
Watching them, Da Dao Wang said, “From now on, let’s build a few more huts near Brother Mo’s place and live together, how about that?”
Liu Yi nodded. “Great! It’ll be lively. I’ll ask my father to stop his business too, and we’ll all go to that utopian place—life there will surely be happy.”
Shui Er nodded. “Mm, I won’t learn any magic or Taoist arts either. I’ll just go to that utopian place and live happily.” With that, she even smiled.
Ah Jiu laughed. “Okay, then I’ll build a few buildings there too. Haha, I’ll play with you all.”
Shi Jieyi giggled foolishly. “It’s great that Ah Jiu will be with us.”
Liu Yi smiled. “I think it’s better to send Ah Jiu back safely first. After completing the task in Fengmo Town, we’ll send him back. If he runs away later, it won’t be my responsibility. It’s too dangerous to take him with us now!”
“Hahaha!” Amidst laughter, the group spurred their horses and rushed toward Fengmo Town…
Finally, after several days of travel, the five arrived at Fengmo Town. Looking at the sun, it was exactly noon. Liu Yi dismounted and said, “Da Dao Wang, take the horses to the inn ahead first.”
Da Dao Wang nodded and led the horses to the inn.
Standing in the middle of Fengmo Town, a gust of wind blew the weeds and trash on the streets into the air, making the town appear even more desolate. Clearly, there was no one on the streets. Liu Yi said to those behind him, “It seems Fengmo Town is about to become a dead town. Come, let’s go visit Uncle Jiu.” With that, he turned into a corner.
Still wearing the same tattered clothes, looking as usual, Uncle Jiu kept pouring wine from his flask into his mouth. He was still lying on that broken chair. When he saw Liu Yi, he quickly got up and said, “You’re back! Finally back. How did it go? Did you bring something to save Fengmo Town?”
Liu Yi glanced at Shui Er behind him, who stepped forward as well. Liu Yi replied, “I did.”
Uncle Jiu rubbed his eyes. “Could it be I drank too much? Why did you bring a girl?”
Liu Yi smiled. “Uncle Jiu, she’s from Shenmen. And she brought treasures that can subdue evil forces.”
Uncle Jiu exclaimed, “Really? That’s great! These days, the people in the town haven’t even dared to go outside; they’ve all stayed at home, which has made everyone anxious.”

Shui’er stepped forward, gave Uncle Jiu a quick glance, and suddenly asked, “Why do you still dare to be outside, Uncle Jiu?”
Uncle Jiu smiled and said, “I’m an old man now. Besides, it’s broad daylight—why should I be afraid? If I don’t come out to bask in the sun, I’ll die inside.”
Shui’er chuckled softly and said, “I think… even if everyone here died, Uncle Jiu wouldn’t be in any trouble.”
Uncle Jiu took another sip of wine and, with blurred eyes, glanced at everyone before saying, “Why do you kids speak like that? It makes no sense, but I’m not angry. Come, let’s sit down and rest. You’ll have plenty to do tonight.”
Shui’er and the others brought over wooden stools. Liu Yi asked, “What? What do we have to do at night?”
Uncle Jiu took a sip of wine, looked at everyone with drunken eyes, and said, “There are now three kinds of evil creatures in Fengmo Town—rotting corpses, zombies, and skeletons. Rotting corpses aren’t afraid of swords or guns, zombies are extremely strong, and skeletons are very agile. Every night, these three creatures haunt the area within five miles of Fengmo Town, scaring the people so much that they dare not leave their homes.”
Liu Yi quickly asked, “Are you saying they’ve already entered the town?”
Uncle Jiu shook his head. “No. Some expert has set up a formation around the town, so these evil creatures can’t get close. For now, the town is safe. But… the townspeople are terrified and still don’t dare go outside.”
Shui’er nodded. “I noticed that formation when I entered the town. It’s very similar to the ‘Demon Exclusion Formation’ my master mentioned. But… no one in the three realms can set up such a formation.”
Liu Yi was puzzled. If no one could create this formation, then who had done it?
Shui’er continued, “There’s only one possibility—someone from the God Race has awakened and come to the human realm.”
Uncle Jiu acted as if he hadn’t heard anything and continued drinking…
Liu Yi quickly asked, “The God Race? The Immortal Race? Aren’t they the same? Aren’t they one race?”
Shui’er shook her head. “The God Race was created by Pangu and Nüwa. It’s the highest-ranking race. Legend has it that thousands of years ago, after creating this world, the God Race fell into a deep sleep and disappeared. As far as I know, no one in the three realms can set up such a formation—only those from the God Race can.”
Liu Yi found it strange and asked, “If it’s really as you say, that person could easily eliminate these monsters. Why did they just set up a formation around the town?”
Shui’er smiled at Uncle Jiu and said, “Well, that’s something Uncle Jiu should explain.”
Uncle Jiu took a sip of wine and said, “Little girl, why do you keep bringing me into this? I really don’t know anything. I just hope you’ll come quickly and get rid of those monsters so I can drink in peace. That’s what I need to explain.”
Seeing Uncle Jiu’s serious expression, Shui’er thought to herself, “Could I be wrong?”
Liu Yi nodded. “Never mind. Anyway, we’re already in Fengmo Town. Since that person hasn’t gotten rid of the monsters, let’s give it a try tonight.”
A Jiu clapped his hands and said, “Great! I really want to see what those monsters look like!”

King Great Sword touched his erect hedgehog-like hair and said, “Hehe, I’m just worried that we might get eaten by monsters by then without even realizing it.”
Ajiu patted Shi Jieyi’s shoulder and said, “With Shi Jieyi protecting me, how could I fear monsters? Right, Shi Jieyi?”
Shi Jieyi quickly nodded and said, “Right. Any monster that dares to approach Ajiu will have to go through reincarnation and start training over again…”
Uncle Wine took a sip of his drink and said, “Actually, these things can only be called monsters, not demons. Demons are usually creatures that can transform into humans after thousands of years of cultivation. In comparison, demons have hearts, while monsters have none. That’s why monsters are far more terrifying than demons.”
Shui’er looked at Uncle Wine and smiled sweetly, “Uncle Wine, you… must not be an ordinary old man.”
Uncle Wine shook his head and said, “You’re right. I’m not ordinary. I’m just a drunk old man, haha.”
Everyone laughed along.
Uncle Wine took another sip of his drink and said, “You’re all very young and have a long road ahead. Seeing that you all have kind hearts, I, an old man, am also happy.”
Liu Yi smiled and said, “Uncle Wine, tonight we’ll eliminate the demons in Fengmo Town and send Ajiu back to the palace. After that, I’ll go to Miaojiang to find Jili’er. We’ll get married and live happily ever after. All the experiences we’ve had so far can just be considered a dream.”
When Liu Yi said this, everyone had different expressions. Shui’er, Ajiu, Shi Jieyi, and King Great Sword all thought of their own concerns.
But Uncle Wine took a big gulp of his drink and said, “Child, what’s meant to happen will happen, whether it’s life or fate. You can’t avoid it. Perhaps all these experiences are just the beginning of your life.”
Liu Yi was confused, and the others also felt strange. Liu Yi quickly asked, “What is Uncle Wine talking about?”
Uncle Wine smiled and said, “I’m just a drunk old man who’s good at fortune-telling. From my perspective, your journey has just begun.”
Liu Yi hurriedly asked, “Just begun? What about after that? What will come next?”
Uncle Wine took a sip of his drink and continued, “After that? I don’t know either. I can only tell that your journey has just started.”