At midnight, the tide receded, evening returned, and in the village closest to Thunder Sea, lights blazed in every household.

The village had originally planted many trees, but under lightning and storms, all were destroyed, lying scattered east and west across the roads in unrecognizable forms. At a glance, it was like clusters of vibrant leaves and flowers blooming from barren earth.

Xue Yu and her group walked into the village, stepping over scattered branches and leaves.

A wanton thunderstorm had awakened the entire village. Elderly women and children were protected behind fully armed men who stared at the pitch-black sky with vigilance or exhaustion, as if there was a dark, man-eating well there, and they craned their necks in confrontation with it, not even noticing several strangers had entered the village.

In reality, after those wildly dancing lightning bolts withdrew, this stretch of sky had returned to its original clarity. The rampaging demonic energy, blown by the wind, scattered faster than anything else.

Their brave confrontation was completely without effect.

After an unknown amount of time, the village’s well-traveled elder finally reached up to wipe his face, saying hoarsely: “She’s gone back. Everyone, put your things down.”

As if receiving some instruction to release emotions, the next moment, many half-grown children who had been covered by adults to keep them quiet pursed their lips and began crying “wah” out loud. Seeing this scene, the village women all turned away with reddened eyes. In the crowd, women sobbed quietly, choking out: “When will these days end…”

The first to discover Xue Yu was the village’s old patriarch. In his youth, he had ventured outside and even joined a mountain sect to study, so he knew some superficial techniques.

During the earlier lightning and torrential rain, he had seen clearly – the leading woman in snow-white robes and long hair, with one move created thousands of flowing lines with crystalline luster, weaving into an unparalleled snow scene, boldly colliding with those lightning bolts as if to uproot them from the village.

“You several…” He tremblingly parted the crowd with his hand, forcing out a reluctant smile. His face was like tree bark weathered by wind and rain, his voice filled with undisguised exhaustion.

Self-introductions were always Chao Nian’s job. The youth had a face still showing childish features, sweet words, and knew how to handle situations. He immediately stepped forward from Xue Yu’s side and said, “Elder, we come from a Sacred Land. This time, we came specifically to solve the Thunder Sea problem for everyone.”

Having finished speaking, he skillfully removed the identity token from his waist and handed it to the old patriarch. Under the torchlight’s dim glow, the giant beast with green face and fangs on the token flickered with spiritual light, lifelike, as if it might come alive at any moment, particularly eerie. The old village chief’s face twitched several times as he hurriedly stuffed the token back along its original path.

Several people who happened to be standing nearby with ears pricked to listen heard they were from a Sacred Land and all dropped their tasks, gathering forward to listen.

“Sacred Land? Which Sacred Land?” The younger generation had mostly grown up hearing Sacred Land reputations, and these two words alone filled them with infinite imagination.

They chattered in discussion: “I’ve seen Xihe Sacred Land’s token – it’s a tree, not this.”

“Then, which is it? Surely not Northern Wilderness.” Someone first excluded Northern Wilderness, but before they could analyze carefully, someone behind grabbed the conversation: “Hey hey, let me through, let me through. This has ghosts and demons painted on it – anyone could figure out with their toes it’s Yedu. You’re all really stupid.”

This youth had just scratched his head and squeezed out of the crowd when the old village chief slapped his forehead: “Behave yourself! What ghosts and demons – these are called ghost gods, ghost immortals!”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

“Go back to your room with your mother and sleep.”

The youth dodged, first dismissively pursing his lips, looking at Xue Yu and the others, then at the warning-eyed old patriarch. Holding back words, when his companions pulled him to turn back to the house, he finally couldn’t contain himself. He turned his head, looking at Xue Yu at the front, and said rapidly: “Our place is extremely dangerous. Xihe and nearby sects have all sent disciples here. Not only did they fail to solve the sea’s thunder, but some even lost themselves. I advise you all – ow!”

He was grabbed by the ear and thrown back into the crowd by the old patriarch.

“Who is this?” Xue Yu’s ten jade-like, delicate fingers were intertwined with frost-colored snow threads. She looked up with interest at the youth covering his ears and crying out, her calm eyes falling on the old village chief’s withered face.

“Oh, this is my mischievous little one, called Su Yun. His father died early, leaving only this single sprout in the family. Usually spoiled by me, always making noise and never learning lessons.” The old patriarch waved his hand: “Just thinking about him gives me headaches.”

“Having Sacred Lands come to resolve this matter couldn’t be better. Speaking of which, since the Worldly Lamp disappeared, we’ve been on edge daily, more afraid than in previous years.”

The patriarch led them into the village, saying as they walked: “That boy makes trouble, but actually what he said wasn’t wrong. Xihe Sacred Land and nearby, somewhat famous sects have sent disciples here more than once. But strangely, when somewhat reputable sects send people, that sea becomes calm and peaceful – forget lightning, you can’t even find larger waves. If unknown small sects come, that sea mocks people, acting up in the middle of the night, rolling those people into the sea, never to be found again.”

After listening, Xue Yu summarized: This demon picked on people selectively.

“But this was three years ago.” The old patriarch sighed deeply, looking at the ink-black sky: “Since the Worldly Lamp was placed in the seabed, Thunder Sea has never caused trouble again. Just when everyone’s lives were returning to normal, who knew—”

“If three years ago that thing in the sea still had some scruples, picking soft persimmons to squeeze, these past few days it’s been completely unrestrained.” The old patriarch spoke more urgently, coughing several times in succession.

When his breathing stabilized, Xue Yu surveyed the surroundings, her gaze sliding over collapsed trees and crumbling houses before settling on the village chief’s face, interrupting his lengthy complaints: “You say that demon is cruel and merciless, but after the lightning passed, only houses in the village were affected. Villagers weren’t injured, and even the penned livestock weren’t harmed.”

“Since it doesn’t hurt people, why are you so afraid of it?”

Following behind the village chief was a square-faced middle-aged man. Seeing the old village chief’s poor spirits, he rushed to explain: “Little immortals don’t know – there are countless monsters in that sea. Each time lightning strikes the village, different faces appear, using different techniques.”

“There are hundreds of villages, large and small, near Thunder Sea. Though deaths rarely occur, many people have been injured – except one.”

“That flower just now.” Xue Yu completed his thought.

“Exactly.” The square-faced man said, “But to be honest with the immortal, we don’t dare be complacent. Previously, this flower came to our village too. We thought it wouldn’t hurt people, but it struck and killed a five-year-old child before our very eyes—” He couldn’t continue.

Passing soil struck by lightning, Xue Yu unexpectedly bent down, dipped her long finger in some soil, and brought it to her nose to smell, immediately frowning.

“Young lady, did you notice anything?” Chao Nian imitated her actions, only smelling a faint floral fragrance and the fishy scent of moist earth. As for whether that flower left demonic or ghostly energy, he couldn’t distinguish at all.

Xue Yu didn’t immediately answer him but changed to another location, patiently and carefully repeating the above actions. Others watched and consciously retreated several feet, even holding their breath carefully.

Only one person was an exception.

Su You silently walked to a small tree split in half by lightning, half-crouching down, his ink-colored robe hem flowing like water to the ground. Using his finger as a blade, he cut off a small blackened piece of wood, placed it in his palm to observe quietly. In his glazed eyes, waves surged and dispersed completely under night’s concealment.

“Over here too—” After a while, he stood up, looking at Xue Yu as if seeing through her thoughts, softly uttering: “Very clean.”

He was naturally an evil breed among demons and ghosts, particularly sensitive to similar auras. Having experienced many life-and-death situations where carelessness meant death, keen perception had almost become instinct, carved into his body.

Xue Yu looked at this person who was the only one present who could keep up with her pace, nodded almost imperceptibly, her voice clear and slow: “Indeed clean. I also detected no abnormalities.”

The old village chief who had been watching throughout looked at this one, then that one, finally unable to help, asking: “Little immortal, what does this ‘clean’ mean?”

Xue Yu silently accepted the handkerchief Chao Nian handed over, wiping clean her soil-stained fingers one by one. Lowering her eyes, just as she was about to speak, she saw the thin-bodied youth pick up a severed tree branch and casually draw a complex pattern on the ground.

While drawing, he said: “It means that whatever came just now, whether demon or monster, has never been stained with bloody qi.”

“Simply put, she has never harmed anyone.”

The old village chief was dumbfounded, repeatedly saying: “This is impossible. This flower – we’ve seen it more than once. That time it went berserk, not only did it blast a village child to death, but it also swept several women into the sea. None of those swept in ever returned.”

“Could the recent rain have washed away the scent that should be there?”

Xue Yu slowly shook her head.

Not to mention Su You’s five senses and intuition, Xue Yu herself couldn’t be wrong about such matters. Yedu was a city of demons and ghosts. The number of spirits that had passed through Xue Yu’s hands was countless. In her eyes, the aura was the most honest thing.

Seeing this, the old village chief said no more. After all, he only understood superficial knowledge. As the saying goes, each trade has its expertise. When it came to catching demons and monsters, Sacred Lands had experience. As an outsider, asking a few questions was fine, but if he continued nitpicking during their investigation, that would be truly inexcusable.

“The immortals have seen – our village depends on the sea. Generations have lived by fishing. Though life isn’t as prosperous as those big cities, we find contentment and joy in it. Toward things in the sea, we’ve always maintained a respectful distance, cautious not to provoke them.” Recalling the past, the old village chief sighed heavily, his already unbent back bending further.

“Not only that, the village also set up an offering platform. Every time fishing boats returned safely, we’d select the finest catch to place there for their enjoyment.” The square-faced man continued: “At that time, several times when village men encountered large waves at sea and fishing boats nearly capsized, just at the most dangerous moment, the previously raging sea surface would suddenly become calm, and the boats seemed lifted by someone, always turning danger into safety and returning home safely.”

“Who knows how we suddenly provoked whatever’s inside?” Every time the old village chief told this story to others, he was equally baffled.

“Originally, the Worldly Lamp could suppress that demon, but it was stolen. If I knew who did such a thing, I would…” The square-faced man gritted his teeth.

Xue Yu interrupted his harsh words: “When did Thunder Sea’s turmoil begin?”

“Ten years have passed since those lightning bolts first fell on the village.”

“Was that sea called Thunder Sea before this?” Xue Yu asked while walking to Su You’s side, concentrating on the completed Tracking Array on the ground.

Inside, thread-like spiritual light coiled and moved in circles like a spirit snake patrolling its territory.

“No, it was only after the incidents that many people called it that, so everyone followed suit.” The village chief supplemented, “Previously, that sea was called Nine Phoenix Sea.”

“Nine Phoenix?” Xue Yu suddenly looked up: “You also called it this when making offerings?”

Meanwhile, Su You also seemed to think of something. He casually discarded the small, withered branch in his hand, leisurely raising a pair of peach blossom eyes. His dark pupils seemed perpetually adorned with mountain wind-like cool laughter, appearing heart-movingly docile under the firelight.

The old village chief was somewhat confused by their reactions.

Unlike disciples from other Sacred Lands and sects, this time Yedu’s group was led by the young woman before them. She had remained very calm throughout, and this was the first time the old village chief had heard such obvious emotional fluctuation in her tone.

“Yes, yes.” The old village chief hesitated, struggling to recall small details still preserved in his memory: “We’re all powerless ordinary people – how would we know what divine being lives in the sea? But since we chose to make sacrifices, if we didn’t even mention a name, wouldn’t our sincerity be wasted? Since that sea was called Nine Phoenix Sea, we simply called the one inside Nine Phoenix Lord.”

“It responded?”

“Whether it responded or not, we can’t be sure, but after that, people from the village rarely had accidents at sea.”

Not refusing meant agreeing.

Xue Yu pondered thoughtfully, understanding in her heart.

To the village’s innermost part, scattered stone houses stood. Those women awakened by lightning led their children, secretly weeping while bending to carefully select from the broken tree branches the village men had dragged back from the front.

Not far away, several tall, strong young men sat on wooden stools, holding chisels and small axes, quickly cutting the selected wood and beginning detailed carving.

Seeing this scene, the old village chief seemed to perceive their unspoken questions and explained without waiting for them to ask: “These villages originally lived off the sea. Starting ten years ago when such incidents began, everyone slept, wanting to keep one eye open, hardly daring to go to sea. But this isn’t sustainable – people must eat, must live.”

“So you set your sights on this lightning-struck wood.” Xue Yu swept her gaze over the scene, her understanding clear as a mirror: “You planted many trees in the village. After lightning strikes, you collect the good-quality pieces and process them into beads and bracelets, selling them to families with needs in big cities. Everyone knows lightning’s power can protect homes and ward off evil spirits. People willing to pay high prices are often numerous.”

Chao Nian hadn’t expected people could think of such money-making methods and couldn’t help but click his tongue in admiration.

While Xue Yu spoke, Su You quietly hid in the night shadows watching. His flowing hair was loosely tied with a ribbon, his entire person like an innocently seductive beautiful snake.

Her lips were beautifully shaped, appearing bright red under the orange torchlight like a precious flower he’d once seen in the imperial city – gorgeous to an almost aggressive degree, yet her eyes were coldly rippling, making even her pearl-jade voice lose its warmth.

“If I’m not mistaken, this is more effortless and brings money faster than living by fishing.”

“So this is also why, when great disaster strikes, few among hundreds of nearby villages choose to relocate entirely.”

The so-called seeking wealth in danger described exactly this scene.

The old village chief’s bark-like face trembled several times before he finally sighed helplessly: “The immortal’s teaching is correct, but this is also a method born from no other choice. If the Worldly Lamp were still there, if that sea weren’t turbulent, who would want to risk their lives earning such money?”

Xue Yu had tried too many cases and seen too many bizarre incidents. Admittedly, some lightning-struck wood was nothing, and villagers wanting to earn money weren’t wrong either. But combined with the old village chief’s earlier words, they became thousands of intertwined threads coiling in her mind.

A great demon that didn’t hurt people but only struck trees, a group of people who wouldn’t relocate but risked their lives staying in the village, and the suddenly disappeared Worldly Lamp.

Was it someone accustomed to picking up gold everywhere, unwilling to return to the wind-and-rain-beaten fishing life, who stole the Worldly Lamp when no one was watching?

Or was someone secretly raising the great demon, or perhaps trading item for item, making deals for the sea creature to continuously send free lightning?

These were all empty speculations without real evidence, but the harm caused by lightning-struck wood flowing out was real, and demons using this to seek and harm people was also real.

“Young lady.” Seeing Xue Yu’s expression turn cold and about to speak, Su You suddenly called her.

Due to a premeditated thunderstorm, the seaside weather had dropped suddenly. In the bitter cold wind, he was dressed particularly lightly, as if catching cold, his eyes misty with illness, his face especially pale, yet his cheeks bore two thin patches of flush like hastily applied light powder.

“Don’t be angry.”

His voice wasn’t like ordinary men’s roughness, but had a youth’s unique softness and spirit.

Meeting each other’s eyes, Xue Yu suddenly remembered that the person standing before her had just passed two hundred years old, born fifty years after her.

Using Shan Su’s words, still a child.

She closed her eyes and turned her head aside.

Having slightly soothed the cold and noble Yedu princess, Su You walked forward two steps. When he raised his face and eyes again, he displayed the gentleness, humility, and propriety that elders most liked to see. He curved his lips and said, “Elder, forgive us. Our young lady isn’t criticizing anything, just somewhat angry.”

Xue Yu looked over.

“Lightning sent down by great demons and natural lightning don’t belong to the same category. On the contrary, their effects are opposite. This lightning carries the great demon’s power. To them, these branches are a kind of token – whoever possesses them receives their attention.”

His voice was like March’s continuous spring rain, each word seemingly carrying shallow, light laughter: “If these things flow out and fall into others’ hands, if something unfortunate happens later and trouble arises, wouldn’t that be more problematic?”

Only then did the old village chief seem to suddenly understand, clapping his palms: “Thank you for informing us, young master! We country folk who only understand common things – how could we know so much? Truly sinful, greatly sinful.”

Having finished, he looked at Xue Yu again, repeatedly apologizing and saying: “Please rest assured, immortal. I’ll handle the rest myself, ensuring not half a bead flows out.”

Xue Yu quietly gazed at that demon ghost, so beautiful it seemed almost unearthly, thinking this should be the longest two passages he’d spoken in these few days.

Yet every word, every sentence, had stepped precisely on her heart.

Everything she wanted to say had been expressed by him in another gentle, suggestive manner.

Looking again at the confused Chao Nian and Qing Luo, even with Xue Yu’s current perspective and temperament, she had to admit:

The youth standing before her, beautiful beyond earthly measure, not only possessed top-tier talent and comprehension but was born with an enviably exquisite and clever heart.

Intelligent.

And knew how to disguise.

After a moment, Xue Yu moved her lips, her tone becoming gentle: “Leave the demon matter to us to resolve.”

Having finished, she turned toward the stone house the old village chief had arranged for them. Chao Nian, Liang Yan, and Qing Luo immediately followed.

Su You was the last to move. The old village chief was still muttering in his ear: “Thank you for the guidance, young master. I’m old and confused, old and confused.”

He sighed with some emotion: “Young master is a good person.”

Hearing these words, Su You paused his steps. Orange firelight illuminated half his profile, showing a soft, warm, docile appearance.

Good person.

He savored these two words, lifting his lips as if hearing some joke.