“Imitation?” Gu Baiying looked at Zanxing.

“That’s right. The events back then caused quite a stir – everyone in Li’er Kingdom knows about it. Maybe someone, or some demon, saw it and used the same method to kill people while conveniently framing the merfolk from back then. It’s not impossible.”

Hearing this, Gu Baiying didn’t immediately respond, seemingly carefully considering Zanxing’s words. After a moment, he said: “Then who do you think would do such a thing?”

“There could be many,” Zanxing answered without hesitation. “Those with twisted, perverted minds, anti-social types, or perhaps relatives and descendants of the merfolk’s friends, and it’s also possible that his lover has returned for revenge?”

“Lover?” Gu Baiying sneered: “You’ve been reading too many storybooks.”

“No, that’s not it,” Zanxing patted the table. “Even though he’s a demon, he might still have had a lover. Think about it – knowing that your beloved was destroyed body and soul by a demon-slaying formation, how heartbroken the lover would be. Maybe they painstakingly cultivated just to kill their way back for revenge. For a Demon Shark, forty years isn’t too late for vengeance – the royal palace destroyed my lover, so I’ll make the entire palace be buried with him!” Zanxing spread her hands: “See? How moving.”

“Shut up.” Gu Baiying frowned as he listened: “What’s moving about that? It’s disgusting.”

“Of course it’s moving. If someone I liked was killed by others, I’d go into hiding and seek revenge for them,” Zanxing said. “Uncle, you don’t understand romance. Wouldn’t you do the same?”

“I would not,” Gu Baiying scoffed. “I simply wouldn’t let my person fall into danger in the first place.”

Zanxing was stunned for a moment before speaking: “That may be so, but Uncle, will your Jiexin Bell ring? Will you have someone you like?”

“Have you said enough?” Gu Baiying’s patience reached its limit: “Keep babbling and I’ll kick you out.”

Zanxing smiled: “Just making conversation, don’t get angry.”

Gu Baiying ignored her.

Zanxing flipped through several more volumes of records but indeed found nothing useful, so she asked Gu Baiying: “Uncle, these records are all more or less the same – we can’t make heads or tails of them. What do we do now?”

Gu Baiying threw the record in his hands back into the wooden box and pulled out a sound transmission talisman from his chest. He held the transmission talisman between his fingertips, and with a slight movement of his fingers, a small flame began burning from the bottom of the talisman paper.

“Seventh Uncle,” Meng Ying’s voice came from the talisman paper.

“Where are you now?” Gu Baiying asked. “Have you found any demons?”

“No,” Meng Ying replied. “The demonic aura here is sometimes strong, sometimes weak. Tan Tianxin’s Thousand-Li Demon Toad keeps stopping and starting. We’re currently heading up the mountain – we don’t know if we can find the demon’s lair before dark.”

“Understood.” Gu Baiying said, “Pay more attention to your surroundings, take good care of Mu Cengxiao, and remember to send a sound transmission to me if there’s danger.”

Meng Ying said, “Yes, Uncle.”

The sound transmission talisman burned to ash in the air. The person beside her handed over a water bottle. Mu Cengxiao said, “Drink up.”

Meng Ying didn’t take it. She was habitually fastidious about cleanliness and wouldn’t normally use others’ cups or water bottles unless necessary. However, the sun was indeed quite intense now. Li’er Kingdom was hot year-round, and coming from Gufeng Mountain to this place, she was somewhat unaccustomed to it.

“The water bottle was requested from the palace maids when we left this morning. The water is spring water – I haven’t touched it.” Mu Cengxiao stuffed the water bottle into Meng Ying’s hands and went to sit down elsewhere.

Nie Xinghong walked over carrying two cups of rock sugar syrup, handed one to Meng Ying, and while fanning her with a fan, spoke with elegant grace: “It’s hot, Miss Meng must be thirsty. I especially had someone buy this rock sugar syrup – it’s sweet and thirst-quenching. Please try some, Miss Meng.”

Meng Ying coldly walked past him, pulled out the bottle stopper, tilted her head back to take a drink, and didn’t even glance at him.

Nie Xinghong awkwardly withdrew his hand, coughed lightly twice, and consoled himself: “It seems Miss Meng doesn’t like sweet drinks.”

Not far away, Tan Tianxin sat under a tree, looking at the entirely emerald green toad on the ground. This toad was only half the size of a palm, hopping around on the ground. Li’er Kingdom’s demonic aura was faint and elusive – the Thousand-Li Demon Toad had been tracking for most of the day without discovering any trace.

Everyone was resting when the green toad jumped onto a broad leaf and stayed quietly for a moment. Suddenly, as if it had discovered something, sharp “ribbit ribbit” sounds rang out as it rapidly leaped in one direction, startling everyone considerably.

Meng Ying also looked in that direction.

Tan Tianxin jumped to his feet in delight: “The demon toad has found demonic aura! That demon is ahead – quickly follow it!”

……

The blazing sun hung overhead in the vast azure sky without a single cloud.

Tian Fangfang wiped the sweat from her forehead: “Li’er Kingdom is way too hot!”

Gufeng Mountain was located high up and always had a bit more coolness than down below, but Li’er Kingdom’s sun seemed intent on drying people out completely.

Inside the house, the old man placed a bowl filled with well water on the table, stepped back to one side, and said carefully: “Whatever the Immortal wants to know, please feel free to ask. It’s just that it’s been decades since my younger sister met with trouble back then, so I might not remember some things clearly…”

“It’s fine,” Tian Fangfang said. “We’re just asking casually – you don’t need to be nervous.”

Mendong looked at the blackened earthen bowl on the table with some hesitation. Tian Fangfang, however, didn’t mind these things. She picked up the bowl and gulped down several mouthfuls of water, saying: “Old uncle, we just want to ask about the circumstances of that day when your younger sister was harmed by the Demon Shark.”

“The Demon Shark…” Upon hearing this, the old man seemed to recall the tragic scene from back then, his lips involuntarily trembling: “That was a terrifying monster…”

Half an hour later, Mendong and Tian Fangfang walked out of the house.

Mendong said, “Many of the victims’ family members from back then are no longer in this world, or they’ve already left Li’er Kingdom. We only found five households in total. We’ve visited three, and their accounts are all pretty much the same.” Mendong counted on his fingers: “All young women, all drained of their blood, all killed when they were alone. Just like those people dying now. I think it’s that Demon Shark from forty years ago returning for revenge. What else is there to say?”

“That may be so,” Tian Fangfang shook her head, “but I always feel like something has been overlooked. None of these people personally witnessed the Demon Shark harming anyone, yet their accounts are very consistent. How strange.”

“What’s strange about that?” Mendong said. “They’re all ordinary people – how could they see the Demon Shark’s true form? Even the Li’er Kingdom royal family only caught the merfolk because of the demon-slaying formation. However, the talisman formation master at that time was probably not skilled enough, which allowed the merfolk to find a chance to escape, only to return forty years later.”

Tian Fangfang looked into the distance: “Forget it, thinking so much is useless. Junior Brother, you’ve recorded all the information we just gathered, right? Let’s hurry to the next house.”

Mendong glanced at the blazing sun overhead, pursed his lips, and reluctantly followed along.