The me of today is no longer the me of the past.
Having seen countless demons, ghosts, and vengeful spirits, I remain unfazed when encountering something foul now.
My grandmother, upon hearing my words, expressed great worry.
"Zewa! You must be careful. So many people have died. Don't let anything happen to you.
Grandma is living just for you, waiting to hold her grandson!"
I smiled slightly.
"Grandma, I'm lucky and blessed; nothing will happen to me."
"If you truly want me to be at ease, then get married soon and give Grandma a grandson.
Once the Qin family has an heir, you can do whatever you please, and Grandma won't bother you anymore..."
My grandmother said, a little irritably.
Regarding this matter, I truly didn't know how to begin.
After all, my girlfriend is a female ghost.
There's no future for humans and ghosts.
If I told Grandma, it would surely anger her to death...
I could only smile apologetically and say I understood.
That night, I chatted with Grandma for a long time.
After she fell asleep, I left on my own.
Since monsters had appeared in the village, these sinister and evil beings generally came out at night.
I wanted to take a look around, to see if I could gain any insights.
Leaving my room, I headed straight for the village well.
It was here that my second aunt drowned.
Now, the well and its surroundings were covered with lime, and villagers were forbidden to approach.
As I arrived at the wellhead and peered down, I noticed the water had turned a dark, murky color and emitted a strong, fishy stench.
It was as if many dead fish had been soaking in the well.
I stood at the wellhead for a while, but couldn't discern anything, feeling rather puzzled.
I murmured to myself,
"What kind of demon is this? How strange..."
As I spoke, I looked towards the Zi Gu Teng.
I didn't know, but perhaps the Twelve Demon Souls did.
After all, they were once twelve monsters living in various parts of the world.
Each one possessed extensive knowledge.
Thinking this, I directly addressed the Zi Gu Teng,
"Twelve Demon Generals, appear!"
As soon as my voice fell, the beastly patterns on the Zi Gu Teng lit up.
Then, twelve beams of demonic light flickered, and streams of white mist flew out from within the Zi Gu Teng.
In the blink of an eye, they appeared before me.
The Twelve Demon Souls stood in formation.
They cupped their fists towards me and said,
"Young Master Qin, what are your orders?"
I looked at the Twelve Demon Souls before me and said,
"Everyone, I've encountered trouble. Recently, sinister entities have appeared around our village, but I don't know what they are. Can you determine what has emerged? Last night, my second aunt died in this very well..."
I pointed to the well.
The Twelve Demon Souls listened, exchanged glances, and then I heard Elder Zi Shu say,
"Young Master Qin, rest assured. My twelve brothers will do our utmost."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zi Shu turned to the eleven other demon souls and said,
"Everyone, take a look. What kind of demon is responsible for this?"
"Yes, Elder Brother!"
"..."
The demon souls responded in unison.
Then, they approached the well and began sniffing and examining it.
Si She even leaped into the well to gather clues.
They then began to discuss and continued their examination.
I stood by the side, watching quietly.
After about half a minute, Zi Shu stepped forward and said,
"Young Master Qin, after our investigation,
We can confirm that a water-elemental spirit has appeared in this well.
It operates within the underground water system.
Currently, we cannot determine what kind of water-elemental spirit it is.
Nor have we detected its trace..."
Hearing this, I couldn't help but gasp.
A water-elemental spirit.
This meant it was an aquatic demon soul, capable of moving through underground water veins.
If that were the case, it would be quite troublesome.
"Brother Zi Shu, do you have any good ways to lure this thing out?"
Zi Shu shook his head.
"There isn't.
Since this spirit is killing people,
There will surely be another incident.
Furthermore, its range of activity should be within this area.
As long as we stake out this area,
Once this thing reappears, we can pinpoint its location and eliminate it..."
Zi Shu's plan was indeed good.
With my current individual strength, I truly lacked the energy to search such a vast area.
Moreover, for a spirit operating within the underground water veins,
It was difficult for me to handle.
Thus, I could only rely on the Twelve Demon Souls.
Thinking of this, I immediately said to the Twelve Demon Souls,
"Then I can only ask you all to help me find and capture this demon."
"Young Master Qin, rest assured. We will find this water spirit as quickly as possible."
"..."
The demon souls cupped their fists towards me in unison.
I also cupped my fists in return, showing my respect.
Zi Shu saw this, nodded slightly, and then addressed the other demon souls,
"Disperse!"
As soon as the words fell, the eleven demon souls turned into streams of white mist and scattered in all directions.
However, only Chen Long remained in place.
Seeing Chen Long, I asked confusedly,
"Brother Chen Long, why did you stay behind?"
Chen Long replied truthfully,
"Young Master Qin, you are the Princess's most important person.
We, your twelve brothers, cannot all leave you.
Therefore, I must stay to protect you, in case of any unforeseen events."
Hearing this, I was deeply moved.
Although Qing Dai was not present, her subordinates were so devoted to protecting me.
I didn't say anything further, just nodded to Chen Long.
Then, taking Chen Long with me, I went to the nearby river to take a look...