Chapter 196: The Light of Righteousness Persecutes the Villains
At the foot of North Mountain, a group of villagers anxiously waited, casting fearful glances back at the mountain path and then down the road toward the city.
“Will he really come back?” one asked nervously.
“Of course! Our benefactor said he was going to fetch his little brother and would return soon.”
“So he really killed that ‘evil spirit’ in the mountain? Then he must be a revered cultivator!”
“It’s true! I was there, I saw him glowing with golden light! He must be a cultivator!”
As the villagers murmured to each other, someone suddenly shouted, “Look! He’s coming back!”
Yu Guang, carrying his new little brother, walked out of the city and found the villagers waiting.
“Is something the matter?” he asked curiously.
After a simple meal earlier, he’d planned to track down the villain he was supposed to monitor, but he’d run into a few villagers from Green Creek Village along the way.
The village at the foot of the mountain had been terrorized by an evil spirit that had claimed several lives. The area was remote, with no cultivators willing to deal with it, so the villagers had sent a few representatives into the city to seek help from the Exorcism Bureau.
The Exorcism Bureau was like a magistrate’s office but specialized in dealing with demons and evil spirits. If a spirit was wreaking havoc in an area, villagers could report it there, and cultivators would be dispatched to handle the situation.
The villagers had mustered their courage to seek help at the Exorcism Bureau, but without enough bribe money, they were ignored. Given a hint about the required payment, they’d been dismissed and sent on their way.
The few people who rarely came to the city didn’t know what to do and crouched miserably in the corner.
The overseer demanded a large sum of money.
They discussed whether they should go back to gather more money to give as a bribe, mentioning that the harvest hadn’t been good this year and wondering how they could come up with the amount. Suddenly, two of the men couldn’t hold back their tears.
Life in their village was difficult; just last year, people had even starved to death there.
When Yu Guang overheard them talking about selling their child, he walked over and patted one of them on the shoulder.
“Are you trying to get rid of the evil spirit? I can help you.”
The villagers didn’t really believe this young man who had approached them would be able to handle it, but they had no other option, so they dejectedly took him back to the village to try.
Who could have known the young man would be so fierce? Armed with only a hoe, he smashed the evil spirit, which had come down from the mountains, into pieces.
This was an evil spirit! The villagers had considered gathering a dozen people to try to deal with it, but the thing was nearly impossible to kill; injuring it only made it go berserk.
It was incredibly strong, grew bigger after eating people, and got even faster.
Ordinary people would be so terrified upon seeing such an evil spirit that their legs would go weak.
But the young man who followed them back showed no fear at all. His speed was so fast that they couldn’t even see him clearly, and his strength was unbelievable. In no time, he had taken care of the evil spirit that had plagued them.
He even casually washed the hoe, now covered in the foul-smelling substance from the spirit, in the nearby water.
Then, not even caring about the dark stains on himself, he simply said he had an urgent matter and had to go pick up his younger brother, and he quickly left.
The villagers were dumbfounded and didn’t react in time to stop him. After a long pause, they stumbled back to the village to tell the others.
That’s why so many people were now gathered waiting at the foot of the mountain.
The crowd parted as someone helped up the old village chief, who walked together with them to stand before Yu Guang.
“Benefactor, you’ve returned! Thank you for ridding us of the evil spirit. This is a small amount of money we’ve gathered—please don’t think it’s too little…”
“There’s no need for money,” Yu Guang replied. “I asked on my way here, and I heard there’s an empty cabin on the mountain. Would my younger brother and I be able to stay there for a while?”
“Of course!” the village chief agreed immediately. If someone as powerful as Yu Guang stayed in their village, they wouldn’t have to fear any more evil spirits.
“But that cabin is just a simple shelter once used by a hunter on the mountain. It’s crude and inconvenient. Why not stay at my home so we can properly host you?”
Yu Guang was used to such gestures of gratitude and declined directly, finally only accepting a small sack of grain as a thank-you gift.
As it was getting dark, he didn’t linger to make conversation. Holding his new younger brother, who had been silent and kept his face hidden, he made his way up the mountain to the cabin.
A hunter had lived in that cabin until recently, but he’d been eaten by the evil spirit, leaving nothing behind.
The cabin still held some supplies, preserved and untouched since no one had dared to come up due to the evil spirit on the mountain.
“Youngest, we’ll stay here for the time being,” said Yu Guang.
Feeling that his younger brother was too small and slow to keep up, Yu Guang had carried him the whole way to save time, only now setting him down.
“Are you hungry? Sit here for a bit, and I’ll make something to eat.”
Despite a long day of coming and going, Yu Guang, full of energy and strength, still felt alert but was getting hungry.
He found the simple stove and figured out how to light a fire. Unable to find an axe, he snapped the dry branches by hand to start the fire.
With night falling, the cabin grew dim, and only the flickering orange glow of the fire provided any light.
Yu Guang, practically working in the dark, managed to make some porridge. Unfamiliar with the cooking tools and not very skilled in cooking himself, the result…well, it was fortunate that the darkness hid its appearance, making it look less unappetizing.
Yu Guang made a torch and stuck it in the corner, then, with an expressionless face, ladled the steaming food from the pot and drank a bowl himself.
He then picked up the other bowl, which had cooled down, and sat on a wooden stool by the bed, feeding the emotionless, puppet-like new younger brother.
“Here, Youngest, eat something.”
To Yu Guang’s surprise, the new brother cooperated unexpectedly well. He ate when Yu Guang fed him, finishing most of the bowl in one go without spitting it out or knocking the bowl away to complain that it tasted bad.
Yu Guang felt a little touched. The new brother seemed easy to feed. If it had been the second or third brothers, they would rather starve than eat.
Back when there were only two younger brothers at home, neither of them would eat the food he made. The second brother would say after one bite that his cooking was like pig slop, and the third brother was even more dramatic—he would eat one bite and then rush to the bathroom, throwing up until it felt like the sky was spinning.
It wasn’t that bad. Look at Yu Yin, he’s eating just fine.
Feeling happy, Yu Guang fed him another bowl.
“Eat more, Youngest, so you can grow!”
…
By now, it was completely dark. Yu Guang quickly tidied up the cabin and turned around to find Yu Yin staring at him, his expression vacant yet focused, like a predator watching its prey.
“Let’s go to bed early today.” Yu Guang efficiently made the bed, placing the thin new brother in it, and lay down beside him.
When he turned his head, he saw Yu Yin’s dark eyes still watching him. It was a little eerie, but Yu Guang didn’t mind.
He sniffed his own clothes and then smelled Yu Yin. Laughing, he said, “We both stink a little. We’ll skip washing tonight, but we’ll clean up tomorrow.”
“Okay, sleep.”
His breathing became steady, and it seemed like he quickly fell asleep.
But from Yu Yin’s perspective, the golden light flowing around him still hadn’t faded.
In his world, which was forever dim and devoid of light, something so glaring suddenly intruded, constantly swaying in front of him. It was hard not to pay attention.
This immense power hid within this person’s body. It wasn’t just glaring, but also tantalizing.
The demons and spirits gained power from people’s despair and pain, and they could also gain strength through puppets.
Their threads would pierce into the body, taking on the person’s sensations. Once the parasitic process was complete, they could take full control.
He had had many puppets, but none as powerful as this one.
He was currently in a weak state. If he could gradually control this person, he would soon regain his strength.
When a spider waits for its prey, it remains silent, waiting for the right moment. Yu Yin’s silence had been just that—waiting for the person in front of him to let their guard down.
At that moment, he moved closer to Yu Guang, placing his hand on his neck.
Thin black threads, finer than hair and resembling insects, fell onto Yu Guang’s neck, twisting and wriggling as they tried to burrow into his skin.
But after a long time, they couldn’t pierce the brilliant golden light surrounding him.
The sleeping person opened his eyes and rubbed his neck.
The black threads, like fragile spider webs, were crushed into a small strand.
“It itches a bit,” Yu Guang said.
Yu Yin: “…”
Turning his head, he saw the new younger brother still staring at him. Yu Guang suddenly reached out and grabbed Yu Yin’s wrist.
Had he been discovered? Yu Yin wondered.
Yu Guang grabbed both of his wrists, lifted his legs to pin Yu Yin’s, and turned his body to firmly lock him in his embrace.
Now Yu Yin couldn’t move at all, his body pressed against the warm one beside him.
“Alright, let’s sleep. Don’t do anything bad,” Yu Guang reminded.
After Yu Yin’s breathing steadied again from behind, “spider threads” reemerged from his fingertips, winding around Yu Guang’s hands and attempting to bind his fingers.
However, after struggling for a while, his threads still couldn’t pierce through the layer of flowing golden light.
…He had just recently awoken, and his strength was still insufficient—he wasn’t strong enough to parasitize and control this person.
…
The next morning, as soon as it was light, Yu Guang got up and called his younger brother to rise as well.
“Come on, Youngest, eat something. We’ll go train together.”
The food he fed him was still unappetizing, and Yu Yin swallowed it, easily reaching the conclusion even with his dull sense of taste.
With the comparison, he realized that the food he had eaten in the basement of Qiyun Tower wasn’t actually that bad.
But Yu Yin didn’t care whether the food tasted bad. What he really wanted now was to “eat” the powerful, golden-glowing person in front of him.
He found himself increasingly desirous of this puppet.
From Yu Guang’s perspective, his younger brother’s invisible gaze was always tracking his movements.
Originally, Yu Guang had planned to let him eat on his own, but seeing his eyes, he decided to take over and feed him instead.
“Today, we’ll start with a slow walk. Once you’re used to it, we’ll try jogging.”
Yu Guang proposed the training plan for the day. He noticed that Yu Yin moved very slowly. His legs were thin and underdeveloped, the lines of his limbs showing that they had never been trained.
A person who had been locked in a small basement for twelve years, mostly lying in bed due to hunger, would naturally have their leg function deteriorate.
Yu Guang led him out of the cabin, and in front of the house, there was a small open area.
“Come on, let’s walk slowly here.”
Yu Guang held both of his hands, guiding him forward.
The morning air in the mountain forest was unusually fresh. The birds in the trees were chirping, and the sun had just begun to rise, casting soft light into the deep woods.
After yesterday’s heavy rain, today was a clear day, and the temperature had risen considerably.
Yu Yin was being guided forward by a pair of hands, reluctantly taking steps.
He couldn’t see, but he could smell the air around him, feel the sunlight, and sense the uneven path underfoot.
All of this was a rare experience for him.
For a long time, he had stayed in his nest.
His nest was filled only with piled-up silks and rich fragrances. His threads could take him anywhere.
He had walked over precious satin, cool jade, delicate skin, and human skulls… but he had never stepped on such a rugged mountain path.
“Not bad, you’ve walked quite a bit. Just a little further, hold on!” The person guiding him encouraged.
The sun had fully risen, and the heat from it was now intense, making his skin feel like it was being burned by a raging fire.
Yu Yin wasn’t used to such fierce sunlight, and he frowned, swaying his body, trying to avoid it.
Suddenly, a pair of hands lifted him up.
“We’re here.”
The sound of flowing water grew louder. The mountain stream here, due to several drops in elevation, formed small pools—like inverted bowls, shimmering with clear green hues.
His legs felt a coolness as he was placed into the stream.
