novelraw Chapter 1134: Samsara (4)
Chapter 1134: Samsara (4)
Mo Mo had asked Lu Yiyun to bring a drop of her father Lu Hai’s blood in the middle of the night simply to avoid trouble—but he hadn’t expected that on such a stormy night, someone else would approach the area.
The approaching footsteps were rushed and heavy—not the steps of someone skilled in martial arts... just an ordinary person.
If someone saw him in the middle of the night with a young girl in a place like this, it would be a scandal he couldn’t wash clean—even if he had dyed blond hair from a few years ago, he was still, at heart, a Daoist priest.
He covered the girl’s mouth and pulled her into a corner of the woodshed to hide, grabbed her umbrella, and then struck a palm against the air, stirring up dust to cover their tracks—everything done swiftly and silently.
Mo Mo was quite pleased with his reaction time.
“Sorry about this, but bear with it for now.”
Even so, in the tight space, Mo Mo made sure not to let their bodies touch.
The door opened. A middle-aged man walked in. After entering, he irritably removed his raincoat, then skillfully pulled out a kerosene lamp from the corner and lit it.
He then sat down and lit a cigarette.
By the light of the lamp, Mo Mo and Lu Yiyun could both see the man’s face clearly... the girl opened her mouth slightly—she seemed to recognize him.“You know this man?”
The voice sounded in her ear—but she didn’t see Mo Mo’s lips move.
“I can fight demons, so of course I know how to do this too. Don’t be so shocked… do you know him?” Mo Mo’s voice echoed in her head again.
The girl nodded, then dipped her finger in the water on the umbrella and wrote on the floor: Village Party Secretary, Secretary Wu.
Mo Mo frowned… What was the Party Secretary of Lu Village doing here in the middle of the night?
But they didn’t have to wonder for long—soon, another person arrived. This time, someone both Mo Mo and Lu Yiyun knew well.
It was the Lady Boss of the inn, Luo Aiyu.
“Goodness! Didn’t I say I wasn’t coming out tonight?! In this damn weather—you know how hard it was for me to get here?” the man grumbled.
The woman replied, “That bastard suddenly came home today, I don’t want to sleep with him. If you hadn’t come, I’d have gone looking for you! Don’t think you can just use me and leave!”
“How could I!”
Rustling, panting... the sounds of lust quickly filled the room, nearly drowned out by the wind and rain. But for the two hiding in the corner, it was absolute torment.
Mo Mo wasn’t sure how the girl felt right now—but he felt completely mortified. What was he supposed to do after catching a man’s daughter witnessing her stepmother cheating?
Even Mo Mo was despairing…
“Stay calm, remember what I told you.” Mo Mo tried to stabilize both himself and the girl—at that moment, he sensed the demonic energy within her starting to flare up.
He had no choice but to press a finger to her forehead and silently cast a spell to help her regain clarity… but once Lu Yiyun became lucid again, her face filled with grief and rage.
Mo Mo had to pretend he didn’t see it and transmitted his voice again: “They shouldn’t stay much longer. Once they’re gone, we’ll leave. No need to make a scene.”
Daoists of Dragon-Tiger Mountain catch demons, suppress evil, exorcise ghosts, and perform rituals… but they don’t catch adulterers!
Eventually, the sounds of passion subsided, and the two began talking again.
“I want a divorce—I can’t stand living with that useless man anymore. I didn’t even know when I married him that this whole family was full of freaks! I’m going insane! If I don’t leave, I’ll lose my mind!”
“Just wait a little longer.”
“Wait for what? For you to get promoted and walk away? I’m warning you, if you dare run off after using me, I’ll storm into your office and expose your affair with me!”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” The man lit another cigarette. “There’s a project coming down from the higher-ups soon. They’re going to develop this area. Several nearby villages are having their land seized. Lu Hai may be useless, but the whole mountain belongs to his family. It’s under his father, Lu Buhai’s name... you get what I mean?”
“You’re saying…?”
“I don’t think he’ll sell willingly… and that’s a problem. This project’s big—the town government has pulled in several major developers. They’re going to turn the area into a coastal vacation resort, with investments in the hundreds of millions! That mountain of your husband’s? Worth a fortune!”
“You’re not lying to me?”
“Why would I? Stupid woman. Don’t you even know your husband’s assets? You thought they just ran a crummy inn? I found old records—it’s all under his family’s name! Though it’s strange… the villagers are usually stingy as hell, but they gave Lu Hai the whole mountain. Seems like it was compensation for something, but none of the old geezers will talk.”
“But… but if that bastard won’t sell, we’re stuck!”
“There’s always a way… if you divorce him, you’ll lose everything. But if you stay married, under the property law, you’re entitled to half!”
“Really…? If the land sells, how much are we talking?”
“Hard to say. Official land prices can’t be too high, and there’s a lot of bribes and maneuvering, but at the very least, several million.”
“Millions… my god. So I’d get a share too?”
“Only if he signs the papers. Problem is, that old guy’s mind’s gone. Getting him to sign might be hard.”
After a long pause, the woman spoke again.
“Hey… if that old fart just happened to die, would Lu Hai’s signature still count?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“He’s just a burden at this point. Wouldn’t it be better if he were dead?”
“Don’t you dare! We’re trying to get money, not kill anyone!”
“Kill? Him being alive is the problem! You don’t know what it’s like to care for him—I’m suffering every day! Besides, he’s old and senile—everyone knows it. What if he just… fell down the stairs? Isn’t that normal?”
As Mo Mo listened, he realized something was wrong… these two were actually conspiring to commit murder for money.
But before he could react, Lu Yiyun suddenly burst out from hiding.
Her demonic energy exploded, and a sharp, inhuman scream tore from her mouth—instantly shattering the windows with its piercing force!
The wind howled in, extinguishing the lamp.
“You deserve to die——!!!”
As the shriek echoed, Secretary Wu and Lady Boss Luo Aiyu saw a black shadow rush at them. In the flashes of lightning, they caught a glimpse of a terrifying, scaly, pale blue-green face—completely inhuman.
“Ghost——!!”
Secretary Wu fainted on the spot, collapsing in terror—while Luo Aiyu screamed, scrambling and crashing out the door in panic.
“Wretched woman! I’ll kill you——!!!”
The sharp voice chased her as she fled, ignoring the storm and mud, feeling only a chilling fear at her back.
She rolled several meters, and when she heard that screech again, her soul nearly fled her body. She bolted downhill without looking back.
Inside the shed, Mo Mo had slammed Lu Yiyun to the floor, pressing a hand against her back. His expression solemn, he shouted lowly, “Lin!”
Lu Yiyun thrashed wildly.
“Calm down! If you really kill someone, your life is over! They’re just conspiring—they haven’t done anything to your family yet! It’s not worth losing control! But if you do, I will exorcise you! Think of your dad and grandfather!!”
Lu Yiyun clutched her head, crying out in anguish.
“You’re human, not a demon!” Mo Mo took a deep breath, flipped his palm, and struck another seal into her back. “Remember—you’re human!”
Lu Yiyun lost consciousness and fainted on the spot.
Mo Mo sat down on the floor with a thump. He glanced at the village secretary, who had also passed out nearby, and frowned as he recalled the earlier conversation between him and Luo Aiyu. With a sigh, he muttered, “Master was right… people's hearts really are cold…”
…
…
When Lu Yiyun woke up, she was lying in bed—in her own room.
Mo Mo was sitting cross-legged beside the bed. As she instinctively sat up, her head felt heavy, like it had been split open and stitched back together.
“You’re awake?” Mo Mo slowly opened his eyes. “Any discomfort? Nausea? Be precise. Your demon blood flared up suddenly—I managed to suppress it forcibly… but once it happens, it’s easier for it to happen again. You need to behave.”
Lu Yiyun bit her lip and clutched the corner of her blanket. “My mom… that woman, where is she?”
“She ran.” Mo Mo shook his head. “Ran straight down the mountain—probably scared out of her mind. Hasn’t come back. As for that Secretary Wu, he woke up in a panic and left too.”
“Good! Best if they never come back again!” the girl said bitterly.
The hatred in her eyes was intense… but strangely, Mo Mo felt a sense of relief. Best if they don’t come back—she still had some kindness in her heart after all.
“Don’t worry about this. I’ll handle it.” Mo Mo shook his head. “I’m not great at dealing with this kind of thing either, but better me than you acting rashly. Anyway, same as before—so long as you behave, I won’t do anything to you. But if you lose control and kill someone, no matter your reason, I’ll put an end to you immediately.”
He stood up. “Get some rest.”
“Th-thank you…”
Upon hearing this, Mo Mo suddenly paused. In a low voice, he said, “Don’t thank me—if you must thank someone, thank that official. She was the one who pushed for the Demon Race Residential Management Act… Before, things weren’t so lenient.”
“That official?”
“Pretend you don’t know. You probably won’t ever meet her anyway.” Mo Mo shrugged. “I haven’t even seen her myself… Rest now. Take time to calm yourself.”
Mo Mo closed the door but didn’t leave right away. He leaned against it and let out a breath… and in that moment, he felt someone’s gaze fall on him.
At the end of the hallway.
Mo Mo looked sharply in that direction and saw a pair of cloudy eyes—it was an old man.
He stood silently, watching. His expression unreadable, as if deep in thought… or completely unaware.
“You…”
Just as Mo Mo was about to speak, the old man turned around wordlessly and walked slowly, step by step, back into his room.
Senile… that must be Lu Yiyun’s grandfather, Lu Buhai, Mo Mo thought.
He didn’t follow. Instead, recalling the blood-stained tissue Lu Yiyun had given him, he returned to his room. In any case, he still had work to do.
As for Lu Hai, he had been sleeping soundly in his room the whole time—probably completely unaware. Maybe that was a blessing in disguise.
…
…
In the storm, two men rushed forward through the downpour.
One of them had a third person on his back, covered by a raincoat—they were headed toward the village’s only clinic.
“Doctor! Doctor, help! Doctor, help!!”
They burst through the door, shouting frantically—startling a man in pajamas who quickly came out. “What’s going on?!”
“Brother Chaoshen, please help! It’s my aunt, something’s wrong with her!” The young man looked terrified as he laid the person on his back onto a bench.
The village’s only trained doctor, Lu Chaoshen, frowned as he lifted the raincoat—only to recoil in shock.
The person’s hands and face were covered in terrifying keratin-like growths, resembling coral or gnarled tree roots.
The doctor’s face instantly turned pale as he stumbled backward. “This… this is…”
“Brother Lu Chao, can you treat her?” the man asked desperately.
“F-first bring her inside. I have to take a look first. I’ll go get my stethoscope—you move her in quickly!”
“Okay, okay! We’re on it!” the men hurriedly carried the patient inside.
Lu Chaoshen rushed to his office—but to his surprise, the light inside was already on.
He pushed open the door—only to see a young man sitting in his chair, flipping through documents.
“W-who are you? What are you doing here?!” Lu Chaoshen exclaimed.
The young man looked up at him, expressionless. “Before I answer that, why don’t you tell me… what’s going on with this Lu Village resident health examination report?”
Lu Chaoshen’s face went pale instantly.
(End of Chapter)