1: Patrol Captain Chen Yuan (with a twist)

Night. Heavy rain. A wilderness ferry crossing. A dilapidated post house, half-collapsed, teetering in the raging wind and rain.

Inside, a bonfire roared, the crackling of burning wood dispersing the chill of the wilderness.

Beside the fire sat an old man in a straw raincoat, leaning on a blade.

A six or seven-year-old girl was dozing on his lap.

The old man lowered his head to look at the girl in his arms, his withered hand gently stroking her soft, fair cheek.

His body was slightly hunched.

His brow and eyes were hidden in the shadow of his conical hat.

In the flickering silhouette of the fire, the old man's shadow was stretched long, appearing to split open.

Just then, the crisp sound of a bell drew near.

The sound of the bell seemed to wake the girl.

She rubbed her eyes, asking groggily, "Grandpa, where are we?"

The old man in the straw raincoat straightened his body, looked up, his pupils slightly clouded, and gazed toward the door.

Soon, the ringing of the bell grew closer.

The broken door was kicked open.

Cold wind swept in with the rain, causing the bonfire to bend.

A sheep herder in coarse clothes and a straw hat, carrying the dampness of the rain, drove a flock of sheep inside.

"Is someone here? What a coincidence. This spring rain is coming down hard, I'll borrow a spot to hide from the rain."

The sheep herder's back was slightly hunched, his figure gaunt, his eyebrows long and narrow. He held a stick, patted the rain off his clothes, and grinned with a mouth of rotten teeth, striking up a conversation with the old man with a fawning smile.

"Mind if I borrow your fire? My sheep got soaked in the rain, and the cold is heavy. If they get sick, my master will likely tear this old carcass of mine apart."

The old man in the straw raincoat didn't speak, merely pulling a piece of firewood from the fire and tossing it over.

The sheep herder thanked him, then drove the sheep into a corner, formed a circle, and started a fire.

The sheep obeyed, not making a single sound.

The girl beside the old man looked at all this curiously, then suddenly shook the old man's arm, saying in a childish voice:

"Grandpa, look, that sheep is crying!"

The girl pointed at a sheep in the flock.

Its dirty white fur was covered in vicious whip marks, and its eyes, looking in their direction, were actually shedding tears.

The old man in the straw raincoat looked over.

He saw the sheep herder's expression suddenly turn fierce, and he whipped the sheep hard with his stick.

"You beast, you're asking for a beating. Behave yourself."

After saying this, the sheep herder grinned, looking at the girl with a smile:

"It's nothing. How could a sheep cry? Little girl, you saw wrong. In this wilderness, don't scare this old man."

Under the flickering firelight, the corners of his mouth seemed to curl up exaggeratedly.

The girl was frightened and burrowed into the arms of the old man in the straw raincoat.

The old man hugged the girl, telling her to turn away, his voice carrying a sharp, strained quality, "This is my granddaughter, children talk nonsense."

The sheep herder just grinned.

"Oh, is that so?"

"In this wild forest and desolate ferry, how did you grandfather and granddaughter end up here?"

As he spoke, he lowered his voice: "I advise you, once the rain stops, leave immediately."

The old man heard this, his voice sinking:

"Why?"

"Because not long ago, a demon appeared in this area. A beast that specifically kidnaps children, and once it reaches its lair, it eats their hearts, livers, and brains." The sheep herder's voice suddenly became deep and eerie.

"Little girl, you'd better be careful!"

The girl was so scared she started crying, calling for her grandfather.

The blade in the hand of the old man in the straw raincoat trembled, and he stared fixedly at the grinning sheep herder.

"Boom."

A bolt of lightning tore through the curtain of rain.

The next second, the sheep herder's face became wrinkled, as if something was about to crawl out from within.

His withered, hunched back straightened, and his bones emitted a "crackling" sound like firecrackers.

In the blink of an eye, he reached out and sucked the air toward the opposite side.

The terrified girl fell into his hands, crying.

Then, she fell unconscious.

Soon, the formerly hunched and gaunt sheep herder transformed into a handsome young man with temples reaching into his hairline and eyes like black lacquer.

The old man in the straw raincoat watched this scene, his expression becoming twisted and ferocious, sharp gray fur growing on his face as he snarled at the young man.

"Who are you?"

"Acting on behalf of Heaven to patrol, leveling mountains and destroying temples!" Chen Yuan gently placed the girl aside, his words falling along with the thunder in the sky.

"Patrolling Mountain Commandant!" The twisted old man in the straw raincoat seemed to have heard something he feared, letting out a strange, creaking cry.

He swept the fire in front of him toward Chen Yuan.

"Whoosh."

He burst out through the broken window!

Looking again, only a few pieces of clothing remained in place.

"Painting a tiger but ending up with a dog."

Chen Yuan snorted coldly, flicking his sleeves, and the sparks flew into his sleeves like a Dragon.

Then, he stepped forward and dived into the vast mist of rain.

A moment later, by the Spring Tide River, a shrill scream rang out.

The chest of a gray-furred mountain demon was pierced through by a fist, and it breathed no more.

This creature was vicious in appearance, loved to eat grievances, was good at transforming and bewitching people's hearts, turning into people close to you, and then, when people were in disbelief and their resentment was deepest, eating their hearts, livers, and brains, especially those of children.

Chen Yuan withdrew his fist, his Qi vibrating, instantly shaking away the dark green, fishy blood on his hand.

At this moment, a sound like a great bell rang in his mind.

"Killed one first-realm mountain demon, Luck +1."

"Main Quest: Hundred Demon Manual completion at 10%, obtained Divine Ability [Minds Eye]."

"Minds Eye: One of the Five Eyes and Six Supernatural Powers, seeing through falsehoods, can be cultivated."

As the voice faded, Chen Yuan closed his eyes.

In his Niwan Palace, a black-gold Dragon-patterned token stood like a towering mountain, engraved with mountains, rivers, plants, trees, birds, insects, and beasts.

The token vibrated, birds and beasts chirped in unison, and a white Qi swept out, driving straight into his eyes.

A cool sensation seeped into his eyes bit by bit.

A moment later, when the coolness faded, Chen Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

A flash of brilliance gathered in his eyes.

The dark night was like broad daylight to him, and the surrounding grass, stones, and leaves were clearly visible.

Under his deliberate gaze, even the raindrops falling from the sky were magnified and slowed down in his eyes.

He reached out, picked a leaf, and flicked it.

A raindrop was split in two in mid-air.

"Good stuff!"

Chen Yuan finally smiled.

He picked up the mountain demon's corpse, which was taller than a person, with one hand and turned back.

Entering the room, the few sheep were still there.

But they seemed a bit restless.

When those sheep saw Chen Yuan walk in carrying the mountain demon's corpse, their eyes were filled with fear.

They immediately calmed down.

Chen Yuan threw the mountain demon's corpse into the fire.

It instantly flared up like oil on a fire, the flames shooting straight to the roof.

Then he looked at the few sheep, watching them silently.

When these sheep could no longer bear the fear, they bowed and knelt down.

Chen Yuan chanted a mantra.

Seeing this, the sheep rolled on the ground.

They immediately revealed their true forms.

There were wild boars, mountain cats, foxes, squirrels...

None of them had amounted to much.

"Go!" Chen Yuan commanded.

Immediately, these small animals scattered like birds and beasts.

These were his contracted Essence Spirits.

The basic staff of a Patrolling Mountain Commandant.

Simply put, they were his eyes and ears.

With his current abilities, he could only find these Essence Spirits that hadn't amounted to much.

Of course, it wasn't voluntary.

But they had no choice.

Non-kin species fear power but do not cherish virtue.

Otherwise, how could he patrol such vast mountains and rivers?

Eight hundred miles of Langdang Mountain were all under his jurisdiction!

Started a new book, haven't written in a long time, a bit nervous, hope everyone can support it!