Chapter 119: The Demon Catcher, Peach Blossom

Lian floated in the ethereal void, her body translucent, accompanied by a fluffy white ball of fur. It was a sight at once whimsical and unsettling, especially considering that both creatures were hovering with their feet dangling well above the ground.

"What is going on here?"

[It seems that since the original owner of this body isn't quite dead yet, we’ll likely have to maintain this form for the time being.]

Lian couldn't help but massage her forehead. She had been promised a shortcut through the Main God’s back door, but she hadn’t expected it to be so unreliable. *Sigh, life is hard,* Lian thought to herself.

When it came down to it, she was basically a ghost. She understood that.

The pair drifted aimlessly, floating on and on.

After passing through a desolate wilderness devoid of human presence, the scene before them suddenly opened up. Could this be a hidden utopia?

Within the small village, wisps of smoke curled upward. From time to time, the sounds of roosters crowing, dogs barking, and the laughter of playful children drifted through the air, mingled with the enticing aroma of home-cooked meals.

In the distance, fields of rapeseed were in full bloom, their buds swelling and ready to burst. Peach and apricot blossoms joined the display, vying for attention in a vibrant, flourishing landscape.

"The atmosphere in this village is lovely. Jianjian, what’s wrong?"

Lian stretched lazily and took a deep breath of the fresh air. Turning her head, she saw Jianjian wrinkling its nose, looking quite uncomfortable, and felt a pang of worry.

Jianjian sniffed to the left, then to the right. [Sniff, sniff... strange...]

"What is it?"

Jianjian returned to Lian’s shoulder, squatting in deep thought, its furry face scrunched up. [I just caught the scent of a powerful demon, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared...]

Lian was slightly surprised. "A powerful demon?"

[I’m not entirely sure, it was just for a split second, but I am certain: there is definitely a demon here!]

Demons and demon beasts were two entirely different concepts. Demon beasts were creatures that had not taken human form and had no intention of doing so, whereas demons were entities that possessed an entry permit to the Demon Realm and were capable of shapeshifting. The distinction lay in their aura: one carried the unique demonic energy of the Demon Realm, while the other possessed only the raw, wild energy of a beast.

Take Jianjian, for instance. It had originally appeared as an artifact spirit—a ball of white mist—before slowly manifesting as a white, mouse-like creature, eventually signing a contract with Lian. After reconnecting with her past life, Lian realized that Jianjian had been sent to the lower realm by design. Its true form was likely either a divine beast or a demon, though the latter was the far more probable outcome.

Without realizing it, the two had drifted halfway through the village until a dilapidated thatched cottage appeared before them.

According to Jianjian’s guidance, this was the home of the body's original owner. It had to be said, the house was truly decrepit; every corner looked as though it had been patched up numerous times, and the laundry rack hung at a precarious, crooked angle.

The door was left open, and from Lian’s vantage point, she could see inside. The room was spotless, devoid of even a speck of dust, consisting of one living area and two bedrooms. The kitchen was simpler still, featuring a stove supported by two iron pots.

A young girl, roughly seventeen or eighteen, dressed in coarse red hemp robes, appeared quite charming despite her humble attire. Lian floated gracefully toward her and waved a hand, but the girl did not seem to notice.

The girl picked up a bowl of rice and walked toward the stove, preparing to light a fire, when a hearty, masculine voice shouted from afar: "Tao Yaoyao! Is the food ready? Your master is starving!"

Tao Yaoyao’s face fell. "Master, we’ve been on the mountain all day. Catching one or two demons a year is already a stroke of luck—our house is so poor we’re out of rice. This is the last of our rations."

A disheveled, eccentric-looking middle-aged man strode toward Tao Yaoyao. He bent down to peer into the bowl she was holding, his hands trembling like a sieve. "This... this... what are we to do, my apprentice..."

Tao Yaoyao looked miserable. "Who told us to be a pair of paupers? Are there any demons left in the village at all?"

"Don't worry. Even if there are no demons, your master will never let us starve, even if I have to beg. You just relax, apprentice."

Lian was stunned. She hadn't realized a master and apprentice could interact like this, and strangely, it felt quite heartwarming. It was clear the master cared deeply for Tao Yaoyao; he just enjoyed teasing his little apprentice.

Tao Yaoyao, clearly accustomed to this, skillfully lit the fire, added water to the pot, and poured in the rice. The pair sat by the stove, watching expectantly. The red flames licked the bottom of the pot, and soon the rice was cooked, bubbling and steaming. Though they lacked extra provisions, the porridge was thick—exactly two bowls’ worth.

They ate with a side of leftover pickled vegetables, making do with what they had, though it was enough to satisfy them. After eating, the two sat on the stone ledge of the courtyard to catch the breeze, accompanied, of course, by the two invisible ghosts, Lian and Jianjian.

"Master, what are we going to do in the days ahead?" Tao Yaoyao asked, her tone filled with worry.

If they were normal people with healthy hands and feet, they could have easily made a living through manual labor. But as it happened, this master-apprentice pair was cursed; whatever they planted would wither and die. Relying on manual labor was simply not an option for them.

They had wisely given up on labor and continued to make a living by catching demons. However, over the years, Goddess Village had become increasingly peaceful, with almost no demons causing trouble. The villagers were happy, but the master and apprentice were devastated. No demons meant no bounty money, no bounty money meant no food, and no food meant they would starve to death!

*Heaven is trying to destroy us...*

Tao Yaoyao and her master, Old Xu, were truly wretched. They suffered from three of the "Five Afflictions and Three Deficiencies." The Five Afflictions generally referred to "widower, widow, orphan, lonely, and disabled," while the Three Deficiencies referred to "wealth, fate, and power."

Usually, demon hunters didn't dwell on such things, but Old Xu happened to have studied Feng Shui and destiny, and he had achieved some minor success in the field. After numerous calculations, he realized that he and his ill-fated apprentice were plagued by these deficiencies—it was a tragedy!

First, they both lacked wealth—that was one deficiency. Second, Old Xu had once had a wife, but she had passed away from illness, making him a widower. Tao Yaoyao was even more miserable; she had no parents and didn't even know where she came from.

When Old Xu had first found Tao Yaoyao, she was just an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, chewing on her fingers and crying under a peach tree. Old Xu had just lost his wife that day and, in a foul mood, had originally intended to take a detour, but after some thought, he decided to bring the little one home. He had lost his wife, and the child had lost her parents, so they simply decided to rely on each other for company.

That day, the mountains had been covered in blooming peach blossoms, so vibrant they dazzled the eyes, with fragrance filling the air. For once, Old Xu felt poetic and gave the child the surname Tao (Peach), naming her Yaoyao, inspired by the classic line: "The peach tree is young and elegant; brilliant are its flowers."

After taking Tao Yaoyao as his apprentice, Old Xu’s life began a steady decline into poverty. He cast another divination for himself and realized that his late wife had been blessed with natural wealth, which had offset his own inherent lack of it. Now that she was gone, his bad luck had returned, and when combined with Tao Yaoyao’s own lack of wealth, they had become the primary impoverished household of Goddess Village.