On this day, Song Ciwan washed ten demons.
On this same day, five menial workers in the Washing Room dropped dead.
The Stewards reacted with the same old nonchalance; when old workers died, new ones were simply brought in to replace them.
The surviving workers felt a numb glee at having escaped death. Of course, a few sighed in fear and dismay, but not many.
The joys and sorrows of humanity are not shared. As long as the blade doesn't fall on their own necks, the living will always cling to a sliver of luck. But isn't that just what gives life its drive?
Song Ciwan, however, felt no glee. 'They are all pitiful souls.' She couldn't save anyone, but she could at least offer them quiet respect.
During a break from Washing Demons, she heard the voices of the stewards outside.
Steward Hu said, "The higher-ups have increased the exchange rate for Demon Corpses for Qi Blood Elixirs. In the past, a worthless Mortal Level Little Demon could get you two Qi Nourishing Pills at most. Now, you can get two Strengthening Pills! And if it's an official Demon Soldier Level, a low-grade one can be exchanged for five Strengthening Pills!"
He added, "For an elite Demon Soldier, a single Demon Corpse is worth five Qi Circulation Pills! Goddamn it, that makes me green with envy. I almost want to go kill demons for elixirs myself!"
This was the same Steward Hu who had once cracked the stone-paved ground with a single whip strike right in front of Song Ciwan. She didn't know his exact cultivation level, but she figured his skills were formidable.
Song Ciwan had seen the Qi Nourishing Pills and Strengthening Pills Steward Hu mentioned—in fact, she ate Strengthening Pills every day. But Qi Circulation Pills were a blind spot in her knowledge.
It sounded like Qi Circulation Pills were a higher-grade elixir than Strengthening Pills. This made Song Ciwan wonder silently, 'If I could get my hands on a complete Demon Corpse and put it on the Heaven and Earth Scale to trade, what would I get for it?'
Just then, another steward, surnamed Wang, said, "Killing demons for elixirs, earning cultivation resources, and climbing the ranks—who wouldn't want that? But, Brother Hu, killing demons is a dangerous business! A lot of people died last night. There weren't even enough Demon-slaying Captains. It even drew out all the hidden masters in our city. You know about that, right, Brother Hu?"
Steward Hu said, "Of course. When there's a demon scourge, how can people not die?"
His tone seemed a bit dismissive. Steward Wang gave a dry laugh and said, "Then does Brother Hu know that when the demon scourge began last night, a Demon-slaying Captain also died bizarrely in his own home?"
Steward Hu asked, "Who was it? Have the demons become so brazen that they're skipping the mortals and directly attacking Demon-slaying Captains in their homes?"
Steward Wang said, "That Demon-slaying Captain's name was Zhang Ping, a disciple of the Upper Sect Seven Star Sect. The state of his body didn't look like a demon attack. Rather, his Qi Veins reversed course while he was cultivating, and he died from a cultivation deviation."
Steward Hu immediately sucked in a breath. "A cultivation deviation? This... How could he suddenly succumb to a cultivation deviation for no reason?"
Steward Wang sighed. "Who knows? Year after year, we hear about plenty of people succumbing to cultivation deviation. It's just that usually, the ones who suffer from it are at least at the Innate realm..."
He stopped abruptly, as if mentioning the Innate realm was taboo.
Steward Hu said thoughtfully, "So, what you're saying is, Brother Wang?"
Steward Wang lowered his voice. "For Zhang Ping to suddenly suffer a cultivation deviation... you could say it's because he killed too many demons and was tainted by some kind of ill omen..."
Inside the Grass Washing Room, Song Ciwan felt as if she had just been on a roller coaster. Her heart, which had leaped into her throat, now landed precariously back in her chest.
Zhang Ping's death was indeed being ruled a cultivation deviation! The greatest advantage of this was that a cultivation deviation wasn't a homicide. And if it wasn't a homicide, there was no need to hunt for a killer!
With the process of hunting a killer completely eliminated, the risk of Song Ciwan being exposed was naturally pushed to its absolute minimum.
She felt a little more at ease.
When her day of Washing Demons was over, Song Ciwan took the set of Snake Demon entrails she had been given and went to the market.
The market didn't seem as bustling as usual. Most of the people coming and going had panicked looks on their faces, and the passersby were all discussing topics related to last night's demon scourge.
That wasn't a huge deal, but one thing was crucial: Song Ciwan discovered that prices at the market had gone up!
Not just by a little—they had doubled.
Just one night of a demon scourge, and prices had doubled.
The entrance to the grain and oil shop was packed with a protesting crowd, the common people roaring in anger.
But the Shopkeeper of the grain store stood on the steps and announced loudly, "Let me make this clear to everyone! It's not that our owner is conscienceless and trying to fleece you. The truth is, our master's house also suffered a disaster last night! An Evil Demon devoured more than half the grain in our granary!"
The grain store's granary had also been hit by the demon scourge? The angry crowd couldn't help but quiet down.
The Shopkeeper continued, "The owner wanted to close up shop, but he was concerned about all the old neighbors who regularly buy grain. He was afraid you wouldn't have enough stored at home, so he insisted that humble me open the store despite the pressure."
The Shopkeeper sighed, wiped the corners of his eyes, putting on a whole performance. "Everyone, this grain... this is all that's left. When it's sold out, it's gone. Times are tough for all of us, and I understand if you think it's expensive. How about this? I'll knock one cent off per dou. If you can accept that, you can come and buy..."
He ordered his assistant to open the doors. The crowd that had just been blocking the entrance and cursing him instantly surged forward like a breaking dam, rushing into the store with a great clamor.
One person shouted, "Of course I'm buying! Why wouldn't I? Give me ten dou!"
Another said, "Move, move! I'm buying twenty dou!"
They were mad. Utterly mad.
Song Ciwan was dumbfounded. It was a real eye-opener.
She silently moved to the side, separating herself from the surging crowd.
As for buying grain, it was impossible today. She could only be thankful for her old hoarding habit; she had plenty of grain stored up both at home and in her Heaven and Earth Scale's space.
If it was just for her and the Big White Goose, it would be enough to last them for a year or so without any problem.
The area in front of the grain store was chaotic. Song Ciwan changed direction and walked away, only to hear the sudden, crisp sound of metal clanging from across the street.
Immediately after, a loud voice called out, "Neighbors, folks! The City God Temple is distributing House Protection Talismans! You can get one for just a Hundred Wen Coins! Everyone, hurry and get one! Bring one home, hang it up, and it will drive away demons, ward off evil, and keep you safe!"
That shout was truly effective. The line for grain immediately split, with more than half the people breaking away.
People were incredibly excited. Someone said, "Is the City God Temple really giving out House Protection Talismans? A hundred cents... My god, my third uncle got one before, and I heard it cost at least ten taels of silver! Quick, run!"
Of course, some people thought it was too expensive—so expensive it brought them to tears. "But it's one hundred cents! I don't even have one hundred cents. We can barely keep the pot on the stove at home. One hundred cents! If I get the talisman, can I even afford grain?"
...
Song Ciwan treated the whole spectrum of human drama as background noise and took off running toward the City God Temple.
She also wanted to buy a talisman from the City God Temple and take it home to examine.
What followed needs no lengthy description; in short, it was a sea of people. It wasn't until she reached the entrance of the City God Temple that Song Ciwan realized just how many people permanently resided in Su Yang City.
There were simply too many people. The City God Temple staff couldn't maintain order; they could only let the people squeeze and shove. Whoever squeezed their way in first would be the first to buy a House Protection Talisman.
Among them, those who practiced martial arts and had strong physiques certainly had an advantage. But fortunately, there weren't too many of them. After all, the true masters already had other channels and wouldn't stoop to fighting with ordinary commoners for a chance to buy a talisman.
Song Ciwan was just one of the commoners. She didn't use any Divine Techniques or magic, simply letting the current of people carry her forward. She listened to the roaring crowd, and then, at the very moment the sun set, she was swept through the gates of the City God Temple amidst the cheers of the people around her.
Someone said excitedly, "I'm finally in! Daoist Priest, I want ten House Protection Talismans!"
'Heh, ten talismans. Truly greedy.'
But alas, that was not to be. The City God Temple had a limit: one person could only obtain one talisman at most.
Song Ciwan got her House Protection Talisman and emerged from a different gate of the City God Temple, covered in dust.
When she came out, the sun had completely set, and its afterglow hazed the horizon. The row of shops next to the City God Temple had all lit their lanterns. The lights snaked through the dim twilight, as if the stars from the heavens had been brought down into the Mortal World.
Beside Song Ciwan, a short young man who had managed to get a talisman was both laughing and crying. "I got one! HAHAHA! A House Protection Talisman! Waaaah..."
Crying and laughing, his face was a mess.
Wiping his tears, he was knocked by the jostling crowd and stumbled toward Song Ciwan.
"Whoa, whoa!" the young man exclaimed in alarm. "I'm bumping into someone! Bumping into someone! Make way!"
Song Ciwan quickly put out a hand to stop him. The young man's small frame crashed into her hand, and he immediately fell right on his butt.
Song Ciwan couldn't help but be taken aback, and the young man on the ground was stunned too. The human tide was still surging by, so Song Ciwan immediately reached out, pulled, and helped the fallen young man to his feet.
The young man rubbed his backside, then his arm. Then he looked at Song Ciwan and once again broke into a silly laugh, "Hehehe... I got a House Protection Talisman! Haha, ha! HAHAHA!"
A textbook case of being driven mad by joy.
Song Ciwan's expression couldn't help but soften, and she let out a soft laugh.