"A Brief Biography of the Demon"
Xinghua News Agency: The Devil Ignites the World
Dragon Kingdom TV: Gods Really Exist in the World
"The Devil's Right and Wrong"
"The devil is not evil"
"It is suggested that a temple be built for the demon."
"HL Provincial Museum's prized possession has been recovered; the curator is moved to tears of gratitude."
Who is our idol?
...
Ma Xiaoniu smiled. Justice resides in the hearts of the people. Who is helping them and who is harming them? The common people see it better than anyone else. He found a relatively recent post, "Help! My house is haunted," and opened it to view. Due to recent severe transcoding issues, we are more motivated to update faster. Please take a moment to exit reading mode. Thank you.
Chapter 52
"Hello, demon! I am Lu Ren, from Huanglian Village, K County, H City, ZZ Province. Here's what happened: For the past six months, strange noises have been coming from my house every night around midnight. The sounds are indescribable, like they're emanating from the depths of my heart. I found it very strange, so I observed carefully. Finally, I discovered that every midnight, a woman dressed in white with disheveled hair appears on the edge of the well in my house. Because I'm so afraid, I haven't dared to approach her, only observe her secretly. Currently, my family and I are temporarily staying with our neighbors, but this isn't a solution. Therefore, I'm begging for your help. I hope you, hero, will lend a helping hand. We would be extremely grateful!" At the end of the post, there was also a map coordinate.
Upon seeing this description, Ma Xiaoniu couldn't help but shudder. Damn, he was, after all, a grown man in his thirties who had been exposed to Chinese ghost stories since childhood. How could he not be afraid of such a thing?
However, according to the other party, the ghost wouldn't appear until after midnight, and it was only morning now, so there was still a long way to go. Ma Xiaoniu continued to look at other posts related to ghosts.
However, the number of new posts added every day is calculated in dozens of pages. Since the Demon Forum was first established, there are nearly a thousand posts. If you were to look at them one by one, it would take forever.
"System, help me filter out all the posts related to ghosts," Ma Xiaoniu said to the system in his mind. After all, the demon forum was generated by the system, so he should be able to filter them.
"Okay, binder. Filtering complete. A total of 112 posts related to ghosts have been listed. Please check."
The submission area immediately changed; posts related to ghosts were automatically moved to the front, and their background color automatically turned red.
Ma Xiaoniu nodded. It was really convenient; if he wanted to search for cases in the future, he could filter them using the system. However, looking at the more than one hundred posts related to ghosts, Ma Xiaoniu felt a headache coming on. Damn it, there were too many! If they were all at night, there simply wouldn't be enough time!
Ma Xiaoniu quickly browsed a few posts, and as he expected, all the ghosts appeared at night. In other words, he, Ma Xiaoniu, was about to become a nocturnal creature. Most importantly, his Yin-Yang Eyes skill only lasted two days. After those two days, he wouldn't even be able to see ghosts, let alone catch them. Ma Xiaoniu scratched his head. Oh well, he'd just do what he could; there was nothing he could do about the ones he couldn't handle.
With nothing to do, Ma Xiaoniu closed his laptop and stepped out of the cave. Watching the White Tiger and Vermilion Bird darting around, Ma Xiaoniu thought of a phrase: utter chaos. The White Tiger and Vermilion Bird were naturally active, while the Azure Dragon and Black Tortoise preferred stillness—the two were exactly opposites.
Looking at the fallen jujube tree, and then at the Vermilion Bird searching for insects like a complete idiot, Ma Xiaoniu had another headache. Seriously, with the Vermilion Bird's intelligence, how could he possibly make it understand him? And how could he possibly dig a sufficiently large and deep pit according to certain specifications and standards? This was practically a global problem!
Ma Xiaoniu scratched his head, then his eyes lit up as an idea popped into his head. Since the Soul-Destroying Whip created within the Chaos Pearl could be used on Earth, what if a pill capable of enhancing intelligence could be created within the Chaos Pearl? Wouldn't that work too? Thinking it, he acted immediately. Ma Xiaoniu entered the bronze palace within the Chaos Pearl, sat cross-legged, and visualized the appearance and effects of the pill in front of him. A ripple immediately appeared in the air before him, and a perfectly round, white pill emitting a rich fragrance materialized out of thin air. Ma Xiaoniu reached out and grasped the pill; it felt warm and smooth to the touch, like holding a round, warm piece of jade.
Ma Xiaoniu secretly rejoiced; the feeling of being a supreme god was truly wonderful! If he could experience this on Earth, wouldn't it be incredibly awesome? But it was just a thought. Upon returning to the Divine Beast Valley, Ma Xiaoniu's face stiffened. He felt the pill in his hand change the instant it left the Chaos Pearl. Originally warm and smooth like jade, it now felt rough and much colder. Looking at his palm, the once perfectly round and white pill was still round, but its color had turned yellowish, as if it had been stored for too long. Moreover, the fragrance had greatly diminished; originally fragrant, it now only had a faint, almost imperceptible scent.
Ma Xiaoniu's face darkened. Damn it, would the pill in his hand turn into poison? Looking at the Vermilion Birds, who were still running around like idiots, scratching the grass into patches, Ma Xiaoniu hardened his heart. If he couldn't improve their intelligence, what use were these idiots?
In a flash, Ma Xiaoniu rode on Zhuque's neck. Zhuque was startled and opened its mouth to cry out. Suddenly, a round object slid from its mouth into its throat and then into its stomach. Immediately afterward, a burning sensation arose from its stomach and instantly spread throughout its body.
After stuffing the pill into the Vermilion Bird's mouth, Ma Xiaoniu teleported to the lakeside to observe carefully. The Vermilion Bird suddenly froze, then began to cluck loudly and flap its wings violently. As the Vermilion Bird frantically flapped its wings, the surrounding trees suffered; some were broken, others knocked down, and countless palm-sized feathers scattered in all directions. In a short while, the area within 500 meters of the Vermilion Bird became a scene of utter devastation. About half an hour later, in a large crater scratched by the Vermilion Bird, a naked chicken, spread-eagled and completely bald, appeared before Ma Xiaoniu.
Ma Xiaoniu's face turned ashen. Could this be a real poison? Had Zhuque really collapsed?
Suddenly, the naked chicken's wings trembled, then its whole body shook. It slowly raised its head, seemingly looking around blankly, before its two strong legs pushed off the ground, and it stood up. The Vermilion Bird stood there for a long while, then suddenly turned its head, staring intently at Ma Xiaoniu with its two bowl-sized eyes, its gaze confused and bewildered.
When Zhuque turned to look at him, Ma Xiaoniu was already certain that her intelligence had indeed improved. Although her eyes were still confused, they had gained a touch of humanity. Ma Xiaoniu smiled and sat cross-legged by the lake, then waved to Zhuque, beckoning her to come to his side.
Zhuque paused, its massive body slowly moving to Ma Xiaoniu's side, its eyes filled with confusion. This wasn't surprising; after all, it had only been a fledgling chick, ignorant and possessing only the instincts of a domestic animal. Its sudden increase in intelligence hadn't granted it knowledge or experience, only more questions in its mind. Moreover, judging from Zhuque's current state, while its intelligence had increased, the increase was limited. Ma Xiaoniu estimated that Zhuque's current IQ was roughly equivalent to that of a four- or five-year-old child. Of course, Zhuque was still young and had room to grow.
Ma Xiaoniu glanced at the enormous Vermilion Bird beside him. He himself, sitting cross-legged, was only slightly taller than the Vermilion Bird's feet. Speechless, he could only ask the Vermilion Bird to sit down. The Vermilion Bird tilted its head, thought for a moment, then curled up its legs and lay down next to Ma Xiaoniu. Even so, Ma Xiaoniu had to tilt his head back at an eighty-degree angle to see the Vermilion Bird's eyes. Frustrated, Ma Xiaoniu coughed dryly and looked towards the lake, saying, "Do you know what your name is?"
Zhuque tilted her head, staring blankly at Ma Xiaoniu, and didn't react for a long time.
Ma Xiaoniu was speechless. It seemed that Zhuque didn't know his name, or he simply couldn't understand him. Ma Xiaoniu coughed and then pointed at Zhuque's leg: "Your name is Zhuque! Do you understand?"
Zhuque still tilted her head, looking completely bewildered. Ma Xiaoniu scratched his head. This was really troublesome. If the pill's effects hadn't changed, Zhuque should be able to communicate with him smoothly now, right? But, there are no "ifs"...
"Your name! Zhuque!" Ma Xiaoniu simply stood up, sat cross-legged, and spoke to Zhuque; he was just too tired.
Zhuque's eyes showed a thoughtful expression. After a long while, it finally slowly nodded its head. Ma Xiaoniu breathed a sigh of relief. This was really too difficult! Should he give Zhuque another one? But the situation just now really felt very dangerous. Look, all its feathers have fallen out. What if it eats another one and has no feathers left to fall out?
Ma Xiaoniu frowned, then pointed to the large pit that Zhuque had just created and said, "You, here! Dig it a little bigger!"
Suzaku was completely bewildered...
Ma Xiaoniu nearly choked on his own blood. Why did Zhuque seem even dumber now? Helpless, Ma Xiaoniu thought for a moment, then walked to the large pit and, imitating Zhuque, dug a couple of holes in the ground with his foot. Turning to Zhuque, he said, "Like this, dig it bigger!"
Zhuque looked enlightened, nodded at the chicken head, and then ran to the side of the pit. Its two claws, which were bigger than the excavator's shovel, began to dig at the soil. Its speed was definitely faster than that of an excavator. But are you going in the wrong direction? Ma Xiaoniu, who was next to him, was covered in dust, and only his eyes showed a look of utter frustration.
He quickly ran to the side and shook the dirt off his clothes, but he couldn't clean his skin and hair. With no other option, Ma Xiaoniu plunged into the lake.
"Hiss~~" Damn, it's so cold! Ma Xiaoniu quickly washed himself clean and ran outside, only to find his lips blue and his face purple from the cold. Keep in mind, it's only March or April, and the highest temperature is only in the twenties. This is...
He ran into the cave, found a towel to wipe himself clean, quickly changed into a thick set of clothes, and then wrapped himself in a blanket, leaving only his head sticking out.
"Phew—" After a while, Ma Xiaoniu let out a breath, his body finally warming up slowly, feeling comfortable...
Lifting the blanket, Ma Xiaoniu walked out of the cave and found that Zhuque had almost finished digging the pit. He quickly told Zhuque to stop, and thankfully, this time Zhuque understood quickly and obediently ran to the lakeside to lie down.
Ma Xiaoniu glanced at the deep pit, then flashed into the Chaos Pearl. Following the previous steps, he visualized three more pills before exiting the Chaos Pearl.
The Vermilion Bird's commotion had startled the White Tiger awake. Now, the White Tiger is crouching a short distance away, tongue lolling out, staring intently at the Vermilion Bird, drool dripping down its face, forming a small puddle. (Recently, there has been significant encoding issues, which motivates us to update faster. Please exit reading mode if you find this helpful. Thank you.)
Chapter 53
Xuanwu emerged from the water, its enormous shell resembling a small island in a lake. The turtle's head stood upright on the surface, like a naive fool, while the Azure Dragon coiled around a horizontally growing tree on the mountainside, hissing and sticking out its tongue.