Chapter 262 The painter targeted by the devil, scandal in the village (6000)
At present, Cao Xing still doesn’t know what the use of [Advanced Painting Proficiency] is.
But there is no harm in bringing this kind of talent into the territory first.
After hearing this, the young man asked tentatively: "What do I need to do after joining your territory?"
Cao Xing smiled and said, "Just do what you are good at, painting. My territory can ensure your safety and provide you with warm shelter and food."
“This way, you can also have a better creative environment.”
After hearing the next sentence, the young man in front of me had his eyes shining!
As a down-and-out painter, he was exhausted from living a precarious life of not having enough to eat every day.
Just like all ordinary people in this world, their biggest wish is to have a stable place to live.
The young man was about to agree, but he seemed to have something to hide.
"Do you have anything to say?" Cao Xing asked.
He hesitated for a moment and said slowly: "Lord, I am very glad that you can invite me, and I am also honored to receive your recognition..."
"But there is something I must tell you first. I have a mental problem..."
Cao Xing asked in confusion: "There is a mental problem, what is it?"
The young man seemed to have recalled something, with an uncomfortable expression on his face.
He took a deep breath, mustered up his courage and said:
"Since half a year ago, whenever I go to sleep, all kinds of monsters will appear in my dreams..."
"Those monsters were grotesque, some were covered in intestines, and blood was flowing all over the floor!"
"Some of them are covered with eyeballs and scales, and they are still leaking pus!"
"They still said in their dreams that they wanted to get into my body!"
"At first I thought I just didn't get enough rest and it would be better if I slept a little more, but as time went by, the symptoms became more and more serious."
"Even now, whenever I start to close my eyes, I can see those monsters!"
"I can't think anymore, I can't calm down and draw, I can only draw all the images of these monsters in my mind!"
At this point, his voice began to tremble.
Even Cao Xing and others found it a bit strange.
After all, just closing your eyes and seeing those monsters is a bit too scary.
"However, this is not the most serious!"
The young man said excitedly: "In the past two months, my temper has become more and more irritable, and I can't control my anger from time to time!"
"Even in a sleepwalking state, I will attack others crazily!"
"So I was kicked out of my original village and have been living a wandering life."
Cao Xing frowned, and then asked, "Have you gone to see those doctors?"
"Have seen it."
The young man said helplessly: "I have seen many famous doctors and taken a lot of medicine, but they are all unable to do anything about my symptoms!"
"Later a doctor told me that this might not be an illness, but another, more bizarre symptom, and I needed to go see the clergy."
"So, I found the priest and they told me that I was being targeted by the devil!"
"They say that any demon is very rare and difficult to deal with. Except for going to those big cities to find famous exorcists, ordinary methods cannot deal with demons at all."
"Even they have no way..."
At this point, his tone became a little desperate.
After hearing this, Cao Xing looked thoughtful.
Are you being targeted by demons?
That’s really sad.
Speaking of which, he had dealt with a demon before.
That is in the underground palace of Ascalon.
And after killing it, I gained the powerful skill [Devil Transformation].
In addition, there is a [Demon Swallowing Box] in his backpack, which contains a demon sealed.
This kind of monster is indeed very strange. Not only does it know some strange methods, but it is also good at confusing people.
They even have the ability to be immortal.
According to this world, only demons can completely kill demons!
However, Cao Xing is not afraid of these monsters.
After all, I have killed a demon before, and every time they are killed, they are not resurrected with full health, but will be reduced by 5 levels, greatly reducing their strength.
If the demon was not too strong, Cao Xing could even capture it and study it carefully.
He said directly: "It doesn't matter. There are hundreds of strong soldiers in my territory. If you sleepwalk or go crazy, the soldiers will subdue you."
"As for what you said, there is a demon stalking you..."
"It's okay if it doesn't come out, but if it dares to come out..."
At this moment, Assam and Renes next to him suddenly burst out with the aura of the fourth-order leader level!
This is the first time they have shown their complete strength in the crowd!
Under their full strength, the expressions of the entire villagers in Annuohe Village changed!
It seems that some kind of terrifying existence is coming. Under this momentum, ordinary people are as small as ants!
The young man in front of him was shocked and delighted when he faced the crowd's momentum!
What’s surprising is that this lord’s men are so powerful!
I am happy that I am living under such a powerful lord. It seems that I really don’t have to be afraid of any demons?
At this moment, Assam and Renes had restrained their auras.
Cao Xing chuckled and said, "Are you still worried now?"
The young man shook his head excitedly and said: "Don't worry, this lord, your men have such powerful power that makes people's hearts tremble!"
"Edward Degas, it is an honor to join your domain!"
Cao Xing also laughed, "Lord Cao Xing, you are welcome to join."
Then he threw a recruitment invitation at him.
[Recruitment successful: Edward Degas, joined your territory, territory population +1...]
…
The corners of Cao Xing's mouth curved again.
"Not bad, not bad."
"This time, not only did I successfully complete a trial of generosity, but I also gained a talent with advanced life skills!"
Cao Xing was in a good mood, then looked at Yaskin next to him and said, "Take our new member and wait in the tavern."
"After the fishing competition is over, take him back to the territory."
After hearing this, Yaskin said respectfully: "I obey, Lord."
After saying that, the painter Edward was led by Yaskin to the tavern with excitement on his face.
…
Next, Cao Xing led everyone to continue searching in the village to see if they could encounter anything.
However, Annohe Village has a large population and is a mixed bag.
Cao Xing also tried to help a few people, but did not receive a prompt from the system to complete the task.
Until half an hour later, they had almost finished visiting the entire Annuohe Village.
There was doubt in his eyes.
"It's strange. How to complete the last trial?"
"Do you want to try your luck in other villages?"
At this moment, Cao Xing suddenly saw four villagers walking towards the street in front of him.
They were divided into four groups, carrying a simple wooden stretcher, which seemed to be carrying something.
When the villagers on the road saw the things on the stretchers of these four people, their expressions suddenly changed, and they all retreated as if they were avoiding snakes and scorpions.
But Cao Xing faintly smelled the smell of rotting corpses coming from the front...
Before he could step forward to check it out.
Among the four villagers carrying the stretcher, one of them, an old man with gray hair and a rickety figure, seemed to have lost his strength. The load on his shoulders slipped and he fell down instantly.
At the same time, the stretcher tipped over.
"Wow!"
A pale man, as if he had been swollen in water for a long time, rolled down.
In an instant, the surrounding villagers seemed to have seen something terrifying and quickly retreated ten meters!
The other three middle-aged people looked at the old man with complaints in their eyes.
"Old Orlu, what are you doing?"
"We have all said that if you are not feeling well, ask your son to come over, but you won't listen!"
"Are you okay now?"
Faced with the accusation, the old man had apologetic eyes and kept apologizing.
Another middle-aged man next to him said: "Okay, stop talking, get down to business and take the body away."
After saying that, the four people moved the body to the stretcher again.
Cao Xing led people over.
The three middle-aged men were about to drive away, but they noticed the tall Assam next to them and stopped for a moment.
"Sir, what do you want to do?"
Cao Xing asked directly: "I want to ask what happened to this corpse?"
One of the slightly younger beings said: "Sir, this is an internal matter of our Annuo River Village. It is not convenient to tell you..."
After hearing this, Cao Xing thought for a moment and took out 400 crowns from his backpack.
Seeing so many crowns at once, the eyes of the three middle-aged men suddenly lit up!
The four people split it equally, each of them had 100 kronor, which was almost equal to half a month's wages.
Cao Xing saw their heartbeat and directly put the crown into their hands, then chuckled and said: "It's convenient for you guys. I am personally very interested in this kind of thing."
The villagers looked at each other and one of the middle-aged men said.
"That's right, my lord."
"The deceased is a child of the Kesar family."
"Two nights ago, after drinking at La Via Tavern, this kid wanted to prove his bravery and broke into the forbidden area in the middle of the night."
"There has been a notice in our village for a long time that you must not step into that forbidden area, and he refused to listen."
"Then he drowned there... His body was found lying on the roadside today..."
Cao Xing noticed a word: 'forbidden land'.
He asked: "Is there anything in the forbidden area of Annuohe Village that you mentioned?"
Hesitation appeared in the eyes of the three middle-aged men in front of them again.
It seems that some secret has been touched on that forbidden place.
Cao Xing smiled and took out another 400 kroner from his backpack.
He now has a huge sum of money and does not lack these few hundred crowns!
No matter which world we are in, money plays a great role.
Then it was shoved directly into their hands.
The three young people once again felt a little moved when Krong took possession of it.
The slightly younger middle-aged man looked around, then lowered his voice and said.
"It is said that there is a demon spirit in that forbidden area..."
"Demon spirit?" Cao Xing was confused.
"Yes, that demon spirit has existed for many years and has great resentment. She will kill everyone who comes near that place and drag them to the ancient well to drown!"
"Their bodies will not be thrown out of the ancient well until a few days later..."
"Over the years, the total number of villagers who have died at the hands of that demon spirit has reached hundreds!"
"It's too powerful. We spent a lot of money to hire a demon hunter."
"However, when this witcher approached that forbidden area, he ran away in fear without even asking for reward!"
"After that, no one of us dared go near it."
Hearing this, Cao Xing's eyes showed a thoughtful look.
A powerful demon spirit has existed for hundreds of years.
Could this be some kind of special event?
At this time, the rickety old man next to him sighed: "The demon spirit in the ancient well did not kill innocent people indiscriminately."
"She is also a poor person..." Upon hearing this, the expressions of the middle-aged people nearby changed.
"Old Orulu, don't say what you shouldn't say!"
However, Cao Xing's eyes lit up when he heard the old man's words.
"Let him speak."
The faces of these middle-aged people froze, and they seemed very unwilling.
However, facing the faintly powerful aura emanating from Cao Xing and others, they all closed their mouths.
The old man looked at Cao Xing, then at the corpse on the ground, and seemed to have made some kind of determination.
He said slowly: "When I was very young, there were hundreds of families living in Annuohe Village."
"At that time, everyone was very simple. Hunters went to the mountains to hunt every day, and fishermen fished in the river. They could barely get by."
"Among them, the kind and beautiful Jenny and her daughter Jenna also live here."
"Sister Jenna is very good to me and I often play with her."
"That year, it snowed continuously for several months..."
"Hundreds of people in the village are trapped at home, unable to go out. Every household has almost run out of food!"
"Some of the villagers were hungry, so they bullied Jenny's family for not having a man and rushed into their home."
"This group of people not only robbed them of all their food, but also humiliated the wife and daughter!"
Speaking of this, the old man's eyes contained some anger and a trace of regret!
"Mrs. Jenny couldn't bear the humiliation and committed suicide at home."
"Afterwards, Mrs. Jenny and her daughter Jenna held the cold body and waited at home, waiting for her father to come back..."
"But she kept waiting and waiting... until the fire in the stove went out and the family's food was robbed..."
"In desperation, sister Jenna jumped into the ancient well..."
"At that time, I was too young. I watched all this happen, but I couldn't do anything about it!"
"If I could go back to that time, I would never let Jenna go through this, even if it cost me my life!"
The old man's tone became more and more excited.
But the three middle-aged men next to them looked a little stiff.
Cao Xing was thoughtful after listening.
He continued to ask: "What happened next, this old man?"
After hearing this, the old man calmed down his emotions.
"Later, because Jenna had too much resentment before her death, she turned into a vengeful spirit and began to take revenge on those who had hurt her and her mother!"
"In those few years, almost every once in a while, screams could be heard coming from a certain villager's home. When we went over to check, we found that all the family members had died violently, and their deaths were extremely miserable."
"For a moment, the whole village was in panic..."
"It wasn't until she killed all the dozens of families who bullied her mother and daughter that her anger gradually subsided."
"It's been almost a hundred years now..."
"Jenna's resentful spirit still remains in that ancient well. After so many years, her resentment has grown stronger..."
"Whoever comes near that area will be attacked by Jenna."
After hearing what the old man said, the villagers in Annuohe Village lowered their heads.
This is a scandal in their village.
Although almost a hundred years have passed, no one on the field seems willing to face it.
Moreover, the resentful spirit still kills some people from time to time, always reminding those people of the evil things they did back then!
The old man in front of him bowed and suddenly came to Cao Xing.
Then he fell to his knees heavily.
"My lord, if you have the ability..."
"Please help Miss Jenna and free her from the evil spirit!"
"She is so pitiful..."
"You have to experience that kind of cruelty when you are alive, and you have to carry hatred after death and stay in the same place for so many years!"
"This is so cruel for a little girl who is only a few years old!"
When the old man said this, his eyes were filled with tears, and then he put his forehead on Cao Xing's boots.
Cao Xing was thoughtful.
Obviously, this is a special event.
Although I don’t know if it has anything to do with the Generosity Trial, events like this usually lead to some unexpected gains.
So, Cao Xing helped the old man in front of him up, and then solemnly said: "I understand, old man."
"I will go and take a look at the forbidden area you mentioned."
Hearing this, the old man in front of him burst into tears of gratitude and thanked Cao Xing profusely.
Under the gaze of everyone.
The four of them put the swollen male body on the stretcher again, and then quickly left here.
…
…
After the crowd dispersed.
Liu Muxue asked softly from the side: "Are we going to that forbidden area?"
Cao Xing nodded, "Well, let's go and have a look."
"But... the old man said that the resentful spirit has existed for hundreds of years and is getting stronger and stronger. Is there any danger?"
I have to say that Liu Muxue's analysis still makes sense.
Although Cao Xing is confident in his own strength, he prefers to play it safe.
"You're right, I called Bronn and the others over."
After hearing this, Liu Muxue had a faint smile on her lips.
He pressed the communication device on his ear, and then said: "Bron, call Andrew and Rune over, we are taking action."
There was a din of noise on the other side of the call.
"Gulu...Gulu..."
"Okay...Okay, Lord Lord, Bronn is coming right away!"
Cao Xing told Bron his location.
soon.
Bronn, Andrew, Luen and several other big men came over.
The three of them were as strong as a door panel. They were walking side by side and occupied an entire street.
When nearby villagers saw them, they stayed away.
Quite a bit like a village bully.
"Lord, we are here!"
"Bron didn't drink more, I really only had one drink!"
He blew the mustache at the corner of his mouth and smiled proudly.
And Andrew next to him also said: "Lord, Mr. Bron did only drink one drink."
Hearing this, Cao Xing also laughed.
"Come with me, I'll take you somewhere."
After saying that, he took Assam, Luen and others forward.
The so-called forbidden area in Annohe Village is actually easy to find.
After all, this is just a village, not much bigger.
As long as you see any uninhabited places, they are basically so-called "forbidden areas".
Cao Xing and others walked directly along a deserted street. The further they walked, the less crowded they became.
Soon, they came to a desolate area.
There are only a few simple wooden houses here, and the roads are lined with weeds.
Compared to the bustling Annuo River Village, this area seems extremely desolate.
At this time, Cao Xing noticed that among those small houses, there seemed to be another small house that was relatively clean.
There was no grass left around the house, as if even the plants dared not approach it.
In front of the house, there is an abandoned courtyard surrounded by a simple wooden fence.
There is also a well in the middle of the courtyard.
Liu Muxue pointed to the entrance of the courtyard, "Axing, there seems to be writing on that wooden board."
After hearing this, Cao Xing also looked away.
The font above said.
[There are demon spirits in front of you, please don’t come near...]
…
After seeing the above content, Cao Xing knew that he had found his position.
He didn't go in immediately, but called, "Sarah."
A shadow emerged, "Lord, I am here."
Cao Xing breathed a sigh of relief.
Sarah has been in a stealth state since she left the territory, and her presence is not even noticeable.
But as long as Sarah is here, he has confidence.
Then, Cao Xing said, "Let's go in and have a look."
As everyone stepped into the courtyard, Cao Xing clearly felt an extremely cold aura coming from them.
This aura was so weird that not even the heat from the cloud yak clothes on his body could dispel it.
It seemed like it was drilling into its own body.
If ordinary people come in, even if nothing happens, they will get seriously ill after returning.
Fortunately, they were all physically strong enough to ignore the cold aura.
After Cao Xing came in, he did not first explore the ancient well in the middle of the courtyard.
Instead, he first entered the abandoned house next to him and explored it.
"Crunch!"
As the old wooden door was pushed open, there was a smell of rotten wood inside.
It has been abandoned for a long time and the beams have collapsed.
The room was filled with dust.
Cao Xing looked around and found no clues.
Then, he went to the kitchen area and opened the cabinets.
It was empty, not even a jar.
Then, he came to the bedroom area.
The scene inside immediately made his eyes light up!
On the wall of the bedroom, he saw a blackened portrait.
Due to the invasion of time, the portrait has become very blurry.
But through the outline above, it can be vaguely seen that this is a family portrait.
A man and two women, with a forest in the background.
This was almost exactly the same as the family portrait he saw in the Witch's Castle!
…
…
Thanks to so many book friends for their monthly votes! ! !
Thanks to many book friends for their recommendation votes and subscriptions! ! !
Thank you: Baishiguangyin Yimengdie for the 5,000-point reward! ! !
(End of this chapter)