The Demon King is an Idiot [BL]-Chapter 158: I’m handsome, right?

As they walked, Xue Lan immediately noticed how empty the village seemed. Most of the houses had their doors closed shut and sealed, and the streets were completely empty with not a single soul in sight.

"Is it always this empty?" Xue Lan curiously asked.

"Not at all," The old man replied and sighed as he explained, "Ever since the incidents started happening, nobody dares to step out of their houses."

"So they stay inside all day?" Xue Lan raised an eyebrow as he questioned.

The old man nodded his head as he confirmed it and spoke, "That’s right. It may not help but it still makes them feel safer."

Xue Lan slightly frowned as he heard this but did not bother saying anything further.

The old man stopped in front of a shabby house that looked nothing better than a horse stable and spoke, "This is where the rogue cultivator is staying."

Xue Lan couldn’t help but feel a little surprised as he saw the condition of the house.

The old man knocked on the door twice before he turned to look at Xue Lan with a smile and spoke, "You can go right in."

Xue Lan gave a nod and listened to the man as he opened the door and went in.

"Is anyone here?" The inside of the house was pretty dark and had an odd stench. Even the air was filled with dust and the floor was creaking with every step he took. If he didn’t know any better, he would have almost believed that this place was abandoned.

"Are you the one they call immortal Xue Lan?" A deep voice was suddenly heard, echoing inside the house.

Xue Lan immediately stopped walking and closed his eyes as he tried to sense the presence of the other person who almost felt as if he were a ghost.

Guessing what Xue Lan was trying to do, the man laughed as he spoke, "It’s of no use."

"I thought I was going to meet a rogue cultivator here," Xue Lan spoke with a gentle smile on his face that couldn’t be seen in the dark. "I didn’t expect it to be someone so talented."

With a sigh, the mysterious man replied, "I’m flattered."

"Is there a reason why you refuse to show yourself?" Xue Lan carefully asked, trying to be as respectful as possible.

"I’m not refusing to show myself. I’m just trying to have a little fun while teasing you."

Xue Lan couldn’t help but chuckle as he heard this and spoke, "You are quite an interesting man."

"I know," The man replied and this time, his voice sounded like it was coming from right in front of Xue Lan.

Without bothering to think it through, Xue Lan confidently took a few steps forward and bumped against the man’s sturdy chest and the man easily caught him before he fell.

At the very same moment, the man burnt a talisman that illuminated their surroundings.

When Xue Lan saw the face of the man that was visible in the soft light, he couldn’t help but feel a little surprised.

"I’m handsome, right?" The man tilted his head and playfully asked.

Xue Lan coughed as he immediately took a step back and put a proper amount of distance between the two of them.

"You are indeed quite handsome," Xue Lan honestly replied, trying to hide the slight blush of red that decorated his ears.

The man found this reaction amusing and smirked as he spoke, "My name is Quan Mu."

"I am called Xue Lan."

"I know," Quan Mu chuckled as he replied, "I heard a lot about you. Immortal Xue Lan who is handsome, kind, humble, selfless, and caring."

"I didn’t expect to be that famous," Xue Lan lightly laughed as he spoke.

"You gave up your sect and decided to follow the path that you found to be truly righteous. You go around helping people without ever asking for anything in return. Even when faced with extreme dangers, you never show any weakness and keep your head up. You protect the weak and do not fall into worldly temptations. I have heard great things about you and those things have made me deeply respect you."

"Embarrassingly enough, you know so much about me, and yet, I know nothing about you. Please forgive me for my ignorance."

"It’s only natural that you have not heard about me," Quan Mu shrugged his shoulders as he casually replied, "I am one who likes to keep his identity a secret."

"Seems like it."

Quan Mu looked at Xue Lan and seemed to be deeply thinking about something.

"The village Chief told me that you had volunteered to help with the sudden beast attacks."

Quan Mu snapped out of his thoughts and thinly smiled as he gave a nod, "That’s right. I volunteered to help but unfortunately, it is not a beast that is attacking the villagers."

"Huh?" Xue Lan’s eyebrows creased together and his expression suddenly turned serious as he questioned, "What do you mean?"

"I went to check the bodies of the dead victims and although it looks like they were attacked by a beast, I am sure that it is not the case."

"What makes you say that?"

"The claw marks of a demonic beast do not leave behind demonic Qi."

"Eh?" Xue Lan’s eyes slightly widened and as soon as he heard this, he grew a little worried.

"As you already know, this village is pretty close to one of the gates to the demon realm."

"But that gate is closed, is it not?" Xue Lan raised an eyebrow as he questioned.

"It might be closed right now but there is a possibility that it was open for a short amount of time that allowed for a demon to escape and enter this village."

Xue Lan gulped as he heard this and asked, "Then, were the villagers killed by a demon?"

Quan Mu nodded his head as he confirmed it, "That is probably the case."

"But that does not make sense," Xue Lan pointed out as he spoke, "Why would a demon kill them one at a time and not just kill them all together?"

"If it was a lower-level demon, that would probably be the case. Lower-level demons are incapable of controlling their temper and are not intellectual enough to commit such a crime. The one we are dealing with is not only good at controlling its temper but is also intelligent. That demon didn’t kill them all together because it wanted to first strike fear in the hearts of the people. It is slowly hunting them down and enjoying every kill."

Xue Lan frowned as he heard this and spoke, "That may not be the case. Perhaps the demon is killing them because of a reason."

"A reason?"

Xue Lan nodded his head as he spoke, "Maybe the demon has to kill them just like how a predator would need to kill its prey in order to eat and survive."

Quan Mu suddenly laughed as he heard this amusing response.

"Do you think a demon is as simple as that? A demon doesn’t need to kill humans in order to survive."

"It might not need to ’kill’ humans to survive but it may be something similar," Xue Lan seriously spoke.

"Such as?"

"To pretend to be a human."

"Huh?"

"Only the demon King can hide his demonic blood completely. Other demons, who are far weaker than him, depend upon the life energy of humans," Xue Lan spoke with a sigh as he informed, "Consuming life energy helps them hide their demonic blood. In order to live among humans, it is the only method they can use in order to truly hide their real identity and pretend to be just another normal human being."

Quan Mu slightly raised an eyebrow as he heard this and questioned, "How do you know that?"

Xue Lan gulped as he heard this question and looked to be a little taken aback by it.

"Everything you have said is true but not many people know this," Quan Mu pointed out.

"I was always curious about demons and so, I studied a lot about them," Xue Lan spoke. He wasn’t lying, but at the same time, he wasn’t being entirely honest either. It was true that he had been interested in demons and hence, studied a lot about them, but his interest wasn’t as simple as he made it sound.

Xue Lan knew that he was a half-demon and that was the true reason why he knew so much about demons. However, Quan Mu didn’t seem to know that and Xue Lan naturally did not dare mention it.

"According to what you have said, it seems like that demon must currently be living in this city as a villager. That would answer a lot of questions," Quan Mu spoke as he seriously thought about it, "Many of the victims were taken from their houses and killed but there was no sign of struggle left behind. If the victims knew and trusted the culprit, there is a high chance that they would have let their guard down against the demon."

Xue Lan nodded his head as he agreed.