The Villain Saint is my secondary account

The flames from the explosion burned a small dent into the massive horse's head.

“This won’t work either.” Wengerman stepped aside.

"Don't scream, don't scream."

Ye Xiao held his breath and stared intently at the enraged horse monster, provoked by the fireball.

The cartilage howled, its forelegs reared up, and its head, burning with rage, charged again like a cannonball.

When the opponent was about ten meters away, Ye Xiao lightly tapped the ground with the end of his staff, and with a command of "Summoning Wind," the rising wind lifted his body into the air.

At the same time, he slightly drew the sword from its sheath with his right hand, and pale air gathered along the blade.

The next moment, the giant horse-like creature charged forward like a mountain, its massive body colliding with Ye Xiao, who was being pushed diagonally by the wind in mid-air, in an instant.

Draw the sword and unsheathe it.

A fleeting, pale, sharp glint in Wengermann's eye cleaved his vision in two.

Ye Xiao landed diagonally on the ground, close to the giant body of the horse monster, leaving a short braking footprint in the mud.

The sword at his waist was already sheathed. Behind him, a huge horse head flew up and fell into the woods. The horse monster's body lost control and fell sideways to the ground, raising dust and making Ye Xiao's cloak flutter.

Wengerman was speechless, and even the villagers in the distance were shocked by the scene.

With just one strike, the mountain-sized horse monster was decapitated.

"Aren't you a mage??"

"I practice swordsmanship occasionally," Ye Xiao smiled, displaying the demeanor of a master.

He rarely dared to show off, and after holding his breath and racking his brains for a bunch of lines, he finally decided to use this one.

The aftereffects were just too strong. Even after taking stamina-enhancing drugs, he was almost exhausted after using the Master's Draw Sword Slash. Luckily, he didn't overestimate himself and use Grandmaster Sword Techniques, otherwise he might have died of exhaustion in mid-air while drawing the sword halfway through. That would have been too abstract.

"Brilliant."

Wengerman, lacking formal education, could only offer the highest praise among men.

Ye Xiao nodded and accepted it gladly.

But just then, the cry of a baby suddenly reached his ears.

He turned his head and saw the huge tumor on the horse carcass's belly explode with a "pop".

Chapter Eighteen: The Hanging Moon

Failed.

Ye Xiao felt a chill run down his spine. What was he thinking, cutting off the horse's head instead of the fleshy growth on its belly?

That strange lumps are clearly the problem.

Exhausted to the point that his legs were trembling, he could only see that the fleshy growth on the horse's belly in the distance had now shattered and spread out on the ground, with a ring of bloodstains radiating outwards, like a fleshy balloon that had exploded.

Although he couldn't see, Ye Xiao knew that something was coming out of it.

The baby's cries were becoming clearer and clearer in my ears.

Not only Ye Xiao, but everyone present heard it.

At first, the villagers thought it was a mother holding a child, but when they looked around and found no children nearby, their expressions gradually changed from shock and joy to fear.

The monstrous noises ceased, the wind rustled through the trees, and the baby's cries in the silence only intensified the chill in the heart.

A nameless sense of oppression and fear spread through everyone's hearts—an instinctive awe of life facing a higher realm. Everything in sight—houses, trees, flowers, rocks—seemed distorted, like spilled paint bottles mixed together. Grayish-white hairs seemed to sprout from the ground, densely packed, spreading out in clusters like mold.

"Brother Ye, I have a feeling the situation isn't looking good." Wengerman seemed to react a beat slower than the others.

"Don't panic, it's nothing." Ye Xiao scratched his arm while looking at the white hairs growing on Wengerman's face. "By the way, let me ask you something. Do you have any last wishes or anything? I don't mean anything by it, I'm just curious. I can pass it on to my sister, maybe she can help you fulfill them."

"Huh?" Wengerman looked bewildered.

"Forget it, your intelligence seems to be starting to be affected." Ye Xiao picked up a blue bottle and flipped through the skill tree. Since he was going to die anyway, he might as well try the Evil God skill, maybe it could break the deadlock.

"clang--"

A dull bell tolled, breaking the silence and mingling with the baby's cries, like an invisible wave sweeping across the ground, causing the expanding tufts of hair to suddenly pause.

The changing scenery in the field of vision is also somewhat eliminated, and the distortion of the perception of reality is stopped.

Ye Xiao raised her head slightly and looked in the direction from which the bell sound came.

Before anyone knew it, day had turned into night, and a huge, bright moon hung high in the sky, magnificent and grand, as if it were about to fall to the ground.

"clang--"

The second chime, like an invisible hand, pulled Ye Xiao's soul away from the illusion, as if passing through a thin membrane, and the fantastical and distorted scene before his eyes suddenly returned to clarity.

What Ye Xiao had just witnessed seemed like a sudden, brief nightmare, and now he was back in reality—

The houses and trees were neatly arranged, and the sky remained gray and hazy, as if it were about to rain.

The people around him were all lying on the ground, especially Wengerman, who was sprawled out on the ground, but his tricorn hat was still firmly stuck to his head, as if it were glued on.

The distant horse monster's corpse had shriveled and withered, its skin taut against its skeleton, like a mummified corpse that had been displayed for years, devoid of any color.

A petite figure with a gray-gold ponytail appeared, but she looked slightly different from when they first met at the tavern. This time, the girl wore a long black cloak over her brown trench coat.

The newcomer was another plague hunter. Her youthful face was pale and she looked haggard. She covered her mouth with her hand as if she had just recovered from a serious illness.

“Miss Marilyn…?” Ye Xiao asked, getting up from the ground with her staff in hand.

"Senior Sister!" Wengerman, as if waking from a dream, also saw Marilyn. His expression was one of surprise, which quickly turned to worry. "You prayed for blessings again!?"

"It's nothing, um..." Marilyn covered her mouth with both hands, as if she wanted to vomit something, but in the end she only exhaled a breath of stale air.

Wengerman quickly stepped forward to help Marilyn up and whispered something to her.

It was obvious that Marilyn was not in good condition; she had probably just used some kind of spell with severe side effects to save them from the nightmare created by that thing inside the horse's belly.

As for what was inside the horse's belly, Ye Xiao couldn't say for sure what it was. He initially thought it was an evil god, as it directly polluted and distorted reality and the soul.

But if it's an evil god... then it's far too weak. Marilyn doesn't look like a transcendent or saint-level archmage, so how could she possibly save them from the evil god?

Moreover, the baby's cries disappeared along with the nightmare.

An entity with the power to distort reality was simply destroyed? It just doesn't seem right.

However, seeing the mess around him, Ye Xiao didn't want to delve any deeper into the matter. He had already defeated the horse monster, completed the mission, and could simply take the pendant and leave.

"Brother Ye, thank you very much too." Seeing Ye Xiao about to leave, Wengerman hurriedly waved and said, "Although I really wanted to have a few drinks and chat with you, my senior sister needs me to take care of her."

"It's alright, you can go ahead and do your work. Thank you too, Miss Marilyn." Ye Xiao nodded.

Seeing Marilyn's pitiful state, Ye Xiao had considered casting a "Healing Light" on her, but then thought better of it. It was better not to use that monstrous spell unless absolutely necessary. Fortunately, Wengerman wasn't tall either, and by supporting Marilyn, the petite girl could lean on his shoulder. If Ye Xiao were to support the girl, he would have to tuck her under his armpits.

However, just as the two were leaving to the other side, Ye Xiao suddenly noticed that there were several smooth tears at the hem of the girl's black cloak.

……

With Ella connecting to Hyde, Ye Xiao found the old man hiding in a grove of trees with almost no effort.

"Hey, stop hiding, it's time to pay the bill, sir."

"Is the village safe...is everyone safe?" Hyde poked his head out, his face still filled with fear.

“It’s definitely safer than your bushes.” Ye Xiao gestured. “Actually, I suggest you go back and pack your things and leave the village with me first. Things here aren’t completely resolved yet.”

Upon hearing this, the old man paused, then covered his chest with his hands. "You want to kidnap me??"

"I really... if it weren't for the fact that you're older than me, I would have slapped you!" Ye Xiao almost cursed out loud. "The person in the village who wants to kill you hasn't been found yet, are you sure you still want to go back and stay there?"

These words reminded the old man. He thought about it and realized that Ye Xiao's words made sense. Although the monster in his house had been dealt with, the black-clad man who had tried to kill him was still missing.

So, the old man Hyde handed the pendant to Ye Xiao and hurriedly rushed back to his dilapidated hut to see if there was anything else that could be used.

Ye Xiao naturally wouldn't do anything foolish like splitting up, so he followed Hyde, drinking energy-boosting medicine while standing by the ruins and keeping an eye on things.

This old guy is one of my few followers, I can't just give him away for nothing.

After digging through the ruins for a long time, old man Hyde finally unearthed a small package. With a relieved expression, he wrapped it in his arms and came over to meet Ye Xiao.

"Let's get out of here quickly, before it gets dark," Ye Xiao urged.

Chapter Nineteen: Unfinished Matters

Ye Xiao bought two horses from the village chief, because walking alone might not be enough to reach the next settlement before dark.

As for why he bought two horses, it was mainly because Ye Xiao really didn't want to ride a horse while hugging an old man. He figured spending a little more money was a benefit for the believers.

The two mounted their horses and galloped along the main road. However, as time passed and darkness fell, the long main road became increasingly winding and twisting, seemingly leading not to the main road to Howling Valley, but closer and closer to the depths of the dense forest.

"Young man, are you sure this is the way we're going?"

Hyde rode behind Ye Xiao on horseback. The surrounding environment grew increasingly dark, and even someone as oblivious as him sensed something was amiss.

This should clearly not be the main road leading to Howling Valley.

"Ugh."

Ye Xiao sighed and stopped the horse. "I knew it wouldn't end so easily."

"Young man, what are you saying? Why did you suddenly stop?" Old man Hyde was completely bewildered.

There was no sound of horses' hooves; the woods were silent except for the old man's words echoing in the air.

Ye Xiao did not answer Hyde, but instead dismounted and silently took out the staff from his back.

Ahead along the winding road, a short figure draped in a black cloak emerged from the woods.

Even in the darkness, her grey-gold ponytail was strikingly visible. Marilyn looked haggard, yet she still gripped her musket and stood in front of them.

"Miss Marilyn, I don't want to fight you if possible."

Ye Xiao shrugged. "Can you tell me why you wanted to kill this old man?"

"Feel sorry."

This was Marilyn's only response; her face was resolute, and a few white specks of light wandered in her azure eyes.

The girl's petite body remained motionless, yet a murderous intent gradually spread, and faintly, it seemed as if a semi-transparent spirit surrounded her.

Things didn't turn out as Ye Xiao had expected.

It was obvious that when he saw the cloak with the missing corner when they parted, he realized that Marilyn was likely the one who had assassinated Hyde in the basement that morning.

At that moment, Ye Xiao's wind blade only grazed the corner of the opponent's clothes, and Marilyn's cloak was also accidentally cut off a piece of the corner.

Muskets were a common weapon for plague hunters, so the farmers of Liangqiu Village had no way of using such advanced equipment.

As for the reason why the other party killed Hyde... Ye Xiao didn't know, but it was probably related to the thing attached to her.

In the nightmare, day turns into night, the dull tolling of bells and the enormous full moon clearly indicate the intervention of another force.

The Plague Hunters don't seem to be a charity organization.

Fortunately, Ye Xiao had been taking medication to improve his condition while Hyde was looking for his luggage, so he had already anticipated this.

Although theoretically, Ye Xiao could ignore the old man after obtaining the pendant.

But knowing that something was going to happen to the other person without his care, he couldn't bear it, even though the old man was very unlike him.

Ye Xiao knows how to play it safe, how to slack off, and how to flexibly adjust his moral values, but he always lacks the cold-bloodedness and ruthlessness that the top players should have.

He knew this was his weakness, but he couldn't change it. This might be why, in his previous life, he only reached the level of a grandmaster.

"Everyone else is protecting pretty girls and beating up old men, but I'm here protecting old men and beating up pretty girls." Ye Xiao sighed. "Old sir, you should go hide in the woods over there for a while, but don't wander around. I'm afraid there are still monsters nearby."

Old Hyde nodded repeatedly, then hurriedly ran to the bushes on the side, as if he had returned to his warm home.

As darkness fell, the wind howled through the forest, carrying fallen autumn leaves, but it could not dispel the gradually spreading mist.

The croaking of frogs came from the bushes, bustling about, while pale blue wildflowers swayed gently, adding a touch of color to the gloomy and desolate scene.

The two stood silently facing each other on the winding path. As the first drop of water fell from the sky, as if giving a signal, they both moved at the same time.

Marilyn raised her arm, and Ye Xiao flipped and leaped into the bushes beside her.

Gunshots rang out, and the streaks of light flashed just past the hem of her fluttering clothes.

Using the tree trunks for cover, Ye Xiao moved nimbly and swiftly within them.

The second shot, the third shot—flames roared, breaking branches and leaves—but they couldn't hit the figure that was getting closer and closer.