Yan'er supported her mother and the old man as they slowly walked up to Chu Jiang. Gratefully, she said, "Lord Chu, thank you for saving my mother and Village Chief Grandpa."
"You're injured. Why not rest at our house for a while?"
Chu Jiang sheathed his long blade and nodded. Having slain demons twice in succession, he was indeed somewhat weary.
It would be good to rest and recover.
"Lord Chu, this old man is the Village Chief of Daxing Village. Our entire village is grateful for all you have done. I will first count the people still alive in the village, then come back to thank you properly." The Village Chief's body trembled as he cupped his hands toward Chu Jiang. He did not dare approach, and fear filled his eyes.
"Go. Settle the remaining villagers first. There's no need for thanks!" Chu Jiang did not expect that doing one good deed today would change how others saw him.
When someone had done evil for a hundred years, even if he occasionally did one good thing, others would only think he was putting on a show.
Three feet of ice did not form in a single day.
Yan'er's room.
"Lord Chu, please have some water!" Yan'er brought over a bowl of water, then said, "There is no tea at home, only this little spring water. Please forgive the poor hospitality, my lord."
Chu Jiang swept his gaze around the room, took the bowl, and drained it in one gulp.
After drinking the bowl of water, Chu Jiang's spirits recovered somewhat.
Setting down the bowl, Chu Jiang looked toward Yan'er.
It had to be said that although she was still young, she had already begun to take shape and possessed a certain charm. There was only a small scratch on her face.
Yan'er's delicate body trembled. A trace of hesitation flashed through her eyes, quickly turning into resolve as she set the bowl in her hand aside.
Rustle, rustle.
As she removed her clothes, she said, "Young Master, Yan'er will fulfill her promise and attend to your rest. Lie down properly!"
Chu Jiang stared dumbfoundedly, then immediately stopped her. "Stop, stop, stop! Put them back on, put them back on!"
I only looked at you once. Was that really such a huge reaction?
"Could it be that Young Master finds Yan'er too ugly?" Yan'er muttered.
Lord Chu was said to be a notorious lecher, sparing neither the ugly nor the beautiful. Why had he suddenly changed so drastically now?
Chu Jiang said helplessly, "Put them back on, or I'll leave right now."
She was not yet an adult. He simply could not bring himself to do it.
Seeing Chu Jiang's solemn expression and realizing he was not lying, Yan'er could only put her clothes back on.
Yan'er did not leave. Instead, she began to massage Chu Jiang.
Chu Jiang did not refuse. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of being waited upon.
After several conversations, he learned that her surname was Su, and her name was Su Yan'er.
He had worked himself like an ox and horse in his past life; now, he finally got a taste of being a wealthy landlord.
Comfortable.
No wonder the great households and noble clans of old had maidservants in every home.
They truly knew how to enjoy themselves.
Before long, after Chu Jiang had thoroughly relaxed, he had Su Yan'er leave the room.
With a thought, he opened the panel once more.
[Remaining Lifespan: Ten Years] [Demon Lifespan: One Hundred Eighty-Nine Years]
Chu Jiang poured Demon Lifespan into the Sun Gathering Art. The Sun Gathering Art was currently the only cultivation technique capable of greatly raising his strength, so he had to push it to its limit.
[Year One: You began a long journey of cultivation.] [Year Eighteen: Knowing your talent was insufficient, you quietly accumulated strength. You believed that one day, you would soar into the sky and break through to the Eighth Level of Body Refinement.] [Year Thirty-Nine: You broke through to the Ninth Level of Body Refinement.] [Year Forty-Five: Your Sun Gathering Art was only half a step away from completion.] [Year Fifty: The Sun Gathering Art reached completion. Before you could celebrate, you discovered that it had a flaw. Once it reached completion, fully circulating the Sun Gathering Art would cause your meridians to burn on their own.] [Year Fifty-Two: The incomplete Sun Gathering Art left you in agony beyond endurance. You resolved to perfect it, but after many attempts, you could never find the key.] [Year Fifty-Five: Your countless experiments threw your meridians into disorder, and your qi and blood gradually declined. You were deeply unwilling, yet utterly helpless.] [Year Fifty-Seven: Your meridians burned away, and you became an ordinary person.]
Chu Jiang looked at the panel, somewhat suspicious. There was a huge problem with this technique.
Among the Demon Hunters under the county yamen, aside from the very few who had cultivated other techniques before joining the county yamen, ninety-eight percent cultivated the Sun Gathering Art.
Once this technique reached completion, the powerful fire energy naturally carried within one's qi and blood could drive away demons and ward off evil. Ordinary demons would not dare come close.
It was actually an incomplete technique.
Who could it be?
Several faces flashed through Chu Jiang's mind at once, yet none of them seemed likely.
The Sun Gathering Art was already exceptionally difficult to cultivate to great mastery, and reaching completion was downright fatal. Whoever had altered this technique was definitely no ordinary person; his attainment in martial arts had to be extremely high.
Cultivating the altered Sun Gathering Art was no different from destroying one's own martial foundation, leaving no possibility of further progress. What a vicious heart.
The Human Race was already barely holding on in its struggle against demons, yet now trouble had arisen from within.
Their own people killing their own people—it sent chills down his spine just thinking about it.
For now, Chu Jiang could only continue pouring in lifespan.
[Year Fifty-Nine: Your blood and qi dried up. Your hair turned white overnight, and you became like decaying wood, liable to wither at any moment. You laughed three times and closed your eyes.] [Year Sixty-Three: You found life after placing yourself in the land of death. Attempting to merge with heaven and earth, you gained the favor of heaven and earth. In just three minutes, you found the root flaw in the Sun Gathering Art and optimized it.] [Year Sixty-Five: Your understanding of the Sun Gathering Art reached the realm of perfection. Using it as a blueprint, you created a new martial art and named it the Golden Sun Art.] [Year Sixty-Six: Since the Golden Sun Art and the Sun Gathering Art came from the same lineage, you rapidly raised the Golden Sun Art to completion.] [Year Seventy-Seven: Your Golden Sun Art reached the realm of perfection, cleansing your bones and marrow as you advanced to the Tenth Level of Body Refinement.] [Demon Lifespan: One Hundred Twelve Years] [Remaining Lifespan: Twenty Years]
Very quickly, an incomparably powerful force surged within his body. His qi and blood boiled, his flesh evolved, his bones hardened like iron, and his five viscera and six bowels burned fiercely like a great furnace.
His body crackled and popped, while every pore secreted all manner of sticky black impurities.
At this moment.
Chu Jiang clearly sensed the earthshaking transformation taking place in his body.
Powerful.
The Golden Sun Art had evolved from the Sun Gathering Art. Not only had it removed the flaws of the old version, but the Golden Sun Art at the realm of perfection also possessed a burning attribute.
Tenth Level of Body Refinement, cleansing the marrow and tempering the body.
With two martial arts at the realm of perfection, he was absolutely among the very top tier of postnatal martial artists.
Within Baishi County, those who had reached the Tenth Level of Body Refinement could be counted on one hand.
Aside from the Head of the Demon Hunting Office and that mysterious county magistrate who had only shown himself a few times.
He could now swagger sideways.
Before, he had relied on his relationship with special demons. Now, he relied on true strength.
At that thought, Chu Jiang was in high spirits. He went to take a bath, then fell asleep.
The others in the village, however, remained awake all night.
They had to constantly guard against the possibility of another demon attack, trembling with fear.
The next morning, when the first ray of sunlight fell upon the village, the cheerful calls of birds replaced the crowing of roosters, signaling the beginning of a new day.
Scattered figures, fewer than two hundred in all, emerged from their respective homes.
In a village of three hundred people, one-third of the population had died overnight.
Wherever the calamity of demons passed, not even chickens and dogs were left alive.
Yet they would not kill everyone. They would eat half and leave half behind.
It was not because demons were kind-hearted, but because it was convenient to harvest the wheat again once it had grown back years later.
That nearly two hundred people had survived in Daxing Village this time was already a miracle.
Within the village, the young man wore black-and-white official robes. Straight and handsome, with a long blade hanging at his waist, he possessed an extraordinary air.
It formed a stark contrast with his previous decayed appearance.
He strode away through the village, taking the corpses of the two demons with him before leaving. The common people feared demons and did not dare approach them, even though they were already dead.
Leaving them here would only bring the villagers fear and trouble.
Hopefully, they could live peacefully from now on.
When the surviving villagers saw Chu Jiang, they did not dare speak to him and merely silently moved away.
They feared demons, and they feared government runners even more.
Today, he might slay demons and exterminate evil. Tomorrow, he might turn his butcher's blade upon them.
Over so many years, their trust had already been worn away.
"Lord Chu, this is this month's Demon Extermination Tax..." The old Village Chief hunched over, kneeling on both knees with trembling hands, not daring to look at Chu Jiang's face.
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