At year's end.
Gu An arrived at Outer Sect City and found disciples all over the streets discussing Sword Venerable Fudao's feat of slaying Six-Headed Jiaoluo. Some stalls had even begun selling dolls of Six-Headed Jiaoluo, along with all manner of illustrations, including portraits of his death.
Looking at those paintings, he inexplicably thought of Shen Zhen.
Shen Zhen was still in seclusion. Had she not entered seclusion, she might have been thrilled by this matter as well.
After not seeing her for so many years, Gu An unexpectedly found himself missing her.
He did not miss her as a person; he missed her talent for writing.
He did not want Shen Zhen to stop writing. As long as she did not use him as material for her next book, that was enough.
Gu An began wandering through the city. As he listened to the disciples praise Sword Venerable Fudao, he secretly savored the feeling, and the lingering worry in his heart was washed away somewhat.
The demons of the Northern Border had already been swept clean. No Great Demon King comparable to Six-Headed Jiaoluo had appeared, and everything seemed to be moving in a better direction.
Yet Gu An knew that the Demon Calamity was still drawing near. It was no longer just the Northern Border of the Great Jiang Dynasty—demons and monsters were continuously breaking into human territory. From east to west, demons and monsters had infiltrated all regions bordering the Land of Demons and Monsters. Their numbers were not large, but they were enough to make it impossible for the various sects to stop them completely.
Fortunately, the number of demons and monsters currently infiltrating was not great. At the very least, they could not shake the foundations of the Eight Dynasties, so Gu An could continue