Mountain Imp Bully

Chapter 35: The Mountain Imp Bully

"Demon Slaying Squad?" Lin Le paused, his thoughts racing. He then replied, "Slaying what kind of demon?"

"A Mountain Imp," the man said. "This demon has been coming down the mountain repeatedly to abduct women while the Imperial Qi hasn't fully gathered. It rapes them and even devours them. This time, it even abducted Steward Lu's daughter."

"Steward Lu has offered a reward of one thousand taels of silver, just to kill this demon. The spiritual materials on the demon are separate."

"One thousand taels of silver, that's quite a lot," Lin Le nodded slightly. "But to have the entire town work together, has it undergone Form Transformation, or has it reached the Qi Refining Realm?"

"It should have undergone Form Transformation," the man replied.

"Alright, I'll take this job," Lin Le said, clapping his hands. "When do we gather, or do I need to be assessed first?"

"No need." The man patted his chest. "Gather at the east gate of the town at the Hour of the Dragon tomorrow. Just mention my name, Wang Zhen, when you get there!"

"Okay," Lin Le said. "It's settled then."

"I'll be waiting for you tomorrow, little brother!" Wang Zhen left with a hearty demeanor.

The breakfast stall owner also watched Wang Zhen walk away with a fawning smile, even though he hadn't paid for his breakfast yet.

Petty thieves and scoundrels.

Lin Le put down his bowl, a hint of mockery in his eyes.

"Brother, I need to ask you something." Lin Le beckoned to the stall owner.

"Ah, Young Hero, what do you wish to ask?" The stall owner immediately scurried over, obsequious.

"What's the deal with the Liu Manor?" Lin Le pointed to the dilapidated mansion in the distance. "Why is there a female ghost there?"

"A female ghost?!" The stall owner was startled. "Young Hero, you saw her?"

"Yes, I stayed there last night. That female ghost wanted to consume my essence, and I happened to help her pass on," Lin Le said nonchalantly.

But the stall owner's gaze towards Lin Le held even more reverence. He flattered, "Young Hero, you are truly powerful, to be able to help even a female ghost pass on."

"First, tell me why the female ghost formed," Lin Le tapped the table with his finger. "Ghosts don't just form out of nowhere."

"You want to seek justice for her?" The stall owner looked at Lin Le with disbelief.

Lin Le retorted, "Why not?"

The stall owner's expression struggled. Finally, he glanced around, then leaned in and whispered a few words into Lin Le's ear before quickly retreating. "That's all this old man knows."

"Understood. Please continue serving the food," Lin Le nodded slightly.

It's a cliché story. The Liu family had a daughter as beautiful as jade. A local bully wanted to marry her, but the Liu couple refused. The bully then gathered his men, forced himself upon the Liu daughter, and killed the Liu couple, seizing their property.

However, later, a ghost appeared here, and the bully abandoned the manor, going elsewhere to enjoy himself.

But there's a doubt: why didn't the bully send people to eliminate the female ghost?

Although that female ghost was troublesome, a few first and second-limit Martial Masters, by igniting their Blood Qi, would be enough to destroy her.

Was she deliberately left behind?

Lin Le's thoughts churned, and he turned back to the Liu Manor. Ordinary ghosts couldn't stray too far from their corpses.

Knocking nine times on the well, a large snake head emerged. "What is it?"

"Do you know there's a ghost here?" Lin Le asked.

The Great Serpent turned its head. "No, I just felt the Yin Qi here was heavy and thought no one was around, so I sent you here. But where's the ghost? I don't sense any."

"I helped her pass on," Lin Le shrugged. "Can you help me find the ghost's remains?"

"Oh." The Great Serpent nodded, then seemed to recall something. "Hey, it's already good that I'm not ordering you around, this little guy. Why am I listening to you more and more?"

"Isn't that the capable doing more work?" Lin Le said. "If I had to search myself, I don't know how long it would take. It would be bad if it delayed me finding food for you."

"You have a point," the Great Serpent grudgingly nodded. It blew out a breath, and a section of the floor was dug up. The soil automatically parted, revealing a skeleton.

The Great Serpent glanced at it. "Hmm, refining Yin Soldiers, no wonder the Yin Qi was so heavy."

"Yin Soldiers." Lin Le pondered the term, understanding it meant using ghosts as soldiers.

"Why are you looking for her remains?" the Great Serpent asked curiously. "Didn't you help her pass on?"

"Just looking for a reason," Lin Le said calmly.

A reason to kill an entire family.

The next day, Lin Le appeared at the east gate of the town, where a few people were already waiting.

Lin Le glanced around. Most of them were dressed as hunters, and judging by their strides, they were mostly first and second-limit Martial Masters who had practiced rudimentary martial arts.

Lin Le walked over with his spear. When someone saw him, they approached him. "Brother, are you also participating in the Demon Slaying Squad?"

"Yes, Wang Zhen recommended me." Lin Le replied.

"Oh, Wang Zhen," the person nodded in realization, but a hint of mockery appeared in his eyes. "What limit Martial Master are you?"

"Third-limit," Lin Le said, his expression unchanged.

"Third-limit!" The person was surprised, and a trace of jealousy appeared in his eyes. He was almost thirty and had only just entered the second-limit, while this young man, who looked no older than twenty, was already third-limit. Becoming a Cultivator seemed like a sure thing.

However, thinking of their purpose today, the person let go of his jealousy. It's just a damned meat shield, why be jealous?

"Since that's the case, you'll go to the first team," the person said, then pointed to a team.

Lin Le looked where he pointed. Everyone in that team was dressed as a hunter, and based on his perception, they should all be second-limit Martial Masters.

Tsk, they even separate the rookies.

Lin Le walked towards the team. A middle-aged man who looked kind-hearted greeted him first, "Little brother, you've been assigned to the first team too?"

"Mm," Lin Le nodded indifferently.

The middle-aged man, however, was quite friendly. "My name is Hong Tu, from Hong Family Village. Little brother, where are you from?"

"Bailian County," Lin Le replied.

"Someone from the city, no wonder you're already a second-limit at such a young age." Hong Tu said in surprise. He had clearly noticed the commonality among the people here.

"I'm a third-limit," Lin Le glanced at him.

"Third-limit!" Hong Tu exclaimed. The others couldn't help but turn their gazes to Lin Le. Seeing his disguised appearance, which made him look about twenty years old, they couldn't help but show a hint of surprise and envy.

In a small town like Qinghu Town, a twenty-year-old third-limit could be considered a genius. This meant he was practically guaranteed to become a Cultivator, a local wealthy landowner, and be respectfully addressed as a gentry lord.

Wang Zhen, who had arrived, was also surprised. He thought Lin Le was at most a second-limit, but he didn't expect him to be a third-limit.

This made him a little worried. A third-limit at such a young age likely meant he was a core member of some influential family in the city.

If he were to die, he feared it would cause him some trouble.

However, glancing at the people around him, Wang Zhen's heart hardened. If he died, he died. It wasn't like he killed him, after all. They could just blame it on the Mountain Imp later.

Besides, he didn't dare to gamble with Lin Le's intentions. If Lin Le were to speak out after hearing something, exposing the inner workings of the Demon Slaying Squad, he would be the first to die.

Whether he died early or late, he would still die. So, he'd rather choose to die later!