High-profile witcher?

The tall, thin man chuckled sheepishly. "You might find this ridiculous, but I'm actually a Demon Hunter. I specialize in exorcising ghosts all over the world..."

A Demon Hunter!

The moment he finished speaking, Hao Ren heard a clatter beside him. He turned to see Vivian lifting her head from her plate. The vampire girl, wiping sauce from her face, asked tremulously, "You said you're what now?"

"I knew you'd react like this," the tall, thin man said, his expression more resigned than surprised, as if he were quite accustomed to such reactions. "When I told people before, they reacted even more strongly than you. But I really am a Demon Hunter. Have you seen the movies? Like Van Helsing? My job is pretty similar, though our methods of exorcism are different from what's shown in the movies."

As the tall, thin man spoke earnestly, Hao Ren instinctively shifted his position slightly, putting a bit of distance between them. His mind was a whirlwind of questions. A Demon Hunter? Was he for real? Was this a genuine superhuman or a charlatan lost in his own delusions?

If an ordinary person were present, they might have dismissed the tall, thin man's words as a joke, or perhaps as a story, or even seen him as a charlatan dabbling in the supernatural. But Hao Ren, being more perceptive than most, thought a step further: he knew that Demon Hunters were a real group!

Of course, he didn't immediately believe the man's claims. He didn't truly consider him a Demon Hunter. It was more likely the man was joking. Real Demon Hunters probably wouldn't be so brazen about revealing their identities to strangers.

"You don't believe me?" The tall, thin man spread his hands helplessly. "That's fine. Most people don't. Besides, I'm Chinese. If I claimed to be a lay disciple from Mount Wutai, it might be more convincing. But I am genuinely a Demon Hunter. The term sounds quite foreign, but in reality, every country has them. Our history is very long, with records dating back to the origins of the four great civilizations..."

Hao Ren instinctively exchanged a glance with Vivian. This sounded more plausible. In the common understanding, "Demon Hunter" was a Western term. Few people knew that they had been active worldwide from the very beginning. It was just that in China, Demon Hunters were called "immortals" or "esoteric practitioners" by the ancients. Demon Hunters in other countries were referred to as shamans or priests by their contemporaries. However, Demon Hunters themselves wouldn't use these foreign terms. What the man before them was saying clearly aligned with the facts—facts that ordinary people wouldn't know.

"Um... Mr. Demon Hunter, is it?" Lily finally stopped eating. The werewolf girl had never met a Demon Hunter, but she had heard many terrifying stories about them from Vivian. She felt a bit nervous now. "Are there really Demon Hunters in the real world?"

Fortunately, Lily wasn't completely clueless. She knew how to inquire indirectly at this point.

"Most people hear about us as urban legends or stories from horror novels," the tall, thin man chuckled. "But I'm the real deal. And honestly, there are still quite a few people who believe in ghosts and monsters. In places you don't know about, exorcisms and demon slayers happen from time to time. My main job is exorcism. I came here to investigate the haunting at Old Yuefu'erde Castle after hearing about it."

"Oh, so your work must have high confidentiality. How can you just tell anyone?" Vivian asked calmly, her expression placid. Inwardly, however, she wondered: why was this "Demon Hunter" suddenly revealing his identity?

Regardless of whether he was real or not, such a high-profile approach seemed out of the ordinary. This line of work was typically shrouded in secrecy. Most practitioners lived reclusive lives, and even when living among ordinary people, they would strive to conceal their identities. She had never heard of a Demon Hunter advertising themselves so openly to strangers like this man was doing. Vivian thought back to the Demon Hunters she had encountered in her long life, and one question kept circling in her mind: had these people finally been struck by the same bad luck as her, finding no work in modern times and thus being forced to openly seek employment?

Hao Ren was thinking along similar lines as Vivian, but his perspective was slightly different. When did the profession of "Demon Hunter," which sounded like it should involve wearing a black robe and hiding in dark corners, become so public? Shouldn't these world-saving heroes be masked and completely hidden? Look at Hao Ren himself; he wasn't going around announcing that he was a beat cop sent from Heaven... Of course, the main reason he didn't say anything was the organization's regulations.

"What's there to keep secret?" the tall, thin man asked dismissively. "It's not some shameful job. Look, even fortune tellers and name consultants have their own websites these days. Why can't we Demon Hunters talk about our work?"

Hao Ren and Vivian exchanged quick glances, trying to figure out how to act like "ordinary people" in this situation. They soon reached a tacit understanding, adopting expressions of polite interest mixed with disbelief, as if they were merely listening to an amusing anecdote. Vivian offered a smile that was both gracious and slightly distant. "So, are you here to eliminate the vengeful spirits in the ancient castle?"

Seeing Vivian's expression, the tall, thin man's enthusiasm waned by half, but he still smiled. "I'll have to see the situation tomorrow before I can say. I know you probably don't believe me, and I'm not trying to convince you. But we could travel together. When are you leaving? If it's tomorrow, we're on the same route. I know the way well. There's a train that departs in the morning and arrives by evening."

Just as Hao Ren was about to say that he had just arrived in England and needed a day to adjust to the time difference, Vivian spoke up, making the decision for him. "Certainly. It's fate that we met. We don't know the way, so we'll have to trouble you for directions. May I ask for your surname?"

"My surname is Nangong. It's a double-barrelled surname," the tall, thin man said, standing up. "My full name... well, for work reasons, it's inconvenient to disclose. You can just call me Nangong. How about this? I'll wait for you at this restaurant tomorrow morning at six-thirty. We can go together. But I'll only wait fifteen minutes—any later and I'll miss the train."

Hao Ren was about to mention that he had a certain troublesome girl next to him who was struggling with jet lag and might not be able to get up tomorrow morning, when Vivian again nodded her agreement, making the decision for him. "Alright, Mr. Nangong. See you tomorrow morning at six-thirty. Oh, I'm so sorry, we were so engrossed in conversation that I forgot to introduce ourselves. My name is Vivian, and this is..."

Hao Ren stared blankly at Vivian as she interacted with the "Demon Hunter" as if nothing had happened. He only had a chance to speak after Mr. Nangong had left. "Um, aren't you afraid he's actually a Demon Hunter?"

"He doesn't seem like one. Demon Hunters don't have that style," Vivian said, sinking back into her chair and letting out a slight sigh after Nangong had disappeared through the restaurant door. "And honestly—we do need someone to guide us. Our destination is the same as this Nangong's. So, when we get to Yuefu'erde, there's a high chance we'll run into him again. Instead of being caught off guard by a sudden encounter then, it's better to travel together now and get a general idea of his plans. That way, we can part ways when the opportunity arises, and we'll still have the initiative. Of course, this is assuming he really is a Demon Hunter. If he's just a regular ghost-exorcising con artist... then it's simple. Ordinary people pose no threat, so letting him lead the way is fine."

Vivian's analysis was logical and well-founded. Hao Ren had to admit that this vampire girl thought more deeply than he did. However, he still had one question he really wanted to confirm: "Vivian, is there any way you can determine if someone is a Demon Hunter? They're different from ordinary people, so there must be some identifying characteristics—besides his 'style' of speech and behavior, can you confirm his identity?"

Vivian frowned, her gaze drifting thoughtfully in a certain direction. "It's really hard to say. The most dangerous thing about Demon Hunters is that they can hide among ordinary people before they activate their abilities. My kin were often wiped out because Demon Hunters infiltrated the blood slaves they kept. I'm a high-ranking Blood Clan member, so I can analyze his identity through his blood, but I need blood for that, which is difficult, very difficult."

After a moment of silence, Vivian, perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed that she couldn't be of more help, said somewhat uncertainly, "But if I had to say, I think I did sense something different about him. I fought with a Demon Hunter back then and injured my right hand. After that, I developed a peculiar ability: my right hand gets warm when a Demon Hunter is nearby. I feel..."

"Stop feeling. Your hand fell into the soup."

"Whoa!"