What was the most important thing about being human?
Heat control!
Although the three Huang Xiaotian brothers were demons, they did not enjoy eating humans raw like the others did.
Perhaps because he had been raised by human cooks from childhood, Huang Xiaotian was very particular about food.
After waiting for a while and realizing that no news had come from his third brother, Huang Xiaotian knew that the person behind Sun Zhi probably was not coming.
So he took off his shirt and got to work.
The Executioner's Blade used by the authorities to behead criminals at the execution grounds became a Kitchen Knife in his hands. It flashed with afterimages as he sliced the side dishes one by one and arranged them to the side.
His second brother wore a serious expression as he fiddled with the fire, controlling the heat.
Then, after the water in the bronze cauldron boiled, Huang Xiaotian pushed the side dishes clinging to the Executioner's Blade away and turned around. "All right. Bring that fellow over."
His second brother nodded, returned to the house, and effortlessly lifted Sun Zhi.
With a bang, Sun Zhi's head struck the chopping board, jolting him awake.
He instinctively tried to sit up, but groaned and clenched his teeth.
Excruciating pain kept surging from his back and severed arm, making his vision swim.
Just then, he felt a pair of large hands reach over. With a gentle squeeze, they dislocated his joint.
"Ah!!!"
The fresh wave of agony made him cry out despite himself.
But this time, he bit down hard on the tip of his tongue and forced himself not to pass out.
Because he had seen the horrifying Executioner's Blade beside him and the enormous cauldron burning red-hot nearby.
If I pass out again, by the time I wake up, I'll probably be on the other side of a bowl of Mendicant's Brew.
Huang Xiaotian glanced at him in surprise and laughed. "Oh, Captain Sun, your willpower really isn't inferior to an ordinary person's. The ingredients I've had before would pass out completely from something like this."
"Third Manager! I can tell you everything you want to know. Just let me go, and I'll be able to serve as an ally at the County Yamen in the future, won't I?"
Sun Zhi's mind was intensely focused at that moment. He endured the pain and tried to persuade Huang Xiaotian.
"Hmm..." Huang Xiaotian scratched his chin, looking somewhat tempted.
Seeing this, Sun Zhi hurriedly said, "If you stew and eat me, it'll only amount to one full meal. But if we continue working together, you'll certainly have no shortage of Blood Food. As for the boys and girls you mentioned before, I've actually already been keeping an eye out for them."
"Besides, if the County Yamen makes any moves against Black Wind Stronghold in the future, I can pass the news to you at the earliest opportunity, can't I?"
Sun Zhi rattled off a string of words in one breath, staring fixedly at Huang Xiaotian while thinking about what else he could say to stay alive.
The corners of Huang Xiaotian's mouth curled slightly. He said with interest, "What you said does make some sense. Then tell me about the person behind you first."
Sun Zhi immediately breathed a sigh of relief and began speaking at top speed.
"That person's name is Shen Lin. He was originally only a constable under me, but that was just a disguise. His true cultivation..."
Faced with the threat of becoming food, Sun Zhi did not hesitate in the slightest. Like beans poured from a bamboo tube, he spilled everything about Shen Lin.
"At least the sixth level of the Meridian Opening Realm..."
A strange smile touched Huang Xiaotian's face. Looking down at Sun Zhi, who was filled with hope, he said, "Do you know? After humans reveal the secrets in their hearts, they become very calm. The flow of qi and blood in their bodies slows, and their tense muscles relax. In that state, the meat becomes even more delicious..."
Sun Zhi stared blankly as Huang Xiaotian picked up the Executioner's Blade, then asked hoarsely, "Won't you spare my life?"
Huang Xiaotian held the Executioner's Blade against Sun Zhi and gestured along his body. "I'll leave part of your body a path to life. After all, some cuts are tender, and they taste better raw."
Upon hearing this, the light left Sun Zhi's eyes, and despair filled his heart.
"Don't move. My knife is very fast. As long as you stay still... Who is it?!"
Huang Xiaotian had just prepared to cut into Sun Zhi when he suddenly frowned and turned toward the entrance, barking sharply.
The next moment, a figure dressed in night clothes slowly entered the courtyard and greeted them with a chuckle.
"Oh, looks like my timing for this visit isn't very good. Are you cooking?"
Huang Xiaotian first gestured for his restless second brother to calm down, then looked at the newcomer and smiled. "Your qi and blood are abundant, yet held back without release... So you're Shen Lin?"
Shen Lin removed the cloth mask from his face and complained, "I knew this fellow was afraid of death, but he spilled everything from such a tiny scare. What a disappointment. I'll have to discipline him properly when we get back."
Sun Zhi stared blankly at Shen Lin, who had finally appeared, and silently roared in his heart, You call that a tiny scare?! I was nearly boiled alive!!!
But no one present clearly cared about his reaction.
Huang Xiaotian sneered. "Get back? What do you think this place is? You think you can come and go as you please?"
"What place?" Shen Lin looked around in confusion. "Isn't this just an ordinary courtyard? Why are you making it sound like a dragon's lair or a tiger's den?"
"Arrogant brat!"
Huang Xiaotian had yet to react, but his second brother could no longer hold himself back. He charged forward, intending to tear Shen Lin to shreds.
"Second Brother!!!"
But before he could strike, Huang Xiaotian suddenly seemed to think of something and shouted to stop him.
Then he looked at Shen Lin, his expression gradually darkening, and asked, "Where is my third brother? With him outside, you couldn't possibly have appeared here just like that."
"Your third brother?"
Shen Lin paused, then replied, "Why don't you ask him yourself?"
Clang!
Without the slightest warning, Shen Lin drew the treasured sword in his hand and shouted at it, "Hey, your big brother is asking what happened to you. What? You can't answer? Because this sword has stirred your brains into a bowl of mush???"
"Die!!! Roar!!!"
The two dog demons erupted at once.
Yellow fur instantly covered Huang Xiaotian's body. He grew a full head taller, the fat on his body quivering constantly, yet his speed was astonishing. He pounced forward in an instant.
His massive body was like a mountain of flesh, and the Executioner's Blade he used to chop vegetables and meat brought with it waves of howling wind as it hacked viciously toward Shen Lin's head.
At that moment, all the momentum in his body burst forth, leaving his cultivation realm plain to see.
Sixth level of the Meridian Opening Realm!
Within Qiulin County, someone at this level could basically walk sideways.
If he wished, he could even attempt to break through into the Innate Realm at any time.
Yet Shen Lin remained calm in the face of danger, without the slightest hint of panic.
Holding his sword in one hand, he swung it casually!
Whoosh~
The slender sword possessed an even more formidable force than the opponent's heavy Executioner's Blade, whipping up a violent gale.
Clang!
With a muffled impact, the sword collided with the Executioner's Blade. After a brief stalemate, it instantly overpowered it.
The faster Huang Xiaotian had charged, the faster he was sent flying.
His bulky body smashed through the tall earthen wall and rolled out of the courtyard.
His second brother, charging right behind him, reacted with lightning speed and used all his strength to halt his forward momentum.
Even so, he was already less than ten paces from Shen Lin.
"Hi!"
Shen Lin gave him a dazzling greeting, then thrust his sword straight forward.
The sword was like a shooting star. The ten-step distance vanished in a flash, and the blade struck the opponent directly between the brows.
The light faded from the dog demon's eyes, and he met the same fate as his third brother.
Killed Enlightened Dog Demon, not yet Innate, lifespan two hundred years, remaining lifespan one hundred forty-three years, fully absorbed. Shen Lin Martial Arts Mastered: Blood Battle Saber Technique (Perfected), Gale Sword Technique (Perfected), Qingqiu Body Tempering Art (Perfected), Shadow-Breaking Step (Perfected) Cultivation Techniques Mastered: None Remaining Lifespan: One year Demon Lifespan: Two hundred ninety-seven years
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