Gale Pill

"Uncle Zhao. Uncle Zhao! Are you there?"

"Fang Mu! Your Uncle Zhao went to the Demon Slayer Division first thing this morning."

"Sorry, Aunt Zhao. I forgot that Uncle Zhao had an early shift."

"It's fine! You really have made something of yourself, boy. Now that you're an exclusive Demon Slayer Envoy, you have much more freedom."

"Would you like to come in and sit for a while? I made some chicken soup and was just about to bring it to you two."

"No, Aunt Zhao, I still have something to do. I'll have Xiao Jing come pick it up later."

After waving goodbye to Aunt Zhao, Fang Mu headed toward the Mission Hall.

The Mission Hall was where missions and bounties were posted. It had both a Demon Slayer Mission Hall and a Demon Slayer Division Mission Hall.

Fang Mu had no chance at the Demon Slayer Mission Hall, so he went straight into the Demon Slayer Mission Hall opposite it.

All the demons and monsters listed in the Demon Slayer Mission Hall were dangerous creatures, generally imprisoned below the five-star level of Mortal Prison.

The stronger the demon or monster on the mission board, the higher the bounty for killing it.

But although those demons and monsters were imprisoned in cells, they were not strapped to torture frames. Without a certain level of strength, accepting one of those missions was no different from throwing one's life away.

"Did you hear? Someone accepted a five-star Mortal Prison mission yesterday and got killed by the demon instead."

"I know! It was a Black Panther. It was incredibly fast, and its claws were like blades. It's already killed quite a few Demon Slayer Envoys."

Listening to everyone's hushed discussion, Fang Mu edged closer and could not help asking quietly, "Then why not send a Demon Slayer Envoy to kill the Black Panther directly?"

"What do you know? Killing demons and monsters directly would cause you to be tainted by Demonic Energy and deathly aura."

"Otherwise, why establish the Demon Slayer Division at all? Why not have the Demon Slayer Envoys handle everything from start to finish and clean it all up?"

A Demon Slayer Envoy gave Fang Mu a disdainful look and filled in the gaps for him.

Many of the other Demon Slayer Envoys also thought Fang Mu was a fool for not even knowing something so basic.

The people in the Mission Hall whispered among themselves, their futures shrouded in confusion. It seemed that, in the end, none of them could escape death.

"Hmph! Instead of wasting time talking nonsense here, you'd be better off killing more demons and monsters and diligently building up your merits."

"As long as you can advance to Demon Slayer High Envoy, you'll be able to cultivate the Four Sect Secret Arts. By then, your Demonic Energy can be removed."

A portly man in official robes walked in and encouraged them with a cold snort.

"Greetings, Deputy Hall Master!" All the Demon Slayer Envoys hurriedly saluted, but no one took up his words.

Advancing to Demon Slayer High Envoy was far too difficult. It was likely that several batches of people here would die before anyone managed to reach that level.

Fang Mu was rather interested in the Four Sect Secret Arts mentioned by the portly Deputy Hall Master.

But one should not aim too high too soon. Fang Mu suppressed his unrealistic thoughts and walked over to the mission board.

After glancing at the board, Fang Mu was dumbfounded. He found that all the ordinary missions had been taken, leaving only the mission to kill the Black Panther.

"Damn! Those bastards really are quick on the draw!" Fang Mu could not help cursing under his breath.

After hesitating for a long while, he still took down the mission token.

Fortune was found amid danger. No matter how strong that Black Panther was, it was still locked inside a prison.

He desperately needed merits to exchange for money and support his life. He also needed to kill demons and monsters to improve his strength.

The rented one-room house cost two silver coins every month. It was a complete bloodsucker.

"Look! Someone else took the Black Panther mission."

"Hmph! That reckless fool probably saw the generous reward, but doesn't even know how to spell the word 'death'!"

Fang Mu ignored the hushed discussions in the main hall.

After accepting the mission, he registered his name at the counter. Once he received the prison key and the Demon Slaying Token, he left without hesitation.

The portly Deputy Hall Master watched Fang Mu leave and shook his head, thinking that the other party was still too young.

After leaving the Mission Hall, Fang Mu arrived at the Demon Slayer Division.

After presenting his Demon Slaying Token, he passed through without obstruction and arrived at the five-star area of Mortal Prison.

Walking across the silent chain bridge, Fang Mu felt somewhat nervous. This was his first time here as well.

Before long, he arrived at cell number 144.

"Damn! This cell number is seriously unlucky!"

Fang Mu cursed inwardly as he inserted the Demon Slaying Token into the keyhole and turned it.

As a rumble echoed from the black stone wall, the prison gate slowly opened on its own.

After he entered, the prison gate slowly closed by itself once more.

The inner cell was exceptionally quiet. Fang Mu lit the candle beside him, and its glow illuminated the gloomy prison.

As he slowly walked toward the inner cell, Fang Mu smelled a pungent stench of blood.

Apart from Mortal Prison's one- to four-star levels, all the remaining prisons had two gates in their inner cells.

Fang Mu opened the first stone gate. After walking a few steps, he looked at the fine-steel barred gate ahead.

Through the fine-steel gate and the darkness beyond, Fang Mu saw several mangled corpses lying inside.

A Black Panther with blood all over its mouth was hiding in a dark corner of the inner cell.

"Damn, the Demon Slayer Division is truly heartless. No one even came to carry away and clean up the corpses."

Fang Mu cursed under his breath, drew the long sword at his side, opened the fine-steel gate, and slipped inside.

Just as the fine-steel gate creaked and slowly closed—

The Black Panther hidden in the darkness suddenly let out a roar and transformed into a streak of black light, charging toward the fine-steel gate as if it wanted to escape.

"Hmph!"

Fang Mu snorted coldly and slashed out with his long sword, blocking the Black Panther and causing it to miss its chance to flee.

With a dull boom, the fine-steel gate slammed shut.

Blocked by Fang Mu, the Black Panther roared furiously, bared its bloodstained fangs, and fixed its eyes on him.

That hateful, man-eating gaze made Fang Mu's heart turn cold.

"Roar!" The black shadow launched a sudden attack and pounced at Fang Mu.

Having already decided to fight to the death, Fang Mu could only dodge while counterattacking the Black Panther.

After a fierce battle, Fang Mu suffered some injuries, but instead he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The Black Panther was not as strong as he had imagined. It had severe internal injuries. Although it was fast and its claws were sharp, it lacked his strength.

The Black Panther could not maintain high-intensity combat for long. The longer the battle dragged on, the weaker it would become.

Fang Mu had not been wasting his pills during this time, either. Every aspect of his physical body had clearly grown stronger.

While fighting the Black Panther, he not only did not feel tired, but instead had the illusion that he grew braver and more energetic the longer he fought.

"Yowl!!"

Finally, the Black Panther let out a miserable cry as Fang Mu pierced its heart with one sword thrust.

With practiced ease, he stripped off the Black Panther's hide and fur, then severed its claws, gouged out its eyes, and pulled out its tendons in one fluid motion.

After putting everything valuable into the metal chest,

only then did the Demon Refining Mirror release a beam of golden light, enveloping the Black Panther and refining its ruined body into blood.

The Low-Grade Essence Blood Pill was formed by smelting the Black Panther's essence blood. After taking it, one's qi and blood would be strengthened and the physical body nourished.

The Gale Pill was formed from the Black Panther's origin. After refining it, one could comprehend Extreme Wind Speed.

Fang Mu obtained fragments of the Black Panther's memories. Finding them useless, he ignored them directly.

Looking at the Gale Pill in his hand, Fang Mu could not help revealing a faint smile.

As the pill entered his mouth, the Low-Grade Essence Blood Pill transformed into streams of warmth that continued nourishing Fang Mu's qi and blood.

After swallowing the Gale Pill as well, Fang Mu discovered that the pill had not dissolved.

Instead, it hovered within his dantian, spinning round and round.

As an indescribable artistic conception filled Fang Mu's mind and spirit, he could not help becoming immersed in it.

Fang Mu suddenly rose to his feet and began walking in a crooked, lurching manner, looking just like a drunkard.

As his speed gradually increased, those awkward steps became smooth and rounded.

Gradually, Fang Mu's figure transformed into streaks of afterimages, drifting and flashing throughout the cell.

Soon, the countless flickering black shadows dissipated, revealing Fang Mu's figure.

Picking up the metal chest, Fang Mu left the cell.

As for the corpses on the ground, now that the Black Panther had been killed, someone would come to clean them up later. He did not need to lift a finger.

Before long, Fang Mu carried the metal chest back to the Demon Slayer Mission Hall.

There was hardly anyone in the Mission Hall now. Only the portly Deputy Hall Master and several clerks handling registrations remained.

"I'm turning in my mission. I killed the Black Panther demon."

"What?"

The moment Fang Mu finished speaking, the several drowsy clerks cried out in alarm and snapped awake.

Even the Deputy Hall Master, who had been dozing in a rocking chair, opened his eyes, rose, and walked toward Fang Mu.

After inspecting the Demon Slaying Token and the contents of the metal chest, the portly Deputy Hall Master was somewhat surprised.

"Kid, you've got some impressive strength!"

The Deputy Hall Master praised Fang Mu, then said to a clerk beside him, "Record fifty merits for him!"

"Yes!" The clerk promptly acknowledged the order.

Fang Mu could not help showing his delight. Fifty merits was no small amount. After all, a Demon Slayer Envoy's lower-rank position only required one hundred merit points for an exchange.

Five merits could be exchanged for one silver coin. In other words, he could exchange them for ten silver coins.

Of course, silver coins could not be exchanged for merits. Merits could only be obtained by slaying demons and monsters.

After storing the merits in his personal identity record, the Deputy Hall Master kindly reminded Fang Mu of something.

The next time he came, he should preferably wear a mask, to prevent people from envying his merits and secretly plotting against him.

Fang Mu thanked him. Unable to figure out the Deputy Hall Master's intentions, he hurriedly turned and left the Mission Hall, unwilling to attract too much attention.