Gale Pill

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

"Oh, it's Fang Mu! Your Uncle Zhao went to the Demon Slayer Division early this morning."

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

"It's nothing! You're the capable one, becoming a specialized Demon Slayer Envoy gives you a lot more freedom."

"Do you want to come in for a bit? I made chicken soup and was just about to deliver it to you all."

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

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

This Mission Hall was where tasks and bounties were posted, and it had two sections: the Demon Slayer Envoy Mission Hall and the Demon Slayer Division Mission Hall.

Fang Mu had no chance at the Demon Slayer Envoy Mission Hall, so he walked directly into the Demon Slayer Division Mission Hall across from it.

The demons in the Demon Slayer Division Mission Hall were all dangerous ones, usually imprisoned below the five-star dungeon level.

The stronger the demon listed in the mission announcement, the higher the bounty for its extermination.

However, even though those demons were imprisoned in the dungeons, they weren't tied to torture racks. Without sufficient strength, accepting a mission was tantamount to suicide.

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

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

Listening to the hushed discussions of the crowd, Fang Mu, who had drawn closer, couldn't help but ask quietly, "Then why don't they send a Demon Slayer Envoy to kill the Black Panther directly?"

"What do you know? Killing demons directly will cause you to be tainted by Demonic Energy and death qi."

"Otherwise, why bother establishing the Demon Slayer Division? Why not just have Demon Slayer Envoys handle everything in one go, cleaning it up cleanly?"

A Demon Slayer Division member looked at Fang Mu with disdain and elaborated for him.

Many Demon Slayer Division members also thought Fang Mu was truly foolish, not even knowing this most basic of principles.

The people in the Mission Hall whispered amongst themselves, filled with uncertainty about the future, as if they were all destined to die in the end.

"Hmph! You have time for this nonsense, you might as well hack at more demons and accumulate Merit by slaying them properly."

"As long as you can be promoted to a High Demon Slayer Envoy, you can learn the Four Sect Secret Arts, and then your Demonic Energy can be removed."

A plump man in official attire walked in, snorted, and encouraged them.

"Greetings, Deputy Hall Master!" The Demon Slayer Division members quickly bowed, but no one responded to his remark.

It was too difficult to endure until becoming a High Demon Slayer Envoy; it was estimated that several batches of the people present would die before anyone could achieve it.

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

However, one shouldn't be overly ambitious. Fang Mu suppressed his unrealistic thoughts and walked to the mission announcement board.

He glanced at the mission board and looked dumbfounded. All the ordinary missions had already been taken, leaving only the mission to kill the Black Panther.

"Damn it! These bastards are really quick!" Fang Mu couldn't help but curse inwardly.

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

Fortune favors the bold. No matter how strong the Black Panther was, it was still locked up in the prison.

He desperately needed Merit to exchange for money to support himself, and he also needed to kill demons to improve his own strength.

The rented flat cost two silver coins every month, and it was dark and dismal.

"Look quickly! Someone else has taken the Black Panther mission."

"Hmph! That blockhead probably saw the generous reward but doesn't know how to write the word 'death'?"

Fang Mu chose to ignore the hushed discussions of the people in the hall.

After accepting the mission, he went to the counter to register his name, obtained the dungeon key and the Demon Slaying Token, and then left directly.

The plump Deputy Hall Master watched Fang Mu leave and shook his head, thinking the young man was still too naive.

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

After showing his Demon Slaying Token, he passed through unimpeded and reached the five-star area of the Mortal Prison.

Walking on the silent iron chain bridge, Fang Mu felt a bit nervous. This was his first time here.

Before long, he arrived at cell number 144.

"Damn it! This room number is unlucky!"

Fang Mu muttered inwardly and inserted the Demon Slaying Token into the keyhole and turned it.

With a rumbling sound from the black stone wall, the prison gate slowly opened on its own.

After entering, the prison gate slowly closed on its own.

Inside the inner dungeon, it was extremely quiet. Fang Mu lit a nearby candle, and the candlelight illuminated the gloomy prison cell.

Slowly walking towards the inner cell, Fang Mu smelled a pungent scent of blood.

Except for the first four stars of the Mortal Prison, the inner cells of the remaining dungeons had two doors.

Fang Mu opened the first stone door, walked a few steps forward, and looked at the iron railing gate in front of him.

Through the iron gate and into the darkness, Fang Mu saw several mangled corpses lying inside.

A black panther, its mouth dripping with blood, was hiding in the shadowy corner of the inner prison.

"Selling pelts! This Demon Slayer Division is truly heartless, not even bothering to move the bodies," Fang Mu cursed inwardly, drawing his longsword. He opened the iron gate and darted inside.

As the iron gate creaked and slowly swung shut, the black panther, hidden in the darkness, suddenly roared and turned into a streak of black light, lunging towards the gate as if to escape.

"Hmph!" Fang Mu snorted coldly, his longsword slashing out, intercepting the black panther and causing it to miss its chance to flee.

With a dull thud, the iron gate slammed shut.

Blocked by Fang Mu, the black panther roared in fury, revealing its blood-stained fangs and staring intently at Fang Mu. The hateful, predatory gaze sent a chill down Fang Mu's spine.

"Roar!" The black shadow immediately launched a surprise attack, pouncing on Fang Mu.

Having decided to fight for his life, Fang Mu could only dodge and counter-attack the black panther.

During the fierce struggle, Fang Mu sustained some injuries, but he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The black panther wasn't as strong as he had imagined. It had severe internal injuries, and while its speed was fast and its claws sharp, its strength was inferior to his. The black panther couldn't maintain high-intensity combat for long; the longer the fight dragged on, the weaker it would become.

During this time, Fang Mu hadn't been taking pills for nothing; his physical body had been significantly strengthened in all aspects. In the fight against the black panther, he not only felt no fatigue but even had the illusion of growing stronger and more energetic the longer he fought.

"Aow!!" Finally, the black panther let out a pained cry as Fang Mu's sword pierced its heart.

With practiced skill, he expertly skinned the black panther, then dismembered its claws, gouged out its eyes, and removed its tendons in one fluid motion. After collecting all the valuable parts into a tin box, the Demon Refining Mirror released a golden light, enveloping the black panther and refining its remains into blood.

The low-grade Essence Blood Pill, smelted from the black panther's essence blood, could enhance Blood Essence and nourish the physical body after consumption. The Gale Pill, formed from the black panther's origin, allowed one to comprehend the extreme speed of wind after refining. Fang Mu obtained the black panther's fragmented memories but found them useless, so he ignored them.

Looking at the Gale Pill in his hand, Fang Mu couldn't help but reveal a slight smile.

As the pill entered his mouth, the low-grade Essence Blood Pill transformed into streams of warmth, continuing to nourish Fang Mu's Blood Essence. After swallowing the Gale Pill as well, Fang Mu discovered that the pill didn't dissolve. Instead, it floated in his dantian, spinning rapidly. An indescribable artistic conception filled Fang Mu's mind, causing him to become engrossed in it.

Suddenly, Fang Mu stood up and began to walk unsteadily, like a drunkard. As his speed gradually increased, his awkward steps became smoother. Gradually, Fang Mu's figure turned into streaks of afterimages, flickering and moving within the prison cell. Soon, the countless flickering black shadows dissipated, revealing Fang Mu's figure.

Picking up the tin box, Fang Mu left the prison cell. As for the corpses on the ground, with the black panther slain, someone would eventually come to clear them away; he didn't need to do it himself.

Not long after, Fang Mu, carrying the tin box, arrived at the Demon Slayer mission hall. The hall was mostly empty at this time, with only the plump Deputy Hall Master and a few clerks registering tasks.

"I'm here to turn in a mission, killing a black panther demon."

"What?" As soon as Fang Mu spoke, the drowsy clerks exclaimed in surprise and woke up. Even the Deputy Hall Master, who had been dozing in his rocking chair, opened his eyes and walked towards Fang Mu.

After inspecting the Demon Slaying Token and the contents of the tin box, the plump Deputy Hall Master looked somewhat surprised. "Young man, your strength is quite good!" The Deputy Hall Master praised Fang Mu and then said to a clerk beside him, "Record fifty Merit points for him!"

"Yes!" The clerk responded affirmatively. Fang Mu couldn't help but show his joy; fifty Merit points were considerable, especially since a Demon Slayer Envoy's mission only awarded a hundred Merit points. Five Merit points could be exchanged for one silver coin, meaning he could exchange for ten silver coins. Of course, silver coins couldn't be exchanged for Merit points; Merit points could only be obtained by slaying demons.

After storing the Merit points in his personal identification information, the Deputy Hall Master kindly advised Fang Mu to wear a mask next time he came, to prevent those who might be envious of his Merit points from plotting against him. Fang Mu thanked him, unable to fathom the Deputy Hall Master's intentions. He quickly turned and left the mission hall, not wanting to attract too much attention.