Pfft—
The icy blade swept across the last bandit's throat, sending a gush of scorching blood spraying into the air.
The corpse slumped limply to the ground. After a few twitches, it lay still.
And just like that, the bandit gang that had been rampaging through the outskirts of Changle County became history.
"Phew~ All done..."
Gu Cheng flicked the blood from his long blade and looked at the records on the panel.
Killed Body Tempering Realm evil cultivator, lifespan gained: three years Killed Body Tempering Realm evil cultivator, lifespan gained: two years ...
The bandits were a motley crew, so the rewards were naturally meager.
But there had been plenty of them.
The fifty-odd bandits had rewarded him with nearly seventy years of lifespan in total. It was still a decent haul.
The cleanup was over.
Gu Cheng tightened his grip on the hilt, turned, and looked at the black-robed, masked figure who had revealed herself a short distance behind him.
"You've been watching from the shadows for quite some time. Why show yourself now?"
Gu Cheng kept his guard up as he quietly sized her up.
Judging by the bronze mask—the Demon Hunter's signature look—covering her face,
the mysterious black-robed figure was most likely the Demon Hunter who had been making waves lately.
"..."
The Female Demon Hunter didn't answer Gu Cheng's question. Instead, she walked straight over to the remains of the Young Master Pig Demon.
After studying them for a moment, she shook her head slightly and said with regret,
"What a shame. This pig demon had only recently broken through to the Qi Blood Realm. It hadn't even fully formed its demon core."
"If you'd killed it a few years later, you might've gained an excellent-quality Earth element demon core."
Her voice beneath the mask was clear and melodious, like a stream flowing through a mountain ravine. It was a pleasure to listen to.
Judging by her voice alone, she couldn't have been much older than twenty.
Gu Cheng was a little surprised by her voice, but didn't dwell on it. He shook his head and retorted,
"There's nothing to regret. If the beast had lived a few more years, who knows how many more people it would have killed?"
"Besides, it's only a demon core. With so many demons on Black Wind Mountain, how could there be any shortage of them?"
"Ha! Well said!"
The Female Demon Hunter clapped her hands and laughed softly, her gaze full of approval as she looked at the young man.
"No wonder you dared to use yourself as bait to lure out the demons. Your courage and resolve are truly admirable."
"..."
Gu Cheng was at a loss for words.
What kind of bait was he supposed to be?
A turncoat had sold him out, and he'd been forced to smash the jar and fight his way out. That was all.
"Enough small talk. Little brother, let's make a deal."
The Female Demon Hunter reached to her belt, and a book appeared in her hand as if by magic.
"I came here at the request of the Chen Family's head, to rescue his precious daughter."
"I owe the old family head a favor. For the sake of appearances, I have to personally return Miss Chen home safe and sound..."
Miss Chen?
Gu Cheng froze for a moment, embarrassment flickering in his eyes.
Miss Chen was the wealthy young lady the bandits had kidnapped—the unlucky woman the Young Master Pig Demon had intended to make his bride.
Gu Cheng had been so busy killing that he'd nearly forgotten the actual mission: rescuing the hostage.
Then again, his original task had only been to gather intelligence, and he'd ended up killing every enemy. Did that count as exceeding his assignment?
Gu Cheng pushed those jumbled thoughts aside, sheathed his blade, and asked her,
"So the deal you mentioned is that you'll trade what you're holding for the credit I earned?"
"That's right. This blade manual is my compensation to you."
The Female Demon Hunter nodded and tossed the book forward.
As if guided by a pair of invisible hands,
the blade manual drifted toward the young man as slowly and lightly as a feather.
Gu Cheng watched, quietly amazed.
He took the book and flipped through a few pages. A new prompt immediately appeared on the panel.
Qi Blood · Wind Thunder Blade Technique: Not yet initiated
A Qi Blood Realm blade technique?
Gu Cheng's eyes lit up.
"This is a profoundly advanced martial art. An ordinary person might spend thirty or fifty years without even learning the basics."
The Female Demon Hunter gazed at the young man and added,
"But I'm sure someone as gifted as you will grasp it with ease, right?"
"..."
Gu Cheng said nothing, quickly weighing his options.
Earlier, to avoid letting the situation drag on, he'd been forced to kill the Young Master Pig Demon. In doing so, he'd made a mortal enemy of the fearsome Pig Demon King on Black Wind Mountain.
Now someone was willing to take the blame, draw the Pig Demon King's hatred, and even give him the Qi Blood Realm blade technique he desperately needed.
How could Gu Cheng possibly refuse?
He agreed at once.
The fire in the bandit camp roared higher and higher, soon spreading to the neighboring buildings.
The flames climbed into the sky, as if they would set the entire night alight.
The Female Demon Hunter chatted with Gu Cheng for a few more moments. Then they searched the camp together and soon found the place where the pig demon had hidden his beauty away in a Golden House.
The Female Demon Hunter entered the tent alone.
A short while later, she emerged with a huge black shape draped over her slender shoulder.
Gu Cheng glanced up. Thinking she'd caught another pig demon that had escaped the slaughter, he instinctively reached for his blade.
But when he looked more closely,
he realized the black shape was a fair-skinned woman in fine clothes.
She was sprawled across the Female Demon Hunter's shoulder, snoring loudly in her sleep.
"Sh-she's Miss Chen?"
Gu Cheng stared, completely dumbfounded.
By the standards of that lifestyle app, the wealthy young lady's figure could probably be described as "slightly plump."
She was indeed very fair, and looked every bit the pampered lady.
But with that much tonnage, there was no way anyone could call her a peerless beauty.
"Ahem. Generally speaking, demons have much the same taste in beauty as humans. But there are still a few oddballs whose standards for men and women are worlds apart. I suppose this bunch of pig demons were like that."
The Female Demon Hunter explained in a low voice. Even with a giant weighing well over two hundred pounds on her shoulder, she didn't look the least bit strained.
"By the way, Young Master Gu, keep this token."
The Female Demon Hunter gently tossed Gu Cheng a token about the size of his palm.
He caught it and inspected it closely.
The token was pitch-black, with a large Xu engraved in the center. Its material was neither metal nor jade. It felt pleasantly solid in his hand.
"What's this?" Gu Cheng asked curiously.
"It's a token of my family. If you ever get the chance to visit Yunzhou City, you're welcome to stop by the Xu Family in the north of the city."
The Female Demon Hunter gave the young man a slight nod, the "thousand-pound" young lady still sleeping like a dead pig over her shoulder.
Then she took out a talisman, formed a hand seal, and conjured a cloud of white mist that instantly spread around them.
By the time the mist dissipated, the two of them had vanished.
Beneath the bright moon, a gust of hot night wind blew past, carrying flecks of fire with it.
Gu Cheng looked at the spot where she'd disappeared, his expression slightly strange.
Yunzhou City?
That was the capital of an entire prefecture.
It was far more prosperous than a backwater county town like Changle County.
So the Female Demon Hunter was actually the daughter of a great lineage—a young lady from an influential family?
Was demon hunting just a hobby she pursued while out experiencing life?
Gu Cheng's gaze shifted.
Taking his own performance into account, he'd more or less figured out what she was thinking.
"Did this girl mistake me for some martial arts prodigy who hasn't made his name yet, and decide to invest early and make a connection?"
"No wonder she was so friendly when we first met, handing out gifts left and right..."
Gu Cheng looked at the Wind Thunder Blade Technique and the family token in his hands, at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
A martial arts prodigy?
What kind of prodigy was he?
What prodigy took over a hundred and fifty years to reach the first level of the Qi Blood Realm?
At most, he was just a cheat who could burn lifespan.
Before you continue