The Deal Was Struck

"Sorry to keep you two waiting!"

Before long, Old Master Bai returned with a bitter smile. "That child... You just can't spoil them rotten. Look at the mess they've made..."

After taking a sip of tea, he continued where they had left off. "As you can see, we've got another mouth to feed at home, so our expenses have gone up. Naturally, I can't offer you the same price as before."

Sun Zhi frowned. "How much are you asking for?"

"Double!"

"What?!"

Sun Zhi's eyes widened, and he shouted in disbelief.

The things Shen Lin had given him were already worth a thousand taels of silver.

A thousand taels could damn well buy this old bastard's entire house.

The old bastard was far too greedy.

If Sun Zhi added in his own savings, scraping together a thousand taels wouldn't be a problem.

It would just be a terrible deal.

The Demon Suppression Bureau paid around three thousand taels for slaying a demon.

That was before the money passed through the hands of the County Magistrate, the chief clerk, the county commandant, and the others. If they ended up with over a thousand taels, they'd be lucky.

Besides, he had to exchange the reward for contribution points at the Demon Suppression Bureau, so he could get another Meridian Unblocking Pill.

Just as he was about to refuse, he suddenly sensed several figures passing outside the window.

His keen hearing as a martial artist picked up the words "young" and "martial artists taste delicious," among others.

Sun Zhi's expression darkened. He realized that if he refused, there was a good chance they wouldn't leave this place alive.

But he couldn't bring himself to hand over that much money so easily.

Just then, Shen Lin spoke up.

"Old Master Bai, doubling the price isn't a problem. But can you offer us something worthwhile in return?"

He seemed not to notice anything amiss outside. Picking up his teacup, he took a gentle sip.

Seeing how composed Shen Lin was, Old Master Bai couldn't help but think more highly of him. He smiled. "Of course I won't send you back empty-handed. I know where to find a wolf demon. It got into a fight with the one on the mountain and was driven out of its den. By your standards, its cultivation is already on the verge of the Opening Meridians Realm. If you bring it back, you'll surely receive a handsome reward."

Hearing this, Sun Zhi let out a long sigh of relief.

If the wolf demon was as strong as Old Master Bai claimed, they'd at least make their money back.

He was about to pull the banknotes from his robe, but before he could lift his hand, Shen Lin's words stopped him.

"That sounds fair. But a thousand taels is no small sum, and neither Head Constable Sun nor I carry that much on us. We'll have to go back and fetch it."

Old Master Bai didn't object in the slightest. "All right! But about the silver..."

Before he could finish, Shen Lin smiled and continued, "Let's consider that thousand taels a deposit. Why don't you give us the wolf demon's location first? Once we've killed it, we'll bring over the rest of the silver."

Seeing a flicker of displeasure cross Old Master Bai's face, Shen Lin continued, "Of course, it's not that we don't trust you, Old Master Bai. We'll be doing business again after this, after all. Neither side wants this to be a one-time deal, right? If you'd rather not, we can go back for the silver first, then come back for the wolf demon's location."

At that, Old Master Bai's anger faded. He considered it for a moment, then suddenly laughed heartily. "You humans do place great importance on trust in business. Sun Zhi and I have dealt with each other before, but this is my first time doing business with you. So let's do as you say and count the silver as a deposit. I'll give you the wolf demon's location now. Like you said, we have plenty more business ahead of us."

As he spoke, he went to the desk, took a sheet of paper, and scribbled on it. When he was done, he picked it up, blew on the ink, and handed it to Sun Zhi.

"Then we'll be on our way. We'll bring over the rest of the money we promised within three days."

Shen Lin clasped his hands in salute and walked out.

Several people stood in the courtyard, watching him with cold, silent eyes.

Besides Qianqian, the young fox demon who had come inside earlier, and the small, tiger-headed fox demon, there were two others.

One was an old woman. Though her hair was silver, her clothes and bearing were both utterly refined and dignified.

The other was a man, powerfully built, with a fierce gaze.

Shen Lin strode between them, nodding from time to time without the slightest trace of fear.

Behind him, Sun Zhi looked tense. He forced a smile, kept his posture humble, and bowed now and then to greet them.

Once the two had left, the brawny man went inside and said to Old Master Bai, "Father! You just let them walk away? Those guys must be carrying everything they own on them. This business about going back to scrape together the money is just an excuse. What if they kill the wolf demon and then refuse to pay? What if they turn on us and bring people here to wipe us out?"

Old Master Bai took a book from the shelf and returned to his seat. Opening it, he said calmly, "That young man has good talent and a steady temperament!"

"So?"

"A man like him won't settle for an ordinary life. He'll definitely come back with the rest of the money, and he'll want to do business with us again. Besides, even if they turn on us and try to wipe us out, so what?"

Old Master Bai opened the book and spoke slowly. "This old man still has some connections at the County Office. If they try to wipe us out, it'll cause a huge commotion. We'll hear about it and be long gone before their troops arrive. What are you panicking for?"

"You really never think things through. You're nowhere near as sharp as Ah Hao!"

The man scratched the back of his head and grinned sheepishly. "Third Brother is both a scholar and a fighter. Naturally, I can't compare. Come to think of it, Third Brother and his wife should be coming home this year, shouldn't they?"

"Mm! He wrote that they'd be back in a month or two. Oh, and Ah Hao said in his last letter that he'd opened seven of his demon meridians and was already preparing to break through to Xiantian."

"Seven?"

The man's eyes widened. "That's the Qingqiu Lineage for you. His wife must have secured those secret cultivation manuals for him. With seven meridians opened, he shouldn't have any trouble breaking through to Xiantian, right?"

"Of course not. Ah Hao has taken the Qingqiu surname, after all. He's one of their own now. Second Brother, our family is counting on you. Don't let me down..."

The voices in the study gradually died away, and night began to fall.

After Shen Lin and Sun Zhi left the village, they immediately set off for the location Old Master Bai had given them.

Demons never stayed in one place for long. Once they had the information, it was best to act quickly. If they dawdled, the demon might have moved on.

But Sun Zhi looked troubled.

Clearly, what had happened earlier had frightened him.

"Head Constable Sun!"

Shen Lin's voice brought him back to himself.

"You said there were seven people in their family, but why did I only see five just now?"

"I heard their youngest son and daughter-in-law are usually away from home and only come back once a year."

"Ah, I see. What a shame..."

"What's a shame?"

"Nothing."

Shen Lin shook his head, glanced back at the village beneath the night sky, and gave a faint smile. "Let's hurry and get back as soon as we can."