After talking with Wang Chao late into the night, Chen Fan's body was finally confirmed to be in perfect condition. Only then did Wang Chao get up and head home.
He had joined the Jinyiwei at eighteen, and now twenty years had passed. At his age, if he couldn't break through to the Spirit Concealment Realm Fourth Stage within two or three years, it would be difficult for him to take another step up.
But he had come to terms with it. He had a wife and children waiting at home, a steady job with the imperial court, and a generous salary. Slaying Demonic Creatures was dangerous, but thankfully, he had made it through all these years without a mishap. He no longer cared whether he got promoted or not.
After seeing Wang Chao off, Chen Fan washed up quickly, scrubbing the Demon Blood from his body and washing his clothes. He stayed busy until the middle of the night before finally closing the door, ready to sink into a deep sleep.
He had barely lain down when he felt something cold and slithering against him. His hair stood on end. In almost the same instant, he rolled off the bed and snatched the Hundred Refinements Embroidered Spring Blade from the table!
"Who's there?"
In the dim moonlight, he saw a giant crimson snake crawling off his bed, its body covered in black spots.
The giant snake flicked its tongue and stared straight at Chen Fan.
The next moment, it changed shape, becoming a full-figured woman with curves in all the right places.
Crimson scales covered her body, like a layer of impenetrable armor.
"This humble girl is Crimson Lian. Greetings, young sir."
The beautiful snake gazed at Chen Fan and spoke in a sultry voice.
"Wretched demon, how dare you trespass in the Jinyiwei Barracks!"
"I'll cut you down!"
Chen Fan roared, drew the Hundred Refinements Embroidered Spring Blade, and leaped straight at the Crimson Serpent Demon. He didn't hesitate for a moment; his strike was decisive and ruthless!
He drew upon his vital blood. His muscles and bones rumbled, his flesh bulged, and his Embroidered Spring Blade came crashing down, carrying a fierce gale and a piercing roar!
"Damn it, how is he at the Spirit Concealment Realm Fourth Stage?"
"How is that possible?"
Crimson Lian's expression changed drastically. She raised her right hand.
Scales spread over her right hand and arm, growing denser and denser until they transformed into thick crimson armor. She barely managed to block Chen Fan's strike.
But Chen Fan twisted his blade and used Draw Sword Slash, sweeping it along Crimson Lian's arm before slashing again at her neck!
Pfft!
Chen Fan's blade fell, cleaving the Crimson Serpent Demon's head from her body.
Crimson Lian's eyes were wide open. She died without understanding how.
Even to her dying breath, she couldn't figure out how she had met her end.
Someone had offered a hefty reward for her to kill a Jinyiwei who was already on death's door, supposedly at the Spirit Concealment Realm First Pass. She was also meant to use her Charm Technique to interrogate him about a few things.
Yet all she had done was identify herself. Then her target had roared at her with a voice full of vigor and cut her down in two swift, clean strokes.
Her strength was comparable to the Bone Vajra level of the Spirit Concealment Realm Second Pass. But because her Shapeshifting Technique and Charm Technique were both impressive, she had been sent to carry out this simple assassination.
She hadn't expected the intelligence to be so wildly wrong. Her target was full of life—and a fearsome expert at the Spirit Concealment Realm Fourth Stage!
[Slain the Spirit Concealment Realm Second Pass Crimson Serpent Demon; stole sixty-six years of lifespan!] [Name: Chen Fan] [Realm: Spirit Concealment Realm (Fourth Stage: Blood Martial Saint)] [Cultivation Methods: Body Tempering Fist (Perfection) Draw Sword Slash (Minor Completion)] [Remaining Lifespan: Fifty years] [Current Demonic Creature Lifespan: Sixty-six years]
Chen Fan looked at the status panel. His Demonic Creature Lifespan had increased by another sixty-six years. It was just like being handed a pillow the moment sleepiness struck.
He had been fretting over where to find Demonic Creatures to slay, so he could steal their lifespan and use it to deduce martial arts. And now one had come right to him.
During the day, people worked or stood watch at the Jinyiwei Baihu Office. At night, some went on patrol while others went home. There were hardly any people left.
He had to admit, the Crimson Serpent Demon had picked a very clever time.
The commotion from killing the Crimson Serpent Demon wasn't all that loud, but the two shouts he'd let out beforehand had jolted several Jinyiwei awake.
"What happened?"
"Where's the Demonic Creature?"
"..."
Chen Fan opened the door and tossed the giant serpent, more than ten meters long, outside. Then he called out clearly:
"Brothers, a serpent demon came into my room in the middle of the night to kill me, but I killed it first."
"Sorry for disturbing everyone!"
Everyone hurried toward Chen Fan's quarters. At that moment, there were only seven Jinyiwei left at the Baihu Office, Chen Fan included.
"What a huge serpent demon!"
"Isn't that Chen Fan? Weren't they saying he was about to die?"
"He looked like he was at death's door on the Training Ground today. Why does he seem so much better now? Could it be a last burst of life before the end?"
"The Jinyiwei Baihu Office is near the outskirts of the county, so it's not very safe to begin with. It's perfectly normal for a serpent demon to smell a human and come in during the night."
"Two years ago, a wolf demon broke into the Training Ground and bit two of our Jinyiwei brothers to death."
"The night is a playground for demons and ghosts. Looks like we'd better go home at night from now on. It's too dangerous here at the Baihu Office."
"We're Jinyiwei, for crying out loud! We keep watch over noble clans and sects, and slay Demonic Creatures and ghosts. Yet Demonic Creatures keep breaking into our headquarters. It's downright humiliating."
"Ping'an County is a remote little county on the border. It's only natural that there are more Demonic Creatures and the Jinyiwei have less influence."
"If this were the Prefecture City, at the Jinyiwei Commander's Office—or the provincial capital, at the Jinyiwei Myriad Household Office—even demons and ghosts would know to steer clear."
"It's late. Since the serpent demon's dead, let's all call it a night. Head home and get some sleep. We still have to answer roll call tomorrow!"
"..."
After exchanging a few words with Chen Fan, the others returned to their quarters to sleep.
"Was it really a coincidence?"
"Why do I feel like that Crimson Serpent Demon came for me?"
"Forget it. Now that I have Demonic Creature Lifespan, I should use it to make deductions and strengthen myself. That's what matters!"
"If I reach the Spirit Concealment Realm Peak, won't I be able to run wild across Ping'an County?"
"And if a serpent demon can show up while I'm just sleeping, who knows when I might run into a terrifying great demon and get swallowed whole?"
"In a world overrun by Demonic Creatures like this, I can only survive by constantly growing stronger!"
"Next, I should improve my martial skills. My methods for dealing with enemies are still too limited, and not strong enough."
Chen Fan thought it over, then summoned his status panel with a thought and began spending Demonic Creature Lifespan to deduce his Draw Sword Slash.
[You trained hard in Draw Sword Slash, drawing your blade ten thousand times a day. At last, in the fifth year, you mastered Draw Sword Slash!] [You continued practicing Draw Sword Slash, drawing your blade a hundred thousand times a day. In the tenth year, you perfected Draw Sword Slash. You felt that there was nothing in this world you couldn't cut through with one slash. If one slash wasn't enough, then two would do!] [Draw Sword Slash (Perfection)]
After spending ten years of Demonic Creature Lifespan, Chen Fan finally brought his only martial skill, Draw Sword Slash, to perfection.
Countless insights flashed through his mind. He was like a swordsman who had trained for ten years: he either held back, or struck with the fury of thunder, killing with a single blow!
"If I faced that Crimson Serpent Demon again, I'd only need one slash to sever her head from her body and kill her on the spot!"
Chen Fan's eyes shone as he spoke with confidence.
Judging by how he had trained in Body Tempering Fist and Draw Sword Slash, he really wasn't some peerless genius. He had taken ten years to perfect Draw Sword Slash, a sword technique with only one killing move.
And it had taken him a full twenty years to perfect Body Tempering Fist. The struggle had been grueling.
Even if his talent wasn't terrible, he was only average—better than some, but worse than others.
Without the status panel, he probably would never have broken through to the Spirit Concealment Realm Peak.
That was the true story of most Jinyiwei stationed in county towns.
Before you continue