After leaving Yuyang Village and following the Talisman Path for three days, they would reach Guihua City.
Once they reached Guihua City, they would be safe.
Guihua City was a fortified city, with runes carved into its walls to keep monsters from entering.
Everyone knew this, but few had the nerve to make for the city, and martial artists were no exception.
Merchants traveled from place to place. Besides most of them being martial artists, they also hired martial artists.
But getting from here to Guihua City was an ordeal fraught with countless dangers.
"That man really is an idiot."
Jiang Yan shook his head. There had to be a precedent for people fleeing. He believed that even if the man somehow made it to Guihua City alive, the Dahe Gang would make him pay.
More importantly, his flight had dampened the morale of the newcomers.
"Jiang Yan."
Tang Long walked over. "Come with me. Boss Sheng has summoned a few of us."
Jiang Yan nodded and followed him toward Sheng Fuwu's lodgings.
He knocked. This time, a pale young man opened the door.
"Brother Tang, Brother Fei, you're here."
The young man greeted them casually. Noticing Jiang Yan behind them, he said, "And what should I call this brother?" He grinned. "I'm Sheng Lunxin. Do you know who I am?"
Jiang Yan's expression stiffened.
Tang Long came to his rescue. "Jiang Yan, this is the boss's nephew."
Jiang Yan cupped his fists toward Sheng Lunxin.
Sheng Lunxin didn't seem to mind. He smiled at the three of them, gestured with his right hand, and led them inside.
The four entered the room. "You three, have a seat."
Sheng Fuwu nodded, then busied himself washing and brewing the tea.
They sat down in silence.
After a while, Sheng Fuwu poured them each a cup.
"Please!"
Jiang Yan lifted his teacup and took a small sip. The sour, salty taste made his face twitch.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tang Long and Fei Shan drinking as though nothing was amiss.
He steeled himself and swallowed the tea without changing expression.
Sheng Fuwu poured them each another cup.
Once again, everyone drank it all.
They set their cups down. This time, Sheng Fuwu didn't pour any more tea. It was time to discuss business.
Yet Jiang Yan felt a weight settle in his heart. From the moment they'd entered, the boss's nephew had personally welcomed them, and the boss himself had brewed and poured the tea.
What kind of world was this? A world where martial might reigned supreme and the strong were as gods.
By putting on this display, Sheng Fuwu was signaling his attitude to the three of them—and putting pressure on them, too.
After all this, when he made his request, they'd have to agree. Otherwise, they'd be slapping him in the face.
"Ahem."
"Brothers, to be frank, I have a favor to ask."
Sheng Fuwu got straight to the point.
"My nephew has been stuck at the Martial Apprentice realm for a long time and has hit a bottleneck. I'd like the three of you to accompany me into the wilderness tomorrow to hunt a Shepherd Monster."
Tang Long's expression remained unchanged, as if he'd already guessed what Sheng Fuwu wanted.
"Boss, Shepherd Monsters are at the peak of the Blood Sha realm, and they're as fast as the wind. Even you wouldn't be able to catch one. I'd like to know what you have in mind."
He didn't ask whether Sheng Fuwu was confident he could kill the Shepherd Monster. If Sheng Fuwu meant to capture one, he surely had a plan.
What Tang Long wanted to know was what price he, Fei Shan, and Jiang Yan would have to pay to hunt it.
After a moment of silence, Sheng Fuwu spoke slowly. "I have my own way of finding a Shepherd Monster. Once we do, I'll need the four of you to pin it down. Just for one breath—that's all the time I need to get a strike in."
Knowing that wouldn't be enough, he pulled three Yellow Talismans from his clothes.
"These are Bodyguard Talismans. They can withstand a single blow from a Body Tempering martial artist."
"Once the job is done, each of you will get a Blood Qi Pill."
"One more thing: these Bodyguard Talismans are only half-finished. Their effects last just five breaths. Don't go trying them out when you get back."
He wasn't willing to give the three of them proper Bodyguard Talismans.
Jiang Yan, Tang Long, and Fei Shan exchanged glances, then agreed.
They had no choice. Their earlier silence had merely been a way to bargain for better terms.
Making an enemy of a Body Tempering martial artist—especially their immediate superior—wasn't a wise choice.
With a Bodyguard Talisman, they had enough protection to escape if the Blood Sha got away.
The three took the talismans and bade their farewells.
Sheng Lunxin got up and personally saw them out. Back in the room, he poured himself a cup of tea and chuckled softly.
Sheng Fuwu ignored him and instead got up and walked into the inner room.
The three stepped outside, where the air felt fresh.
A flicker of doubt crossed Jiang Yan's eyes. He'd smelled herbs in Sheng Fuwu's room.
"We came out ahead."
Tang Long wore a smile. "I didn't expect Boss Sheng to treat his nephew like a precious treasure."
Jiang Yan blinked. He still hadn't figured out what kind of monster a Shepherd Monster was.
Since coming here, his worldview had been shattered. He couldn't rely on the standards of his previous life to make sense of everything in this place.
He asked, "Brother Tang, is there anything I should watch out for when we surround the Shepherd Monster tomorrow? Please, teach me."
"A Shepherd Monster is a monster with strength that comes very close to that of a Body Tempering martial artist."
"The most terrifying thing is its speed. Unless a Body Tempering martial artist has mastered a higher-level movement technique, even they can't catch up to it."
Jiang Yan's expression darkened.
Its strength was almost on par with a Body Tempering martial artist, and it moved like the wind. For a Martial Apprentice, running into such a monster would be a nightmare.
"Though these monsters are difficult to deal with, the vital essence in their hearts can be used to refine Breakthrough Pills."
"Monsters can be used as ingredients, too?"
That truly surprised him.
"Well... There are simply too many kinds of monsters. Most can just be killed, but some have materials that can be put to use."
Yuyang Village was far too small and cut off from the world. Jiang Yan felt it keenly just then.
He knew far too little about this world's greatest enemy to the Human Race: monsters.
"By the way, what does a Shepherd Monster actually look like?"
He was curious. How could a monster have such a strange name?
Fei Shan put in a word. "It's a sheep-shaped monster, bigger than a cow."
"It makes a strange 'baa, baa' sound."
Jiang Yan asked a few more questions, then took his leave.
He still had to stand watch tonight.
The night passed without incident. After returning from his watch, Jiang Yan quickly got some rest.
North of Yuyang Village lay the Dahe Gang's mining district. To the south, past the thin, stunted Red Willow Forest, was another stretch of woods.
The trees weren't tall, but they grew densely.
To reach their destination, the Yellow Alkaline Land, Jiang Yan and the others had to leave Yuyang Village, cross the low red willows, and pass through the woods.
The village wasn't far away, but they were already in the wilderness. Jiang Yan gazed at the woods' lush green trees, their leaves gleaming as if with crystal light, full of life.
He felt no joy at nature's flourishing vitality. Instead, he was cold and wary.
Even in such a scene, one that should have lifted the spirit, several long green snakes had already sprung down from beneath the verdant leaves.
They were a common kind of venomous snake in the woods, usually hiding on tree trunks and launching surprise attacks on their prey.
Sheng Fuwu brought up the rear.
The other four took turns leading the way. When they came across a stretch they couldn't get through, they hacked at the trees with their swords.
Jiang Yan kept his body tense at all times. Even while clearing the path, he watched his surroundings carefully.
From time to time, he also glanced back from the corner of his eye. There were three people behind him, but he still wasn't willing to trust someone else with his safety.
In the woods' shadowy depths, where the sunlight couldn't reach, darkness pooled. It was as if malicious eyes watched them without even bothering to hide.
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