Demon

Hearing Mister Li agree, the One-Eyed Youth burst into laughter.

"Twelve of my brothers fell today. That comes to twelve hundred taels of silver. Any problem with that?"

The smile on Mister Li's face grew increasingly strange. "Come along, Commander. We'll go to my house and get the silver right now."

He motioned for his men to follow, then headed toward Dongsheng Town.

By the time they reached the Li Family residence at the eastern end of Dongsheng Town, night had fallen completely.

They stood outside the courtyard, bathed in moonlight.

Looking at the imposing residence before them, the One-Eyed Youth and the brothers following him began to entertain other thoughts.

Mister Li led the way inside and gave one of his men a knowing glance.

Once everyone had entered, the man closed the gate.

The One-Eyed Youth saw this and felt an ominous premonition rise within him.

But the thought of twelve hundred taels of silver and this sprawling mansion made greed triumph over fear.

He followed Mister Li toward the storehouse in the back courtyard, ready to signal his men to act and strip the place of every last silver ingot.

"My lord, you're finally back! I've missed you so terribly."

As the voice rang through the courtyard, a young noblewoman dressed in silks and satins emerged from the side room, swaying her hips. Two peaks rose high on her chest, and her petite face was charmingly lovely.

"Holy shit, a baby face with huge tits!" The instant the One-Eyed Youth saw the woman, an unquenchable fire of lust flared in his belly.

The men behind him stared at her face and figure, their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

The noblewoman came to stand beside Mister Li and spoke in an alluring voice. "My lord, so many guests have come today. Why didn't you give me a heads-up?"

When she finished, she looked at the One-Eyed Youth and the soldiers behind him as though they were already dead.

Mister Li said to her, "My lady, these people aren't guests. They're food I carefully selected for you. They're deserters who came from Qingzhou recently. Even if they die, no one will investigate. Please, enjoy your meal without worry."

At Mister Li's words, the One-Eyed Youth's hair stood on end. Beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his forehead, and a warm stream trickled between his legs.

He turned and ran for the courtyard gate.

The petite, lovely noblewoman's appearance changed in an instant. Her body swelled, and heads with the faces of different women sprouted from her own. Her mouth stretched all the way to her ears.

With a single leap, she blocked the few men trying to escape. She opened her bloody maw and lunged for the One-Eyed Youth's head.

The monster came at him. The One-Eyed Youth's vision went black, and his body—now missing its upper half—fell to the ground.

"Ah!" "Ah!" "Ah!" The manor of Mister Li echoed with men's heart-wrenching screams.

The maids and servants in the outer courtyard trembled with fear when they heard the screams.

About a quarter of an hour later, the cries stopped. The noblewoman returned to her normal appearance and came to stand beside Mister Li.

"You did very well this time, bringing in so much blood food all at once. Though the quality of this batch was too poor." After speaking, the noblewoman tossed out a pitch-black Alchemy pill. "This is the Longevity Pill you wanted. It'll extend your life by a year."

"I'm going to refine this blood food. Don't disturb me unless something comes up." With that, the noblewoman headed toward the side room.

When she reached the doorway, she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right. You said you'd bring me the Extremely Yin Maiden born in the Year, Month, and Hour of Yin at the end of the month. When can she be delivered?"

"In the next few days—in the next few days." Mister Li picked up the Alchemy pill from the ground, popped it into his mouth, and swallowed it whole before hastily replying.

The noblewoman nodded and went back into the room.

Looking at the blood splattered around the courtyard, Mister Li called out loudly, "Steward! Steward!"

"My lord!"

Before long, an old man with graying hair and wrinkled skin came in from outside and bowed to Mister Li.

Kneeling on the ground, the Steward stole a glance at Mister Li. He saw that a few more wrinkles had disappeared from his lord's face, and his skin had grown tauter, making him look like a middle-aged man in his forties.

Thinking that his lord was actually older than he was, the Steward felt a strange sensation well up inside him.

"Bring people in to clean up the blood on the ground. Give every servant staying in the manor tonight a reward of five hundred copper coins."

"Make sure they keep their mouths shut. Nothing happened here tonight. They mustn't go outside and blab."

"Have someone keep an eye on them, too. If anyone can't keep their mouth shut and lets this slip—"

"Crack!" Mister Li made a throat-slitting gesture.

By the time they returned to Dongsheng Town that afternoon, night had fallen.

The hunters who had gone to the county seat with Luo Yi that day wanted to treat him to dinner. They said they were grateful to him for saving their lives twice.

After considering that he'd spent the whole day in the county seat and that his younger sister would have to cook when they got home, which would be too much work for her, he agreed.

The group went to the best restaurant in town, the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion. They ordered a whole tableful of dishes, then had Manager Chen bring up several jugs of fine wine.

Feeling that everyone was being unusually enthusiastic, Luo Yi found it a little strange and glanced at Wang Meng.

Seeing the questioning look in Luo Yi's eyes, Wang Meng nodded.

They usually came to the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion to sell their game. This was their first time coming here to eat.

Looking at the sumptuous dishes on the table, Luo Yi didn't hold back. He dug in with gusto.

After three rounds of food and five rounds of wine, he listened to everyone sing his praises.

Luo Yi merely smiled and nodded, responding to their flattery.

"Big brother, you're so amazing!"

His younger sister, Luo Xi, sat beside him, looking at him with admiration.

"All that is fleeting as passing clouds. Only strength of your own is the foundation." With that, he ruffled his younger sister's hair.

Once everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Luo Yi saw that the others were still drinking and remembered that he hadn't practiced martial arts after going to the county seat that day. He could only drink Tonic Medicine twice a day, so he couldn't afford to waste it.

"Uncle Wang, Brother Chen Liu, and all you brothers, take your time eating and enjoy the drinks! My sister and I have something to do, so we'll head back first." With that, Luo Yi took his sister by the hand and walked out.

After Luo Yi left, Wang Meng began watching the others to see how they reacted.

"Bah!" One of the hunters said irritably, "What's he putting on airs for? So he's an Entry Realm Martial Artist. We brothers were all praising him today, and the main man went and left early. What's that supposed to mean?"

As soon as he finished speaking, two more hunters chimed in. "That's right, brother. He acts like everyone's asking him for a favor. That's a real slap in the face to all of us."

"Captain Wang, don't you agree?"

Hearing this, Wang Meng shook his head at the three men and walked outside.

Chen Liu, who was beside him, saw this and hurried after him.

When he got home, Luo Yi set the Tonic Medicine to boil in a pot. He knew that even at the fastest, it would take a quarter of an hour for the herbal medicine to be ready.

He took out his bow and arrows and began practicing in the courtyard.

He had only practiced for a little while when someone knocked at the gate.

"Who is it?"

Not knowing who was outside, Luo Yi gripped the Dao he had taken as spoils that afternoon and cautiously approached the courtyard gate.

"It's me! Wang Meng and Chen Liu. Open up—we need to talk to you."

Hearing Wang Meng's voice from outside, Luo Yi opened the gate and welcomed the two of them into the courtyard.