Going Out to Hunt Demons

A cup of tea's time later, Shen Long appeared at the entrance of a two-story red pavilion, with the three golden characters "Craftsman Hall" written on the plaque.

He walked inside and was met with a spacious, bright hall. The shelves were stocked with a large number of magical artifacts in various styles, and two attendants in green robes were busy introducing the items to customers.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, the shopkeeper is upstairs. You can just head up yourself."

One of the green-robed attendants spoke up.

Shen Long offered his thanks and strode toward the stairs.

Upon reaching the second floor, Shen Long saw an elderly man in a green robe with a ruddy complexion looking over an account book.

The old man had a round face, large eyes, and a goatee, giving him a kind and approachable appearance.

"Shopkeeper, is the young shopkeeper not here?"

Shen Long said with a smile.

The old man in the green robe was none other than Sun Huowang, the proprietor of Craftsman Hall, who was at the eighth level of Qi Refining.

Sun Huowang set down the account book and said with a smile, "Yiming has gone out to discuss business. Are you here to have a magical artifact repaired?"

He had a son and a daughter. His son, Sun Yiming, lacked talent in artifact refining but was skilled at dealing with people and handled business negotiations, while his daughter, Sun Yiyue, possessed the talent for refining and had inherited Sun Huowang's mantle.

Whenever Shen Long hunted demonic beasts and his artifacts were damaged, he would bring them to Craftsman Hall for repairs, as Sun Huowang's fees were relatively affordable.

"Your birthday is in a few days, and I don't have anything particularly good to offer. This pot of Green Peach Brew is a small token of my appreciation. Please don't mind it and accept it!"

Shen Long took out a wine pot and handed it to Sun Huowang.

Since leaving his previous post, Shen Long had brought a pot of Green Peach Brew to Sun Huowang every year on his birthday to express his gratitude.

Without Sun Huowang's shelter, Shen Long might not have survived to this day. If a cultivator met with an accident while out hunting demonic beasts, their descendants would struggle to survive; Qin Qing and Qin Tianhe were prime examples.

Once Qin Qing died while hunting, it would be very difficult for Qin Tianhe to survive on his own.

Over the years, some cultivators had perished while hunting, leaving their children as orphans. These orphans found it hard to survive alone, often forced to either sell themselves into service for a cultivation clan or simply disappear without a trace.

Selling oneself to a cultivation clan was the better outcome, as at least one could stay alive, though one would have to follow the clan's orders from then on. Some evil cultivators or cults specifically rounded up orphans with spiritual roots to use for their cultivation or to train as expendable pawns.

Given Sun Huowang's level of skill in artifact refining, a pot of Green Peach Brew was hardly a precious gift.

"I've told you so many times, there's no need to spend so much money. It's not easy for you to earn spirit stones."

Sun Huowang spoke in a tone of reproach, yet he still accepted the Green Peach Brew.

"It's just a pot of Green Peach Brew, it's nothing."

Shen Long smiled indifferently.

"By the way, the Chen Clan has recently been purchasing century-old Golden Rain Grass. Keep an eye out when you are hunting demonic beasts; if you manage to get some, you can sell it to the Chen Clan."

Sun Huowang said.

"Golden Rain Grass!"

Shen Long nodded and said, "Thank you, Shopkeeper."

Information was also a type of cultivation resource. Sun Huowang had extensive connections, and he was usually the first to know about any developments within the market.

After chatting for a few more moments, Shen Long took his leave.

Returning to his residence, Shen Long activated the sound-insulation array, sat cross-legged on the stone bed, and began to practice his cultivation.

Blue specks of light emerged within the room, and as he inhaled and exhaled, these specks swarmed toward his nose and mouth.

Ten hours later, Shen Long walked out of his residence and headed toward the Martial Practice Garden at the top of the mountain to practice his spells.

As the days passed, besides cultivating and practicing spells, Shen Long would stroll through the plaza where rogue cultivators set up stalls, listening for interesting news or looking for rare and strange items.

Half a month later, while Shen Long was cultivating in his room, a sound-transmission talisman flew in. He quickly stopped his cultivation, grabbed the talisman, and closed his fingers around it. The talisman burst, and Sun Yang's voice rang out: "Fellow Daoist Shen, come to Fellow Daoist Xu's residence. We have work."

"Finally, some work."

Shen Long let out a long breath of stale air, a look of joy appearing on his face.

He put away the five spirit stones from the sound-insulation array, walked out, and headed up the mountain.

He arrived at the entrance of a small courtyard with green tiles, where a green wooden plaque hung, inscribed with the three golden characters "Green Bamboo Courtyard".

The gate was open, and he strode inside.

The courtyard was not large, containing a two-story green pavilion and a green stone pavilion.

Sun Yang and a burly man in a yellow robe were sitting in the stone pavilion, sipping tea and chatting.

The man in the yellow robe had thick eyebrows and large eyes, with a yellow spirit beast bag tied to his waist.

Xu Lei, at the seventh level of Qi Refining, was the only cultivator in their hunting team who kept a spirit beast.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, you've advanced to the fifth level of Qi Refining. Congratulations!"

Xu Lei said with a smile, his voice gruff.

"Fellow Daoist Xu must be close to advancing to the eighth level himself!"

Shen Long replied.

As early as three years ago, Xu Lei had reached the seventh level of Qi Refining, and it was estimated he was close to another breakthrough.

"I'd like to, but I'm stuck at a bottleneck."

Xu Lei sighed, his face full of worry.

Every cultivator encounters bottlenecks, though the frequency and duration vary; some rarely face them, while others hit several for a single realm, depending on the individual.

"Bottlenecks are not easily broken, Fellow Daoist Xu."

A melodious female voice rang out.

As the voice faded, a young woman in a purple dress in her early thirties and a tall, thin man in a green shirt walked in.

The woman in the purple dress had gorgeous features, a towering bosom, and a pair of watery peach-blossom eyes that were soul-stirring, exuding the charm of a mature woman.

The man in the green shirt had honest features, giving off the impression of a simple and reliable person.

The man in the green shirt was Chen Qiang, and the woman in the purple dress was Liu Xin; both were at the sixth level of Qi Refining and were a pair of cultivation partners.

"Where is Fellow Daoist Qin? Hasn't he arrived yet? He's usually the most eager whenever there's work."

Liu Xin asked.

"I've already sent him a Sound Transmission Talisman. He's probably busy helping his grandson practice spells! Let's wait a bit."

Sun Yang said.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, what kind of demonic beast are we hunting this time?"

Liu Xin asked.

"Two late-stage Rank 1 Flame Spiders. The usual rules: we split them up and take them down."

Xu Lei said.

A late-stage Rank 1 demonic beast is equivalent to a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator; their strength is not to be underestimated.

Liu Xin nodded and said, "With only two late-stage Rank 1 Flame Spiders, they shouldn't be a match for us."

"Fellow Daoist Xu, how did you discover these Flame Spiders? The intelligence isn't wrong, is it?"

Shen Long pressed.

Demonic beasts don't stay in their nests forever; they also go out to forage, so scouting the number and cultivation level of beasts can sometimes lead to errors.

"I scouted them myself and kept watch for several days. I didn't find a third Flame Spider. As long as we don't run into a Rank 2 beast, there won't be any problems. Fellow Daoist Xu's Ice Crystal Scorpion is no pushover."

Sun Yang said.

Xu Lei raised a mid-stage Rank 1 Ice Crystal Scorpion, which had been passed down from his father. It had been in the family for two generations, though his father had died in the jaws of a demonic beast.

"Haha, finally, some work."

A joyful male voice rang out.

Qin Qing walked in quickly with a beaming smile on his face; if he didn't go out to hunt demonic beasts soon, he wouldn't even be able to afford his next meal.

"Since everyone is here, let's set off!"

Xu Lei didn't waste any words. With a wave of his large sleeve, he led Sun Yang and the others out of their residence and activated the warning array.

Once outside the market, Xu Lei raised his right hand, and a streak of green light flew out, transforming into a flying boat shimmering with green light, with a cloud pattern on its hull.

A low-grade flying magical artifact, the Azure Cloud Boat!

Xu Lei stepped onto it first, followed closely by Sun Yang, with Qin Qing and the others following in succession.

Xu Lei pinched a spell, and the Azure Cloud Boat lit up with a green glow, soaring toward the high sky.

I'm not feeling well today, so just one chapter. I'll make up for the missing chapter in a few days.