Gathering

The flying boat was incredibly fast, reportedly covering three thousand li in a single hour, yet sitting inside it felt remarkably quiet.

In less than an hour, the flying boat descended onto a wide, open space outside the city of Guiping County.

Once Yu Xiu and the others disembarked, the ferryman who piloted the boat departed.

"The Shadow Demon is in Lushui Town, thirty li outside the city," Zhao Zheng said, identifying the direction. "We head this way."

"That ferryman couldn't have bothered to land a bit closer," complained the gaunt-faced Ruan Fei.

"It is only thirty li; we shall arrive soon enough," Qin Shu smiled, appearing somewhat more relaxed.

Far from the Inner Court and outside Wuyang Prefecture, where the Qingwei Sword Sect resided, no one would care even if Yu Xiu were to die a hundred times over.

Although there were Qingwei Sword Sect members stationed in the county seat, who among them would even recognize Yu Xiu?

He subconsciously glanced at Yu Xiu, finding him observing the nearby county seat, his eyes filled with curiosity at the bustling crowds.

Look all you want! Qin Shu shook his head inwardly.

This would likely be the last time Yu Xiu would ever see the lands beyond Wuyang Prefecture.

Fang Jiming and the others had already gathered in Lushui Town, having waited for Yu Xiu for quite some time.

When the time came, Fang Jiming and his group wouldn't even need to strike; they only had to leave Yu Xiu alone before the Shadow Demon. They wouldn't even need to show their faces, and Yu Xiu would die by the creature's hand.

Everything was arranged perfectly; all they were waiting for was for Yu Xiu to walk into the net.

They headed east. Although they had no horses or exotic beasts to ride, and had not specifically used any lightness techniques, they still moved with great speed, covering the thirty li in half an hour.

This was even with them deliberately slowing their pace, fearing that Yu Xiu's strength would be insufficient to keep up.

Little did they know that Yu Xiu was imbued with Riding the Wind, making his body as light as a feather. Even while walking like an ordinary person, he possessed a speed far exceeding the full-tilt sprint of a Qi Sea realm cultivator.

They had slowed their pace, yet Yu Xiu was holding back his strength even while walking normally.

Upon reaching Lushui Town, they found the entire town exceptionally desolate. In the middle of the day, there were no pedestrians on the road; it was eerily bleak.

"Hm? Why is there no demonic aura unique to a Shadow Demon?" Zhao Zheng frowned after looking around.

Shadow Demons were the most conspicuous, as their demonic aura appeared like a torch lit in the dark of night to a cultivator's eyes, yet no such aura could be seen in this small town.

"I imagine it is a naturally born Shadow Demon. Such demons are born in the dark, filthy places of the world and know how to hide," Qin Shu said, unconcerned, as he flipped his hand to produce an object.

It was a fist-sized bead, completely translucent. This item was called a Demon-Seeking Bead, refined specifically for tracking Shadow Demons.

"Let me find it," Qin Shu said.

As he channeled his true qi into the Demon-Seeking Bead, it began to glow. Visible to the naked eye, wisps of aura emerged from the air, converging and radiating over an increasingly wide area.

Qin Shu stepped into the empty town, moving forward until, near the eastern edge of the town, the Demon-Seeking Bead finally reacted, drawing a wisp of pitch-black demonic aura from the air.

The aura was hidden and traceless; without the magic of the Demon-Seeking Bead, it would have been impossible to see with the naked eye.

"Found it," Qin Shu's eyes brightened.

The Demon-Seeking Bead glowed, and the wisp of demonic aura he had just drawn seemed to transform into a faint, black thread, extending continuously further to the east.

"It's over there," Zhao Zheng said, his expression stirred.

At that same moment, Zhao Zheng and Ruan Fei exchanged a subtle glance.

Then Ruan Fei said, "Since the Shadow Demon's trail has been found and Senior Brother Qin is here to strike, this demon is as good as dead. I will go to the county office to report to our fellow sect members and complete the mission, then I will join you shortly."

Completing the mission and notifying the local county office so that the Qingwei Sword Sect members stationed there could coordinate with the main sect to confirm the demon's elimination was standard procedure, though Ruan Fei was simply performing it ahead of time.

It was reasonable enough; after all, Qin Shu was a Life Spring realm expert, and killing a Qi Sea realm Shadow Demon should be as easy as turning over one's hand.

"Go ahead," Qin Shu nodded, though as he lowered his head, a flicker of heat burned in his eyes.

It was almost time. Once the Shadow Demon killed Yu Xiu, Fang Jiming would deliver the Gold-Entangling Grass into his hands!

His Gold Entanglement Sword would reach great success, or perhaps even perfection.

The slightly plump Zhang Yun took the rare initiative to strike up a conversation with Yu Xiu: "Since this is your first time out to subdue a demon, Brother Yu, would you like to try your hand at it?"

"When we go out to subdue demons, although we always seek the protection of our senior brothers, the main goal is to temper our own methods and hone the power of our sword arts. Only then can we grow and eventually stand on our own."

Qin Shu's eyes flickered as he smiled: "If Brother Yu is willing to try, I can suppress the formation from the side. It might be a bit more troublesome, but if it allows Brother Yu to grow, it would be worth it."

Zhao Zheng followed up: "I can also suppress the formation for Brother Yu to ensure you remain unharmed."

Are you so impatient to send me to my death? Yu Xiu knew clearly what was happening, but he still acted overjoyed: "In that case, I must thank you, Senior Brothers and Senior Sister, for your guidance."

Qin Shu felt certain, This Yu Xiu, his death date has arrived.

He led the way, holding the Demon-Seeking Bead: "Follow me."

Ruan Fei had already left, leaving Zhao Zheng, Yu Xiu, and Zhang Yun to follow closely behind Qin Shu as they continued eastward.

On the other side, once Ruan Fei exited the town, he spotted a special mark and followed it, quickly circling to the south side of the town, where he met the person who had been waiting for a long time.

"Senior Brother Fang, the person has arrived," Ruan Fei cupped his hands in a salute, appearing noticeably reserved when facing Fang Jiming.

Yu Xiu didn't know, but she did: this Fang Jiming was a top-tier Inner Court expert who had already broken through the fourth pass of the Ascending Dragon, the Life Spring, and stepped into the Five Viscera realm, the first of the Four Great Passes.

He was only a few impressive achievements away from being promoted to the main sect and leaving the Inner Court behind.

Within the entire Inner Court, there was no one stronger than Fang Jiming.

Before this, Fang Jiming had been the leader of the Wind Image Society, only stepping down due to the fallout from his use of evil arts to break through his cultivation realm.

Clad in white with a sickly pale complexion and a precious sword strapped to his back, Fang Jiming watched Ruan Fei quietly before looking up toward the east side of the town; his chest could be seen rising and falling.

Finally, has this day arrived?!

Behind Fang Jiming stood his fellow Wind Image Society members: Song Yue, Yuan Shu, as well as Zhong Yue and Pang Wei, who had once threatened Yu Xiu outside the Internal Affairs Hall.

Logically, they should not have all come for Yu Xiu, who had only entered the Inner Court two months ago and was merely at the first level of the Qi Sea.

But they had waited a full year for this day, so how could they not come?

"That Yu Xiu caused us so much misery back then; a year has passed, and today, I want to see how he dies!" the tall Pang Wei sneered, baring his teeth.

"For a brat at the first level of the Qi Sea to be valued so highly by us, he can die without regrets!" Zhong Yue chuckled, feeling inexplicably good.

"Let's go, follow and see how that Yu Xiu dies at the hands of the Shadow Demon." Fang Jiming slowly clenched his fists, then relaxed them.

East of the town, at the edge.

Yu Xiu and his companions stopped in front of a low-roofed thatched cottage.

"It is inside."

"Brother Yu, use your demon-subduing methods." Zhang Yun puffed out her slightly chubby cheeks to cheer Yu Xiu on.

"We will hold the line for you." Zhao Zheng and Qin Shu looked at Yu Xiu in unison. "This is for your own good."

For my own good. Yu Xiu smiled inwardly. "Very well."

He strode into the thatched cottage, disappearing from their sight.