Young Master Lu had slain an Exotic Snake Demon?
Fang Shuwen had a faint impression of that name.
From the original owner's memories, Young Master Lu was the youngest son of the warlord Lu, the military governor of Xikou, and a famous figure in Xikou County.
Unlike the sons of ordinary wealthy families, Young Master Lu had no interest in wine or women. He was obsessed with martial arts.
When Fang Shuwen had trained at the martial arts school, Young Master Lu had been its senior disciple.
He had achieved Three-Sound Bone Crack at a young age and entered the Bright Force level.
Later, Fang Shuwen had heard that Lord Lu had paid a fortune to bring a master of Dark Force from Shenghai to take his son as a disciple.
For the past two years, he had rarely shown his face in Xikou County.
Fang Shuwen hadn't expected that the moment he returned, he'd do something so remarkable.
Slaying an Exotic Snake Demon!
Fang Shuwen squeezed through the crowd and turned his gaze to the notice.
The notice had been issued by the county Public Security Bureau. Red paper, black ink, and succinct wording:
"On the night of April 21, a snake-shaped exotic creature, over ten feet long, appeared in Big Willow Village west of the city. It preyed on people and livestock, injuring three villagers."
"Fortunately, the eldest son of the Lu family, Lu Mingyuan, drew his sword and rid the village of this menace, slaying the snake beneath the old willow at the village entrance. This notice is issued in recognition of his deed. We hope the county's residents will take him as an example, train in martial arts to strengthen their bodies, and unite against demons and evil. Public Security Bureau of Xikou County, Jiangnan Province, Great Flame New Kingdom."
At the bottom of the notice was a bright red official seal.
But Fang Shuwen's attention wasn't on the words of praise.
His gaze fixed on the words "exotic creature," his mind racing.
Yesterday, the Panel had judged that piece of miscellaneous jade to contain "exotic energy," which had activated his cheat.
Now another "exotic creature" had appeared—a snake demon.
Were the two uses of "exotic" referring to the same thing?
If so...
Wouldn't that mean killing exotic creatures could earn him exotic energy?
Fang Shuwen's heart began to pound faster.
Then it felt as though a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head.
An Exotic Snake Demon!
He'd only just begun training in martial arts. How could he possibly fight one?
His old martial arts instructor had once talked about demons and evil spirits. Even the weakest required a martial artist with Three-Sound Bone Crack, who had entered the Bright Force level and possessed surging qi and blood, to deal with.
An ordinary person could only hope to kill one with firearms—and even then, they'd need enough firepower.
"So, it looks like I have a direction now, but it's actually no use at all!"
Fang Shuwen felt rather speechless.
Even if an exotic demon appeared right in front of him now, he couldn't beat it.
But then again...
An idea suddenly occurred to Fang Shuwen.
He couldn't fight an exotic creature, but what happened to its body after it was killed?
If he could get involved in that process, wouldn't he have a chance?
"I need to ask around."
Fang Shuwen thought it over.
Of the original owner's acquaintances, the only one who might know about this was Young Master Guo, Guo Ziming.
Young Master Guo's family held the position of vice president in the county merchants' association and had dealings with all sorts of people.
He himself loved a bit of excitement. Whenever something new happened in Xikou County, he was among the first to hear about it.
But...
Whenever Fang Shuwen thought of the miserable things the original owner had done as Guo Ziming's lackey, he felt a pang of revulsion.
Still, he couldn't afford to worry about that now. What was face compared to skill points?
Having made up his mind, Fang Shuwen turned and headed toward Wenxuan Pavilion.
Wenxuan Pavilion stood on the busiest street in Xikou, near the Prok concession. It was a three-story building that combined Chinese and Western styles.
The gray-brick walls were paired with large Western-style arched windows, and two Roman columns stood at the entrance. The three gilt characters "Wenxuan Pavilion" gleamed in the sunlight.
A black Ford was parked on either side of the entrance. Their polished bodies reflected the street, drawing curious glances from passersby.
In name, the establishment was a teahouse and bookshop. In reality, it was a private club where Xikou County's wealthy went to amuse themselves.
They drank tea and discussed business on the first floor, played mahjong and pai gow on the second.
As for the third floor, it was said to host a few romantic affairs.
Fang Shuwen had barely reached the entrance when a waiter in a black, double-breasted wool coat stopped him before he could climb the steps.
"We're not hiring. Go look for work somewhere else."
Fang Shuwen couldn't be bothered to argue. "I'm here to see someone. I'm a classmate of Young Master Guo, Guo Ziming."
The waiter gave him another suspicious look but said nothing. Instead, he waved over another waiter dressed just like him.
He whispered something, and the other waiter hurried inside.
Fang Shuwen waited for the better part of a quarter of an hour, but no one came out.
At first, the waiter at the door had patiently kept him company.
But after waiting for so long with no sign of anyone, he began to lose face.
He gave Fang Shuwen's faded gray long gown a sidelong look and snorted.
"Are you messing with me? Get lost. Stop standing around here like an eyesore!"
Fang Shuwen explained, "I really am Guo Ziming's classmate. Sorry for the trouble, but please wait a little longer."
"Wait, wait, wait—wait for your mother!"
The waiter had completely lost patience. He reached out to shove Fang Shuwen's shoulder.
"Get lost! Don't block the entrance and offend our honored guests!"
But before his hand could touch Fang Shuwen,
a black walking stick suddenly darted out from the side and struck the waiter's wrist dead-on.
"Ow!"
The waiter snatched his hand back in pain and was about to lash out. Then he looked up, recognized the newcomer, and his face changed at once.
An old man in blue-green robes had appeared at the entrance without anyone noticing.
He leaned on a walking stick with one hand, held the other behind his back, and glared coldly at the waiter.
He looked every inch like a grand old patriarch who had stepped out of some grand manor.
The old man was tall. Looking down at the waiter, he asked, "This is my guest. What, are you going to stop him?"
"Lord Zheng, what are you saying? How could I dare stop your guest? Please, come in. This way!"
The waiter immediately bowed and scraped, carefully apologizing.
Fang Shuwen recognized the newcomer too and paused in surprise.
It was the old man in blue-green robes who had lost to him at chess yesterday.
Judging by the waiter's attitude, the old man's status really was extraordinary.
Lord Zheng!
Could he be from the Xikou Zheng Family?
Before Fang Shuwen could figure it out, the old man took hold of his hand and led him inside, saying as they walked:
"Young man, I was just wondering where to find you, and here you are, showing up at my door."
"Come, come, hurry inside with me. I learned a few new moves after I got home yesterday. Today, I'll definitely beat you!"
Fang Shuwen couldn't help laughing ruefully. "Old sir, I'm here to see someone today, not play chess."
"See someone? What for? What could be more important than a game of chess?" the old man said.
As the old man dragged him inside, Fang Shuwen felt both amused and helpless.
The old fellow was even more hooked on chess than the internet addicts of his previous life.
But a moment later, he suddenly came to his senses.
He'd been looking for someone to ask about what happened to exotic creatures after they were killed for the sake of exotic energy and skill points.
But hadn't the old man in blue-green robes been the one who lost that piece of miscellaneous jade to him yesterday?
Who could tell him more than the man directly involved?
Instead of asking the old man right in front of him, he'd planned to go beg information from Young Master Guo, that spoiled rich kid. Wasn't that like carrying a golden rice bowl around while begging for food?
Fang Shuwen cursed himself for being an idiot. He stopped resisting and was about to follow Zheng Yuanpei up to the third floor.
But just then, Zheng Yuanpei suddenly turned to look at Fang Shuwen.
"Huh? Wait, you actually began training!"