The Year-End Promise

Startled.

And a little farther away.

There was another skilled martial artist, so stunned by the scene that he lost himself and blurted out in a murmur:

"When I was little, my father once told me...

In a distant land, there was a scholar traveling through the mountains and rivers who came across a thousand-year-old tree demon that could understand human speech and speak like a person...

The locals had taken it as a strange tale from the wilderness...

Now... I, too, have found myself inside that strange tale..."

A thousand-year-old tree demon, and a Black Bear Spirit who could write.

Though they seemed quite different on the surface.

To the martial artist, though, both were equally strange and supernatural occurrences.

"Unfathomable..." The two people nearby who heard his murmur looked at the Black Bear Spirit still writing, then nodded unconsciously in agreement.

However, one of them seemed to feel that such remarks were inappropriate, so he hurriedly tugged at the other's sleeve, signaling him to stop talking.

But.

Chen Guan had excellent hearing, so naturally he heard what the man said.

"A thousand-year-old tree demon? A tree demon that can speak like a person? That sounds more impressive than me."

Chen Guan knew his own limitations.

At most, he understood human speech and had "awakened his intelligence" because he was human to begin with.

So compared with those demons who had cultivated real power and were true Demon Cultivators in every sense of the word,

he wouldn't even be worth a bite to them.

Still, he had managed to cow these people by drawing on strange supernatural tales.

That was a good thing.

Because of this,

Chen Guan was even more determined to find cultivation manuals. He wanted to put these martial artists to work finding some for him.

Then he could see which ones he was able to practice.

A moment later.

After writing about a dozen lines,

Chen Guan put away the twig, then looked at the man who had just mentioned the thousand-year-old tree demon, a natural smile on his face.

His thousand-year-old tree demon story had made many people fear him even more.

The man had done him an inadvertent favor.

"Senior..."

When Tree Demon Knight saw the Black Bear Spirit's strange smile directed at him, he gave an awkward laugh and clasped his hands. He knew Senior Black Bear had heard what he said earlier.

There had been no ill intent in his words. The scene had simply brought back that bizarre tale to mind.

But humans and bears walked different paths. What if Senior Black Bear misunderstood him? What would he do then?

Everyone had thoughts of their own, and with them came complicated, changing moods.

Fortunately,

Tree Demon Knight saw Senior Black Bear glance at him without saying anything.

"That scared me to death..."

After letting out a long breath, he turned his gaze to the words Senior Black Bear had written in the dirt.

There were nearly a hundred characters, written in a flowing hand.

The gist was: "I'm interested in martial arts techniques and cultivation manuals. Do any of you have any? Could you find some?"

After reading it,

the martial artists looked at one another.

Finally, they all clasped their hands toward Chen Guan.

At the same time, Tree Demon Knight, as if trying to make up for his earlier words, was the first to say, "This junior will return to town in the next few days and search for some for Senior!"

As soon as he finished,

a martial artist with rather large ears immediately added, "Grandpa Bear, I have a manual I practice myself, called Cloud Treading Skill.

"It's a lightness skill manual.

"I'll write it out for you."

As he spoke, he looked around and happened to spot a small ink stick among another martial artist's belongings. He promptly opened a bundle, took out a piece of cloth to use as paper, and prepared to write it down on the spot.

"Immortal!"

Another martial artist, who seemed rather lazy, said with some uncertainty, "If it's not too much trouble, Immortal, my family has a technique called Water Forest Technique.

"I'll go home sometime in the next few months and bring it to you.

"But no one in my family has ever managed to cultivate it, so I don't know whether the technique is genuine."

As he spoke, he explained where the manual, which supposedly belonged to a cultivator, had come from.

"I heard from my ancestors that several hundred years ago, a cultivator stopped at my family's home to rest. Seeing that my ancestor had treated him courteously, he bestowed the manual upon him..."

After finishing, he looked nervously at Great Black Bear Immortal.

He very much wanted to befriend this Demon Cultivator, who seemed to have a good disposition.

Perhaps one day, the story of the heroic bear saving an old man and a child would happen to him.

The more powerful people one knew, the more roads opened up.

But the others, who had said nothing, looked at Chen Guan in fear.

They had come looking for demons with only what they could carry lightly, so none of them had brought any books about cultivation manuals.

Of course, they could write one down like Big Ears was doing.

But they were worried they might get details like the body's meridian diagrams wrong.

Meanwhile, up ahead,

Constable Yan used his meager inner strength to stop the bleeding from his wound.

He was also the sort who got things done. Before long, he took a manual called Gale Blade from inside his clothes.

He carried it with him because he read and practiced it every day.

That was why he had made such rapid progress and, at the fine age of thirty-seven, become what others called a minor expert of the Postnatal Realm.

"Senior!"

Constable Yan stepped forward twice and offered him the manual.

He still had the original at home.

This was a faithful copy, made page for page.

Whoosh—

When Chen Guan saw Constable Yan handing over the manual, he first clasped his hands in greeting, then accepted it.

But his paw was too big and the manual too small, making it rather awkward to hold.

At that moment, one of the martial artists was quick to read the situation.

Rustle, rustle, rustle—

He opened the bundle behind him, took out his provisions, then picked up the empty bundle and held it out to Chen Guan.

"Grandpa Bear, if you don't mind, you can put it in this cloth bag for now. No need to use magic to hold it."

He figured Grandpa Bear must know spells, but spells consumed magical power.

It was surely more convenient to carry the manuals in a bundle.

The others all thought the same.

They had noticed the vines tied around Chen Guan's waist, with various trinkets that looked like treasures hanging from them. It was obvious he preferred convenience.

"Grandpa Bear's magical power runs deep. Even if he wears his treasures out in the open, he doesn't have to worry about anyone trying to steal them..."

They thought Chen Guan was so "careless with his wealth" because he was confident in his own strength.

But in reality, all Chen Guan had on him was a bottle of medicine, his little sister's tattered protective talisman, and a sachet.

They were all ordinary things.

But in the eyes of outsiders, his identity as a powerful Black Bear Demon made every trinket on him seem like a treasure.

Seeing how they were acting, and how well they were treating him, Chen Guan didn't correct them. He was happy enough to let them imagine whatever they wanted.

Chen Guan was too weak right now, and he wanted to get his hands on some benefits. He could only play the scoundrel who never turned down what was offered.

"Once I get stronger, I can repay some of these favors.

"After all, this is the Spirit-Ghost World. If fate really does exist, then today I've formed a bond with them."

Chen Guan looked at the manuals in the bundle, as well as Big Ears, who was writing one out nearby.

Constable Yan, Tree Demon Knight, and the others all seemed like decent people.

If he could repay them, he naturally would.

Chen Guan took note of their faces. They were all in the prime of their lives, in their twenties or thirties, young and clean-shaven.

"I have no use for the tiger hide..."

Having made up his mind, Chen Guan looked at the tiger's corpse.

He could give them the hide and some of the meat.

The tiger weighed several hundred pounds, too much for him to eat by himself.

It would only spoil if he left it there.

By evening,

they left with the old man, who had woken up, along with more than two hundred pounds of tiger meat and the tiger hide.

"We saw a Bear Demon today..."

"It was so wondrous... so wondrous..."

"So all those supernatural legends really were true..."

As they walked away through the woods, Tree Demon Knight and the others were still excitedly talking about everything they had seen that day.

"Tiger hide like this is hard to come by. Great Black Bear Immortal is kindhearted and generous..."

Two of the martial artists were examining the mostly intact hide, growing fonder of it the longer they looked.

They didn't plan to sell it. Instead, they wanted to turn this strange experience into a keepsake by cutting up the hide and making a few little vests.

Then each of the brothers could have one, as a memento of what had happened that day.

"Best not to reveal where Senior Black Bear lives."

Constable Yan was much more cautious. As he looked at the others, he warned them carefully, "And don't disturb Senior Black Bear's cultivation."

Then he calculated how much time they had.

"Once you've found the manuals, we'll meet in Little Liuzi Town at the year-end, five months from now.

"Bring the manuals and some New Year goods, and we'll all pay Senior Black Bear a New Year's visit."

"Exactly, exactly..."

"Good! We'll do as Brother Yan says!"

"Haha, I'll be there for my year-end appointment with Senior Black Bear and my appointment with all you older brothers!"