Demon-Subduing Three Suns Blade

Qin An was butchering pork with his head down. At the sound of footsteps, he instinctively looked up.

A woman in yellow stood before his stall.

Her features were sharply defined, with two sword-like brows.

The arches swept toward her temples like slanting blades, making her phoenix eyes look sharp as frost.

Even dressed in yellow, she radiated a bold, heroic air.

"I'd like two taels of lean meat, minced fine," the woman in yellow said.

Her voice had a slight huskiness that was pleasant to hear.

Qin An took two taels of lean meat and began chopping with his Sharp Knife.

A moment later, he wrapped the meat in a lotus leaf and handed it to her.

"One tael of silver," Qin An said calmly.

Chen Chun's eyes widened. Had Qin An gone mad?

One tael of silver for just two taels of meat?

Who would buy that?

Yet as soon as Qin An held out the meat, the woman in yellow took a tael of silver from her purse, placed it in his hand, and turned to leave.

Once she was gone, Qin An said flatly, "Something's wrong."

Chen Chun put a hand on his sword hilt. "Who?"

Qin An pointed at the woman in yellow's retreating figure. "Her."

Chen Chun scratched his head. "She's prettier than most, but I don't see anything wrong."

Qin An wrapped up some meat and offered it to Chen Chun. "One tael of silver. Buying?"

Chen Chun gave him a look that said Do you take me for a fool? "That's even worse than those two taels of meat you sold..."

Before he could finish, realization struck, and his expression turned grave.

He understood.

She had bought the meat without batting an eye at Qin An's absurd price. That was what made her strange.

"Either she's an enemy," Qin An said slowly, "or she comes from a wealthy household. I've seen all the wealthy households in Ding County."

"She isn't a Demon, though. Perhaps she isn't from Ding County."

"Couldn't she be an enemy?" Chen Chun asked.

Qin An chuckled. "If you were an enemy, would you come to my stall to buy meat and give yourself away?"

Understanding dawned on Chen Chun. "She's from Ling Prefecture?"

A real enemy would hardly be foolish enough to come here and expose herself.

Sect Leader Liu, whom they had met not long ago, did not count. Chen Chun thought he might genuinely have been that foolish.

"Perhaps," Qin An said with a nod.

"Let's pack up."

He had butchered almost all the pork at the stall and had no intention of wasting time.

As for the remaining pork, Qin An kept some for himself and sold the rest cheaply to people on the street.

Chen Chun followed behind him. "You're not going to get to the bottom of it?"

Qin An shook his head. "Things are complicated. Don't make enemies."

He was no fool. The more tangled the situation became, the worse it would be for him.

He would improve his strength first.

Before his eyes, mist gathered into words.

[Butcher lv. 3 (120/400): The livestock you butcher becomes slightly more delicious]

Qin An had spent the whole day butchering with hardly a break, gaining 40 proficiency points.

At this pace, he would need only seven days to bring his Butcher Profession to level four.

He did not know whether level four would bring any new changes, but after putting in so much effort, Qin An doubted the result would disappoint him.

After leaving the shop, the woman in yellow clasped her hands behind her back and strolled leisurely down the street.

A natural heroic spirit showed between her brows, lending her an air of aloofness.

An alley lay ahead. A figure suddenly vanished into it.

After a moment's thought, the woman in yellow took light steps into the alley.

The alley was secluded and seldom visited.

When she reached its end, a strong smell of blood met her.

Two men appeared before her, one tall and one short.

The tall man wore plain clothes that hung from him like a garment draped over a bamboo pole.

The short man's clothes were a little too long, their sleeves hiding his hands.

Both men smelled of blood, making the woman in yellow frown.

"My lady."

The two cupped their fists, their manner thoroughly respectful.

"What happened at Green Snake Valley?" the woman in yellow asked.

"It's gone," the tall man said slowly.

"The brothers did a clean job," the short man added. "They're on their way here."

The woman in yellow nodded.

After a moment's hesitation, the tall man said, "On the way here, we found several villages the Monkey Demons had slaughtered to the last person."

A trace of killing intent crossed the woman in yellow's face. Her dress rustled around her.

The short man drew a finger across his throat. "My lady, should we act now?"

His meaning was unmistakable.

Killing Intent filled the woman in yellow's eyes. "Watch them closely. If they do it again, wipe them out."

Both men were slightly surprised.

Close surveillance was hardly the sort of work they did.

Why, then, had she given such an order?

"This is a trap," the woman in yellow said slowly. "A trap set for an interesting man. What's done is done, and the common people are owed a reckoning. But I want to see whether that interesting man can exact it."

The two men exchanged glances, each seeing the surprise in the other's eyes.

The woman in yellow said no more, and they knew better than to pry.

They could only follow her orders: keep a close watch and make sure nothing like that happened again.

If there was any sign of it, they would strike first and stop it.

The woman in yellow said nothing further and turned to leave the alley.

Soon, the alley fell silent.

Time passed.

In the blink of an eye, seven days had gone by.

Qin An packed up his stall and looked at the mist before him, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

[Butcher lv. 4 (0/800): The livestock you butcher becomes slightly more delicious]

[Advancement condition: Butcher one Body Infusion Realm Demon]

[Completed]

That day, Qin An had finally trained his Butcher Profession to level four.

As for the advancement condition, the Golden Finger was just as accommodating as it had been with the Scholar Profession.

He had butchered Eighth Master Eagle before, and that counted toward the condition. Qin An had therefore completed it the instant it appeared.

The mist before his eyes shifted again.

[Talent advanced]

[Talent: Mastery of Body Infusion Realm blade Cultivation Methods]

A flood of information poured into Qin An's mind. Once he absorbed it, he understood what it meant.

At level four, a profession granted a talent at the mastery level. The Butcher Profession was no exception.

At level five, mastery would become proficiency. At level six, he would gain a new talent, while the old one advanced to the next stage.

Not bad. Mastery is plenty strong.

Qin An quickened his pace, eager to get home and test whether he could incorporate the Demon-Subduing Three Blades into the Wind-Breaking Goose Blade Technique.

Chen Chun followed him. Though he had no idea why Qin An was in such a hurry, he kept quiet.

"Get some rest. Don't disturb me."

With that, Qin An returned to his room alone, locked the door behind him, and lit the Oil Lamp on the table.

In its dim yellow light, he drew the Sharp Knife at his waist and began moving through the forms of the Demon-Subduing Three Blades.

Mist appeared.

[You continued practicing the Demon-Subduing Three Blades, triggering your talent for mastery of Body Infusion Realm blade Cultivation Methods]

[The Demon-Subduing Three Blades was only a Qi Concealment Realm Cultivation Method, yet you caught the scent of an opportunity within it]

[You expended a great deal of blood and vitality to comprehend whether the Demon-Subduing Three Blades could be combined with the Wind-Breaking Goose Blade Technique]

[After sitting in contemplation for years, your blood and vitality withered. At last, you gained insight and obtained a Body Infusion Realm blade technique]

[You named it the Demon-Subduing Three Suns Blade]

[Demon-Subduing Three Suns Blade (Mastery)]