By the time dawn broke, Zhou Yan had already left Black Pine Forest.
He had several pairs of Pig Demon tusks wrapped in cloth in his arms. The heaviest pair, belonging to the Red-Eyed Pig Demon, was nearly half a foot long.
Six pairs of tusks, some large and some small—these were proof of demon slaying and the means to enter the Demon-Slaying Hall. Everything depended on them.
He had no idea whether he would be admitted, but they were at least a foot in the door.
The old man's words had left Zhou Yan uneasy about the Demon-Slaying Hall, but he would not know for sure until he saw it himself.
Zhou Yan urged his horse northward.
The official road had long since broken apart, with wild grass pushing through the cracks in the stones, rising half a man tall.
He rode for an hour without seeing another living soul. Now and then, a crow landed on a dead tree and cawed twice.
At noon, the official road ended at a stretch of rocky ground.
Two men in official robes marked with yellow patterns stood in the middle of the road, as though they had been waiting for him for a long time.
Behind them, two yellow dappled horses were tied to stone posts, heads lowered as they grazed.
One was tall and thin, with a long saber at his waist. The red cloth tied around its hilt had been worn nearly white. The other was short and sturdy, carrying a bow on his back and gripping a short staff.
They had come with ill intent!
"Gentlemen, let me pass." Zhou Yan reined in his horse, frowning.
"You may pass." The tall, thin man smiled, exposing two yellow teeth. "But you will have to leave the pairs of