Black Market Shrine

The Blood-Baleful Demon-Slaying Saber's power was far too tyrannical. Lu Yuan's physical body simply could not withstand that violent, overbearing backlash.

Rip!!

Lu Yuan's skin split apart inch by inch.

Blood seeped out, instantly dyeing his clothes red.

Yet Lu Yuan did not even furrow his brow.

Taking advantage of the instant the blade severed the spikes.

The saber absorbed Bai Sanniang's spurting essence blood.

Transforming it into a stream of blood-baleful qi.

That surged into Bai Sanniang's mind.

"Ah!"

It was as though Bai Sanniang's mind had been pierced by needles.

Her gaze briefly went unfocused.

Though it lasted only a fleeting instant.

It still caused Bai Sanniang's movements to stiffen.

"Die!!!"

Lu Yuan seized the opportunity.

Gripping the saber with both hands.

He brought it down from above.

Like splitting Mount Hua with a single blow.

Splat!

The blade flashed.

Bai Sanniang's exceptionally hard body, wrapped in spikes.

Was cleaved alive from head to abdomen into two halves.

Her organs and blood spilled across the ground.

[ Ding! Detected that the host has slain a First-Order Peak demon, "Hedgehog Demon". ]

[ Gained experience: 700 points. ]

[ Current experience: 760 points. ]

[ Notice: The host has collected the first kills of demon beasts from all five minor realms of First Order. The Grand Prize Wheel System has been activated. ]

Listening to the system prompts.

Lu Yuan leaned on his blood-dripping rusty saber.

Gasping for breath in great gulps.

The consequence of forcibly wielding the Blood-Baleful Demon-Slaying Saber.

Was that his entire body had gone limp and weak.

The valley was thick with the stench of blood.

Shen Qingzhu leaned against the rock wall, staring at Bai Sanniang, who had been cleaved alive in two, its organs scattered everywhere.

Then she looked at Lu Yuan, drenched in blood and holding a dripping rusty saber.

Her eyes were filled with astonishment.

She had thought Lu Yuan was merely an ungraded lowly yamen runner, a useless good-for-nothing.

But the terrifying force unleashed by that strike just now.

Even a Second-Rank Martial Master might not have been able to deliver such an incomparably tyrannical slash.

Could it be that this fellow possessed heaven-defying talent in martial arts?

"Brother Lu, you are like a celestial god descending to earth, your bearing truly extraordinary."

"Brother Lu's strike absolutely carried the bearing of a grandmaster."

While Shen Qingzhu was lost in thought.

Bao Tianbao and Bao Dibao, who had been kicked until they vomited blood and thought they were surely dead, actually helped each other up from the ground.

The two of them spared no effort in fawning over Lu Yuan.

Shen Qingzhu frowned slightly at their words. Those two were like two piles of dog shit.

They made her sick.

She slowly tightened her grip on the flexible sword in her hand and looked coldly at the Bao brothers. "These two are greedy for life and fearful of death. They even tried to use us as cannon fodder just now. Keeping them alive will only bring trouble. Better kill them and say the demon beasts did it—clean and tidy."

"Heroine, spare us! Big Brother Lu, spare us!"

"Shi Yun was the one who instructed us to do all that before!"

The Bao brothers were frightened out of their wits. With a thud, they dropped to their knees and knocked their heads against the ground with loud bangs.

"From now on..."

Lu Yuan had been about to warn them.

"From now on, us brothers will be Big Brother Lu's dogs. Point where you want, and we'll bite where you point! Please, Big Brother Lu, spare our dog lives."

The Bao brothers were shrewd as monkeys, as though they had guessed Lu Yuan's intentions.

"Enough."

Lu Yuan shook the blood from his saber and sheathed the rusty blade, stopping Shen Qingzhu. "If we kill them, no one will testify for me later."

Shen Qingzhu froze. "Testify?"

"This escort mission isn't over yet, but Shi Yun is dead. If these two die as well, there'll be no witnesses left. Once we return, those above will definitely dump the shit basin of murdering a colleague onto my head."

"Leave them alive, and there will be witnesses and evidence proving Shi Yun brought about his own death and was eaten by demon beasts. Even if Chen Kuang wants to make trouble for me, he won't be able to say much openly."

Lu Yuan analyzed.

Besides, he would need people to run errands for him in the future. These two lackeys were still useful to keep around.

Shen Qingzhu gave Lu Yuan a long look.

Though she was proud and arrogant and unwilling to admit that a First-Order Mid-Rank Martial Warrior like herself had been saved by an ungraded yamen runner.

The facts lay before her, and she could not say much. She merely sheathed her flexible sword in silence.

Lu Yuan walked to Bai Sanniang's corpse, neatly cut open its chest cavity, and dug out a crimson Demon Core, which he carefully put away.

"Let's go. Keep moving."

The group tidied up the cart again and set off once more.

"You clearly have the strength of the First-Grade Middle Realm. That wooden cage on the prison cart couldn't have held you at all. Why didn't you escape along the way?"

Walking along the official road toward Sea-Gazing County.

Lu Yuan could not help asking.

Shen Qingzhu said blandly, "If I escaped, then under the Great Harvest Statutes, it would become a crime of collective punishment and implicate my family. Besides, I never intended to escape."

"You never intended to escape?"

Lu Yuan was even more puzzled.

"My family had already made arrangements. Once I reached Sea-Gazing County, someone would naturally come redeem me and take me home."

Shen Qingzhu tilted her head slightly, a faint curve appearing at the corner of her lips. "I thought experiencing what it felt like to be escorted as a female prisoner was rather interesting too."

Lu Yuan was speechless.

So this young miss had treated imprisonment and escorting as some novel life experience?

Still, Lu Yuan said nothing more. Everyone had their own way of living; as long as it did not interfere with his affairs, it was fine.

Half a day later, the group finally arrived at Sea-Gazing County's county seat.

The moment they reached the entrance of the yamen.

Lu Yuan saw a plump, oily-looking steward in a silk robe come forward to greet them.

Sea-Gazing County's chief clerk, Lu Hai, came out with him.

The steward hurriedly handed a document to Lu Hai, the chief clerk of Sea-Gazing County. "Lord Lu, thank you for this matter."

"A small matter. At the Ullambana Festival's sacrificial ceremony, I hope the Shen Family will offer plenty of support!"

Lu Hai glanced at the steward.

The steward nodded repeatedly, saying that he would report it to the master.

As Lu Hai checked the documents, he ordered someone to remove Shen Qingzhu's ankle shackles and even had hot tea served.

"Miss Shen, you have suffered hardship and had a tiring journey. Hurry home and rest."

Lu Hai let her through directly.

Without any unnecessary words.

Shen Qingzhu changed into the clean brocade dress brought by the steward, returning to her cool and noble appearance.

Before leaving, she glanced at Lu Yuan and gave a slight nod. "This time, we can count it as having watched each other's backs. But if you are in danger next time, this young lady will intervene once."

Lu Yuan neither agreed nor disagreed.

Originally, Lu Yuan had thought Shen Qingzhu would follow the steward home.

"Tell the family I'm going to slay demons. And don't follow me, either. Otherwise, I'll make some more trouble."

Shen Qingzhu dismissed the steward.

Then she left alone.

Lu Yuan watched Shen Qingzhu's departing figure.

Afterward, he took the Bao brothers and pulled the cart carrying the Hedgehog Demon's corpse out of Sea-Gazing County, heading for the Black Market Shrine outside the city.

Ten li outside Sea-Gazing County.

A ruined ancestral hall lay hidden within dense fog. The black paint on its plaque had long since peeled away, giving off an indescribably eerie and sinister air.

If ordinary people came here, they would either be bewitched or frightened away.

This place was the Black Market Shrine, where humans and demon beasts conducted filthy transactions.

Moreover, Lu Yuan had heard that this was merely a rendezvous point.

If there was truly a large-scale trading gathering.

Someone would guide them to an even more concealed location.