Familiar Faces Meet

Guided by the Golden-Feather Eagle in the sky, Lin Jun raced south at full speed.

At last, before the sun set, he reached the location from which the message had been sent.

This place lay almost at the border of Green Forest County, so remote that not even a proper road could be found.

If White Deer had not been a Half-Demon by nature, able to cross mountains and forests as though walking on level ground, Lin Jun might have needed another full day to reach his destination.

It was a mountain stronghold, seemingly left behind by bandits and brigands.

Though the stronghold was run-down, traces of repair could still be seen outside, along with quite a few dirt roads made by human hands.

At that moment, cooking smoke curled up from within the stronghold, and the cheerful cries of children could be heard inside.

When Lin Jun arrived at the entrance, he saw a middle-aged man pacing anxiously back and forth. The moment he saw Lin Jun, he hurried over to greet him.

"Are you a Demon Exorcist, sir, or from a martial sect?"

The Demon-Slaying Order was not exclusive to Demon Exorcists; martial sects could accept it as well.

They could use it to claim a reward from the Demon Exorcism Bureau.

The Demon Exorcism Bureau also often worked with martial sects.

"A Demon Exorcist."

"That's wonderful!"

The middle-aged man grew excited, but the instant he truly saw Lin Jun's face, the delight visibly turned to sorrow.

Clearly, this man knew Lin Jun.

"L-Lord... our village is terribly poor..."

Lin Jun laughed at that.

"I'm not after money."

Who would have thought the middle-aged man's expression would grow even graver?

"Th-Then... we don't have any pretty girls either. They're all old, weak..."

"Lead the way! I don't want to hear this!"

"Yes!"

The middle-aged man answered instinctively, then immediately regretted it.

How had he ended up summoning Lin Jun, this baleful star?

He had fled here from a village near Green Forest County, so he knew exactly what sort of man Lin Jun was.

Exterminating demons? Lin Jun himself was a Great Demon!

No one understood Lin Jun's brutality better than he did. He bore the title of Demon Exorcist while searching for demons everywhere every day.

But where was he searching for demons? He was clearly hunting for women.

Now this baleful star had come to such a remote place. A great calamity was about to befall them.

He could only pray that Lin Jun would see how desperately poor this place was and leave as soon as possible.

As for demon extermination, they should not even dream of it.

Though there had recently been rumors that Lin Jun had exterminated demons, he knew with his toes that they were fake.

For all he knew, Lin Jun was planning to leave these parts soon and had hired people to boost his reputation one last time before going...

Lin Jun followed him into the mountain stronghold, leading the deer by the reins.

There were roughly a dozen households inside, and several children stared curiously at Lin Jun.

But their parents quickly dragged them away, each one terrified that their child would have their eyes gouged out just for looking at Lin Jun a few times too many...

Lin Jun: "..."

His previous self had really been a piece of work. Even a place this remote still bore the weight of his notorious name.

This place looked so normal that Lin Jun could roughly guess how it had come to be.

Most likely, the bandits had been wiped out by the authorities, and displaced refugees with nowhere to return had made this place their home. Over time, it had gradually become a small village.

Such places were not uncommon within Jinzhou's borders. Even around Green Forest County, there were quite a few mountain strongholds like this.

Yet Lin Jun felt deeply uncomfortable. His strengthened instincts were screaming warnings at him.

Lin Jun raised his guard to the utmost. One hand clenched tightly around his sword hilt while the surging blood energy within him stood ready at any moment.

The atmosphere here was simply too oppressive. Ever since entering this village, he had felt as though something had been watching him constantly.

Lin Jun knew that feeling all too well—greedy, utterly unrestrained.

Had his instincts not been strengthened, he might not even have noticed such a faint sensation.

"Tell me what happened here. Where is the Demon Exorcist?"

The man did not dare slight Lin Jun and hurriedly answered.

"Dead. The Demon Exorcist who came here has already died. The remains have been brought back."

What?

"Explain clearly. What exactly happened?"

Only one day had passed since Lin Jun received the Demon-Slaying Order. Even including the time it took the Golden-Feather Eagle to deliver the message, it could not have been more than three days in total.

Dead within three days?

"My lord, I am merely a commoner. How could I know any more? You should see for yourself. It's in the house up ahead."

The middle-aged man trembled as he led Lin Jun toward a small house, terrified that Lin Jun would be displeased.

Outside the small house stood a woman in the official uniform of the Demon Exorcism Bureau, her expression grave.

The woman was extremely petite, barely over five feet tall at a glance. Lin Jun had to lower his head just to see her face clearly.

She held a purple bamboo staff in her hand. The purple bamboo was lustrous from end to end, looking like precious jade.

The Demon Exorcism Bureau's official uniform was primarily black with gold trim, tailored to fit closely against the body.

Unfortunately, Lin Jun was only an External Fox-Stripe Exorcist, so he naturally had not been issued any uniform.

As expected, she was a registered Demon Exorcist, fundamentally different from a temporary hire like him.

Lin Jun did not approach immediately, because the woman seemed to be pondering something.

In just a few minutes, Lin Jun saw her reach into the pocket on her clothes no fewer than five times. Each time, she pulled out a different snack.

Peanuts, sunflower seeds, dried meat, candied fruit—she even pulled out a small flask of wine.

She was like a tiny warehouse, leaving Lin Jun dumbfounded.

Could the Demon Exorcism Bureau's uniform actually have some storage function?

When the woman noticed Lin Jun's arrival, she finally stopped digging out snacks and swallowed the food in her mouth.

Yet she seemed to have swallowed too hurriedly and immediately choked, her little face turning bright red.

Lin Jun: "..."

Was this the caliber of a registered Demon Exorcist?

What a joke.

After a long while, the woman finally swallowed everything in her mouth.

"Cough, cough, cough cough... ahem."

"My name is Duan Yan. This is my identity plaque. Please verify it."

Duan Yan handed Lin Jun a bronze plaque. It bore three fox heads and one stripe, indicating that she was a Three-Headed, One-Stripe Fox-Stripe Exorcist.

"My name is Lin Jun. This is my identity plaque."

Lin Jun naturally handed over his own identity plaque as well. Unlike Duan Yan's, Lin Jun's plaque was made of wood and bore no stripes whatsoever.

Duan Yan instantly understood what that meant.

"You're an External Fox-Stripe Exorcist?"

Duan Yan found it hard to believe.

How had he dared accept a Demon-Slaying Order? An External Fox-Stripe Exorcist—wasn't he simply courting death?

Although the Demon Exorcism Bureau imposed no strength requirement for accepting Demon-Slaying Orders, everyone should at least know their own limits.

Could a Demon-Slaying Order issued by a Two-Headed Fox-Stripe Exorcist possibly be taken by an External Fox-Stripe Exorcist?

But Duan Yan soon noticed another detail.

"What did you say your name was? Say it again?"

"My name is Lin Jun."

Duan Yan asked in disbelief, "What is Yang Wan to you?"

Yang Wan?

Lin Jun searched through his memories and found the memories concerning Yang Wan.

"My cousin."

Duan Yan slapped a hand against her forehead.

"Yang Yan is your uncle?"

"Yes."