Zhang He Is Dead

Upon entering the Demon Affairs Prefecture, Lin Jun immediately spotted Chen Feng practicing his sword without pause.

Chen Feng noticed Lin Jun as well. He wiped the sweat from his brow, sheathed his sword, and looked over.

"My lord, you... having one of your old episodes again?"

Seeing Lin Jun carrying a woman back, Chen Feng frowned deeply.

With Lin Jun's current strength, if he wanted to commit evil, no one in Green Forest County could stop him.

"What are you thinking? She's a bona fide Demon Exorcist, unlike an unaffiliated one like me."

Lin Jun said irritably.

Chen Feng was startled when he noticed the waist token on Duan Yan.

She really was a Demon Exorcist.

Lin Jun ignored Chen Feng's surprise and found a room to lay Duan Yan down in.

"Rest here. I still have things to do."

Duan Yan nodded. She was indeed exhausted at the moment.

"Bring me something to eat. I want meat!"

Still eating?

Over the past two days, Lin Jun had constantly seen Duan Yan pulling snacks from her pocket. Her mouth had never stopped moving.

That pocket was truly miraculous. It seemed able to hold anything and produce anything.

Lin Jun's meals over those two days had all been provided by Duan Yan.

"I'll pay for it."

Duan Yan hurriedly added. She had principles, at least.

"Want me to find you a doctor?"

"Forget it. The doctors here can't treat me. I have medicine; a month of rest will do."

Hearing that, Lin Jun nodded, closed the door, and walked out.

Outside, Chen Feng watched him with a curious expression.

"My lord, how did you abduct a Demon Exorcist?"

"What do you mean, abduct?"

Lin Jun replied irritably.

He had no intention of explaining the Tiger Demon matter to Chen Feng. Instead, he called Chen Feng out to get something to eat and pick up a meal for Duan Yan along the way.

But the moment they stepped out of the Demon Affairs Prefecture, they saw a long, mighty procession heading toward the north of the city.

Those people wore matching outfits and carried standard-issue blades and swords. Every one of them looked spirited and imposing.

Of course, Lin Jun could tell at a glance that they had no real foundation in martial arts. They were probably hired to make up the numbers, not genuine martial artists.

"What's this?"

After the procession passed, Lin Jun could not help asking.

"A martial sect is recruiting disciples. They're holding a disciple recruitment assembly on the open ground in front of the market in the north of the city, putting on a show while they're at it."

Chen Feng spat on the ground, clearly disdainful of such ostentatious spectacle.

"My lord, are you interested in them?"

Lin Jun shook his head. He was already twenty, and those martial sects would not accept him.

Besides, being a Demon Exorcist was quite good.

"By the way, has Zhang He made any moves lately?"

Chen Feng's expression turned strange as he said quietly:

"Zhang He is dead."

What?

Lin Jun could hardly believe it. When he had left, Zhang He had still sent people to persuade him. How had he died in just a few days?

Chen Feng continued:

"When Zhang He was found, he had already become a dried corpse. There wasn't a single wound on him. He died right inside the yamen—I went to see it."

"There wasn't any injury anywhere on his body. It was as if he had been dried out of thin air. In any case, his death was extremely strange."

With such a bizarre death, it could almost be confirmed beyond doubt that a Demon had done it.

But something was wrong.

From what he had seen so far, the Demons and Green Forest County's authorities were clearly working together. Those constables were even deliberately indulging the Demons' rampage.

Why, then, had Zhang He died at the hands of a Demon?

Had negotiations broken down, or had some conflict arisen?

Unable to make sense of it, Lin Jun decided to set the matter aside for now.

"My lord, aren't you going to inspect the scene?"

"Inspect what? We'll talk after we eat."

His relationship with Zhang He had never been good. It was already decent of him not to go dance on Zhang He's grave.

Lin Jun and Chen Feng wandered the streets, looking for somewhere to eat.

However, Lin Jun had gained some prestige in Green Forest County by now, and before long, a restaurant invited him inside.

Naturally, there was no need to pay for the meal, and they were even seated by a window on the second floor.

From there, they could see exactly what those martial sects were doing on the open ground before the market. They seemed to be preparing for the opening?

Judging by the scale of it, they had probably spent quite a bit of silver.

"Waiter, come here."

"Coming, sir!"

The waiter hurried over to Lin Jun.

"What's the deal with that sect? Tell me about it."

The waiter looked around before lowering his voice.

"Sir, this isn't some ordinary sect. They came down from Jinzhou—a sect from a big city, coming to our little place to recruit disciples. It's called the Hongyan Sect."

"They say every disciple under them has the ability to subdue Demons and vanquish evil. A stone this big can be smashed into powder with one slap. That senior brother leading them has been slaying Demons all the way here, and he brought along a whole cart of Demon corpses."

"In our Green Forest County, anyone with even a little money has invited that senior brother home for a meal. Tsk, tsk, people from big places really are welcome wherever they go."

The waiter made an exaggerated gesture, but quickly returned to a calm expression.

"Hehe, naturally, they can't compare to Master Lin. Hehe."

Though that cart of Demon corpses was indeed astonishing, Lin Jun dragged back a cart of Demon corpses from outside every few days, sometimes even selling them in public. Compared with Lin Jun, that so-called senior brother was nothing much.

Without realizing it, Lin Jun had raised the threshold of Green Forest County's people's fear of Demons. When they saw that senior brother's cart of Demon corpses, they merely exclaimed in surprise before leaving behind one remark: not as good as Master Lin.

"Thanks. Go get busy."

"Certainly, sir. If Master Lin needs anything, just give the word, and I'll be there at once."

After the waiter left, Lin Jun asked Chen Feng:

"Is this Hongyan Sect from Jinzhou well-known?"

Chen Feng thought back carefully, then shook his head.

Jinzhou was vast beyond measure, with countless sects. How could he remember every sect, large and small?

Still, since they had come from Brocade City, they presumably would not be too shabby.

Before long, the dishes Lin Jun had ordered were brought up.

There was a plate of steamed bloodfish, stir-fried bamboo shoots with mutton, several small dishes, and half a bear paw.

This bear paw was from the ones he had sold last time. The proprietor had specifically saved it for Lin Jun to eat.

Lin Jun glanced at the dishes and quickly noticed something wrong.

"Waiter, take this bottle of Hundred-Flower Drunkenness away."

They had not ordered alcohol, only some dishes.

Hundred-Flower Drunkenness was not cheap. This one bottle would probably take the waiter ten years of work to repay.

"Sir, there's no mistake. Someone's treating you."

At that, Lin Jun froze for a moment, then slowly stood and looked around.

Right beside Lin Jun's table, a swordsman holding a black iron sword slowly rose to his feet.

The swordsman had sharp brows and bright eyes, unusually long arms, and gaunt cheeks. He looked extremely capable.

He was around thirty, with a scar on his forehead. What was surprising was that his sword rested at his left waist.

A rare left-handed sword.

The man clasped his hands in greeting. His face carried an imposing air even without anger, and he barely squeezed out a smile as he said:

"I am He Jing, the Hongyan Sect's senior brother responsible for this recruitment. Little Friend Lin, I've heard quite a lot of your great name these past few days. A pleasure, a pleasure."

One did not strike a smiling man, so Lin Jun naturally copied him and clasped his hands.

"Great name is too much. I merely did what was my duty. Senior, you've traveled a long way. What guidance do you have for me?"

He Jing pointed to the stool beside Lin Jun and smiled.

"Why don't we sit and talk?"

"Please."

He Jing did not stand on ceremony. He directly brought over the food from his own table, combining it with theirs.

Before they had even begun discussing anything, He Jing drank that bottle of Hundred-Flower Drunkenness in one gulp. He seemed quite forthright.

"I sought you out this time to discuss our Hongyan Sect's recruitment of disciples in Green Forest County."