The curtain falls

As he listened to Bai Xiuxiu describe what had happened, Su Miu chuckled. Sure enough, Ling Ling was a little tsundere.

"I wasn't worried about you! I just thought, if you died, who would go Demon Hunting with me?"

Ling Ling snorted and turned her face away. Su Miu didn't mind and went on to ask about Bocheng.

"By the way, Ling Ling, how's Bocheng doing? Did they catch Grand Deacon Hu Jin?"

"Oh, that. My sister did catch him, but Salang and a powerful Super Level Water Element mage rescued him along the way. What a shame."

At his question, Ling Ling first nodded, then shook her head. Hearing that Mu He had been rescued, Su Miu sighed.

"They didn't catch him, then... I didn't expect Salang to intervene herself."

There was nothing else he could do. He was only a lowly Intermediate Level One mage. Turning the tide had already been quite an achievement. He really had given it everything he had, folks.

"Still, Su Miu, you've done something incredible this time. You not only helped the Judgment Tribunal find traces of Salang, but also saved hundreds of thousands of lives in Bocheng. You're a real hero."

"My sister will apply for a hefty reward for you. Since it involves Cardinal Salang, it's bound to be worth a lot."

Ling Ling brought up the reward, remembering that money was what Su Miu needed most. Hearing this, he fell into thought, then looked at her and asked:

"Then, Ling Ling, could you ask your sister whether I can exchange it for cultivation resources? Something like... a Thought Stone or dark matter?"

Hearing what he wanted, Ling Ling nearly blacked out. She planted her hands on her hips and snapped:

"A Thought Stone and dark matter? You really have some nerve! You think you can get things that even hundreds of millions can't buy just by asking? Besides, neither of those things is available even if you have the money!"

"Isn't finding traces of Salang, almost catching Grand Deacon Hu Jin, and saving hundreds of thousands of lives enough?"

Su Miu asked in confusion. Wasn't his information priceless too? Surely the Judgment Tribunal wasn't that stingy?

Ling Ling gave him a dead-eyed stare. After a moment of silence, she sighed helplessly and agreed to do her best.

"Fine... all I can do is mention it to my sister. Whether you actually get them will depend on your luck."

"Thanks, Ling Ling."

Now that she had agreed, he smiled and nodded. Ling Ling really was a little rich girl. Doraemon Ling!

Word that he had woken up soon spread. Zhan Kong, Leng Qing, and Tang Yue each came to visit him, concerned about his condition.

None of them could believe that Su Miu was still only a high school senior.

Tang Yue was especially stunned. She had never imagined that Master, the exceptionally young and powerful Advanced Hunter, was actually the sole Summoning System student at Tianlan Magic High School.

They also brought plenty of grim news. Principal Zhu of Tianlan Magic High School had died in battle, as had Deng Kai of the Hunter Union. Many powerful mages had fallen during Bocheng's blood disaster.

Although Su Miu had held off most of the demon beasts head-on, casualties had still been unavoidable.

Next came members of the Mu Family. Mu Zhuoyun and Mu Ningxue came to thank him for saving their lives. When they had been surrounded by demon beasts, Su Miu and Zhan Kong had drawn most of the beasts' attention, allowing them to escape on the Sky Eagle Mages' Sky Eagles.

Mu Zhuoyun wasn't doing particularly well, however. News had spread that Mu He was Grand Deacon Hu Jin of the Black Vatican, dealing a heavy blow to the Mu Family.

They would likely face suspicious looks from everyone, and the main branch of the Mu Clan would cut off their cultivation resources. Their future looked bleak.

His classmates came after that. Xu Zhaoting, Zhou Min, and the others brought their parents to thank him. If he hadn't evacuated their parents to the Safe Zone ahead of time, they might have been separated from them forever.

Mu Bai visited him too, of course. Having endured Bocheng's blood disaster and learned that his uncle was Grand Deacon Hu Jin of the Black Vatican, he had suffered a tremendous blow and become very withdrawn.

"Mu Bai, don't worry about how other people look at you. I support myself, and I reached this level entirely through the money I earned from Demon Hunting. You can do the same. Don't give up on yourself over this."

Su Miu reached out and patted his shoulder, then told him about his own past experiences.

"I understand. Thank you for saving my life. I'll work hard on my cultivation too, and I'll capture Mu He myself."

Mu Bai hadn't expected Su Miu to be one of the residents who had survived the orange-alert demon beast disaster fifteen years ago.

Even two blood disasters hadn't brought Su Miu down, so he absolutely couldn't give up either. He also remembered the debt he owed Su Miu for bringing them the warning that had sent them to the Safe Zone and allowed them to escape the disaster.

He also made Su Miu his goal to catch up to. He was a genius of Tianlan Magic High School too. He couldn't fall behind!

With his confidence restored, Mu Bai left the tent where Su Miu was resting to focus on cultivating. Not long after he left, Zhang Xiaohou and Mo Fan, who was pushing Ye Xin Xia's wheelchair, came to visit as well.

"Su, thanks for getting my family to the Safe Zone. I owe you one. If you ever need anything, just say the word. I'll go through hell and back for you."

"Me too! Brother Su, thank you for saving my grandma. If you ever need help, just call. No matter where I am, I'll come help you."

Mo Fan had learned from Mo Jiaxing and his younger sister, Ye Xin Xia, that Su Miu had taken them to the Safe Zone. Zhang Xiaohou's situation was similar.

Zhang Xiaohou's only family was the grandmother he depended on, and she had survived after Su Miu brought her to the Safe Zone. Incidentally, Zhang Xiaohou and He Yu had also gotten together.

The two planned to join the Military Department to gain experience together. Mo Fan intended to spend a year focusing on cultivation before applying to Pearl Academy.

After chatting for a while, Mo Fan suddenly leaned over with a sleazy grin and asked, his face full of curiosity:

"Hey, Su, did you get yourself a girlfriend?"

"Huh? Since when did I have a girlfriend?"

Su Miu looked completely baffled. He was still single. Where had this girlfriend come from?

But Mo Fan slung an arm around his shoulders and waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Come on, don't pretend with me. A gorgeous blue-haired girl carried you back, and she stayed by your side taking care of you the whole time. She wiped you down, changed your dressings, and everything. She was so attentive."

"What? She's my friend... just a companion I go Demon Hunting with..."

Hearing Mo Fan's words, he immediately realized that he meant Bai Xiuxiu and was left utterly exasperated. There was nothing going on between him and Little Shark!

"Yeah, yeah. First she's a friend, then she's your little sister, and finally she's your baby. I get it, man!"

Mo Fan gave him a thumbs-up, looking as though he had already seen through everything. Just then, Ye Xin Xia spoke.

"Brother Mo Fan, what are you talking about?"

"Nothing, nothing. Just chatting."

Her voice made him jolt. He gave an awkward laugh and insisted that it was nothing, leaving Ye Xin Xia helpless.

P.S. Third update for June 21, bringing the total to six thousand words.