"It really is a demon wolf..."
Standing on the roof and gazing toward Sheep Deer Mountain, Xu Taiping spotted an enormous demon wolf racing through the mountain forest.
At first, he was not particularly surprised. After all, the introductory Cultivation Transmission Jade Slip had already explained that demonic beasts could appear anywhere in these mountains outside the residential areas marked out by the sect.
Gradually, however, he began to feel that something was wrong.
Before long, he spotted a second demon wolf, then a third, all chasing something down the mountain.
"Help! Help!"
"Is anyone there? Please save me!"
Just as Xu Taiping was wondering what these three demon wolves were chasing, a woman's cries for help suddenly rang out through the mountains.
At the sound, Xu Taiping's earlobes twitched. He immediately circulated true qi to his eyes and focused on the direction the voice had come from.
This was precisely the method for enhancing eyesight taught in the martial art "Piercing Willow Arrow."
As he cast the spell, the scene on Sheep Deer Mountain a mile or so away suddenly became clear in Xu Taiping's eyes. He soon spotted a frail woman sprinting through the forest, fleeing the three demon wolves pursuing her.
Where did this young lady come from? I don't remember there being any cultivators near the Green Bamboo Abode.
Xu Taiping was thoroughly puzzled.
"Someone, please! Please save me!"
Just then, the woman came racing out of the forest and began rushing toward the Green Bamboo Abode along the path leading out of the mountains.
The three demon wolves were still racing behind her and were about to catch up.
"Is anyone there? Is anyone in that courtyard up ahead? I'm hurt! Help! Please save me!"
The woman clutched her bleeding shoulder as she ran and shouted. She had apparently noticed the Green Bamboo Abode.
Forget it. No more overthinking. Saving her comes first.
Xu Taiping shook his head, then took the bow and arrows off his back. He nocked an arrow and drew the bowstring, using the qi circulation method of the Piercing Willow Arrow to channel the crimson dawn true qi from his dantian through his arm and into the arrow.
In an instant, a layer of ice covered the arrow.
Twang!
When the demon wolf closest behind the woman was only five hundred meters from the Green Bamboo Abode, Xu Taiping released the arrow, letting go of the bowstring he had drawn into a full moon.
Whoosh!
With a shrill whistle through the air, the arrow wrapped in crimson dawn true qi struck the demon wolf squarely in the forehead and pierced straight through it.
Now that he had mastered how to use crimson dawn true qi, Xu Taiping's arrows were far more powerful than they had been last time.
"Awooo..."
The demon wolf let out a pained howl and collapsed.
Seeing this, the other two demon wolves behind it fled back into the forest in fright, not daring to continue the chase.
The woman had clearly been startled at first as well, but when she saw the two demon wolves flee and noticed Xu Taiping standing on the roof, she burst into tears of joy.
"Thank you for saving my life, young hero."
The woman practically stumbled and scrambled her way to the small courtyard of the Green Bamboo Abode.
Judging by her nervous expression as she kept glancing over her shoulder, she was still shaken by those demon wolves.
"Those two demon wolves have already run away. You don't need to worry."
Still standing on the roof, Xu Taiping turned to look at the woman by the gate.
She was fifteen or sixteen, petite, and delicately pretty, looking very much like the young ladies from wealthy families in Xu Taiping's hometown.
"Yes. Thankfully, you were here, young hero. Otherwise, I would have ended up in those two demon wolves' bellies."
The girl first patted her chest, her face still full of lingering fear, then looked gratefully at Xu Taiping and asked:
"May I ask your name, young hero?"
"My surname is Xu, and my given name is Taiping. You can just call me Taiping, big sister."
Xu Taiping answered.
He remained on the roof, still holding his bow and arrows, and his gaze was distinctly wary as he looked at the woman.
"Young hero Taiping, I am Liu Qingmei, an outer sect registered disciple of the Azure Profound Sect. A few days ago, I rode a spirit bird here to gather herbs in the nearby mountains, but lost my way. Then I lost my Cloud-Piercing Flute along the way. When I encountered these demon wolves, I could only flee, and they eventually chased me here."
As she spoke, the girl took a bronze mirror from inside her robes.
At the sight of the bronze mirror, the wariness on Xu Taiping's face immediately eased considerably.
Only outer sect disciples possessed the Mystic Spirit Mirror. By producing it, the woman had effectively confirmed her identity.
"Young hero Taiping, might you let me stay here for the night? The sun has already set, and I'm injured. Traveling at night would be very difficult."
The woman pleaded with Xu Taiping.
"All right... hmm?"
Xu Taiping had been about to agree, since he could now confirm her identity. Before he finished speaking, however, his eyes happened to sweep over the woman's shoes.
She wore a pair of embroidered shoes with thick, layered cloth soles. At a glance, they seemed entirely ordinary, but when Xu Taiping considered what she had said earlier, something felt wrong-
These shoes were too clean.
Leaving aside whether cloth shoes like these are suitable for gathering herbs, the fact that they're still completely intact after she spent an entire day being chased by demon wolves is enough to prove she's lying.
Xu Taiping thought to himself.
"Sister Qingmei, my home is very humble. You might not find it comfortable."
Xu Taiping leaped onto the top of the courtyard gate, then spoke without betraying his thoughts.
"You must be joking, young hero. In my current plight, how could I possibly be choosy? Besides, although my family outside the mountains was fairly wealthy when I was little, our fortunes had declined by the time I turned ten. Since coming to Cloud Cottage Mountain, I've grown even more accustomed to a life of hardship. All I need is somewhere to rest. How could I be choosy?"
Liu Qingmei spoke with a bitter smile.
The woman before him sounded utterly sincere. Had Xu Taiping not already seen through her lie, he might truly have felt sympathy for her.
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