Beating a Demon Beast

The odds of encountering a demon beast in a bustling city were vanishingly small.

The demon beast bore wounds left by sharp weapons, and large patches of blood stained its reddish-brown fur.

Its right hind leg, in particular, had a dark hole that looked as though a weapon had pierced clean through it. Yet even with a limp, it was still fast.

Suddenly, two more people came charging around the corner.

A man and a woman, both carrying weapons.

Their expressions changed the moment they saw Yu Bu'e standing in the demon beast's path.

"Quick, get out of the way!"

Yu Bu'e remained rooted to the spot, as though scared witless.

But anyone who came closer would have seen overwhelming murderous intent erupting in his usually gentle eyes!

"Demon beast!"

He stepped forward abruptly, the blood and vital energy in his body surging. Instead of dodging, he charged straight ahead.

Man and beast rushed toward each other.

When they were roughly three or four meters apart, the demon beast pushed off with its forelegs and leaped into the air. Its sharp claws gleamed silver like steel blades, poised to rip out the heart and lungs of the person before it.

Yu Bu'e planted his feet and drew a deep breath, gathering all his strength into one point. He turned halfway aside to evade the attack, then drove out a vicious punch!

Boom!

Yu Bu'e's fully charged strike slammed into the demon beast's neck.

The punch sent the airborne demon beast crashing into the wall, a whimper escaping its jaws.

Yu Bu'e's eyes were bloodshot, as though he had lost his mind. Seeing the demon beast wobble and try to rise, he rushed forward and hammered another punch into its lower back.

"Awooo!"

As the demon beast screamed, Yu Bu'e let out an enraged roar and unleashed punch after punch.

His fists rained down, pounding the demon beast's neck and head.

The two pursuers caught up and actually froze for a moment at the sight of Yu Bu'e pinning the beast down and relentlessly punching it.

"This, this..." The man's lips moved, his pupils contracting.

The woman beside him tightened her grip on her weapon and hurried forward.

"Hey, get out of the way!"

Hearing her, Yu Bu'e snapped his head around, his eyes red.

With the demon beast's blood splattered across his face and that expression, he looked positively savage.

Even though they dealt with demons year-round, his current state gave them a fright.

Yu Bu'e turned back and slammed down another punch.

"Stop hitting it! Any more and you'll be giving it CPR!"

The man reached out and hauled Yu Bu'e off the demon beast.

Yu Bu'e gasped for breath. Large patches of blood stained his tracksuit, and his arms were still shaking.

As he stared at the motionless demon beast, his emotions gradually settled.

Only then did he begin studying the two people before him.

Both looked fairly young. The man appeared to be around thirty, wore a black leather jacket, and had slightly long hair.

The woman looked twenty-five or twenty-six and stood around 170 centimeters tall. She wore dark green cargo pants with a cropped top, and her short, smoky-blue hair looked neat and crisp.

The man checked the demon beast and visibly relaxed after confirming it was dead.

He looked at Yu Bu'e with concern and apprehension. "You aren't hurt, are you, kid?"

Yu Bu'e shook his head.

If he had to call anything an injury, he had probably just scraped his hands from punching too hard.

Only after repeatedly confirming that Yu Bu'e was unhurt did the man and woman let out long sighs of relief.

Meeting Yu Bu'e's curious gaze, the man held out his hand.

"Hello, I'm Wang Chi. This is my colleague, Tan Qin."

As he spoke, he took out an identification booklet and briefly held it up before Yu Bu'e.

"The Night Watchers?"

Yu Bu'e was a little surprised, but it also made sense.

The vicious Demon Clan was held beyond the Great Wall by the Demon-Slaying Army, but some still slipped through the net and infiltrated the city's hidden corners. They waited for opportunities, seeking to strengthen themselves with human flesh and blood.

Thus came the "Night Watchers"-they prowled the corners of the city, clearing out the "filth" concealed in its cracks.

The existence of the Night Watchers was hardly a secret in Great Xia. Even kindergarten children knew to call their number immediately upon spotting a demon beast.

"We'd had our eyes on this brute for a while. We didn't expect it to play dead. That's how it escaped our encirclement."

Wang Chi put away his identification, still shaken. "Ultimately, it was our mistake. If anything had happened to you, my career would've been over."

Yu Bu'e wasn't sure whether he was exaggerating, but the Night Watchers had strict selection standards, and equally strict rules and regulations.

"By the way, what's your name? You look pretty young! Are you a Martial Arts Academy student?"

"I'm Yu Bu'e, a student in Class One, Senior Year Three, at No. 1 High School."

"Huh?"

Somewhat surprised, Wang Chi stepped back twice and looked Yu Bu'e up and down, his eyes full of amazement.

The short-haired woman gave him a curious look as well.

Just then, an urgent ringtone came from inside Wang Chi's clothes.

He took out a phone and walked aside to report what had happened.

Just as Yu Bu'e was about to leave, Wang Chi called him back.

"Wait! Yu... Yu, don't rush off just yet."

Yu Bu'e looked puzzled. "Is there something else?"

Wang Chi smiled. "You did us a huge favor. Of course we have to give you a proper commendation!"

At those words, Yu Bu'e's eyes lit up, and an idea flashed through his mind!

"A commendation? Really?"

Both Wang Chi and Tan Qin paused, apparently unprepared for such a rapid shift in Yu Bu'e's mood.

"Well... yes, of course."

Yu Bu'e clasped Wang Chi's hand, his smile blooming like a chrysanthemum.

"Oh, you really shouldn't! Cooperating with the Night Watchers is every Great Xia citizen's duty!"

Wang Chi's smile stiffened a little, and he nodded repeatedly.

"How about this? I know you're busy right now, so let's exchange contact details. Tomorrow or the day after, you can come straight to my school and bring a commendation banner or something while you're at it. I'm not picky..."

The corner of Wang Chi's mouth twitched, but he smiled and nodded.

"Of course, of course... but why your school?"

"I'm a student. I spend most of my time at school. Makes perfect sense!" Yu Bu'e spread his hands.

"Oh, right..."

Wang Chi couldn't quite keep up. Just then, more people arrived, so he could only exchange contact details with Yu Bu'e first and watch him leave.

The wind against his face cleared his head a little. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and took a deep drag.

In the dim alley, a tiny ember brightened and faded.

"Tan Qin, three minutes. I want everything you've got on him."

Tan Qin rolled her eyes, jumped up, and slapped the back of Wang Chi's head.

"Get to work first. Stop playing the domineering CEO."

Wang Chi flicked off some ash. "Didn't you think the kid was a little scary back there?"

Recalling Yu Bu'e's frenzied expression as he pummeled the demon beast, Tan Qin frowned slightly.

"He gave off a lot of murderous intent when facing the demon beast."

"A regular high school student... unless I was mistaken, he was using the Meridian-Opening Fist, wasn't he?"

Wang Chi flicked his cigarette butt against the wall, scattering sparks.

"Even badly wounded, that was still a Two-Stripe Demon Beast. The power, angle, and timing of his punch were all spot-on. Being able to use the Meridian-Opening Fist that well is no small feat!"

Tan Qin glanced at him and said dryly, "You'd better think about how you're going to write the report."

Wang Chi's expression shifted, and he scratched his head irritably.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, until he delivered another vicious kick to the demon beast's corpse.

Half an hour later, inside a black SUV.

Wang Chi drove while Tan Qin swiped her fingers across a screen beside him.

"Yu Bu'e, male, eighteen years old, born in Fish City, Jiangnan Prefecture. Currently a student in Class One, Senior Year Three, at Yucheng No. 1 High School..."

"Three years ago, he encountered a demon beast attack while on an outing with his parents and younger sister..."

"His parents died at the scene. His younger sister Yu Xiaoxi's body was not found, but a large quantity of blood belonging to her was present..."

Tan Qin switched off the screen and looked through the glass at the world outside.

"No wonder..."