In the courtyard, Lu Guan stood at the kitchen door, still holding the plate of blackened stir-fried tomatoes and eggs.
Yu Qianqian stood beside him.
Hearing the sound, they both turned toward the entrance.
Sunlight shone in from behind the tiger lord, outlining its slender figure, its snow-white cloak gleaming coldly in the midday light.
Its ice-blue slit pupils shone in the shadows like two cold stars suspended in midair.
At the sight of the newcomer, Yu Qianqian instantly went deathly pale and clenched her teeth.
She recognized those eyes and unconsciously tightened her grip on Lu Guan's sleeve, her fingertips trembling slightly.
Lu Guan glanced down at the woman clutching his sleeve, then looked up at the uninvited guest at the entrance.
He put down the plate and shielded her behind him.
"Run..."
The woman's voice faintly reached him, as soft as a mosquito's whine.
Yu Qianqian knew all too well where this demon came from, so she held no expectations of Lu Guan whatsoever.
A greater demon of the Gang Condensation Realm!
In her view, there was no way the young man could be a match for a greater demon of the Gang Condensation Realm.
Perhaps he could in the future, but certainly not now.
What was more, even among those in the Gang Condensation Realm, this demon was no ordinary existence.
"I am Yin Shisan. You may call me Thirteenth Master."
A smile spread across the white-cloaked tiger lord's face. Its voice was languid, and it appeared quite gentle and refined.
It stood at the courtyard entrance with the sunlight behind it, stretching its shadow long and narrow all the way to Lu Guan's feet.
Its posture was relaxed, one hand resting on the saber hilt at its waist, the other hanging at its side, its fingers long and slender.
Lu Guan watched it calmly, his eyes narrowing slightly.
What a strong demonic stench.
He had smelled similar scents far too many times over these few short days.
The White Bone Demon King, the tiger demon, the pig demon, the ape demon-every one of them had carried it.
But none of those demons had exerted greater pressure on him than this seemingly harmless young man in a white cloak.
Gang Condensation Realm...
"Commandery Princess Luyang, do you know how worried I was when you went missing?"
Luyang was Yu Qianqian's title.
Yin Shisan suppressed its irritation, looking past Lu Guan at the woman it had lost and found again, and let out a long breath.
"I missed you so much I nearly died. Hurry... hurry back with me."
Its tone was gentle, but there was not a trace of warmth in those ice-blue slit pupils, only an icy warning.
If she really escaped, Father would never spare me.
At the thought of its father's methods, even it could not help shuddering.
Who said even a vicious tiger would not eat its cubs?
Father has eaten at least eight tiger cubs, if not ten.
Thank goodness... thank goodness this foolish woman didn't notify the Prince of Yan's Residence right away.
"I'll go with you. Let him go."
Yu Qianqian fought back her fear as she spoke to it.
She silently stepped out from behind Lu Guan, forcing herself to overcome her terror as she moved her stiff body toward the white-cloaked tiger lord, one step at a time.
Lu Guan had saved her life. She could not drag him down with her.
Yin Shisan watched quietly, a hint of mockery lifting the corners of its eyes.
It liked watching scenes like this.
Prey walking right up to its mouth was much more entertaining than having to chase it.
"Commandery Princess Luyang, are you trying to bargain with me?"
The moment it finished speaking, its expression abruptly turned vicious.
That gentle, refined mask tore apart in an instant, revealing the demon's hideous true face beneath.
Its mouth split into a grin, fangs piercing out between its lips, white as bone.
"I call you a princess, and you really think this is the Prince of Yan's Residence?"
"Get over here!"
It raised its hand, spread its fingers, and clawed at the air toward Yu Qianqian.
An invisible suction sprang into being, violently dragging the woman a step forward.
"As for him..."
Yin Shisan pointed at Lu Guan, paused, and smiled again. "You want me to let him go?"
It tilted its head, as though seriously considering it.
"That's not out of the question. Your Thirteenth Master happens to be in a good mood today."
"Boy, you're in luck."
Yu Qianqian clenched her teeth, a trace of relief flashing through her eyes.
Just then, a slender hand closed around the woman's arm.
Lu Guan moved past Yu Qianqian and stood in front of her.
"Stay behind me."
The woman froze. Yin Shisan also froze for a moment, then tilted its head, its surging presence rolling out to envelop Lu Guan.
That presence was thick as ink, gushing from its body and weighing down the air throughout the courtyard.
"Boy, trying to play the hero saving a beauty?"
Lu Guan did not answer. He raised his eyes to look at it.
Yin Shisan suddenly noticed something indescribable in his gaze...
Excitement. It seemed to be excitement.
Just like the feeling it could never hide in its own eyes when hunting prey.
The young man watched him, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, his eyes astonishingly bright, like a hunter who had stumbled upon a rare, ferocious beast deep in the mountains.
That look made Yin Shisan very uncomfortable.
"You want to... kill me?"
The corners of Yin Shisan's mouth slowly split open, stretching all the way to the back of its head and exposing a row of bone-white fangs, a trace of cruelty flashing through its eyes.
"What a hospitable boy. Looks like you want to give your Thirteenth Master an extra meal."
"Roar!"
It opened its mouth, and a tiger's roar abruptly rang out, instantly spreading through the surroundings with deafening force.
The townspeople had shut their doors and windows tight, and their bodies jolted at the sound.
An old man who had been dozing sat bolt upright in his rattan chair.
Demons! Demons again!
When had Qianqiu County become a place where demons appeared so frequently?
Before they could recover, another crash rang out.
It sounded like something heavy slamming into a wall.
A bold young man poked half his head out of a window and looked toward the source of the noise.
Immediately afterward, he saw the gates of Lord Lu's home explode apart.
Both gate panels flew outward, their hinges snapping, wood splinters showering down like rain.
A white figure flew backward, blood spraying across the sky and tracing a glaring dark-red arc in the sunlight.
It slammed heavily onto the deserted street.
The impact smashed a large crater into the bluestone paving, sending fragments flying and dust billowing into the air.
The white figure rolled backward several more times, plowing a deep furrow through the ground before finally coming to a stop.
"Mother of mercy..."
The young man hurriedly pulled his head back inside and shut the window tight, pressing his back against the wall, his heart pounding.
On the bluestone street, Yin Shisan lay sprawled on the ground.
The cruelty had yet to fade from its eyes, but they were now filled with disbelief as well.
Part of its right cheek had caved in. Its cheekbone was shattered, its facial flesh collapsed, exposing the broken bone beneath.
Blood poured from its eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, staining its handsome face beyond recognition.
"Cough..."
Its features twisted to the extreme, and it spat another great mouthful of foul blood onto the bluestone slabs. White smoke rose as the blood corroded a dense patch of pits into their surface.
It struggled to rise, bracing its arms against the ground, but had barely lifted its upper body before collapsing heavily again.
From behind the shattered gates, Lu Guan stepped out unhurriedly.
Behind him stood Yu Qianqian, her eyes wide.
She covered her mouth with one hand, the shock in her heart no less than Yin Shisan's.
Suddenly, she recalled what the young man had said not long ago, and the corner of her mouth twitched.
This was just starting body refinement and having a little success?
Then please explain how you sent a Gang Condensation Realm tiger demon flying with one punch?