Torrential rain suddenly poured from the sky.
In a residence with three courtyards, Zhou Jie stood at the window, gazing out at the white curtain of rain. His brows knitted tightly as he shut the window.
He was about to leave, yet Heaven refused to favor him. This was no good omen.
Inside the room, a candle burned.
In its flickering light, a slender, graceful figure was cast upon the wall.
"Zhou, kindly explain to me why a trainee officer at the early Qi and Blood Realm suddenly became an expert at the perfected Qi and Blood Realm?"
The heavily made-up woman's eyes were icy, a dark green gleam flashing in their depths. She stared fixedly at Zhou Jie and said through gritted teeth, "A demon of our White Bone Mountain cannot die such an unjust death!"
"This really is a misunderstanding."
The mention of it filled Zhou Jie's belly with fire. "It's all that Lu Guan's fault. He hid his abilities so deeply that he fooled every one of us."
"That fellow is deeply calculating, sure to have a belly full of bad water. If he reaches the True Qi Realm in the future, he'll surely become a grave threat to your White Bone Mountain."
Zhou Jie embellished the story, egging the heavily made-up woman on. "If you ask me, you should act yourself. Before his wings have fully grown, strangle him in his cradle."
With that, he held his breath, his heartbeat quickening half a beat as a trace of hope welled up.
If the white bone demon was willing to act, it seemed he would not need to seek refuge in the neighboring county after all.
He could stay in Qianqiu County, sheltered by his uncle, and live freely and comfortably.
"Hmph, Zhou, do you take me for a fool of a demon?"
The heavily made-up woman stepped gracefully forward. Before Zhou Jie could react, a pale hand had already swung toward him.
Slap!
"Ten pairs of virgin boys and girls, to compensate us for our losses."
Damned demons!
Zhou Jie held his cheek, cursing inwardly, but he knew he was in the wrong. After all, this had been a private deal between him and White Bone Mountain.
So he would have to find those ten pairs of virgin boys and girls himself.
Fuck, I can't put all the blame on Uncle for being a beast. These damned demons just love eating people!
To demons, humans were the finest medicinal tonic in the world.
Martial artists in particular-the more vigorous their Qi and Blood and the higher their realm, the more nourishing they were.
Those great demons flocked to them like ducks. The flesh of one Qi and Blood Realm martial artist was worth the flesh and blood of a hundred mortals.
But a mere Qi and Blood Realm white bone demon like you wants virgin boys and girls? Pah!
Zhou Jie understood that the heavily made-up woman was extorting him outright.
In the past, only White Bone Mountain's demon king had been entitled to enjoy such delicacies as virgin boys and girls.
"Remember, not a single one short."
The heavily made-up woman picked up the oil-paper umbrella leaning beside the door, opened it, and pushed the door open to leave.
Zhou Jie watched the oil-paper umbrella recede into the rain before closing the door again, shutting all the wind and rain outside.
"Fuck, what kind of fetish is that? A pile of bones insisting on pretending to be human, wearing human skin?"
Cursing, he rummaged through chests and cupboards, stuffing gold, silver, and valuables into his bundle.
"No matter how well you pretend, can you become human? A skeleton is still a skeleton, even with skin on!"
As for the mess of finding ten pairs of virgin boys and girls...
Zhou Jie's hands paused, then he gritted his teeth and continued packing.
Leave it to Uncle.
Where was he supposed to find twenty virgin boys and girls?
He could only default on the debt.
He was leaving for the neighboring county tomorrow anyway. Once they could no longer find him, could White Bone Mountain really chase him onto Commandant Wang's turf?
At that thought, he felt somewhat reassured, and his hands moved faster.
Rainwater streamed across the streets.
Holding her oil-paper umbrella, the heavily made-up woman walked through the streets and alleys, carefully avoiding the rainwater.
She walked very slowly, choosing a shallow spot for every step. After all, these "clothes" of hers were exceedingly precious.
It was the skin of a courtesan who had sold her art but not her body, with a clean background and delicate skin. Her hands in particular had ten fingers as slender as scallion roots.
Such fine skin could only be encountered by chance, not sought out.
If it accidentally became damp and moldy, who knew how many years she would have to wait before she could peel off another skin of such quality?
She cherished this skin even more than her own white bones.
Boom!
An explosive crash rang out as lightning lashed across the heavens like wildly swinging golden whips.
Amid the flashes of lightning, the heavily made-up woman stopped.
Ahead, beneath the curtain of rain, a young figure stood leaning on a saber, blocking its path.
Lu Guan looked at the woman, then turned his head to look at the outline of the three-courtyard residence behind her and asked:
"What's your relationship with Zhou Jie?"
The heavily made-up woman froze, then a smile surfaced on the face beneath the umbrella. Clearly misunderstanding something, she covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes shimmering:
"Why, exactly the sort of relationship you're imagining, young master."
At her words, Lu Guan felt a wave of revulsion.
He had recognized from far away that this was a white bone demon wearing human skin. Never had he imagined that Zhou Jie would not even spare a skeleton.
"The rain is so heavy..." Lu Guan suppressed his disgust, his voice level. "Yet you're walking in such a hurry, miss."
He took a step forward, rainwater parting to either side of his feet:
"Why not... let me see you off?"
The instant his words fell, powerful Qi and Blood shot skyward from within him like a column of beacon smoke.
His Qi and Blood surged, driving back the surrounding curtain of rain and forming a ring of white mist visible to the naked eye.
Then half a broken saber slid from its sheath, its blade reflecting the lightning with startling brilliance.
"Cleave!"
Perfected Qi and Blood coupled with the Demon Subduing Saber Technique unleashed an instantaneous burst powerful enough to cleave through everything before him!
"A black-uniformed dog of the Demon Suppression Bureau?!"
The heavily made-up woman recognized the cultivation method behind that saber strike.
With a ripping sound like torn silk, the human skin it had so carefully maintained split down the middle, exposing the white bones covered in black hair hidden inside.
"What's this supposed to mean? Trying to rob your own?"
In that instant, many thoughts flashed through the white bone demon's mind. After ruling everything else out, it settled on the only answer.
That beast Zhou Jie was playing dirty!
"Fuck, I'm going to kill him!"
The next second, saber light struck again, cleaving through layer upon layer of rain with a dazzling silver streak and crashing viciously onto the white bone demon's torso.
Crack!
A deep saber mark remained on the white bone, fragments spraying everywhere. The white bone demon grunted as the blow drove it half a step backward.
"Who gave you permission to get distracted?"
Lu Guan narrowed his eyes slightly as he regarded the white bone demon before him.
Comparable to the perfected Qi and Blood Realm!
Two brief exchanges had let him sound out this white bone demon's capabilities.
Moreover, who knew what heavenly materials and earthly treasures this demon had consumed? Its white bones were astonishingly hard, comparable to heavy armor of refined iron.
Had his previous strike landed on the white bone demon in yesterday's ruined temple, it would already have split it in two, bones and marrow alike.
Yet on this one, it had left only a saber mark.
After analyzing their respective strengths, Lu Guan reached a conclusion:
"I can't keep it here."
Although he too was at the perfected Qi and Blood Realm, this white bone demon's bones were too hard. Ordinary moves of the Demon Subduing Saber Technique alone could not break through this defense.
Lu Guan frowned. Since his raw strength fell a little short, he could only put his extraordinary talent to use.
"Please add a point. Thank you."
On the panel, his years of cultivation plummeted.
[Year one: You practiced the Demon Subduing Saber Technique diligently and discovered that your aptitude for martial arts remained mediocre.] [Year seven: You continued practicing and successfully reached minor mastery.] [Year eighteen: Your Demon Subduing Saber Technique successfully reached major mastery. Your saber skills were tempered to perfection, yet you still could not attain perfection in the technique.] [Year thirty: Just as you were about to give up, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck. You experienced the first epiphany of your life, and your Demon Subduing Saber Technique finally attained perfection.] Qi and Blood · Demon Subduing Saber Technique (perfection)