Redeeming Carefree Steps
Watching the two walk away, the two constables immediately began gossiping.
"Look at the pig head in his hand. You don't think Lu Feng really plans to redeem it for merit, do you?"
"Hahaha, impossible!" the other constable scoffed.
"Who in the entire yamen doesn't know what kind of relationship Lu Feng has with the demonic beasts? How could he possibly have killed one? I bet he picked up a dead pig's head and plans to pass it off!"
"That makes sense! That must be it!"
Lu Feng ignored the gossip behind him and walked straight into the records officer's office.
"Records Officer An, I'm here to redeem something for merit."
Records Officer An, who had been reviewing official documents, abruptly looked up. He glanced at Lu Feng, then at the pig demon's head Ergou was carrying.
"Lu Feng, you're not joking with me, are you?"
"Records Officer An, do I look like I'm joking?" Lu Feng's expression was solemn.
An Shi saw the seriousness in Lu Feng's eyes and wasted no more words. He picked up his brush and ink.
"One unranked pig demon slain. Reward: one hundred merit points!"
After quickly finishing the registration, Records Officer An handed the merit token to Lu Feng.
"The merit points have been recorded on your token."
"I want to redeem them for a cultivation technique," Lu Feng said at once, taking the token.
According to his memories, the county yamen's storeroom held three basic cultivation techniques in total-the Grasping Hand, the Gate-Severing Saber, and Carefree Steps.
Each technique cost one hundred merit points to redeem.
But the three techniques were so ordinary that the original owner had looked down on them and never considered redeeming them.
Records Officer An was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "All right. Which one do you want?"
"Carefree Steps." Lu Feng barely hesitated.
His Gale Saber Art had already reached major mastery. Paired with Carefree Steps, he would have both offense and defense, giving him a better chance of victory when slaying demonic beasts in the future.
Hearing this, An Shi immediately ordered someone to fetch a copy of Carefree Steps and handed it to Lu Feng.
Lu Feng took the manual, his fingertips rubbing against its pages.
Just as he turned to leave, a coarse, furious roar suddenly came from outside the room.
"Lu Feng! Stop right there, damn it!"
Immediately afterward, a burly man with a full beard kicked the door open and strode in. He glared at Lu Feng with bloodshot eyes and roared:
"Lu Feng, where did you take my sister?!"
Lu Feng's gaze sharpened.
Chen Hu!
One of the county yamen's three chief constables, he was at the peak of the Second-Rate Martial Artist realm. He had a volatile temper and doted most on his sister, who had just come of age.
"Chen Hu, what happened?" Records Officer An asked, his expression darkening.
"My sister went out yesterday and never came back. Someone saw her meeting with you last!"
"If you don't hand my sister over, I'll fight you to the death today!"
Lu Feng frowned deeply, rapidly searching through the original owner's memories.
A moment later, his heart sank.
He finally remembered!
Today, besides the pig demon's demand for food, the nearby wolf demons had also sent someone to press for their tribute long ago!
And to deal with the wolf demons, the original owner seemed to have really set his sights on Chen Hu's sister!
Those wolf demons were nothing like the pig demon from earlier. They were the true demonic beast overlords of Lin'an County.
There were dozens of first-tier wolf demons alone. An ordinary constable who encountered even one would have no path but death.
As the memories surged up, Lu Feng understood at once. To deal with the wolf demons and save his own worthless life, the original owner had actually kidnapped Chen Hu's sister and ordered his men to take her to North Mountain.
"I'll bring her back to you."
With that, Lu Feng wasted no more time. He sprang into motion and raced straight toward North Mountain.
Behind him, Chen Hu and several of his men hurried after him.
Though he wondered why Lu Feng's temperament had changed so drastically today, his sister's safety was at stake, so he had no time to dwell on it. He could only hope that Lu Feng would really keep his word.
As he ran, Lu Feng focused on the system panel and thought, Spend 100 Demon Points to improve Carefree Steps!
[Ding! Demon Points spent: 100. Carefree Steps has reached major mastery;]
In an instant, a vast amount of experience in cultivating Carefree Steps flooded his mind. It was as though he had painstakingly practiced the footwork for months, until every trick was second nature.
[Technique: Carefree Steps (major mastery);]
Circulating his cultivation, Lu Feng clearly felt his body become several times lighter. His steps grew swifter, and his running speed increased by a considerable margin. The distance between him and Chen Hu's group gradually widened.
Before long, Lu Feng was the first to reach the agreed meeting place on North Mountain.
Two rather small juvenile wolf demons were carrying a woman dressed in blue, one at either end, as they ambled toward the mountain.
The woman's eyes were shut, and her face was pale. She had evidently been knocked unconscious.
"Stop!"
Lu Feng's shout rang out so loudly that the surrounding leaves rustled faintly.
The two wolf demons whipped their heads around. Once they saw that it was Lu Feng, mocking smiles curled at the corners of their mouths.
"Well, if it isn't Chief Constable Lu. What, have you brought more food for our king?"
Nearby, a man in a constable's uniform hurried forward, his face full of obsequiousness. It was Qian San, one of the original owner's subordinates.
"Boss! What brings you here in person?" Qian San bobbed and bowed.
"I've taken care of everything you ordered. This girl's been tied up, and we were just about to deliver her to the wolf demon lords!"
Lu Feng did not spare Qian San so much as a glance. He walked straight toward the two wolf demons.
When he reached them, Lu Feng looked at the girl they were carrying.
"My lords, there's a problem with this woman."
The two wolf demons exchanged a glance, their faces full of confusion. "What problem?"
"I'll show you."
Without waiting for the wolf demons to react, Lu Feng reached out and took the girl into his arms, then gave Qian San a look.
Qian San hurried over, utterly bewildered.
"Hold her and step back!" Lu Feng said in a tone that brooked no argument.
Qian San did not dare ask questions. He hurriedly took the girl and obediently retreated to the side.
Lu Feng slowly turned around and walked up to the two wolf demons, casually resting a hand on each of their shoulders.
With a faint smile, he said, "People say huskies look like wolves. I never believed it before, but seeing how smart you two are, I believe it now."
"What?"
The two wolf demons looked utterly lost, unable to understand what Lu Feng was talking about.
Before they could react, Lu Feng slammed his hands together!
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, the two wolf demons' heads smashed together. Stars burst before their eyes, and their heads spun.
"You're courting death! How dare you attack us? We'll tear you apart!"
The searing pain sent both wolf demons into a fury. Their eyes turned blood-red as they raised their sharp claws and lunged at Lu Feng.
Lu Feng was prepared. His figure flashed, and the long saber at his waist came out of its sheath in an instant.
Then he used Carefree Steps. With a shift of his feet, he easily evaded the two wolf demons' claw attacks.
The next second, he followed through with the Gale Saber Art!
The saber flashed, swift as lightning, with a soft swish.
"Thud!"
A wolf demon's head fell to the ground, blood gushing out.
At the sight, the other wolf demon was scared out of its wits. It hurriedly threw back its head and howled, trying to summon its companions in the mountain for help.
But its howl had barely begun before it came to an abrupt halt.
Lu Feng's figure flashed, and he appeared behind it. His long saber slashed cleanly and decisively.
Another wolf demon's head fell to the ground.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for slaying one unranked wolf demon. Demon Points obtained: 100;] [Ding! Congratulations to the host for slaying one unranked wolf demon. Demon Points obtained: 100;]
As soon as the system notifications ended, a burst of hurried footsteps came from the distance.
Chen Hu and the others finally arrived, just in time to see Lu Feng sheathing his saber and the two bloody wolf demon heads on the ground.