An Unexpected Token

Not far away, Xiong Ba was gravely wounded and no match for the girl in the long purple dress.

After only a few exchanges, Xiong Ba was struck by a bolt of purple lightning and breathed his last.

The girl in the long purple dress let out a soft breath, withdrew the lightning surrounding her, and took a jade bottle from her robes, murmuring an incantation.

The essence blood from Xiong Ba's body flew into the jade bottle.

Only after finishing did she slowly turn around, her gaze settling on Lu Feng.

"Are you a constable here?"

Lu Feng hurried forward and cupped his fists in greeting.

"I am Lu Feng, head constable of Lin'an County. Greetings, Fairy!"

The girl nodded mildly. "Thank you for holding that bear demon back. If you hadn't delayed him for a moment, I wouldn't have killed him so easily."

As she spoke, she took an ink-black pill from her robes and held it out to Lu Feng.

"This is a Jin Origin Pill. Taking it can help you break through to Ming Jin Perfection."

Lu Feng's heart stirred, but instead of accepting it immediately, he cupped his fists and declined.

"Senior, your cultivation is profound. Even without me, you surely could have slain this demon without trouble. I am unworthy of this pill."

With that, he picked up his saber, strode forward, and chopped viciously at Xiong Ba's neck-he actually wanted to land a finishing blow and see whether he could obtain Demon Points as a system reward.

Clang!

The saber struck Xiong Ba's neck with a sharp ring, but left only a shallow cut. It could not break through his defenses at all.

Seeing this, the girl gently reminded him, "This is a third-tier demonic beast. Its hide is incredibly tough. With your current strength, you couldn't possibly break through its defenses."

Lu Feng feigned anger and glared fiercely at Xiong Ba's corpse. "I only hate that I wasn't strong enough to kill this demon with my own hands, after he slaughtered so many people!"

Inwardly, he felt helpless. Looks like a finishing blow is useless. The system hasn't reacted at all.

A flicker of surprise crossed the girl's eyes. "Oh? You hate demons that much?"

Lu Feng immediately put aside his other thoughts and answered firmly, every word ringing out. "Yes! These demons feed on humans, slaughter living beings, and bring misery to the people. I wish I could kill every demon under heaven and restore peace to the world!"

At his words, the approval in the girl's eyes grew stronger. She asked seriously, "With your resolve to slay demons and eradicate evil, would you be willing to join the Demon-Slaying Bureau?"

"Senior! You're from the Demon-Slaying Bureau?"

Lu Feng's face showed confusion and delight, but inwardly he was already ecstatic. I bet right! She really is from the Demon-Slaying Bureau!

The girl smiled faintly and nodded. "You could say that. My name is Su Ying. I am a commandant of the Demon-Slaying Bureau."

She took a silver token from her robes and handed it to Lu Feng. "Take this token, go to the Demon-Slaying Bureau, and give them my name. You can join the bureau directly and become a demon-slaying guard."

Excited, Lu Feng solemnly accepted the token with both hands. It was slightly cool to the touch and had a substantial weight.

"I, Lu Feng, thank you, Senior Su!"

Su Ying pressed the Jin Origin Pill into Lu Feng's hand, then raised her hand and put Xiong Ba's corpse away. In an even tone, she said,

"Take this Jin Origin Pill too. It will help with your breakthrough."

Before her words had fully faded, she flashed into a purple afterimage and vanished from Lu Feng's sight in an instant, leaving only a faint trace of lightning behind.

Lu Feng looked at the Jin Origin Pill and silver token in his hand.

The Jin Origin Pill was indeed of little use to him now, but giving it to someone else would earn him a considerable favor.

He looked down at the token. One side was engraved with the character for "capture," and the other with "Su."

"What does this 'capture' character mean?" Lu Feng murmured to himself.

He then carefully put away the token and Jin Origin Pill, turned, and headed toward Lin'an City.

Only then did he remember that the pig demon heads he had strung together earlier had been caught in Su Ying and Xiong Ba's battle and shattered beyond recognition. He could no longer exchange them for merit.

Lu Feng shook his head helplessly, but felt no regret. Compared with the chance to join the Demon-Slaying Bureau, that little bit of merit and those Demon Points were hardly worth mentioning.

By the time he returned to Lin'an City, it was completely dark. The streets were silent, and every household had shut its doors and put out its lights.

Without delay, Lu Feng went straight back to his residence.

As soon as he reached the courtyard, he noticed something amiss-there was a light on inside.

"Someone's there?"

Lu Feng's gaze sharpened. He cautiously approached the courtyard gate and peered into the house.

A slender figure was busy in the kitchen, the firelight falling on her gentle, lovely profile.

"Brother Lu, you're back!"

The figure heard him and turned around. It was Chen Hu's younger sister, Chen Lan.

A gentle smile on her face, she carried a steaming bowl of food out of the house. "Perfect timing. The food's just ready. Come in and eat."

Lu Feng froze, unsure what to say for a moment. His heart was full of questions. "Miss Chen, what are you..."

He thought to himself, Although I saved her, her kidnapping started because of the original owner of this body. Chen Hu couldn't possibly have kept the truth from her, so why would she come here of her own accord?

Chen Lan handed the food to Lu Feng, a blush crossing her cheeks. "Brother Lu, you saved my life, and I have no way to repay you. I just wanted to come cook a few meals for you to thank you for saving me."

Lu Feng pressed her. "Chen Hu... didn't tell you about me?"

"He did." Chen Lan nodded and looked at Lu Feng with a resolute gaze.

"But what you hear may be false; what you see is true. I believe what I saw. Brother Lu, you're not a bad person. Those bad rumors must be a misunderstanding."

Warmth filled Lu Feng's heart. He accepted the food and praised her with a smile. "You understand me after all! Those things before were all misunderstandings."

He picked up his chopsticks and took a bite. His eyes lit up. "Mm! Delicious! I didn't expect you to be such a good cook, Miss Chen. Come eat too!"

"If it's good, have some more!"

The blush on Chen Lan's face deepened. She smiled shyly, then turned and hurried back to the kitchen to serve herself some food.

Lu Feng watched her go, a little bewildered. "How does that girl blush just like that?"

He thought no more of it and began eating in great mouthfuls. After a day on the move, he was already ravenous.

As the two were eating, a furious roar suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate, making the windows rattle slightly.

"Lu Feng! Get your ass out here! Hand over my sister!"

Lu Feng and Chen Lan looked up at the same time. Chen Hu stormed in with one hand on his saber hilt, his face full of anger and his eyes fixed on Lu Feng, ready to draw his weapon and attack at any moment.

"Brother! What brings you here?"

Chen Lan hurried to her feet, rushed over to Chen Hu, and grabbed his arm. She said urgently,

"I came on my own. Brother Lu saved my life, and I'm here to repay him. He didn't force me!"

"Sister, how can you be so foolish?" Chen Hu looked exasperated, his voice urgent.

"This Lu Feng has the face of a man and the heart of a beast! He used to collude with demonic beasts and slaughter the people. You mustn't let his sweet talk fool you!"

"I haven't been fooled!" Chen Lan frowned, her voice firm.

"My affairs are mine to decide. You don't need to concern yourself!"

Seeing that he couldn't persuade his sister, Chen Hu grew anxious. He whipped around to face Lu Feng, his eyes fierce, and asked through gritted teeth,

"Lu Feng, tell me! What will it take for you to let my sister go? As long as you release her, I'll agree to any condition you name!"

Lu Feng pressed a hand to his forehead helplessly and put down his chopsticks. "Brother Chen, you've misunderstood. I haven't forced Miss Chen to stay."

"It's late now, and the mountain road isn't safe. Miss Chen, why don't you go back with your brother for now? There's no hurry to repay me; we can talk about it another day."

Chen Lan looked at Lu Feng, a flicker of disappointment in her eyes, but she nodded.

"All right, Brother Lu. I'll come see you again tomorrow."

With that, she took hold of Chen Hu, who looked thoroughly unwilling, and turned to leave Lu Feng's residence with him.