Chapter 111: The Gaunt Taoist and the Black-Clothed Youth

“What are you howling about? He isn’t dead, just scared out of his wits. Knock him out and let him sleep it off; he’ll be fine.”

A cold, clear voice cut through the damp air of the ruined temple. From the shadows of the room, a youth dressed in black brocade robes walked out, his expression frosty.

Chen Erhu looked up from where he knelt, his eyes widening as the figure passed him. It’s him?

Chen Erhu remembered this person. This was the ‘Immortal’ he had seen at the Magistrate’s Office earlier that day—the one they called a Demon Hunter.

Watching the retreating back of the hunter, Chen Erhu muttered to himself. During the day, he had been too nervous to look closely, keeping his head bowed in deference. But tonight, seeing him under the moonlight, Chen Erhu was struck by a sudden realization.

Truly worthy of being called an immortal.

The hunter’s features were incredibly delicate and handsome. His skin was fair and tender, possessing a luster like fine white jade. If he weren’t an immortal, how could a man possibly possess such flawless, jade-like beauty?

“Go find some people to handle the aftermath,” the cold voice drifted back, snapping Chen Erhu out of his daze.

When he looked again, the figure in the courtyard had already vanished into the night.

“Handle the aftermath?” Chen Erhu blinked, his curiosity getting the better of him. He turned his head to glance toward the open door of the main room.

A flicker of hesitation passed through his eyes. Gently, he set down the unconscious Li Erniu and tiptoed toward the entrance.

“Mother of God!”

Moments later, a miserable scream tore from the room. Chen Erhu sprinted out, his face deathly pale. He hoisted Li Erniu onto his shoulder in a panic and fled toward the outer gate, desperate to put as much distance as possible between himself and whatever he had seen inside. In a flash, he disappeared into the darkness at the end of the street.

Meanwhile, on a different street within Lijiang City.

A black shadow flashed past the roof of a roadside house. Bathed in moonlight, the figure moved with unnatural grace, leaping into the air and drifting gently down onto the adjacent tiles.

The steps were light, soundless. The sleeping occupants beneath the roofs remained undisturbed.

Suddenly, the black shadow froze.

“Demonic Qi.”

A pair of sharp eyes scanned the surroundings intently.

In a nearby alley below, a gaunt figure walked with an unhurried, eerie gait. He was thin to the point of emaciation, dressed in a ragged Taoist robe. In his hand, he held a banner pole.

On one side of the banner was the character for “Fate.” On the other, “Heaven.”

The Taoist’s facial features were unsettlingly comical. His eyes were asymmetrical, one higher than the other, and his nose and mouth were crooked. A few long, sparse whiskers dangled from his chin.

His eyeballs rolled around in their sockets, shifty and manic. He seemed to be laughing, a low, rasping sound escaping his throat. “Jie… Jie…”

From the shadows of the roof, the black-clad figure leaped down, landing silently behind a corner wall.

The footsteps outside were faint; an ordinary mortal would never have heard them. But they were getting closer.

Leaning against the wall, the black-clad figure drew the long saber from their waist.

Clang.

It was the faint rasp of metal sliding against the scabbard. Though the sound was minute, the approaching entity heard it.

The gaunt Taoist’s expression shifted. He stopped dead, his gaze fixing intently on the mouth of the alley. His mismatched eyes gradually turned a bloody red.

“I… I see you. Come out!”

The Taoist began to retreat, step by step, shouting toward the shadows.

A moment later, a figure emerged. The black-clothed youth walked out, saber in hand, gaze cold and locked firmly onto the monster. In that moment, it seemed nothing else existed in the youth’s world but the target.

“Jie Jie… so it’s a Demon Hunter from the Demon Suppression Office,” the Taoist cackled, looking the youth up and down. “A mere Qi Condensation fifth layer dares to come out and hunt demons? Little girl, don’t you value your life?”

The Taoist twitched his nose, sniffing loudly.

“Jie Jie, you can’t fool me. I smell the scent of a woman on you. That is not the musk of a man.”

The ‘youth’s’ face turned icy. Gripping the saber, she leaped forward. Like a sharp arrow skimming the ground, she charged straight for the gaunt Taoist.

The monster grinned, revealing yellowed teeth. “Jie Jie, although I don’t care for women, since you’ve delivered yourself to me, I’ll reluctantly eat you!”

The Taoist slammed his banner pole into the ground. His entire body spun like a top, transforming into a streak of yellow spiritual light that drilled instantly into the earth.

Earth Escape? The black-clothed youth’s expression faltered.

The next moment, the cobblestones beside her exploded. The gaunt Taoist erupted from the ground, swinging his iron-hard banner pole in a vicious arc toward her waist.

The blow landed solidly.

The heavy pole smashed into the youth’s lower back. She was slammed into the earth with a sickening thud, the stone pavement cracking beneath the impact.

She spat out a mouthful of vital blood.

With just one strike, she had lost the ability to resist. She tried to struggle upright, but her lower body was dead weight; she could feel nothing below her waist.

“Jie Jie! This master is truly formidable!” The Taoist grinned, standing over her. He brandished the banner pole again and brought it down hard.

Bang!

The pole struck her lower back a second time. A distinct crack echoed through the alley.

“Ah!”

She let out a miserable scream. Fighting through the blinding pain, she swung her saber wildly at the Taoist’s legs.

Before the blade could find its mark, the Taoist stomped down, pinning her wrist to the stone.

“Jie Jie, don’t worry. I won’t kill you yet. I like fresh meat!”

The Taoist gave a ferocious, twisted grin. He ground his heel down.

Crack.

“Ah!”

Another scream tore from her throat as the bones in her wrist were crushed to powder.

“Jie Jie, one more hit! Rotten bones are the most delicious!” The Taoist’s face was a mask of crazed delight as he raised the banner high with both hands, aiming for the kill.

Lying in the dirt, the black-clothed youth looked up with despair. She hadn’t expected to encounter a monster with innate earth-diving supernatural powers. She had been caught off guard, falling for its trap instantly.

If not for the ambush, with her Qi Condensation fifth layer cultivation, she could have at least stalled for time. Lijiang City had other Demon Hunters. If she made enough noise, aid would come.

But now, she was a lamb waiting for the butcher.

Am I going to die?

A flicker of unwillingness burned in her eyes. She didn’t want to die. She certainly didn’t want to die at the hands of such a hideous monster.

But she had no means left to save herself. She couldn’t even grip her Demon-Slaying Saber.

A trace of bitterness curled at the corner of her mouth. The long, arduous path of immortal cultivation… her dreamlike, illusory life was about to end in a dirty alley.

The gaunt Taoist swung the banner down.

Just as the heavy pole was about to shatter her spine completely, a figure appeared out of thin air behind the monster.

He wore yellow robes, his hair snowy white, yet his face was that of a handsome youth. He exuded the ethereal aura of a transcendent sage.

The newcomer flicked his sleeve casually.

A golden talisman shot out, slapping onto the gaunt Taoist’s back.

Instantly, the Taoist’s body went rigid. His face went blank, frozen in the aggressive posture of the swing. The banner pole hung suspended in the air, less than an inch from the black-clothed youth’s back.

The arrival was Li Meng.

He had only just reached Lijiang City. He had intended to observe the situation from the skies, but his Spiritual Sense had picked up this brutal scene in the alleyway.

“Fellow Daoist, are you alright?”

The black-clothed youth squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the final pain of death. But the pain never came. Instead, she heard a voice—gentle, refined, and calm.

She looked up, dazed, toward the owner of the voice.

He stood tall in yellow robes, his white hair flowing, his face possessing the glow of youth despite his silver locks. He looked down at her with a kind, amiable expression.

His gaze was incredibly pure. Being looked at by him gave her a sense of profound reassurance, a warmth that chased away the chill of the grave. Such a person, she felt instinctively, would never harm the innocent.

Li Meng flicked his sleeve again.

The black-clothed youth felt herself enveloped by a gentle, invisible breeze. Her body was lifted effortlessly, flipping upright to float in the air.

Wind Control Technique? A Foundation Establishment cultivator?

Shock replaced the despair in her eyes. Was this an immortal who had descended from the great cultivation mountains?

Li Meng produced a small jade bottle. He shook out a single pill and, with a wave of his hand, guided it into her mouth.

“Swallow.”

She obeyed instinctively. Immediately, a warm current exploded in her mouth, rushing straight to her heart. The warmth spread from her dantian to her limbs and bones, a soothing tide washing away the agony.

The shattered bones in her back began to itch intensely—a sign of rapid regeneration.

In less than ten breaths, the pain vanished completely. Sensation returned to her legs.

The black-clothed youth stared at him, horror and awe warring in her gaze. What kind of pill is this? To possess such miraculous efficacy?

It had restored her shattered body in mere seconds.