chsdbacks Chapter 22: Lu Wanrou
Chapter 22: Lu Wanrou
"Zhang Di, are you alright?!"
Dawn was approaching.
In the center of Lishan Town, there is the Demon Exorcism Bureau.
There are few staff members here, but the entrance is quite spacious.
At this moment, a figure moved. Quan Hongyan stood in front of the door, anxiously looking around. She only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Zhang Ping's figure.
She was truly worried when Zhang Ping disappeared earlier. Although they had only been escorting goods together for a few days, Zhang Ping's personality suited her very well.
"Sister Yan." Zhang Ping strode closer. "That blood-red blade aura from before..."
Quan Hongyan interrupted him: "It's Master's Demon-Slaying Blade Technique."
Most of the martial arts techniques at Sitong Martial Arts School were created by the school's owner, Chongxin. Among them, the Demon-Slaying Saber Technique and the Demon-Slaying Sword Technique are the most famous, attracting many martial arts enthusiasts to come here.
Zhang Ping nodded knowingly, seemingly lost in thought.
"Master is inside, discussing follow-up precautions with Director Li and Madam Lu," Quan Hongyan gestured towards the main hall.
Zhang Ping craned his neck to look, and saw Chongxin conversing with a refined-looking old man and a petite woman. The old man must be Director Li of the Demon Extermination Division, and the woman…
His eyes lit up. The woman was petite, with an air of nobility, and had the gentle and graceful features of a woman from Jiangnan, making her quite charming and lovely.
I never expected that the eldest wife of the Lu family would be so beautiful.
Quan Hongyan, oblivious to Zhang Ping's gaze, led him into the main hall. Once inside, Zhang Ping noticed that Qin Hu and the several martial artists at the Body Refinement Realm from the escort team were gathered there, the atmosphere heavy, clearly discussing important matters.
"Master, Director Li, Madam Lu." As Zhang Ping approached Chongxin, the three of them paused their conversation. Zhang Ping cupped his hands in greeting.
"Hmm." Chongxin's gaze swept over him. "It's good that you're alright. Be more careful next time." He suddenly frowned. "Your clothes?"
Zhang Ping looked down at the coarse cloth dress he was wearing and said awkwardly, "It was accidentally damaged during the battle, so I just grabbed whatever I could find to change into."
After dealing with the spirit fox, he still had to dispose of the corpse, so he didn't have time to change his clothes.
"It looks like a woman's dress?" Lu Wanrou asked softly, her naturally gentle gaze falling on Zhang Ping with a hint of curiosity. She noticed that Zhang Ping had just addressed her as "Master," not "Master."
He's still an apprentice. To be able to travel with a caravan as an apprentice, he must have some extraordinary abilities.
Chongxin didn't ask any more questions. He waved his hand, signaling Zhang Ping to stand aside and wait. Zhang Ping responded and followed Quan Hongyan to Qin Hu and the others.
"Haha! Brother Zhang! I thought I wouldn't be able to enjoy your cooking again!"
Qin Hu grabbed Zhang Ping's shoulder with his large, fan-like hand and laughed loudly.
Zhang Ping smiled wryly: "I was lucky to escape with my life, all thanks to the master of the martial arts school."
"By the way, Brother Qin," Zhang Ping said in a low voice.
"I heard from Sister Yan that the abbot is planning to exorcise a demon? Shouldn't we be setting off now?"
He had just noticed that although Chongxin's robes were neat, there were several torn holes faintly visible at the cuffs, obviously caused by hasty repairs after the battle.
According to the original plan, after receiving the Lu family's caravan, they should have set off for the prefectural city at dawn. Now that the spirit fox had been frightened away, it seemed they shouldn't delay any longer.
Qin Hu's smile faded.
Quan Hongyan continued, "This attack on the town by the spirit foxes was extraordinary. Many martial artists were killed, and countless civilians suffered. Master said that those two beasts at the Refining Realm were extremely cunning and had enormous appetites. Last night, they clearly intended to devour us and the caravan whole! I'm afraid they didn't even intend to spare the civilians in this town."
Zhang Ping's heart skipped a beat. How could these beasts be so arrogant? Then, a question arose:
"What about the demon-slaying bureaus in other places? Don't they need to ask for help?"
Qin Hu's expression was grave: "The plea for help has been sent. But if we leave now, the spirit fox will immediately slaughter the entire town for a feast, then follow the scent to catch up with us..."
He shook his head. "Back then, with our small force, we wouldn't have been in such a sorry state as we were last night."
Spirit foxes excel at stealth in the dark; in the wilderness, they can easily hunt down martial artists of the same level. Staying in town, with the life force of the gathered people, might allow them to barely hold out for a while until the Demon Extermination Bureau's experts arrive to help.
At that time, Master Lu and Master Lu will join forces to eliminate the demons and kill the two demons in the Refining Realm. The remaining rabble will naturally scatter.
"So...difficult?" Zhang Ping asked, but swallowed the trouble back.
"In this world, what is easy to do if you want to survive?" Qin Hu said with a wry smile.
"Perhaps... things will be better in the capital? I heard there are no demons causing trouble there." A hint of longing appeared in Quan Hongyan's eyes.
The capital of the Great Wei Dynasty was located in the heart of the country, making it difficult for demons to invade. Passing merchants and travelers all praised it as a peaceful and prosperous place.
Zhang Ping neither confirmed nor denied this.
As dawn broke, the casualties were tallied.
Five disciples of the Sitong Martial Arts School were killed, and hundreds of ordinary people perished. Chongxin's face was ashen. He sent Zhang Ping and the others back to rest, while he himself hurriedly headed to the Lu family's caravan camp, unsure whether to renegotiate the guards' compensation.
After a night of terror, most people were exhausted and went their separate ways to rest.
Zhang Ping quietly left the courtyard, wandered around, and found a collapsed ruin.
He carefully moved aside a few broken bricks and dragged out a wooden box wrapped in layers of coarse cloth.
"Luckily, no one keeps dogs around here," he thought to himself with relief.
Last night's events were rushed, and the fox's corpse reeked of blood. Bringing it back to our dwelling would easily expose it, so we had no choice but to bury it here overnight.
They deliberately chose this location, far from where martial artists gather and where ordinary families can't afford to keep dogs, which is a safe bet.
"We need to deal with the smell first!" Zhang Ping took out various powdered fruits that emitted strong odors and carefully applied them to the coarse cloth wrapping the box.
After confirming that the box was properly concealed, he buried it again under a bare old tree. This place had also been a battlefield last night, and the nearby residents had long since fled; no one would notice.
"Next... we need to get those materials as soon as possible." Zhang Ping frowned.
Gathering materials has become the biggest challenge at hand.
Last night, besides the one he dealt with himself, four other spirit foxes were killed by other martial artists. Without exception, all the corpses were taken away by Chongxin.
The martial arts disciples handed over their spoils in exchange for compensation; the spoils held by the Lu family caravan and local martial artists were also bought back with silver.
Not a single bit was lost outside.
Having spent so long at Sitong Martial Arts School, Zhang Ping has essentially transcended the 'class'.
Although demons feed on humans, humans also have demon-slaying bureaus and demon hunters. Hunting demons not only protects the peace of the region, but their claws, teeth, bones, fur, and even blood essence are all essential ingredients for refining martial arts elixirs.
Almost all secret medicines rely on demonic materials, while exotic beast materials are used less frequently, but not entirely absent.
This is precisely why Li Fan didn't care when he tricked him into collecting materials; ordinary people simply don't have access to demon materials!
The high value of the fox corpse is secondary; the key issue is that it is a resource monopolized by the upper echelons.
Martial arts schools and families would never easily allow demon materials to circulate in the market.
Zhang Ping was merely an apprentice, not even a formal disciple. If it were discovered that he had secretly kept a spirit fox corpse, the only consequence would be a "decent" confiscation of it.
Therefore, it is necessary to gather the materials before leaving Lishan Town and imprint the hidden beast pattern on one's body.
Where can we get the materials?
Zhang Ping's brows were furrowed so tightly they were almost knotted together.
"The items needed are all unusual and difficult to find even in Lingchuan City. How can I possibly obtain them in just a few days in this tiny place like Lishan Town..." he muttered to himself, his heart heavy.
Difficult! But then two figures flashed through his mind.
"That's it! The Lu family caravan!" A glimmer of hope ignited.