The dog trainer heard a noise and looked up, instantly terrified, his pupils trembling and hair standing on end.
Without time to think, he rolled to evade but was too slow, narrowly dodging the first seven swords but failing to avoid the last three.
Thud—
A water-formed sword severed one of his arms.
Another sword plunged straight into his abdomen.
The final sword pierced his forehead and exited through the back of his skull.
The dog trainer stiffened, his face twisted with resentment, before collapsing.
He feared no one in open combat.
But…
Today, he’d been ambushed—killed without even knowing his attacker’s identity!
The crowd gasped in shock. In the blink of an eye, the dog trainer had been reduced to a bloody corpse.
With his life extinguished, his transformation spell failed, reverting his human form to that of a canine demon.
The onlookers recoiled in horror—the dog trainer was a monster!
Did this mean those who’d fainted earlier hadn’t succumbed to heatstroke but to the demon’s sorcery?
Soon, the dark magic further unraveled.
The “dogs” shed their fur, revealing themselves as human children—none older than five or six.
Freed from the demon’s control, the children wept with joy.
They shared their harrowing tales with the crowd.
Meanwhile, Jiang Liuer sheathed his sword, blended back into the throng, and pocketed the demon’s artifact—a cracked bowl that siphoned life essence.
In full view, he severed the demon’s head and stored it in his Sumeru ring—a bounty worth a fortune, not to be wasted.
He then swiftly departed.
By the time the crowd realized what had happened, the young swordsman had vanished.
“Did that boy slay the demon?” they exclaimed.
“He must be an immortal swordsman!”
……
“Ugh, I’ve tipped our hand,” Jiang Liuer muttered, clutching a bowl of coins. “If Liu catches wind that someone here can kill demons, he might flee the city.”
Shou Qing admired, “Though silence would’ve been wiser, you chose to save lives by striking down that monster.” He bowed. “I pale in comparison.”
“Enough praise. I regret acting impulsively.” Jiang Liuer sighed. “If Liu escapes, I’ll have no leads.”
Hu Yuyu comforted, “Don’t fret. Even if Liu runs, we can target his patron—the greater demon behind him. That creature will know his whereabouts.”
She added, “Besides, Liu sent wedding invites everywhere. A vain man like him won’t cancel his bridal feast. He’ll likely return in ten days to save face.”
Jiang Liuer agreed.
After the public demon slaying, the trio calmly booked an inn. They ordered food for Shou Qing and two rooms—one shared by Jiang Liuer and Hu Yuyu, the other for Shou Qing alone.
Determined to prepare for Liu’s powerful backer, Jiang Liuer practiced the Mountain Shouldering Technique from the Earthly Fiend’s Seventy-Two Transformations. By nightfall, his skill had sharpened—though still unable to lift mountains, he could now defeat foes like Lang Wuji with ease.
Late into the night, his Nether Passage Technique reached mastery, granting him free passage to the underworld. He could even drag others there.
“I’ll stunt my growth if I don’t sleep!” he grumbled, recalling his nursemaid’s warnings.
As he closed the window, Hu Yuyu tucked him in before transforming into a red fox and curling up beside him.
……
Meanwhile, in Jiangzhou City…
A headless corpse lay in a hall reeking of blood.
“Precise swordsmanship,” a voice remarked. “Severed arm, pierced gut, shattered skull—a 200-year-old demon slain unaware. Impressive.”
Another added, “That was Gou Dan’er. He used a bowl to steal vitality in marketplaces, killing over a dozen recently.”
Several humanoid demons surrounded the body—a shrimp demon, carp demon, clam demon, and pond snail demon, all blending seamlessly into human society.
When asked about the killer’s appearance, the carp demon (dressed as a scholar) replied, “Witnesses described a swordsman, a youth, or three people.”
The shrimp demon frowned. “Contradictory accounts!”
The clam demon rumbled, “An outsider broke our rules. Someone inform Liu to investigate.”
The pond snail demon sneered, “Liu’s off frolicking with concubines. Why does our lord protect that wretch?”
“Liu’s greed and lust make him controllable,” the carp demon said before leaving to deliver the message.
The remaining demons bickered until the shrimp snapped, “Enough! I’ll handle the intruder. Let’s see him survive one strike from my 399 years of cultivation!”
……
The carp demon swam to a riverside camp. After enduring thirty breathless seconds of Liu’s “performance” with a concubine, he announced, “Official Liu, Li Yuru requests an audience!”
A panicked shriek answered from the tent.
……
