Zhou You sat in the carriage, his expression bewildered and tinged with lingering fear.
“I seem to be a bit too strong?”
He rubbed his chin, wondering if it was normal that he felt nothing after killing someone for the first time.
Then, he murmured to himself in confusion, “When did I become so unafraid of death?”
It was truly strange.
He was clearly very weak.
He had a very clear understanding of himself: just an ordinary Cultivator in the Fan Blood Realm who had practiced the Sword Stream for ninety-nine years.
His Left Hand gently caressed the scabbard of the Zhu Xie Sword, the icy touch on his fingertips seemingly reminding him that all of this was real.
The Sword Stream was divided into three steps:
Concealing the Sword, Drawing the Sword, and Sheathing the Sword.
What was concealed was not the sword itself, but the Sword Heart.
An invincible Sword Heart, a devastating Sword Heart, a Sword Heart that pressed forward relentlessly.
Before such a Sword Heart, nothing could stand in its way.
Master once said, “The moment you grasp the hilt and face an enemy, your heart will tell you whether this person in front of you can be slain by you.” If you don’t even have the courage to Draw the Sword, then just pat your butt and leave. As for whose butt to pat, Master didn’t explain.
Drawing the Sword meant drawing out one’s own heart, allowing one’s Sword Heart to sweep across all directions the moment the sword was drawn.
As for Sheathing the Sword, the explanation was even simpler.
To be able to pick it up, and to be able to put it down.
If you can Draw the Sword and commit slaughter, you must have the ability to bear everything, just as you would when Sheathing the Sword.
Drawing the Sword was for killing, Sheathing the Sword was for peace.
After checking the large amount of Spirit Stone in his Storage Ring, Zhou You felt that he needed to Cultivate even harder.
He couldn’t possibly be a good-for-nothing his entire life, could he?
At the very least, he should Breakthrough to the Spirit Connection Realm and see what kind of damned thing his Blood Spirit was.
Oh, that word seemed impolite.
Zhou You pondered for a moment, then decided he couldn’t find a more suitable word, so he just let it be.
Zhou Chen, who was driving the carriage, couldn’t help but turn back, “Second Master, you are truly amazing! I didn’t even see you make a move, and even Lin Long from the Spirit Connection Realm was no match for you.”
Zhou You blinked, “Really? I also think I’m quite amazing.”
Zhou Chen giggled, “Second Master, you must have reached the legendary Zhen Xuan Realm, haven’t you?”
Zhou You counted on his fingers.
Fan Blood Realm, Tuotai Realm, Spirit Connection Realm, Zhen Xuan Realm…
“Hmm, almost, almost.”
Zhou You vaguely brushed her off, wondering why people nowadays were always asking about Realms.
Exactly like her father!
Before Zhou Chen could ask again, Zhou You proactively changed the subject, “I see there are quite a few people in the Zhou Family. Are they all outsiders?”
In many Families, people with the same surname do not make up the absolute majority.
Things like serving tea and water, washing clothes, and cooking were all done by outsiders.
Zhou Chen quickly explained, “Only my father, and Second Uncle and Third Uncle are in Qingping City. But for the Family business, they are all in Qingyuan City, which is nearby, about two hundred li away. I also have an elder brother who went to a Sect to Cultivate and hasn’t returned for three years.”
Zhou You said, “Oh, which number is your father in the Family?”
Zhou Chen let out an “Ah” and turned back, somewhat surprised.
Zhou You suddenly realized, “Your father is the eldest, then.”
Zhou Chen quickly nodded, “Yes, he is.”
Zhou You also became a bit interested; these were all his descendants. “Which Sect did your brother go to? Is it one of the top five hundred?”
Zhou Chen shook her head, “That’s too difficult; you can’t get into a top five hundred School even if you try your hardest. The School my brother went to is a third-rate force, and it cost a lot to get in. It’s called Hua Xing Sect.”
Zhou You leaned back casually, “Just top five hundred, nothing special.”
Zhou Chen’s expression showed a hint of longing, “A top five hundred Sect is something ordinary people can’t even dream of. There aren’t just people from our Great Xia Dynasty there, but also many Prodigies from other Dynasties. They say each one is excellent. And as long as you come out of a top five hundred Sect, you can easily enter the Demon Subduing Division and the Exorcist Bureau.”
Zhou You was startled, “What?”
Zhou Chen was surprised, “The Demon Subduing Division and the Exorcist Bureau, Second Master, don’t you know about them?”
Zhou You shook his head, “Completely clueless. I’ve been on the mountain all these years.”
Zhou Chen suddenly understood, “The Demon Subduing Division and the Exorcist Bureau are forces established by the Great Xia Dynasty and other Dynasties. As long as you can join these forces, the benefits and treatment are excellent. Not only do you get a large amount of Spirit Stone every month, but also precious Medicinal Pill and Cultivation Technique, and so on. Most importantly, the more you kill, the more rewards you get.”
“Cultivation Technique?”
Zhou You raised an eyebrow. That old geezer Master didn’t even teach him how to fly, and he was sorely lacking in this area.
Also, he hadn’t entered the Tuotai Realm for so many years, and what was in his Storage Ring might not even be enough for a Breakthrough.
Zhou Chen continued, “The Demon Subduing Division is mainly responsible for hunting down Yao Beast that cause trouble everywhere, and the Exorcist Bureau exists specifically to expel evil spirits.”
Zhou You asked, “Is the Yao Beast problem very serious now? And what are evil spirits?”
How could he remember that when he left back then, he couldn’t say the world was at peace, but there were almost no Yao Beast to be seen.
For Zhou You’s ignorance, Zhou Chen found a reason for him herself.
He had been engrossed in Cultivation for a hundred years, unconcerned with worldly affairs, and thus was unaware of what was happening outside.
Soon, Zhou You understood.
It turned out that just nine years after he left, a Yao Beast calamity broke out across the land. Especially in the border regions, Yao Beast ran rampant, destroying countless towns. The Demon Subduing Division and the Exorcist Bureau were established for this very reason, to incentivize demon extermination through rewards. As for evil spirits, Zhou Chen was also clueless, only saying that they might be some kind of alien species that had infiltrated from outside the Realm.
After explaining all this, Zhou Chen couldn’t help but show a worried expression, “Last month, I heard that a Yao Beast calamity also appeared near Qingyang City, five hundred li south of us. I wonder if it will affect us here.”
“Is it forming a siege?”
Zhou You murmured, understanding from the description.
The imperial city of the Great Xia Dynasty was in the core region of the Dynasty. This layout was simple: only when everyone else in the world died would it reach them.
Recalling his journey, he hadn’t seen anything unusual, so he figured Master must have sent him far enough away.
“But now that Second Master you’re back, everything will definitely be fine.”
Zhou Chen then laughed to herself. For this legendary Second Master, she now not only admired him but also believed in him deeply.
Zhou You smiled, uncomfortably rubbing his chin.
If you knew I was in the Fan Blood Realm and still had this kind of confidence, I’d call you my second wife.
“Boom!”
Before the thought finished, a loud bang came from ahead.
The horses were startled, nearly causing the carriage to overturn.
Zhou You steadied himself, his eyes widening abruptly. He felt a fierce, murderous Qi permeating the air.
“Yao… Yao Beast!”
Zhou Chen let out a sharp cry, filled with deep fear.
Zhou You lifted the curtain and saw not far ahead, a two-meter-tall blood-colored giant wolf chewing on a man’s body. The man wasn’t completely dead yet, blood gushing from his mouth and nose, his hand weakly reaching towards them.