In the woods behind the village.
A Blade-tailed Finch swooped down, clutching a person in its talons, swaying and stumbling.
For a Blade-tailed Finch, weighing less than half a catty, carrying a heavy object of over 150 catties for ten li was already its last resort.
"Thump!"
Upon reaching the open ground, the Finch released its talons and, within the white mist, transformed back into Liu Sheng.
“Hoo, hoo, hoo…”
He was gasping for breath, looking utterly drained, his limbs soft and numb, unable to walk.
Although the Blade-tailed Finch was a variant, it was not known for its strength; being able to bring Zhao Lei back in one piece was quite difficult.
Though, there were a few bumps along the way…
“Hiss~”
At this moment, the bruised and swollen Zhao Lei woke up, feeling pain all over his body, as if…
He had been trampled by a herd of cattle and horses.
He looked around, and upon seeing Liu Sheng, his expression changed:
“Asheng? You didn’t escape either?”
“You’re not dead!”
Liu Sheng turned to look in the direction of Black Wind Mountain, his eyes serious, but he briefly explained the situation.
Of course, he used a lot of euphemisms in between, only saying that a black snake suddenly appeared in the woods later and fought with the Tiger, and he took advantage of the chaos to escape with Zhao Lei.
“Roar—!”
Just then, a huge Tiger Roar echoed from Black Wind Mountain again, faintly carrying a hint of sadness.
Listening to its direction, it seemed to have reached the edge of Black Wind Mountain, only seven or eight li from the village.
Birds in the forest startled and flew, and the dogs in the village barked with their tails between their legs.
“It’s that Tiger Spirit!”
Zhao Lei shivered, his eyes a bit strange:
“How do I feel like that guy seems… very sad?”
His wife died, of course he felt sad.
Liu Sheng rolled his eyes, his expression becoming even more serious.
He had left in a hurry, so the scattered hunting gear and prey were not collected in time.
With a Tiger's sense of smell, especially a Tiger Demon, tracking them by the scent left on the hunting gear…
It would only take a day or two.
Even if he had transformed into a Blade-tailed Finch earlier and carried Zhao Lei into the air, it couldn't hide their tracks.
The key was, he couldn't gamble.
After all, he was not alone now.
Now it seemed, the best solution was to run away.
First, go to the city to avoid the limelight.
“Go to the city? But this silver…”
After Zhao Lei learned the truth, he was also tempted, but then he poured cold water on the idea.
Expenses in the city were not comparable to the village; even the cheapest inn would cost eight or nine coppers per person per day.
For seven people from two families, this alone would be several hundred coppers.
And this was for sleeping in the cheapest shared room.
With summer taxes looming and no money for them, how could they afford this?
“Don’t worry about the money. Now that the Tiger Demon thinks we killed his wife, he definitely won’t let us go.”
Liu Sheng calmly analyzed the situation and looked directly at Zhao Lei:
“Can your house block him?”
Zhao Lei immediately fell silent.
The female Tiger earlier was only a variant, yet she was already so terrifying. The male Tiger in the mountain, however, was a Spirit Monster!
“No time to lose, let’s go now!”
Liu Sheng didn't give him a chance to hesitate and immediately made the decision.
If Zhao Lei still refused, he would take Grandma and Yu Niang and her daughter to the city to avoid disaster by himself.
After all, he had done his utmost.
He had a strong intuition that if he didn't leave today, he would have to face that…
Tiger Demon who hated him to the bone because his wife died!
With his current strength, unless he abandoned Grandma and Yu Niang, otherwise…
He wouldn't survive.
It was a good opportunity to avoid the limelight in the city and, at the same time, complete the deduction of the “Iron Scale Snake.”
If all went well, and this Incarnation was deduced to the Spirit Monster level…
He wouldn't have to hide from this Tiger Demon anymore.
Zhao Lei hesitated for a moment but still chose to trust Liu Sheng and returned to the village with him.
At this time, the village was in chaos, with chickens flapping and dogs barking. Every household was hiding indoors, not daring to come out.
This, however, made it convenient for the two families to move.
Before long, the two families left the village one after another, and after meeting up, they headed straight for the county town.
“Good grandson, what exactly is going on? Let Grandma be prepared…”
On the cart, Liu Apo held a blue cloth satchel, her expression still calm.
When Liu Sheng arrived home earlier, he immediately took out the cart without a word and put her and Yu Niang and her daughter on it.
Only after her repeated insistence did he pack a satchel, which contained all their belongings, the house deed, and banknotes.
Next to her, Zhao Family Sister-in-Law silently held Gou Wa, looking gratefully at Liu Sheng, who was pulling the cart.
She had already learned that Liu Sheng had risked his life to save her man from the Tiger's mouth and was their family's benefactor.
Otherwise, the current plight of Changgen Shu and Er Niu's families would be the future of her and her son.
“That Tiger Demon in the mountain is not right. Let’s go to the city to avoid it for a while…”
Liu Sheng casually replied, pulling a cart with three adults and two children, moving very fast, making Zhao Lei's eyelids twitch as he walked beside him.
Although those sitting on the cart were all women and children, the cart and its occupants together weighed nearly three hundred catties.
But Liu Sheng, like a beast of burden, pulled it with remarkable ease, not even panting.
When did this kid become so strong?
It seemed that not long ago, his family was so poor they couldn't even make ends meet. He felt sorry for him and even specifically netted a few Sparrows to send over…
“It’s good to go to the city to avoid it for a while. This old woman hasn’t been to the city in a long time…”
Liu Apo, wise with age, understood immediately that Liu Sheng had another reason and stopped pressing him.
When they arrived in the city and saw the wide streets, the rows of restaurants, inns, tea houses, medical halls, and gambling dens lining the roads…
The few women clearly became reserved, looking left and right, even lowering their voices when talking.
They were afraid that their “country bumpkin” appearance would be looked down upon by the city folk.
Just then, a commotion came from the main street ahead.
“It’s the Hunters!”
“…Good heavens, these wolf monsters are bigger than oxen…”
“So imposing, I also want to be a Hunter…”
“You? You’re not even enough to fill a monster’s tooth gap!”
…
The crowd swarmed, packed tightly, blocking the road.
Liu Sheng had no choice but to lead everyone forward.
They saw a team of men and women, armed with knives and spears, carrying bows and arrows, exuding Evil Qi, protecting a cart as they slowly moved forward.
This cart was three or four zhang wide, taking up half of the main road. On it lay the corpses of several wolf monsters, with dark green fur, bigger than water buffaloes, and a strong smell of blood.
Liu Sheng listened for a moment in the crowd and generally understood the situation.
In recent years, beast disasters have been frequent in various places, with strange beasts and Spirit Monsters emerging like bamboo shoots after rain, causing severe casualties.
The imperial court established the Demon Subduing Division the year before last and issued the Demon Quelling Order, offering rewards to martial artists among the populace.
Hunters were external members of the Demon Subduing Division, assisting the Demon Catching Warriors in eliminating demons.
“Demon Subduing Division?”
Liu Sheng raised his eyebrows, deep in thought.
By the time they checked into the inn, it was already evening.
…
The next day.
He found a broker and rented a small courtyard in Caiyuan Lane, near the city wall.
This place was remote, with few visitors, and the price was relatively cheap. Six dilapidated tiled houses cost only 200 coppers per month in rent.
The minimum rental period was three months, totaling 600 coppers.
For Zhao Lei's family, it was undoubtedly a huge expense, but for Liu Sheng, it was completely affordable.
After buying enough firewood, rice, oil, salt, pots, pans, and bowls for ten days to half a month, the two families were officially settled.
Until then, Yu Niang and her daughter, and Zhao Lei's family, still felt as if they were dreaming…
They were living in the city?
They had spent their entire lives in the village. The prosperity they saw when entering the city felt like a dream, making them feel inferior.
Who would have thought that they could actually rent a courtyard and live in this city!
Even if it was only for a few days, it was an incredible thing!
So, when they looked at Liu Sheng, a hint of awe unconsciously appeared in their eyes.
Especially Zhao Family Sister-in-Law, who had previously grumbled about her man repeatedly helping the Liu family, was now secretly grateful…
Uncle Liu was a capable person.
Liu Sheng had no time to pay attention to the changes in everyone's mindset. He was now fully focused on deducing the “Iron Scale Snake.”
The threats from the Tong Family and the Tiger Demon were a thorn in his side, and avoiding disaster was only temporary—
Their household registration with the government still listed them as villagers of Baishui Village.
They would still have to return to the village when paying summer taxes.
Otherwise, they would be treated as runaway households.
The time left for him was actually not much.
After settling down, it was already dark.
The two families ate a simple dinner and then rested.
At night, Yu Niang was passionate, engaging in a battle of wits and words, exceptionally proactive.
Liu Sheng guessed a few things: they were new here and unfamiliar with the place, and he was her only reliance, so she feared being disliked.
Thus, he could only give his all.
Again!
Thrice!
Until there was nothing left to give!
If he hadn't had the 【Snake Form】 talent, otherwise…
His waist would have broken.
…
Waking up in the morning.
After breakfast and some instructions, Liu Sheng left under the pretext of gathering information.
After leaving the city, he plunged into the woods beside the official road.
A few breaths later, a Blade-tailed Finch soared into the sky.
