Volume One: Menial Servant of Changshui County Chapter Fourteen: The Black-Clad Rescuer

The black cat paced towards the two men, its demonic aura soaring ominously.

Zhou Cheng gripped his blade tightly, standing ready for battle.

It was clear that Zhou Cheng was no match for the cat demon; otherwise, he would not appear so tense and wary.

Standing with his knife raised, Zhou Cheng radiated a murderous energy.

“If I die, you must fend for yourself,” Zhou Cheng glanced at Lu Jiuzhang, his tone calmer than usual, no longer as irritable.

...

Demon Slaying Bureau.

“Director Chen? Are you heading out?” As Chen Xuanfeng was preparing to leave, a man in his thirties, slick-haired and well-dressed, approached him with a smile.

“With nearly a hundred colleagues from the Demon Slaying Bureau out hunting demons and no news returning, I am worried. I intend to go and see for myself,” Chen Xuanfeng replied, giving the man before him a measured look.

This man was Yuan Wufeng, another deputy director of the bureau.

Despite his bold, masculine name, his demeanor was effeminate. Whether in speech or action, he lacked the straightforwardness typical of men.

Within the bureau, Chen Xuanfeng had never thought highly of Yuan Wufeng.

“They’ve been gone a long time, haven’t they? Isn’t it a bit late for you to set off now? Or perhaps you’re deliberately delaying, hoping someone might fall to a demon, serving your own interests?” Yuan Wufeng covered his mouth with his left hand and chuckled slyly.

“Rubbish! I am a deputy director of the Demon Slaying Bureau, a martial artist of the eighth rank. I have no need for such underhanded tricks!” Chen Xuanfeng retorted sharply.

After his rebuke, Chen Xuanfeng ignored the effeminate Yuan Wufeng and strode out.

But Yuan Wufeng was not about to let him go so easily, continuing to mock from behind, “Who can say? The chief is absent, the bureau is under your charge. If you wish to eliminate rivals or curry favor with some superior by killing your own subordinates, who would know?”

Seeing Chen Xuanfeng disappear from sight without a response, Yuan Wufeng let out a cold laugh and sat where Chen had been.

It was customary for a deputy director to remain in the bureau.

With Chen Xuanfeng gone, it was up to him to take the helm.

...

Temple Base Village.

After several exchanges, Zhou Cheng, the Demon Slayer, was covered in countless wounds.

His right arm bore a gruesome gash, the limb rendered useless, hanging by a mere shred of tissue.

Yet Zhou Cheng, ever the stoic, uttered not a single cry of pain, even in such dire straits.

---

“Ah...” His ruined right arm hindered his movements. Gritting his teeth, Zhou Cheng decisively severed it with a single stroke.

Pain surged again, and Zhou Cheng gasped sharply.

The black cat was simply too swift—he could barely keep up, forced onto the defensive.

Ordinarily, with no news for so long, the bureau’s stationed chief should have grown alert and sent reinforcements.

Yet after all this time, Zhou Cheng had seen no help arrive, which seemed most unusual.

“Meow...” The black cat licked the blood from its paw.

Lu Jiuzhang found it hard to reconcile such a cute sound with the terrifying demon before him.

Its movements were so agile that Zhou Cheng’s attacks and defenses were effortlessly neutralized.

At most, Zhou Cheng could hold out for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea; soon, he would either die or be rendered incapable of fighting.

“Meow...” The black cat stood its ground, eyes locked on Zhou Cheng, full of challenge.

Sweat poured from Zhou Cheng’s brow, his body soaked in blood, making it impossible to tell where he was wounded and where he remained intact.

“Growl...” The black cat attacked first.

Its sharp claws aimed straight for Zhou Cheng’s throat.

Zhou Cheng raised his blade to block, but was a step too slow—the cat’s speed was overwhelming.

In a blink, it crossed four or five meters, claws striking at Zhou Cheng’s vital points.

Lu Jiuzhang had been optimistic, thinking Zhou Cheng could last a cup of tea’s time, but now it looked like he had only seconds.

Once Zhou Cheng fell, it would be Lu Jiuzhang’s turn.

The Tower of Kuixing in his sea of consciousness remained dormant, its literary pool exhausted.

Calling upon its power again seemed impossible.

“Clang...” Just as Zhou Cheng thought his death was imminent, an unexpected turn occurred.

A clear, crisp sound rang in Zhou Cheng’s ear.

The black cat was knocked back, retreating several meters in a flash.

At the village entrance, a figure cloaked in black had appeared—judging by the silhouette, a woman.

---

“Haha! Damn it all, heaven hasn’t forsaken me!” Zhou Cheng burst out laughing.

He did not know the newcomer’s identity, but since she had just saved him, she was unlikely to be an enemy.

“Looks like a woman, but no matter. This black cat is only ninth rank. If we join forces, we should be able to kill it!” Zhou Cheng laughed, “In a moment, we’ll flank it from both sides!”

“Hmph!” Under her black cloak, the woman seemed displeased at Zhou Cheng’s use of “woman.”

Lu Jiuzhang now noticed that on the woman’s right hand was a bracelet.

It must have been this bracelet that had saved Zhou Cheng from a fatal blow.

To throw it so accurately over such a distance—this woman was no ordinary person.

Yet Lu Jiuzhang had lived in Changshui County for so long and never seen anyone like her.

Who was she? Where had she come from?

“Don’t be so petty. It’s just a word—‘woman.’ If you don’t like it, I won’t use it!” Zhou Cheng called out boisterously. “With demons causing havoc, as a ranked martial artist, you ought to lend a hand!”

Clearly, Zhou Cheng was trying to win her over to help slay the cat demon. If they failed, who knew how many people the demon would harm next time.

The black-robed woman did not reply. Instead, she suddenly turned to look outside the village.

After a few glances, she sped swiftly into the distance.

What? She was leaving?

Lu Jiuzhang was taken aback. She had come to save them—shouldn’t she lend a hand a few more times?

Now that she was gone, what would they do if the cat demon attacked again?

Zhou Cheng, on the other hand, was unconcerned by her departure, his face alight with post-crisis relief. “We’re saved, reinforcements are here. I suspect a deputy director has been dispatched.”

A deputy director of the Demon Slaying Bureau, with eighth-rank martial arts.

This cat demon was only ninth rank—though at the peak, and perhaps a few more years would see it break through to eighth rank.

But for now, it was no match for the bureau’s deputy director.

“Break!” A furious shout echoed from outside the village.

Lu Jiuzhang saw a blade descend from the sky, plunging into the ground.