Seeing a shadowy figure, I raised my dagger, ready to attack.
“Wait, brother!” Just as I was about to stab the figure, it suddenly spoke, and I stopped immediately. Since it could speak like a human, it wasn’t the demon I was after.
Mei’er could transform into human form because she possessed the power of a nine-tailed fox. For an ordinary demon to take on human form, it would need at least the strength of a six-tailed spirit fox.
A six-tailed spirit fox could easily claim a life in an instant, making a person vanish from this world. A demon that kills only to take the heart, leaving the body behind, clearly hasn’t fully developed intelligence, let alone the ability to take on a human form.
But… you scared the hell out of me by appearing out of nowhere like that!
“Brother, are you here, like me, to subdue the demon?” Now that we were closer, I could see the man’s appearance clearly.
He was around 1.8 meters tall, with sword-like brows and bright eyes. His nose was prominent, and his face was sharp as if chiseled, with lips shaped like a knife’s edge. A long sword was strapped to his back, and his white robe fluttered in the breeze. What a handsome guy!
But why did his face seem so familiar? Oh, I remembered—I saw this guy at the Temple! He was the young man who told me where the restroom was.
Now I understand why he and that woman called each other senior brother and junior sister. They must be from the hidden world of cultivators.
“Indeed.” I pretended not to recognize him. I was glad I had prepared this outfit—if he recognized me, he would surely become suspicious of Mei’er’s identity.
The young man looked at my attire, paused for a moment, then stammered, “Brother, your outfit is… is really unique!”
This guy really didn’t know how to compliment someone. Couldn’t he just say I looked cool? I clearly looked dashing!
“When did this demon appear?” I glanced around. It was eerily quiet, without any sign of the demon emerging. I wondered if it had eaten its fill and hidden away to sleep.
“This graveyard gathers a lot of Yin Qi. The demon will surely come out to feed, but the time hasn’t come yet,” the man said, glancing at the sky. He continued, “I am Li Qingxiao from the Shushan Sect. May I ask for your esteemed name, brother?”
Damn! So the Shushan Sect actually exists? I wonder how Li Xiaoyao is doing. (G: a pun.)
I hesitated briefly. Since he had revealed his name, if I didn’t respond, it would not only fail to keep my secrets but might also arouse suspicion.
After a glance at Li Qingxiao, I replied calmly, “Guihu.” (G: Clever Fox.)
Of course, that wasn’t my real name, but it wasn’t random either. The first impression this mask gives is an eerie one, and since it’s a fox mask, the name makes sense.
“Brother Guihu, what a unique name,” Li Qingxiao chuckled awkwardly, clearly not believing that was my real name.
“A name is just a label. Why bother, Brother Li?” I tried to act as calm as possible, deliberately lowering my voice and making it hoarser, afraid Li Qingxiao might notice something.
“Brother Guihu, you’re right…” Li Qingxiao was smiling, but suddenly his expression turned serious, his eyes locked onto me.
My heart skipped a beat. Did he discover something?
With a swift “clang,” Li Qingxiao drew the sword from his back and pointed it directly at me. “Brother Guihu, watch out behind you—”
Before he even finished speaking, I already knew what was happening. Gripping my dagger tightly, I gathered my True Qi and turned to strike!
“Arrgh!” A miserable howl followed as a white shadow flashed by. The creature had finally emerged!
But after taking a hit, the demon vanished again, as if it had never been there.
“It’s a white rat demon!” Li Qingxiao sighed, looking at the disappearing figure.
I was still a bit shaken. Judging by Li Qingxiao’s expression, that white rat demon must have been right behind me.
“A white rat demon?” I asked, pretending to be calm.
Li Qingxiao hesitated, surprised by my question, but he explained, “The white rat demon is a mutated rat demon. It’s much fiercer than ordinary rat demons. More importantly, it’s extremely fast, and its mouth contains a highly corrosive liquid, making it very difficult to deal with!”
As he spoke, I felt another wave of malicious energy behind me. My skin prickled as I spun around and struck again, but this time there was no shadow.
Damn it! Why is this thing targeting me?
Li Qingxiao formed a sword gesture with his hands, tossing his long sword into the air. With a light leap, he landed on top of the sword. He—he was actually flying on the sword! Damn, Sword Flight is real!
“Brother Guihu, hurry up and fly into the air as well. I’ll use my Sword Flight to force the white rat demon to reveal itself!” As he spoke, his hand shifted through a series of gestures.
Damn! But I can’t fly!
“Qi Transformation into a Thousand Swords!” Li Qingxiao suddenly shouted. In the air, several long swords materialized, and with a wave of his hand, they all shot into the ground. I quickly channeled my True Qi into my legs and leaped into the air. Though I couldn’t fly, I could glide for a while.
As the sword energy hit the ground, a violent explosion occurred, forcing the white rat demon out of hiding.
Holy crap! This rat is huge!
If it stood upright, it would be about 1.7 meters tall—and that’s not counting the tail.
The white rat demon’s blood-red eyes locked onto Li Qingxiao, who had just cast the spell. It let out a furious roar and lunged at him.
I was just descending at that moment—what rotten luck! Cursing under my breath, I infused my True Qi into the black dagger and stabbed toward the demon’s head.
I had expected some resistance, but the black dagger pierced the white rat demon’s head without any obstruction. I quickly channeled my True Qi into the dagger, trying to crush its brain, but it swiped at me with its claw. Leaving my True Qi in the demon’s head, I pulled out the dagger and retreated.
“Arrgh!!! Arrgh!!!” The white rat demon crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up dust over a meter high. Its front paws clutched its head as it rolled around in agony.
Just like when my finger was cut, the wound on the white rat demon’s head was covered in a layer of frost, with no bl0od spurting out. My True Qi, mixed with the icy energy of the black dagger, remained in the demon’s head, causing it immense pain.
“I didn’t expect Brother Guihu to be so brave, landing such a decisive blow on the white rat demon!” Li Qingxiao looked at me, surprised, then added, “May I have the honor of delivering the final strike?”
“Go ahead…” That’s what I wanted to hear. Honestly, I only had the technique, but no real combat skills to back it up. In simpler terms, I didn’t have any actual moves. The damage I caused was mostly thanks to the icy energy on the black dagger.
“Thank you!” Li Qingxiao cupped his hands in gratitude before gripping his long sword. With one swift stroke of sword Qi, he sliced the white rat demon in two.
Damn! He’s strong! I had initially thought Li Qingxiao wasn’t all that powerful, but seeing him fly with the sword and unleash sword Qi like that, I was completely fooled. This guy, calling me “Brother Guihu,” turned out to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing!
“How about leaving the demon core to me?” I asked, using the dagger to pry the core from the white rat demon’s head, looking at Li Qingxiao.
“Does Brother Guihu not want the reward for completing the task?” he asked, looking puzzled.
I was stunned.
Task? Reward?
Things are Not Looking Good:
Yes, things are not looking good. As you know, translation requires a lot of time and energy. I translate, edit and proofread the chapters on my own. I will be honest here, I started translating as a hobby, then it evolved to a hope of earning a living by doing something I enjoy.
However, I suffered a chain of misfortunes during and after the pandemic, and earnings from FSM and RTV helped me a lot. It became a significant part of my life. As long as my monthly income bordered around $200, I could make the time to translate in the middle of other works. Then RTV ended, and the earning decreased. Now, it has decreased to around $90-$100. And with PETTV nearing completion, that would decrease even more. A*dsence gets me about $ 0.50 per day, and you can’t get the payment until it reaches $100, so I can’t depend on that either.
It wouldn’t be an issue in normal circumstances, but it matters a lot to me since I am still dealing with a lot of financial troubles. I am currently looking for a job, and will have to invest my time and energy in it once I get it.
Long story short, if you enjoy reading this novel, support the translation if you can, either by becoming a Patron in Patreon, or sponsoring chapters at BuymeaCoffee. You can also take some time to watch a*ds to increase the revenue on A*dsence. Grains of sand together can form a desert.
FSM supporters has been supporting me from the start no matter what, so I would continue to translate FSM as long as I am alive. But for the other projects, I now desperately need your support so that I can spend the time and energy to serve them to you all. That’s all. Thank you.