Volume 4, Chapter 4 – Night Hunt

Then all the people flooding in now should have passed the assessment too, and just like him, they now counted as outer-sect disciples.

They were all noisily choosing dorms. Quite a few had already changed into sect garb, come out with wooden swords in hand, and gathered in clusters along the corridor, exchanging whatever information they had picked up.

“The martial test actually wasn’t that bad. It only checked memory and flexibility. The strength assessment was the easy part.”

“Of course it was easy. Anyone who managed to get a ticket has already had their bones felt over. Their talent is already set. Testing so many items is just a waste of time.”

“Then they might as well skip the exam.”

“Are you stupid? The exam isn’t really testing us. It’s testing the people who bought the tickets.”

Liu Yong listened for a while and quickly lost interest.

He hadn’t taken the assessment at all, so there was no common topic. He couldn’t put himself in their place, and naturally could not share the same feelings.

Still, there were bits of news that were new to him.

“Did you guys see Senior Brother Lian?”

A burly, dark-skinned youth said excitedly, “Senior Brother Lian Feng! He even looks younger than us, yet he has already made a name for himself. That ‘Flash Sword’ of his is unmatched in all of Zhen’nan!”

“Haven’t seen him.” Another youth in the crowd said lazily, “The one overseeing our assessment was Senior Brother First. Ah, it’s really a pity you all didn’t get to see him in action. Now that is what you call gentle and refined, outstanding and extraordinary. He talks to everyone with the same sincerity…”

“Senior Brother First? You mean Senior Brother Xu Shu, right?”

Everyone started exclaiming all at once. They began chiming in one after another, talking about the famous faces they had seen and recounting the stories they had heard about these so-called celebrities.

“Last month Senior Brother Lian led a squad by himself to clear two sectors of the Chilong Circuit. He personally slew twenty-one demons. Among the younger disciples, no one can compare.”

“So what? Senior Brother First killed fifty-eight all by himself!”

“Senior Brother First is older. There’s a difference of several years. He shouldn’t lower himself to being compared with Senior Brother Lian.”

“Why can’t they be compared? They are both inner-sect disciples, both the same generation. Senior Brother Lian himself hasn’t said anything. I suggest you stop sticking your nose into things.”

While everyone kept arguing, Liu Yong suddenly heard a familiar voice. He followed the sound and, sure enough, it was Zhu Sheng, whom he had met earlier at the foot of the mountain.

Zhu Sheng had let his hair grow out early. With long hair he could finally pin on a coronet, which naturally suited the ancient-style robes better.

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Just standing there by himself, he was like a mirror, making all the short-haired senior and junior brothers beside him look like eunuchs.

“I’d advise you all to rein in your energy a bit.” Zhu Sheng said calmly to them. “There should still be half an hour until mealtime. Resting a little more is always good.”

There was nothing really wrong with the person himself. It was just that he naturally gave off a face that begged for a beating, the kind that made people want to hit it without even realizing it.

Naturally, no one accepted what Zhu Sheng said, and the noise only grew louder. Seeing this, Zhu Sheng only shook his head. He was just about to return to the dorm to rest when he turned his head and saw Liu Yong.

Crap.

When he saw Zhu Sheng’s eyes light up, a bad feeling rose in Liu Yong’s chest. He had just started to turn around when Zhu Sheng crossed the distance in one step and called out in delight, “Isn’t this Brother Liu…? You are right next door? That is not ordinary fate.”

I would rather not have this kind of fate…

Originally, Liu Yong had been a complete nobody that no one noticed, but once Zhu Sheng spoke up, some of the other disciples finally remembered he was the one who had come in through “connections.” They started whispering to one another, and the looks cast his way were already full of contempt.

As if afraid he had not drawn enough hatred, Zhu Sheng added grandly, “There’s no explaining things to this lot. Come on, brother, let’s go in and talk properly.”

Now he was really done for.

Numbly dragged into the room by Zhu Sheng, Liu Yong’s mind was full of scenes of being targeted by everyone later. For a moment he did not know what to do with his hands and feet, and could only watch as Zhu Sheng pulled up a chair and sat down.

Where is Dongzi?

Looking for his one source of support, Liu Yong turned and saw Dongzi lying on his side on the bed, already sound asleep.

You can really sleep at a time like this!

Liu Yong let out a helpless, angry little laugh. Over there, Zhu Sheng was looking around with admiration. “So you knew the inside story too, brother. Looks like you have already had your nap. Then I don’t need to nag you.”

Catching the key point in those words, Liu Yong finally felt a flicker of alarm and quickly asked, “Why do we need to sleep?”

“You don’t know?”

Zhu Sheng looked blank for a moment, then studied Liu Yong’s expression carefully. After confirming he was not being messed with, he thought for a bit before lowering his voice. “Because we are going out to train tonight.”

Now it was Liu Yong’s turn to be confused. “Huh?”

“Aren’t you curious why there are no disciples practicing sword on the plaza?” Zhu Sheng shook his head. “Back in April, the dojo recruited at least a hundred people. Today we are holding the exam indoors so we do not use the plaza, but that side has been empty all day, not a single person. You are not curious where they all went?”

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Liu Yong shook his head.

It was not that he had never thought about it, but when he and Dongzi came over, they never even paid attention to whether there was anyone over at the plaza.

“They are most likely resting.” Zhu Sheng gave his guess.

“Resting?”

“Yes, because they are going out to kill demons tonight.”

Kill demons?

Liu Yong froze for a moment, then remembered those terrifying close calls on the road while they were fleeing, and his face instantly went dark.

Is Shenming Sword Dao crazy, taking disciples out to kill demons on their first day in the sect?

And they even call it training? What kind of dojo trains people in such a mad way?

“It is understandable that Brother Liu doesn’t know.” Zhu Sheng paused and chose a more tactful way of putting it. “Let me ask you first. How do you think Zhen’nan is doing right now?”

“Everything is waiting to be rebuilt.” He did not wait for Liu Yong to answer and instead continued on his own. “New high-rises go up every month. Roads extend a little farther every day.”

“Companies, hospitals, schools, factories.”

“After more than half a year of development, Zhen’nan finally has the rough shape of a city.”

“So do you think there are enough people here now?” He asked Liu Yong, then went right on shaking his head. “Clearly not.”

“Not enough workers, not enough doctors, not enough teachers. Not enough of anything.”

“And you more or less know the situation outside.” His gaze went deep. “Do you think the people living in resettlement housing can sleep soundly every night? Who do you think they should thank for that?”

I see.

Liu Yong finally started to understand a little.

He had indeed heard about it. Since March, all kinds of strange incidents had plagued various places. Over there it was wind disasters, over here it was floods. In Xizhou, which was closer, it was said several circuit cities had been swallowed by yellow sand.

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Even though Maozhou had not seen disasters on that scale, the demon beasts in the surrounding areas were still increasing sharply. Because of this, Shenming Sword Dao and scattered mercenaries often sent out squads to hunt, and the “battle records” of those senior brothers had come from this.

“Around Maozhou, the number of demon beasts has already dropped sharply. But the number of Demon Pools keeps going up.”

Zhu Sheng said in a low voice, “In the fourth and fifth months, Maozhou dispatched multiple squads to work with Qizhou to clear the Chilong Circuit. It is obvious they intend to reclaim that territory. Just that one thing consumes a huge amount of manpower.”

“Do not worry.” he added. “Given the current situation, we really do not have time to shut ourselves in and practice sword. We have to be taken onto the field to see real battle. But we have all just joined. For these first few night hunts, we should not be the main fighting force.”

So there would be senior brothers leading the squads?

Hearing this, Liu Yong relaxed a little and said, “If that is the case, then of course I am willing to do my part.”

He knew how to weigh things.

The reason he and Dongzi were still alive owed a lot to the help they had received from Maozhou.

Now that the two of them had gotten resources and a chance to rise, they needed to give something back at the right time. This was not something he could shrug off.

“There is just one thing I do not understand.”

He had also noticed that Zhu Sheng seemed even more like someone who had pulled strings than he was. Zhu Sheng had not only known Senior Sister Hu in advance, he also knew about these hidden arrangements, so Liu Yong simply kept asking him for guidance. “If manpower is really so tight, and this involves such a large-scale purge in the Chilong area, why not hand it over to Bai… why not hand it over to the Dao Lord?”

That was close.

Liu Yong felt a cold sweat inside.

After all, his status was different now. He could call her Dao Lord too.

“If the Dao Lord is not handling it, then she has her reasons.” Zhu Sheng frowned at the question, and his voice lowered further.

“I have also heard a bit of gossip. Just listen and leave it at that. Do not spread it after you walk out the door.”

“I know better than that.” Liu Yong hurried to promise.

“I only heard it second-hand too.” Zhu Sheng emphasized again before finally saying, “They say that behind the strange events in other places are great demons, even ancient demon kings that have revived.”

“The Dao Lord has not shown herself for nearly half a month. I think she has probably gone to carry out decapitation strikes in the surrounding regions.”

Decapitation strikes, huh…

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Liu Yong went blank for a moment, then slowly nodded.

“Alright, enough about that.” Zhu Sheng quickly switched the topic and slung an arm around his shoulders.

“Come on, come on.”

“If you are not going to sleep, why don’t I help you plan which direction you should develop in from here?”

“D… direction?”

“Of course. Clear-Mist Peak, Yuming Peak, and the main Shenming peak. Each place is completely different, you know~”

…

Meanwhile, in Longchuan, Maozhou, a lone woman sat cross-legged on a mist-wreathed mountain peak.

She wore white inner robes with a green gauze skirt draped over them. Her white hair was coiled up, white eyelashes resting against tightly closed lids. A sheathed Yu sword lay across her knees.

“Auntie, I have checked everything.”

Suddenly, a young girl in the same style of dress burst out of the clouds and mist, also carrying a long sword as she called out to her.

“The village down below is completely empty. Only corpses are left, and all their brains were eaten clean!”

“Is that so.”

Hearing the report, Bai Xiang finally opened her eyes.

“It seems a brief period of peace does not mean the waters are calm.”

“Qing’er.”

“Yeah!”

“Pack up and come down the mountain with me.”