Chapter 5: Demon Hunter
Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Demon Hunter
The Zhou Family Marketplace was divided into four districts: East, South, West, and North. The East, South, and West districts were mainly for trade, while the North District was primarily residential.
Most of the cultivators who made a living in the Marketplace resided in the North District. Only Honored Guest Elders like Lu Zhao, and some Late-stage Qi Cultivators, were assigned to the other districts.
As for the true Zhou Family members, they never lived within the Marketplace. They resided atop the Zhou Family’s Spirit Mountain, thirty li away—a place that boasted a Tier Two Spirit Vein and served as the family’s true stronghold.
In truth, the Zhou Family Marketplace itself possessed a Spirit Vein—a Tier One High-Grade spiritual vein, no less. Otherwise, a marketplace would never have been established here.
However, the entire Spirit Vein had been sealed by a Tier Two Locking Spirit Array. Within the Marketplace, only the cave residences rented out by the Zhou Family were supplied with Spiritual Qi. If not for this, Lu Zhao wouldn’t have needed to go to the Cold Pool every day to meditate and cultivate.
Today, he had come to the North District to visit an old acquaintance—a Demon Hunter at the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer named Wang Yun.
When Lu Zhao first arrived at the Zhou Family Marketplace in Changfeng County, his early days had been extremely difficult. He’d had no choice but to join Wang Yun’s Demon Hunting Team. He stayed with the team for a full year, during which Wang Yun took great care of him, and the two had since forged a deep bond of friendship.
Lu Zhao walked with a light step to the gate of the small courtyard where Wang Yun lived, raised his hand, and knocked gently on the door.
KNOCK KNOCK!
A moment later, the wooden door creaked open. The one who opened it was a woman of about thirty, dressed in a blue skirt, with delicate features and a gentle disposition.
She was Wang Yun’s Dao Companion, Chen Fang.
"Sister Fang!" Lu Zhao smiled slightly and called out.
"Oh, it’s Little Zhao! Quick, come in and sit down." Chen Fang warmly welcomed him into the house.
The room was not large and was simply furnished. Lu Zhao sat down in a corner, while Chen Fang sat beside him and said with a smile, "You’re such a busy man these days. It’s been a whole year since your last visit."
"I came to see Brother Wang this time. Is he home?"
"He hasn’t returned yet. I expect he’ll be another hour," Chen Fang replied.
"Did he go to sell Demon Beast Materials again?"
"Yes," she nodded. "A few days ago, our team hunted down a Black Claw Pig."
"Congratulations, Sister Fang! Congratulations, Brother Wang!" Lu Zhao congratulated them sincerely. "The Black Claw Pig is a Tier One Middle-Grade Demon Beast. You must have made a good haul from this one, right?"
"It’s never that easy," Chen Fang said, shaking her head with a smile. "We’re not like you, receiving a monthly stipend. As Demon Hunters, we risk our lives for everything we earn."
Her voice was tinged with emotion as she said this.
"Yes, life as a Wanderer is not easy, and it’s even harder for a Demon Hunter," Lu Zhao agreed, feeling a deep sense of empathy.
He had personally experienced several years of a drifting life and knew the hardships of a Wanderer all too well. During that time, he had suffered immensely, paid a great price, and faced more uncertainty than in his entire previous life combined.
But he wasn’t afraid of hardship or difficulty; he was afraid of losing hope. Now, at least, his path of cultivation had a glimmer of promise.
After the moment of reflection, Chen Fang returned to the main topic: "Little Zhao, what did you need to see Brother Wang about?"
Lu Zhao held nothing back and calmly explained the reason for his visit.
After listening, Chen Fang’s brow furrowed slightly. "You need the corpse of a Tier One Lower Grade sparrow-like demon beast? That’s not easy to find. What do you need it for?"
Lu Zhao didn’t hide it: he had successfully crafted an Entry Tier Puppet, had just become a Tier One Lower Grade Puppet Master, and needed this material to craft a new Puppet.
Chen Fang’s expression was first one of surprise, then of pure envy.
"Congratulations, Little Zhao," she said sincerely. "Back when you were on the team, you always liked studying those little trinkets. Everyone used to laugh at you for it, but I never thought you’d actually make something of it."
"I’ve only just reached the Entry Tier. It’s just a way to earn a living the hard way. It’s nothing so grand as ’making something of it’," Lu Zhao said humbly.
"But it’s still Entry Tier!" Chen Fang sighed. "At least your path of cultivation has promise. Unlike us, our future is bleak. We don’t even know if we’ll ever reach the Late-stage of Qi Cultivation in this lifetime."
In her eyes, although Puppetry was rare, it was ranked among the top of the Cultivation Hundred Arts and surely brought in a considerable income.
In comparison, the life of a Demon Hunter was far too dangerous. Every year, a not insignificant number of Demon Hunters died at the hands of Demon Beasts or Tribulation Cultivators.
If not for the fact that the two of them truly lacked any talent for the Cultivation Hundred Arts, who would willingly live with their life constantly on the line?
After they had chatted for about forty-five minutes, the sound of footsteps came from outside, and a figure appeared at the doorway.
This person was tall, a full eight feet, with a rugged face, a full beard, and a hearty expression. It was none other than Wang Yun.
Wang Yun stood at the door and saw Lu Zhao visiting at a glance, a smile spreading across his face. "Little Zhao, come to see your big brother?"
Lu Zhao rose and bowed. "Brother Wang, you’re back."
Lu Zhao had always felt a deep sense of gratitude toward Wang Yun.
Back when his family was destroyed, he had wandered all the way from Northern Plains County to Changfeng County, and finally, by a stroke of luck, entered the Zhou Family Marketplace.
At that time, he had sold all his Magical Artifacts, spent all his Spirit Stones, and was left with only a few Talismans to survive on. His life was extremely dire.
In the end, it was Wang Yun’s team that took him in. Not only did they not make him take on the most dangerous tasks (an unwritten rule among Demon Hunting Teams), but they also looked after him in many ways.
It was this experience that allowed Lu Zhao to get through his most difficult period and also laid the foundation for him to later join the Zhou Family and become an Honored Guest Elder.
After the two finished exchanging pleasantries, Lu Zhao once again explained the reason for his visit.
"You need the corpse of a Tier One Early Stage sparrow-like demon beast?" Wang Yun pondered for a moment, a difficult expression on his face. "If it were before, it would have been troublesome, but not difficult."
"But now... I’m afraid it’s really hard to say."
"Did something happen in the Celestial Cloud Mountain Range, or has some powerful Demon Beast appeared?" Lu Zhao pressed.
Wang Yun shook his head, gestured for Lu Zhao to sit, and sat down at the table himself. He poured a cup of tea, took a slow sip, and only then began to speak. "It’s not a Demon Beast problem. It’s the Zhou Family. They seem to be looking for something recently, and it’s thrown the whole mountain range into chaos."
"I heard even the ’Cloud Pattern Cavalry’ has been deployed."
Hearing this, Lu Zhao’s expression changed slightly.
As a Zhou Family’s Guest Minister Elder, he knew the significance of the "Cloud Pattern Cavalry" better than Wang Yun and the others.
It was one of the key forces that allowed the Zhou Family to dominate Changfeng County. Although not numerous, with only a few dozen members, they were all Late-stage Qi Cultivators, equipped with fine Magical Artifacts, and possessed formidable combat strength.
Moreover, their mounts, the "Cloud Patterned Horses," were rare Demon Beasts possessing an Entry Tier bloodline. Upon reaching adulthood, most could break through to the Tier One Middle Stage. Their speed and endurance far surpassed ordinary demon beasts, making them ideal mounts for cultivators.
Although Qi Cultivators could fly, they couldn’t sustain it for long. Even a Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer cultivator, by exhausting all their Magical Power, could only fly for a few li at full speed.
For this reason, Demon Beasts in the Qi Refining Stage that excelled at travel were even more precious than combat-oriented Demon Beasts. The fact that the Zhou Family could equip the Cloud Pattern Cavalry with Cloud Patterned Horses was enough to show how highly they were valued.
At this thought, a faint sense of unease crept into Lu Zhao’s heart.
’Why would the Zhou Family suddenly mobilize the Cloud Pattern Cavalry on such a large scale? Who on earth are they searching for?’
’And could this be related to the recent rumors in the marketplace about Zhou Pingyuan being injured?’