The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter
Chapter 246: Crisis
"Brother Yuan!"
Xiao Qiaoniang blinked her beautiful eyes. She never would have thought the person knocking on her door would be Bai Yuan.
From Bai Yuan’s travel-worn appearance, she could tell he must have journeyed day and night to get here.
Bai Yuan said, "Sister Qiao, let’s go inside first."
"Ah..."
Only then did Xiao Qiaoniang realize she had been staring blankly for a long time.
She welcomed Bai Yuan into the room, then took another careful look at his face.
He seemed much more mature and dignified than before. ’What they say is true, high office really does mold a man.’
Bai Yuan had already told her in his letters that he had become the Demon-slaying Guard General of Ling Province.
That was a high-ranking official of the fifth rank!
Back in Baisha Town, Xiao Qiaoniang wouldn’t have dared to dream of such a high position.
’Brother Yuan is truly a man of great promise.’
A sense of pride swelled within Xiao Qiaoniang.
Bai Yuan looked around the room, seeing only Sister Qiao. "Where are your master and Elder Zhou?"
"They went to track down that Demon Hunter."
Hearing this, Bai Yuan nodded.
He had originally hoped to see Zhou Siming. After all, though Old Zhou was not his master in name, he owed him a debt of gratitude for his guidance.
’But since I’m already in Yan Province, there will be a chance to meet sooner or later.’
"Sister Qiao, I have never taken a concubine, nor have I taken any maids."
"Mm."
Sister Qiao blinked her beautiful eyes and nodded slightly.
But just as she was wondering why Bai Yuan would say such a thing, a powerful force swept her into his arms.
"Ah..."
A soft cry was heard.
...
「The next morning.」
A ray of sunlight fell upon two bodies.
Xiao Qiaoniang lay on Bai Yuan’s chest, tracing circles with her finger.
"Master treats me very well, but the path down the mountain is so long. I have to walk fifty li just to mail a letter."
She seemed to have endless things to say.
Bai Yuan held Sister Qiao comfortably, listening in silence.
There are four great joys in life: a welcome rain after a long drought, reuniting with an old friend in a foreign land, the night of one’s wedding, and achieving great success.
’In a broad sense,’ he thought, ’I’ve experienced them all.’
Just as Xiao Qiaoniang was getting into the swing of her story, he suddenly asked, "Sister Qiao, when did your master and the others leave?"
Sister Qiao paused, then thought for a moment. "It was around noon yesterday."
Bai Yuan glanced at the sky.
It was already the period between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., which meant Liang E and Zhou Siming had been gone for nearly twenty-two hours.
’They’ve been gone for so long and haven’t returned. I’m afraid something has happened.’
Sister Qiao also quickly realized something was wrong. Just as she was about to speak, she saw Bai Yuan abruptly roll out of bed.
Almost at the same instant, the door was suddenly kicked open.
Two men with black cloths over their faces charged into the room, brandishing blades with murderous intent.
But Bai Yuan seemed to have anticipated all of this. As smoothly as flowing water, he drew the long saber he had placed by the bed. The blade became a blur as it swept toward the two men’s necks.
"Urk... ah..."
THUD.
The strike was simply too fast!
The two burly men didn’t even have time to cry out before Bai Yuan slit their throats, reaping their lives.
Without even glancing at the two men, Bai Yuan said to Sister Qiao behind him, "We need to leave this place now."
Xiao Qiaoniang was no longer the village woman she once was. There wasn’t a trace of panic in her eyes.
She first tossed Bai Yuan’s clothes to him, then quickly changed her own and followed him downstairs.
Worry appeared in Sister Qiao’s eyes.
’Liang E and Zhou Siming really are in trouble.’
...
「Yan Province, Sun Alliance Headquarters.」
"Dead?"
A burly man, easily eight feet tall with his chest exposed, snorted coldly.
"Yes."
A disciple of the Sun Alliance knelt on one knee before him.
"Have you identified the person who did it?"
"Not yet. They’re likely from an Outer State."
The burly man’s eyes narrowed. ’Did someone else from Linzhou arrive?’
This man was none other than the Alliance Leader of the Sun Alliance, Hu Sanyang.
The Sun Alliance was an extremely powerful force in Yan Province, ranking among the top three at the very least.
As part of the Northern Continent, Yan Province was home to countless clans and sects. The Sun Alliance’s enduring prosperity was a testament to its deep foundations. In terms of strength, the Sun Alliance was considerably more powerful than the Longevity Palace of Ling Province.
At that moment, a sinister-looking middle-aged man standing beside Hu Sanyang slowly spoke, "Alliance Leader, why not let me conduct the interrogation? Perhaps I can find out the man’s whereabouts."
Hu Sanyang pondered for a moment. "Go."
The middle-aged man gave a sinister laugh and vanished into a dark corner of the room.
A short while later, he appeared in the Sun Alliance’s dungeon.
He walked up to a specially made cell and stared coldly at the two people slumped on the floor.
They were none other than Zhou Siming and Liang E, who had been missing for a day.
Liang E stared daggers at the middle-aged man before her. "You traitor who betrayed your master and ancestors."
That’s right. This middle-aged man was the traitorous Demon Hunter she had been pursuing, Sanka.
What she hadn’t expected was that Sanka had actually thrown in his lot with the Sun Alliance.
The Sun Alliance was a major power. As soon as she and Zhou Siming had entered Yanzhou City, they had been targeted.
Liang E and Zhou Siming had originally planned to investigate Sanka’s situation first, but they were ambushed by Sanka and experts from the Sun Alliance. The two of them were no match and were both captured.
Compared to fighting human Martial Artists, Demon Hunters were still better suited to dealing with demonic beasts.
Sanka ignored Liang E’s glare. "Speak! Who was that man?!"
At his words, both Liang E and Zhou Siming frowned imperceptibly.
Liang E looked as if she would rather die than submit. "You killed your master. Are you going to kill your junior martial sister as well?"
Sanka sneered, "That old fool deserved to die. Don’t worry, I’ll let you all have a reunion in the Underworld."
Hearing Sanka’s words, Liang E actually felt a sense of relief.
’It seems Xiao Qiaoniang hasn’t been captured by Sanka yet.’
Liang E said, "Our senior brother treated you like his own son, yet you were so ruthless. You have a heart of stone."
Sanka scoffed. "Good?"
"He passed the Demon Transformation Art to that worthless senior brother of ours! He deserved to die!"
Liang E sighed inwardly.
Although she had her suspicions, she hadn’t expected Sanka to have brutally murdered his master and senior brother all for a single Cultivation Technique.
Sanka was originally a native youth from a poor family in Linzhou who made a living by hunting.
Later, her senior brother saw Sanka’s talent and deemed him suitable to become a Demon Hunter, so he took Sanka as his disciple and nurtured him carefully.
Under her senior brother’s guidance, Sanka quickly became an outstanding Demon Hunter.
If not for her senior brother, Sanka might have long ago died under the sharp teeth of some wild beast.
But Liang E never would have imagined that Sanka would kill the person who had changed his destiny, all for a Cultivation Technique.
’The bond between master and disciple is truly fragile in the face of personal gain.’
The reason Liang E had pursued Sanka for a thousand li was to avenge her senior brother.
Sanka said, "Alright, you know what you wanted to know. Now tell me who that person was, and I can grant you a quick death."
He had, of course, realized that Liang E was deliberately trying to get information out of him.
Liang E took a deep breath, her attitude firm. "I don’t know."
She truly didn’t know who had rescued Xiao Qiaoniang, but even if she did, she wouldn’t have told him.
"Let’s see just how tough you are."
Sanka smiled cruelly.
He slowly drew the scimitar from his waist and slashed down without the slightest hesitation.
However, his target was neither Liang E nor Zhou Siming.
A shrill scream echoed through the cell.
SPIT! Liang E coughed up a mouthful of blood.
A snake’s head rolled out from behind her.
That Snake Demon was one of her controlled beasts.
She had planned to secretly control the Snake Demon to help her and Zhou Siming escape the cell, but she hadn’t expected Sanka to burst in and discover its presence.
With the Snake Demon killed, Liang E, its master, naturally suffered from the backlash.
Sanka’s face was full of scorn. "Junior Martial Uncle Liang, did you think I had forgotten the methods of a Demon Hunter?"
Seeing Liang E injured, Zhou Siming’s eyes nearly split with rage.
"You bastard who betrayed your own master!"
Zhou Siming lunged forward, but his collarbones were pierced and bound by iron chains. He had also been given a muscle-softening poison, leaving him weaker than an ordinary farmer. Sanka sent him flying back with a single kick.
"Speak, or I’ll kill her first!"
The ruthlessness in Sanka’s eyes reached its peak as he pressed his scimitar against Liang E’s neck.
Zhou Siming’s gaze flickered. Finally, he let out a long sigh. "It’s Kong Man."
Hearing Kong Man’s name, a look of fear appeared on Sanka’s face.
"Very good. Then I’ll let you live a little longer."
Sanka immediately turned and walked out of the cell.
’If it really is Kong Man, then I need to be careful.’
After Sanka left, Liang E looked at Zhou Siming with a worried expression. "I wonder if Kong Man will be able to rescue Qiaoniang."
She no longer held any hope of escaping alive. She only hoped that her disciple could get away, so the legacy of the Demon-Controlling Lineage would not be severed.
A playful glint flashed in Zhou Siming’s eyes. "Who said Kong Man is here?"
’He was faking it?’
Liang E was stunned. She hadn’t expected Zhou Siming to have been acting just now.
His performance had almost fooled her.
All Demon Hunters knew Zhou Siming to be a straightforward man who disdained lying. She never thought his skill at deception was so superb.
Perhaps that was precisely why Sanka hadn’t been too suspicious.
...
"Kong Man?"
Sun Alliance’s Alliance Leader, Hu Sanyang, repeated the name under his breath.
Sanka said, "This person is a Demon Hunter who specializes in slaying demons. His strength is extremely formidable. Alliance Leader, what should we do?"
Hu Sanyang suddenly asked, "Does this Kong Man have a Cultivation Technique?"
"...He should."
"Very good. Have Vice Alliance Leader Zhang cooperate with you. You must obtain that Cultivation Technique."
A flash of greed crossed Hu Sanyang’s eyes.
He hadn’t taken Sanka in out of the goodness of his heart. Although Sanka was skilled, his strength was far from enough to make Hu Sanyang risk offending the Demon Hunters.
The reason he was protecting Sanka was, naturally, because Sanka had presented him with a Demon Hunter’s Cultivation Technique.
Hu Sanyang had long heard about the prowess of Demon Hunters.
He had been stuck at the ’Zhigǎn’ realm for thirty years and was hoping to use the Demon Hunters’ methods to achieve a breakthrough.
When it came to Cultivation Techniques, the more, the better.
Sanka was overjoyed. "Thank you, Alliance Leader!"
Inwardly, however, he was sneering.
’What Hu Sanyang has is only an incomplete fragment. The Demon Transformation Art is just too profound for him to have noticed.’
Once he used the Sun Alliance to kill Liang E and the others, he would flee Yan Province and go into seclusion to cultivate.
When his divine technique was mastered, not even Hu Sanyang would be able to touch him.
’Since that damned old man said my heart was crooked, then I’ll become a true devil.’
...
「In the dungeon.」
Liang E and Zhou Siming leaned silently against the stone wall, lost in thought.
Just then, a jailer opened the cell door.
The two of them recognized this jailer.
But to their surprise, the jailer acted out of character this time, walking right up to them with a smile on his face.
"Old Zhou, we meet again."