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The wolf demon bristled, its golden eyes fixed on the man descending from the canopy.
He appeared to be in his early thirties, dressed in fine silk brocade that suggested wealth rather than warfare. With his neatly trimmed mustache and a relaxed, almost lazy smile, he looked entirely out of place in a monster-infested thicket.
His aura was deceptively still, like the surface of a deep pond. Yet, as he drew closer, the wolf demon felt a primal shiver crawl down its spine. To the beast's heightened senses, this wasn't a man at all, it was as if a Great Demon King had shed its skin to walk among mortals, carrying an oppressive, suffocating weight that made the very air feel like lead.
"The shopkeeper?!"
Sun Li, the senior Daoist, looked up from the dirt, his eyes wide with shock. He had spent years steeling himself for a lonely death on some godforsaken path, but he never imagined his savior would be the man who had served him cheap wine just yesterday.
Qin Yi offered a small, knowing nod to the wounded priest before his gaze sharpened, locking onto the beast.
"Silver Moon Heavenly Wolf," Qin Yi said, his voice dropping an octave. "I'll ask again: did you hear my offer?"
"You're talking nonsense!" the wolf roared, its pride overcoming its fear. It coiled its powerful haunches and launched itself at Qin Yi like a gray blur.
"Shopkeeper, get back!" Sun Li screamed. He tried to raise his shattered sword to intervene, but the effort only forced another spray of blood from his lips. He collapsed, his strength spent, watching in horror as the demon closed the distance.
In the heartbeat before the claws reached him, Qin Yi's expression went cold.
"If you won't be mastered," he murmured, "then you serve no purpose."
Suddenly, Qin Yi's presence erupted. His spiritual pressure billowed upward like a pillar of black smoke, and a dominant, peerless sword intent exploded outward, shredding the surrounding foliage into green confetti. In a flash of blinding light, his physical form distorted and elongated, transforming into a massive, glowing blade over ten feet long.
"The Heavenly Sword!" Sun Li gasped.
It was the signature, high-level art of Mount Shu.
The wolf demon's eyes went wide. It tried to arrest its momentum mid-air, but it was like trying to stop a landslide. The sheer pressure of the sword's aura was already slicing through the demon's hide, drawing lines of crimson across its paws before a blow was even struck.
Buzz… Buzz… Buzz!
The air vibrated with the hum of chaotic sword-qi. Though Qin Yi held back the full destructive force of the strike to avoid leveling the forest, the impact sent a shockwave through the earth, carving deep, jagged grooves into the soil for a hundred yards.
Sun Li stared, his mind reeling. He had pegged the tavern owner as a nobody, a retired martial artist at best. But this? This was the power of a King.
The Heavenly Sword hovered in the air, its tip inches from the wolf's throat, humming with an authority that seemed to slice through the fabric of reality itself.
"One last time," Qin Yi's voice echoed from within the steel, heavy and resonant. "Will you be my mount?"
The beast was paralyzed. It knew with absolute certainty that if that blade moved a fraction of an inch, its soul would be extinguished before it could even whimper.
"Spare me! Immortal Master, spare me!" the wolf demon cried out, its voice cracking. It collapsed into a submissive heap, pressing its forehead into the dirt. "I am willing! I will serve!"
The sword shimmered and vanished, and Qin Yi stepped out of the light, landing firmly on the demon's broad shoulder.
"Then follow me."
The Silver Moon Heavenly Wolf let out a low, obedient whine and reverted to its true, primal form. It was a magnificent creature, over nine feet long with a shimmering silver mane, a crescent-moon mark on its brow, and fur that caught the light in a spectrum of colors. These were noble beasts, rare enough to be considered treasures by the great sects.
"Back to the city," Qin Yi commanded. He gave Sun Li a final, parting nod before patting the wolf's flank.
The Silver Moon Wolf snorted a puff of white mist, moving with exaggerated care. It didn't dare trot or jar its new master, terrified that a single stumble might result in its head being parted from its shoulders.
As the man and the beast vanished into the trees, Sun Li finally allowed himself to breathe.
"I never would have guessed," he whispered to the empty forest. "A powerhouse like that... hiding in a common tavern."
The shock was a physical weight. Qin Yi's sword intent had been more refined, more terrifyingly absolute, than even his own Master's. And that technique, it was Mount Shu, through and through.
"He's one of them," Sun Li muttered, reaching into his robes for a healing pill. "The shopkeeper is a Sword Immortal."
He sat in meditation, the forest falling silent around him. A full day passed as he knit his broken ribs back together. As dusk began to bleed into the sky, the sound of hurried footsteps approached.
Four figures broke into the clearing, led by an old man with a long white beard and the dignified air of a seasoned master.
"Master! It happened right here!" one of the younger Daoists shouted, his voice thick with tears. "Senior Brother Sun Li stayed behind so we could escape..."
The old Master's face was a mask of cold stoicism, but his eyes betrayed a sharp, hidden grief. "Save your tears for the hunt. Find the wolf. Avenge your brother."
They fanned out, searching through the wreckage of the battle. It took less than five minutes before a jubilant shout rang out.
"He's here! He's alive!"
The old Daoist rushed over, his heart leaping as he saw Sun Li leaning against a stump. He was battered and bloodied, but his breathing was steady.
"A miracle," the Master breathed, checking his disciple's pulse.
Sun Li opened his eyes, a weary smile touching his lips. "Master... Brothers... you came."
"Senior Brother, how?" one of the younger ones asked, his voice filled with confusion. "That wolf was a monster. If you're here, where did it go? It's killed dozens, it wouldn't just let you walk away."
Sun Li's expression turned incredibly grave. He took a slow, painful breath before speaking.
"I didn't beat it. I wasn't even close. Just as the blow was falling... I was saved."
"By who?" the Master asked, his brow furrowing. "There are no other sects in this territory."
"The shopkeeper," Sun Li said simply.
"The... what?"
The three younger Daoists stared at him like he'd lost his mind, while the old Master stood frozen, the name echoing in the sudden silence of the woods.
(End of Chapter)