There was no moon outside the window, and the night was extremely dark.
Heavy breathing came from the doorway, sounding like a broken bellows.
The door opened, and a huge shadow occupied the entrance, blocking all light.
The shadow was taller than the door, bending its waist as it stepped inside.
"Snap!"
Soft footsteps echoed, particularly clear in the dark night.
As the shadow stepped into the room, it seemed to trip.
Not five inches above the ground, a transparent fishing line tied to a bell was connected to the wall.
The fishing line snapped, and the bell fell to the ground, making a jingling sound that pierced the silent darkness.
The shadow paused for a moment and approached Qin An's bed.
The heavy breathing gradually deepened, as if sounding the death knell in the night.
Qin An lay on the bed with his back to the shadow, unable to see its expression.
The shadow drew closer to Qin An, reaching out to touch his back.
At that moment, Qin An suddenly turned and leaped off the side, sprinting towards the door.
He woke up as soon as the intruder entered the house.
The bell was his setup; since arriving in Ding County, Qin An had been cautious, setting up the alarm to prevent any mishaps.
Unexpectedly, someone really did sneak in under cover of darkness.
As Qin An leapt from the bed, he saw the intruder's appearance clearly.
A two-meter-tall creature with a pig's head and a human body was hidden in the darkness.
The pig head was covered with a red veil, the eye corners lightly powdered with pink rouge.
The evil qi surged like a tsunami, crashing forward.
Demon.
Pig demon!
"After slaughtering a demon, its evil qi will haunt you."
Qin An remembered what Chen Chun had said and bolted without hesitation.
It was his first encounter with a demon, and the overwhelming pressure made him a little uneasy.
Better not be reckless, run first, talk later.
But just as Qin An was about to reach the door, the pig demon kicked over.
A fierce gust echoed, extremely piercing.
In the critical moment, Qin An raised his arms to block his chest.
Immense force spread through his arms and throughout his body.
Qin An's arms went numb, and he flew backward, stopping only after crashing into the wall.
A burning sensation radiated from his back, and he tasted sweetness in his throat as he spat out blood.
"Turns out you really do cough up blood when injured; TV dramas didn't lie."
He felt a bit unlucky.
Chen Chun mentioned the influence of evil qi, and now a pig demon really came, seemingly a female one.
Qin An gripped the sharp knife tightly, wiped the blood from his mouth: "None of my business, I'm just a butcher."
The female pig demon snorted, two wisps of white mist sprayed from its nose: "You have my husband's scent on you, I must avenge him by tearing you to shreds and eating you bit by bit."
Husband?
Scent?
Qin An understood.
The pig demon he slaughtered had a lover, and after killing it, the demon's scent clung to him.
"It was the authorities, not my doing," Qin An sat on the ground, his back against the wall.
The female pig demon licked its cracked lips, eyes glowing with a bloodthirsty light, its fan-sized palm swung towards Qin An's head: "I've snuck into the county town starving; let me eat you first. If I'm mistaken, I'll recite prayers for you."
A gust of wind sounded in his ears.
Watching the descending fan-sized palm, Qin An felt a surge of anger.
Since arriving in Ding County, he had lived cautiously, offending no one.
The authorities killed the pig demon, he was merely following orders to butcher it.
But now the pig demon, it seemed, just wanted to eat him.
Reason?
Was there any reason?
It's like humans eating pork, pig demons eat humans without needing a reason.
"Fine, fine, if that's how you want to play, I've slaughtered plenty of pigs, let's try killing a pig demon today."
Qin An gritted his teeth, the blade in his hand ran downward.
His mind conjured images of flickering shadows, instinctively using the Wind-breaking Saber Skill.
The heat flow within his body surged into the blade, making it roar violently as it cut through the air.
The female pig demon's fan-sized hand froze in mid-air, eyes filled with disbelief.
The sharp knife cut down from the pig demon's shoulder, finally stopping at its heart.
The heat flow on the blade flooded the pig demon's heart, causing it to instantly explode.
"Snap!"
A dull sound echoed, particularly clear in the darkness.
The pig demon's massive body collapsed to the ground, twitching momentarily before becoming still.
Supporting himself on the wall, Qin An stood up, wiping the blade's bloodstains onto the pig demon's fur.
"Pfui!"
"A pig demon calling itself 'slave', disgusting."
The sharp knife in his hand still felt warm.
Qin An hadn't expected the Wind-breaking Saber Skill to be so powerful, as if the heat flow augmented the skill, enhancing its power.
Noises came from outside.
Qin An turned his head, looking towards the street.
At the doorway, Chen Chun, holding a short knife, had already reached Qin An's entrance.
Seeing the pig demon's corpse on the ground, Chen Chun's face was full of disbelief: "You mastered the Wind-breaking Saber Skill?"
He had just sensed the pig demon's presence, and hurried over, knife in hand.
But before he got close, he saw Qin An slice through the pig demon with a single stroke.
This stance clearly indicates the Wind-breaking Saber Skill.
After Chen Chun imparted the Wind-breaking Saber Skill to Qin An, he hoped Qin An could at least master some moves and perhaps withstand the pig demon's revenge for a while.
Until he arrives to slaughter the pig demon himself.
But it seems that he's not needed now.
Wasn't this Wind-breaking Saber Skill given during the day, and now mastered by night?
Chen Chun's gaze was somewhat complex.
Qin An calmly said, "Still not closing the door?"
"Oh, oh."
Chen Chun instinctively walked into the room and shut the door with a backhand move.
After closing the door, Chen Chun felt something was amiss.
Why did he just follow Qin An's word in a daze?
Chen Chun turned his head, his small mustache trembled, and his expression froze again.
He saw Qin An squatting on the ground, skillfully dissecting the pig demon's corpse.
"What are you doing?"
"Slaughtering."
"Why slaughter it?"
"Such a big pig demon, would you just leave it at home?"
Chen Chun heard this and said nothing.
He felt Qin An was even more composed than he imagined.
Facing a pig demon attack, counter-killing it, and now expressionlessly slaughtering it.
How could an ordinary civilian achieve this?
Qin An wielded the knife swiftly.
He was a butcher, long accustomed to bloodshed, without the symptom of nausea.
Otherwise, he would have vomited by now.
From start to finish, Qin An only used the time it takes for two sticks of incense to burn.
The pig demon's meat was placed in the kitchen.
Besides, there was a meatball similar to what was seen earlier at the yamen.
Qin An thought for a moment, wrapped the meatball in cloth, and hid it in a secret spot.
After doing all this, Qin An walked out of the kitchen.
He saw Chen Chun still standing in place and poured himself a glass of water: "Chen, who are you really?"
Previously, he only suspected, but now he could confirm Chen Chun's unusual identity.
Which coffin shop owner would wield a knife in the middle of the night?
Chen Chun coughed once, eyes darting around, and said: "I heard some noise and was worried your house might have intruders, so I came over to see."
Qin An stared quietly at Chen Chun, wordless, slowly raising the knife beside him.
Since he's already been drawn into this whirlpool, he might as well go all out.
His sole thought since arriving was just to survive.
Seeing Qin An's movement, Chen Chun's lips twitched: "I am an undercover agent of the Evil Extermination Bureau, hidden in the yamen of Ding County, collecting evidence of their collaboration with monsters."
He knew that if he didn't explain the reason to Qin An, Qin An might really draw his knife.
Moreover, just now, Chen Chun had a new idea.
Qin An was originally a simple butcher, but in an afternoon, mastered such a level of the Wind-breaking Saber Skill; he must have extraordinary insight into cultivation.
The work of an undercover agent is not simple, if there's an extra helper in Ding County, things might be much easier.
Qin An's hand holding the knife paused slightly: "The yamen collaborating with monsters?"
He had heard of the Evil Extermination Bureau.
In Daqian Kingdom, the Evil Extermination Bureau is not a secret.
To exterminate monsters, eradicate pseudo-gods, and stabilize the chaos of the martial world.
Acting by imperial decree, with royal permission, its power is indeed immense.
But what's this about the yamen collaborating with evildoers?
Chen Chun stroked his right mustache with his forefinger and said: "It's just suspicion, after all, the exorcism cases in Ding County are peculiar."
"Every now and then someone dies, but every time they manage to deal with the monster."
"The Lingzhou Evil Extermination Bureau is unable to send someone over to investigate, so it's the undercover agent's role to act."
Undercover agents, referred to as 'eyes' embedded in various county offices, acting as the ears and eyes of the Evil Extermination Bureau.
Qin An frowned: "Then why are you helping me?"
As an undercover agent, naturally, he must not expose his identity.
Earlier, Chen Chun wielded a knife intending to help him, which contradicts the role of an undercover agent.
Chen Chun patted his chest and said: "Members of the Evil Extermination Bureau slay monsters, protect the common people, and you are just a civilian, that's all."
Qin An took another sip of water.
He didn't know how much truth was in Chen Chun's last words, but if Chen Chun was indeed an undercover agent from the Evil Extermination Bureau, it would be difficult to act against him.
Especially since Chen Chun is here to investigate the yamen.
The yamen collaborating with monsters first creates some chaos then randomly captures irrelevant monsters to gain achievements.
Qin An felt this might actually be happening.
"That saber skill..." Qin An asked, "Is it genuine?"
Chen Chun nodded: "Of course it's genuine, but it's not the Bureau's Cultivation Technique, because who dares casually spread the Bureau's techniques? That could get you beheaded; it's my family's cultivation technique."
Afterward, Chen Chun explained the reason, and Qin An understood.
Cultivation techniques are crucial, whether it's the Evil Extermination Bureau or various sects, they all of utmost importance.
If spread privately, one might face mild punishment or severe consequences.
Chen Chun didn't expect Qin An to master it; he hoped Qin An could at least defend himself slightly, but never imagined Qin An actually mastered the Wind-breaking Saber Skill.
Qin An fell silent.
Today's events were incredibly strange, he encountered things he never imagined, now he needs to process them.
Especially the matter of the yamen collaborating with monsters and the pig demon finding him, the convergence of these two events breeds a growing sense of danger within him.
The yamen might not be collaborating with the pig demons, otherwise, they wouldn't kill them.
But whether there's collaboration with other monsters is uncertain.
He's now immersed in troubled waters, trying to find a way out, it seems relying on the Golden Finger is the only path.
Seeing Qin An deep in thought, Chen Chun looked around, stealthily moved closer to Qin An, and whispered: "Do you want that Blood Crystal? If not, give it to me."