As night fell, the citizens of Lin'an City all returned home early, locking their doors and windows securely.
Recently, the county has been quite unsettled, with demons and ghosts causing trouble every night. The government office has posted notices reminding the citizens not to wander about at night.
However, at this moment on the main street of Lin'an City, there were still many people coming and going. Upon observation, these people were not ordinary citizens, but demon slayers and ghost hunters from various regions.
In fact, the inns in Lin'an City have been fully occupied recently.
Tianfeng Tower is one of the larger inns in Lin'an City. Li Fan arrived on a white horse, and a servant immediately came forward to take the horse and led Li Fan into the inn.
The ground floor lobby was bustling, filled with heroes from all corners drinking and chatting.
Feeling a bit hungry, Li Fan sat down at an empty spot in a corner and ordered a pot of wine and a few side dishes.
Peanuts, beef in sauce, scallion pancakes... Unfortunately, there was no barbecue.
Once the food and drink were served, Li Fan drank the wine and ate the dishes. Compared to hunting demons, such a life was clearly more pleasant to him.
If it weren't for Senior Sister chasing him down the mountain...
Thinking of this, Li Fan sighed. The scenery in the mountains was beautiful, and Senior Sister was a rare beauty. Chatting with Senior Sister and Junior Sisters daily was the life Li Fan longed for.
As for slaying demons and exorcising devils... how dangerous that is.
While Li Fan was drinking, the inn's lobby was noisy, with many wanderers playing drinking games and discussing demon hunting.
After several rounds of drinks, the inn became increasingly lively.
At this time, two more figures entered the inn, a man and a woman. The woman wore a long blue dress, youthful and beautiful, her skin as fair as snow. The sword sheath at her waist glimmered with a jewel-like shine.
The man was dressed in a long robe, wearing a headband, carrying a sharp sword on his back, with an extraordinary demeanor. At a glance, they seemed to be from a prestigious background.
The two looked around and found the tavern already full.
The woman's gaze fell on Li Fan, seeing that he was alone, and she walked over, asking him, "May I sit here?"
The man beside her followed, noticing his Junior Sister looking at Li Fan, and upon seeing Li Fan's face, frowned instantly.
Taking out a piece of silver from his body and placing it on the table, the man said to Li Fan, "Could you move elsewhere?"
"Senior Brother." The woman chided lightly, then showed an apologetic smile to Li Fan and said, "My Senior Brother has no other intentions. It's just that there are no seats left. Could we sit here, our treat?"
As she spoke, her eyes surveyed Li Fan, her pretty and lively eyes shining with a different light.
This young man is really handsome.
"???" Liu Xu looked at his Junior Sister beside him. When did his Junior Sister become so considerate?
Li Fan glanced at the silver on the table.
"Sure." He reached out to take the silver, tucked it into his arms, and continued eating by himself.
The girls down the mountain were just as kind-hearted as his Junior Sisters up the mountain.
"Thank you." The woman nodded to Li Fan and then sat down across from him, her gaze lingering on him. Liu Xu's face suddenly turned sour but didn't dare to react, reluctantly sitting between them.
"My name is Huang Yan, and this is my Senior Brother Liu Xu. We are disciples of the Shangxuan Sect, and you are?" The woman asked Li Fan.
"Li Fan." Li Fan responded.
"Qi Cultivator." The surrounding people exclaimed in surprise.
Shangxuan Sect, a Qi Cultivation Sect in Lin'an County, only those with Qi Cultivation talent could be admitted.
Qi Cultivators can directly perceive and absorb the spiritual energy of all things for cultivation, requiring high talent. In the Da Li Dynasty, the status of Qi Cultivators is unparalleled, and in Lin'an County, they are exceedingly rare.
While both are cultivators, martial artists do not hold the same status as Qi Cultivators.
And most of the people in the inn were martial artists.
"Are you two here in Lin'an City to exterminate demons?" At this moment, a burly man cupped his hands and asked Huang Yan and Liu Xu.
Liu Xu glanced at the man and nodded slightly, "We're here by our master's order to slay demons."
"As I guessed, I'm Han Dang, a martial artist. With the demon and ghost rampage in Lin'an City, I heard the Chen family is hosting the Demon Slaying Summit, so I came here. Many heroes are here for this too."
Many people around nodded in agreement. Several stood up and ceremonially bowed to Huang Yan and Liu Xu, faintly surrounding them.
Liu Xu, however, remained quietly seated, indifferent, the curve of his mouth slightly mocking.
The information he received suggested a rampant demon dance in Lin'an City this time. Rely on these crude martial artists? They are likely heading to their deaths.
What does demon slaying have to do with them?
These people are indeed rather noisy.
"Why don't you join us at this table and give the spot to these two young heroes?" Someone among the surrounding crowd, spotting Li Fan sitting there seemingly out of place, reminded him.
The crowd's gaze all fell on Li Fan. This handsome young man in white looked out of touch.
Liu Xu's cold gaze also turned to Li Fan, acknowledging that these crude martial artists were somewhat sensible.
"This spot originally belonged to Mr. Li; it was us who were presumptuous." Huang Yan said, and the crowd didn't comment further. Someone praised, "Miss Huang's magnanimity."
Beside her, Liu Xu was taken aback, poured himself a cup of wine, and drank it alone.
Huang Yan looked at Li Fan with apologetic eyes and softly said, "Now that Lin'an City is overrun with demons and ghosts, why don't you join us?"
"Junior Sister..." Liu Xu looked at Huang Yan, but she didn't even glance at him, forcing him to glare coldly at Li Fan.
"Alright." The previously quiet young man lifted his head with a bright smile and nodded, his eyes innocent and sincere. Huang Yan was taken aback by Li Fan's radiant smile and replied, "Then I'll protect you."
"..." Liu Xu was practically murderous in his gaze, considering what a rough martial artist like himself was up to.
Huang Yan is the daughter of his master, spoiled since childhood. He initially intended to win over Huang Yan, but hadn't expected his Junior Sister to act so impulsively.
The inn remained noisy. A gust of wind blew outside, carrying a chill, lowering the air temperature slightly.
Streams of gray airflow followed through the inn's door. Inside, the laughter continued. Many were already drunk, loudly declaring to slay demons and exorcise devils.
The wooden door creaked open. Someone looked outside and remarked, "Where's this strange wind coming from? Waiter, close the door."
"I'll go take a look." The waiter ran up to shut the door, but just as he was about to close it halfway, his action abruptly stopped, and he fell straight back.
"Huh?" The people in the tavern were startled and turned their heads, seeing blood trickling down from the waiter's neck, staining the floor red.
The creaking continued, as cold wind swept into the inn, instantly sobering the drinkers, sending shivers down their spines.
"Is it a demon or a ghost?"
Silence, eerie silence, with only the wooden door still making noise.
"Demon, prepare for your death." After a moment of silence, a martial artist, slightly drunk, rushed outside. Yet, just after crossing the door, he staggered backward, screaming, his eyes bleeding.
"Be careful..." Instantly, everyone in the lobby grabbed their weapons, cautiously looking out, but no one dared to step out.
Liu Xu and Huang Yan looked outside, detecting strong demon energy.
People in the inn turned to Huang Yan and Liu Xu, someone pleading, "Please, young heroes, slay the demon."
Clearly, they had lost their earlier bravado.
Liu Xu stood up and walked outside. The crowd saw his gaze like lightning, the drawn sword behind him gave them a sense of reassurance.
"Stay here and don't go out." Huang Yan smiled at Li Fan, then moved outside, drawing the sword from her waist, as a gust of wind swept over them.
"Boom..." The wooden door made a loud noise. A powerful demon force swept into the inn, making tables shake.
"For a pack of rats to dare come to their deaths," a sharp voice echoed, with a terrifying oppressive presence over the tavern crowd.
The black mist raged within the tavern, flipping tables and chairs, plunging it into chaos.
Li Fan pressed down on the table, but the plates were still blown.
He set aside his chopsticks and looked at the black mist. Under his golden gaze, he saw the dark mist faintly converge into a hideous face.
That face seemed to sense danger, and the black mist retreated like a tide. With a crash, the inn door was smashed open, forcing the black mist outside.
"As expected of a Qi Cultivator." The people looked at Liu Xu, standing with a sword, and even managed to drive the demon away. They couldn't help but praise.