Chapter Four: Encountering the Strange Demon Again

The young nobleman was momentarily taken aback by the words, but then he cast several more glances at the magnificent steed, grit his teeth, and said, “One hundred taels. Would one hundred taels be enough?”

Back when Bao Tianyou had gifted Chen Fan a residence in the county seat, its value was no more than a hundred taels of silver. Even so, that price was already considered quite high, which showed how truly fond this youth was of the splendid horse.

Yet Chen Fan merely shook his head in silence.

The young man clenched his jaw tightly and looked at Chen Fan. “I’m sincere about buying it. Name your price!”

Chen Fan responded coolly, holding up a single finger: “Ten thousand taels.”

At these words, everyone present was stunned.

Within the jurisdiction of Yandu City, there were indeed many families with assets reaching ten thousand taels or more, and some clan houses in county towns could reach that level as well. But to casually produce ten thousand taels in silver coin was a privilege reserved for the great families and powers within Yandu City itself.

The young nobleman’s face fell as he lowered his head. “Ten thousand taels? Even if my father could come up with that much, he wouldn’t allow me to buy a single horse for that price…”

Behind him, a burly, bearded man stepped forward indignantly. “If you don’t want to sell, then don’t. Why mock us? Ten thousand taels could buy at least eight or ten mounts, even those with just beastly bloodlines!”

Chen Fan smiled and shook his head. “I’m not mocking anyone. If you can come up with ten thousand taels, then what’s wrong with me selling the horse to your young master?”

The fine steeds from the Martial Academy’s Beast Taming Pavilion were incomparable to ordinary mounts that merely had beastly bloodlines. Ten thousand taels was expensive, yes, but absolutely worth it.

“You…” The large man bristled with anger, ready to argue further, but the young nobleman tugged on his sleeve to stop him.

“What are you doing? If we can’t afford it, we just won’t buy it. No need to quarrel!” The youth’s thoughts were pure; he had no other intentions and instead frowned as he scolded his servant.

The servant dared not retort and simply shot Chen Fan a glare.

Chen Fan smiled slightly at the youth.

The youth returned the gesture with a polite fist salute. “I’m in a hurry to get to Yandu City, so I won’t keep you any longer. Farewell.”

He cast a lingering look at the splendid horse, then led his retainers as they mounted their horses and rode off.

Chen Fan chuckled and shook his head.

He profoundly felt the immense chasm that now separated him from ordinary people—a vast gulf spanning thousands of fathoms, making their worlds utterly different.

With his current strength, silver coins held little significance. No matter how much he had, many precious treasures were simply beyond purchase.

Lifting his tea bowl again, he leisurely savored the tranquil afternoon sunlight, sensing a subtle shift within his heart at that moment.

“Did Li Linliu’s journey through the mortal world also serve to temper his heart and mind?” Chen Fan pondered.

He drank several bowls of tea, quietly listening to the trivial chatter of nearby martial artists. After a while, he tossed a small silver piece onto the table, vaulted onto his horse, and quickly departed.

At this point, they were barely a hundred miles from Yandu City. The road along the canal was broad and smooth. Chen Fan spurred his horse forward, moving at lightning speed.

But after a short while, Chen Fan suddenly furrowed his brows tightly.

In the distance, on the road ahead, several horse-drawn carriages lay overturned on the ground, and dozens of figures flickered around them.

Sounds of fierce combat rang out—it seemed some accident had occurred.

“During the Yandu City Demon-Slaying Tournament, martial artists from the surrounding regions gather, and many of those above the fourth tier come. Who dares to cause trouble at such a time?”

Frowning deeply, Chen Fan kicked the ground, dismounted, and then took off at a run.

His flowing luminous robe activated the “Light Body” formation.

Like a flash of lightning, his figure vanished in the blink of an eye!

In an instant, he had drawn close to the scene of the conflict.

As he approached, he saw the grisly sight on the ground: several horses pulling the carriages had been gutted, their bloody entrails scattered everywhere!

Nearby, there were screams and wails. Many were injured, and some had even perished.

At the same time, on the road not far away, over a dozen martial artists were locked in battle with a single figure.

Though roughly human in shape, the figure bore fangs and claws—it was clearly the strange demon beast Chen Fan had encountered once before.

But this demon’s arms were equipped with unique organs resembling two gleaming steel blades.

Its speed was agile and its strength immense. Even when facing over ten opponents alone, it moved with ease, and a few of the attackers already lay on the ground.

Chen Fan noticed among the assailants the very young nobleman who had earlier tried to buy his horse.

The youth trembled as he gripped his sword, clearly terrified, yet he did not hide behind others. Brandishing his sword alongside his guards, his courage was commendable.

Still, though the demon was but one, it handled the crowd with apparent ease. If it caught its chance, a single strike would mean death for the youth.

Whoosh!

The demon’s lithe form evaded the sword strikes of several martial artists like a nimble monkey and suddenly closed in before one of them.

Its blade-like arms gleamed sharply as it was about to gut the martial artist.

The warrior was filled with despair.

Crack!

In a flash, Chen Fan appeared like lightning, darting through the crowd and arriving in front of the demon.

He drew his sword from behind him.

Swoosh!

A black sword aura shot forth instantly, unnoticed by all was the faint crackle of lightning mingled within the aura.

The sword aura slashed across.

Just one strike.

The demon’s double arm blades, along with its body, were cleaved into several pieces!

Blood sprayed across the ground, and the demon instantly fell silent.

The surrounding martial artists finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Qi separated from the body... such a powerful technique! At least a fifth-tier martial artist!”

None of these fighters were beyond the fourth tier, and they all looked gratefully toward Chen Fan.

The wealthy young nobleman, pale-faced, stepped forward with several guards. Upon seeing Chen Fan’s face, he was taken aback. “It’s you!”

“You’re a fifth-tier expert?” The burly man who had clashed with Chen Fan before gasped in shock.

Although Chen Fan had subtly altered his facial features using the “Heaven’s Heart Formless Art,” he did not look old—at most in his twenties. To possess fifth-tier strength was truly astonishing.

Chen Fan nodded at the youth, then frowned as he bent down to examine the demon’s corpse.

The “double blades” extending from its arms were special bones growing externally. Though not as sharp as a treasured weapon, they were by no means ordinary.

“This kind of monster doesn’t seem naturally formed. These organs appear designed solely for slaughter…”

Though only a fourth-tier demon, it was far more formidable than most fourth-tier martial artists—agile, nimble, and its blade-like arms, while seemingly chaotic, made it exceedingly difficult to deal with.

He turned to the nearby martial artists. “What exactly happened? Where did this demon come from?”

Someone soon stepped forward, pointing toward a distant wooded area beside the road. “This monster suddenly appeared from that forest. It moved incredibly fast—our horses were bitten to death as soon as they got close. It even bit and ate people…”

Chen Fan gazed at the distant mountain forest, shaking his head.

The Great Qian Empire was vast.

Even when combining all the human settlements—cities and counties—the wild mountainous regions still dwarfed them.

Within Great Qian’s borders, wild beasts roamed, hiding deep within the mountains and forests. They rarely ventured out to attack humans, and half-beast creatures were occasionally seen. The true threat came from the Western Wilds.

Yet this demon had never appeared in previous years.

It had only recently been spotted multiple times.

Some suspected it had come from the Western Wilds, but no one knew for sure.

“We don’t know how many more of these demons lurk in the wild. Now that they’ve started attacking humans, this must be reported to the Martial Academy quickly.”

Though these demons lacked intelligence, they already posed a threat to humanity.

Though confident in his own strength, Chen Fan was no fool to recklessly investigate the wilds alone. Instead, he asked one of the nearby caravans for a sack, placed the demon’s corpse inside, then mounted the splendid steed, which had already galloped over.

“Giddy-up!”

The horse surged forward at full power, accelerating rapidly, vanishing from sight in moments.

Like the wind and lightning.

The wealthy young nobleman watched Chen Fan’s departing figure with envy. “What a magnificent horse!”

Beside him, the burly man’s eyes widened. “How can it be so fast?”

This was faster than any beast-blooded mount he had ever seen!

Thinking back to Chen Fan’s ten-thousand-tael price, his feelings were complicated.

A mount fit for a fifth-tier or higher martial artist would never be ordinary.