Chapter Twenty-One: The First Demon Hunt Begins

Cheng Feng had wanted to press further about her brother—no, his brother-in-law—but just then, Liu Shiyu herself arrived, cutting their conversation short. After all, she had never mentioned this matter before, which meant she likely preferred not to speak of it.

Their discussion thus came to an abrupt halt, and they turned their attention to filling their stomachs, eating the two lunches Liu Shiyu had brought.

Liu Shiyu glanced at the teacher and asked, “How’s your training going?”

“This kid’s got decent talent, tough as nails—he’s a real man,” Yan Ruying praised him in her own strange way.

A morning of relentless training had left Cheng Feng starving, and he devoured his rice like a famished ghost. He asked offhandedly, “By the way, how’s Elena doing?”

He no longer referred to her by the false name Jiang Qian, but instead used her true name as a vampire.

Liu Shiyu, already seated to the side, watched them eat. Hearing the question, she shot Cheng Feng a look. “Why are you so concerned about her? Don’t tell me you’ve actually fallen for that female vampire?”

“Nonsense! So in your eyes, I’m just some reckless, lust-driven maniac?” Cheng Feng protested.

Yet Liu Shiyu remembered the indescribable scene she’d witnessed that night, and a faint smile touched her lips. “If I had arrived a moment later last night, you might have gotten your wish and entered the adult world.”

“Tsk tsk, sounds like I missed something juicy,” Yan Ruying commented, having already finished her meal in a few swift bites. She looked at Cheng Feng with newfound admiration. “Impressive, kid. I really underestimated you. Such peculiar tastes at your age, so desperate you’d even make a move on a female vampire.”

“All right, you two, enough!”

After the meal, the afternoon’s special training resumed.

On the arena stage, the two continued their practical drills. More trainees from the sword dojo began arriving, casting curious glances.

They marveled that a newcomer, only on his second day, would dare spar with Yan Ruying.

Within this dojo, Yan Ruying’s skills were top-tier, her reputation considerable, though her fame was of a more fearsome kind.

To quickly improve one’s combat prowess, one first had to survive Yan Ruying’s brutal training.

Any rookie who dared accept her training ended up hospitalized—she never held back, regardless of whether her opponent was a novice or could withstand a beating.

No one was eager for hardship; instead, trainees started with the most basic exercises, gradually working their way up.

Cheng Feng’s fearless display earned him admiration and respect.

Liu Shiyu spent the whole afternoon beside the ring, watching Yan Ruying’s ruthless, hands-on practice with Cheng Feng.

She knew that Cheng Feng possessed the vampires’ regenerative abilities—she wasn’t worried about him getting injured.

In fact, the results of this training astonished her.

To an outsider, Cheng Feng seemed utterly outmatched, constantly retreating, making no progress, seemingly asking for trouble.

But as an insider, Liu Shiyu could see his combat skills growing at a remarkable pace, visible to the naked eye.

Yan Ruying’s sword technique was called “High-Speed Sword.”

Its three core elements—speed, power, and precision—combined in a style that could unleash sword shadows too fast to track.

Ordinary people might train for months without even approaching the threshold of this technique, but Cheng Feng had already begun to step into this domain.

It had barely been a day; if not for some external aid, his monstrous talent alone was enough to make one question reality.

Liu Shiyu even suspected he was hiding something—surely vampiric abilities alone couldn’t explain such rapid progress.

In truth, even Cheng Feng himself was unsure why. Memories and sensations as if he’d swung a sword thousands of times kept surfacing in his mind.

…

That evening, Liu Shiyu drove Cheng Feng home.

Her blue sedan sped along the leftmost lane, and she suddenly said, “Your application to join the Association has been approved. In a couple of days, when I receive a mission, I’ll bring you along. Be prepared.”

“Okay. Wait—” Cheng Feng realized something. “What about school? I can’t just skip classes, can I?”

“Take leave,” Liu Shiyu replied calmly. “That’s what I always do.”

Cheng Feng didn’t think this would work. “If I keep taking leave, I’ll need approval from teachers, and my grades will suffer. How am I supposed to graduate?”

“You don’t need to worry. Now that you’re a member of the Disaster Association, the Association will take care of it.”

She turned the steering wheel, smoothly rounding a bend ahead. “Even if you don’t attend a single class all semester, your diploma will be issued as usual.”

Cheng Feng was struck by how shady being an official member could be. “Damn, so I really don’t need to go to school anymore?”

“….”

Liu Shiyu shot him a glare. “Are you serious? Don’t you plan to keep joining the Association a secret for now? If you stop going to school, how will you explain it to your family?”

Cheng Feng stroked his chin, pondering. “True. I’d better keep attending school for now, to keep up appearances for a while.”

He would soon become a demon hunter, a profession far too dangerous for his family to know about—at least until he grew strong enough. Then, the time to tell them would be right.

Suddenly, Liu Shiyu said, “And about Elena… She actually ran away last night.”

“Ran away?” Cheng Feng was surprised. “Wasn’t she willing to go with you?”

“She was, but…” Liu Shiyu frowned. “On the way back to the Association’s branch last night, four vampires ambushed me. One of them seized the chance to snatch her away, and I killed the other three.”

“Four vampires… Were they sent by Dracula?”

“Almost certainly. As for Elena, she’s now considered a fugitive. But since she’s been captured by her own kind, she’ll likely face the death penalty.”

“….”

Cheng Feng felt a strange mix of emotions but said nothing.

From his conversation with Elena the previous night, it was clear that the blood lord Dracula was a cruel father, devoid of any affection. Elena, now branded a traitor, had no hope of survival.

She would likely endure torment so dreadful that death would be a mercy denied.

Cheng Feng sighed, letting go of his concern for Elena. After all, this vampire had once tried to kill him; there was no reason for him to feel sympathy.

On the way home, he stopped at a convenience store to buy a box of snacks, hoping to keep his sister quiet—if she told their father what she’d witnessed the night before, Cheng Feng would want to jump off the roof.

For the next three days, Cheng Feng took leave from school and spent every day at the sword dojo, seeking out Yan Ruying’s training, even though he returned exhausted each time, he enjoyed it.

On the fourth day, Liu Shiyu notified him of a mission and asked him to meet at a certain location.

His first demon-hunting operation was finally about to begin!

Without hesitation, he set out for the rendezvous, his mood heavy with anticipation.

It was finally happening.

He was ready.

Ready to face a savage, bloody battle.

Ready for a fierce struggle against monsters.

Ready for a desperate fight for survival!

Yet when he arrived at the meeting place and stood before the glass doors—

Cheng Feng was dumbfounded.

A cat-maid café? What on earth was this place!