The young Demon Slaying Division Officer’s right arm was severed almost halfway, blood pouring out uncontrollably.
An arrow had pierced through his abdomen, pinning him to the wall.
His storage pouch had been slashed open by that gusting blade of wind, scattering all its contents onto the floor.
When Lin Xue entered, he was stretching out his left arm, desperately trying to reach a small porcelain bottle on the ground, but no matter how many times he tried, he couldn’t grasp it.
His movements were too vigorous, tugging at the wound in his abdomen, his face twisted in pain.
Seeing Lin Xue walk in, the young officer froze for a moment and stopped his futile attempts.
He glanced at the Blood Fiend in Lin Xue’s hand, and despair immediately spread across his face.
Leaning his head against the wall, he sighed deeply, closed his eyes resignedly, and assumed a posture as if ready to offer his neck for the blade.
Lin Xue understood his mindset instantly:
This guy must have heard that Female Demon Lord call her a snake demon.
Now seeing her enter with a blade, he naturally assumed she had come to kill him.
After all, as a Demon Slaying Division Officer, he had always been the sworn enemy of demons. He must have long accepted that one day he would die by a demon’s hand.
Lin Xue, of course, had no intention of killing him.
Her impression of this young officer was actually quite good.
He was skilled and seemed genuinely concerned about the Bai Xing. During the fight, he even tried to shield the common folk from harm, revealing a kind heart beneath the wounds.
His only misfortune was terrible luck—constantly dealt heavy blows by his inept comrades.
His sword-wielding right hand was broken; this would surely have a serious impact on his future.
In this world, cultivators required a whole, intact body with all Qiaoxue preserved.
Yu Changfeng, who had lost an eye, could not establish Foundation Establishment.
This young man was a swordsman—losing his sword hand meant an uncertain, miserable future.
Well, no matter.
He was a Demon Slaying Division Officer. The Demon-Slaying Bureau would take care of him. It was not Lin Xue’s concern.
Better to focus on her own matters.
With a swift leap, Lin Xue jumped onto the beam, grabbed the ‘Heavenly Demon Transformation Art’ she had hidden there earlier, stuffed it into a cloth pouch made from her Dao robe, and then jumped down, ready to leave.
Just as she was heading for the door, she couldn’t help but glance back at the unlucky young officer once more.
He looked pitiful, eyes closed, head tilted back, still waiting for her to use the blade to slit his throat.
Lin Xue thought to herself: I ended up learning this guy’s sword manual to counterattack and kill the Female Demon Lord. I should at least express some gratitude to him.
She turned back and walked over to the young officer, calling out softly, “Hey—”
The young officer, still tilting his head waiting for death, opened his eyes in confusion and looked at her.
Lin Xue picked up the bottle he had been struggling to reach and shook it in front of him, asking, “Is this what you wanted?”
He nodded dumbly.
Lin Xue handed the bottle to him.
Taking it, the officer’s face was full of surprise.
A demon actually helped a Demon Slaying Division Officer like him?
He was puzzled but gave Lin Xue a grateful look and weakly said, “Thank you.”
Lin Xue smiled slightly and replied, “You’re welcome.”
He stared at her bright smile, momentarily stunned, dazed for a moment before snapping back to reality.
She is a demon! A demon! I can’t be captivated by her!
He reminded himself inwardly, awkwardly using the medicine to cover his brief lapse.
He pulled out the cork from the bottle with his mouth and sprinkled the powder on the severed part of his right arm.
In his nervousness, his hand trembled and poured out the entire bottle of powder, wasting quite a bit.
The powder seemed to be healing and hemostatic medicine, and his wound soon stopped bleeding.
The young officer looked regretfully at the wasted powder, dropped the empty bottle, and leaned his head against the wall, sighing weakly.
The angle of the arrow was low; half-standing, half-squatting, he was pinned to the wall in a posture that looked exhausting.
Lin Xue couldn’t help but ask, “Do you want me to help you down from the wall?”
He hesitated, as if trying to judge her intentions.
After a moment, perhaps thinking she wouldn’t bother if she meant harm, he nodded and said, “That would be… troublesome for you, miss.”
Lin Xue placed the Blood Fiend on the ground, stepped forward, and supported his arm.
Their bodies were close; the young officer’s nostrils filled with a faint, pleasant fragrance.
She smelled so good, he thought, unconsciously inhaling deeply a few times.
Lin Xue didn’t notice his secret sniffing.
She steadied him with one hand and gripped the shaft of the arrow with the other, asking, “Ready?”
The young officer nodded and gave a soft “Mm.”
With a firm pull, Lin Xue wrenched the bloodied arrow out of the wall and his abdomen.
Instant agony escaped as a low groan of pain burst from the young officer; his entire face contorted into a mask of torment.
His legs nearly gave out; his body went limp, collapsing onto Lin Xue’s slender, soft shoulder as he gasped for breath.
Startled by the sudden embrace, she almost reflexively pushed him away.
But thinking of his injuries, she forced herself to endure, supporting him and letting him lean against her as he slowly recovered.
After a long while of heavy breathing, the officer finally regained his composure.
Scenting Lin Xue’s fragrance and feeling her gentle body beneath him, his pain seemed to lessen considerably.
Seeing his breathing stabilize, Lin Xue helped him sit against the wall.
As soon as he sat down, he struggled to get up again.
His eyes turned toward his severed right arm a few steps away.
Lin Xue understood his intent and went over to pick up the arm for him.
The severed limb was heavier than she had imagined.
Holding the bloodied human appendage, Lin Xue felt a wave of discomfort but suppressed it, handing the arm back to the young officer.
He took his severed right arm with his left hand, a sadness he could not hide crossing his face.
Lin Xue looked at him with sympathy.
Judging by his skill, he had clearly put in a great deal of effort into swordsmanship.
Years of hard training, only to lose the hand that wielded the sword so suddenly—it was a cruel fate no one could accept.
She sighed silently and asked the young officer, “Is there anything else I can help with?”
He shook his head and said, “No, thank you, miss, for your help.”
Lin Xue waved her hand, “It was nothing.”
She pointed toward the door and said, “I’m leaving now. Your Captain is still alive. When he wakes up, he will come to save you.”
The officer nodded.
Lin Xue bent down to pick up her pack, slung it over her shoulder, then gathered the Blood Fiend from the ground and held it in her hand, preparing to leave.
Suddenly, she heard the young officer call from behind, “By the way, miss, I have one more question.”
She turned, puzzled, to look at him.
He pointed at Yu Changfeng’s corpse lying on the ground and asked, “Did you kill that demon as well?”
Lin Xue nodded and answered, “You could say that.”
The young officer placed his left hand on his chest, bowed deeply to her with great respect, and said, “On behalf of the villagers of Zhang Zongnian’s village, thank you, miss, for saving our lives.”
So this poor guy was named Zhang Zongnian.
Lin Xue smiled faintly at him and said, “Goodbye. Wishing you a speedy recovery.”
With that, she turned and walked toward the temple gate.
Just as she stepped outside, she saw the short, stout Captain standing not far off, his eyes burning with intensity, as if gazing at prey.
Lin Xue froze, instinctively tightening her grip on the Blood Fiend.
Unexpectedly, a large net suddenly fell from above, covering her head to toe.
Caught off guard, Lin Xue’s strength instantly drained; with a thud, she collapsed to the ground.
The stout Captain laughed triumphantly, clapping his hands loudly, “Hahaha! You really are a demon! Luckily, this Captain came prepared with the Fuyao Wang this time. So, little demon, how does this Fuyao Wang feel?”