Chapter 20: Has It Ended?

It’s over!

This great battle ended with the tiger demon being poisoned, then finished off by several swift sword strikes from Lu Zhiyun.

Tong Yao and Wang Zhiya were both stunned by this method of fighting. In their sect, the teachings always emphasized following proper principles, winning through Daoist techniques.

But in the face of a truly formidable enemy, Lu Zhiyun’s adaptability in the moment seemed much more effective.

Not to mention Lu Zhiyun’s fellow disciples; even Lin Shu was shaken.

Previously, when he had told his junior brothers and sisters about his own first training mission, he thought there was no way it would set a bad example for the younger ones. Yet he never expected Lu Zhiyun would take what he taught, apply it so well, and even surpass him.

Lin Shu felt nothing but regret!

His pure and innocent, shy and eager-to-learn little junior sister had been led astray by him!!!

He watched Lu Zhiyun beside the tiger demon, feelings churning inside.

At this moment, Lu Zhiyun had just pulled her Jian out of the tiger demon’s belly. She was about to report back to Lin Shu, but suddenly felt his gaze upon her.

Hadn’t the tiger demon already been dealt with?

Why was he still staring at her so seriously?

Had she not done enough?

Lu Zhiyun pondered carefully, then gripped her Jian again and stabbed at the tiger demon’s head; seeing Lin Shu was still watching, she could only continue targeting any intact parts of the tiger demon’s body.

Soon, Lu Zhiyun’s clothes were stained all over with blood.

When Ye Qing woke up, he saw Lu Zhiyun dealing personally with the tiger demon that had knocked him unconscious, and was so frightened he nearly fainted again.

From his perspective, Lu Zhiyun’s actions seemed no different from a wicked Cultivator destroying evidence—even more ruthless.

After finishing, Lu Zhiyun contentedly returned to Lin Shu.

“Senior Brother, the tiger demon has been eliminated!”

Only then did Lin Shu snap out of it, hastily handing her a handkerchief to wipe away the blood.

“Well done! Junior Sister, you’ve worked hard!”

Tong Yao nervously came over, cupping her hands to Lu Zhiyun and saying, “Many thanks for your help, Junior Sister Lu. If not for your hidden strength, we might have failed our mission.”

Wang Zhiya and Ye Qing both hung their heads in shame upon hearing this.

After all, from the start, they hadn’t considered Lu Zhiyun as a combat force, seeing her as a burden they needed to worry about. Yet when trouble struck, it was Lu Zhiyun who proved most reliable.

Lu Zhiyun now knew exactly how to answer; her senior brothers and sisters had already taught her the perfect template.

“It’s all thanks to Senior Brother’s teaching! Without Senior Brother’s guidance, there wouldn’t be the Lu Zhiyun of today!”

???

Again?

Lin Shu was about to explain—“It’s not what you all think, junior sister please don’t get me in trouble”—but the other disciples had already started a heated discussion.

“What! So that Jian technique using spiritual energy as breath was inspired by Senior Brother Lin?” Ye Qing mused.

“And even that sneaky poisoning trick was something Senior Brother Lin taught?” Wang Zhiya’s eyes widened.

“Did you forget Senior Brother Lin once told us he used poison to win his first mission?” Tong Yao reminded.

“What! I thought that was just a story! I never realized it had this meaning?”

Everyone fell into thought. They hadn’t realized that Lin Shu had been subtly hinting at them all along: using some unorthodox means occasionally was perfectly fine.

Yet only Lu Zhiyun had truly grasped Lin Shu’s point and used it skillfully in real battle.

They immediately vowed that, once back, they would broaden their horizons, not limit their thinking, and develop some unexpected skills.

As for Lin Shu, he no longer bothered to explain.

These disciples of reputable sects could use a little setback to toughen them up; as long as they didn’t end up practicing some truly wicked arts—right?

After the discussion ended, they began to discuss how to handle the tiger demon. Since the late-stage Foundation Establishment tiger demon had already been hacked into an unrecognizable mess by Lu Zhiyun, only the early-stage Foundation Establishment tiger demon remained relatively intact.

“The tiger demon’s body is very valuable. Junior Sister Lu contributed the most, you pick first!” Wang Zhiya said, and no one objected.

Lu Zhiyun shook her head, “To uphold justice and eliminate evil spirits is satisfaction enough for me. You all pick first!”

Everyone was even more moved, and after expressing their thanks, began dividing up the tiger demon.

Unseen by the others, Lu Zhiyun let out a gentle smile.

Her words were genuinely heartfelt, but she had spoken them deliberately to demonstrate to the demonic cultivators how adept she was at hiding her true identity.

For those who practice the demonic path, being able to blend seamlessly into the righteous sects was an essential skill.

Sure enough! Lin Shu, hearing Lu Zhiyun’s words, showed a gratified smile.

She had successfully won some more favor points with the demonic path.

Soon, the tiger demon was divided up.

Wang Zhiya chose the Tiger Bone, a prime ingredient for refining tools and pills; Ye Qing chose the Tiger Tail, since it looked like a Jian and he wanted to try comprehending it; as for Tong Yao, everyone thought she’d choose the tiger skin for clothing material, but she picked the Tiger Soul.

“This expedition made me realize the gaps in my Cultivation. Taking the Tiger Soul can improve my Cultivation; it’s far more valuable than something impractical like tiger skin.”

Most of Duanyao Mountain’s Chengong are related to beast demons. Although the sect certainly had tiger demons of this level, this was the first one Tong Yao had earned herself—it was meaningful.

Everything else naturally went to Lu Zhiyun, as for the late-stage Foundation Establishment tiger demon…

“We’ll use this one to complete the mission, then?” Wang Zhiya suggested.

“That works. It’s not like there’s much left anyway,” Ye Qing shook his head.

The late-stage Foundation Establishment tiger demon had already been chopped up by Lu Zhiyun into pieces resembling Changyang. If she had the skill, she could have carved it more finely, perhaps in the likeness of Bo Yikao.

“Hmm… it does seem like there’s nothing left, but isn’t there still this?” Lu Zhiyun pointed to the tiger demon’s tail.

Everyone looked over, faces flushing red, even Lin Shu couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Ahem! I think Brother Wang looks a bit pale. Fire spiritual roots tend to make people hot-tempered, so this is best for you!” Ye Qing joked.

“Rubbish! Why not mention you’re the one who got knocked out by a tiger demon’s slap?” Wang Zhiya retorted, face red.

“That was just a moment of carelessness!”

…

In the end, for some reason, it was Lin Shu, the protector, who got this ‘treasure’. The disciples all said it was because “Senior Brother works tirelessly day and night and should take something to nourish himself.”

Lin Shu happily accepted, planning to gift it to his little uncle. It was definitely not for his own use.

…

When they returned to Qingshan Town, it was already deep into the night. Lin Shu decided to wait until the next day to report to the county office and submit their mission. After days of hard work, everyone was exhausted and gladly went to rest.

The next day, Lin Shu brought the four to find the town chief of Qingshan Town.

The town chief’s surname was Shi—a white-haired, stooped old man, and also a Cultivator, though only at the Lianqi stage, with poor talent and little hope of ever reaching Foundation Establishment.

“On behalf of all the townsfolk, I thank you young heroes!” Shizhen Zhang, his hands trembling, bowed deeply.

Lin Shu quickly helped him up, smiling, “No need for such courtesy, Shizhen Zhang. Slaying demons is our duty, and besides, this was also good training for them.”

Shizhen Zhang nodded and looked at the four disciples behind Lin Shu, “Ah, truly heroes are born of youth!”

The others simply nodded. Wang Zhiya stepped forward, “To do more good for the people is always worthwhile! Now that this training is over, we’ll soon be leaving.”

“So soon? Won’t you all stay for a few more days so I can properly host you on behalf of Qingshan Town?” Shizhen Zhang tried to keep them.

“No, that’s—”

Wang Zhiya was about to refuse, but Lin Shu waved his hand, “Since you insist, we’ll stay for a few days. Qingshan Town has beautiful mountains and rivers—a few days’ rest won’t hurt.”

“Senior Brother?” Tong Yao said in surprise.

“It’s fine! And you can all take this chance to learn from each other!” Lin Shu suggested.

Lu Zhiyun said nothing, merely casting Lin Shu a glance.

“Hahaha! In a few days, it’ll be the Huajie Festival here in Qingshan Town. You young heroes should stay and join us.” Shizhen Zhang said happily.

“The Huajie Festival is only held once every five years. I thought it would be delayed because of the tiger demon, but now it can go ahead as planned.”

Lin Shu echoed, “Yes, I didn’t expect things would go so smoothly!”

After exchanging pleasantries, the group was about to leave when Shizhen Zhang walked them to the door. Just as they were leaving—

Lin Shu suddenly asked, “Shizhen Zhang, I heard tiger demons are often accompanied by Pang Gui—is that true?”

“Never heard of it!” Shizhen Zhang answered firmly.

“If that’s the case, then all is well!”

Lin Shu smiled, then led the group away.