The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 346: Chapter 340: Dan Mountain

Huanglong Prefecture City, Peach Fragrance Inn.

"Xiaobai, it’s time for you to hit the road."

"No rush. I’ll stay a few more days. Brother Bai, I came to comprehend a new move last night. How about we spar?"

"You haven’t paid your room fee."

"Those are just trivial details."

"I’m the owner of this inn."

"..."

Bai Yuan watched Yue Xiaobai, who was refusing to leave the Peach Fragrance Inn, and felt a headache coming on.

Unlike Qian Yu and the others, Yue Xiaobai hadn’t left the city to search for the whereabouts of the Demon Seed. Instead, he stayed put, spending his days either sparring with Bai Yuan or practicing his skills. He was the very definition of a martial arts fanatic.

When Yue Xiaobai heard Bai Yuan asking for the room fee, he was a little displeased.

"Fine, how much?"

"Not much. Let’s call it one thousand taels."

"Highway robbery!"

Yue Xiaobai was furious, but also a little embarrassed.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford the one thousand taels, but that he had only brought some loose silver with him on his travels.

Unlike other Martial Artists, he was solely focused on practicing the sword and had little need for material possessions. Carrying too much money was just a burden.

Bai Yuan sneered. "No credit."

Yue Xiaobai pressed his lips together.

He might be a martial arts fanatic, but he wasn’t an idiot. He would never stoop to skipping out on a debt, but if he had to pay up right now, he truly couldn’t produce the money.

"Alright, what do you want me to do?"

He had practiced the sword for decades, and his sword heart had long since become perceptive, making him an excellent judge of character. It was obvious that Bai Yuan was after his skills.

Bai Yuan chuckled. "Xiaobai, you really are straightforward."

’I’ve spent the last few days wining, dining, and putting him up... I mean that in the most literal sense. All that took a lot of effort, and I have to get something back for it.’

"Accompany me on a trip to Danshan Prefecture."

"Fine."

Yue Xiaobai agreed immediately, without even asking what business they had in Danshan Prefecture.

Bai Yuan was even more pleased.

’Looks like my escort services these past few days didn’t go to waste after all.’

This morning, he had received a message from Qian Yu. They had indeed found something unusual in Danshan Prefecture.

Qian Yu and his men were unsure how to proceed, so they had requested backup from Bai Yuan.

With the Demon Seed involved, they had to be extremely cautious.

Even if it was just an investigation, the more experts, the better. He had no intention of letting a high-level fighter like Yue Xiaobai get away.

Having secured Yue Xiaobai’s agreement, Bai Yuan immediately led his men out of the city.

...

Danshan Prefecture was one of the many prefectures in Ling Province, and not a particularly famous one.

It neither had a major sect like the Divine Mansion Sect in Huanglong Prefecture, nor did it possess resources like Jingyang Prefecture.

In short, it was completely unremarkable.

Bai Yuan traveled light. Including Yue Xiaobai, his party consisted of only five people.

All five rode top-quality Demon Horses, so they traveled quickly, arriving in Danshan Prefecture that very night.

The meeting point Qian Yu had arranged was in a county seat called Feng County, within Danshan Prefecture.

"Lord Bai."

Qian Yu cupped his fist in greeting upon seeing Bai Yuan appear.

With him were three others, all Central Plains People who had been in the first wave of challengers against Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan said, "Instructor Qian, everyone, thank you for your hard work."

"What exactly happened here?"

Qian Yu, plus three Sensing Grandmasters—this was a top-tier lineup. Even some prefectures in the Northern Territory didn’t have such a configuration.

A problem that even the four of them couldn’t solve was bound to be extraordinary.

Qian Yu explained, "We were passing through this city by chance when we heard about a series of wicked incidents involving the disappearance of several young girls in recent days. Zhang Xiong entered the city to investigate, but unexpectedly, he vanished as well, leaving no clues."

Bai Yuan’s eyelids drooped.

’Where a Demon Seed appears, strange things are sure to follow.’

This was precisely why Qian Yu and the others had begun investigating the case of the missing girls.

’Zhang Xiong... he must be one of the Central Plains People who came with them.’

Anyone who dared to challenge Bai Yuan was at least a Sensing Grandmaster. For one to disappear in a small county seat was truly baffling.

Qian Yu hesitated. "Could this be Brother Yue of Xiyue?"

As he spoke, he had been sizing up the handsome man beside Bai Yuan.

Yue Xiaobai had a reputation for being proud, so of course, he wouldn’t answer Qian Yu.

"That’s right. Brother Yue has come with me this time to investigate the matter in Feng City."

Bai Yuan had no choice but to answer for him.

After spending a few days with him, Bai Yuan had discovered that Yue Xiaobai wasn’t a bad person. The reason he seemed so unapproachable was that he dedicated most of his energy to comprehending Sword Intent.

Unlike other Swordsmen, Yue Xiaobai could comprehend Sword Intent even while eating, drinking, or walking. That’s why he was reluctant to speak much unless he felt it was necessary.

Just like now. Yue Xiaobai considered it nonsense that was getting in the way of his sword practice, so naturally, he didn’t reply.

Hearing Bai Yuan’s confirmation, Qian Yu and the others all showed looks of shock.

Bai Yuan’s reputation was great, but it was largely confined to the Northern Territory.

They were all Martial Artists from the Central Plains and weren’t as impressed by it, which was why so many had traveled north to challenge him.

But Yue Xiaobai was different.

The title of Xiyue Divine Sword had been earned by defeating over a hundred Grandmasters from the Central Plains.

Yue Xiaobai’s fame was in no way inferior to those on the Hidden Dragon Roll.

They never expected that a top-tier genius of the Xuan Yang younger generation like Yue Xiaobai would also come to challenge Bai Yuan—and end up becoming his hired muscle.

Bai Yuan pondered for a moment.

"I’m going to the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office first."

...

"General Zhou, my apologies for the trouble."

A white-haired, white-bearded old man cupped his fist toward Zhou Lin.

Zhou Lin, the Demon-slaying Guard General of Ling Province, returned the gesture. "Lord Xiao, this is my duty."

The Demon-slaying Guard Bureau was responsible for handling all demonic disturbances within a province.

Yesterday, Zhou Lin had received a message from the Prefect of Danshan, hoping the Ling Province Demon Slayer Guard could assist the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office with the disappearance case.

According to this Lord Xiao,

The disappearances had been going on for over a month.

At first, it was only a few beggars who went missing, so no one paid any mind.

Later, some women from good families also disappeared, which finally caught the attention of the Danshan Patrol Office. But after a thorough investigation, not only did they fail to catch the culprit, but several constables from the Patrol Office also vanished.

It was only then that the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office realized something was wrong with the case.

The Patrol Office immediately called on the Demon Slayer Guard to investigate alongside them.

But after half a month of investigation, they still had no leads.

In the last few days, a young woman from a major Danshan clan went missing, which finally brought the matter to the attention of Prefect Xiao Ke.

Xiao Ke was shocked when he learned the details.

That was when he wrote a letter requesting help from the Ling Province Demon Slayer Guard.

Ever since the Shuofang Jiedu Envoy was established, nearly all the officials in Ling Province had been replaced. This Prefect Xiao had come to Danshan at that time.

Xiao Ke was now over 130 years old. Even though a Sensing realm expert could live to be two hundred, his Qi and Blood were already showing signs of decay.

If he hadn’t come to Ling Province, he never would have had the chance to become a fifth-grade prefect in his lifetime.

Therefore, when trouble arose in Danshan, his first instinct was to call for reinforcements, not to investigate personally.

"Lord Xiao, do you have a list of the missing people?"

Zhou Lin had handled far too many strange cases like this; he knew the investigation procedures like the back of his hand.

’Solving a case is nothing more than careful evidence collection and bold hypothesizing.’

The culprit only targeted women—and young maidens in the prime of their youth at that. There had to be a deeper meaning behind it, or he was simply a lecherous demon.

Soon, an Official from the Patrol Office handed the list to Zhou Lin.

Zhou Lin looked at the list, his brow furrowed.

"Why were they all born in a Yin month?"

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