“Whew.” Qin Yun stood on the deck of the pleasure boat. With a wave of his sleeve, his true essence swept out, flinging the bisected body of the rhino demon off the boat and into the river.


    The rhino demon’s vitality was astonishing. Even after being cut in half and flung into the water, there was still a trace of life lingering in its body.


    "Those who anger the Water God deserve death!" The rhino demon roared furiously, even as its upper half was being hurled away. With its mouth wide open, a heart emerged directly from it. Unlike a normal demon''s heart, this one was covered in dense, sinister black runes.


    “Not good.”


    Both Qin Yun and the light green-robed woman standing on the riverbank paled at the sight.


    The rhino demon’s bloodshot eyes were filled with madness.


    “Boom!”


    The heart with its black runes suddenly radiated a blinding light before erupting with a loud explosion. It disintegrated into countless black droplets that scattered in all directions.


    Qin Yun immediately raised his hand. “Seal!”


    The sealing spell was instantly cast, enveloping the majority of the black droplets. However, with a sharp “hiss,” the barrier of light created by the spell was penetrated, and some of the black liquid continued to splatter outward.


    Qin Yun stepped forward swiftly, his sword flashing in an arc. The sword light formed a protective screen, blocking the black liquid heading toward the pleasure boat. The sound of “hiss, hiss, hiss” filled the air as the corrosive liquid eroded his sword light, but it held firm.


    “Such a vicious poison,” Qin Yun thought with a jolt of alarm.


    The light green-robed woman also extended her left hand, emitting a soft green glow that enveloped the surrounding area. The black venom splashing toward her side of the riverbank was similarly blocked by the green light.


    However, on the opposite bank, a few droplets managed to bypass the barrier and landed on several people. Screams of agony erupted as their bodies were rapidly corroded, turning into puddles of thick fluid within moments. Witnessing this horrifying scene, the surrounding commoners turned pale with fear and backed away in panic.


    “These demons…” Qin Yun recalled scenes from the northern border, his gaze growing more somber.


    “Master Qin, thank you for saving our lives.”


    The group of soldiers aboard the pleasure boat heaved a sigh of relief and quickly bowed to express their gratitude.


    Footsteps echoed as Miss Chen Shuang hurriedly descended from the upper deck, her face filled with gratitude as she addressed Qin Yun. “Brother Yun.”


    “Thank you, Master Qin.”


    “Thank you for saving our lives, Master Qin,” said seven courtesans, emerging from the cabin to bow in thanks.


    “It’s fine now,” Qin Yun reassured them, glancing at Miss Chen Shuang and then at the others. “But if you want to thank someone, you should thank another individual.” He thought to himself, Without the initial delay caused by her Palm Lightning, I wouldn’t have been able to intervene in time.


    “Move back, move back!”


    “Everyone, step away!”


    The crowds that had gathered to watch the courtesan selection were now being shooed away by constables and soldiers. Earlier, the deafening roar of “You’ve angered the Water God, all of you shall die!” had sent waves of terror through the crowd. Although many fled in panic, the narrow streets and throngs of people made it difficult to escape quickly. Now, however, the urgency seemed to have subsided, as the three demons had been killed and the danger eliminated.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    “Did you hear? They said the Water God sent demons in a fit of rage.”


    “So what? With so many experts around for the courtesan selection, the demons were just courting death.”


    “Still, ten or twenty people lost their lives.”


    The commoners sighed and chatted amongst themselves. Yet they were far from panicking; in this era, tragedies far worse than this were all too common. Had this occurred outside the city, it wouldn’t have been unusual at all.


    “I saw lightning earlier—three strikes, each blasting those three demons.”


    “Lightning? Where did it come from?”


    “I couldn’t see clearly.”


    “Look, that gentleman on the pleasure boat. He arrived in an instant from afar and killed that powerful demon with a single strike.”


    The crowd’s discussions grew livelier. Although Qin Yun had been famous in Guangling County six years ago, time had changed him. With his growth in stature and appearance, only a few locals recognized him upon his return.


    On the riverbank, soldiers stood guard while commoners watched from a distance.


    The county magistrate’s son, Wen Chong, stood nearby, visibly anxious as he observed the patches of corrosive sludge on the ground.


    “Brother Qin, just a few drops of that venom turned them into sludge?” Wen Chong asked, his voice trembling. “When did demons become this terrifying?”


    “How many demons have you actually seen?” Qin Yun replied.


    “Not many, but I’ve heard plenty of stories,” Wen Chong admitted.


    “If you don’t have experts by your side, it’s best to keep your distance from demons,” Qin Yun advised briefly before walking toward the now-retrieved demon corpses. The three demons had reverted to their true forms.


    The light green-robed woman stood by the corpses, using a branch to prod and examine them closely. Qin Yun approached and formally clasped his hands in salute. “I am Qin Yun. Thank you for your assistance, fellow cultivator.”


    “I wasn’t helping you. I was saving innocent people,” the woman replied without lifting her head, focusing on her examination of the corpses.


    “These are magic servants,” Qin Yun remarked.


    “Oh?”


    The woman finally looked up, astonishment flashing across her face. “I’ve read about them in ancient records and suspected as much, but this is my first time seeing them.”


    “Magic servants are indeed rare. I’ve only encountered them during my travels near the northern border,” Qin Yun explained.


    The woman nodded before realizing something. She quickly introduced herself, saying, “My surname is Yi. Greetings, Brother Qin.”


    “Miss Yi.” Qin Yun smiled.


    “Brother Qin, you’ve seen magic servants before?” she asked eagerly.


    Qin Yun nodded. “I have.”


    “Could you tell me more?” she pressed.


    Qin Yun glanced at the demon corpses and explained, “As you know, cultivators and demons alike have techniques to refine their physical bodies. But in our normal practice, we are cautious, avoiding anything that could damage our bodies and halt our cultivation.”


    Miss Yi nodded.


    “But magic servants are different. They’re created by powerful demons who use extreme methods to forcibly enhance the bodies of lesser demons. Through poison, alchemical techniques, and other sinister means, they forge these servants,” Qin Yun said. “Magic servants lack past memories, fear no death, and obey their masters completely.”


    “They are also fearsome in battle,” Qin Yun continued. “Since they do not fear death, they often resort to suicidal tactics. For instance, that rhino demon spat out its heart even though it knew it was doomed, just to kill as many people as possible.”


    Miss Yi nodded. “Indeed. Normally, being cleaved in two would mean certain death, and an opponent might relax. But it still managed to launch a desperate counterattack.”


    “That’s the nature of magic servants,” Qin Yun said, his tone tinged with sorrow.


    The thought of magic servants brought back memories of the northern border—memories of comrades injured or killed by them.


    Suddenly, the ground quivered slightly.


    Qin Yun looked into the distance, where a group of mounted riders was approaching swiftly. Leading them was the county magistrate himself, accompanied by Commander Fang and over a hundred personal guards.


    The magistrate, an older man, dismounted and approached.


    “Father,” Wen Chong greeted him eagerly.


    The magistrate nodded before glancing at the demon corpses. His gaze then shifted to the light green-robed woman. Hesitantly, he asked, “Yi Xiao?”


    “Uncle Wen,” the woman said, a faint smile gracing her lips.


    Qin Yun’s eyes widened slightly.


    Yi Xiao?


    “The last time I saw you, you were just a little girl. You’ve grown up,” the magistrate said warmly. “Let me introduce you to someone—this is the Qin Yun I mentioned in my letters.”


    “We’ve already met,” Yi Xiao said with a faint smile. “I’ve seen Master Qin’s skill firsthand.”


    The magistrate turned to Qin Yun. “Master Qin, as I mentioned before, one of our traveling companions is my niece here.”


    “I’ve also witnessed Miss Yi’s Palm Lightning technique,” Qin Yun replied with a smile.