I become stronger by sacrificing my lifespan, becoming invincible in the world.

When the three returned to Ghost Cry Pass, it was nearly dusk.

The guards at the city gate took the waist token handed over by Zhao Tiegu, glanced at their blood-stained bodies and the remains of the demon corpse hastily wrapped in rags, and waved them through without any expression on their faces.

As soon as they entered the city gate, they saw Zhang Kui with his arms crossed, leaning against the shadows of the gate opening.

Upon seeing the three, a hint of surprise flashed in his triangular eyes, but he quickly resumed his cold, appraising gaze. He walked over, his eyes lingering for a moment on the wound on Zhao Tiegu's arm and the newly added bone spear at Lin Chen's waist.

"You're back?" Zhang Kui asked calmly. "I thought you were going to perish in the Black Wind Forest."

"Thanks to you, I almost lost everything." Li the Cripple sneered through gritted teeth. "Zhang Kui, you damn well ran fast!"

"Run?" Zhang Kui raised an eyebrow. "Li the Cripple, you can't just say things like that. I was just following the rules; I reported back immediately upon discovering enemy activity. But you... you engaged the demon race without authorization and even killed their patrol members. If this provokes a large-scale retaliation from the demon race, can you bear the responsibility?"

Rake upside down.

Li the Cripple turned pale with anger and wanted to curse again, but Zhao Tiegu grabbed him.

"Chief Zhang," Zhao Tiegu said hoarsely, clutching his wound, "there really is a demon patrol in the Black Wind Forest, at least three of them, and they're quite strong. We ran into them, and we had no choice but to fight to the death. We lost one of our new brothers."

He paused, then added, "Lin Chen... killed one."

Zhang Kui's gaze turned to Lin Chen again.

This time, he looked more closely. From Lin Chen's calm face, he saw the pair of dark gold wolf claw daggers at his waist, and then he saw the bone spear that clearly belonged to the demon race.

He killed a demon warrior in a single encounter?

Zhang Kui's calculations suddenly wavered.

This kid... seems more troublesome than I imagined.

"Alright, it's good that he's back." Zhang Kui waved his hand, his tone unreadable. "Go report back to Captain Wang. Remember... say what you should say, and don't say what you shouldn't."

He gave the three of them a meaningful look, then turned and left.

"That bastard..." Li the Cripple spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Go find Scarface Wang first," Zhao Tiegu whispered. "Don't let him find any more dirt on us."

The three arrived at the dilapidated mud house in the scout camp—Wang Scarface usually handled odd jobs there.

A dim oil lamp was lit in the room, and Scarface Wang was sitting with his legs crossed, chatting and joking with his two henchmen. He didn't even lift his eyelids when the three men entered.

"Captain Wang," Zhao Tiegu stepped forward and gave a brief report on the situation in Black Wind Forest, omitting details of Zhang Kui leading the way and his desertion, only saying that it was an encounter battle.

After listening, Scarface Wang slowly took a sip of his cheap liquor: "So, you killed three demons, and you lost one of yourselves?"

"Yes." Zhao Tiegu bowed his head.

"Where are the heads of the demons?" Wang Scarface asked.

Zhao Tiegu looked at Lin Chen.

Lin Chen untied the tattered cloth bundle from behind his back and threw it on the ground. The cloth unfurled, revealing the hideous head of a demon race inside—its green eyes wide open, its fangs protruding, its death gruesome.

The other two soldiers inside the room gasped in shock.

Scarface Wang sat up straight, stared at the head for a long time, then looked up at Lin Chen: "You killed him?"

Lin Chen didn't speak, he just nodded.

"Heh..." Scarface Wang laughed, his smile carrying an indescribable meaning. "Not bad, newcomer, you've got some skills."

He stood up, walked to the head, and kicked it with his toe: "According to the rules, killing an ordinary demon warrior earns a 'minor merit' and a reward of five taels of silver. Three... that's fifteen taels."

He took out his money pouch from his pocket, counted out fifteen taels of loose silver, but did not give it to her directly. Instead, he weighed it in his hand.

"However..." Wang the Scarface drawled, "your unauthorized engagement with the demon race might alert them and disrupt the plans within the pass. This credit... will have to be discounted."

He counted out five taels of silver and threw it to Zhao Tiegu: "Zhao Tiegu, you're an old man, you know the rules. These five taels are for the three of you to divide. The remaining ten taels are to be confiscated as atonement for your crimes."

Another deduction!

Li the Cripple's eyes turned red, and he wanted to argue, but Zhao Tiegu held him down firmly.

Zhao Tiegu took the five taels of silver, his fingers clenching so tightly they turned white, but he managed a smile: "Thank you, Captain Xie... for your magnanimity."

"Hmm." Scarface Wang nodded in satisfaction, waved his hand, and said, "Get lost. You have work to do tomorrow."

The three left the earthen house.

Stepping outside, a gust of cold wind blew, and Li the Cripple slammed his fist on the mud wall: "Fifteen taels of credit! He only gave me five taels! And he wants it split among three people! Bastard! Beast!"

Zhao Tiegu didn't speak, but silently divided the five taels of silver into three portions. He kept one and a half taels for himself, handed one and a half taels to Li the Cripple, and finally handed two taels to Lin Chen.

Lin Chen looked at the two taels of silver.

It's one or two more than yesterday.

"Old Zhao, Boss Li," Lin Chen didn't answer, "that brother who died today... if there are still people in his family, have someone send this money back."

Zhao Tiegu was stunned for a moment, then looked at Lin Chen.

Li the Cripple was also stunned.

"That kid fled from the south during a famine; his family has long since disappeared," Zhao Tiegu sighed. "Here's the money... You can take it. In this godforsaken place, you can't get anywhere without money."

Lin Chen then took the silver and put it in his pocket.

He knew Zhao Tiegu was telling the truth. The reason he didn't argue when Wang Scarface tried to cut the price wasn't because he was afraid, but because he knew it would be useless and would only invite more trouble.

He needs time, he needs to keep a low profile, and he needs to... improve his strength as soon as possible.

"Kid," Zhao Tiegu suddenly lowered his voice, "Zhang Kui won't let this go until he's killed us all. Wang Scarface's side is probably after you too. From now on... be careful."

Lin Chen nodded: "I know."

"Also," Zhao Tiegu looked around to make sure no one was there, then lowered his voice even further, "if you really need money, or want to get some good stuff... there's a place inside the pass where you can try your luck."

Lin Chen looked up: "Where?"

"The black market," Zhao Tiegu uttered. "In the southwest corner of the pass, there's an abandoned brick kiln. On the first and fifteenth nights of each month, members of the 'Blood Blade Gang' go there to buy and sell goods. Monster materials, weapons, medicine, and even... some things of dubious origin can all be traded there."

black market?

Blood Blade Gang?

Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat.

"Is it safe?" he asked.

"It depends on luck," Zhao Tiegu said with a wry smile. "The Blood Blade Gang are mercenaries who live on the edge, they only care about money, not people. To trade with them, you need to have a good eye and be ruthless. But... they do occasionally have some good stuff."

Lin Chen remembered it.

He currently possesses demonic beast materials (wolf pelts, wolf fangs), demonic weapons (bone spears, bone knives), and the pair of wolf claw daggers. If he could exchange them for more practical items, or for money, and then for cultivation resources…

"When will the market reopen next?" Lin Chen asked.

"The day after tomorrow is the fifteenth," Zhao Tiegu said, looking at him. "You want to go?"

Lin Chen didn't answer directly, but simply said, "Let's see."

The three returned to their lodgings.

Inside the earthen house, the others looked at them with varying expressions upon their return. Some were curious, some fearful, and some even gloating—clearly, Zhang Kui's early return had already spread some word.

Lin Chen ignored the stares, sat down on his bunk, and began to close his eyes and regulate his breathing.

The 12 years of demon lifespan he absorbed today still need time to be fully refined. He could feel that his physical strength had increased again, and his power, speed, and reaction time had all improved significantly.

But not enough.

According to the divine jade's instructions, a lifespan of "more than ten thousand years" is required to completely repair the shattered dantian.

He doesn't even have a fraction of that now.

We must accumulate more quickly.

Late at night.

The snoring resumed inside the earthen house.

Lin Chen suddenly opened his eyes, got up silently, and walked out of the earthen house.

Outside, the moon was dark and the wind was high. The snow had stopped, but the cold was biting. He went around to the back of the earthen house, took out the pair of wolf claw daggers from his pocket, and examined them carefully by the light of the torches on the distant city wall.

The dark gold material has a naturally sharp curve and feels cold and heavy in the hand.

It's a good product.

But it's not good enough.

If you can find a blacksmith to re-sharpen and sharpen the blade, and even fit a suitable handle...

He suddenly remembered what Zhao Tiegu had mentioned about the black market.

Perhaps I can go and take a look the day after tomorrow.

Just then, a rapid sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from afar, getting closer and closer, heading straight for the gate.

Why are people coming and going so late?

Lin Chen slipped into the shadows and stared intently.

A group of about ten riders, covered in dust, rushed to the gate. Leading them was a burly man in leather armor, carrying an exaggeratedly large, ghost-head-shaped sword. The guards seemed to recognize him, and without much questioning, opened a crack in the gate to let him through.

The group of men roared in and headed straight for the depths of the pass.

As Lin Chen passed through the shadows where he was hiding, a flash of torchlight revealed a token hanging from the man's waist—engraved with the image of a dripping blood knife.

Blood Blade Gang?

What a coincidence?

Lin Chen's mind raced with thoughts.

It seems that Ghost Cry Pass is far more complex than he imagined. On the surface, it's a military camp, but behind the scenes, countless forces are intertwined and vying for power.

He gripped the wolf claw dagger tightly in his hand.

He turned around and quietly returned to the earthen house.

Lying on his bunk, he closed his eyes, sorting through all the information he had gathered that day: Zhang Kui's framing, Wang Scarface's extortion, clues from the black market, the appearance of the Blood Knife Gang...

The road ahead is fraught with difficulties, but it is not without opportunities.

The divine jade on my chest felt warm to the touch.

It was as if reminding him—

Devour, become stronger.

Then, take back everything that belongs to you.

Outside the window, the north wind howled.

On the distant city wall, the coughs of the night watchmen could be heard intermittently.

The night is still long.