Slaying demons and eliminating evil, a martial saint among mortals.

That evening, Qin Lie stayed at Li's Wine Shop.

The old lady prepared an empty room for him.

The room wasn't big, but the bedding was very clean, making it quite comfortable to stay in.

The next morning, just as dawn broke, Qin Lie got up and packed his things.

He originally planned to ride his horse back to Heishan Town while there was still time.

As soon as I came out of the room, I saw Li Hu standing at the door.

Both horses had already been led out, with dry rations and water bags hanging on their backs.

Qin Lie glanced at him.

"Are you going out too? Why did you bring the horse out?"

Li Hu mounted his horse and bent down to adjust the reins.

"Yes, I'm going out too. I have to go to Heishan Town today."

Qin Lie could easily understand that this meant he wanted to go back with him.

"You haven't been back for so long, can't you stay home for a couple more days? I can go back by myself."

After hearing this, Li Hu immediately shook his head.

"That won't do. I patted my chest in front of Boss Lu and guaranteed that I would bring you back safely."

"What if something happens to you on the way? How am I supposed to explain it to him?"

Qin Lie felt somewhat helpless.

"I'm already at the peak of the seventh rank. If I really encounter a problem that even I can't solve, having you here might not change the outcome."

Upon hearing this, Li Hu immediately became somewhat displeased.

"What do you mean? What do you mean by 'one more of me is useless'?"

"If you really can't win, at least I can help you hold off the enemy and buy you some time to escape."

Qin Lie looked at him with annoyance.

"Then what are you going to do?"

Li Hu thought about it carefully.

"Just look at my build, I'm definitely stronger than you, and I can withstand more blows. Once you've run far away, I'll figure out a way to escape."

Qin Lie almost laughed when he heard this.

This guy makes it sound so easy, but when the time comes, it won't be so easy for him to get away.

Seeing that forceful persuasion was ineffective, Qin Lie resorted to emotional appeals.

"You just got back yesterday. Instead of spending more time with your family, you're leaving with me today. Is that appropriate?"

Li Hu also glanced back and shivered.

"You shouldn't have said anything, now that you've said it, I want to leave even more."

"My ancestor has been staring at my legs countless times since yesterday."

"I think if I stay here for a few days, I'll most likely lose both my legs."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the old lady's voice came from inside the wine shop.

"What are you muttering about over there?"

Li Hu's body stiffened, and his grip on the reins tightened immediately.

"It's nothing, I'm discussing with Qin Lie when to set off!"

After shouting those words, he immediately looked at Qin Lie.

"Stop dawdling. If you don't leave soon, my ancestors will have to come out and see me off."

Seeing that he was ready, Qin Lie knew that there was little point in continuing to persuade him, so he could only mount his horse.

"Alright, let's go together then."

After hearing this, Li Hu's tense expression visibly eased.

He turned and called out towards the wine shop.

"Ancestor, we're leaving!"

The old lady didn't come out; she just replied from inside.

"Get lost."

"If you don't come back for more than a year next time, I'll really break your legs."

Li Hu shrank his neck.

Then he squeezed the horse's belly with his legs and galloped off towards the edge of town.

Qin Lie followed behind.

The two left Lijia Town in a short time and headed towards Heishan Town.

We didn't encounter any trouble along the way.

Li Hu was still talking almost non-stop, just like always.

One moment he's talking about how he stole wine when he was a child and was caught in the wine cellar by his ancestors.

A moment later, he asked Qin Lie if there was anything worth trying in Heishan Town.

At first, Qin Lie would reply to him, but later he became too lazy to pay attention to him.

Regardless of whether anyone responds, Li Hu can continue talking on his own.

The two urged their horses onward.

It wasn't until the afternoon of the next day that the outline of Black Mountain Town appeared in the distance.

Upon seeing the familiar houses at the entrance of the town, Qin Lie deliberately slowed down his journey.

It hadn't been long since we left Heishan Town.

But this time when he came back, his thoughts had changed quite a bit.

When he left last time, he was just a newcomer in the Demon Suppression Division.

He wasn't even entirely sure if he would come back alive.

He has now reached the peak of the seventh rank.

Now that he has a foothold, he plans to take Liu Yunniang and the others away.

After entering Heishan Town, Li Hu stopped at the street corner.

"Alright, we're already in town, you can go back now, I won't go with you."

Although Li Hu is talkative and likes to join in the fun, he is not truly without discernment.

Qin Lie's return this time clearly indicates that he has many family matters to attend to.

It wouldn't be appropriate for an outsider like myself to go along.

"Don't make me go over there. Once you're settled in Dongxuan City, I'll definitely be running to your little courtyard."

"You go back and take care of things first. I'll just find an inn in town to stay at and see if there's any good wine here. I'll have a couple of sips."

"If you encounter a problem that you can't solve, use the Demon Suppression Token to notify me. Don't be stingy with your merit points."

"We can earn more merits when they're gone, but we only have one life. Once it's gone, we have nothing left."

Qin Lie was touched when he heard this.

"Okay, I'll definitely contact you if I need anything, I won't stand on ceremony."

Li Hu laughed heartily after hearing this.

"That's more like it. Men should be more straightforward and not try to handle everything alone. Call me if you need anything. I'm off now."

After saying that, Li Hu pulled on the reins and headed towards the east end of the town.

Qin Lie sat on his horse, watching his figure disappear into the crowd.

Only then did he turn his head and look in the direction of the Zhang family's courtyard.

I've been away for so many days, I wonder how things are at home now.

Qin Lie gently squeezed the horse's belly.

Following the familiar street, I walked towards the Zhang family's courtyard.