A Compendium of One Hundred Demons: My Path to Immortality in a World of Demons and Monsters

The smoke of battle had not yet dissipated from Black Wind Stronghold, and the atmosphere inside the temporarily requisitioned Hall of Righteousness was as heavy as iron.

The secret letter that Xu Yuan handed over was spread out on the table. The parchment was yellowed, and the grassland script on it was crooked and twisted like a venomous snake. Chen Hanchuan stared at the letter, his right hand unconsciously tightening his grip on the hilt of the sword at his waist, his knuckles turning white.

"Are you sure this letter was found on Zhang Biao?" Chen Hanchuan's voice was low and slightly trembling.

"Absolutely true." Xu Yuan nodded. "Before he died, he tried to use this information to save his life."

Chen Hanchuan took a deep breath and turned to a thin scholar beside him: "Old Wu, you used to be an interpreter in the army. Read what's written here to everyone."

The scholar, surnamed Wu, was Chen Hanchuan's advisor. He took the secret letter and carefully examined it by candlelight, but his face grew paler and paler. When he was halfway through reading it, his hand trembled and the letter almost fell to the ground.

"General...General..." Mr. Wu's voice trembled, "This letter was written by the Grand Commandant of the Right Wise King's tribe of the Xiongnu!"

"Content!" Chen Hanchuan said in a deep voice.

Mr. Wu swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he said, "The letter says... the Right Wise King has assembled his own 60,000 iron cavalry, and joined forces with three other tribes, totaling 100,000 troops, to march south in three routes. The left route is personally led by the Grand Commandant, and in ten days... in ten days, 5,000 vanguard light cavalry will be at the gates of Qingyang County!"

"Five thousand..." Zhang Xiaowei and several other officers in the hall gasped in shock.

The regular garrison of Qingyang County numbered no more than five hundred, and with the temporary conscription of local militia, the total number was only about one thousand.

A thousand infantrymen against five thousand cavalrymen—it's almost a certain death situation!

"Anything else?" Chen Hanchuan asked solemnly.

"The letter also mentioned..." Mr. Wu wiped the sweat from his brow, "Besides plundering supplies, the Xiongnu seem to have an even more important objective for this southward expedition..."

"What target?" one officer couldn't help but ask.

"The letter didn't specify," Mr. Wu explained, "it only said that a reward of a thousand taels of gold would be given for any clues provided..."

The hall was deathly silent.

If a mere clue is worth a thousand taels of gold, one can imagine that what the Xiongnu were really looking for was of immeasurable value.

Xu Yuan hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not reveal the information Zhang Biao had disclosed before his death.

Firstly, the Hall of Gathering Righteousness is now crowded with people and their eyes are all mixed together. Money can tempt people, and the lure of a thousand taels of gold alone might make many people take risks, not to mention that unknown ancient relic.

Secondly, Xu Yuan is currently unable to determine whether the ancient artifact the Xiongnu are looking for is related to the back mountain, and he does not want to introduce unknown risks into Shuangshan Village.

A long silence filled the hall. A resolute glint flashed in Chen Hanchuan's eyes as he slowly said, "This matter is classified as top secret. No one is to divulge it. Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

The generals solemnly replied, "Yes, sir!"

Chen Hanchuan then looked at Xu Yuan: "Young Brother Xu, you deserve the greatest credit in this battle and should be rewarded according to the law. What do you want?"

Xu Yuan didn't hesitate and spoke directly: "General Chen, I need to return to Shuangshan Village in three days to deal with the tiger demon. I wonder if the general could send troops to assist me?"

Chen Hanchuan pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "Logically, I should help you, but the Xiongnu vanguard is approaching, and I need to prepare for battle with all my might. I really can't spare any manpower."

Seeing Xu Yuan's disappointed expression, he added, "However, I can have the warehouse allocate a batch of supplies for you—pills, weapons, leather armor, you can choose whatever you like. In addition, I will ask Registrar Zhao to cooperate as much as possible."

"Thank you, General Chen!" Xu Yuan cupped his hands in thanks. With these supplies, he might be able to make another breakthrough in the remaining time!

At daybreak, the soldiers escorted the remaining prisoners and their spoils back to Qingyang County.

Xu Yuan, mounted on his horse, glanced back at Black Wind Ridge. Life-or-death battles were indeed the fastest way to improve one's martial arts.

Last night's battle not only allowed him to accumulate a wealth of practical experience and master the Blood Fiend Blade Technique, but also enabled him to devour a mountain spirit and unlock new traits, giving him the confidence to fight the tiger demon.

"Only three days left..." Xu Yuan murmured.

Three days later will be the night of the full moon. At that time, regardless of whether the experts from the Town Demon Division of the Prefecture arrive or not, he must return to Shuangshan Village with Shen Qingyi and Zhao Zhubu.

This also means that the final battle against the tiger demon is about to begin!

Upon returning to Qingyang County, Xu Yuan, led by Zhang Xiaowei, entered a storeroom.

"Brother Xu, General Chen said you can choose whatever you like here."

Thank you!

Xu Yuan did not refuse and began to carefully select one. Soon, a long sword with a black sheath caught his attention.

This long sword with a black sheath is three feet two inches long and weighs eighteen pounds. It has a thick spine, a narrow and long blade, and a faint bluish-gray tinge at the edge.

"Brother Xu, you have a good eye. This knife is a fine weapon forged by the weapon refiners of the prefecture city using meteorite iron mixed with cold iron. Although it is not classified as a graded weapon, it is far superior to ordinary iron."

Captain Zhang enthusiastically introduced the origin of the black-sheathed longsword, and after weighing it in his hand, Xu Yuan also became quite fond of it.

"This is it. Please thank General Chen for me!"

Xu Yuan then selected a batch of Qi and Blood Pills and several medicinal herbs labeled "Blood Ginseng" and "Dragon Pattern Grass," all of which are top-grade herbs for replenishing Qi and Blood and strengthening muscles and bones.

By the time he bid farewell to Captain Zhang and returned to the Shen residence, the sun was already high in the sky.

"Young Master Xu is back!" Uncle Fu came out to greet him, and was immediately shocked to see him covered in blood. "What happened to you...?"

"I was slightly injured while fighting bandits, but it's nothing serious." Xu Yuan waved his hand. "Is Miss Shen here?"

"The young lady is in the study."

In the study, Shen Qingyi was reading an ancient book. Seeing Xu Yuan enter, she immediately put down the book and asked, "How did the bandit suppression go last night?"

"Everything went smoothly." Xu Yuan briefly recounted what had happened, but still omitted the matter of the ancient relics.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Shen Qingyi, but rather that he didn't want to get involved before the situation became clear.

After listening, Shen Qingyi frowned slightly, but did not ask about the southward migration of the Xiongnu. Instead, she calmly analyzed, "There are mountain spirits in the underground caves of Black Wind Ridge. This may be related to the tiger demon behind Shuangshan Village."

"Does Miss Shen know about mountain spirits?"

"My father recorded this in his notes." Shen Qingyi stood up and took a notebook from the bookshelf. "Mountain spirits, water monkeys, and changgui are all low-level demon soldiers, usually subordinate to more powerful demon generals. If that tiger demon can command mountain spirits, it means it is at least a demon general at the Condensation Realm, or even a demon commander at the Divine Power Realm."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly. The slight sense of superiority he had gained from defeating Zhang Biao across realms and devouring the mountain spirit vanished instantly.

He already struggled to deal with those at the Qi Condensation Realm, let alone those at the Divine Power Realm...

"However, there's no need to worry too much." Shen Qingyi turned to a page in the journal. "Look here—'A great demon is sealed, like a dragon trapped in shallow waters.' If the seal is not broken, the tiger demon can at most command some low-level demons to cause trouble. Even if the seal is broken, its strength will inevitably be greatly diminished after being sealed for so many years."

She looked at Xu Yuan: "When do you plan to return to the village?"

"Within three days, the reinforcements from the Demon Suppression Division of the Prefecture will arrive and leave immediately."

"Alright." Shen Qingyi nodded. "I will go with you then. The few sets of formations left by my father might come in handy."

"Thank you, Miss Shen."

"No need to be so polite." Shen Qingyi smiled slightly. "Go and heal your wounds first. If you need any medicinal herbs, just tell Uncle Fu."