Xu Chang'an did not rashly enter the mountain cave.
He still had doubts about the quiet environment here.
The System said it was a Cyan-eyed Tiger at the Qi Cultivation Third Layer, while Xu Chang'an himself was at the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer, just a step away from the Open Source Realm...
If the System wasn't wrong, then the information his senior sister gave him was also correct, and completing this mission should be easy for him.
However, Xu Chang'an felt that with his zero-caliber brain, which couldn't even count on his fingers, he shouldn't fully trust it.
But one can't always back down; refusing the opportunity right in front of him would be akin to being a couch potato.
Xu Chang'an held his longsword as he cautiously approached the mountain cave.
As he got closer to the cave, Xu Chang'an could sense a faint residue of Demon Qi, confirming that the Cyan-eyed Tiger was indeed in the cave ahead.
Xu Chang'an thought for a moment, then grasped the hilt with both hands, lowering his body slightly to gather sword momentum.
A moment later, a light stream of glow condensed on the longsword, and a silvery Sword Aura slowly formed, growing more radiant with Xu Chang'an's accumulation of strength. In just three breaths, the Sword Aura expanded from the size of a finger to the thickness of an arm.
As an Outer Sect Steward of the Chaoyun Sect, he could choose to learn two low-level cultivation techniques each year, and the Energy Storage Technique was the technique Xu Chang'an chose. Although the long power accumulation time made it mostly unusable in combat, it was great for sneak attacks on low-level brainless members of the Demon Race, making it an essential technique for junior disciples to complete sect tasks.
After all, launching a ranged attack before engaging in melee was common sense.
Once the Sword Aura on the blade had accumulated sufficiently, Xu Chang'an took a low-level Demon-Exorcising Talisman from his waist and flicked it into the cave with a bent finger.
He didn't want to rashly enter the cave and fight the Cyan-eyed Tiger since the terrain inside was unknown.
Instantly, the talisman activated, and thick smoke billowed out of the cave.
Gripping the Sword Aura, Xu Chang'an was ready to escape instantly if the Cyan-eyed Tiger turned out to be a Great Demon after charging out.
However, to his relief, what dashed out of the cave was a more than one-meter-tall tiger, its scarlet tongue drooling down, creating puffs of white smoke upon hitting the dirt. Its claws and glaring eyes were teary from the Demon-Exorcising Talisman's smoke.
Xu Chang'an, having waited at the cave entrance with gathered force for a long time, slightly advanced his left foot, transferring a force from his calf to his waist and back.
He stepped forth.
Body straight, step stable, his body twisted in tight coordination with the longsword like a rope being twisted, without any slacking.
"Force Drop, Power Swift!"
Xu Chang'an violently swung his sword diagonally downwards, the energy unfurling solidly, and with a flash of bright silver light, the Sword Aura met the Cyan-eyed Tiger's head directly!
With a sneak attack, complete preparation, and overwhelming it by realms, the Cyan-eyed Tiger didn't have time to react before its head was severed, dead beyond dead.
[Cyan-eyed Tiger killed. Reward issued. Marketplace update starting.]
Almost simultaneously, the System's voice sounded in Xu Chang'an's mind. He shook his head and walked over to the Tiger Demon's body.
"Very weak, and not like a Scattered Demon." Xu Chang'an inspected the Cyan-eyed Tiger's corpse, then entered the cave and noticed food left by a human for the Cyan-eyed Tiger, causing his eye to twitch slightly.
"As expected... it's a mount of some Immortal Sect disciple... but it has nothing to do with me."
When intelligence errors happened in the past, it was always the disciple organizing the intelligence who got punished, not the disciple who took the Demon Extermination Order.
Division of labor is division of labor, and the Chaoyun Sect was very strict about rules.
Xu Chang'an recalled his senior sister's absent-minded demeanor these days; clearly, the Cyan-eyed Tiger she registered wasn't a Scattered Demon.
"Sorry, senior sister, it's not because the junior brother is foolish, there's really nothing that can be done." Xu Chang'an turned into a shadow and left the scene.
At that moment, the little girl living next to Xu Chang'an suddenly sensed something, her face changed, and she rushed out of her house.
On the mountain.
The little girl looked at the severed body of the Cyan-eyed Tiger, gritting her teeth in anger.
She had spent an entire Spirit Stone to buy this toy, just so she could talk more with the pretty elder sister, leaving the Cyan-eyed Tiger on the mountain... and within a few days, someone killed it?
Judging by the Sword Aura, it must've been someone from Chaoyun Sect who mistook her pet for a demon.
Are they brainless?
The little girl stomped her foot hard.
She was determined to complain to the elders, unable to swallow this grievance.
…
Xu Chang'an, having left the scene, didn't rush back to the mountain. He opened the System interface and found that the marketplace was still being updated.
Thinking it over, considering the gathering of guests under the Chaoyun Sect, killing a Cyan-eyed Tiger hidden by others on the mountain was bound to cause trouble.
He decided to return to the city and report to the Steward first.
Beisang City was within the Chaoyun Sect's territory, and naturally, Stewards from the sect were present. After settling in Beisang City with his wife a year ago, it was Steward Zhu, hidden in Beisang City, who discovered his talent for cultivation and recommended him to Muyu Peak of the Chaoyun Sect.
Furthermore, after he entered the Immortal Sect, Steward Zhu had intentionally or unintentionally looked after his wife; otherwise, with Yun Qian's beauty, it would've been impossible for her to live so peacefully.
It could be said that Steward Zhu had great favor on him.
Xu Chang'an sighed helplessly, thinking about how he was about to cause trouble for Senior Zhu again.
…
The house Xu Chang'an bought was in Beisang City, and with the city backed by mountains and facing the sea, it was quite prosperous. Rumor had it that there was a connection with the Immortal Sect, so even cultivators were often seen in Beisang City.
But in reality, Beisang City was most famous not for the Immortal Fate, but for—
brothels.
Here, you could meet all sorts of girls.
They were skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, knowledgeable in poetry and literature, proficient with string and wind instruments, and adept at singing and dancing... Once you came, you'd know this place was full of charming, varied feminine allure.
Whether in terms of quantity, scale, or even the quality of the girls, Beisang City was renowned in Qing Province.
Xu Chang'an walked along the road, directly crossing a red line at his feet, heading towards the eastern part of the city.
Behind him, some people exchanged looks.
"Was that young man just now an Immortal Master from Chaoyun Sect?" the young girl asked in surprise.
"Shh." The middle-aged man gestured for silence and whispered, "Judging by his attire, he's indeed an Immortal Master... but you guys should know, cultivators from the Immortal Sect, there's no saying their age could be older than your grandfather."
"That's true." The young girl nodded, then muttered, "Immortal Sect... So this is Beisang City."
"Yet another looking for Immortal Fate." The middle-aged man sighed boredly, glancing at the direction Xu Chang'an had gone. He smiled with squinted eyes, thinking that coming to Beisang City without seeking pleasure... was such a waste.
Didn't you see even an Immortal Master from Chaoyun Sect appeared?
But to wander the brothels wearing clothes with the Chaoyun Sect emblem, so high-profile, it was his first time seeing this.
Could it really be a young man?
…
Walking through a stone alley, Xu Chang'an suddenly felt somewhat guilty.
As a husband, having just parted ways with his wife and then coming to the brothels... even though he had a clear conscience, it still felt a bit odd.