Chapter Sixty: If You Have the Guts, Don’t Run

Chen Jin’s first reaction upon seeing the dark figure was that it might be a diversion, yet the scent of blood was so thick that even from a distance, he could clearly smell it. There had been no trace of such a smell before—so how had it suddenly grown so intense?

Still, since he could confirm the bloody odor, Chen Jin was not about to stand idly by. He stamped his feet and shot toward the shadow.

The shadow, realizing it had been discovered and that Chen Jin was in pursuit, immediately tried to flee. Some of the townsfolk rushed after Chen Jin, others stayed rooted to the spot, and some withdrew in fear.

Chen Jin’s legs were powerful—after all, he had been nourishing his body with the energy of heaven and earth for days now. How could he be weak? His muscles, curiously, had not increased in size along with his strength. At his current level of internal cultivation, he could sense that his muscle fibers had simply grown denser, not larger. Of course, if he wished, he could make himself into a hulking brute at any moment, but he doubted his skin’s resilience could withstand such rapid expansion. He might end up looking more monstrous than the creatures he hunted.

Thud… thud… thud…

The rapid thumping of footsteps echoed through the town as Chen Jin pursued the demon. The demon was fast—so fast it even had the leisure to glance back at Chen Jin.

Each time their eyes met, Chen Jin saw that the creature was pitch black from head to toe. This was not due to the night, but rather an inherent ability to cloak itself in darkness, perfect for hiding in the shadows. Yet its eyes were pure white, without pupils—like snow, as if afflicted with cataracts.

Chen Jin did not dwell on this. Maintaining his speed, he reached into his pocket for a talisman, murmured an incantation, and smeared fresh blood from a cut on his left index finger across the paper.

Whoosh—

A ball of fire burst from the talisman and shot toward the shadowy figure.

Bang—

The demon had been fleeing in a straight line, so it was easily struck by the fireball. It tumbled and rolled across a rooftop before crashing through into a house.

Chen Jin leapt in after it.

Why was Chen Jin so bold in chasing after a demon? The main reason was Master Liao Xin; the man’s cultivation was certainly formidable. The fact that he had deliberately left this matter to Chen Jin made it clear that everything was under his control. This gave Chen Jin the confidence to proceed.

The house was pitch dark inside, but Chen Jin’s vision was as keen as in daylight.

Apart from the kang bed, a wardrobe, and miscellaneous items, there was nothing alive in the room.

The shadowy demon had vanished.

Chen Jin pulled out another talisman, repeating the previous steps. He still had a fragment of the demon’s hair he’d picked up earlier, which he had broken and hidden in his hand for just this moment.

The talisman ignited instantly.

The demon was still in the house, but the scent of blood had vanished. Not a trace remained.

Chen Jin’s gaze swept the room, every muscle tensed for a sudden attack.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, a claw shot out at his face, aiming straight for his forehead.

Chen Jin was no iron-headed fool; a blow like that would splatter his brains everywhere.

But he was fully prepared. His palm whipped out, slapping the claw aside.

Then, twisting his body, he kicked at the shadowy demon, which was hanging from a roof beam.

Smack—

The demon’s body was even more contorted than Chen Jin’s, twisting like stretched noodles as it coiled around Chen Jin’s leg. The moment they made contact, Chen Jin felt its immense strength and realized its technique surpassed his. It twisted, neutralizing the force of his kick in an instant.

Then, with reflexes sharper than his own, it seized Chen Jin and hurled him against the wooden window, which shattered as he was thrown out of the house.

Though his strength had been dispersed, his body was tough enough to quickly regain balance, and he dashed back inside. But the door was now open—the demon had escaped.

Chen Jin tried another talisman, but this time it did not become a fireball. Clearly, the demon was gone.

With no trace of blood left to follow, he could not determine its location. Besides, he realized that chasing it would be futile. At his current level of cultivation, he stood no chance against the demon. It had clearly gone easy on him just now.

If he foolishly threw himself at it, it might well tear out his throat with a single swipe.

Yet, if it had been merciful to him, why would it commit such a bloody crime? Killing a man and gouging out his heart—such acts, whether by human or demon, spoke of madness and utter sociopathy.

But then, one could not judge demons by human standards. In the wild, beasts cared nothing for blood or gore; if it could be eaten, they would eat it—even excrement, if need be.

So it would be a mistake to judge demons by human reason.

Still, the fact that the demon had gone easy on him suggested it possessed something akin to human consciousness, not just the mind of a beast.

As Chen Jin pondered this, he heard a crowd gathering outside the house.

“Shall we go in?”

“Maybe we’d better not…”

“But…”

“There’s no sound inside now…”

The noisy voices outside were all caught by Chen Jin’s ears. At first, he thought they were afraid of the demon, but soon realized, to his surprise, that their fear was not of the demon—but of the house itself.

It seemed this house was rumored to be… haunted?

“So there really is a ghost here!” Chen Jin thought to himself.

Of course, the house was not haunted. There was no chilling presence, just dust and old furniture—nothing truly frightening.

Given that the demon had led him here, and the townsfolk were discussing it, Chen Jin could be sure there was a story behind this place.

“We already had the priest perform a ritual here—the ghosts have been caught. What’s there to be afraid of?”

“Come on, let’s go have a look.”

“But what about the demon?”

“What’s there to fear? There’s so many of us—a single mouthful of spit from each could drown it!”

“You said the same thing when we went tiger-hunting, and you were the first to run away.”

The townspeople argued outside.

Creak—

Suddenly, the door opened amid their debate.

A man darted out from the crowd.

…