Chapter 6: The Demon-Hunting Girl

  "Is this really the case?" In a garden full of chrysanthemums, in a spacious pavilion, a man wearing a dark-colored robe leaned against the table, his narrow eyes gleaming with a playful air, making him look somewhat lazy. However, despite this, his face was unexpectedly handsome.

  A man lies on his side next to a table, surrounded by chrysanthemums of various colors. A woman in a pink gauze dress sits among the flowers, her delicate fingers gently peeling off the outer skin of a purple grape, revealing its crystal-clear green pulp.

  Wait until the pulp is all out, then put it all into the man's mouth. At this time, the man will take the opportunity to bite the woman's fingertips slightly, and the woman will lower her head shyly, with a happy and pampered look in her eyes, and then continue to peel another one.

  Another young woman in a green dress had a smile at the corner of her mouth, with a head of green silk scattered on both shoulders, showing a soft beauty. A blue chrysanthemum was inserted between her hair, very beautiful. The woman in green sat in front of a plain zither, her slender fingers plucking the strings, and wherever she went, a beautiful melody would surely rise.

  Qin Xiao was already accustomed to such scenes and continued to bow his head, clasping his fists in respect. He knew that their emperor, who appeared to be indulgent and infatuated with beauty on the surface, actually possessed extraordinary intelligence and cunning methods.

  "A demon girl appears on White Tiger Mountain? How refreshing." The man swallowed the fruit pulp, casually pulled over the woman's hand, and gently planted a kiss on her lips. Taking advantage of the woman's shyness, he applied a bit more force, and she fell softly into his arms. He stroked her smooth, delicate cheek, took out a white chrysanthemum flower, and gently tucked it behind her ear, perfectly complementing her pink cheeks. The man was very pleased, with a hint of a smile in his eyes. Only then did he shift his gaze to Qin Xiao and say, "General Qin, tell me, how many times has something like this happened since I ascended the throne?"

  "Your Majesty, the phoenix appears once a year, and there is talk of a calamitous star falling from the sky. The phoenix appears three times, and the Mysterious Girl descends to the world. The phoenix appears four times, and numerous stars fall. The phoenix appears six times, and peach blossoms bloom in the snowy sky. Adding to this, the rumors spread by the common people are over a hundred. Qin Xiao knew that the Emperor did not believe him, but he still spoke out these words with an unchanged expression. He would rather believe that this time was real, so he would rather risk death to make his report."

  Looking at Qin Xiao's dignified appearance, the man actually believed him a bit. Qin Xiao was his personal bodyguard before he even boarded the plane, and now as the General of Protecting the Country, he was also his confidant, Qin Xiao wouldn't deceive him.

  The man stood up, holding a blood-colored chrysanthemum in his hand, and stepped closer to Qin Xiao one step at a time. He opened his mouth and said, "Qin Xiao."

  Not the general, but Qin Xiao.

  "I am present."

  "Why did you call me?"

  "Your Majesty"

  "What?"

  "Huang..." Qin Xiao paused for a moment, then slowed down his tone and said "Chang Qing."

  Chang Qing, Feng Chang Qing, is the name of the current emperor of this Phoenix Country. Under the heavens, only he Qin Xiao and the king of Anbang who is on a distant expedition, Zi Yun, can address him by his given name.

  Feng Changqing looked down at Qin Xiao, who was well-liked in the army. The imperial guards around him were all personally trained by Qin Xiao. He was strict with his subordinates, yet showed great care and concern for them. Beneath his cold exterior, he was overflowing with sympathy. However, he was ruthless towards those who betrayed him. This defeat was the only blemish on Qin Xiao's record in this lifetime. The pain of losing a subordinate like a brother and the regret of failure - how could Feng Changqing not see it?

  But unexpectedly dared to use this rotten excuse to start a memorial service, just wanting to sweep away the White Tiger Mountain as a subordinate revenge, erase that stain, and then take these to deceive him again?

  The atmosphere in the pavilion suddenly cooled down, and even though the sun was shining brightly, it sent shivers down one's spine. Only a lively tune remained, awkwardly floating in the air.

  "In ten days, bring that witch to me. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless." The extremely dissatisfied words were spoken as the chrysanthemum in his hand was already crushed. Like fresh blood, the flower's sap slid down through his fingers, making it very eye-catching. As he loosened his grip, the broken chrysanthemum fell to the ground weakly, entering Qin Xiao's line of sight.

  No longer bothering with Qin Xiao, Feng Changqing stepped away, leaving behind the two consorts in the pavilion and Qin Xiao.

  "Thank you, Your Majesty." Qin Xiao thanked with gratitude and stood up to watch Feng Changqing's back, secretly vowing in his heart that he must catch the demon woman in the forest, otherwise he would be willing to accept any punishment.

  On that day in the afternoon, Qin Xiao ordered people to post notices everywhere in Fenghuang City, and the content of the notices was all the same.

  Recruiting brave hunters nationwide to enter White Tiger Mountain and hunt the female demon. Participants will be rewarded with 10 taels of white silver, those who provide information about the female demon that is verified will receive 50 taels of white silver, those who successfully hunt down the female demon will receive 100 taels of yellow gold, a mansion, and 10 mu of good land, exempt from paying taxes for three years.

  Qin Xiao did not lead the troops himself, but instead used this method to let someone go in and probe the situation first. He knew that the Emperor would not believe this rumor at present, so he gave him ten days' time, but did not give him an order to surround and wipe out, which was to let him find evidence and make the Emperor believe it himself, otherwise everything would be in vain.

  At this time, the sun shines on Baitoushan, birds chirping constantly, a peaceful scene. Qilin lazily sat on a branch, holding the picked fruit in her hand, although it was extremely sour, Qilin refused to give up and insisted on finishing it before stopping.

  She didn't know that outside, because of her, the world had turned upside down. Within three hours, more than 50 hunters had come to seek fame, all wanting to get their hands on that tempting reward. Even if they failed to catch the demon girl, they could still get ten taels of silver, and catching a few wolves would also fetch a good price.

  Within a day, over a hundred hunters had gathered, all of whom were concentrated at the Phoenix Inn, drinking and talking about their hunting experiences. Qin Xiao coldly watched the rough and boorish hunters downstairs, his wine cup emptying and refilling repeatedly, he had already forgotten how much he had drunk.

  The stars have begun to twinkle on the horizon, Qilin lit a fire in her cave using the flint she found and the pine resin she collected from the forest. The warm glow of the fire cast a gentle light on her face, Xiao Bai snuggled up close behind her as a soft bed, while the rest of the wolves stayed outside, fearful of the flames. Qilin held a small stone and wrote unintelligible sentences on the ground.

  Qilin tossed the stone behind her and fell onto Xiaobai's fluffy belly, with Xiaobai's tail draped over her body. At this moment, Qilin looked as if she was sinking into a big, fluffy bed. She reached out to gently pinch Xiaobai's ears, gazing at the stars outside through the hole. Reflecting on everything that had happened, Qilin couldn't help but mock herself - those past lives she once despised had now become her only memories.

  "Xiao Bai, have we met a long time ago?" Qilin thought back to the accident that brought her here and she was certain she wasn't seeing things, Xiao Bai really did exist.

  Xiaobai looked at Qilin with a puzzled expression, seeing the warm light flickering in her eyes. She tilted her head and stretched out her soft tongue to lick Qilin's face. Qilin numbly wiped away Xiaobai's saliva and scratched Xiaobai's neck a few times. Was she really that lonely? She was actually talking human language with Xiaobai.

  "Woof?" Xiaobai looked at Qilin with a puzzled expression, thinking that his previous action was not intimate enough. He then stretched out his pink tongue again and kept licking Qilin's face.

  "Alright, Xiao Bai." Qilin dodged the soft and sloppy tongue, her newly dried hair now wet again, but Xiao Bai showed no signs of stopping, instead becoming more and more excited.

  Qilin reached out and hugged Xiao Bai's head, not letting it get close to herself again. Then she scratched a few times under Xiao Bai's armpits, and Xiao Bai closed its eyes, waving its tail wildly with all four legs in the air, causing dust on the ground to fly everywhere. Finally, Qilin and Xiao Bai felt an itch in their noses, and they both stretched out their paws to rub their noses, but still couldn't suppress this urge. The human and wolf faced the same direction, opening their mouths wide.

  "Ah Chu"

  After finishing the sneeze, Qilin and Xiaobai looked at each other.

  "Whoosh!!! Hahaha!" Qilin burst out laughing, her hands non-stop patting Xiao Bai's nose, making him sneeze repeatedly.

  She had laughed enough, and Qilin looked at the little white cat scratching its nose with its paws. Her heart warmed up as she thought about how Little White had risked its life to save her multiple times, accompanied her day and night, drove away insects and snakes for her, and even ran errands for her. Now, apart from Little White, who else could she rely on?

  Thinking so, Qilin suddenly pounced over and hugged Xiaobai's neck, burying her face in Xiaobai's face. This time it was Qilin who came to rub against Xiaobai. Startled by Qilin's sudden movement, Xiaobai perked up his ears, then gently narrowed his eyes, lay down sideways, letting Qilin lie in his arms, head against head.

  That night, Qilin had a very strange dream. She dreamed that she turned into a fish on the cutting board, no matter how hard she struggled, it was useless. However, strangely, she was still in the water.

  At dawn, the road was illuminated by torches, winding and curved like a moving fire dragon. Finally stopped at the foot of White Tiger Mountain.

  The surrounding temperature was scorching hot, just like these hunters who had come to make a name for themselves, they had long wanted to sweep through White Tiger Mountain, and this time they had finally caught the opportunity. On their way back, they could also boast about it.

  "Gentlemen, let's begin." A big-bearded man holding a torch stepped forward and boomed in his loud, hoarse voice, "We've all gathered here today for one purpose only - to hunt down the demoness. So I hope we can work together with one heart, what do you say?"

  Everyone knows that the White Tiger Mountain is full of ferocious wolves. At this time, although it's about personal interests, cooperation is also necessary, so everyone responded accordingly.

  "In the lower ridge, I am the hunter under this mountain. Although I have not traversed this entire mountain, I have ventured deep into it many times and am quite familiar with the situation in the mountains. Please listen to my words, fellow heroes." Liang Hu handed the torch to someone beside him and continued, "The wolves on this mountain actually have their own territories, one group each in the east, south, west, and north. However, the eastern pack's power seems to have diminished since half a year ago. What we need to be cautious of is the northern wolf pack. The northern area has more rattans, but agile individuals can pass through by swinging on the rattans. We can avoid the western and southern wolf packs by taking another route through the mountain forest, but that place is a swampy area with many venomous snakes and other wild beasts, so it will depend on our experience."

  Listening to Liang Hu's words, everyone nodded in agreement and looked at him with admiration. Liang Hu smiled slightly as he saw the trusting gazes of his comrades and continued, "We'll split up and search separately; we're sure to find the demon girl and capture her."

  This method works and saves time, but how is the benefit calculated?

  "Hmph, that's easy for you to say. What makes us believe you're not just trying to get rid of us and go after the witch yourself? Besides, if everyone goes out to hunt her down, how will the reward be divided?" One person spoke out their own doubts, also stirring up questions in everyone else's minds, as they cast suspicious glances at Liang Hu.

  "This brother is not entirely unreasonable." Liang Hu didn't negate the speaker's point of view, instead he had a smiling face, seemingly careless. "Those who agree with Mr. Liang can follow him, and we'll split the reward equally; those who don't agree can leave as they please."

  Qin Xiao slightly furrowed his brow, looking at Liang Hu's confident appearance, and he couldn't help but feel a little curious - did this Liang Hu know something?

  When Liang Hu made his decision, the opposing party was stunned and didn't even dare to refute. But once the words were spoken, how could they be taken back? So they still stood up. Qin Xiao disguised himself as one of the hunters and walked over to Liang Hu's side.

  The troops were divided into two routes, one led by Liang Hu, and the other competing on their own. In the end, Qin Xiao still followed Liang Hu's side.

  When the first ray of sunlight spilled across the land, adding a layer of gold to the White Tiger Mountain. Qilin slowly opened her eyes to find Xiao Bai no longer in the cave, probably out hunting for food. Stretching her waist, she walked outside and gazed at the thick clouds in the sky, knowing it would rain soon.

  "Aooo~~" The wolf pack began to pace back and forth, letting out uneasy howls.

  Qilin caught a wolf and stroked its neck hair to comfort it, probably a precursor to the storm.

  "Pfft."

  Birds kept flying out of the woods, Qilin stood up and looked at those birds, a sense of foreboding arose, this didn't seem like a storm, but something even more terrifying.

  What is it?