An hour later, Qin Guan arrived at the foot of a mountain range.
Before him, the mountains stretched on endlessly. The dark, silent forest emanated a primal and dangerous aura.
Wanyao Valley, also known as the Valley of the Dead, was filled with treasures and fortuitous encounters, but also man-eating demonic beasts that roamed the forests. A single misstep could mean death.
Gazing at the deep, endless mountains before him, Qin Guan plunged into the forest.
Just after entering the forest, Qin Guan saw several groups of people cautiously making their way forward.
Traveling alone, Qin Guan quickly drew the attention of many.
"Young man, it's brave of you to enter the mountains alone, but this is no place for bravado. Want to join us? There's safety in numbers."
A rugged-looking middle-aged man called out to Qin Guan.
Just as Qin Guan was about to reply, a cold-looking woman suddenly spoke up, "It's about quality, not quantity. Are you asking him to join just to slow us down?"
Hearing the woman's words, Qin Guan just smiled faintly and quickened his pace, heading deeper into the mountains.
After crossing several mountains, Qin Guan hadn't found a single thing of value. He had only seen a few small foxes and wolves along the way.
The fur, flesh, and inner cores of demonic beasts were all incredibly valuable. In recent years, mercenaries and various family factions often organized hunts in the outer regions of Wanyao Valley.
This served two purposes: to acquire resources and wealth, and to gain practical combat experience. As a result, many demonic beasts had migrated deeper into the valley, away from humans.
An hour later, Qin Guan reached an open, mountainous area. He had crossed several peaks but hadn't found so much as a tiger's hair.
"Roar!"
Just as Qin Guan was getting frustrated, a powerful tiger's roar suddenly echoed from the southeast.
Hearing the roar, Qin Guan's heart leaped with joy, and he immediately sped off toward the southeast.
Crossing another mountain, Qin Guan quickly arrived at the area where the tiger demon had roared.
"Roar!"
As Qin Guan scanned the area, a tiger demon covered in wounds roared furiously from a patch of forest ahead.
From a distance, the tiger demon was enormous, standing over three meters tall. It had a majestic, intimidating presence and exuded a powerful demonic aura.
Lying before it were three severely injured youths. They clutched their chests, staring at the tiger demon with despair in their eyes. They had underestimated its strength and now feared they would die here today.
Roar!
The tiger demon threw its head back and roared, as if declaring its inviolable, kingly might. The next moment, it leaped forward, its iron-hook-like claws swiping directly at a critically injured young woman.
The young woman's face was deathly pale. Just as she gave in to despair, a young man holding a wooden staff suddenly appeared above the tiger demon's head.
*Thwack!*
The young man brought the staff down hard, striking the tiger demon squarely on its forehead.
"Awooo!"
The tiger demon let out a pained cry, its limbs twitched a few times, and then it crashed to the ground.
Killed by a single blow from Qin Guan's staff...
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Witnessing this, the three youths were utterly stunned.
After a glance at the three, Qin Guan grabbed the dead tiger demon and turned to leave, quickly disappearing into the forest.
…
About two hour later, Qin Guan finally returned to Tianbao Pavilion. By now, the sky had grown dark.
He went to the Spiritual Material sales area and found the shopkeeper who had made him the promise earlier.
When Qin Guan produced the massive tiger demon, the shopkeeper's eyes bulged. "Kid, you were serious?" he asked in disbelief.
"You're not trading?" Qin Guan frowned.
"I am, of course I am!" The shopkeeper nodded hastily.
He swallowed hard and couldn't help but ask, "Kid, did you kill this tiger demon?"
Qin Guan nodded. "I killed it, but I didn't. You could say I got lucky and picked up the final blow."
Hearing Qin Guan say he'd gotten lucky, the shopkeeper sighed. "You really have some good fortune, kid!"
"Shopkeeper, I'm trying to save someone's life. Please hurry!" Qin Guan urged.
Hearing it was to save a life, the shopkeeper quickly wrapped up the Ice Silver Flower. His conscience getting the better of him, he also threw in a century-old Blood Ginseng for Qin Guan.
Nan Rou was currently drained of vital essence and her body was weak; the century-old Blood Ginseng was perfect for replenishing her strength. After a word of thanks, Qin Guan left Tianbao Pavilion.
…
"You jinx! You couldn't even hold onto the man I just found for you! What good are you? You might as well just die!"
Inside the house, Yang Kaimei pointed at Nan Rou, screeching curses as if she wanted to eat her alive.
Terrified, Nan Rou buried her head in her chest, not daring to make a sound.
Having just returned and learned that Qin Guan had killed Hu Liu, Yang Kaimei had flown into a rage, bringing a dozen guards with her to seize him.
Who would have thought they'd search for ages and not find Qin Guan.
Although Qin Guan had previously agreed to marry Nan Rou, he was, after all, once engaged to her own daughter. If he went around spreading rumors and damaged Nan Qiao's reputation, it would be a huge problem.
Unable to find Qin Guan now, she was both furious and anxious.
"I bet you were just jealous and couldn't stand to see me happy! You let that good-for-nothing go on purpose, didn't you?"
Nan Qiao was also red-faced with anger, glaring furiously at Nan Rou.
"Don't worry. Young Master Qin is kind-hearted; he won't go around spreading rumors," Nan Rou said softly, her head bowed.
Yang Kaimei gritted her teeth. "Won't spread rumors? Easy for you to say, you little bitch!"
"You're making me so mad! How can you betray your own family like this? What kind of sister are you?!" Nan Qiao stomped her foot in frustration.
"Mother, hurry up and send more people to find that good-for-nothing!"
"If my daughter's reputation is ruined by that waste of space, I will never forgive you!"
After spitting out another curse, Yang Kaimei and Nan Qiao hurried toward the door. Yang Kaimei suddenly stopped at the threshold.
"You let that good-for-nothing escape and got Hu Liu killed, and you still have the nerve to sit here warming yourself by the stove? Men, tear this house down! Take all the charcoal from the courtyard and make her sleep in the woodshed!"
…
Not long after, Qin Guan returned to the small courtyard. When he stepped inside, he was completely dumbfounded.
The house in the courtyard had collapsed, and the area was a complete mess.
"Nan Rou!" Qin Guan shouted anxiously, rushing toward the collapsed house.
A faint sound came from the dark woodshed, and a slender figure emerged.
"Nan Rou, are you alright?" Realizing it was her, Qin Guan hurried over.
"Young Master Qin, you... didn't you leave?"
Nan Rou's body trembled. Seeing Qin Guan suddenly return, she was, in truth, deeply moved. It was like seeing a ray of light in the darkness.
"I went to buy medicine for you. I didn't have enough money, so it took a little..."
As Qin Guan was speaking, Nan Rou suddenly threw herself into his arms. She couldn't hold it in any longer and broke down, sobbing.
She had thought Qin Guan had taken the money and left, but he had really gone to buy medicine for her.
"It's okay. I'm here now," Qin Guan said, patting Nan Rou's back comfortingly.
Feeling Nan Rou's thin, cold, and trembling body, Qin Guan's expression darkened.
"Tell me what happened!"
Proofreader: Peter Pan