"Boss, are we going to die?" Wang Baoliu asked nervously, taking out a bun from his pocket and biting into it fiercely. The juice overflowed, and the aroma was mouthwatering.
Lin Fan stared at him blankly, "At a time , you still have the leisure to eat?"
"Boss, I don't want to die hungry. My dad said dying hungry is the worst—it even makes reincarnation suck since you'll only come back as a skinny person," Wang Baoliu replied. He then pulled out another meat bun, "Boss, you want one? It's pretty tasty. My dad was so happy when I became a constable that he made these buns for me himself."
"Gimme that!" Lin Fan snapped, glaring at him, then grabbed the bun and took a bite. His eyes lit up. "Your dad's got skills!"
"Of course! Back in the day, my dad was famous for being the Bun King," Wang Baoliu said proudly. He had lost his mother to a serious illness when he was young and had lived with his father ever since.
Lin Fan devoured the bun in two or three bites and then commanded, "Everyone, stay calm. Demons aren't as terrifying as you think. Just treat them like that Wild Boar Demon from before."
For the group, this was only their second time encountering demons.
The first time had been with the Wild Boar Demon. But as soon as they recalled that demon's fate, their gazes instinctively shifted to Lin Fan.
The way he had speared that boar was bold and ruthless.
The memory was still vivid.
At that moment, Lin Fan spotted a cargo box and hurriedly instructed, "Everyone get inside the box. Grab a blade. If any demon dares approach, cut them down immediately."
Without hesitation, the group climbed into the cargo box and huddled together, gripping their blades, ready to strike at any moment.
They weren't strong enough to match the demons.
If the demons rushed at them, they'd be scattered in seconds—and that would spell certain doom.
Five demons appeared.
Tiger Demon, Wolf Demon, Sheep Demon, Rabbit Demon, and Snake Demon.
The most intimidating among them was the Rabbit Demon. Its drooping ears and fur emitted a dark sheen, and beneath that fur lay bulging, muscular flesh.
This was, clearly, one buff rabbit demon.
The Tiger Demon was a full size larger than a regular tiger demon. It let out a thunderous growl, its powerful roar shaking the surroundings. Its piercing eyes radiated dominance as it charged directly at Zhao Desheng.
"Damn demon, bring it on!" Zhao Desheng bellowed, then shouted, "Lin, be careful! If you get the chance, run and report back to Lord Wang about what's happening here in Jiangdu City."
The Tiger Demon moved with breathtaking speed. In the blink of an eye, it was in front of Zhao Desheng, bringing its massive claw down hard.
Zhao Desheng's blade collided with the Tiger Demon's sharp claws. The sheer force was overwhelming, and Zhao Desheng realized he might be at a slight disadvantage in terms of strength.
With that in mind, skillful blade techniques and footwork became his only hope for victory.
With a flash of his blade.
Zhao Desheng let out a low growl. His knife streaked along the claws, aiming for the Tiger Demon's armpit.
Blood sprayed from the Tiger Demon's armpit. Unfortunately, it reacted swiftly, dodging away while roaring angrily and signaling the other four demons to join the fight.
Zhao Desheng's sword technique lacked flair but was undeniably lethal — honed through a countless number of battles.
As he often said, flashy moves are useless.
"Yes! Beautiful work, Chief Zhao! That's the way to chop them down!" Lin Fan shouted, unable to contain his excitement at Zhao Desheng's prowess. Given the situation, they seemed to have things barely under control.
Wang Zhou really came through by dispatching such an exceptional fighter to accompany them.
Wang Baoliu tugged repeatedly on Lin Fan's arm—not just once but multiple times.
His voice was trembling with fear.
"Why are you pulling on me?" Lin Fan asked. Wang Baoliu's nerves clearly needed some work; he'd have to discipline him when they got back.
At that moment, Wang Baoliu swallowed hard and pointed toward the front with a shaking hand. "Boss, I think... he's looking at us."
"Huh?" Lin Fan furrowed his brows. Amid the intense battle, who would even spare them a glance, a bunch of small fry? But when he followed Wang Baoliu's finger and looked —
The Rabbit Demon, flung into a tree during the clash, had gotten up. Instead of continuing to engage with Zhao Desheng, it stood still, squinting its eyes as it locked onto their group. It even began spitting into its hands to clean its fur.
"This one's even a clean freak," Lin Fan muttered.
Then he looked at the text above the Rabbit Demon's head.
Rabbit Demon: Second-class Rabbit Demon.
Possible Drops: Sudden Shock (pseudo-bronze grade), 20 years of cultivation, Rabbit Demon Soft Fist (third-class), Swift Steps (second-class), Wood Spirit Root (fragment), Rabbit Demon's Essence Fur.
"Its cultivation is nine years higher than mine and it knows so many techniques... Can we win this?" Lin Fan fell into deep contemplation.
The Rabbit Demon made strange noises. While no one could understand its meaning, Lin Fan — having raised rabbits before — knew full well.
That sound meant anger.
Slowly, the Rabbit Demon began making its way toward Lin Fan's group, every step exuding explosive power from the muscles beneath its fur. This was a violent rabbit.
Zhao Desheng saw the Rabbit Demon heading toward them and panicked. He wanted to intervene, but the other four demons pinned him down.
The Snake Demon especially posed a dire threat—if it managed to coil around him, his bones would be crushed in seconds.
"Lin, watch out! I'm stuck here," Zhao Desheng shouted. His blade constantly glinted as he targeted the demons' vital spots. But these demons were cunning too, especially the Tiger Demon, whose cultivation was the strongest and whose claws clashed with Zhao Desheng's blade, leaving his hands numb.
Lin Fan looked over at Zhao Desheng and had the urge to yell.
You shouldn't say something like that.
What you should say is, "Lin, hang on, I'll take down these four demons and come help you."
How could you admit you're being tied down?
Inside the cargo box.
Some constables were so scared their legs trembled uncontrollably, vibrating at an alarming frequency.
"Dad, Mom, I won't be able to take care of you in your old age," one constable cried.
They were all ordinary people.
Becoming constables was just their way of scraping together a living.
But now, facing these demons — creatures feared by all — they felt utterly helpless.
"Boss, should we fight him?" Wang Baoliu asked, his voice trembling.
Lin Fan turned to him in surprise, "You're not scared?"
"S-scared... but my dad said, once you're a constable, you need to have the spirit of being unafraid to die," Wang Baoliu replied, his breathing growing ragged as he tried to summon courage — yet his panic only escalated, making him hyperventilate.
Lin Fan climbed out of the cargo box.
"Boss, what are you doing?" Wang Baoliu yelled.
Lin Fan grinned, "I'm the boss, so I go first. You lot, wait for your chance to escape. If I'm unlucky enough to get killed by this demon, remember to burn more paper money for me every year. Whoever forgets, I'll come haunt them."
"Boss, come back! Let's all run together! You're no match for that demon!" Wang Baoliu shouted desperately. He wanted to crawl out too, but his limbs had gone weak from terror.
Lin Fan turned back to glare at him.
What kind of nonsense was he spewing?
The fight hadn't even begun, and here he was saying Lin couldn't win. Did he really have zero confidence in his boss?