Chapter 9: The Vicious Youth

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Hard wooden staves rained down mercilessly upon Jiang Fan. He offered no resistance, habitually shielding his head with his hands while silently chanting in his heart: Damage Transfer.

"Damn it..."
"Argh..."
"Again!"
"Argh..."

High atop Mount Jiangshen, Old Demon Xu, who had been meditating in a cross-legged position, suddenly leaped up, unable to suppress a series of agonized screams. Without any apparent cause, livid purple bruises began to manifest all over his body, quickly spreading until they covered every inch of his skin.

The bizarre phenomenon repeated itself; only after he had been marked by the phantom sensation of a hundred strikes did the ordeal finally cease. He hurriedly produced a medicinal pill he had just refined and swallowed it. Only after circulating his internal energy to digest the medicine did his complexion improve, though faint traces of the welts remained, destined to linger for some time.

"Damn it all! I must be cursed! Why have such strange things been happening to the Wild Wolf Gang lately? First, I inexplicably developed whip marks, then Steward Liu started falling into mysterious, uncontrollable bouts of sleep before his abdomen burst, killing him... And today, I feel as if I’ve been beaten black and blue by a mob!" Old Demon Xu’s expression was ghastly. "Could it be... is the Wild Wolf Gang truly haunted by some evil spirit? Damned thing! I am a cultivator! To dare scheme against me—if I ever find you, I will flay you alive, extract your tendons, and refine you into a pill!"

Old Demon Xu had been in a foul mood lately; his cultivation had hit a bottleneck long ago, and he could find no way to break through. For three months, he had painstakingly cultivated three disciples to the third level of the *Green Wood Longevity Arts* just so he could harvest their blood to refine medicinal pills. Yet, even after consuming them, his cultivation remained stagnant. Naturally, he needed to cultivate more "blood-medicine" to refine more pills.

But how easy was it to bring a disciple to the third level of the *Green Wood Longevity Arts*? The Wild Wolf Gang had kidnapped over a thousand children and youths from Peace Town, yet among them, those with even a shred of talent were vanishingly rare. So far, only four, including Jiang Fan, had successfully mastered the basics.

A few days ago, he had finally discovered that Jiang Fan had successfully entered the path. Before he could nurture the boy into a proper medicinal ingredient, the lad had started acting as if he were possessed—yesterday he seemed to have been whipped, and today, he felt as if he had been bludgeoned. The suffocating frustration in Old Demon Xu’s heart was immense.

"No, I must inform the Wild Wolf Gang leader and have him cooperate with me to investigate this fully... Even if I have to tear the entire gang apart, I will find the person behind this 'sorcery'!" Old Demon Xu gritted his teeth, resolving to meet with the gang leader once his wounds had healed.

...

Inside the Daxuan Inn in Peace Town, the six men who had been beating Jiang Fan stopped, fearing they might actually kill him. After all, Jiang Fan was still a disciple of Old Demon Xu.

"Kid, let’s see if you dare act arrogant again," the burly leader sneered, feeling a sense of perverse satisfaction. In the past, whenever Old Demon Xu’s disciples visited the inn, they had to be treated with utmost respect, to the point where they couldn't even charge for food and drink. The staff had long been nursing a grudge. Today, they had finally vented their anger.

But just as they expected Jiang Fan to beg for mercy, his voice, chillingly cold, rang out: "You... you bastards. You... you actually dared to hit me? This isn't over! I’m going to kill every single one of you!"

Seeing Jiang Fan stand up, as tough as ever, all seven guards in black uniforms were stunned.

"You... how are you still standing?" the burly leader asked in disbelief. He had seen his six subordinates pummeling Jiang Fan with his own eyes; a beating of that intensity should have left an average adult severely injured. He had assumed Jiang Fan might have had some basic cultivation training, which was why he called a halt only when it seemed the boy had no strength left to resist. He never expected Jiang Fan to be as lively as ever, looking little more than disheveled.

"I am a cultivator; I just didn't want to fight back earlier! Since Steward Ling won't show his face, I’ll beat the lot of you to the ground and go find him myself!" Jiang Fan lunged, snatching a wooden staff from a stunned guard, and began swinging it fiercely at the seven men.

Having reached the second level of the *Green Wood Longevity Arts*, Jiang Fan’s physical strength already far exceeded that of an ordinary man. By channeling the pale green energy into his hands, his power increased even further. In a flurry of wild attacks, he knocked three of the men to the ground, leaving them screaming in agony.

"What are you standing there for? Get him!" the leader roared, finally snapping out of his stupor.

"Kill him!"
"Attack!"
"Take him down!"

The remaining three guards charged with their staves. Jiang Fan activated 'Damage Transfer' to tank the blows, then swung his own staff with savage ferocity. Before long, the remaining men were sprawled on the floor, wailing.

During this, Old Demon Xu, who was still trying to recover, was hit by several more mysterious, heavy blows. He gnashed his teeth in pain, cursing incessantly.

"You... don't come any closer..." The leader was completely terrified. With his six subordinates easily dismantled, he knew he stood no chance against Jiang Fan. He backed away in fear.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Jiang Fan was ruthless. He rained blows upon the leader until the man collapsed to the ground, unable to rise again.

"Who else wants a beating? Come on up together; I haven't had enough yet." The youth stood with his staff, his eyes scanning the room with such predatory intensity that no one dared meet his gaze. People either fled the scene or scrambled to hide.

Satisfied that no one dared challenge him, Jiang Fan smiled. He kicked open the door to the adjacent private room and looked at the beautiful attendant who had greeted him earlier. "Take me to Steward Ling!"

"Yes! Y-young Master!" The attendant had witnessed Jiang Fan's brutality and was too terrified to refuse. She hurriedly led him toward the fourth floor.

Passing the third floor of the Daxuan Inn, Jiang Fan heard a series of suggestive, lascivious sounds—clearly the patrons enjoying the inn's "special services." Jiang Fan had no interest in such things. His goal in coming to the Daxuan Inn had always been singular.

*I wonder if Steward Ling will dare to strike me?* Jiang Fan mused with a flicker of anticipation. He hoped the steward would be strong; otherwise, recording him in the *Great Dao Heavenly Book* would be of little value. At the same time, he found himself deeply curious about Steward Ling’s true identity.