Chapter 38: Do You Still Remember Me?

"Young master, please stay calm," the elder narrowed his eyes. "There is something strange about this; let us hold our position for now."

Although He Yongrui was burning with impatience, he had no choice but to endure, given the elder's instruction.

The Blazing Golden Lion had recovered most of its strength. Yun Zhao touched its massive head with teary eyes, fussing over it: "Baby, are you in pain?"

"It’s just a little kitten, why did you have to strike so hard?" Yun Zhao pointed to the spot just to the left of Qi Yan and accused him.

Gu Dinghan finally caught her drift. He slapped his forehead, looking heartbroken: "That’s right, that’s right! Qi Yan, your strikes were the heaviest just now. How ruthless you are!"

Qi Yan’s mouth twitched, but he played along with Gu Dinghan. The two of them bickered back and forth, the situation escalating until they even began to trade blows!

The others rushed in to break up the "fight," and for a moment, the scene was chaotic and lively.

The Blazing Golden Lion was dumbfounded. Are you people okay? Are human cultivators always this fickle? They were ready to kill me a moment ago, but now they are infighting just to protect me?

He Yongrui, hiding behind the bushes, rolled his eyes. "Elder, are they sick in the head? Why are they sympathizing with a beast?"

"If you ask me, we should charge out now, kill them all, and take the Blazing Golden Lion once it's ours!"

The elder hesitated for a second.

That very second was all the others needed. They launched an attack, hurling various spiritual spells and artifacts that left He Yongrui and his group completely bewildered.

Because they had cloaking artifacts, the elder had not been overly vigilant. His reaction was a beat too slow; it was only when He Yongrui’s screams rang out that he hurriedly grabbed the young man and fled the explosion site.

The combined power of the four was formidable. Four people died on the spot, and the others suffered injuries of varying severity. He Yongrui only had a minor injury on his left arm, and the elder was unscathed, save for his singed beard.

Seeing them, the Blazing Golden Lion’s pupils constricted, and it let out an angry roar at He Yongrui and the elder.

He Yongrui ignored the beast, shouting resentfully at Qi Yan and the others: "Do you have any idea who I am? How dare you attack me! Are you tired of living?"

Yun Zhao sneered, "Who are you? Just a petty, shadowy villain hiding in the dark, waiting to reap the rewards!"

He Yongrui turned red with rage. Pointing at Yun Zhao, he yelled at the elder: "How dare she show me such disrespect! Elder, kill them!"

The elder did not comply. Instead, he cupped his hands toward Yun Zhao and the others. "My friends, I am a guest elder of the He family from Demon-Slaying City, and this is the Fourth Young Master of our house. I do not know how we have offended you to warrant such a vicious attack?"

He Yongrui frowned. "Elder, what are you doing..."

The elder shot him a look, signaling him to shut up. Although he was a Nascent Soul cultivator, he had only recently broken through, and his cultivation base was not yet stable. Facing four Golden Core cultivators, he could not guarantee that he could escape unscathed while dragging the dead weight of He Yongrui along.

He Yongrui understood the look but couldn't comprehend it. They had so many people; even with four Golden Core opponents, it wasn't as if they had no chance of winning.

The elder ignored his confusion, focusing entirely on negotiating with Yun Zhao.

Yun Zhao felt the name "Demon-Slaying City" sounded familiar, but she couldn't recall where she had seen it. Unable to remember, she decided to put it aside for now, her expression icy. "Didn't I just tell you? You were hiding behind the bushes, and we didn't know if you were friend or foe. We were worried about an ambush, so we struck first."

"Why don't you explain why you were spying on us?"

"Don't tell me you were just passing by. I've been watching you for a long time."

"This..." The elder choked. The word "passing by" stuck in his throat, unable to come out.

To Yun Zhao's right, Qi Yan muttered, "Demon-Slaying City?"

The elder heard him. Eager to shift the focus, he hurriedly said, "Does this fellow Daoist know of Demon-Slaying City? Then you must certainly know our He family."

"I know a little," Qi Yan said softly. "The He family of Demon-Slaying City—quite something, aren't they?"

The elder was delighted and laughed, "It’s all a misunderstanding. We were merely admiring your heroic demeanor. How about this: let’s pretend we never appeared, and consider us friends. In the world of cultivation, having more friends makes for an easier path."

The location, Demon-Slaying City, finally clicked for Yun Zhao.

The night before she left the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm, she had carefully read through the entire book, and Demon-Slaying City was mentioned!

The city was located at the border between the cultivation world and the demon realm. The cultivation families within the city had been the primary force in resisting the demon race millions of years ago. However, due to the truce between humans and demons, the city was losing its identity. To accommodate their neighbors across the border, some had even proposed changing the city's name. After all, they were neighbors now, living in peace, but having a city named "Demon-Slaying" was a bit provocative... cough, but that was beside the point.

The point was that Song Zhiyuan hailed from the top family of Demon-Slaying City—the Song family.

And this He family...

Yun Zhao thought about it. If she remembered correctly, the He family were the primary lapdogs of the Song family, using the Song family’s support to firmly secure their position as the second-in-command of Demon-Slaying City.

They followed the Song family’s every lead, and they had contributed significantly when the Song family hunted down Qi Yan.

Yun Zhao remembered that the He family had seriously injured Qi Yan twice, killed three of his top generals, and set five traps to help the Song family contain him...

Oh.

Yun Zhao nodded. Future enemies indeed!

Not just future ones, but current ones as well. He Yongrui had the look of someone who would hold a grudge, and the elder was clearly just looking for an opening to escape and settle the score later.

Yun Zhao made a decisive choice and signaled the others.

They received the message, drew their swords simultaneously, and unleashed every technique they had, determined not to let a single one escape!

The elder was horrified. "What is the meaning of this!"

As he spoke, he dodged the killing blows while trying to protect the weakling He Yongrui, leaving him completely restrained.

Yun Zhao crossed her arms. "It means... we don't want to be friends!"

Furthermore, for reasons unknown, the Blazing Golden Lion also held a grudge against these people from the He family. It joined the fray, taking a life with every swipe of its claws.

With Qi Yan and the others pinning down the elder, who had the highest cultivation, the beast dealt with the others as easily as smashing watermelons.

Yun Zhao, the young boy, and the Blazing Golden Lion quickly finished off the minions.

Meanwhile, Qi Yan successfully captured the elder and He Yongrui alive.

The elder was severely wounded, while He Yongrui remained largely unscathed.

Yun Zhao walked over to take a look. "You are quite the loyal protector."

The elder wanted to say something but could not; he only spat out a mouthful of blood.

Gu Dinghan curled his lip. "Junior Sister, don't scold him. He wouldn't have been this badly hurt if it weren't for this little brat pushing him out to block the blade..."

Yun Zhao instantly felt a surge of sympathy for the elder. She checked his condition and realized he was beyond saving.

She looked at Qi Yan. "A-Yan, you seem to know them?"

Qi Yan nodded slightly. He walked up to He Yongrui, crouched down, and asked softly: "Fourth Young Master He, do you still remember me?"