Chapter 1: Under the Yellow Heavens

The moonless night was shrouded in darkness so thick one could not see their own hand. In the depths of a quiet alley, a tranquil courtyard lay hidden—blue bricks and red tiles exuding peace and harmony. The faint, yellow glow of candlelight spilled through the window, painting the walls with mottled shadows.

Inside the room, Xu Xuan sat upright, clad in a simple blue robe. His skin was pale and fair, his sword-like brows arched above star-bright eyes, long hair brushing his shoulders, and his lips slender and fine—his appearance strikingly handsome and unmatched.

He sat with poise, a hint of a smile playing on his lips, as he gazed at the young woman before him. She wore a dress of vibrant red, her figure graceful, her cheeks as radiant as peach blossoms—a beauty in her prime.

“Master Xu, why do you keep staring at my face?” she teased, her voice as clear and melodious as an oriole’s song. “Surely you know that a night like this is worth a thousand gold pieces.”

Perhaps embarrassed under his gaze, she finally spoke. Xu Xuan just smiled and shook his head. “No rush. As they say, a good meal is worth waiting for.”

“You seem unfamiliar, Master Xu. How did you come to know of our place?” she asked softly, pouring tea for him with gentle hands.

“That’s a long story,” Xu Xuan replied with a nod. “A friend of mine recommended it to me.”

Just then, strange sounds rose from the adjoining room, making Xu Xuan frown.

“A demon! Spare me! Please, let me go!” someone wailed in terror.

Hearing this, the young woman covered her mouth and giggled, “Master Xu, the night grows late. Why don’t we rest as well? I shall serve you well.”

Xu Xuan smiled bashfully. “Then I’ll rely on your care. Please be gentle with me.”

“Rest assured, Master Xu,” she answered sweetly. “I will take good care of you.”

She stepped gracefully to his side, a delicate fragrance wafting to him, intoxicating and alluring. Xu Xuan smiled, savoring the scent. “That sounds perfect.”

She reached out to toy with a lock of his hair, bringing it to her nose with a playful grin. “Shall I help you undress, Master Xu?”

“No need, I’ll do it myself. Turn around, and don’t peek. When I call you, then you may turn,” Xu Xuan replied solemnly.

She laughed, her shoulders quivering with mirth, but she obeyed and turned away.

Once her back was turned, Xu Xuan drew a heavy object from his waist. In the lamplight, it gleamed coldly—a massive spiked club, as thick as a bowl and three feet long, radiating a faint aura. It was a weapon of deadly power.

Such a weapon in the hands of a refined, jade-faced scholar was a jarring sight.

Weapon ready, Xu Xuan called out, “All right, you may turn around now.”

With a smile, she turned—only to freeze in terror at the sight of the spiked club in his hands.

Before she could react, Xu Xuan shouted, “Foul demon! I could tell at a glance you were not human!”

Without hesitation, he brought the club down with deadly force. The young woman felt a powerful wind rush over her, then darkness claimed her.

There was a dull thud as the weapon struck her head, and at once her form flickered and twisted. Green blood seeped from her skull as she collapsed, her beautiful body dissolving into the twisted trunk of a tea tree.

“So, it was a tea tree spirit,” Xu Xuan muttered, “No wonder she seemed steeped in tea.”

After finishing off the demon, Xu Xuan took out a small, ancient bronze mirror and held it up to the corpse. Faint golden light streamed from the tea tree spirit’s body, slowly flowing into the mirror in his hand.

Satisfied, Xu Xuan left the room.

He approached the neighboring chamber and kicked the door open.

Inside, a rotund man lay naked and trussed up on the bed, his body quivering, tears and snot streaming down his face as he sobbed in helpless fear. Above him, clinging to the beam, was a monstrous mosquito half a man’s length, its face disturbingly beautiful yet twisted by its insect body.

At that moment, the mosquito demon’s long, slender proboscis was plunged deep into the man’s vein, sucking his blood. Had this continued, the man would have been drained dry before dawn.

“What a mouth! That thing could suck a man dead!” Xu Xuan exclaimed—he hadn’t realized the earlier cries were genuine pleas for mercy.

The mosquito demon, interrupted in her feast, glared murderously. “Who are you, boy? How dare you meddle in my business? Do you wish to die?”

“Hmph! I, Xu Xuan, am protected by merit and the favor of the nation. I fear you not,” he declared. “In broad daylight, you monsters dare prey on innocents. You’re courting death!”

His voice rang with conviction, and the spiked club in his hand glimmered ominously, making the mosquito demon hesitate.

“You’re just a scholar—do you think yourself a demon-hunting master from the Bureau?” she sneered, darting at him, her proboscis gleaming like a deadly spear.

But she underestimated the power of Xu Xuan’s weapon. With a flash of gold, he sidestepped the attack, then swept his club through the air, landing a crushing blow on the mosquito demon.

She shrieked, spewing black blood, and crashed to the ground, twitching twice before falling still.

With the creature dead, Xu Xuan repeated his earlier ritual: he held his bronze mirror over the corpse, and a golden stream of light flowed from the demon into the mirror.

Xu Xuan glanced at the mirror’s surface, where a number glowed. This was his Merit Mirror, a treasure that had followed him since arriving in this world. By slaying demons, he could accumulate points, which could be exchanged for rewards within the mirror.

With everything settled, Xu Xuan hurried to the fat man and untied him.

Seeing Xu Xuan, the man—whose name was Huang Jizu—looked as if he’d found a savior and made to throw himself into Xu Xuan’s arms, only to be pushed away.

Men and women should avoid undue intimacy, and even more so between men.

Huang Jizu was Xu Xuan’s classmate and friend, the son of a prosperous family who owned a restaurant and traded in aquatic goods. His father was a man of means, making them one of the wealthiest households in Wuliu County.

“Hanqing, I shall never forget the debt I owe you tonight! I never imagined you hid such talent, that you could slay demons!” Huang Jizu, now dressed, bowed deeply, gratitude shining in his face.

“I saw how dazed you were in class today,” Xu Xuan scolded. “You’d clearly been bewitched by a demon. If I hadn’t followed you, who knows if you’d have survived until tomorrow.”

Huang Jizu chuckled sheepishly. “I ran into that woman this morning, and she invited me here tonight. I thought my luck had turned, never guessed I’d nearly lose my life. Hanqing, you saved me!”

“When I’m recovered, let me treat you to a visit to the pleasure quarters in the capital. But please, keep tonight’s events secret for my sake,” he pleaded, mortified as he recalled his own disgrace.

“Alas, our teacher warned us that lust is a blade that carves to the bone. We scholars must remember his lesson and steer clear of gambling, vice, and drugs,” Xu Xuan admonished, his voice earnest.

“You’re right, Hanqing. I swear it now: Heaven above, I, Huang Jizu, shall forever shun gambling and drugs.”

“…”