Xu Qian slowly scanned his colleagues' faces and spoke gravely: "This is saltpeter."
The word meant nothing to the martial artists present — men of limited education and zero knowledge of chemistry.
Song Tingfeng exchanged glances with the others, frowning. "Saltpeter?"
Xu Qian chose his words carefully. "Let me use another name — you might know it better as nitre. It's the primary material for making gunpowder."
Every face in the cave changed involuntarily.
Gunpowder was the Great Feng's secret weapon, one of its deterrents against the world's nations. The court maintained iron-fisted control over anything related to its formula or materials — especially saltpeter. Even Night Watchmen only knew fragments of the composition.
A saltpeter mine had been discovered in Daqing Mountain, with signs of active extraction. The smile vanished entirely from Song Tingfeng's face, replaced by deadly seriousness. "We return to the capital immediately. This must be reported."
Compared to a monster causing havoc, the discovery of a saltpeter mine was far more significant.
Lü Qing fixed the white-haired village elder with a hard stare. "Tie him up and bring him."
A saltpeter mine existing in Daqing Mountain — and the village elder claimed to know nothing? Regardless, he'd need to be taken back for interrogation.
Two constables unslung ropes from their belts, bound the elder's hands behind his back, and marched him out.
*He probably doesn't know. Otherwise he wouldn't have brought us here — it doesn't add up. And from his body language, he doesn't seem like someone in the know. An uneducated old man couldn't possibly be that good an actor... Was the monster driving out the lime-burners because of the saltpeter?*
*Hmm... unlikely. We'd need an expert to determine when mining began here before jumping to conclusions.*
Xu Qian sorted through the tangle of thoughts in his mind, torch raised, and had just stepped out of the cave when Lü Qing's scream pierced the air: "Watch out!"
Simultaneously, he heard the whistle of something cutting through air — a black shadow rocketed toward him from the side, too fast to react.
*CRACK!*
The copper gong on his chest shattered. Xu Qian felt as though a high-speed train had slammed into him head-on. The tremendous impact sent him flying backward, consciousness plunging into darkness.
The ambush caught everyone off guard. Each person reacted differently.
The three Prefecture constables drew their blades and raised their military crossbows.
Zhu Guangxiao swept his leg and kicked the village elder back into the cave. Song Tingfeng drew his saber and barked: "Get inside! Don't come out!"
Perched on a boulder beside the cave mouth was a creature two zhang long, resembling a giant salamander, its body armored in heavy plated scales.
A horn jutted from its forehead. Amber slit-pupils gleamed with cold, brutal malice.
Its forelimbs bore four toes.
Its cheeks bulged, as though concealing hidden projectiles ready to launch at any moment.
*SPLAT!*
A black shadow — nearly invisible to the naked eye — shot out and struck directly at Song Tingfeng.
Song Tingfeng's eyes narrowed. His body reacted faster than his brain. He leaned back on pure instinct, dodging the heart-piercing strike by a hair's breadth.
Lü Qing surged forward in a bow stance, each step cracking stone beneath her feet, stone dust spraying. Both hands gripped her blade as she slashed.
*Buzz buzz buzz...*
The blade vibrated at an extreme frequency.
*Clang clang clang...*
A series of grating sounds rang out as the edge struck the creature's tongue, sending bright sparks flying.
Only then did they see it — the monster's elongated tongue was covered in a layer of fine scales.
The creature seemed to feel pain. It retracted its tongue, planted its four limbs, and stood atop the boulder, gazing down at them imperiously.
Its cheeks bulged again. It opened its massive maw and unleashed a deep, resonant roar.
The thunderous bellow sent forest birds scattering skyward in panic.
Song Tingfeng and the others felt their minds go hazy, as though someone had cracked them across the back of the head with a club.
*Spirit Refining stage...* His heart clenched. Fighting through the dizziness, he slammed his saber hilt against his chest.
*CLANG...*
The gong's bright, clear tone rang out like an evening bell or morning drum, cutting through the sonic assault and restoring clarity.
The moment both sides shook off the trance, they reacted.
Lü Qing retreated while ordering her two Essence Refining constables: "Use your crossbows to support — target its eyes, jaw, and mouth."
All relatively soft areas.
Song Tingfeng tossed his gong to Zhu Guangxiao. "You hold the front line. Watch yourself."
He'd seen Xu Qian's gong shatter — he knew a single gong couldn't withstand the creature's tongue.
Thinking of Xu Qian, a pang of sorrow hit Song Tingfeng. The gong could block a Spirit Refining stage's full-force attack, but the monster had ambished. With no defenses up, the residual force alone could have shattered Xu Qian's heart. Dying on his first day of work — that would be brutally unfair.
Song Tingfeng suppressed his emotions, dragging his blade as he sprinted to attack the monster from the flank.
The salamander's amber eyes twitched, about to turn and lash its tongue, but Zhu Guangxiao struck the gong face first, assaulting the creature's mind.
Simultaneously channeling qi into his blade, he unleashed a crescent of dense saber energy. The arc of power sliced through the air, creating visible heat distortion.
The creature was too massive to dodge. It lowered its head and took the strike head-on with its hard horn. Then it whipped its tail — as if it had eyes in the back — and struck Song Tingfeng with pinpoint accuracy.
Song Tingfeng blocked with his blade and went flying.
Lü Qing pounced from the other side, seizing the opening to drive her blade toward the monster's belly — but it dodged as though it had read her mind.
A Spirit Refining stage warrior or demon beast possessed formidable mental force, radiating outward to render every detail of the surroundings crystal clear in their mind's eye.
No tracking, ambush, target-lock, or killing intent could escape a Spirit Refining stage's perception.
This was the unique supernatural ability of Spirit Refining.
...
*Holy mother — almost died before I even started. Finally broke through to Qi Refining, still a virgin, and nearly KIA on day one...* Xu Qian came to after a brief blackout.
Hearing the fierce battle raging nearby, he didn't get up. Instead he crawled forward, unnoticed by anyone, to a vantage point.
He fished the jade mirror from his pocket, flipped it over, and shook out the military crossbow Song Qing had gifted him, along with the Bone-Eroding, Heart-Scorching poison. Calmly coating the bolt with venom, he raised the crossbow in silence, aimed at the monster, and waited for his chance.
*CLANG...*
Zhu Guangxiao struck the gong, assaulting the creature's spirit and blinding its senses.
Xu Qian was about to fire when the monster suddenly rolled — leaving Song Tingfeng and the others momentarily confused.
*Damn — ambushes don't work on Spirit Refining masters!*
Knowing the real reason, Xu Qian cursed silently.
The safest play was to keep waiting — let Song Tingfeng's group wear the monster down, inflict serious damage, weaken its spiritual awareness. Then he'd have the opening to use this artifact-grade crossbow capable of killing a Spirit Refining stage and deliver the decapitating blow.
But soon, Xu Qian abandoned that plan...
Lü Qing moved like a lithe she-panther, her powerful legs carrying her forward in a blur. With a fierce cry, she finally drove her vibrating blade tip into the monster's belly.
Blood soaked the edge, hissing and steaming like a red-hot iron pressed to flesh.
The monster roared in agony, jerking its head. Its cheeks bulged, and a black shadow shot through the air.
Lü Qing's face went pale. Fear flickered across her beautiful features — she couldn't dodge this one.
In that instant, a figure lunged from the side, wrapping his arms around the female constable's full, athletic body and rolling with her out of the path.
Song Tingfeng followed up immediately, stabbing the monster's soft belly and preventing it from pursuing its prey.
Lü Qing felt strong arms encircle her waist, a man's heavy body pressing down on her. Her breathing hitched. She looked up and recognized the face above her, blurting out in surprise:
"You're not dead."
Xu Qian grinned. "Almost."
*If not for the heart-guarding mirror Song Qing gave me...*
Lü Qing was about to speak when she saw the monster's tail slashing down from above. She grabbed Xu Qian and rolled with him.
*BOOM!*
The ground where they'd been lying moments before bore a deep gouge.
"Even," Xu Qian said with a smile. They separated and fell into seamless coordination with Song Tingfeng to besiege the monster.
He'd abandoned the ambush and joined the fight because: three Qi Refining stage fighters stood no chance against a Spirit Refining monster. In the end, the beast wouldn't be worn down — Xu Qian would just end up the last man standing.
Seeing their companion alive, Zhu Guangxiao and Song Tingfeng's eyes lit up with hidden joy.
Xu Qian produced the Bone-Eroding poison from his pocket, smeared it on his blade, and tossed it to Lü Qing. "Coat your blade."
Lü Qing glanced at him, stepped back, and applied the poison. Then she passed it to Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao.
Song Tingfeng was unlucky — while coating his blade, the monster locked onto him. Its tongue grazed his arm, scales tearing flesh into a bloody mess.
Lü Qing slashed the monster, watched the wound quickly turn black and emit a rotting stench, then looked at Xu Qian with delight: "It works!"
With Xu Qian joining the fray — four Qi Refining fighters attacking in concert, two Essence Refining archers providing support — the tide turned decisively.
The monster was immensely strong, its tongue technique unmatched.
But its massive size and body structure meant it couldn't match the agility and fluid movement of human warriors.
Its wounds multiplied, growing more numerous by the second.
...
"Watch out!" Xu Qian swung his blade, channeling qi, and cleaved the creature's tail strike aside, saving Lü Qing who'd been trading blows for injuries.
The web between his thumb and forefinger split open instantly, blood streaming.
He glared at Lü Qing: "Do you have a death wish? A woman fighting this recklessly."
Lü Qing's gaze held his for a moment, and with startling softness she replied: "Mm."
"ROAR..."
The monster vibrated the air, unleashing another devastating mental storm.
Xu Qian and the others had prepared for it, retreating rapidly to open distance and avoid the tongue attack.
But after driving them back, the monster spun on its four legs and fled.
It crashed through the forest, bulldozing tree after tree, carving a clear, brutal path.
Lü Qing's face went ashen. "After it! We can't let it escape!"
If it reached the water, killing it would become nearly impossible.
Song Tingfeng vaulted into the air, stepping from branch to branch like a martial arts master of legendary agility. He launched from a trunk, soaring high enough to survey the entire forest from above. The muscles in his sword arm swelled, splitting his loose sleeve.
"HAH!"
His blade shot out, drawing a silver-white streak across the sky.
A second later, the forest erupted with the monster's pained shriek.
Song Tingfeng's strength spent, he plunged into the canopy.
Zhu Guangxiao followed up. His lightness skills couldn't match Song Tingfeng's, but his explosive power was no less formidable. He sprinted along the ground, closed the distance, and launched skyward with a roar, bringing his blade crashing down.
*WHACK!*
The monster — a blade already lodged in its back — swept its tail and sent Zhu Guangxiao flying, then continued its escape.
Only Lü Qing and Xu Qian remained in pursuit. The she-panther-like female constable clung to the monster's heels, neither falling behind nor catching up.
They burst from the treeline. A few more moments of chasing, and the great river came into view.
*SPLASH!*
The monster plunged into the river, sending up a spray of water.
The valiant female constable's face fell in disappointment — then from the corner of her eye she caught Xu Qian leaping high, drawing a military crossbow from his waist, and without even aiming, elegantly pulling the trigger.
The instant the bolt launched, a powerful wave of qi exploded outward.
The female constable couldn't even catch the bolt's afterimage — she only heard the *shhhh* of it piercing the water.
A few seconds later, a miraculous sight unfolded.
The river's surface bloomed with crimson, and a two-zhang-long monster slowly floated to the top.
Cause of death: an arrow through the skull.
Lü Qing turned her head in a daze to look at the young, upright Night Watchman.
Xu Qian shrugged. "I've always been lucky."