The Legend of the Demon Hunter

At nightfall, the bustling Sanbianzhou during the day had faded, with only a few inns burning with twinkling lights. Xiao Zhu and Xia Shi had been wandering around for a whole day and were a little tired, so they prepared to find an inn to rest.

The two walked along the street. There were not many people on the road, and most of them were in a hurry, as if they were afraid of the unknown night in Sanbianzhou. As they walked, Xiao Zhu suddenly pulled Xia Shi's hand and said, "Shi'er, I feel something is wrong."

Xia Shi did not notice anything unusual, she looked up at Xiao Zhu and asked in confusion: "Brother, what's wrong?"

Xiao Zhu hesitated for a moment and replied, "I always feel as if someone is following us, but this feeling is vague, I don't know if it is an illusion."

Xia Shi looked back and saw that everything around her was normal. She said, "Brother, this is an unfamiliar place. We should be careful."

"Yeah." Xiao Zhu nodded and said, "Let's speed up and see if we can get rid of them."

After saying this, the two of them immediately sped up and ran through four or five streets in one breath. However, after that, the strange feeling in Xiao Zhu's heart not only did not disappear, but became even stronger.

Xiao Zhu pulled Xia Shi and suddenly stopped. He concentrated and calmed his mind. Suddenly, he heard an unusual sound of wind far behind him. He turned back hurriedly and saw a black shadow flash by. Xiao Zhu was now very sure that they were being followed.

However, he had no idea how many people were following him, how strong they were, or why they were following him.

Xiao Zhu understood that it would be difficult to get rid of the people following them by simply running away, so he simply stopped and prepared to fight.

But at this moment, a black shadow suddenly appeared ten meters to the left of Xiao Zhu and Xia Shi, and rushed towards them as soon as he appeared. To Xiao Zhu's surprise, the black shadow was flying close to the ground, which meant that the other party was at least a demon hunter at the spirit hunting level.

The ten-meter distance was reached in an instant. Facing such a strong opponent, Xiao Zhu was about to fight back when he suddenly heard a familiar voice: "Don't do it, it's me."

Xiao Zhu then recognized the black shadow's identity and asked in surprise, "Huh? It's you, why are you here?"

"You are being followed, follow me quickly!" A black shadow passed by Xiao Zhu, and these words floated in the wind.

Xiao Zhu naturally understood his current situation, so he immediately followed the black shadow.

The man in black was flying very fast close to the ground, and his route was haphazard, often turning or accelerating suddenly. He was confident that Xiao Zhu could keep up. Xiao Zhu had a hard time pulling Xia Shi to follow. If the man in black was faster, he would have to release the wings behind him.

After flying for about a quarter of an hour, the man in black arrived in front of a low house with an inconspicuous door. He paused for a moment, gestured to Xiao Zhu and the others, and walked in first. Xiao Zhu and Xia Shi looked at each other, and out of trust in their leader, they followed the man in black into the door.

What Xiao Zhu and Xia Shi didn't expect was that there was a whole new world behind this inconspicuous door. They walked down the stairs for two floors and saw a very spacious hall in front of them. The hall was full of people drinking and it was very noisy. In the center was a round stage where several scantily clad girls were dancing in seductive ways.

"Is this a place of entertainment?" Xia Shi obviously had no good feelings towards such places.

But the man in black did not answer Xia Shi's words, nor did he pay any attention to Xiao Zhu and Xia Shi's discomfort. Instead, he quickly walked through the crowd. He seemed to be very purposeful and went straight to a room at the innermost part of the hall.

Xiao Zhu and Xia Shi followed the man in black into the room. The house was divided into two rooms, the inner and outer rooms. There was only an exquisite mahogany table and a few chairs in the outer room. The man in black gently closed the door and sat on a chair. Then he took off his mask, revealing that it was Murong Qiu Shui.

"Ms. Murong, why are you here?" Xiao Zhu asked puzzledly.

Murong Qiushui resumed her frivolous and cynical look, and said with a grin, "Why I am here is not important, but you, Brother Xiaozhu, are really amazing. On the first day of coming to Sanbianzhou, you offended the biggest local gang. Qiushui is really far behind!"

"Gangster?" Xiao Zhu asked in confusion, "Are you talking about that Young Master Tang?"

"Yes, his real name is Tang Mu, and he is the youngest deputy leader of the Black Hand Gang. He looks gentle and elegant on the surface, but in fact he is a narrow-minded, vindictive villain, and he is extremely lustful. Not only did you offend him today, but you also let him see Xia Shi. Given his character, he will definitely not let you go." Murong Qiu Shui said.

"Black Hand Gang?" It was the first time Xiao Zhu heard this term.

"Oh, I forgot you didn't even know this. Sanbianzhou is located at the junction of Huan Country, Ling Country, and Rhine Empire. It was originally a deserted place, but because of its convenient transportation, it gradually evolved into a trading place for demon hunters. In addition to the demon hunters from Huan and Ling who come here to trade, even people from the Rhine Empire often appear here. Although this place is adjacent to the three countries, it is not under the jurisdiction of any of the three countries. As a result, a powerful gang was formed in Sanbianzhou. The members of this gang are all demon hunters. Gradually, it evolved into an organization that controls the overall situation here, which is the Black Hand Gang." Murong Qiu Shui patiently answered Xiao Zhu's questions.

"Oh my god, is there a gang in the world composed entirely of demon hunters? How strong is the Black Hand Gang?" Xia Shi curled her lips in surprise and gently covered her red lips with her jade hand.

Murong Qiushui looked at Xia Shi, chuckled and said, "When I learned about this, I had the same reaction as sister Xia Shi! But after seeing the Black Hand Gang, I realized that the world is bustling for profit, and even noble demon hunters are no exception. Because the trade in Sanbianzhou is prosperous, local merchants are willing to pay part of the protection fee to the Black Hand Gang in order to seek a safe and stable environment. There are so many merchants in Sanbianzhou, and the protection fee paid to the Black Hand Gang every year is as high as one million silver coins. Now you understand why so many demon hunters are flocking to a gang! As far as I know, the leader of the Black Hand Gang is a veritable hunter king-level demon hunter. With his strength, even the Red Lotus Sect and the Shenxue Sect are unwilling to offend him easily, which allows him to gain a foothold in Sanbianzhou."

Xiao Zhu pondered Murong Qiushui's words carefully, and then asked: "You just mentioned Huanzhiguo and Lingzhiguo, and also mentioned Honglian Sect and Shenxue Sect. Can you briefly introduce them? And what is the relationship between these four?"

"Brother Xiao Zhu is really confident! He doesn't even care about the famous Black Hand Gang here?" Murong Qiu Shui teased.

"Of course not." Xiao Zhu shook his head and explained, "The purpose of my trip is to go to Huanling Country. I will leave here early tomorrow morning. As for the disputes among the three border states, they have little to do with me. The situation in Huanling Country is what I am most concerned about."

"So that's how it is. Then, Brother Xiao Zhu, are you going to Huanling Country this time to deal with Sister Xia Shi's earth soul body, or to find Ning Zhiwan?" Murong Qiu Shui asked, looking into Xiao Zhu's eyes.

Hearing this, Xiao Zhu's heart trembled slightly, as if he was pricked by a needle.

Xia Shi also turned her gaze towards Xiao Zhu.