Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

In the wilderness, on a muddy dirt road, Ye Tingxiu rode an old horse slowly forward.

Ye Tingxiu lowered his head and closed his eyes slightly, as if he were sleeping. He wore a tattered straw hat, a dirty red robe, and a black cloth garment underneath. Three knives hung at his waist, making him look like a poor and destitute swordsman.

In the desolate wilderness, he was the only one traveling alone on horseback. He didn't know how much time had passed, and the scorching sun was high in the sky when suddenly a panicked little boy rushed out from in front of him, fell to the ground, and blocked his way.

The horse had no choice but to stop moving forward. Ye Tingxiu opened his eyes, looked up slightly at the little boy who had fallen to the ground not far away, and said with a slight movement of his lips: "Kid, I'm asking about someone. She's tall and thin, with black hair and blue eyes, dressed in white, and she gives off a faint scent of lilac and patchouli. Have you seen her?"

The little boy looked panicked: "Never seen it before."

"Oh, thank you." Ye Tingxiu gently tugged on the reins, and the old horse slowly moved forward, swerving around the little brat.

The little brat got up, stared at Ye Tingxiu's back, and suddenly shouted, "You're a wandering cultivator, right? Are you very powerful? I have money, and I want to ask you to slay the demon and rescue Sister Qingqing. I will pay you a reward."

Ye Tingxiu reined in his horse: "How much?"

The little kid said, "It's definitely a lot, Sister Qingqing is rich."

Ye Tingxiu: "Okay, lead the way."

"This way, this way..." the little kid excitedly led the way.

Ye Tingxiu followed on horseback, passing through a swamp and forest before arriving at the edge of a village. Upon seeing this, Ye Tingxiu dismounted, patted the restless old horse, and instructed it, "Stay here."

Ye Tingxiu and the little brat walked into the village. The village was full of collapsed ruins, blood and limbs were everywhere, and the whole village was very quiet, as if there were no living people left.

Seeing this, the little boy ran towards the familiar house, calling out, "Sister Qingqing, Sister Qingqing..."

Hearing the call, Qingqing, who was hiding in the house, had no choice but to run out and nervously cover the little boy's mouth: "Shh, little one, they haven't gone far. Didn't I tell you to run away? Why did you come back?"

The little brat ripped the gag off his hand: "Sister Qingqing, I found a wandering cultivator who looks very powerful. I specially asked him to come back and save you. All you have to do is give him money."

Upon hearing this, Qingqing looked up at the sword-wielding youth approaching from a distance: "If you don't want to die, run! There are too many of them. All the cultivators in this village have already died in battle. You're all alone..."

Ye Tingxiu slowly placed his hand on the sword at his waist: "Woman, it's a bit late to say these things now."

One monster after another slowly emerged from the streets and alleys of the village. These monsters had ferocious faces, bloodshot eyes, mouths full of blood and bits of flesh, and all of them had crocodile heads and human bodies. They wielded magical weapons such as long knives and short swords, and their exposed skin was covered with a thick layer of scales. They also wore tattered clothes.

These monsters were originally ordinary humans who worshipped an evil god called Crocodile God. The evil god's blessing caused these people to fall into monsters.

In the no-man's-land, it is common for many people to worship evil gods in order to survive, and eventually fall into demonic ways.

Qingqing stood there in fear, holding the little boy, her heart filled with despair.

"Don't run around." Ye Tingxiu gripped the hilt of his sword, quickly took a few steps to protect the two behind him, coldly staring at the hundreds of crocodile-headed, human-bodied monsters around him. He formed a hand seal with one hand to cast a defensive shield, instantly protecting Qingqing and the little brat inside.

At the same time, he drew his sword with a backhand, and as the blade was drawn, he killed an attacking monster. With a stomp of his foot, he flashed behind Qingqing, raised his hand to form a seal, and released a large amount of evil fire, burning five or six monsters to ashes.

Despite the onslaught of a hundred demons, he strolled leisurely without a trace of fear, his sword wielding with impenetrable skill, always protecting Qingqing by his side. The demons attacking from all directions could not even get within three steps.

The blade flashed, blood splattered, and the monster fell to the ground dead. He alone had firmly suppressed the attack of a hundred demons.

He was like a skilled butcher, each strike killing instantly.

Soon, the last remaining monster was also killed on the spot.

"Pathetic." Ye Tingxiu coldly surveyed the monster corpses scattered on the ground, then deftly sheathed his sword with a backhand flourish. He then crouched down, drew the dagger from his waist, and slashed open the deliberately left wounds on the monster's body, disemboweling it, ripping out its heart, chopping off its claws, skinning it, and decapitating it before placing it into his storage bag.

These materials could all be exchanged for some money, but now he was wandering alone in the no-man's land, searching for the whereabouts of Blue Moon. He had already spent all his money and was really poor. He couldn't even take out 1000 magic coins from his pocket.

Qingqing and the little kid were dumbfounded, standing there watching Ye Tingxiu skillfully clean up the battlefield.

"Um... thank you." Qingqing mustered her courage and expressed her gratitude from afar. She was afraid that Ye Tingxiu would kill her in a bloodthirsty rage, but she still expressed her thanks because she remembered his life-saving grace.

Ye Tingxiu didn't even turn his head, focusing intently on peeling and shaving off the head: "No need to thank me, you give me the money, I'll do the job."

Qingqing: “???”

The little brat said, "Sister Qingqing, as I just told you, this expert is someone I hired. I promised him that if he comes to save you, you'll pay him."

Qingqing suddenly came to her senses and remembered that she seemed to have heard it before, but in such a terrifying environment just now, she hadn't listened at all: "Then... can I come out? I hid the money."

Ye Tingxiu glanced back and snapped his fingers.

The cyan defensive shield surrounding Qingqing and the little brat immediately collapsed.

Qingqing ran into a relatively intact house, took out the money bag she had hidden, ran up to Ye Tingxiu, and asked, "What's your name?"

Ye Tingxiu said without changing his expression, "Qingfeng, Zhou Qingfeng."

Qingqing looked at him curiously: "Could you take off your straw hat? I want to see my savior. I don't mean anything by it, I just want to remember you and repay you when I have the chance."

Upon hearing this, Ye Tingxiu hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took off his straw hat. His long, half-black, half-white hair fluttered in the wind, and his pale, haggard face gained a touch of sickly handsomeness: "Are you done?"

Qingqing bowed slightly and presented the money pouch with both hands: "Thank you for granting my wish."

Ye Tingxiu took the money pouch, casually tossed it into his storage bag, and turned to walk out of the village: "Take the children and leave here quickly. There are too many corpses here, and the smell of blood will soon attract a large number of demons."

Qingqing pulled the little boy along and chased after them: "My name is Qingqing. I'm an ordinary pharmacist. Today I brought my little one to collect herbs and treat the villagers' illnesses. I live in Crow Castle. It's very safe there. Where are you going?"

Ye Tingxiu stepped forward with his hand on his knife, coldly replying, "I'm looking for someone. Have you seen a woman with black hair and blue eyes? She's tall and thin, and she always smells of cloves and patchouli."

Qingqing shook her head: "I've never seen her. If you're looking for someone, perhaps you can find out some information at the tavern in Ravenburg. What is your relationship with this woman you're looking for?"

Ye Tingxiu continued walking, saying calmly, "It's none of your business."

Qingqing, having been rebuffed, wisely refrained from pressing the matter and instead pulled the little boy along as they jogged to catch up.

Ye Tingxiu walked to the old horse, turned around and lifted the little boy onto the horse, then lifted Qingqing up and placed her on the horse's back, holding the reins and saying, "Give directions."