Chapter 4

Just a moment later, Qin Yun, holding the cat demon girl whose demonic power was sealed, arrived outside a wealthy merchant's mansion, hiding in the shadows beyond the courtyard wall.

"This is the place. My leader lives here," the cat demon girl said in a low voice.

Qin Yun opened his Dharma Eye, easily probing the interior of the mansion through the courtyard wall.

"No demons?" Qin Yun felt puzzled. As he observed, within his line of sight, it was an ordinary wealthy merchant's mansion, and he could not detect any demonic aura at all.

"Are you sure your leader is here?" Qin Yun cast a sealing spell, enveloping himself and the cat demon girl in a sealing light, ensuring no sound leaked out.

The cat demon girl nodded, "Definitely! This mansion looks ordinary, and even a wealthy merchant family lives here. But in reality, the mansion is divided into inner and outer sections. My leader and his group live in the inner section, and there is even a much larger underground palace beneath the inner section, where my leader truly resides long-term."

"An underground palace?" Qin Yun was somewhat surprised. "To build a luxurious palace underground without the government discovering it is no small feat, it must have taken many years. It seems your leader has been entrenched in Guangling for quite some time."

"For several decades," the cat demon girl obediently replied.

...

In the secret palace beneath the mansion.

A fat man in a yellow robe sat smiling on a magnificent throne, with a woman in a pink robe half-exposing her chest, leaning against him and feeding him pastries.

On either side of him, seven formidable experts, men and women of various ages, were enjoying fine food and wine, watching the dance performance.

On the side of the hall, musicians were playing.

The combination of zither and flute produced music that was sometimes grand and majestic, and at other times light and cheerful...

The dancers moved gracefully with the music, sometimes solemn and dignified, sometimes lively and agile, and sometimes seductive and alluring...

"Good," the fat man in the yellow robe and his seven subordinates appreciated the performance.

"Sir, try this, I made it myself," the woman in the pink robe took a pastry from a plate and fed it to the fat man in the yellow robe.

The fat man in the yellow robe, however, noticed a black-robed old man appearing at the side door of the hall.

"Is it not good?" the woman in the pink robe pouted.

"Good, good, my beauty, what you made is good, and your mouth is even sweeter," the fat man in the yellow robe said, then turned and kissed the woman on the lips.

The woman in the pink robe then giggled.

"Everyone, step back," the fat man in the yellow robe ordered.

"Yes, Master," the musicians and dancers stopped, bowed, and left. They were already in despair, as they had never left the underground palace since they arrived, living a life without sunlight, and they did not dare to complain, for the demons' methods were too terrifying!

At this moment, the black-robed old man, holding a wooden box in one hand, entered and bowed humbly, "Leader Chu, the star-pattern steel you needed, after eight years of effort, I finally obtained eighty-three pounds of it."

"Star-pattern steel?" The figure of the fat man in the yellow robe, who had been sitting, suddenly became blurry, leaving a trail of illusions as he crossed over ten yards.

Whoosh.

He was already in front of the black-robed old man.

The black-robed old man's heart trembled, "Too fast, he could kill me with one move. But not just the leader, even the other seven demons beside him could easily kill me."

The fat man in the yellow robe, however, reached out and grabbed the wooden box, quickly opened it, and saw the silver-white metal blocks with special patterns inside, his eyes gleaming, he chuckled, "Star-pattern steel is a banned item by the government. If it is privately stored, it is a crime punishable by the destruction of one's family and clan."

"So it was not easy. It took eight years, and many brothers died to obtain this batch. As soon as I got it, I immediately brought it to Leader Chu," the black-robed old man said.

"Rest assured, you are loyal to me, so I will not treat you unfairly. With me, no one can touch your position as the leader of your gang! For the next ten years, your gang's tribute will be waived," the fat man in the yellow robe said generously.

The black-robed old man was overjoyed.

With the support of the demon leader, his position as the leader of the gang was secure, and the waived tribute could go into his own pocket.

"Thank you, Leader Chu," the black-robed old man flattered.

"Star-pattern steel." The fat man in the yellow robe stared at the treasure in the wooden box, picked up a silver-white metal block, and put it in his mouth. His originally ordinary teeth suddenly became saw-like, and with a crunch, he bit through the star-pattern steel, chewed it, and swallowed it, his teeth then returned to normal.

"I am one of the top three in strength in the gang. A single axe strike on star-pattern steel would only leave a mark, which would quickly recover. He bit through it?" the black-robed old man was secretly shocked.

After eating a piece of star-pattern steel, the fat man in the yellow robe returned to his throne, but his skin was faintly marked with silver threads.

"Congratulations, Leader, congratulations."

"With this star-pattern steel, Leader's strength will surely increase."

The seven subordinates sitting beside him all stood up to congratulate him.

Some precious materials can only be utilized by immortals, Buddhas, gods, and demons, such as star-pattern steel, which this demon leader could directly consume to enhance his cultivation.

"Ha ha ha..." The fat man in the yellow robe laughed heartily, his laughter making the entire hall tremble.

Suddenly, a young man in black, holding a frail girl, walked in from the side door of the hall as if he were in his own backyard.

The newcomer was none other than Qin Yun, who had captured the cat demon girl.

"Hmm?" Everyone in the hall fell silent, looking at this unexpected visitor.

The fat man in the yellow robe's expression changed slightly, then he sat calmly on the throne, hugging the woman in the pink robe, and said with a forced smile, "My palace has seven layers of defense and traps. I did not expect a friend to capture one of my subordinates and come here silently. I, Chu Yong, am impressed. May I ask where you come from and what brings you here?"

Qin Yun glanced at the fat man in the yellow robe. With his Dharma Eye, he could clearly see that the fat man was a wild boar demon, with a powerful and overwhelming aura. The seven people sitting beside him were also demons.

"He is your leader?" Qin Yun ignored the demon leader and looked at the cat demon girl, "Was it he who ordered you to act against Qin An?"

"Yes," the cat demon girl lowered her head pitifully.

"Are you here for Qin An?" the fat man in the yellow robe asked, his voice deep.

"Yes, Qin An."

Qin Yun turned to look at the fat man in the yellow robe, "Why did you act against Qin An and want to control him?"

"Ha ha, Qin An's father is Qin Liehu, one of the three silver-badge constables in Guangling. You know, a silver-badge constable is not a big deal to me, but the government has many skilled people and powerful weapons. He leads a group of constables, which is a headache for me. So I wanted to use his son's life to have a good talk with him, hence this plan," the fat man in the yellow robe said with a smile, "But since you have intervened, I can give you face and let this matter go. However, may I ask where you come from? There should be no expert like you in Guangling."

"Oh? You think I am not from Guangling?" Qin Yun asked.

"Ha ha, I, Chu Yong, have been in Guangling for sixty-eight years," the fat man in the yellow robe said confidently, "Whether human or demon, I know all the powerful ones."

"All the powerful ones?"

Qin Yun nodded.

Whoosh.

Qin Yun then threw the cat demon girl to the side, and she fell to the ground. She quickly got up and pleaded in a low voice, "I have brought the senior here, please keep your promise and release me."

"I will be killed by the leader for bringing this cultivator here. I must take this opportunity to escape while the cultivator and the leader are confronting each other," the cat demon girl thought.

"Puff." The cat demon girl suddenly trembled, and the true essence energy that sealed her demonic power instantly shattered her heart.

"You, you don't keep..." The cat demon girl's eyes were full of unwillingness and anger, and she then collapsed, her body twisting and transforming into a black cat corpse.

Qin Yun looked at her, "For some people, promises must be kept, even at the cost of one's life. But for others, keeping promises is foolish and rigid! The same goes for demons! If I were that foolish, I would have died at the hands of demons many times over."

As he spoke, the expressions of those in the hall changed.

"Many times over?" the fat man in the yellow robe muttered to himself, his pupils narrowing, "Demons are rare, but he seems to have dealt with many demons."

"Friend, regarding my actions against Qin An, you have killed one of my subordinates. Can we let this matter go?" the fat man in the yellow robe stood up and stared at Qin Yun. The woman in the pink robe beside him was somewhat nervous. The seven demons who had been sitting also stood up, all staring at Qin Yun. The black-robed old man was trembling with fear, despite controlling a gang with thousands of members, he was now only filled with panic and fear.

"No," Qin Yun shook his head.

A fierce light flashed in the fat man in the yellow robe's eyes, and he suddenly roared, "Kill!"

The sound was like a thunderclap, shaking the entire hall, and many cups and plates on the table shattered.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh..."

Men and women of various ages, the seven formidable experts, instantly moved. Five of them directly pounced forward, one demon transformed into a cloud of mist, and another vanished into thin air.

"Can he become invisible?" Qin Yun was slightly surprised.

...