Chapter 4

Hearing the girl's name, the boy pondered for a moment and did not say much more.

The girl was silent for a while, looking at Chen Chao, about to speak.

Chen Chao saw through her thoughts and calmly said, "You want to know what happened to those who protected you on the way here, right?"

The girl nodded. Uncle Song and the other guards had escorted her north, enduring great hardships, especially Mr. Song, whom she had always regarded as a mentor. Naturally, she wanted to know if they were alive or dead.

"They're dead. Blood demons love to feed on human flesh and blood. Once they set their sights on someone, there's nothing left."

Looking at the pile of blood demon corpses in the fire, he frowned. Blood demons of this level were not something he encountered often in the past two years, and ordinary people were no match for them.

The girl's eyes dimmed. She had originally thought that even if Uncle Song and the others met with disaster, she could still collect their remains. But now, with the blood demon burned by Chen Chao, there would be no trace of Uncle Song and the others left in the world.

The girl's face showed a hint of sorrow. She had already seen life and death more than once on her journey, and she had become much tougher than when she left White Deer. But at this moment, it was still hard for her to face it calmly.

She looked at Chen Chao, hesitating to speak.

Chen Chao straightforwardly asked the question for her, "You're wondering why I didn't act earlier, given that I wasn't afraid of the blood demon and that the place where you encountered trouble wasn't far from the temple."

The girl nodded; this was what she wanted to know.

As a guardian, he had the responsibility to protect the land and its people. If he had acted earlier, perhaps Uncle Song and the others would not have met such a fate.

"Resting."

Chen Chao looked at the girl, somewhat apologetically, "I didn't expect anyone to appear in the mountains at midnight."

The mountain god temple was in a remote area, and even during the day, there were few passersby, let alone at night. When he arrived here, to hide his aura and be in the best state to face any demons, Chen Chao weakened his perception, only able to sense the situation in the main hall.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have said those words to the girl earlier.

The girl was silent for a while and then quickly thanked him.

With the firelight, the long night, and the fact that they couldn't sleep, the two naturally talked a lot.

But the girl's interest was clearly low, and she was still somewhat sad.

Chen Chao roughly understood the reasons why the girl ended up alone at the mountain god temple.

"After dawn, I can take you down the mountain. What are your plans after that?"

Chen Chao took the initiative to ask.

Xie Nandu calmly said, "I came north to the capital. My family will send me to Tianqing County, and someone from the north will come to pick me up. But from the looks of it, it won't be that fast. I'll write to them. During the time before they send someone to pick me up, I want to stay with you because it's... the safest."

Very straightforward, without any beating around the bush.

Although she was sad, she understood the current situation and needed to make a decision.

In all of Tianqing County, there would be no safer place than staying with this young man.

"It's obvious you're in big trouble."

Since the other party had already expressed her attitude, Chen Chao was more direct.

Although he didn't know the girl's identity, from the events that had occurred and the information she had revealed, this girl was definitely a source of trouble.

Xie Nandu didn't argue, just said to herself, "You are a martial artist. From what I know, the cultivation of martial artists is extremely difficult, and the amount of heavenly gold required to temper the body is not a small sum. Your salary is not enough to support your consumption."

Chen Chao frowned, "How do you know I don't have other means?"

This point hit Chen Chao's sore spot. There were many cultivation schools in the world, and the path of martial artists was the most difficult. The amount of heavenly gold required to temper the body was a huge sum, so most martial artists chose to rely on the court to obtain the large amount of heavenly gold needed for cultivation.

Xie Nandu shook her head and said, "Perhaps the demon pearls are enough, but now, how many demons are left in the vicinity for you to kill?"

The word "hunting" was said by Chen Chao himself.

As his realm improved, the amount of heavenly gold Chen Chao needed far exceeded what could be obtained by killing a few demons. Moreover, there were probably not many demons left around Tianqing County.

He had been troubled by this for a long time.

If it weren't for the fact that he was not suitable for cultivation, Chen Chao would never have chosen to be a martial artist.

Cultivation was slow, and once cultivators gained the ability to fly, martial artists had a natural disadvantage because it was difficult for them to get close to those cultivators. Even with an unparalleled physique, what use was it?

Only by reaching a higher realm and gaining the ability to fly could this disadvantage be eliminated. Cultivation for martial artists was already difficult, and how many martial artists in the world could truly reach that level?

Killing the blood demon seemed easy, but only Chen Chao knew how much it had cost him to repel the blood demon with that punch.

Coming back to his senses, he didn't speak immediately.

"I can give you a lot of heavenly gold."

Xie Nandu looked at Chen Chao, her voice somewhat indifferent.

Hearing the words "heavenly gold," Chen Chao quickly smiled, "I've never cared about formalities. I'm a man of principle, and I'm known as a good person in Tianqing County. Since you're alone, if I don't lend a hand, would I still be human?"

In the end, although he knew this might get him into trouble, after weighing the pros and cons, he was willing to take the risk.

After all, in a remote small county like Tianqing, earning a large amount of heavenly gold was not an easy task.

Xie Nandu looked at him and said again, "Thank you."

She spoke seriously, her expression somewhat indifferent, but it was clear that she was sincere.

Chen Chao glanced at her and didn't say anything.

Later in the night, Chen Chao talked a lot more, but despite his constant probing, Xie Nandu still didn't reveal much information. As the sky began to brighten, the tired Chen Chao looked deeply at the girl in front of him, stood up, and prepared to go down the mountain and return to the county.

...

...

Perhaps the blood demon had driven away the other demons in the vicinity, so after it was killed, they didn't encounter any other demons on the way down the mountain.

The two quickly arrived at Tianqing County.

The heavy snow had not stopped, and the main street of the county was still covered in snow. There were few pedestrians, but the children couldn't resist, running in groups through the alleys, laughing and playing snowball fights.

They didn't care about the heavy snow, and they didn't care if they would be beaten by their stern fathers for getting their clothes wet. Even with their hands red from the cold and their noses running, they were full of joy.

No matter how dangerous it was outside the city, with Chen Chao in Tianqing County, there was nothing to worry about.

Xie Nandu held an oiled paper umbrella and walked beside Chen Chao. She glanced at Chen Chao, whose head was already covered in white frost, then looked away and raised her head to watch the children running around in the distance, listening to their laughter.

Her mood was much more relaxed now.

In the past dozen years, she had spent most of her time reading books. In the high gates and large courtyards, she had never seen such a scene. Even in heavy snow, the elders in her clan would only use the snow as an excuse to test them, never allowing them to play in the snow.

At a distance, a vendor selling roasted chestnuts called out from time to time, his voice drawn out and rhythmic, very regular.

These scenes of daily life were commonplace for many people, but for her, it was a completely new experience.

She watched them silently.

Chen Chao glanced at her and, passing by the vendor, bought one.

"Have one."

He handed it to Xie Nandu, who hesitated for a moment but still took it.

She was indeed a bit hungry.

Holding it, she began to carefully peel off the outer skin with her white fingers, and when she saw the golden flesh inside, her eyes lit up. She took a small bite, and the hot flesh spread warmth in her mouth, making her lips turn red as if she had used the best rouge.

Chen Chao walked towards a small alley called Peach Blossom Lane. The alley was small, with only seven or eight households, and the deepest house was his home.

Arriving at the door, he put the oiled paper umbrella down and reached into his pocket for the key, about to open the door.

At that moment, the door of the house opposite suddenly opened, and a bearded, medium-built man came out with a large bowl, sat on his doorstep, glanced at Chen Chao, and then looked at the girl in the alley holding the roasted chestnut. His eyes widened, and he shouted, "Chen boy, you've really grown up! Where did you find such a pretty wife after a few days?"

The man's voice was loud, and with this shout, the doors of the seven or eight households in Peach Blossom Lane opened almost simultaneously, and dozens of eyes looked at the entrance of the deepest house in the alley.

Chen Chao, who was about to open the door, stopped, and his lips curled up in a helpless smile.

As for Xie Nandu behind him, holding the remaining half of the roasted chestnut, she showed no emotion.