44: Demon Lair

Lu Ming chose to agree to the other party's request for two reasons.

First, he indeed needed a large amount of demon life force to improve himself, and the treasure mentioned by the other party also greatly interested him.

Second, the other party's origins were unknown; although she held no ill will towards him, it was hard to guarantee whether she would act against him if he refused.

The red-dressed woman in front of him appeared delicate and seemingly without combat ability, but he wouldn't believe that a weak woman could reach this place and silently approach him.

Most importantly, he couldn't see through her at all, unclear of her true cultivation level.

"That's wonderful! You can call me Luo Hongzhuang," the red-dressed woman said softly.

"Lu Ming!" Lu Ming replied after a moment of silence.

Her surname slightly surprised him, as the Luo surname held a different significance in the Great Liang Kingdom; the current imperial family bore the Luo surname, and the woman's demeanor and speech did not resemble someone from the Jianghu, making it hard not to ponder.

However, this thought had barely arisen before Lu Ming dismissed it.

If she truly came from the imperial family, how could she appear here? Moreover, the Great Liang Kingdom was vast, and the Luo surname was not uncommon, and it was still unknown if she was even using her real name, so he didn't dwell on it... In the deep night forest, a cool breeze rustled, and leaves made soft sounds.

The deeper they went, the denser the surrounding trees and bushes became, with hardly any path visible.

Two figures could be vaguely seen, one in front and one behind; the one leading the way was Luo Hongzhuang in her red dress, and not far behind was Lu Ming.

Lu Ming had been observing Luo Hongzhuang in front, and he also noticed the path; he didn't know if she had been here before, but under her guidance, the two followed a winding mountain trail, and whenever the path seemed to end, she would miraculously find another winding, secluded route.

He noticed more than that; throughout their journey, Lu Ming's clothes were often snagged by plants, yet the woman in her red dress managed to avoid touching a single leaf, not even getting a speck of dirt on her.

This might seem insignificant, but in Lu Ming's eyes, it was very telling.

"She's a master, just don't know her cultivation level," Lu Ming thought to himself.

After passing through the dense forest, the path ahead suddenly widened considerably.

And at this moment, Luo Hongzhuang stopped.

"We're here!"

Lu Ming looked intently; towering rock walls stood before them, and by the moonlight, he could see the exposed rocks covered in moss, their deep green spreading into the crevices.

At the base of the tall rock wall, a dark cave, about two or three zhang high, was visible, and faint sounds could be heard from within.

A faint mist shrouded the surroundings, making it difficult for Lu Ming to see clearly, but with his keen senses, he could still detect something unusual within.

"There really is one!" Lu Ming's eyes narrowed; with just one glance, he confirmed this was the location of the mountain demon's lair.

He hadn't observed for long when a commotion suddenly came from the nearby bushes; a large, dark gray beastly shadow emerged—it was a mountain demon.

It carried a horned deer, weighing about two hundred catties, in its mouth; the deer's head dangled, clearly lifeless.

As if it hadn't noticed them, it quickly entered the cave.

"What, are you scared?" Luo Hongzhuang teased, watching Lu Ming's gaze fixed on the mountain demon.

Lu Ming couldn't be bothered to respond; he said nothing, drew his gilded long blade, and led the way towards the cave.

As they drew closer, the cave's outline became clearer in his eyes; vigorous, verdant wild vines climbed along the edges of the rough rock wall, bearing thumb-sized, unknown green fruits.

A faint scent of blood permeated the air, and moonlight dimly illuminated the interior; Lu Ming discovered that this was not a man-made path leading straight to the bottom, but rather a naturally formed network of crisscrossing passages.

He glanced at Luo Hongzhuang, who was following behind, and without another word, entered the cave alone.

The cave was not completely dark; cracks in the rock wall allowed moonlight to shine in, enabling him to vaguely discern the scene within.

A damp scent filled the air, and piles of pale bones were visible everywhere, mostly from wild beasts, but some resembled human bones.

Upon entering the cave, Lu Ming slowed his pace, focusing his attention on his surroundings, wary of any potential dangers.

Although the rock passages were complex, they all led deeper; he only needed to pay attention to the return path and wasn't worried about getting lost.

Soft footsteps echoed through the empty passages; the two walked for about a hundred meters, and just then, Luo Hongzhuang's voice came from behind.

"Be careful, demons are coming."

No sooner had she spoken than a sharp roar erupted from the end of the rock passage, followed by Lu Ming feeling a slight tremor in the ground.

Almost instantly, two large dark shadows sprinted towards them, like charging chariots, aiming directly for Lu Ming.

Their exposure didn't surprise Lu Ming.

After all, these demons had very sensitive senses, and he still carried a significant amount of blood from killing that mountain demon earlier; without stealth abilities, Lu Ming had never intended to sneak in from the start.

One mountain demon charged first; Lu Ming intended to dodge, but its sharp claws were already slashing through the air.

"Seeking death!" The rock passage was not wide, and Lu Ming knew that even if he dodged, he would be cornered by continuous attacks.

His Protective Aura surged, and the gilded long blade's blade gleamed with cold light; Lu Ming swung his gilded long blade and chopped.

Pfft!

This mountain demon was clearly not as strong as the one Lu Ming had killed earlier; the Blade Aura swept past, instantly severing its thick arm.

Blood spurted out like a fountain, and the mountain demon let out a painful wail, but before the sound could fully register, another fierce slash descended, and Lu Ming, taking advantage of the momentum, directly chopped off its grotesque and ugly head.

His peripheral vision caught Luo Hongzhuang beside him; apart from her initial warning, she made no other movement.

Upon seeing the mountain demon attack, she had instead retreated a few steps, avoiding blood splattering on her red dress.

Seeing Lu Ming's gaze, she smiled faintly in response.

Lu Ming wasn't annoyed; he took a deep breath, and after evading the attack of another furiously charging mountain demon, he shifted his feet, precisely stepping onto a protruding rock on the wall, and leaped into the air.

The next moment, the sharp blade deeply pierced the neck of the second mountain demon; the mountain demon let out a painful wail, violently shaking its beastly body to try and dislodge Lu Ming, but Lu Ming exerted force with the momentum, his arm suddenly swung, the gilded long blade tore through flesh, and another head arced through the air, rolling with two clangs into a corner of the rock wall.