98: Sanxian City

Zhang Wu led the Demon Hunting Squad, lurking in the wind and snow outside the Bear Yao Beast's Cave for three days.

"Brother Zhang, we've waited three days. Could that Bear Yao Beast have abandoned its nest and fled already?"

The person behind him couldn't hold back, complaining in a low voice, "Don't tell me we're waiting in vain in the end."

Another person immediately chimed in, "Exactly, Brother Zhang, you are a Ninth Level of Qi Refining Cultivator. Are you still afraid of a single Bear Yao Beast?"

Annoyed by their urging, Zhang Wu's eyes darkened. He drew the spirit sword from his back and said, "No more waiting. Follow me into the cave!"

The Yao Beast's aura in the cave was faint; it seemed the Bear Yao Beast had indeed left.

Just as he was secretly annoyed, he suddenly felt Devilish Qi churning, and a black shadow, wrapped in a foul wind, roared and pounced.

"A Perfection Devil Head! Form the Magic Array immediately!"

Zhang Wu shouted, conjuring a magic disk. He formed a Magic Array with himself at the center, while the others took their positions, attacking the Devil Head in unison.

This Devil Head was Wang Kui.

Even though his cultivation was higher than the five, his demonic power was severely depleted after the great battle.

After fleeing desperately with Fang Huai for several days, his strength had been reduced by nearly half. Under the combined assault of the Demon Hunting Squad, he quickly retreated.

Seeing that he couldn't win, he immediately turned and rushed towards Fang Huai, attempting to wake him.

But how could Zhang Wu and the others miss such a good opportunity to kill a Devil Head? They all followed Wang Kui into the cave.

Seeing him approach Fang Huai, they thought the Devil Head wanted to harm him, so they immediately roared, conjured a spirit talisman, and shot it towards Wang Kui.

Wang Kui cried out in pain and howled as he rushed deeper into the cave. The other members of the Demon Hunting Squad were about to give chase but were stopped by Zhang Wu.

"No need to chase. That Devil Head is at the end of his rope. If we push him to a dead end, like a cornered dog, we might not be able to retreat unharmed."

With that, he walked over to Fang Huai and leaned down to examine him: "His attire seems to be that of a Righteous Cultivator, but his spiritual power fluctuations are weak. He must be a Servant with little cultivation..."

"What should we do? Hand him over to the Profound Sword Sect or Baihua Valley?" someone asked.

"His Physical Body is severely damaged, and his Divine Sense is on the verge of collapse. Even if he survives, his path to cultivation is completely severed. Why would the Sect care about him?"

"Take him back to Sanxian City," Zhang Wu sighed. "Didn't the Yun Family Sisters say they wanted to find a husband with a Spiritual Root?

They are honest and kind-hearted, and they know how to care for people. For this male Cultivator, it can be considered a stable home."

————

West City Gate of Sanxian City.

It was already dark, and the cold wind was biting. As the New Year approached, the wind and snow grew thicker.

Yun Hui stood beneath the city gate, her pretty face red from the cold. She continuously rubbed her frozen hands, standing on tiptoe and craning her neck to look around.

Whenever a strange Cultivator entered the city through the wind and snow, she would bravely step forward, her face flushed, to inquire if they were married.

The woman's name was Yun Hui, an ordinary resident of Sanxian City's outer city. Her ancestors once produced a Late Qi Condensation Stage Cultivator, which allowed them to establish roots in Sanxian City.

She was a resident of the outer city of Sanxian City. Her ancestors once produced a Late Qi Condensation Stage Cultivator, and the Yun family was thus able to establish roots in Sanxian City.

However, for some unknown reason, none of the dozens of children born to that Old Ancestor possessed a Spiritual Root.

After the Old Ancestor passed away, the Yun family declined, falling from the inner city all the way to the outer city.

By the generation of the Yun Family Sisters, they could barely scrape together the rent for their outer city residence.

Her elder sister, Yun Ping, had repeatedly urged Yun Hui to move out of Sanxian City, find a Mortal town to settle in, and marry into a wealthy family.

But Yun Hui refused. Mortals who left Sanxian City would be removed from the Sanxian City household register and could never return.

She was accustomed to life in Sanxian City; how could she be willing to live a life where she could see the end at a glance?

Today, a messenger found her, saying that the Demon Hunting Squad had rescued a Cultivator with a Spiritual Root, and asked if she wanted to buy him for three Spirit Stones.

She quickly agreed and had been waiting at the city gate ever since.

Finally, several black dots in the distance rapidly rushed towards the city gate—it was Zhang Wu's Demon Hunting Squad.

Zhang Wu shook off the snow from his body and said, "Sister Yun, you've waited a long time. Take a look at this Cultivator; is he suitable or not?"

Despite facing a Mortal, Zhang Wu didn't put on many airs. He directed his subordinates to carry Fang Huai's stiff body in front of Yun Hui.

Yun Hui, seeing this, hesitated slightly: "Immortal Master Zhang, this Cultivator isn't dead, is he? His body is stiff..."

Zhang Wu said, "It's just damage to his Divine Sense and the collapse of his Physical Body. Maybe he'll still have a chance to wake up in the future. With good medicine, it won't affect having children."

Yun Hui nodded, pulled a Spiritual Root Testing Talisman from her bosom, and placed it near Fang Huai's head.

Seeing the bright light emitted by the talisman, she was immediately surprised: "This brightness... This person's Spiritual Root should be above a Five Spiritual Root."

Then she turned to Zhang Wu and said, "He's in this condition; can you make it cheaper?"

Zhang Wu was somewhat annoyed. He had lowered himself to converse with Fang Hui, but she was actually haggling. He angrily said:

"I'm only informing you first because of the old friendship between my ancestor and yours.

If you don't want him, there are plenty of daughters from wealthy families in Sanxian City who do!"

Yun Hui quickly hugged Fang Huai: "Immortal Master Zhang, I want him!"

...The frail woman carried Fang Huai, stumbling through the wind and snow for half an hour before finally returning to her residence.

By this time, her forehead was burning hot; she had clearly caught a cold.

"Sister, where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere. And who is this man?"

Her older sister, Yun Ping, was puzzled to see her sister carrying back a stiff man. Seeing her flushed cheeks and high fever, she felt distressed.

Yun Hui carefully removed Fang Huai's clothes, wrapped his body in a blanket, and said:

"Sister, don't mind me. Quickly get a hot towel and help my husband wipe off the wind and snow."

Husband?

Yun Ping thought, 'My sister must be delirious from the fever. She just picked up a dying man and immediately calls him husband.'

After Yun Hui finished explaining the whole story, anger flared in Yun Ping's heart, and she raised her hand to slap her:

"You foolish girl! These three Spirit Stones are for the rent of our house! Toad Old Seven will come to collect the rent in a few days. How will you face him?"

Yun Hui covered her face, tears welling in her eyes, but her voice was unusually stubborn:

"At worst, we'll wander the streets! As long as I give birth to a child with a Spiritual Root, Sanxian City will reward three Spirit Stones every year and provide a small house for free. Why worry about a place to live!"

"Not to mention whether this man still has fertility, even if you can conceive, it will take ten months to give birth!"

Yun Ping looked at Yun Hui, feeling both distressed and angry.

But since things had come to this, it was impossible to return the man to Zhang Wu. She could only take care of the two, one sick and one unconscious.

Yun Hui hastily chewed and swallowed a few cold-expelling herbs, then rubbed Fang Huai's body with ginger.

Yun Ping, meanwhile, carefully wiped away the bloodstains from Fang Huai's body with a hot towel.

The two were busy for half the night, finally getting Fang Huai cleaned up.

Sniffing the unique fragrance of Fang Huai, the Cultivator, Yun Hui's face flushed with infatuation:

"Indeed, he's a Cultivator. Even the scent of his body is different from ours."

With that, she steadied her swaying body, pulled out a bottle of potion from a drawer, and was about to pour it into Fang Huai's mouth.

"Yun Hui, are you trying to die?"

Yun Ping exclaimed in shock and quickly stepped forward to stop her: "You still have a high fever. How dare you do such a thing with a Cultivator?"

Yun Hui shook her head and said, "I can't wait. The sooner I conceive a Cultivator's child, the sooner we can settle down, and the sooner we can live a good life."

With that, she pushed Yun Ping away, rushed to the bedside, brought the bottle to Fang Huai's lips, and was about to force it down.