107 Nanke

This time, you can't escape anymore, can you?

It took Huai Zhou three days to deal with the eleven demons. At first, seeing Danpa's lack of interest, she thought she was too slow. But when she went to collect the bounty with the eleven demon cores, the expressions of the onlookers told her that this was not the case.

The person in charge of distributing the bounty looked at the bloody pile of demon cores in front of him, took two steps back in a cowardly manner, and said in disbelief, "You...you did all of this by yourself?"

Huai Zhou nodded, puzzled, and asked nervously, "Is it not up to standard? This is my first time taking on a challenge to obtain a demon core, I don't know your standards here."

After saying that, he sighed in frustration, feeling very sorry for the part of the bounty he had missed.

Unexpectedly, these words caused an uproar! Everyone started making a big fuss:

"Unbelievable! We old guys have been outshone by a complete newcomer! It's utterly shameful!" "Hey, you can't say that. Heroes have always emerged from among the young. Fame should be achieved early!"

Besides those who marveled at the saying "the younger generation surpasses the older," others had other intentions, showing concern for Huai Zhou by asking, "Young lady, how old are you this year? What's your name? Who is your teacher?"

With Danpa absent, she was overwhelmed and struggled to cope, revealing a hint of helplessness and embarrassment. Just then, a hand appeared out of nowhere, handing her a bag of coins and rescuing Huaizhou from her predicament.

"Here's the bounty."

Huai Zhou thanked him, then looked up to see an unfamiliar face. His gaze shifted slightly downwards, and he saw the three characters embroidered on his lapel: "Dengxian Mountain".

She saw it, and of course everyone else saw it too. The crowd that had been tightly packed together, waiting for a chance to pry open the corner of the wall, immediately dispersed, with a few comments mixed in, such as, "So they are disciples of Dengxian Mountain. No wonder they are so extraordinary at such a young age."

She was certain she didn't recognize the man, but since he had helped her out of a predicament, she thought she should offer him some money as a token of her gratitude. However, the man not only refused the money she offered, but also gave her a deep look before leaving without a word.

What do you mean? Do you feel the money given is too little?

Huai Zhou was completely baffled and told Dan Pa about this little incident. Dan Pa listened and laughed, "That's how people from Dengxian Mountain are. Although they seem aloof and hard to get along with, they're actually quite warm-hearted."

"Really? So that person wasn't complaining that I gave too little, but that they simply don't accept bribes? Truly a noble person." She was filled with respect and secretly vowed to become such a gentleman in the future.

With their travel expenses resolved, the two were finally able to continue their journey. Huaizhou asked where they were going next, and Danpa put her arm around her shoulder and declared, "Didn't we say before that we'd take you to see for yourself where women are in charge? Let's go to Wanze City!"

Huai Zhou was at an age where she was curious about everything, so she naturally had no objections and followed Dan Pa with great anticipation. But as they walked, she suddenly turned around and looked behind her, her brows furrowing slightly.

Danpa asked, "What's wrong? Did you leave something behind?"

She shook her head, wanting to say that it seemed like someone was following her, but then thought it was just her imagination. After hesitating for a long time, she only said, "No, I must have been mistaken."

After they had completely gone far away, two figures, one in black and one in white, slowly emerged from the shadows under the tree.

The man in black asked the man in white, "Didn't you say it was best not to let her be tainted by her past? Cough, cough... why are you appearing in front of her again? And wearing the robes of a disciple of Dengxian Mountain."

The woman in white remained silent in response to his question. The man in black hadn't expected an answer from her anyway; he gazed in the direction Huai Zhou had disappeared and smiled faintly.

"See, I'm not the only one who can't bear to part with it."

————

Wanze City was a bustling commercial hub, with singing and dancing lasting all night long, making it a world-renowned "land of extravagance".

The city is full of wealthy merchants, but the richest family, the Huo sisters, are not locals. It is said that they started by selling pork and have achieved their current status through decades of hard work.

Danpa said that Wanze City was run by women because of the Huo sisters. "They were involved in various industries, and in each industry they relied heavily on female workers. Over time, Wanze City became known as the 'City of Women' in other people's eyes."

Hearing her words, Huai Zhou became even more curious about the two sisters and was eager to know how they had become rich. Danpa smacked her lips and said, "No rush, there are storytellers and opera singers in all the restaurants in the city. Let's go and ask around and see which restaurant is performing 'Qingbai' today."

"The Legend of Qingbai?" Huaizhou thought for a moment and asked, "Is it the story of Bai Suzhen?"

Danpa smiled and shook her head. A waiter next to her, who was soliciting customers, quickly interjected, "Miss, you must be from out of town! This 'Qingbai' is not the same as that 'Qingbai.' In Wanze City, 'Qingbai' refers to the two head managers, Huo Bai and Huo Qing!"

Huai Zhou suddenly realized, and seeing the waitress's enthusiasm, he simply asked her directly, "Will your inn be performing 'Qing Bai' today?"

When business came in, she beamed from ear to ear, nodding repeatedly, "Yes, yes! Please, both of you!" Then she called out to the people inside, "We have distinguished guests! Make room for us!"

Unable to refuse their hospitality, Huai Zhou thought that having just received a large reward, it wouldn't hurt to splurge on a private room once in a while. After sitting down, looking at the elegant decor around him, even Danpa couldn't help but say, "This money was well spent!"

Huai Zhou wholeheartedly agreed. The view from the private room was truly exceptional, offering a panoramic view of the performance downstairs, with every detail clearly visible. After the performance of "Qing Bai," the story was deeply moving and exhilarating. The newly rich Huai Zhou, eager to try her luck, beckoned the waiter to give him a tip. Unexpectedly, the waiter not only refused her tip but also waived their accommodation fee!

"Manager Hong said that since you saved his people, this small amount of money is his way of repaying you."

Huai Zhou was dumbfounded. How come there was now a Red Manager in addition to the Green and White Managers? Did the Huo family name their members after colors? Besides, she didn't even know what red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, or purple meant.

Danpa, however, seemed to have some clues: "Didn't you rescue a little red fox from the Black Bear Demon's clutches before?"

Seeing her nod, she said, "That's right. I heard that there is a fox demon in Wanze City who runs a theatrical troupe. The leader is a red fox. Because he is on good terms with the Huo sisters and is kind to people, everyone calls him 'Red Manager'."

"I see." Huai Zhou scratched his face sheepishly, not expecting that such a small act of kindness would be taken to heart, which strengthened his resolve to do good deeds every day.

That night, Danpa said she was going to do something adults do and told Huaizhou to stay in the house. Huaizhou disagreed and argued, "I can kill eleven demons in one go! How can that not be considered adulthood!"

Finally, Danpa couldn't resist her pestering him any longer, so he had no choice but to take her to... the tavern.

Looking at the various wine jars and pots on the table, while he could only drink tea, Huaizhou felt even more depressed.

This is really... something only adults can do.

Danpa was having a great time drinking, but she didn't forget to comfort her little apprentice: "Alright, alright, you just want to drink, right? Your older sister will give you ten or eight jars! Bury them now, and wait, burp... wait until you grow up in ten years to dig them up and drink them, wouldn't that be wonderful?"

“Okay! Sister, you keep your word!” She immediately ran to choose a wine. Seeing her serious expression, the bartender said, “Young lady, why don’t you take a look at this Nanke? It’s our signature drink, and Manager Bai likes it quite a bit.”

Huai Zhou already knew that "Manager Bai" referred to Huo Bai, because he had watched the play during the day and was still in the afterglow of blindly worshipping the Huo sisters. He immediately decided to have all ten jars of wine from Nan Ke.

Danpa readily paid the money: "You have good taste. Nanke is indeed a fine wine. I'll wait for you to open it in ten years."

At that time, Huaizhou felt that time was passing very slowly, and he wished he could grow up ten years immediately so that he could properly savor this wine.

Little did she know that life is fleeting, like a white horse galloping past a crack in the wall. Ten years later, when she set foot on the land of Wanze City once more.

A light autumn rain patters down, a gentle breeze rustles along the stream. The boatman lets the rain wash away the remaining blood from the sword's tip, then casually enters an inn.

Another sword has broken.

For the past ten years, she and her sister Danpa have traveled all over the country, but they have never been able to find her destined sword. Helpless, they can only use various swords to deal with the situation, but the lifespan of each sword is no more than one year.

Especially in the last two or three years, as her cultivation level improved, ordinary iron swords could no longer match her strength, and she often had to replace them every two or three months. After making inquiries from various sources, she learned that a senior weapon master was living in seclusion in Wanze City. He was Baopu Zhenren, one of the four great masters of Dengxian Mountain, and was known in the martial arts world as "Master Jun".

This master craftsman forged countless weapons throughout his life, each one a divine weapon. Huai Zhou came here today to beg Master Jun for mercy, hoping to snag one by chance.

However, she never expected that Master Baopu had passed away seventeen years ago, and Zhufeng Hall had become an empty room. She still did not have a suitable weapon.

A Taoist priest once claimed that she possessed innate sword bones, her natal sword residing within her body and never appearing in her hand. Huai Zhou and Dan Pa both thought this was nonsense. How rare is it to be born with sword bones? Even Gu Zhang, the first person to ascend to immortality in a century, dared not claim to have innate sword bones!

Even now, she can't help but wonder if what the sorcerer said was true. Otherwise, how can she explain why, as a sword cultivator, she hasn't encountered her natal sword even after ten years of cultivation?

Her heart was already heavy with sorrow, and the autumn rain only added to her melancholy. She watched the rain for a long time under the eaves, and suddenly decided to dig up the dream she had buried ten years ago and drown her sorrows in wine.

Thunder rumbled faintly, a cool breeze blew, and evening rain fell. Unbeknownst to her, she had finished a whole jar of Nanke wine.

After getting completely drunk, a flood of complex emotions arose. That night, Huai Zhou dreamed of many people, mostly people and demons she had met over the past ten years, flashing through her mind like frames from a shadow play.

However, the image that was ultimately captured was that of ten years ago.

This time, however, the dream was clearer than ever before, so clear that it seemed not to be a dream at all.

"Dr. Du..."

She was too drunk to speak clearly. Otherwise, she would definitely have pressed him for answers: Where have you been all these years? Why did you leave without saying goodbye? And why haven't you come back to see her even once in ten years?

Every year, every winter, she would return to that little courtyard in Liulijing, afraid that he might return and not be able to find her.

But Dr. Du is so heartless; he left without ever looking back.

If it's a dream... and since it's a drunken dream, let's dream it completely.

So she reached out and, with a little force, pinned the man down.

Some looked terrified, while others had eyes sparkling.

She thought, "This time, you won't be able to escape anymore, will you?"

[Author's Note]

The Overbearing Immortal is being serialized in a powerful manner.