Chapter 18: The Roc Spreads Its Wings

A beggar with three swords tucked at his waist was blocked by a rushing river. Chu Chen looked ahead, his face full of worry.

I must be lost.

He was certain there had been no river on the way here.

Since I’ve come this far, I might as well pay my respects to nature.

He unfastened his belt with both hands, leaning down to look at the river’s surface. His pupils instantly dilated.

A warm current was about to burst through, but it was forcefully held back.

Gripping his belt tightly with one hand, he thrust a sword forward with the other.

He nearly shouted the incantation “Mystic Thunder Sword Technique.”

“Damn, it’s me after all.”

His sword pierced the water; the reflection on the surface twisted and distorted.

Chu Chen crouched by the riverbank, looking left and right.

“No way, big brother, how did you end up like this?”

The reflection in the river showed Chu Chen with a tangled mop of hair—some long, some short, with a patch of frizzy curls. His face was grimy, and his long robe hung on him like a rag worn out in the kitchen.

Fortunately, the spirit beast egg in his sleeve and the gold ingot were still there.

He sat cross-legged and transformed into Teacher Tony, starting to give himself a haircut.

First, he cut off the frizzy curls, then trimmed the long hair shorter.

“No, no, too unconventional.”

He was ruthless with himself.

Even after cutting half the length, it still looked awkward.

In frustration, he shaved his head completely.

Looking at the reflection in the water, he recalled the clear and capable image of himself in police uniform before crossing over.

Short hair suits me better. Finally satisfied, he nodded.

He took off the long robe and leapt into the river.

Standing in waist-deep water, he rubbed the mud off his body.

“Nature, wonderful nature…”

As he murmured, he sensed the sword on the shore move, slowly drifting away from him.

At first, he thought it was an illusion.

Until the sword suddenly vanished, confirming someone was stealing it.

Before crossing over, he had been a police auxiliary officer; now he served in the Demon Suppression Bureau. Who dared to steal from him?

Chu Chen leapt up and, midair, performed the “Great Roc Spreads Its Wings” move.

“Where did the little thief come from?”

His wings opened, then immediately folded back.

Beneath the great roc stood a frail little girl, skin and bones.

Midair, Chu Chen curled into a ball and thudded onto the ground.

He clumsily put on the long robe again, giving himself a surreal fashion look.

The little girl took two or three steps, then stumbled and fell.

Years of malnutrition left her breathless after such exertion.

Caught off guard by being caught stealing, her breathing grew even more labored.

She inhaled but barely exhaled, on the verge of suffocation.

Chu Chen helped her up, squatting before her and softly comforting her.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, I’m not a bad person.”

“Breathe slowly, slower, even slower.”

Listening to her breathing gradually steady, Chu Chen finally relaxed.

“Good, very good, just like that…”

With his help, the girl calmed down.

Seeing her pale, emaciated face and the coarse hemp clothes no better than his own, Chu Chen couldn’t help but ask,

“Why did you steal my sword?”

The girl said nothing, fiddling with her fingers.

Her fingers were little more than bones covered by skin, black mud clinging in the gaps.

“I’ll only decide whether to help you if you tell me why you stole my sword.”

The girl murmured softly, her voice so faint that even sitting opposite her, he could barely hear.

“What did you say?” Chu Chen asked.

“I want to kill my father…”

Hearing this, Chu Chen was momentarily at a loss for words.

With two years of auxiliary police experience, he knew there was more beneath the surface.

“Why do you want to do that?”

“He won’t feed me, forces me to find men, and makes my mother sleep with other men.”

The girl spoke angrily.

After hearing this, Chu Chen cursed the man silently.

“Come with me. I want to see your father.”

“Are you going to sleep with my mother too?”

The question stunned Chu Chen, who hurriedly introduced himself.

“I’m with the Demon Suppression Bureau.”

“Demon Suppression Bureau?” The girl repeated, as if recalling something.

“The group that kills monsters, right?”

“Yes.”

Upon hearing the confirmation, the girl suddenly grew excited.

“My father is a monster. You have to kill him.”

To convince the man before her, she began fabricating stories.

“At night, my father turns into a great monster.”

“Horns sprout from his head; he breathes fire from his mouth.”

“White fur covers his body; his eyes turn red.”

“His hands and feet become dog paws.”

“And… and…”

The girl wanted to say more about the monster she imagined but her mind went blank.

Chu Chen saw it clearly but had no intention of exposing her falsehood.

“So you’re saying your father must be a monster.”

“Yes!” The girl nodded emphatically.

Following her, Chu Chen asked curiously,

“Why did your father send you to find someone at the river?”

“I followed you all the way from town to the river, planning to steal your sword.”

Putting aside the girl’s bluntness, following someone all the way from town to the riverbank was at least several miles.

In the city, crowded with people, it was understandable Chu Chen hadn’t noticed a small child trailing him.

But outside the city, with few passersby, no matter what, his seasoned counter-surveillance skills should have detected a tail.

Could she be born with a natural talent for stalking?

“Have you ever followed someone before?” Chu Chen asked.

“No, this is my first time.”

Her first attempt at stalking went completely unnoticed—truly a stalking prodigy.

Chu Chen said no more and followed the girl back to town.

She led him to a dirty, chaotic residential area.

The two walked in single file; as soon as they entered, Chu Chen’s appearance immediately drew the residents’ attention.

An old man squatting at a doorstep held a broken bowl filled with some unknown broth.

He slurped the broth and addressed the girl.

“Hey, Xiao Yao, where did you find this guest for your mother? He doesn’t look like one of us from Daning.”

The little girl was small but feisty.

Hearing the old man’s question, she retorted sharply,

“Mind your own business!”

The old man chuckled, drinking his broth.

“You little girl, once I’ve saved up two taels of silver, I’ll buy you.”

“Then you can learn from your mother and serve me well.”

Chu Chen stopped and slowly turned to look at the old man.

“Cough, cough, cough…”

The old man choked and coughed, then retreated into his yard.

When the coast was clear, he peeked through the door crack, watching cautiously.

What kind of person had Xiao Yao brought home?

His eyes were like a fierce hunting tiger’s.

One more second of looking, and his life would be forfeit…