Ping'an and Zhao Renshu sat under a tree by a small campfire, Zhao Renshu roasting a chicken. Ping'an sat by the campfire, writing in her journal.
"Why always write down everything?" Zhao Renshu asked, curious.
"I don't write everything down," Ping'an replied. "I only record our hunting experiences: the creatures we've encountered and how we've dealt with them."
"What is the purpose?" Zhao Renshu inquired.
Ping'an stopped and looked at him. "The purpose is that one day you will have disciples, and they can use these journals to guide them." She continued to write. "You know that one day you will get old and you will not be able to do what you can do now."
"You know that my master passed away at the age of one hundred and five," Zhao Renshu countered.
"He knew he would die from the beginning, so he decided to take you on as his disciple," Ping'an stated.
The cries of wolves abruptly ended the conversation between Zhao Renshu and Ping'an. When Zhao Renshu stood up, he reached behind his back and gripped the hilt of his sword. He looked around the area. Suddenly, a white fox ran straight to Zhao Renshu and Ping'an from the forest, and then five wolves stopped, growling at them and the white fox.
The five wolves shapeshifted into five men.
"Young sister, help me," the White Fox pleaded, her voice trembling.
Zhao Renshu and Ping'an both looked at the white fox in surprise.
"These are just humans. Let us absorb their energy!" Wolf One snarled. The five wolves laughed. "Then we'll drag the little one back home."
Then, two of the wolves returned to their original animal form, hovering menacingly behind the human and the fox.
"Be careful," Zhao Renshu warned Ping'an, kissing her forehead. He drew his sword and lunged at the three human-form wolves.
The two circling wolves charged from both sides at the same time. Ping'an, who was still in a sitting position, grabbed the white fox in her left hand, then drew the whip from her right waist. She flipped backward, landing on her feet. The two wolves missed her, and she sent her whip to one of the wolves. The whip tightly tied one of the wolf's legs. She then yanked the tied wolf forward and threw it at its incoming charging friend. The incoming charging wolf collided with the thrown wolf. Ping'an placed the injured fox down again to her left. She sent out two talismans, which turned into six icicles, at the wounded wolf. An icicle hit the wounded wolf, killing it instantly. Due to the collision with his friend, the other wolf was badly injured and could not stand up.
Zhao Renshu attacked the three wolves, strike after strike, aggressively. The wolves' attacks were unsuccessful. After they were aggressively assaulted, they knew that this man was not an ordinary man. The man was a well-trained hunter. This was a battle they would not win. Two of the wolves returned to their original forms and ran away.
When the last wolf tried to leave, Zhao Renshu commanded his sword to fly forward and cut the wolf in half. He walked to the injured wolf who was still lying on the ground and cut off the wolf's head with one blow. He sheathed his sword back into the scabbard on his back.
To Ping'an's left, the white fox slowly transformed into a lady in green clothes.
"Wow. He is fantastic...." the woman murmured, shaking her head in admiration.
Ping'an turned around, screamed, and jumped back.
"You...You..." Ping'an stammered, pointing.
The woman cleared her throat. She was very beautiful, with fair skin like snow. Her pale-yellow eyes gleamed in the moonlight. Her lips were very red, and her makeup was heavy.
"Sorry, I scared you," the woman said, smiling at Ping'an. "My name is Xiao Hui from the Fox Clan. Thank you so much for saving me."
Zhao Renshu walked to Ping'an. "Why are wolves hunting you down?" he asked Xiao Hui.
"They want our chief to give them the key to our clan's forbidden cave," Xiao Hui explained. "The chief refused, so they killed us to force our chief's hand."
"What is so special about the forbidden cave?" Ping'an inquired.
"There is a story," Xiao Hui sighed, stopping to catch her breath. "Five hundred years ago, an immortal man visited our clan and met one of us named Kaiming. The immortal and Kaiming stayed in the cave for seven days. No one saw them leave. On the eighth day, only Kaiming remained in the cave. Since then, the cave has been sealed off. Every fairy believed that the immortal man was still living in there. There are rumors that if someone—a demon, a fairy, or even a ghost—consumed a piece of the immortal man's flesh, they would become immortal."
"So, they are after you because of the immortal man's flesh?" Ping'an confirmed.
"Yes. Our chief has been attacked by many clans, including humans," Xiao Hui admitted. She suddenly realized that she had just met these two people. "We just met. Why should I tell you? I don't even know your names." She patted her mouth several times. "Bad mouth... Very bad mouth," she chided herself.
Zhao Renshu and Ping'an burst out laughing.
"I am Ping'an," Ping'an introduced herself. "This is the great hunter, Zhao Renshu."
Zhao Renshu winked at Xiao Hui.
Xiao Hui looked at Zhao Renshu. "You are Zhao Renshu? The Annihilator?" She gave him a flirty smile.
Zhao Renshu nodded.
"I heard that anyone who meets you will not live to tell the tale," Xiao Hui said in a very sexy voice.
"It's not true," Zhao Renshu countered. "You saw the two wolves escape. They lived to tell their stories."
"I always thought that you would look scary," Xiao Hui giggled sexily, covering her mouth with the tips of her left fingers. "I didn't know you had such a great positive attitude. You are more handsome than I imagined."
"I don't kill everything," Zhao Renshu explained. "I only kill those who do evil and hurt others."
Xiao Hui looked sad. "I don't want to leave, but I have to go find my little sister Xiao Dan. Thank you for saving me. Until next time." She smiled at Zhao Renshu and Ping'an and then transformed into a white fox. She quickly disappeared into the dark forest.
Zhao Renshu picked up the roast chicken and gave it to Ping'an.
Ping'an and Zhao Renshu began to eat and enjoy their conversation. Suddenly, a woman's voice was calling for help. Ping'an and Zhao Renshu turned to the direction of the scream. A young woman was being chased by a large demon spider.
"Help me... Help me, please..." the young lady shouted, rushing towards Zhao Renshu and Ping'an.
Zhao Renshu stood up and drew his sword. He summoned a talisman and sent it directly to the demon spider. The talisman shocked the spider. Then he sent his sword flying straight to the spider, piercing its heart. He sheathed his sword back and helped the fallen young lady up. The defeated spider quickly retreated back to its spider lair.
"Please help my family too," the young lady begged. "They are all stuck in spiderwebs. Please help them."
"Ping'an, I am setting up a protective barrier," Zhao Renshu stated.
"I am going with you," Ping'an insisted.
"No, if you leave, I will worry about you. She also needs protection," he said, giving her a quick kiss on her cheek. "I'll be fine. If you go with me, I will worry more. If you stay with her inside the protective barrier, I will feel better."
"Be safe," Ping'an urged, her voice laced with concern.
Zhao Renshu smiled at her, and he followed the blood. The bloodstains led him into a dark cave. He stood at the entrance of the cave for a while, then took a deep breath. He conjured a talisman and dropped it at his feet; a magic circle then appeared around him. He put his hands together and closed his eyes.
He chanted, "The beautiful white face, flawless skin, smiling red lips, ghostly face, in darkness nothing will see me, but I will see them, lend me your night eyes." He raised two fingers. He felt a sharp pain on his two fingers; then blood began to drip. He smeared the blood across both of his closed eyes. He opened his eyes again and he could see inside the dark cave.
Spider cocoons hung from the top of the cave. Four of the cocoons appeared to be fresh. The blood trail led further into the cave. He heard squeaky noises. It seemed that the injured spider had returned to its clan. He knew he must hurry before the spider noticed him. He looked around. Except for the four cocoons near the front entrance, all other cocoons were old. He jumped up, grabbed a cocoon, cut it down, and opened it. It was an older man.
The older man couldn't see him. The old man stretched out his hand.
Zhao Renshu took his hand and squeezed it tightly, making only a quiet 'shhh' sound. Then the old man stopped making sounds. He cut down the second cocoon, and it was a young boy, about ten years old, who had already fainted. He put the young boy into the older man's arms. Then he jumped up and cut down the third cocoon. It was an older woman. He thought this must be the mother. He touched her shoulder and made a quiet 'shhh' sound. He led her to her husband's side. He grabbed her hand and put it on the older man's left shoulder. When He was about to jump up and cut the fourth cocoon, the boy woke up and began to cry, calling for his parents.
The two spiders screamed at them loudly, causing their ears to ring. This made the boy scream loudly. The two spiders swiftly moved to the front entrance. Zhao Renshu sent a fire talisman to the front entrance. The fire talisman illuminated the way out.
"Get out now!" Zhao Renshu shouted.
The husband picked up the child on his right shoulder, holding his wife's hand in his left, and they ran towards the entrance.
Zhao Renshu jumped up and severed the last cocoon, but one of the spider's legs hit the cocoon, knocking it from his grip, and the cocoon hit the cave wall hard. The spider's other foot shot towards him. He slid to the ground beneath the spider's belly. The spider's eight legs stabbed from above. Each stab made a deep hole in the ground. Behind the spider attacking him was the first injured spider, and it too rushed towards him.
Zhao Renshu kept sliding towards the spider's tail. He flipped to the back of the demon spider, folded his hands together and cast the fire demon binding circle spell, which locked the second spider inside. The second spider screamed in pain because it blocked the first injured spider, making it impossible for the latter to approach.
He ran back to the fallen cocoon and cut it open. Inside the cocoon was a comatose young lady in her twenties. He picked her up, put her on his left shoulder, and ran out of the cave. He caught up with the family at the front entrance.
"This is absurd... Why haven't you guys left yet?" Zhao Renshu exclaimed, exasperated.
"We don't know where to go," the older man replied, bewildered.
Zhao Renshu grimaced, shaking his head. "Follow me."
"What about the spiders?" the older man asked nervously.
"What about them?" Zhao Renshu retorted, leading the way.
"Are they dead?" the older man pressed.
"The injured one will die soon," Zhao Renshu explained, "but the other will be in pain until the spell loses its effect. If the spider survives, it will be free again."
"Thank you for saving our lives," the older woman cried, her voice thick with emotion. "Peijing.... My poor child..."
Zhao Renshu and the family arrived at the camp. Seeing that Zhao Renshu was still alive made Ping'an feel relieved.
"Mother...." Fang Peijing cried, rushing out of the protective barrier and hugging her mother.
Zhao Renshu laid the unconscious lady on the ground.
"Thank you for saving my family," Master Fang, the older man, said, giving them a proper greeting. "We, the Fang, are deeply in your debt. I am Fang Chinmao. This is my wife. This is my younger son Chonglin, and this is my youngest daughter, Peijing. Lying there is my eldest daughter, Baozhai. What is your name?"
"Zhao Renshu," he replied. "This is my... This is Ping'an."
"I have a favor to ask," Master Fang began.
"What?" Zhao Renshu asked.
"Would you kindly send us home to Capital City?" Master Fang pleaded.
"We will reward you greatly," Madam Fang added.
"I'm afraid this might happen again. Please, young heroes," Master Fang insisted.
"If you don't want to go, we can part tomorrow," Zhao Renshu said, looking at Ping'an.
"We only send them, nothing more," Ping'an sighed, a slight reluctance in her voice.
"We will not go see him. I promise," Zhao Renshu said, smiling at her.
"Sister, if you come with us, I will feel safer," Fang Peijing urged, looking at Ping'an.
Ping'an nodded with a smile, although her mouth stubbornly refused to admit they wouldn't go see Guo Baiyu, her heart kept wondering if by chance they would meet him on the street. She sighed, accepting that a new adventure had already taken shape without her consent.