“Amitabha, infinite life and blessings, Amen…”
Chen Huaian stood solemnly before the 10-jin black fish flopping on the chopping board.
“Donor Fish, I know that you are actually a demon. To prevent you from causing chaos in the world, I shall enforce justice on behalf of heaven!”
With three respectful bows, he took out the thunder and fire talisman, tying it carefully to a clothesline.
“Just in case it explodes and blows off my hand…”
With a determined expression, he pressed the clothesline down and activated the talisman.
“Hurry up and obey the order!”
Snap!
The big black fish thrashed wildly—
And then…
Nothing happened.
Chen Huaian: “…”
He stared blankly at the ceiling, his eyes full of despair.
“I knew it. Cultivating immortals is just a fantasy. The only real power I have is being a genetically enhanced tumor superman…”
At the dining table, Ba Ji watched with wide eyes, filled with confusion.
[What is this big guy doing? Killing a fish with a thunder talisman?!]
[As expected of a boss—too rich to care!]
[But why isn’t he holding the talisman in his hand?]
Ba Ji’s Growing Paranoia
Chen Huaian suddenly smacked his forehead.
“Oh! I see!”
“This talisman needs to be held directly to activate!”
Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the thunder talisman and slapped it onto the fish.
The black fish thrashed violently.
Still, nothing happened.
Chen Huaian: “…”
Ba Ji: “…”
The black cat’s tail stiffened.
[Wait… does he actually not know how to use it?!]
Ba Ji had seen many powerful figures in its life, but this mysterious boss was the most terrifying.
If this was an act to lure it out, then it was a perfectly executed trap.
If Ba Ji revealed its true form, the boss would kill it instantly.
Shuddering, Ba Ji stepped backward into the darkest corner of the room.
[I can’t expose myself… I don’t want to die…]
It was losing its mind.
Was this its fate—living in constant fear?
It had spent days trying to perfect the role of a normal cat, but the slightest slip-up could mean death.
For example…
Just now.
The Black Fish and the Nine-Turn Spirit Orchid
“Forget it,” Chen Huaian sighed.
“I may be a superhuman, but that doesn’t mean I know magic.”
He filled a basin with water, dropped the big black fish into it, and placed it by the windowsill.
The fish was so large that its tail stuck out of the basin.
“This will have to do.”
“At least it’s still alive.”
Chen Huaian turned to Ba Ji, narrowing his eyes.
“Ba Ji, aren’t you interested in such a big fish?”
The black cat flinched, then hurried over to the windowsill, licking the fish’s tail while nervously watching Chen Huaian.
Chen Huaian: “…”
“This cat is losing its mind.”
He shook his head, deciding to ignore both the fish and Ba Ji.
Unbeknownst to him, something was happening.
- The Nine-Turn Spirit Orchid by the window released a gentle aura of spiritual energy.
- The energy seeped into Chen Huaian’s skin, feeding both his cancer cells and his normal cells.
- Ba Ji absorbed the spiritual energy hungrily.
- The big black fish—which had been dying—suddenly stopped thrashing.
Without anyone noticing, a silent transformation was taking place.
Chen Huaian, oblivious, opened his game—ready to teach Li Qingran how to practice swordsmanship.
The Demon Slayer Division Investigates
Meanwhile, under the poplar tree, a middle-aged man with a full beard examined the scene.
“Old Li, where’s the young man you mentioned?”
“He said he was going to the vegetable market. Probably bought his groceries and went home by now.”
The bearded man frowned.
“You should’ve kept an eye on him!”
Old Li snorted.
“You told me to stay put, so how could I watch him? Am I supposed to split myself in half?!”
The bearded man opened his mouth but had no response.
“…Fine. Let’s examine the sword marks first.”
A Silent Revelation
The two men circled the old poplar tree again and again.
Eventually, they stopped—staring at the trunk in complete silence.
Digesting what they had just seen.
Finally, Old Li broke the silence.
“Well? What do you think?”
The bearded man’s face was grim.
“…Hard to say.”
Old Li’s eyes twitched.
“Hard to say?”
“Does that mean… this kid’s sword strike is above the soldier level?!”
The bearded man remained silent.
His face was as if he had swallowed a fly.
Old Li felt his scalp tingle.
“Soldier level is already terrifying…”
“But could this be… General level?!”
A Reminder of the Past
The bearded man took a deep breath.
“Old Li, do you remember what happened last year? When Wang Lao Hu poached someone from our province?”
Old Li nodded.
“You mean that video blogger?”
“Yes.”
“He was just an ordinary martial arts enthusiast—practicing ancient sword techniques for fun.”
“But one night, during a spiritual energy surge, everything he learned suddenly merged into him.“
“When he took his skills to the Demon Slayer Division, he was already at Division-Level A-Class.“
Old Li narrowed his eyes.
“And this kid… is even stronger?”
The bearded man hesitated, then nodded slowly.
“…That’s what I’m afraid of.”
A Dangerous Unknown
A person becoming this powerful, this quickly—
It wasn’t normal.
The Demon Slayer Division had seen cases like this before.
But this time, something felt different.
The sword strike on the poplar tree was too precise, too controlled.
It wasn’t accidental.
It wasn’t a fluke.
It was intentional.
And if someone could intentionally unleash that kind of power—
They were either a great protector…
Or a walking time bomb.
Meanwhile…
In Chen Huaian’s room,
Ba Ji curled up in the corner, shivering.
The big black fish floated unnaturally still in its basin.
The Nine-Turn Spirit Orchid shimmered faintly.
And in the game—
Li Qingran’s sword training had just begun.
“This year, I heard he’s reached the soldier level and has already handled a dozen difficult incidents. His reputation is growing…”
The bearded man sighed.
“But even so, he can barely stimulate sword energy. The power is… underwhelming. It’s weaker than his sword strikes.”
Old Li snorted coldly.
“That ungrateful bastard.”
His fist clenched tightly, veins bulging with anger.
He would never forget what happened.
The Betrayal of Wu Haiting
Years ago, Wu Haiting had nothing.
It was Old Li who helped him realize his sword technique, guiding him into the path of a demon slayer.
But what did Wu Haiting do in return?
The moment another province’s Demon Slayer Division offered more money, he left without hesitation—
Abandoning Province C’s division.
Now, Province C was severely understaffed.
- Not enough high-level slayers
- Low mission success rates
- Forced to request help from other divisions
And the worst part?
More innocent people were dying.
If they had even one soldier-level slayer, they wouldn’t be in this mess.
The bearded man gritted his teeth.
“Mr. Li, you must help us recruit this young man!”
He gripped Old Li’s hand tightly.
“Just last month, we lost several good slayers. Now we have less than 20 left who can go on missions!”
A Dangerous Gamble
Old Li sighed tiredly and shook his head.
“I understand… but this can’t be rushed.“
“First, I don’t know where he lives. Second, I barely know anything about him.”
He hesitated before adding—
“If he truly has sword energy, we cannot underestimate him.”
The bearded man froze.
The implication was clear.
A resurrected person—someone who gained power overnight—was unpredictable.
If they misjudged his character, it could lead to disaster.
“Have you forgotten the incident 31 years ago?“
Old Li’s face darkened.
“That out-of-control resurrected killed dozens of people. We still haven’t caught him!”
The bearded man fell silent.
Indeed.
With their current strength, if Chen Huaian turned hostile, they wouldn’t be able to stop him.
Resurrected: The Growing Threat
Resurrected slayers were unique.
Unlike normal slayers who trained for years, resurrected slayers gained power in an instant.
Most division-level slayers could sense bullets coming and dodge them with ease.
And those at soldier level?
With just the right cover, firearms barely threatened them.
General-level slayers?
They could cut bullets in half.
If Chen Huaian was at that level—
He could kill them all before they even realized.
A New Plan
The bearded man took a deep breath.
“You’re right, Old Li.”
He thought for a moment before speaking.
“Here’s what we’ll do—”
- You keep in contact with him.
- Observe his character carefully.
- If he seems trustworthy, we’ll slowly introduce him to the Demon Slayer Division.
If Chen Huaian had no interest in demons or slaying—
They’d let him go.
But if he had ambition—
They needed to recruit him.
Old Li nodded in agreement.
“He likes swordsmanship.”
“Sooner or later, he’ll come back here.”
“Once he does, I’ll find out where he lives.”
Emergency Alert: Class A Demons Appear
The bearded man was about to leave when his phone buzzed violently.
His expression changed.
He immediately picked up.
A panicked voice shouted through the receiver—
[BOSS! SOMETHING HAPPENED!]
The bearded man’s face darkened.
“What now?!”
[A folk demon slayer just reported TWO Class A demons appearing in Tianfu City!]
“TWO CLASS A DEMONS?!”
His grip tightened on the phone.
“I’ll be back immediately!”
Click.
He hung up, looking at the bustling city outside his taxi window.
Tall buildings. Busy streets. People rushing to work.
None of them knew.
The world was changing.
The World is Falling Apart
The chaos wasn’t just in China.
- Ghosts haunted neon-lit cities.
- Evil spirits ran rampant in America.
- Europe had become a hunting ground for vampires and werewolves.
And now—
Even Tianfu City was no longer safe.
“I miss being a normal office worker…”
The bearded man sighed.
Back then, life was boring, but at least he didn’t have to worry about dying every day.
Unfortunately—
The monsters weren’t stopping.
And neither could he.
