Something's wrong with this demon.

Chapter 72 Fear

The cave was deep and dark.

Zhang Gan quickly lit the firewood, and the faint sparks began to grow larger.

Soon, the dry wood crackled and popped as it burned.

The leaping flames, reflected on the uneven wall, resembled a demon's dance, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws.

The little girl lay in the corner, silently shedding tears.

Zhang Gan added a few pieces of dry firewood to the stove, then got up and placed the iron pot on it.

He turned his head, glanced at the little girl in the corner, and chuckled, "Little girl, why aren't you saying anything? Call me 'brother' a few times, cry and beg me a few times, maybe I'll let you go?"

The little girl looked at him through teary eyes, gritting her teeth as she said, "You...you're not my brother! You won't let me go!"

"Hahahaha..."

Zhang Gan suddenly burst into laughter, chuckling a few times before saying, "I didn't realize you were such a clever little girl."

As he spoke, he walked over, grabbed her hair, dragged her to the bathtub next to the stove, and lifted her up and put her into the tub.

"Little girl, are you going to take off your clothes and wash them yourself later, or do you want us to help you?"

He grinned.

The little girl huddled in the bucket, head down, mouth tightly shut, not saying another word, her thin body trembling uncontrollably.

"Hehe, looks like you want our help."

Zhang Gan chuckled, then squatted down by the stove, adding firewood as he said, "Don't worry, we'll make sure you're clean and fair-skinned later. We'll use hot water first, then cold water. A girl your age has incredibly firm skin, so peeling it will probably be very smooth."

Under the stove, the flames truly ignited.

Zhang Gan stuffed a few thick logs inside, and as he bent down to pok at the firewood inside with a stick, a series of heavy footsteps came from the cave entrance.

At the same time, the sound of water hitting a wooden barrel could be heard.

"Junior Brother Luo, the water's here? Quickly pour it into the pot. This little girl is already impatient; she wants to be washed clean and peeled. Look, she's already jumped into the bathtub to wait, hahaha..."

Zhang Gan was joking when he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

A figure carrying a bucket full of water walked in through the cave entrance and went straight to the stove, half of his face hidden by the tub.

As Zhang Gan was laughing, he suddenly saw the bucket tilt and tip over toward him.

He hurriedly stood up, saying, "Junior Brother Luo, be careful!"

"boom!"

Just as he reached out to help catch the bucket, a fist full of power suddenly slammed out from the shadows on the side of the bucket!

Startled, Zhang Gan hadn't even had time to stand up completely before he had to duck down and roll away on the spot.

"Bang!"

Even so, he still took a solid punch to the shoulder.

"Whoosh—"

The water in the bucket spilled onto the ground.

The bucket also fell to the ground.

As Zhang Gan endured the excruciating pain in his shoulder and leaped up from the ground in a panic, a piercing shriek suddenly rang in his ears.

"Bang!"

This time, he threw a punch to meet the opponent's attack.

Both of them shuddered, took a few steps back, their blood and qi churning, and their entire arms went numb.

"It's you!"

Zhang Gan retreated to the wall and, by the light of the flickering flames under the iron pot, saw clearly who had attacked him. His face was filled with astonishment.

He immediately called out loudly, "Junior Brother Luo!"

But there was nothing outside except the sound of the wind.

Naturally, there will be no response.

His expression immediately changed, and his gaze shifted from astonishment and ferocity to a hint of panic.

Luo Chong's strength is comparable to his.

But now, it has died silently outside, without sending out any alarm.

At that moment, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

His eyes darted around, and almost without hesitation, he immediately said, "Junior Brother Luo, don't act yet, let me say a few words. We were wrong before, and I sincerely apologize to you. Look, you haven't lost anything; this little girl is still here unharmed. I'll return her to you right now. If you want compensation, that's fine too. Just name a amount, and as long as I can afford it, I won't be stingy!"

A true man can bend and stretch, let alone a member of the Demonic Sect.

He now realized that the young man before him was far superior to the ordinary new disciples he had known before who had just entered the sect!

The opponent's strength, methods, ruthlessness, and temperament are all extraordinary!

Even if he could fight the opponent to a standstill right now, he absolutely could not take this risk.

The other side was clearly fighting desperately.

He had no need to risk his life, and never even considered doing so.

He got injured in this godforsaken place and lost an assistant. He's not a new disciple. If he runs into those bastards from the sect again, won't he be doomed here?

Therefore, he readily yielded without the slightest hesitation.

At this moment, the little girl who had been huddled in the bathtub also poked her head out, her eyes wide open, looking at the figure outside with surprise and joy, her face still streaked with tears.

"elder brother……"

She even rubbed her eyes, as if afraid she was dreaming.

"Junior Brother Luo, if you have any other requests, you can bring them up as well. I will do my best to fulfill them, as long as it's within my power! Even if it's something I can't do right now, I will definitely find a way to satisfy you. What do you say?"

Zhang Gan forced a fawning smile, adopting an extremely humble posture, almost kneeling down.

Of course, if the boy in front of him asked him to kneel down, he would kneel down without hesitation.

backbone?

What does integrity matter?

The bones in his right shoulder are almost shattered, and he is now in excruciating pain, unable to lift his entire right arm.

Therefore, he clearly knew what he needed to do to get out of here alive.

A brief silence fell over the cave.

Just as Zhang Gan was tense and smiling obsequiously, preparing to state a few more conditions, the young man opposite him finally spoke.

Five hundred taels.

Luo Qingchen said.

"I still owe five hundred taels of silver. If you give me five hundred taels now, we can call it even."

Zhang Gan's face stiffened: "Five...five hundred taels?"

He hesitated for only a moment, then immediately smiled broadly again: "Alright! Five hundred taels it is! Junior Brother Luo is so generous!"

As he spoke, he pulled out his money pouch from his robes, poured out two pieces of silver, and said with a wry smile, "However, I only have five taels of silver on me right now. But don't worry, Junior Brother Luo, I'll write you an IOU right now. When you return to the sect, I'll send it to you immediately, how about that?"

The rules of the Demon Extermination Sect clearly stipulate this.

Once anyone inside the gate has put their fingerprint on any IOU, contract, or other document they have written, they cannot go back on their word.

Unless both parties willingly propose to invalidate or modify it.

Luo Qingchen seemed to think for a moment before saying, "Okay."

Zhang Gan's face immediately broke into a smile, and he hurriedly tossed the five taels of silver in his hand to him, saying, "Junior Brother Luo, please wait a moment."

As he spoke, he pulled a book from his pocket and tore off a page.

Then he bit his fingertip and wrote the debt on it with his blood, along with his name and the mountain he belonged to.

Finally, he pressed his bloody fingerprint.

"Junior Brother Luo, I'm so sorry, there's no pen here, so I'll write it by hand. Please take a look and see if there are any problems?"

Zhang Gan took the IOU, smiled broadly, walked a few steps forward, and placed it on the ground.

Then, he smiled and retreated.

He remained on edge throughout, constantly on guard.

Luo Qingchen stepped forward, picked up the IOU from the ground, read it carefully, put it away, and said, "Then thank you very much, Senior Brother Zhang."

After saying that, he stepped back to the corner of the wall, clearing the way for the exit.

"You're too kind, Junior Brother Luo! When we return to the sect, I'll invite you to have a good time at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion."

When Zhang Gan saw him make way for the exit, he was overjoyed, but he dared not be careless. With his back against the wall and his muscles tense, he moved step by step toward the cave entrance while laughing and talking.

"By the way, I still don't know which peak Junior Brother Luo belongs to?"

To avoid an awkward atmosphere, Zhang Gan moved his feet close to the wall while smiling and exchanging pleasantries.

Luo Qingchen said, "Black Phoenix Peak."

Zhang Gan quickly flattered, "Black Phoenix Peak? That's incredible! Black Phoenix Peak is a wonderful place! It's very close to Spring and Autumn Pavilion; I often go there to play..."

"By the way, how did Junior Brother Luo get into the sect? It's not time to recruit new disciples yet. Could it be that you were recommended by some cultivation family down the mountain, or by some senior?"

He continued to ask with a smile.

Actually, he was really curious about this question.

Where did this monster come from? It just arrived on the mountain and it's already so treacherous and ruthless, risking its life for her? It's willing to fight to the death for a mere lowly little girl who came back? And it's two against one?

"Medicine Man Town".

Luo Qingchen said calmly.

Zhang Gan had already retreated to the cave entrance and was about to leave with a smile when he suddenly heard these three words. His heart skipped a beat, and his face changed color: "Medicine... Medicine Man Town?"

His voice even began to tremble.

"No wonder...no wonder..."

His facial muscles twitched violently a few times, and he couldn't help but give a bitter smile, saying, "Junior Brother Luo, if you had said earlier that you came from Medicine Man Town... Ah, well, well, since it has already happened, it was indeed my fault. I apologize to you again, and I hope Junior Brother Luo will forgive me."

After saying that, he bowed deeply again.

Only then did he cautiously exit the cave entrance, then suddenly turn around and run away.

"ah--"

Before he could even run out of the cave, he suddenly screamed and jumped up from the ground.