Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The whole way, Zhe Huo was thinking happily about how, this time around, she’d already brought down an ice demon, which by itself should be worth ninety or a hundred thousand spirit gems in Tiancheng. Add in the eighty-five thousand for this wasp demon… wakaka1! She’d be rich!
But then she remembered that all of that would have to first pass through the grandmaster’s hands. Would she even be able to keep a third of the reward for herself? Her excitement petered away.
What she didn’t realize was just how many people were also after that wasp demon.
Arriving in Bloom Town, near the Valley of Blossoms, Zhe Huo brought Qinghan into an inn to get some dinner, and maybe get an idea of recent local events.
And so, when the food arrived, Zhe Huo placed a stack of coins on the table, and got straight to the point, “A lot of demon hunters come by lately?”
The innkeeper shot her a sidelong glance, which also took in the unprecedented treasure seated beside her. At present, the child was busy deboning the fish, and seemed to be paying no attention to this conversation.
Understanding how things worked in his trade, the innkeeper regularly shared news with travelers. He deftly scooped up the coins, and gave her a friendly smile. “I suppose madame is a demon hunter, herself?”
Zhe Huo deflected the query. It might not be a good idea to reveal that she was both a trained mage as well as a professional demon hunter.
The innkeeper went on, “Now that you mention it, I do believe there are quite a number of demon hunters in Bloom Town these days. In Tiancheng alone, I’ve noticed demon hunters from several famous places. It’s anybody’s guess who will end up getting that wasp demon.”
Zhe Huo cocked an eyebrow. In other words, no one had managed to get it yet.
After the innkeeper walked away, Zhe Huo began thinking up a plan to take down the wasp demon, when a plate of tender, delicious fish, cleaned to perfection, was pushed in front of her by a pale little hand. Caught off-guard by this, she turned to see Luo Qinghan watching her with his chin resting on his hands. “Have something to eat, first.”
Warmth bloomed in her heart. With a gasp of delight, she picked up her chopsticks and began to eat.
When she was almost finished, she heard Qinghan beginning a calm analysis, “Wasps prefer spider flowers. It’s no surprise that this wasp demon is going after human life essence—newborn demons require tremendous amounts of energy to sustain themselves, and humans are the best source for this.
“But for the wasp demon to be skinning its victims as well, ask yourself why it would do so? Maybe the victims had come into contact with a spider flower, or were hiding amongst a clump of those… that being the case, it would only be natural for the wasp demon to go after them.”
Zhe Huo stared at him, wide-eyed with bewilderment. “Qinghan, how did you find out about wasps and spider flowers?” Even if he’d been going through her books, she didn’t recall this critical morsel of information being contained within.
Qinghan returned her gaze with a faint smile. “When I was little, I heard my mom talking about it.”
This came as another shock: Wasn’t he little right now? How much littler could he be?
However, Zhe Huo didn’t dwell on this matter—Qinghan probably just meant that it was something from his past.