I Have 10 Equipment Slots-Chapter 70 - 64: The Qing King’s Family Is Here
"My good lady, you’ve gone crazy! Wouldn’t I be an idiot not to run?"
On the mountain, Yuan Qianjun dashed through the air. He landed on a treetop and glided for a distance before kicking off another treetop to propel himself forward, continuing his flight.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH~
Behind him, a fierce wind howled, tearing through the air. From time to time, bronze-colored beams of light shot out, attacking Yuan Qianjun.
Whenever this happened, it was as if Yuan Qianjun had eyes in the back of his head; he would move left, right, or up to dodge them.
"Aaaargh, Yuan, go die! Go die!"
His pursuer wore a long, cyan dress, her hair tied up in a high ponytail. She constantly burst forward in sprints, pushing off the treetops half as often as Yuan Qianjun.
But no matter how she sprinted, she just couldn’t catch up to Yuan Qianjun, let alone land a hit on him.
Instead, the bronze light beams missed their target and slammed into the mountain, shattering and blasting apart large swathes of trees.
By the time Yuan Qianjun rushed down the foot of the mountain and began dashing along the official road, the bronze light beams were still coming. After missing Yuan Qianjun, they shot straight toward the large crowd of evacuating commoners.
"Ah!"
SWISH~
"BOOM~!"
Just as cries of alarm and screams erupted, waves of dazzling Sword Gang shot out from further down the road, crossing dozens of zhang to intercept and destroy the bronze light beams one by one.
The muffled explosions kicked up a shockwave that swept across the road, flinging countless bits of sand and dirt into the air. A fierce wind formed, whipping and swirling, engulfing the large crowd of commoners.
"Who’s there!"
The figure chasing Yuan Qianjun shouted, abandoning her pursuit and turning her head to look down the road.
Within her line of sight, Gu Zheng leaped into the air and, in a few flashes, appeared at the front of the procession.
The Copper Star Armor he wore repelled the sand and dust, while his Starry Sky Cloak fluttered and snapped in the wind.
’A Commander’s Demon-Suppressing Armor? Someone from the Demon Slayer Bureau?’
"...Gu!? You really joined the Zhong Family’s group?" Yuan Qianjun’s eyes widened. He took a wide detour to run over to Gu Zheng, looking his Demon-Suppressing Armor up and down. He clicked his tongue in amazement. "We were just betting on whether you’d join the Demon Slayer Bureau or the Divine Capture Bureau. I never thought you’d not only join the Demon Slayer Bureau but also become a Commander so quickly!"
"Amazing. The Zhong Family really has a good eye, spotting your extraordinary talent right away. By the way, Gu, did you know..."
"That’s enough, Yuan. I’m asking you, is he the wandering scion you were talking about?" the woman in the cyan dress interrupted irritably, her eyes fixed on Gu Zheng.
Gu Zheng ignored her and looked at Yuan Qianjun, speaking softly, "Yuan, do you have this many enemies? It was like this last time, and it’s the same this time."
"Well..."
Yuan Qianjun looked embarrassed. He rubbed his hands together and said apologetically, "Um, Gu, let me introduce you. This is Miss Qing Yimei of the Qing King’s family. Miss Qing, this is Gu Zheng, also known as Gu Ping’an. He used to be the Chief Constable of Qingshi County, and now he’s a Commander in the Demon Slayer Bureau..."
"Cut the crap. Yuan Qianjun, just tell me: is he the one you mentioned, the scion of my Qing King family wandering the world, the illegitimate son of one of my clan uncles?" Qing Yimei glared at Yuan Qianjun, her eyes still locked on Gu Zheng.
Gu Zheng was speechless.
"Illegitimate son?" The corner of Gu Zheng’s mouth twitched. He raised a hand and clapped Yuan Qianjun hard on the shoulder. "Yuan," he said softly, "is this really how you’ve been spreading stories about me?"
Inwardly, he felt a sense of relief.
Back in Qingshi County, when faced with the teasing from Yuan Qianjun, Nangong Yaoyue, and the others, he had always denied having the Qing King’s Royal Blood.
He did it precisely to prevent a situation like this, where he might one day run into someone with genuine Qing King blood and be unable to explain himself.
Borrowing someone else’s prestigious name was thrilling, to be sure, but the consequences were no joke.
If the Qing King’s family found out, they would surely demand a reckoning!
And now, he had met someone with genuine Qing King Royal Blood.
The woman before him, Qing Yimei, was over 1.7 meters tall, with long legs and fair skin. Her features were even more delicate than Nangong Yaoyue’s, and she had a more heroic and gallant air about her.
If she had a flaw, it was that she could see her own feet when she looked down; her chest was very flat.
Yes, flatter than Gu Zheng’s.
...
"A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding."
Yuan Qianjun waved his hands, trying his best to explain. "I just said it offhandedly at the time, as a joke with a few friends. Who knew it would get twisted like this when it spread around?"
"Really, Gu, I had no intention of making up stories about you. It was just a joke that turned into a rumor."
"Of course, it’s my fault for having a big mouth. I admit I was wrong, and I’ll accept the punishment!"
"I’m sure you know this already, Gu, but the Thousand Star Lake Domain south of Daping County is about to open. After we enter, the first three Source Fruits I find will be my apology gift. Gu, what do you think?"
Yuan Qianjun offered an awkward, apologetic smile.
"You’re giving him three Source Fruits as compensation, so what about me?"
Before Gu Zheng could speak, Qing Yimei cut in. "What about the fact that you made up stories about one of my Qing King family’s clan uncles?"
"Three Source Fruits for you, too!"
Yuan Qianjun replied immediately, his expression serious. "How about I give you the fourth, fifth, and sixth Source Fruits I find as compensation?"
"That’s assuming you can find any, right?" Qing Yimei sneered.
"Of course I have to find them first. Don’t worry, Gu. According to our surveillance, the Thousand Star Lake Domain isn’t small. There will be no shortage of Source Fruits, Marvels, and Magic Gold once it opens." Yuan Qianjun glanced at the long procession of evacuees on the road and raised an eyebrow. "Gu, it seems that no matter where you go, you always put the common folk first."
Gu Zheng ignored him, instead waving at Sun Zhenyao, who was not far off, signaling for them to continue their journey.
He then turned his gaze back to Yuan Qianjun and said softly, "Yuan, don’t worry about the joke or the Source Fruits. Actually, there’s something I wanted to ask you about. I wonder if you’ve ever heard of a Demon Race called the ’Night Demons’?"
"The Night Demon Race?"
Qing Yimei blurted out, "You’ve seen the Night Demon Race?"
"There are some in Daping County Town." Gu Zheng shifted his gaze from Yuan Qianjun to meet Qing Yimei’s. "Miss Qing, you know of the Night Demon Race?"
"I’ve heard of them."
Qing Yimei replied forthrightly, not shy at all. "This Demon Race is quite ancient. Their numbers are small, and they don’t have much of a presence. Even in the world of Demon Fiends, they don’t draw much attention. But according to legend, the ancestors of the Night Demon Race were of mixed Human, God, and Demon blood..."
"Mixed blood of three races?" Gu Zheng raised an eyebrow. "Humans, Demon Fiends, and Gods? Not just Humans and Demon Fiends, but Gods were involved too?"
"Only Alien Gods and Evil Gods."
Yuan Qianjun answered, "There isn’t much information about the Night Demon Race, it’s mostly just rumors. However, I happen to know one of their weaknesses."
"A weakness?" Gu Zheng’s interest was piqued. "What weakness? Could you tell me, Yuan?"
"Of course I can tell you," Yuan Qianjun said with a smile. "Because of their unique Constitution, the Night Demon Race has difficulty maturing, so they exist as Spirit Bodies most of the time. However, there are several types of Exotic Insects that naturally prey on Spirit Bodies."
"For example, the Mist Shadow Celestial Dragon happens to be a perfect counter to the Night Demon Race!"
