Chapter 3: A Lucky Find
One hour later, Qin Guan arrived at the foot of a towering mountain range.
Before him, the mountains stretched endlessly into the distance, their dark and silent forests exuding a primal, dangerous aura.
Ten Thousand Demon Valley — also known as the Valley of the Dead — was a place teeming with rare treasures and Fortuitous Encounters, yet equally filled with man-eating Demon Beasts lurking throughout the forests. One moment of carelessness could cost a person their life.
Gazing at the vast, seemingly boundless mountains ahead, Qin Guan pressed forward and entered.
The moment he stepped into the forest, he spotted several groups of people advancing with great caution.
Traveling alone, Qin Guan quickly drew the attention of many.
"Young man, it takes real courage to enter the mountain alone. But this is no place for showing off. Why not join us? An extra pair of hands never hurts."
A rough-looking middle-aged man called out to him.
Qin Guan was about to respond when a cold-faced young woman cut in: "It's quality over quantity. Are you really going to let him in just to drag us down?"
Hearing her words, Qin Guan gave a faint smile and quickened his pace, heading deeper into the valley.
He crossed several mountain peaks one after another, yet found nothing of note — only a few small foxes and little grey wolves along the way.
The fur, flesh, and Inner Cores of Demon Beasts were all highly valuable. Over the years, the outer regions of Ten Thousand Demon Valley had frequently been visited by mercenaries and various family factions organizing hunting expeditions.
Such hunts served a dual purpose: acquiring resources and wealth, while also providing effective combat training. As a result, many Demon Beasts had migrated deeper into the valley, far from human reach.
One hour later, Qin Guan arrived at a wide, open stretch of highland. He had crossed several large mountains without finding so much as a single tiger's hair.
Roar!
Just as Qin Guan was growing frustrated, a deep, thunderous tiger's roar suddenly rang out from the southeast.
His heart leapt with excitement. He immediately dashed in that direction.
Cresting a mountain peak, Qin Guan quickly reached the area where the Tiger Demon had roared.
Roar!
As his eyes swept the terrain, he spotted a heavily wounded Tiger Demon in a patch of forest ahead, snarling and raging.
From a distance, the Tiger Demon was an imposing creature — over three meters tall, its massive frame radiating a powerful demonic aura.
Lying before it were three young people, all gravely injured. They clutched their chests and stared at the Tiger Demon with wide, desperate eyes. They had underestimated its strength, and it seemed today would be their last.
Roar!
The Tiger Demon threw back its head and bellowed, as if proclaiming its inviolable dominance. In the next instant, it lunged forward, its razor-sharp claws — like iron hooks — slashing straight toward a barely-alive young woman.
The young woman's face went deathly pale. Just as despair consumed her, a young man wielding a wooden staff suddenly appeared directly above the Tiger Demon's head.
Bang!
He brought the staff crashing down squarely onto the Tiger Demon's skull.
Yelp!
The Tiger Demon let out a pained cry. Its limbs convulsed a few times before it collapsed to the ground with a thunderous thud.
Killed by Qin Guan with a single blow of his staff...
The three young people stared in stunned disbelief.
Qin Guan glanced at them briefly, grabbed the dead Tiger Demon from the ground, turned, and disappeared into the forest.
About two hours later, Qin Guan finally returned to Tianbao Pavilion. By then, night had fallen.
He made his way to the spiritual materials trading area and found the shopkeeper who had made the deal with him earlier.
When Qin Guan produced the enormous Tiger Demon, the shopkeeper's eyes went wide as saucers. "Kid, you were serious?" he said in disbelief.
"Are you not going to make the trade?" Qin Guan frowned.
"Trade! Of course I'll trade!" The shopkeeper nodded hastily.
He swallowed and couldn't help asking, "Kid, did you kill this Tiger Demon yourself?"
Qin Guan nodded. "I killed it, and I didn't. You could say it was a lucky find."
Hearing that, the shopkeeper shook his head with a sigh of admiration. "You've got incredible luck, kid!"
"Shopkeeper, someone's life is on the line — please hurry!" Qin Guan urged.
At the mention of saving a life, the shopkeeper quickly wrapped up the Ice Silver Flower. Then, feeling a pang of conscience, he threw in a Century Blood Ginseng as a bonus gift for Qin Guan.
Nan Rou was currently suffering from severe blood loss and physical weakness — the Century Blood Ginseng would be perfect for restoring her vitality. After offering a word of thanks, Qin Guan left Tianbao Pavilion.
"You cursed wretch! The husband we just found for you, and you couldn't even keep him around — what use are you?! You might as well drop dead!"
Inside the room, Yang Hongmei jabbed a finger at Nan Rou, shrieking and cursing like a woman possessed.
Nan Rou shrank into herself, burying her head against her chest, not daring to make a sound.
Yang Hongmei had just returned from outside to learn that Hu Liu had been beaten to death by Qin Guan. Consumed by rage, she had brought more than a dozen guards to apprehend him.
Yet after searching for a long while, they found no trace of Qin Guan.
Although Qin Guan had agreed to marry Nan Rou, he had once been engaged to her own daughter. If he went around spreading word of that, it would ruin Nan Qiao's reputation — and that would be a disaster.
Unable to find Qin Guan, Yang Hongmei was both furious and anxious.
"I bet you're jealous of me and deliberately let that good-for-nothing go, didn't you?!"
Nan Qiao's face was flushed red with anger as she glared at Nan Rou.
"Don't worry, Young Master Qin is kind-hearted. He won't go around saying anything," Nan Rou said softly, her head lowered.
"Won't say anything?!" Yang Hongmei ground her teeth. "You little wretch, you make it sound so easy!"
"I'm absolutely furious! Our own family, and you're stabbing us in the back — what kind of sister are you?!" Nan Qiao stamped her foot in rage.
"Mother, send people out to find that good-for-nothing again!"
"If that waste ruins my daughter's reputation, I will never forgive you!"
After hurling one final curse, Yang Hongmei and Nan Qiao stormed toward the door. Yang Hongmei paused at the threshold and turned back:
"You let that waste go free and got Hu Liu killed, and you still have the nerve to sit in here warming yourself by the fire?! Someone — tear this room apart, take every piece of charcoal from the courtyard, and throw her in the woodshed!"
Not long after, Qin Guan returned to the small courtyard. The moment he stepped inside, he froze in shock.
The room in the courtyard had been demolished. Everything was in ruins.
"Nan Rou!" Qin Guan rushed toward the collapsed structure, calling out anxiously.
From within the dark woodshed came a faint sound, and a slender, frail figure stepped out.
"Nan Rou, are you alright?" Spotting her, Qin Guan hurried over.
"Young Master Qin... didn't you leave?"
Nan Rou's body trembled. Seeing Qin Guan return so suddenly, she was genuinely moved — as though a beam of light had pierced through the darkness surrounding her.
"I went to buy medicine for you. I didn't have enough money, so it took a little longer than—"
Before Qin Guan could finish, Nan Rou suddenly threw herself into his arms. She could hold back no longer and broke down in tears.
She had assumed Qin Guan had taken the money and left. She never imagined he had truly gone to buy medicine for her.
"It's alright. I'm here now." Qin Guan gently patted Nan Rou on the back to comfort her.
Feeling how thin and cold her trembling body was, Qin Guan's expression darkened.
"Tell me what happened."