"Hello, my name is Chu Liang."

A youth in brocade with sleeves bound was sitting upright in a chair. He is somewhat thin, with hair draped over his shoulders, a fair complexion, clear and bright eyes, slightly childlike features, and a pleasing smile on his face. He was introducing himself, his voice gentle.

"Nice to meet you, Young Master Chu, my name is Yi Nianhong."

Across from him sat a delicate woman, a gold hairpin in her cloud-like hair, her face as beautiful as a peach blossom. She was lightly covering her face and giggling, revealing a pair of enchanting eyebrows and eyes.

In between them was a table full of delicious dishes, their colors and aromas inviting. They were seated in an elegantly furnished, brightly lit pavilion. The landscape paintings on the screen were vivid and vibrant, with a red curtain hanging gently down.

"Miss, your name sounds… very elegant," Chu Liang laughed.

"Is it your first time in a place like this, young master?" Yi Nianhong asked him softly, observing his demeanor.

"Indeed," Chu Liang nodded, "My elders have always prevented me from coming here, claiming that I am still too young…"

"How old are you, young master?" Yi Nianhong quickly asked.

"Seventeen," Chu Liang answered.

"That's not young at all, you should have tried something like this yourself already." Yi Nianhong giggled, "Once you've tried, you will no longer be a child."

"I…actually have tried many times before, but only near my home, and only with some smaller ones…" Chu Liang embarrassedly smiled, "One as big as you, it is indeed my first encounter."

"Hehe." The woman's eyes were affectionate, "You're still so young, you don't appreciate the good in older women…"

Chu Liang earnestly said, "If I am inexperienced in any way later, I hope the miss will be patient with me. I also hope you will be… accommodating. Thanks in advance."

"Don't worry about it, why so polite," Yi Nianhong raised her hand lightly, poured a glass of wine, and slid it over to Chu Liang, "I promise that I'll send you over the moon later."

"Um…" Chu Liang blinked, "I should be the one saying that, I promise to give you an out-of-this-world experience."

"Humph." Yi Nianhong rolled her flirtatious eyes, "Young man, you seem very confident in your skills, don't you?"

"My skill set... might need more practice, but I can compensate this with tools." Chu Liang responded.

"Oh ho? Fancy tools?" Yi Nianhong raised an eyebrow, "You seem like a virtuous guy, I didn't expect you'd like to play, what toys did you bring? Show me."

"Sure, let's get started early." Chu Liang nodded, then he rummaged around his waist and pulled out an object, dropping it onto the table with a clank.

It was half a luminous gold brick, it appeared extraordinary, shining brightly.

The woman's face changed slightly, "I really don't know how to use this… I won't play if you're into some kind of perversion."

"Hmm…" Chu Liang pondered for a moment, then suddenly pointed behind the woman, "What is that?"

"What?" Yi Nianhong turned around to look.

The gentle young man on the other side suddenly lunged forward, grabbing the brick on the table and smacking it on the back of the woman's head.

Thump.

As the brick fell, a ripple of golden light spread out, and a black aura sprouted from the point of impact on the woman's head.

"Ah--" Yi Nianhong held her head in pain, screaming high-pitchedly, "You… you tricked me!"

As she cried, she retreated a few steps, the black aura then spread out from her head like a fountain, filled with demonic energy! Her entire body transformed into a giant spider, about a meter long. Embedded on the spider's abdomen was a human face, which was Yi Nianhong's. However, her peach blossom-like beauty was gone, only ferocity and anger remained.

This seemingly harmless young man had dealt her such a ruthless blow, the anger of the Spider Spirit was visibly intense.

With a single blow of the brick, her true form was revealed!

At this moment, Chu Liang had already put away the gold brick and calmly faced the terrifying demonic creature in front of him. He smiled and said, "I didn't lie to you. This is indeed my first time hunting demons myself."

"Bah--" the enormous Spider Spirit roared continuously, "Where does this boy come from? I will tear you into thousands of pieces!"

"I am a disciple of the Shu Mountain Sect. Someone reported to us that a demonic creature is causing mischief here, using a brothel as a disguise and taking human lives. I was ordered by the Sect to come and slay demons and exorcise evil spirits!" Chu Liang said with a ringing voice.

"A Shu Mountain Sect disciple?" When the Spider Spirit heard this, it immediately became fearful. The Shu Mountain Sect, as one of the top nine sects in the Immortal Sect Ninth Heaven, still had a formidable reputation that could make ordinary evil demons tremble, despite some recent decline.

It opened its mouth and spat out a red light that transformed into a large net in the air, blocking Chu Liang's way. It then swiveled its head, all eight of its spider legs pushing off together, scuttling towards the door, hoping to escape.

Unfortunately, its scheme to stop Chu Liang didn't work. Chu Liang dodged the spider web with a sweep of his body and, simultaneously, raised his sword with his left hand, shouting, "Sword Control Technique, go!"

Suddenly, there was a flash of brilliance around his left wrist, and the bracelet he was wearing abruptly transformed into a stream of light, clanging as it formed a flying sword!

Hisss--

With a single sword strike, the Spider Spirit's large body was unable to evade and was impaled by the sword light on the spot.

"Ah!" The giant Spider Spirit screamed, fell down, and after two loud thumps, it collapsed onto the first floor, breaking through the floor and revealing many human bones beneath the floorboards.

It was clear how many people had lost their lives here previously.

Ambiguously, an imperceptible golden light drifted out from the body of the Spider Spirit and merged into Chu Liang's body.

He returned his sword contentedly, and the flying sword transformed back into a bracelet once again, sitting on his wrist.

The dust had settled.

Only then did he finally take a long breath.

This was indeed Chu Liang's first time... undertaking a demon-hunting mission alone. Despite his calm demeanor, he had been somewhat nervous.

Although the Spider Spirit was not highly cultivated, it was skilled at cloaking itself in human form, making it hard to detect. If it weren't for accurate information and the unique magical treasures he had, Chu Liang might not have been able to deal with it so easily.

...

After the battle, Chu Liang didn't rush to leave but sat cross-legged in the same place, shutting his eyes and focusing his mind.

His Divine Sense descended, and he found himself in a vast and empty darkness. There was nothing, but a tall White Pagoda standing in front of him.

Nine levels tall with six corners, it stood majestic and towering, covered in detailed and complicated inscriptions and drawings, full of ancient and solemn air.

When Chu Liang entered the White Pagoda, he found it full of iron cages with high black railings, much like a prison! Numerous cages were there, yet all were empty except for one containing an object.

There was a golden phantom in the cage, and it looked like... a large spider.

The cage had no door, just a wall with a red "refining" character on it. Chu Liang stepped forward and gently pressed it.

Boom--

The red light flashed, and the golden phantom instantly disappeared.

Then a mass of white radiance floated out from the cage.

Yes, for each demonic creature Chu Liang slew, an apparition would appear in this pagoda. Every time he refined one of these apparitions, he would gain a treasure...as if it was a reward for slaying demons and exorcising evils.

Chu Liang reached out to catch the mass of white light. It dissipated into a red rope leaving behind a knowing sensation in his mind.

[Demon Binding Rope]:

During a confrontation, by charging it with True Qi, the Demon Binding Rope will automatically place a tight Turtle Shell Binding on the enemy. It not only causes the enemy to lose their combat capability but also breaks down their psychological defenses. It can even bring out their hidden personality, having an enormous power.