Chapter 205: Chapter 116: Old Limp, Demon Suppression Guard, White Snake Demon

"Why is it just the two of you here?"

Chu Fan turned and scanned the area, but there was no sign of Liang Qiu, Ling Feng, or the others.

The black market was a chaotic place. With Liang Qiu and the others around, things would have been much safer.

After all, Fatty and Jiang Yuanfan had only broken through to the Blood Nourishing Realm a few days ago.

How could the two of them come here every day to sell the Boxing Manual without attracting covetous eyes?

"They were arrested."

Jiang Yuanfan’s words stunned Chu Fan.

Jiang Yuanfan continued, "The Cao Family disciples claimed that Liang Qiu is a trusted subordinate of Zhou Tianci... This morning, they threw Liang Qiu, Ling Feng, and everyone else into the dungeon."

Fatty chimed in, his voice trembling, "Fan, you have to save them..."

"Why should I save them?" Chu Fan raised an eyebrow. "I already did them a favor by not killing them last time."

"But..." Fatty said anxiously, "all the silver taels they made from selling the Boxing Manual are on Liang Qiu."

"..." The corner of Chu Fan’s mouth twitched. After a moment of silence, he said, "I’ll get the silver taels back when I return."

He first escorted Fatty and Jiang Yuanfan out of the black market, then asked for directions and headed directly for the back alley of Wind Chime Pavilion.

Yue Mankong had instructed him to find Old Limp there and get the Demon Suppression Guard Token.

Chu Fan asked for directions as he went, striding quickly through the dim, shady depths of the black market.

Before long, the clamor of Wind Chime Pavilion faded into the distance, and he turned into a more secluded part of the back alley.

The alleyway was narrow, its mottled walls covered in slick, green moss.

The air was thick with the musty smell of age, mixed with a faint, strange, acrid odor.

Upon reaching the third fork, Chu Fan turned left without hesitation.

Before him was a dilapidated courtyard at the end of a near-dead-end alley. The walls were low, with crumbling earth and stone, looking as if it had been uninhabited for a long time.

Chu Fan’s sharp gaze swept across a wall, where he saw three deep, crisscrossing blade marks carved into the brick. They exuded a grim aura that had settled over years.

’This is the place.’

The scene matched Yue Mankong’s description perfectly.

Chu Fan pushed open the creaking wooden door, which seemed ready to fall apart, and stepped inside.

The courtyard was even more desolate than he had expected, overgrown with weeds.

The few remaining rooms had broken window lattices and were covered in dense cobwebs. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

In a corner of the courtyard, however, sat an old man with a white beard and hair, dressed in ragged clothes.

His back was hunched as he sat on a small stool, his knuckles slowly caressing a rusty, broken blade in his hands. The soft rustle of cloth against the blade was so slow it seemed he was counting the passage of time.

One of the old man’s legs was bent at an unnatural angle, his trouser leg hanging empty. This was indeed the "Old Limp" the Paperman had spoken of.

Hearing footsteps, Old Limp didn’t raise his head, but the motion of him wiping the blade paused slightly.

His hoarse voice, like a worn-out bellows soaked by the years, was wrapped in an unshakable weariness. "Took a wrong turn, didn’t you, young man?"

Chu Fan dared not be disrespectful. He took two steps forward and cupped his hands. "Senior, this junior is Chu Fan. I have come on special instructions to pay my respects. Lord Yue Mankong bestowed a mark upon me and ordered me to retrieve the Demon Suppression Guard Token."

"Lord Yue Mankong?" Old Limp’s hand stopped wiping the blade completely.

When he lifted his head, his gaunt neck turned with extreme slowness, revealing a face full of wrinkles but with exceptionally sharp eyes—

His eyes were half-lidded, as if covered by a layer of dust, but when they swept over Chu Fan, the gray mist suddenly dispersed, revealing an unbelievably bright light.

In his perception, although the boy’s vital energy was stronger than an ordinary person’s, his power level was clearly still in the mortal stage of polishing the physical body.

He hadn’t even reached Perfection in the five stages of Foundation Establishment, let alone undergoing Mortal Transformation to condense Primordial Qi and step onto the true path of Cultivation Grades!

What kind of place was the Demon Suppression Bureau?

It suppressed demons and purged evil energies. Those who could enter its ranks were all one-in-a-million talents, individuals of extraordinary aptitude.

To join, one had to be a Cultivator who had at least undergone Mortal Transformation and condensed their own Primordial Qi!

’Since when... since when could a mere boy who hadn’t even passed the five stages of Foundation Establishment become a Demon Suppression Guard?’

Old Limp had lived a long, hard life and considered himself worldly and wise, but at this moment, he fiddled with the tattered cloth of his cuff. A barely perceptible gravity entered his voice. "Lad, you... you haven’t broken through the five stages of Foundation Establishment yet, have you??"

Chu Fan’s expression was calm, and he made no attempt to hide it. "Reporting to Senior, this junior is currently at the fourth of the five Foundation Establishment stages, the Bone Tempering Realm."

’Bone Tempering Realm...’

The corner of Old Limp’s mouth twitched uncontrollably twice, and his dry lips pressed into a thin line.

He glanced down at the broken blade in his hands, its rust glowing dully in the dim light. His tone, however, was as casual as if he were discussing the weather. "In Cyan Yang City, reaching the Bone Tempering Realm at your age isn’t bad."

He paused, then looked up at Chu Fan again. The astonishment in his eyes was gone, replaced by a deep scrutiny. "But being a Demon Suppression Guard isn’t some street performance. The Bone Tempering Realm... is still a long way off."

Chu Fan didn’t say a word.

’Whether it’s a long way off or not, you still have to hand over the Demon Suppression Guard Token.’

Old Limp’s understanding of the world had been severely shaken, but he didn’t ask for any more reasons.

He had lived for most of his life and had long understood the principle of "don’t ask what you shouldn’t." He just tapped his fingertips lightly on the hilt of his blade and said in a low voice, "The mark. Let me see it."

Chu Fan did as he was told, raising his left hand and opening his palm.

The lines on his palm were clear, but there was nothing there.

Old Limp said no more. He flicked a finger on his withered right hand—the motion was as slow as brushing away dust, yet the light that shot from his fingertip was as condensed as a steel needle, instantly striking the center of Chu Fan’s left palm.

HUM!

With a soft vibration, Chu Fan only felt a slight warmth in his palm.

The next moment, a strange, pale gold pattern, like a sleeping creature being awakened, slowly emerged from beneath the skin of his palm.

The pattern resembled a closed eye. Its lines were archaic and mysterious, its edges glowing with a faint golden light, exuding an indescribable majesty and rhythm.

It was Lord Yue Mankong’s Demon Suppression mark!

Old Limp’s heart pounded, but he only swallowed, not making a sound.

He gave Chu Fan a deep, inscrutable look, then finally pushed himself up to his feet using his knees. When his crippled leg touched the ground, it didn’t make the slightest sound, as steady as if it had taken root in the earth.