Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector

Apparently, this poor fellow had been a practitioner of the Talisman Dao Stream.

"Brother, don’t blame me for not giving you a proper burial. I’m out of time. Besides, in your state, it wouldn’t make much difference anyway." Chen Ye muttered. He then grabbed his saber, left the ruined temple, got his bearings, and ran toward the county town.

The official road was overgrown with wild grass.

In the twilight, the dense forests on either side resembled silent Giant Beasts. From a distance, the sharp, piercing cries of unknown birds occasionally broke the silence, enough to make one’s skin crawl.

The road was deserted.

In this world, no one dared to travel so close to dusk unless they were in a merchant caravan guarded by a Great Cultivator.

After all, the wilderness was already treacherous enough for ordinary people, let alone after nightfall.

Chen Ye moved quickly, not daring to stop for even a moment.

But as he hurried along with his head down, a figure appeared without warning in the middle of the road ahead.

It was a donkey, and standing beside it was a young woman in a simple dress.

The donkey seemed to have gotten stubborn, stopping in the middle of the road and refusing to take a single step, no matter how the young woman pulled, tugged, or kicked it.

The young woman was so distraught that her eyes were red, with tears welling up. She was a truly pitiable sight.

Upon seeing Chen Ye approach, she looked as if she had found her savior. She quickly called out for help, her voice soft and sweet, "Sir, could you please help me? I don’t know what’s wrong with this beast, but it just won’t move. It’s about to get dark, and I’m getting really scared."

But Chen Ye didn’t slow down in the slightest. Without so much as a glance, he simply walked around the young woman and her donkey and hurried on his way.

’Are you kidding me?’

’A delicate, pitiable beauty suddenly appearing in the middle of nowhere?’

’It was obvious something was wrong with this scenario.’

’Especially that woman—everything about her felt sinister.’

That was all the more reason for Chen Ye not to linger.

"Sir! Sir, please wait!"

The cries from behind him were tinged with tears, growing more frantic.

Chen Ye turned a deaf ear, only running faster.

Seeing him disappear into the distance without a backward glance, the expression on the sobbing young woman’s face suddenly froze. Her pitiable demeanor twisted into one of cold, venomous hatred.

The next moment, she and the donkey beside her contorted, merging into a bizarre creature with a human head and a donkey’s body, black smoke pouring from its mouth.

It let out a frustrated bray in the direction of Chen Ye’s departure before its form flickered and vanished.

Finally, just as the last sliver of light on the horizon was being devoured by darkness, the silhouette of a rammed-earth city wall appeared in Chen Ye’s line of sight.

He had reached Yu Huo County.

At the city gate, several Soldiers in Leather Armor held some kind of faintly glowing talisman paper, inspecting everyone who entered.

This was to prevent any Demons, Ghosts, and Evil Spirits from taking human form and sneaking into the city.

When it was Chen Ye’s turn, one Soldier’s gaze fell upon the cloth sack at his waist, which was oozing black blood. The Soldier’s brow furrowed.

"What’s in the sack?"

"A Demon Ghost’s head," Chen Ye said succinctly. "Just took it from the ruined temple outside the city. I’m heading back to the Demon Slayer Department to report my mission."

At these words, the wary look on the Soldier’s face instantly transformed into one of solemn respect.

He looked Chen Ye up and down. Though his clothes were tattered and stained with blood, his gaze was steady, without a hint of panic. The Soldier nodded.

"Tough work. Go on in."

With that, he stepped aside to clear the way.

Chen Ye nodded in return and strode into the city.

The moment he entered, the warmth of human life washed over him, dispelling the chill he carried from the wilderness.

Yu Huo County was hardly a bustling place. At this hour, most of the shops lining the streets were already closed for the day. With few pedestrians around, it seemed rather deserted.

This was hardly surprising. For a remote county besieged by Demon Ghosts, maintaining the current state of affairs was an achievement in itself.

Chen Ye didn’t linger, heading straight for the Demon Slayer Department as he remembered it.

The Demon Slayer Department was located next to the County Yamen in a self-contained courtyard. Two white lanterns hung at the entrance, casting an eerie glow in the darkness.

He took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

The courtyard was brightly lit, where a dozen or so men in various styles of martial attire were gathered in small groups. Some were polishing their weapons, others were talking and laughing boisterously.

Chen Ye’s arrival brought an abrupt silence to the courtyard.

Every head turned in his direction.

After a moment of silence, a burly man who had been drinking shot to his feet. He pointed at Chen Ye, his face a mask of disbelief, as if he’d just seen a ghost.

"You... Aren’t you dead?"

"Who said I was dead?" Chen Ye retorted, his voice ice-cold.

The man was taken aback by the question and stammered, "It... It was Gong Chen. He came running back alone this afternoon. Said you ran into a tough one, that you and the other brother were killed by the Green-haired Zombie. He said he was the only one quick-witted enough to escape with his life."

Someone nearby immediately chimed in, "That’s right. He also said the Green-haired Zombie was vicious and warned us to stay away from the area west of the city for a while."

"Yeah, I remember saying it was normal for a rookie to get killed on his first mission."

As the men chimed in one after another, their tones held little sorrow, only a numb acceptance born from routine.

After all, in their line of work, you lived with your life on the line. Death was just part of the job.

Chen Ye listened to their chatter, his face expressionless, but a chill spread through his heart.

’How quick-witted. What a desperate escape.’

He didn’t bother arguing. Instead, he untied the sack from his waist—still oozing black blood—and tossed it onto the stone table in the center of the courtyard.

THUD.

The sack fell open, and a hideous, green-haired head rolled out. Its single remaining eye was wide open, creating a bizarrely comical sight.

But everyone present was a seasoned veteran who lived on the edge of a blade; they all had exceptionally sharp eyes.

It only took them a single glance to understand the implications, and they couldn’t help but gasp.