Ten Thousand Sword Masters

"When you get to Nine Star Guard, you must work hard and never be careless. Look at your cousin Zhang Wanyi, she's only two years older than you, and she's been the manager of a shop in the county town for several years."

Cao Fen gave Zhang Jianyun some earnest advice, somewhat worried that he wouldn't be able to establish himself in the Nine Star Guard.

"Alright, I'm not a child anymore. This job didn't come easily, so I know how to cherish it," Zhang Jianyun said casually, then finished the hot soup in his bowl.

"Good to know. Then you go and report for duty. I'll go check on your dad's stall."

Cao Fen turned and left after speaking. Zhang Jianyun quickly finished his breakfast, cleaned up the dishes, put on the ponytail coat he had bought two months ago, and walked out of the house, heading straight for Zhuque Street, where the Nine Star Guards were located.

Coming out of Geyi Lane is Shuixiu Street. Cross the street and then go through another alley to reach Zhuque Street.

Zhuque Street is one of the three streets in Cangxi Town. In the past, when the town was prosperous, Zhuque Street was the most bustling, with people coming and going. Now, with the decline of the town, the street has become much quieter.

However, by this time, seven or eight out of ten shops on the street had already opened, and there were many small vendors setting up stalls along the roadside. These vendors were still shouting their wares loudly, and when they got tired of shouting, they would exchange a few words of laughter and banter with the vendors next to them.

As I was walking down the street, a little girl suddenly ran towards me, holding a clay figurine in her hand.

"Big brother, do you like foxes? This clay fox I made only costs one penny." The little girl ran up to Zhang Jianyun and asked with a mixture of anticipation and fear.

Looking at the little girl in front of him, Zhang Jianyun thought of the world his previous life came from. Little girls of that age were still studying in school, while little girls in this world had already begun to struggle for a living.

He took out three coins and handed them to the little girl. The little girl happily took one coin and then turned and ran away, saying as she ran, "Big brother, my mud fox is only worth one coin. I don't want the rest."

Looking at the little girl's somewhat stubborn back, Zhang Jianyun smiled and continued walking forward.

Before long, the words "Nine Star Guard Cangxi Pavilion" came into view in the distance.

Two majestic and solemn lions stand guard on either side of the pavilion.

Passing through the vermilion gate, Zhang Jianyun entered Cangxi Pavilion.

"Oh, Jianyun, you've arrived."

The speaker was a man with thick eyebrows and large eyes named Liu Fei. He used to be Zhang Jianyun's neighbor, but later moved to another alley. Zhang Jianyun's selection as a warrior by the Nine Star Guard was largely due to Liu Fei's guidance. It's important to understand that the Nine Star Guard specializes in dealing with demons and monsters; mere brute strength isn't enough to pass the selection process.

"Are you going out?" Zhang Jianyun asked as he watched Liu Fei walk out.

Liu Fei nodded: "I'm going to Zhumu Village to deal with a strange thing. It's quite ferocious. Do you want to come along and lend a hand?"

Zhang Jianyun nodded in agreement without hesitation.

Liu Fei then reached out and patted Zhang Jianyun's shoulder forcefully: "Come on, I'll take you to the clerk to get the Nine Deer Robe and the Fish Pattern Knife."

As Liu Fei spoke, he led Zhang Jianyun toward the document writer Du Zhong.

"Liu Fei, Boss Yang only instructed you to go to Zhumu Village alone. Are you going to increase the manpower without authorization?" Du Zhong said with a grin. The Boss Yang he was referring to was Yang Changping, the head of the Cangxi Pavilion of the Nine Star Guard.

"Hmph, old man Du, why are you meddling in other people's business? Besides, I already told Boss Yang that I would be in charge of the new recruits. It's reasonable for me to take the newbies to try them out, isn't it?" Liu Fei said, glaring at him.

"Brother Yang hasn't left yet. Aren't you going to take the newcomer to meet him?" Du Zhong reminded him.

"You didn't leave?" Liu Fei was stunned for a moment, then grabbed Zhang Jianyun and headed towards Yang Changping's office.

Just then, Yang Changping, with his square face, walked out of the room.

"Boss, this is the new guy, Zhang Jianyun." Liu Fei approached with a grin.

Yang Changping glanced at Zhang Jianyun, then said, "I'll record your tattoo when I get back. You can stay with Liu Fei for a while first."

Zhang Jianyun nodded hurriedly. He had heard Liu Fei mention the inscription before; it was something that Pavilion Master Yang had used his crystal power to carve a network of characters on the back of his left hand for communication. The inscription was invisible to the naked eye and only appeared when information was sent.

"I know you two are neighbors, and it's only right that you look out for each other, but don't bring up neighborly relations in serious matters," Yang Changping said, giving Liu Fei a deep look.

Liu Fei shrank back and hurriedly shook his head, saying, "We used to be neighbors, but not anymore, not anymore."

Yang Changping smiled, said nothing more, and walked towards the stable.

"Come on, let's get the clothes."

Liu and Zhang turned around and returned to Du Zhong's place.

"You'll have to walk there; there are no horses left in the pavilion," Du Zhong said slowly after handing over the Nine Deer Robe and the Fish Pattern Knife.

"I just love walking," Liu Fei said, bulging his eyes. Seeing that Zhang Jianyun had already changed his clothes, he turned and strode away.

Zhumu Village is located in the northwest of the town, about a half-hour walk away.

As soon as Zhang Jianyun and Liu Fei left the town, the previously clear weather instantly turned gloomy, with several dark clouds floating in the sky.

Hehehe~

Suddenly a gust of wind came, and the wind blew stronger and stronger, shaking the trees in the forest with a whooshing sound.

"Let's hurry up, it looks like it's going to rain," Liu Fei said, quickening his pace.

After a quick walk, the two arrived outside the village.

At this moment, Zhang Jianyun pinched his nose. He felt a sense of resentment hanging over the village, which made him feel nauseous.

"Lord Liu, you've finally arrived."

Three men were waiting at the village entrance. As soon as they saw Liu Fei and Zhang Jianyun, they hurriedly came to greet them.

"Village Chief Luo, if you ask me, we should just burn that bamboo forest down. That way, we won't have to keep running around like this. The bamboo and wood weevils that are causing these problems are getting harder and harder to deal with," Liu Fei said with some dissatisfaction.

"You flatter me, sir," Luo Lin, the village chief of Zhumu Village, hurriedly said with a smile.

Zhumu Village is named after a bamboo forest, and the villagers here make a living by brewing wine from this bamboo forest. Their wine, named after the bamboo forest, is sold far and wide to surrounding villages and towns. However, starting two years ago, a strange creature appeared in this bamboo forest every three months, disturbing the lives of the villagers and often driving them crazy. The Nine Star Guardians have had to send people to deal with it every three months.

"Village chief, village chief, someone else has gone mad."

Just then, a man ran over in a panic.

"Village chief, Granny Wang at the village entrance has gone mad too. This is the third person to go mad now," the man said anxiously as he ran over.

"Don't panic, the Nine Star Guards have arrived and will soon be able to resolve the Bamboo and Wood Resentment Melon issue," Luo Lin reassured him.

Upon hearing this, the man noticed Zhang Jianyun and Liu Fei, and then, as if reassured, his emotions immediately calmed down.

"Lord Liu, what do you think?" Luo Lin looked at Liu Fei cautiously.

"Alright, prepare some good wine and meat."

As Liu Fei spoke, he led Zhang Jianyun toward the bamboo forest, with Luo Lin and the others following closely behind.

The closer they got to the bamboo forest, the heavier the resentment hanging over the village became, and Zhang Jianyun also became somewhat agitated.

"Pay attention to your breathing rhythm, and don't panic," Liu Fei reminded him.

Whoosh whoosh~

Another gust of wind came, making the bamboo forest sway from side to side, a truly magnificent sight.

Just then, it started to rain. Although it was just a light drizzle, Liu Fei's expression became much more tense.

Upon arriving outside the bamboo forest, Liu Fei took out a talisman from his pocket and handed it to Zhang Jianyun.

"This is a talisman to ward off evil spirits. I'll keep the strange bamboo and wood gourd at bay for a while. Find a chance to stick it on."

"Okay." Zhang Jianyun said earnestly as he took the exorcism talisman.

"Don't be afraid for a while. You'll get used to strange things after a while. The newborn bamboo and wood gourd may be fierce, but it doesn't have much intelligence. As long as we deal with it properly, we can solve it quickly." Liu Fei was comforting Zhang Jianyun, and it seemed as if he was also comforting himself.

After taking a deep breath, Zhang Jianyun drew his long sword, took the exorcism talisman, and followed Liu Fei into the bamboo forest.

As soon as Liu Fei entered the forest, he opened the brocade pouch containing Moon Essence Dust. The Moon Essence Dust instantly flew out of the pouch and spread in all directions, gradually covering the entire forest with a layer of gray mist. The gray mist grew thicker and thicker, and the forest became dark.

This month's Hua Chen has the effect of enhancing Yin energy and is specifically used to lure and capture strange creatures.

"Be careful, whatever you do, don't let the bamboo gourd pierce your head, or you'll lose control of your emotions. You must dodge it," Liu Fei warned.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jianyun's already tense mood instantly became even more wary.

The deeper you go into the bamboo forest, the darker it gets. Fine drizzle falls through the gray mist, adding to the gloom.

The resentment grew stronger, and without realizing it, Zhang Jianyun and Liu Fei walked slowly through the woods, back to back.

call!

Suddenly, a white light flashed, violently shaking the surrounding bamboo forest.

Whoosh!

The white light flashed repeatedly, revealing a hideous, grotesque face as it disappeared.

The white light was moving faster and faster; one moment it was showing its strange face in the east, and the next moment it was showing its strange face in the west.