Gao Yingjie’s voice was powerful and resonant. Every word felt like a nail being hammered hard into Long Haochen’s heart, “For a knight, the dictionary never contains the word ‘adventure,’ because you are not fighting alone. Steadiness is a quality you must always possess.”

“What you need to strengthen now is your judgment of the overall situation and your command ability in battle. If you want to become a leader that your companions trust, you have a lot to do. This is pressure, but also motivation. For the next three months, I will not be instructing anyone else, only you. If others make mistakes, you need to correct them. If others need guidance, you need to make the decisions. Within three months, you must become a qualified leader, a qualified team leader. From the moment you become the leader of the Soldier-Grade Number One Demon Hunt Squad, your life will no longer belong to you alone, but to the entire team. Similarly, every member of your team will have entrusted their lives into your hands. You need to constantly strive to shoulder this heavy responsibility.”

Gao Yingjie’s words were heavy, and the atmosphere in the carriage became solemn. Everyone’s eyes fell on Long Haochen.

Long Haochen took a deep breath, slowly extended his right hand, and said in a deep voice, “No abandonment, no surrender. I, Long Haochen, swear here. I will never abandon any teammate. I will use my life to defend the glory of the team and protect the safety of each and every one of you. My sword will point you forward, and my shield will defend you from powerful enemies.”

“Good!” Sima Xian shouted, slapping his hand on top of Long Haochen’s. Lin Xin and Han Yu reached out almost simultaneously, stacking their hands on top.

Wang Yuanyuan slapped Lin Xin’s hand hard, making him grimace.

Chen Ying’er gently placed her hand on the back of Wang Yuanyuan’s hand, puffing out her small chest, “I won’t hold anyone back either.”

At this moment, Cai’er’s hand had already quietly reached out from below, pressing closely against Long Haochen’s palm.

Just then, a large paw also reached over, landing on Chen Ying’er’s hand amid her shriek. It was Haoyue.

Chen Ying’er glared at the creature. But Haoyue’s three heads turned away in unison, their eyes drifting towards the roof of the carriage, looking as human-like as possible. Chen Ying’er felt an urge to punch it.

Long Haochen shouted, “We are a collective, partners who can entrust each other with their backs.”

Everyone said in unison, “No abandonment, no surrender.”

“Woof woof!” That was Haoyue’s voice… Watching this scene, Gao Yingjie couldn’t help but tighten his lips. He seemed to be transported back twenty years to the day his own Demon Hunt Squad was formed. But, his partners were… Even Gao Yingjie hadn’t expected that this group of young people he was leading could come together so quickly. Without a doubt, this was a good start.

“Uncle, Demon Hunt Squads are so interesting! I want to join one too!” Shi Xiaoxue looked at everyone with some envy, whispering in Gao Yingjie’s ear.

Gao Yingjie’s originally surging emotions were instantly dissipated by a trace of strangeness and more embarrassment. He gently pushed Shi Xiaoxue away a little, “Sit still. If you want to become a member of a Demon Hunt Squad, you need to work hard at your cultivation. You’ll have another chance in five years.”

Shi Xiaoxue’s eyes lit up, “Uncle, does that mean you agree?”

Gao Yingjie looked towards the roof of the carriage, “We’ll talk about it in five years.”

Although the carriage was carrying so many of them, and Haoyue, the big guy. But the speed was still very fast. Eight tall horses galloped at full speed, resting only once every two hours, until evening when they stopped in a medium-sized city. In a day, they had traveled nearly five hundred li.

Along the way, Long Haochen and the others cultivated their spiritual energy. The carriage was very stable, and with Gao Yingjie, a seventh-tier powerhouse, overseeing them, they naturally wouldn’t waste time. Every increase in spiritual energy increased their chances of survival on the battlefield.

This city was clearly the first resting place for this operation. In front of the hotel where they were staying, Long Haochen and the others saw nine other similar carriages. Clearly, the other newly formed Demon Hunt Squads that had departed earlier were also resting here.

The first benefit of being a member of a Demon Hunt Squad was now apparent. All Demon Hunt Squad members of the Holy Union could stay at any hotel within the Holy Temple Alliance free of charge by showing their Merit Token on their left forearm. Gao Yingjie also told them that at their Soldier-Grade Demon Hunt Squad level, they could also get a 10% discount at any auction house, and this discount would increase as their Demon Hunt Squad’s rank increased.

Demon Hunt Squads were the true elites of the Holy Temple Alliance, so it was only natural that they received such treatment. After all, they often faced powerful enemies, so how could they not have good logistical support?

Each person was assigned a separate room. After a simple dinner, Gao Yingjie instructed them to return to their rooms to rest.

Long Haochen held Cai’er’s hand and escorted her back to her room. “Cai’er, you’re tired after traveling all day, get some rest.” As he said this, he turned to leave.

Cai’er flipped her wrist and grabbed Long Haochen’s hand. With a tap of her green bamboo cane, she closed the door.

Seeing her action, Long Haochen felt his heart beat faster, and a blush crept onto his handsome face. A lone man and a woman alone in a room was inherently suggestive.

“Will you stay with me for a while before you go?” Cai’er said softly.

How could Long Haochen refuse such a request? Holding her soft hand, he said, “Okay.” He pulled Cai’er and sat down on the sofa in the room, their two young bodies close together, feeling the faint but refreshing orchid fragrance emanating from Cai’er’s body. Long Haochen’s heart beat even faster.

In the carriage, they had also been sitting together, but after all, there were many others around them. But now it was just the two of them.

Long Haochen couldn’t help but gently extend his arm and put it around Cai’er’s slender waist. Cai’er didn’t resist, but instead leaned gently against his shoulder.

They both cherished this tranquility and warmth. Although Long Haochen’s heart was beating fast and his face was flushed, this feeling was truly beautiful for him. He didn’t make any inappropriate advances, just gently held Cai’er’s waist. To be precise, at only fourteen years old, he didn’t know what to do anyway.

Cai’er was his most precious treasure, and he would never try anything.

After a long time, Cai’er moved slightly and sat up straight. “Haochen, what did Great-Grandfather say to you today?”

“Huh?” Long Haochen woke up from the tranquil warmth. “He told me to take good care of you and protect you.”

Cai’er was slightly stunned. “Was that all?”

Long Haochen said, “He also told me to call him Great-Grandfather like you do, and that you’ve suffered a lot over the years.”

Cai’er’s whole body shook. She turned to Long Haochen, her voice slightly more urgent, “He really said that?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong?” Long Haochen looked at her in confusion.

The next moment, he saw that Cai’er’s eyes were wet, and her delicate body was trembling slightly. Seeing her on the verge of tears, Long Haochen felt great heartache and quickly pulled her into his arms. “Cai’er, don’t cry, what’s wrong?”

Leaning in his warm embrace, Cai’er’s trembling gradually disappeared. She gently pulled down the veil on her face and pressed her face tightly against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist.

“Haochen, would you like to hear about my past?” Cai’er said.

Long Haochen said softly, “If you’re willing to tell me, I’m willing to listen.”

Cai’er’s voice was very soft, with a hint of etherealness, “I am a person without a childhood. In the eyes of other people in the Assassin Temple, I am like a princess. But, if I could choose, I would rather be an ordinary girl.”

“The inheritance of our Assassin Temple is not as simple as your knights or warriors. Anyone can learn it. To become an assassin, one must have extremely high perception and talent. The difficulty of cultivating an assassin is much higher than cultivating a knight or warrior, and it requires a lot of effort. Therefore, in the Assassin Temple, they gradually developed a secret method to determine whether a child has the talent for cultivation around the age of three. Only those children with considerable talent, at least a 70% chance of becoming a qualified assassin, will receive the Assassin Temple’s training.”

This was the first time Long Haochen had heard Cai’er say so much. At this time, he was a good listener, gently holding Cai’er and listening to her talk.

“At the age of three, I was discovered to have innate inner spiritual power that would exceed ninety upon awakening, becoming the so-called Reincarnation Saintess Physique.”

Hearing Cai’er’s words, Long Haochen was immediately shocked, but he didn’t interrupt, listening to Cai’er continue.

“From that moment on, my nightmare began.” A heartbreaking sadness appeared on Cai’er’s beautiful face.

“A three-year-old child should still be in their parents’ protection, playing carefree. But, I no longer had anything in common with my peers. Three years old, I was only three years old at the time, but I was sent by Great-Grandfather into a cold, dark cave. No relatives, not even food, for seven days and seven nights. My only companion was a black sword floating in the air.”

“I cried, I wailed, I called for my father, called for my mother. But, until my voice was hoarse, until my tears ran dry, there was no response.”

“I was so cold, I was so scared, even though I was only three years old at the time, I could clearly remember everything at the time. No one came to save me, no one. Only I alone endured that fear full of coldness…”

(To be continued)