High profile wizard

The tall, slim man chuckled, looking a bit embarrassed. "It may sound absurd to you, but I am actually a demon hunter, specializing in exorcising ghosts all over the world."

Demon hunter!

As soon as the man spoke, Lin Feng heard a clattering sound beside him. Turning his head, he saw Vivienne lifting her head from the plate, wiping sauce off her face. The vampire girl trembled slightly as she asked, "What did you say you do?"

"I knew you'd react like this." The tall, slim man seemed more resigned than surprised, as if he were quite accustomed to such reactions from his audience. "I've had even more extreme reactions before. But I really am a demon hunter. Have you seen movies like Van Helsing? My job is similar to his, but our methods of exorcism are quite different from those in movies."

The tall, slim man talked earnestly, and Lin Feng subconsciously scooted back a bit, maintaining a slight distance from him. His mind was filled with question marks. Was this really a demon hunter? Could it be true? A genuine superhero, or a charlatan with adolescent fantasies?

If ordinary people were present, they might have taken the tall, slim man's words as a joke, either treating them as a story or viewing him as a charlatan pretending to be mystical. However, Lin Feng was sure to think one step further than the average person: he knew that demon hunters were a real group!

Of course, he didn't immediately believe the man's words. Believing someone was a demon hunter based on their word alone was too naive. The more likely scenario was that the man was joking; a real demon hunter wouldn't be so casual about revealing his identity everywhere, right?

"You don't believe me?" The tall, slim man shrugged, "That's fine. Most people don't believe. Besides, look at me, I'm Chinese. If I claimed to be a lay disciple from Wutai Mountain, it might be more convincing. But I really am a demon hunter. These three words sound quite fashionable, but in fact, demon hunters exist in every country around the world. We have a long history, dating back to the origins of the four great civilizations..."

Lin Feng subconsciously glanced at Vivienne, and this sounded a bit genuine: in the common conception, "demon hunter" was a Western term, and few people knew that they had been traveling around the world from the beginning. In China, demon hunters were called immortal Taoists by the ancients, and in other countries, they were called wizards or priests by the people at that time. However, demon hunters themselves wouldn't use these foreign terms. What the man said seemed to fit the facts—facts that most people wouldn't know.

"Well, Mr. Demon Hunter," Muyun finally couldn't eat anymore. The werewolf girl had never seen a demon hunter, but she had heard many terrifying stories from Vivienne. She was a bit nervous now, "Are demon hunters really real in the real world?"

Fortunately, Muyun wasn't too naive. She was starting to be tactful.

"Most people listen to stories about urban legends or horror novels." The tall, slim man chuckled, "But I'm real. And to be honest, there are still many people who believe in ghost stories. In places you don't know about, there are still things like exorcisms happening. My main job is exorcism. This time, I came here because I heard that the old Yorkford Castle is haunted."

"Oh, so your job must be highly confidential. How can you just casually talk about it?" Vivienne's expression calmed down, and she asked calmly, though in her mind she wondered: why would this "demon hunter" suddenly come out and reveal his identity?

Regardless of whether the man was telling the truth, this kind of high-profile attitude was a bit unreasonable. People in this profession usually stayed in the shadows, mostly living in seclusion. Even if they lived among ordinary people, they would try to conceal their identities. Vivienne thought about the demon hunters she had encountered in her long life and couldn't help but wonder: had these people also finally resorted to seeking publicity, like herself, because they couldn't find work in modern times?

Lin Feng's thoughts were similar to Vivienne's, but he was thinking in a different direction: when did demon hunters, a profession that should be cloaked in mystery, become so high-profile? Shouldn't these world-saving heroes keep a low profile? Look at himself, Lin Feng—he hadn't gone around announcing that he was a heaven-sent police officer... Of course, the main reason he didn't say was because there were regulations in the organization.

"There's nothing to keep secret." The tall, slim man looked unimpressed. "It's not a job that needs to be hidden. Nowadays, even people who read palms and tell fortunes have their own websites. Why can't demon hunters like us talk about our work?"

Lin Feng and Vivienne exchanged quick glances, trying to figure out how to appear like "ordinary people" in this situation. Soon, they reached a tacit understanding and showed an interested but skeptical look, appearing as though they were just curious listeners. Vivienne wore a polite yet somewhat distant smile on her face. "So, are you going to eliminate the resentful spirits in the old castle?"

The tall, slim man's interest waned when he saw Vivienne's expression, but he still smiled. "I'll have to see the situation tomorrow. I know you probably don't believe what I'm saying, and I don't intend to make you believe. But we can travel together. When are you leaving? If it's tomorrow, we happen to be going the same way. I'm familiar with the route. There's a train departing in the morning, and we'll arrive in the evening."

Lin Feng was about to say that he had just arrived in England today and needed a day to adjust to the jet lag when he heard Vivienne, who took the liberty to speak, agreeing, "Sure, it's fate that we meet. We're not familiar with the route, so we'll trouble you to lead the way. May I ask for your surname?"

"I'm Nangong, with the surname Nangong." The tall, slim man stood up. "As for my specific name... um, I can't disclose it for work reasons. Just call me Nangong. How about this, I'll wait for you here at this restaurant tomorrow morning at six thirty. We can go together. But I'll only wait for fifteen minutes—if you're late, you'll miss the train."

Lin Feng was about to say that he might not be able to wake up early tomorrow morning due to the jet lag, but Vivienne once again took the initiative and nodded in agreement, "Alright, Mr. Nangong, see you at six thirty tomorrow morning. By the way, I'm sorry for not introducing earlier. My name is Vivienne, and this is..."

Lin Feng stared blankly at Vivienne as she interacted with the "demon hunter" as if nothing had happened. It wasn't until Mr. Nangong had left the restaurant that he had the chance to speak, "Um, aren't you afraid that he's really a demon hunter?"

"I don't think so. Demon hunters don't act like him." Viv

ienne waited until Mr. Nangong disappeared from the restaurant door before sitting back in her chair, letting out a slight sigh. "And to be honest, we're missing a guide. Our destination is the same as this Nangong's, so there's a good chance we'll meet again after reaching Yorkford. Instead of being caught off guard then, it's better to travel together, roughly understand his actions on the way, and take the opportunity to split up later, which means taking the initiative. Of course, this is assuming he really is a demon hunter. If he's just a regular exorcist scammer... that's easy. Ordinary people are not a threat. Just let him lead the way."

Vivienne's analysis was well-founded, and Lin Feng had to admit that this vampire girl was more far-sighted than he was. However, he still had a question he wanted to confirm, "Vivienne, do you have a way to determine if someone is a demon hunter? They should be different from ordinary people, and there should be some identifying features—besides the 'style' of speech and behavior, can you be sure of his identity?"

Frowning, Vivienne stared off into the distance, her eyes slightly unfocused. "It's really hard to tell. The most dangerous thing about demon hunters is that they can hide among ordinary people before using their abilities. My people often suffered because demon hunters infiltrated our captive blood slaves. I'm a high-ranking blood vampire, so I can analyze his identity through blood, but I need blood to do so, which is difficult. Very difficult."

After a moment of silence, Vivienne seemed to think that her abilities were useless and embarrassing, so she said uncertainly, "But if I had to say, I did feel something different from him—when I fought the demon hunter back then, my right hand was injured, and I was left with a strange ability. When a demon hunter is nearby, my right hand heats up. I feel..."

"Don't feel anymore, your hand is in the soup."

"Wow!"