novelapdf Chapter 282 Killing the Girl
Chapter 282 Killing the Girl
Cultivating immortality knows no time, and seclusion keeps one unaware of the passage of years.
Time flows silently, and in the blink of an eye, another three days have passed.
Inside, Shui Miaozheng and Ling Ye remained in deep seclusion, showing no signs of breaking through.
Occasionally, one can catch a glimpse of starlight escaping through the crack in the door.
Jiang Mu remained outside the door the entire time.
Until that afternoon.
The sun was shining brightly when a knock came from outside the courtyard gate.
Yuan Aqing jogged to open the door.
The girl was stunned when the door opened.
A handsome middle-aged man stood outside the door.
He wore a long blue robe, with a wine pot hanging at his waist. He was tall and slender, with a refined and scholarly air, exuding a gentle and approachable charm.
To be honest, in Yuan Aqing's eyes, her husband was already the most handsome and best-looking man in the world.
But the man in front of him seemed to be almost as good as his master.
Who are you looking for?
Yuan Aqing snapped out of her daze and asked warily.
The handsome man looked down at her, his smile gentle: "You must be Ah Qing? I'm looking for your master. Please inform him that an old friend surnamed Quan is here to see him."
Yuan Aqing said "Wait a moment" and then turned and ran inside.
A short while later, Jiang Mu came out.
He paused half a step at the threshold, then stepped out expressionlessly and closed the gate slightly behind him.
"It seems Lord Jiang has no intention of inviting me in for a cup of tea?"
Quan Shanhai, with his hands behind his back, jokingly said with a smile.
Jiang Mu said, "There's no need for tea. I thought Commander Quan was too busy to come."
I had originally planned to send you a message through your internal security intelligence channels. But then I thought again, and I worried that your internal security screening might not be thorough enough, and the message could be intercepted, causing unnecessary trouble.
"Better safe than sorry, Lord Jiang's caution is well-founded."
Quan Shanhai nodded in deep agreement. "Then, Lord Jiang will surely bring me good news, right?"
Jiang Mu didn't waste any words, took out the bone token from his pocket, and casually tossed it over:
"I went to the Divine Sword Sect to investigate, and my luck was exceptionally bad. I ran right into the reborn Prince Sheng."
That old monster almost killed me, but luckily I was more skilled and finally killed him.
"Here, this is the only keepsake he left behind after his death. Believe it or not, that's how it is. I've taken care of him for you." Quan Shanhai held the dominoes, his face expressionless.
After a long pause, a playful smile appeared on his lips:
"Congratulations, Lord Jiang. You dared to kill even His Majesty's own uncle. You can't find many people in the entire Daqing with such courage."
"Stop being so sarcastic."
Jiang Mu retorted irritably, "I would like to capture him alive, but I really don't have the ability. If you Imperial Guards are capable, then continue the investigation yourselves. Prince Sheng has been plotting for so many years, he must have planted a lot of spies in secret, enough to keep you busy for a while."
Quan Shanhai remained unperturbed, tucked the dominoes into his sleeve, and once again put on his gentle and refined smile.
"Okay, I believe you. It seems our first collaboration went much more smoothly than expected. Jiang Mu, I'm starting to like you, and I hope our future collaborations will be just as successful."
"I don't want any further cooperation. The transaction is complete, goodbye!"
After saying that, Jiang Mu turned around, pushed open the courtyard gate, and stepped inside without looking back.
boom!
The courtyard gate was tightly closed.
Quan Shanhai stood in front of the tightly closed courtyard gate, touched his nose, and said with a hint of helplessness, "I'm not that annoying, am I?"
The air around him rippled slightly.
A slender figure appeared silently, completely clad in black.
The woman asked in a low voice, "My lord, was Prince Sheng really killed by this brat?"
Quan Shanhai did not answer.
He picked up the wine jug, uncorked it, tilted his head back, and took a small sip.
The spicy liquor rolled down his throat and into his stomach, bringing a slight flush to Quan Shanhai's fair face, making him look even more handsome.
"Even a cunning rabbit has three burrows."
Two more days passed.
That afternoon, the room, which had been as quiet as a deep pool, finally stirred with activity.
Jiang Mu, sitting in the chair, opened her eyes and keenly sensed the intense pull of the surrounding energy.
He looked up.
The once cloudless sky suddenly darkened.
Vast swirling dark clouds rolled in from the horizon, like a surging black sea.
Immediately afterwards, an immense pressure poured down from the heavens, instantly enveloping the entire Jiang family compound.
"Buzz"
Along with this oppressive aura, hundreds of dazzling silver rays of light shone through the cracks in the tightly closed doors and windows of the quiet room.
The faint shadows of stars flickered within the silver light.
One after another, they slowly moved along some mysterious trajectory.
"It's a success!"
Jiang Mu suddenly stood up, a hint of excitement flashing in her eyes.
He stared nervously at the door.
For a time, it was impossible to determine whether it was Ling Ye or Shui Miaozheng who successfully crossed the chasm and obtained the star position.
A moment later, the strange phenomena in the sky quickly subsided, like a whale sucking in water.
The oppressive aura dissipated.
"Squeak"
The door was slowly pulled open from the inside.
A tall, slender figure in black stepped across the threshold.
It was Ling Ye.
The woman was somewhat different now than when she first entered the house.
She was already extremely beautiful, and now that she has broken through to the ninth realm, she has gained an even greater sense of aloofness and otherworldly elegance.
Her skin subtly shimmered with a glow like moonlight.
With each step, the air beneath one's feet rippled with starlight-like energy.
She resembled a goddess from the heavens who ruled over the moon.
Behind her, a giant silver-black moon was faintly visible, with countless black shadows fluttering within its sphere.
The black feathers transformed into light, trailing behind a dazzling galaxy.
【Bi Yue Wu】!
Jiang Mu wasn't too surprised by this result.
Ling Ye was once the former master of [Bi Yue Wu], and even reached a higher realm back then.
Her understanding of the laws of this Great Dao and the degree of harmony between her soul and the Dao were already etched into her very bones.
Now it's simply a matter of mending a broken mirror and proving things anew, which is naturally a familiar process.
In contrast, Shui Miaozheng, despite her exceptional talent, had only recently collected all the star cores of the same element.
In terms of foundation and understanding of advanced laws, he is clearly inferior to Ling Ye.
It was inevitable that Zhengxing would fail.
"Congratulations, Sister Ling." Jiang Mu stepped forward to greet her.
Looking at the man in front of him, Ling Ye's aura of coldness and unapproachability instantly melted away like spring snow.
She opened her red lips as if to say something, but in the end she only glanced back at the quiet room and sighed softly.
"Go and comfort her."
Jiang Mu suppressed her smile, nodded, and walked into the room.
Inside the room, the spirit stones of the spirit-gathering array had exhausted their last bit of luster, scattered in the four corners, looking dusty.
Shui Miaozheng remained in the cross-legged sitting posture.
Her mature and radiant face didn't seem to show much disappointment, but the sorrow in her phoenix eyes was impossible to hide.
"Aunt Shui."
Jiang Mu walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching out to pull the woman into his arms.
The woman's plump, soft body stiffened slightly before relaxing, her forehead resting against his shoulder. Her voice trembled with emotion as she sighed softly, "Actually... Aunt Shui had already guessed that this would be the outcome. But when the star position truly dissipated before my eyes, completely accepting its master, my heart was still filled with sorrow."
She clutched Jiang Mu's clothes with her small hands, her voice tinged with sorrow:
"Little Jiang, Aunt Shui's journey is probably coming to an end. I may not be able to accompany you much further in the future."
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
Jiang Mu gently comforted her, "So what if you failed to become a Star Master? It's not like the sky is falling. I, Jiang Mu, love you for who you are, not for your cultivation level. Even if you become an ordinary woman from today onwards, I, Jiang Mu, will still marry you in a grand sedan chair and take care of you for the rest of my life."
Shui Miaozheng's eyes welled up slightly, but a bitter smile appeared on her lips.
Jiang Mu patted her on the back and said with great enthusiasm:
"Besides, with your man here, what is there to be afraid of? Just wait patiently, and sooner or later, I will find a way to help you regain a new Star Venerable position."
Shui Miaozheng smiled, not really taking the man's words to heart.
She knew better than anyone what Zhengxing's failure meant.
Under the same star system, Ling Ye has already occupied the [Bi Yue Wu]. Unless Ling Ye dies and her life is extinguished, and the star position returns to the star sea, she will never have the chance to touch this star position again.
But how could she possibly expect such a thing to happen?
Of course, there is another way in this world, which is to abandon one's cultivation and start over.
I'll start my cultivation anew with a different constellation system.
But the road ahead is long and arduous; starting from scratch is a long time coming and very unrealistic.
Just as Shui Miaozheng was feeling sad, she suddenly felt a chill in her chest.
I looked down.
A large hand had skillfully untied her sash at some point and was now reaching inside through the seam of her clothes.
Shui Miaozheng subconsciously pressed down on his hand, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly, a hint of displeasure appearing in her eyes.
What time is it? Why are you still bullying me?
The bitterness of Zhengxing's failure was still stuck in her throat; she had no mind to accompany him through his ordeal.
Is this all that's on the mind of that little rascal?
Jiang Mu grasped her soft, yellow hand in return and said in a serious tone:
"Aunt Shui, your Dao heart is currently suffering a setback. Keeping these emotions bottled up will only make things worse. Releasing them is the best way. Trust me." "You...you're just being unreasonable!"
Shui Miaozheng was both ashamed and angry.
Before she could resist, Jiang Mu had already kissed her red lips domineeringly, silencing all her words of refusal.
As it turns out, sometimes, simple and direct physical therapy is indeed much more effective than a thousand empty words of comfort.
After an unknown amount of time, Shui Miaozheng no longer wanted anything.
She stared blankly at the bed curtains, her mind a complete blank.
My soul seemed to transform into a wisp of light cloud, drifting in the wind across an unknown sky.
Most of the feelings of sadness, disappointment, and resentment dissipated.
Before she drifted off to sleep, she felt a warm kiss gently fall on her forehead.
The man's voice rang softly in her ear, saying something she couldn't quite make out, yet she felt inexplicably at ease.
Then she drifted off to sleep.
Listening to the woman's even, deep breathing in his arms, Jiang Mu carefully covered her bare shoulders with the blanket, then quietly got out of bed. After dressing, he pushed open the door and went outside into the courtyard.
The moonlight spilled across the ground; the night was deep.
This shows how long this consolation lasted.
Ling Ye was standing quietly in a corner of the courtyard.
That is the small vegetable garden that Bai Xiang once carefully tended.
A lone crescent moon hung high in the sky, its gentle light bathing her.
She stood there all alone by the fence.
Jiang Mu walked over, and the woman said softly, "She'll probably hate me in the future, won't she?"
Jiang Mu wrapped his arms around her slender, supple waist from behind, rested his chin on her shoulder, and chuckled softly:
"That's not the case. Aunt Shui is a sensible person. Since she chose fair competition, she was prepared to lose."
Besides, you two are now best friends who share the same pot. As the saying goes, "quarrels at the head of the bed are made up at the foot of the bed." In time, she will naturally accept it.
Besides, I will help Aunt Shui regain her star status. There's more than just Bi Yuewu among the star positions in this world.
Ling Ye let out a long sigh.
She raised her head, gazing at the solitary moon, her cold eyes filled with helplessness:
"The Great Dao is interconnected; when one attains it, countless others perish. One must tread upon the paths of others to climb higher... Little Jiang, tell me, how can the Great Dao of this world be like this?"
Jiang Mu didn't respond to that question.
He gazed at the woman's profile, so beautiful it seemed otherworldly in the moonlight, and suddenly leaned close to her ear, breathing warm air into her ear:
"Sister Ling, I don't know how cruel the Great Dao is. I only know that someone will ascend to the Ninth Realm again tonight."
Shouldn't we celebrate?
"celebrate?"
Ling Ye turned around in surprise, somewhat bewildered, "How are we celebrating...?"
Before she could finish speaking, she felt a sudden lightness in her body as Jiang Mu swept her into his arms.
"Of course, we celebrate with real actions."
Jiang Mu raised an eyebrow.
Jiang Mu's reasoning was sound: after comforting his failed wife, he certainly needed to celebrate with his successful one.
One must treat everyone equally.
This is the core family management philosophy he learned from riding in the carriage.
Half an hour later.
The night breeze was still blowing, and the moonlight was as silvery as silver.
The vegetable garden, which had seemed slightly withered after Bai Xiang left, appeared to have regained its vitality.
The green leaves trembled slightly in the night breeze, gleaming with a crystalline, dark luster.
After completing the Star Certification, Ling Ye only rested for one night before setting off for the capital.
After all, her current status is still that of an imperial inspector.
Although I have broken through to the ninth realm, I still have to go through all the necessary procedures.
She had to personally go to the headquarters to report, collect the cultivation resources corresponding to the new realm, re-verify the patrol envoy's rank, and formulate a whole set of cultivation plans.
Shui Miaozheng also could not stay for long.
She had been away from the city of Fazhou for some time, and as the governor of the prefecture, she had a mountain of official duties piled up.
Moreover, the imperial court has recently received a series of urgent reports that the activities of demons around Tanzhou City are becoming increasingly frequent.
Last time, when Fazhou City was attacked by a demon tide, it was thanks to Ran Qingshan's timely allocation of a batch of protective resources that we were able to overcome the crisis.
The situation is tense, and she must rush back immediately to oversee the overall situation.
Jiang Mu did not intend to go to Fazhou with Shui Miaozheng.
He planned to grant Xun Xiaozhang, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, his request to search for Yan Zixiao.
Of course, finding someone was a pretense; the real purpose was to kill and rob.
The star positions under the 【Kang Jinlong】 system are merely a facade he uses to deceive the court and the inner guards.
However, the [Ji Shui Bao] star position is his true killing move.
If this woman isn't dealt with during this solo trip, she'll only become more troublesome if she gets fatter later.
On the day Shui Miaozheng departed, Ran Qingshan made a special trip to see her off.
Old Ran thought that his beloved was devastated by her failure to become a star, and even prepared a whole speech to comfort her.
This will also help to bring the two of them closer.
Ke Shui Miaozheng just smiled and listened to him stammer a few words, then replied with something.
Ran Qingshan's previously eager face immediately fell.
His face turned pale and then red.
Without even saying goodbye, he turned and left, looking utterly dejected.
Jiang Mu looked at her old boss's hunched back and sighed helplessly.
It's obvious without even guessing that Aunt Shui was subtly implying, in order to completely extinguish any lingering feelings in Lao Ran, that she was now in Jiang's guise. That's like killing someone by striking at their spirit.
With the departure of the two stunningly beautiful wives, the once bustling Jiang family courtyard suddenly became deserted.
The air was no longer filled with that intense, chaotic atmosphere.
Jiang Mu stretched and felt a long-lost emptiness.
"Alas, it's hard to go from extravagance to frugality."
Despite the感慨 (feelings of deep emotion), we still have business to attend to.
Jiang Mu changed into casual clothes and went straight to the post station of the Inner Guard in Huzhou City to find Xun Xiaomo.
Xun Xiaomo was not there.
Jiang Mu left a note and then departed.
After leaving the post station, Jiang Mu went to the Eighth Hall's office.
He planned to make arrangements first, having Zhang Dashao escort Chu Dahai and some precious medicinal herbs to Fazhou City to settle the shop. As for the four girls, Chu Lingzhu, Jiang Mu intended to leave them at the old house in Huzhou City until he dealt with Xun Xiaozhi, a potential threat, before personally escorting them to Fazhou.
As Jiang Mu left the government office, he suddenly saw Yan Fenghuo leading a group of men hurriedly heading towards the city gate.
"Old Yan!"
Jiang Mu raised her hand and called out to him, "What's going on here? Are you going to war?"
Yan Fenghuo turned around and saw Jiang Mu. His originally gloomy face brightened up, and he quickly walked over and said:
"Xu Fu is in trouble. Early this morning, the yamen received a tip that there were signs of monsters in the area of Shuer Village outside the city. Old Xu led a team to clear them out, but they got trapped inside."
"Master Yang and Master Wang have already led their men there ahead of us. The situation isn't good. I'm preparing to bring reinforcements."
"Trapped?"
Jiang Mu was quite surprised and asked, "Old Xu is a sixth-realm cultivator, how could he be trapped so easily? What's the background of those demons on the other side, and are there many of them?"
Yan Fenghuo shook his head and said:
"The exact number is unclear, but intelligence indicates that the leaders are two level-six black bear demons. Currently, Tree Village is surrounded by demons, and we cannot enter; we have no choice but to force our way in."
Two sixth-tier demons?
Jiang Mu didn't hesitate at all and said, "I'll help too."
Perfect timing, his magic gauge is also out of magic energy, let's make some extra money first.
Yan Fenghuo was taken aback, and kindly reminded him:
"Old Jiang, you're not from Huzhou City anymore, so it's fine for you to come along, but even if you slay the demon, you probably won't get much of the credit."
Jiang Mu said seriously:
"Merit doesn't matter. The main thing is that we're colleagues. I can't just stand by and watch Xu Fu get trapped inside. Besides, it's my duty to rid the people of evil, and it has nothing to do with merit."
Yan Fenghuo was so shocked by these words that he chuckled and said:
"I knew you wouldn't stand idly by, Lao Jiang. Let's go, we'll talk on the way."
Half an hour later.
Jiang Mu and Yan Fenghuo arrived at the outskirts of Shuer Village with reinforcements.
From a distance, the village looked as if it were suffocated by an overturned black pot.
A plume of black smoke billowed up from the ground, forming a perfectly round dome in mid-air that engulfed the village and the surrounding fields. Dozens of demon slayers were already scattered around the village, forming a defensive perimeter.
"Master Yan, Lord Jiang!"
Upon hearing the news, the two hall masters in charge of directing the defenses at the front rushed over.
Upon seeing Jiang Mu walking side by side with Yan Fenghuo, the two were first taken aback, then their faces lit up with joy, their eyes burning with excitement.
Jiang Mu is now a god in the hearts of the Demon Slayers of Huzhou City.
Jiang Mu was no stranger to these two people.
The man on the left, with a burly build, thick eyebrows, and large eyes, exuding an air of righteousness, is Yang Weiguang, the leader of the First Hall.
The man on the right with a large belly is Wang Chunda, the leader of the Fifth Hall.
"Master Yang, have you figured out the situation inside?" Jiang Mu didn't waste any words and went straight to the point.
Yang Weiguang pointed to the billowing black smoke and said in a deep voice:
"Reporting to Lord Jiang, the situation is very troublesome. What we can confirm at present is that there are two sixth-level black bear demons inside, and they are holding a rather evil magic weapon that releases this black smoke, isolating the entire village."
We just tried to force our way in, but apart from low-level cultivators in the first or second realm, everyone else was repelled as soon as they got close. I sent two skilled cultivators in the second realm to scout ahead, but they've been in there for almost half an hour now, and there's been no sign of them coming out. I dare not send anyone else.
"Only those below the third realm can enter?"
Jiang Mu frowned and walked towards the black smoke.
As soon as he got close to the black smoke, he was repelled by a tremendous force that pushed him back. Even when Jiang Mu tried to throw the Shadow Teleport into it, it didn't work.
Yan Fenghuo asked, "Has no news come out from Lao Xu and the others either?"
Yang Weiguang shook his head and sighed:
"No. After receiving the initial report of the villagers escaping, it was Master Xu and Master Feng who led the team in together."
As you know, Master Feng was just transferred to Huzhou from elsewhere and is not yet familiar with the business, so the supervisor asked Master Xu to take him under his wing and give him some experience.
As soon as they led their men into the village, the black fog suddenly rose up, and no further news came from inside. Yan Fenghuo's face was gloomy.
The "Master Feng" that Yang Weiguang mentioned was naturally the genius Feng Zhishan of Jiufeng Temple, whom Ran Chun'er had sold Jiang Mu in exchange for.
After Wenhe's death, the position of the Third Hall Master became vacant, so Feng Zhishan took over the position.
Unexpectedly, this "genius" had just taken office when he and Lao Xu both fell into trouble.
The chubby Wang Chunda said from the side:
"It's strange. If the demon only wanted to eat people, it could have just slaughtered the village and run away. Why go to such lengths to create this magical artifact and surround this small village?"
Could it be... that they're performing some kind of blood sacrifice inside?
Upon hearing this, the expressions on everyone's faces changed.
If it really was a blood sacrifice, then Xu Fu and the villagers inside are probably doomed.
Jiang Mu said, "Here's what we'll do: you all stay outside and keep watch, making sure nothing escapes from inside. I can conceal my cultivation level and sneak in to check the situation."
The three exchanged glances but did not voice any objection.
Jiang Mu is now a powerful figure in the seventh realm. Since he says he can hide his cultivation level and go in, then he definitely can.
As long as this living Yama can enter the village, those two sixth-tier black bear demons can basically be declared to be reincarnated ahead of time. Jiang Mu walked to the village entrance, and with a slight thought, he changed the star positions on his body, suppressing his realm to the first level.
After he was ready, he walked towards the black smoke again.
Sure enough, this time the repulsive force disappeared, and Jiang Mu successfully entered the black smoke.
The village was still filled with black smoke.
It was even thicker than it appeared from the outside, like a layer of ink-soaked cotton wool pasted in front of my eyes.
Only the outline of the house could be vaguely seen.
Jiang Mu tried to extend his divine sense outwards, but found that he could only detect a distance of about thirty meters around him at most.
It can cover about one or two neighboring houses.
Further outwards, it was as if the divine sense had hit a soft wall, and it couldn't push it out no matter what it did.
Jiang Mu cautiously groped her way forward.
A moment later, his divine sense detected a faint presence in a farmhouse about twenty meters to his left.
Jiang Mu walked over and pushed open the slightly ajar door.
The room was extremely dark.
Jiang Mu saw a stiff villager's corpse lying on the ground, with a large hole torn open in its chest by sharp claws.
Behind the water vat in the corner of the room, a young demon-slaying guard covered in blood was curled up.
Jiang Mu recognized this person.
He was one of Xu Fu's underlings, surnamed Liu.
He usually runs errands for Xu Fu.
"Hall Master Jiang?!"
The young demon-slaying guard, upon hearing the commotion, had initially raised his sword in preparation for a desperate fight, but upon recognizing Jiang Mu, he froze in shock.
Jiang Mu glanced at the villagers' corpses on the ground and asked, "Where is Xu Fu?"
Xiao Liu shook his head painfully and gritted his teeth, saying:
"I don't know. When we followed Master Xu in, there wasn't this layer of black smoke outside. After we entered the village, the smoke suddenly billowed up from underground, and everyone was scattered."
By the way, Hall Master Jiang…”
He suddenly said urgently, "There's another person from our Demon Slayer Division in this village, Duanmu Li. I remember that girl is one of yours, right?" A-Li?!
Jiang Mu's pupils contracted.
How did that girl end up in such a awful place?
But upon further reflection, I quickly understood.
Lan Rou'er had mentioned before that Chu Lingzhu was going out of the city to visit a patient. Jiang Mu was worried about the safety of the two young girls on the road, so he asked Duanmu Li to go along as a guard.
Unexpectedly, the place they came to see a doctor was actually Shuer Village.
In other words, Chu Lingzhu, Lan Rou'er, and Duanmu Li are all currently in this village besieged by demons.
However, thinking back, the last time Chu Lingzhu encountered trouble while seeking medical treatment was also in this Shuer Village.
"You saw her with your own eyes?"
Jiang Mu suppressed the agitation in his heart and asked.
Xiao Liu nodded quickly: "She's the one who saved me. I encountered a monster after I got separated from my group, and it was Miss Duanmu who suddenly appeared and saved me." "Was there anyone else with her?" Jiang Mu pressed.
"No, she's alone."
Xiao Liu recalled, "She told me to find a place to hide and not to run around, saying that she was going to find her friend."
Jiang Mu's heart sank.
They got separated.
Jiang Mu then asked in a deep voice, "Besides those two sixth-tier black bear demons, have you seen any other demons or villagers?"
"no."
The Demon Slayer shook his head again. "When Master Xu and I came in, apart from a few villagers' corpses, we didn't see a single living person in the village. The demons were also hiding in the black smoke, appearing and disappearing like ghosts. I didn't even get a clear look at their true forms before I was scratched."
"Take it."
Jiang Mu took out a healing pill, tossed it over, and instructed, "Stay here and don't go out!"
After saying that, Jiang Mu walked out of the house and entered the black mist to continue his investigation.
It's not hard to deduce from Xiao Liu's words that when they came in, they didn't see any other living villagers besides a few corpses.
This matches Wang Chunda's guess.
Whether the monsters went to great lengths to seal off the village with black smoke was some kind of blood sacrifice, but the vast majority of the villagers were definitely being held captive in a specific place.
I just don't know where Chu Lingzhu and Rou'er are now.
Were they also detained together?
Jiang Mu's gaze narrowed slightly, and she gently touched her brow with two fingers together.
[Spiritual Divination]!
Soon, a glaring scarlet character for "ominous" began to flicker eerily on the right side.
Jiang Mu immediately followed the guidance of the character "凶" (ominous) and sped off.
Just as they approached a farmhouse, a woman screamed.
Jiang Mu leaped onto the top of the wall and took a closer look.
In the courtyard, two large, muscular hyenas were banging against the door of a side room.
The already dilapidated wooden door had been smashed in half and was on the verge of collapse.
In the shadows behind the door, a frail woman sat slumped, trembling.
It was Lan Rou'er!
Jiang Mu waved his arm, and the Wangchuan Flying Sword silently flew out.
The sword light drew a silver line through the black smoke, piercing through the heads of the two hyenas in an instant.
Before the monster could even utter a sound, its body crashed to the ground, splattering a ring of black blood.
Lan Rou'er was huddled in the corner, hugging her knees and trembling.
Suddenly the crashing sounds outside stopped, and then a figure darted into the house.
She screamed in fright and shrank back half an inch into the corner.
Upon recognizing Jiang Mu, the girl's teary almond-shaped eyes widened in surprise for a moment, then burst into delight:
"Brother Jiang!"
Jiang Mu looked around. She was the only one in the room; Chu Lingzhu and Duanmu Li were not there.
He asked in a deep voice, "Where is Lingzhu?"
Lan Rou'er shook her head, tears streaming down her face like a broken string: "I don't know... we got separated."
Seeing her fall to the ground, clutching her right ankle, Jiang Mu squatted down and asked:
"Are you injured?"
Lan Rou'er nodded with red eyes and a pitiful expression.
Jiang Mu didn't shy away from it and directly reached out to remove the embroidered shoes and stockings from the girl's feet.
Her slender ankle was swollen and purplish-red.
He placed his palm on the girl's ankle, channeling his gentle spiritual energy to slowly infuse it into her, relieving her pain and reducing swelling.
While gently massaging and soothing the girl's nearly collapsing emotions, he asked:
"Don't be afraid, I'm here. Tell me in detail what happened after you entered the village?"
A shy blush rose to Lan Rou'er's cheeks. She gently bit her lower lip and whispered:
"Lingzhu and I had just finished examining the patient in the village, and he was perfectly fine. But suddenly, the villagers outside all ran out in terror, as if they were possessed."
Lingzhu and I didn't know what had happened. We were just about to leave the village when this black smoke suddenly rose up all around us... and then, I couldn't find her anymore.
Jiang Mu's eyes flickered slightly as he looked up at her:
Do you know exactly which direction those villagers ran in?
Lan Rou'er nodded repeatedly:
"I know that when I was running for my life, I accidentally glimpsed some people gathered together, but I was scared and didn't dare to go near them. But I was still discovered later."
They set their dogs on me, and I ran all the way here, twisting my ankle in the process.
"take me."
Jiang Mu felt that the redness and swelling under his palm had subsided by most, so he withdrew his hand, patted the girl's slender shoulder, and comforted her gently, "Don't be afraid, I'm here for you, everything will be alright."
"Yes, I'm not afraid with Brother Jiang here."
Lan Rou'er nodded vigorously.
She tried to stand up, supporting herself with her hands on the ground.
But as soon as her toes touched the ground, she gasped in pain, her brows furrowing in agony, her face turning pale.
His thin body swayed, then he slumped back down.
His eyes were filled with tears.
Seeing this, Jiang Mu turned around without saying a word: "Get on, I'll carry you."
"Thank you, Brother Jiang..."
The girl looked at the man's broad back, her face flushed, and then she timidly put her hands on his shoulders.
Her soft body stiffened slightly when it pressed against his back, then she carefully leaned down on him.
Jiang Mu reached behind her with both hands, supporting the girl's legs, and easily carried her on his back.
Jiang Mu carried her out of the house.
Lan Rou'er leaned on the man's shoulder and pointed to the right with her slender finger: "Go that way."
"Didn't you see Ah Li either?" Jiang Mu asked as they walked.
"no."
Lan Rou'er shook her head, a few strands of her hair brushing against the man's neck.
"When you first entered the village, did A-Li notice anything unusual or smell any demonic energy?" Jiang Mu continued to ask. "That girl is, after all, a sixth-realm demonic cultivator, and her perception of demons is always very sharp."
Lan Rou'er answered weakly:
"Ah Li seemed to have mentioned that something felt off... but Ling Zhu was in a hurry to treat the patient at the time, so she didn't pay much attention." The girl's tone was tinged with self-reproach as she said this:
"It's also Lingzhu's and my fault. Neither of us has any cultivation, and we've been a burden to Sister A-Li. If we had run faster and weren't such a hindrance, perhaps we could have left this place together..."
Jiang Mu didn't reply, but silently carried the girl through the smoke-filled village.
His divine sense spread out like a spider web, sweeping across the surroundings inch by inch.
Guided by Lan Rou'er, the two arrived at a dilapidated old Taoist temple in the village.
The courtyard wall of the Taoist temple has collapsed, and a section of the eaves is missing.
Large patches of dark brown bloodstains were scattered on the muddy ground outside the Taoist temple. Some of the bloodstains had dried and turned black, while others were still slightly sticky.
Lan Rou'er asked in confusion:
"Strange, when I passed by here before, I clearly saw a lot of villagers here, how come there is not a single person here now?" Jiang Mu carried her across the threshold and walked into the Taoist temple.
The main hall was completely empty.
The statue of the deity enshrined in the center is only half a body, with an uneven break at the end.
Strangely, on the dusty offering table, lay a blood-soaked sheep's head.
Jiang Mu placed Lan Rou'er on the low stool next to him.
He walked up to the offering and picked up the sheep's head to examine it closely.
The sheep's eyes were half-closed, and its pupils were cloudy, indicating that it had been sitting there for some time.
Moreover, this is not the head of a demon, but the head of an ordinary domestic animal, a sheep.
Jiang Mu reached out and picked up the sheep's head.
"Bang!"
Just then, the two wooden doors of the Taoist temple suddenly closed.
Immediately afterwards, black iron chains appeared out of thin air on the doors and windows, intertwining and clattering, sealing the Taoist temple completely. Lan Rou'er gasped and covered her mouth with both hands.
Jiang Mu ignored the commotion behind him.
He was staring intently at a small, dark red pattern etched in the center of the ram's forehead.
It was a pattern of a small red umbrella.
"Red Umbrella Sect Leader".
Jiang Mu muttered to herself.
He turned to look at the frail-looking Lan Rou'er and said calmly:
"So, after acting all this time around me, you're ready to make your move right here?"
"It seems you ultimately lack confidence in your own abilities. After all, I gave you many opportunities to ambush me along the way." "What?"
Lan Rou'er blinked her misty eyes, looking completely bewildered. "Jiang Congshi, are you talking to me?"
Jiang Mu suddenly swung his arm.
"laugh!"
A crimson blade of energy swept directly across the girl's slender neck.
They chopped off his head.