Turns Out I'm the Real Monster?!

After summoning his subordinates at his Government Office, Yan Fenghuo set out with Jiang Mu, heading straight out of the city.

Their horses’ hooves shattered the thin mist as they galloped north along the main road.

Along the way, the Demon Slayer Envoys from the Fourth Hall frequently glanced over, their eyes sizing up Jiang Mu.

These hardened soldiers were more than a little curious about this Hall Master of the Eighth Hall, who had recently become the talk of the Bureau—rumored to be as good at slaying demons as he was at "slaying" other men’s wives.

’But Jiang Mu was also secretly sizing them up.’

’He might not like Yan Fenghuo, but the man’s soldiers were the real deal.’

All eighteen of them stood with ramrod-straight backs and sharp gazes, exuding an Evil Qi honed by countless battles.

No wonder they were called the "tip of the spear" of the Hu State Demon-slaying Bureau.

’They’re leagues better than the rabble under that old turtle Wen He.’

"Master Jiang."

A young man of about twenty-five or twenty-six rode closer, cupped his fist toward Jiang Mu, and grinned.

"I am Ma Wenliu. I’ve long heard of Master Jiang’s great name."

"I heard that a while back, Master Jiang and just one of his men killed over fifty Snake Demons in Heitu Village in one go? A feat like that is truly admirable."

Before Jiang Mu could speak, he continued on his own.

"But I also heard that most of those Snake Demons were just little Tier One or Tier Two Demons. Master Jiang might not know this, but between Demons, the difference of a single tier is like that between heaven and earth."

"It’s like the difference between killing fifty chickens and killing a single fierce tiger. They’re two completely different concepts."

"If it were fifty Tier Three Demons instead, I wonder... would Master Jiang still dare to go kill them?"

Jiang Mu said flatly, "I suppose I would."

Ma Wenliu chuckled, then changed the subject. "Does Master Jiang know our Master Yan’s nickname?"

"I haven’t."

In fact, Jiang Mu had heard the title "Desperate Yama," but he was just playing along.

Ma Wenliu said proudly:

"He’s called ’Desperate Yama’!"

"Ten years ago, our Hall Master’s Cultivation Level was only at the Third Realm. On a mission, he accidentally entered a demon mountain occupied by over forty Demons, including three at the peak of Tier Three!"

"Anyone else would have pissed their pants and run for their lives."

"But our Hall Master, armed with nothing but a Broken Blade, fought his way from the foot of the mountain to the summit and back down again for three days and three nights. Rivers of blood flowed, and he didn’t even bat an eye..."

"If he didn’t blink for that long, wouldn’t his eyes get dry?" Jiang Mu asked.

"..."

For a moment, Ma Wenliu didn’t know how to respond.

He cleared his throat with a dry cough and continued.

"That’s just one story. The reason our Fourth Hall is called the ’tip of the spear’ is because we’re reckless when we kill demons."

"What others fear, we don’t necessarily fear. When others back down, we never do."

"Take this time, for example. There are over seventy Demons hiding in Black Wind Valley. Any other hall would need at least thirty or forty men to dare take the job. But our Fourth Hall? We only sent eighteen."

"We even think this many men is a bit of a waste."

Ma Wenliu raised his chin proudly.

"So, when the extermination starts later, Master Jiang should just stick close to us. As long as we’re here, we’ll guarantee your safety."

Jiang Mu nodded calmly.

Seeing this, Ma Wenliu curled his lip and said no more.

’He believed that once the fighting truly began, this Master Jiang would be stunned by their style.’

’The few halls that had cooperated with them before had all been scared witless by the Fourth Hall’s ’craziness,’ and never dared to team up with them again.’

’It couldn’t be helped. Not everyone dared to put their life on the line to slay demons.’

’In Xu Fu’s words: they’re a bunch of lunatics!’

Ma Wenliu glanced at Jiang Mu’s profile out of the corner of his eye.

’Rumor in the Bureau was that this Master Jiang was also a demon-slaying madman. Today, he would show him what a real madman looked like.’

...

「Half an hour later, the group arrived at Black Wind Valley.」

Scouts were already waiting at the valley entrance.

Seeing Yan Fenghuo and his men arrive, one hurried forward.

"Master Yan, it’s confirmed. The Wolf Demon ’Black Wind’ and his pack are holed up at ’Eagle’s Beak Rock’ inside the valley."

As he spoke, he handed over a hand-drawn topographical map.

Yan Fenghuo took the map, unfurled it for a closer look, then looked up to observe the surrounding terrain.

A moment later, he began assigning tasks.

Who would guard the eastern pass, who would circle around to cut off the retreat, who would be responsible for clearing the outer sentries...

His orders were clear and decisive.

After laying out the tactics, Yan Fenghuo turned to Jiang Mu, his expression unreadable.

"Master Jiang, anything to add?"

Jiang Mu shook his head. "You’re the professional. I’ll follow your lead."

"Then you’ll move with me."

Yan Fenghuo folded the map, his tone flat. "When the fighting starts, my brothers will get caught up in the killing frenzy. They might not be able to look out for you. Be careful."

With that, he headed down the small path into the valley.

Using the rocks for cover, the group quickly crept toward the outskirts of the Wolf Demon’s lair.

Ahead was a simple stockade built from massive logs and animal bones. A few lesser, wolf-headed demons walking on two legs patrolled with bone clubs on their shoulders.

Yan Fenghuo gave a hand signal to his subordinates flanking from the other side.

SWISH! SWISH!

Crossbow bolts sliced through the air, accurately piercing the lesser demons’ throats.

The lesser demons collapsed without even managing to make a sound.

The team continued to advance.

Jiang Mu followed at the rear, observing with a cool detachment.

These Demon Slayer Envoys of the Fourth Hall moved swiftly and with perfect coordination. One would stand guard, two would deliver the finishing blows, and three would clean up the tracks...

The entire process was as smooth as flowing water, clearly honed through long-term practice and tempered in the crucible of battle.

’They really know their stuff.’

As the outer lesser demons were eliminated one by one, the demons patrolling inside the stockade finally sensed that something was wrong.

A jackal demon sniffed the air and suddenly shrieked, "Ambush! There are—"

Before it could finish, a flash of a blade arrived.

Yan Fenghuo moved like a phantom. His blade swept across, and the jackal demon’s head flew into the air.

"Kill them! Leave no one alive!"

He roared and was the first to charge into the stockade.

Jiang Mu drew his blade and followed close behind.

The stockade instantly erupted into chaos as Demons swarmed in from all directions.

But the Fourth Hall’s men held their formation. In groups of three, they fought back-to-back, a web of flashing blades shredding any demon that lunged at them.

Jiang Mu wanted to act, but he found there was almost no room for him to intervene.

Any Demon that rushed him was always dealt with first by Yan Fenghuo or a nearby Demon Slayer Envoy.

So he gladly took the opportunity to relax.

He just followed at the rear, absorbing the Demonic Qi dissipating from the dead Demons.

He was the very picture of a battlefield scavenger.

Just as the slaughter was at its peak, a wolf’s howl exploded from deep within the stockade.

The sound wave rolled out, making the wooden fence tremble and shake.

The next moment, a massive black shadow shot out from the inner nest, landing with a BOOM on a high stone platform.

It was a giant wolf, pitch-black from head to tail.

It stood nearly ten feet tall at the shoulder, its body a mass of knotted muscle. Its eerie green eyes glowed with a savage light.

"You hounds of the Demon-slaying Bureau... you all deserve to die!"

"Black Wind!"

Yan Fenghuo’s gaze sharpened, and he subconsciously glanced at Jiang Mu.

Seeing the latter’s expression remain unchanged, Yan Fenghuo frowned. He then pointed to a narrow pass on the right. "Master Jiang, go guard that spot. Prevent any other Demons or the Wolf King from escaping."

’He was going to deliberately lure the Wolf King there, forcing a one-on-one confrontation for Jiang Mu.’

Jiang Mu couldn’t be bothered to ask questions and simply turned and walked toward the pass.

Seeing Jiang Mu leave, Yan Fenghuo brandished his long blade and charged straight for the Wolf Demon, "Black Wind."

...

Jiang Mu reached the pass and stood guard.

Just as Yan Fenghuo had said, plenty of stragglers tried to flee through here, but they were all just little Tier One and Tier Two Demons.

Jiang Mu didn’t turn any away. With a few flashes of his blade, he slaughtered them all.

As he absorbed the Demonic Qi, he pondered to himself.

’Logically, the Fourth Hall was more than capable of exterminating a demon nest of this size on their own. Why did they insist on bringing him along?’

’And Yan Fenghuo’s attitude was quite contradictory.’

’He had him participate, yet subtly excluded him from the core of the operation.’

’Something about this was very wrong.’

Gradually, a suspicion began to form in his mind.

Jiang Mu’s expression darkened.

Recalling Yan Fenghuo’s accusation at the Shen Mansion—that he had "killed the demon to silence it"—he took a deep breath and muttered to himself:

"This isn’t good... I’d better be on my guard, or I might get blindsided."

Just as he was lost in thought, a tall, black figure suddenly came staggering toward him.

It was the Wolf Demon, Black Wind!

He was covered in blood, with a massive gash across his abdomen that was bleeding profusely. His left leg was also lame.

As luck would have it, he was fleeing right in the direction of the pass Jiang Mu was guarding.

The man and the demon came face-to-face.

Seeing someone in its path, Black Wind hastily skidded to a halt. But when it got a clear look at the person’s face, its expression immediately turned to shock.

"It’s you!?"

"Jiang, what are you doing here?"

Yan Fenghuo, who was hiding and observing from a distance, felt his heart leap as a rapturous light burst forth in his eyes.

’It’s confirmed!’

’They really do know each other!’

Yan Fenghuo gritted his teeth. "That kid really is the mole!"