Chapter 24 - 18: Angry Bai Xiang
Inside the Demon-slaying Bureau.
By the time the Zhang Brothers pushed their cart in, a large crowd had already gathered in the courtyard.
Clearly, news traveled faster than wheels.
As they stared at the cart piled high with demon corpses, the courtyard, once filled with whispers, instantly fell deathly silent.
THUD!
Zhang Xiaokui brought the flatbed cart to a halt. Without bothering to wipe the blood and sweat from his face, he took out the official document Jiang Mu had written beforehand and strode before the Lord Chief, Ran Qingshan:
"Reporting to the Lord Chief! Lord Jiang, Hall Master of the Eighth Hall, personally led his subordinates, Zhang Daxie and Zhang Xiaokui, to Dragon Head Mountain to carry out a demon-slaying mission.
We have now identified and annihilated a demon nest entrenched in the area, killing one Tier Three demon, one Tier Two demon, and five Tier One demons. The bodies are here for your inspection, my lord!"
Ran Qingshan’s eyelid twitched.
He took the document and walked over to the cart.
His gaze swept over the demon corpses on the cart, finally settling on the headless Tier Three weasel demon.
Zhang Xiaokui followed behind him, chin held high, a wide grin plastered on his face the entire time.
He looked the very picture of smug triumph.
"And Lord Jiang?"
Ran Qingshan asked. "Why didn’t he come with you?"
"Our lord, he..."
Just as Zhang Xiaokui was about to speak, Zhang Daxie beside him stepped forward first, cupped his fist, and said:
"Reporting to the Lord Chief, Lord Jiang expended a great deal of vital energy while fighting the demons and has returned to rest and recuperate. He specifically ordered my brother and me to come and report back."
As he spoke, he took a mud-caked bundle from the cart and shook it open in front of everyone.
RUSTLE.
Several tattered, blood-stained coarse cloth garments and other items fell to the ground.
Zhang Daxie said in a low, serious voice:
"My lord, we found these inside the demon’s cave. Upon inspection, they are the personal belongings of the villagers who went missing near Dragon Head Mountain recently. We can confirm that this demon was the true culprit behind the string of murders."
Ran Qingshan’s gaze shifted to Wen He, whose face had turned livid.
"Master Wen, you’ve been in charge of the Dragon Head Mountain case. You should be the most familiar with this evidence and this demon’s aura. Come and take a look. Can you confirm it?"
The fat on Wen He’s cheeks twitched.
He felt as if everyone’s eyes were needles, pricking his face.
He stepped forward, glanced at the items, and said sullenly, "...The aura matches. It should be correct."
Then, he suddenly turned to stare at Zhang Xiaokui and demanded in a harsh voice:
"Since you found a clue about the demon, why didn’t you report to me first? This case belongs to the Third Hall—that’s the Bureau’s rule! Do you have any respect for the hierarchy? Any respect for me, your..."
"Lord Wen!"
Zhang Xiaokui cut him off directly.
"I’m part of the Eighth Hall now, one of Lord Jiang’s men. If I have intelligence, I should report it to my own Hall Master first. Why would I report to you?"
"You—"
Zhang Daxie took a step forward and cupped his hands.
"Lord Wen, please calm your anger. It’s not that we wanted to steal your credit, but we had to act according to the circumstances."
"When we first received the tip, we didn’t know this demon was connected to the old case on Dragon Head Mountain.
Master Jiang considered that demons are cunning and worried it might catch wind of us and flee, so he decided to strike immediately. It wasn’t until after we destroyed the demon nest that we discovered the villagers’ belongings."
Zhang Daxie was, after all, more considerate and thorough.
According to the Bureau’s regulations, once a related clue was found, they were supposed to inform the Hall in charge of the case promptly.
This explanation, at least, gave them a justifiable reason.
’We were eliminating a threat to the common people. If you keep hounding us about this, it means you care more about fighting for credit than the lives of the people.’
Wen He was choked speechless.
Finally, he let out a sneer. "Master Jiang certainly has good luck!"
With that, he flicked his sleeve forcefully and turned to leave.
The other Hall Masters were just enjoying the show. After all, they weren’t the ones being humiliated. They were all rivals anyway and were happy to see someone else suffer a setback.
The former colleagues from the Third Hall looked at the Zhang Brothers with envy practically spilling from their eyes.
But envy was one thing; they definitely wouldn’t be willing to go to the Eighth Hall themselves.
After all, you couldn’t get this lucky every time.
At this thought, they all sneered inwardly. ’Just you wait. Let’s see how long you can stay so smug.’
Ran Qingshan sighed to himself.
’This Jiang Chen... he really knows how to keep things interesting.’
...
Jiang Mu paid no mind to the commotion at the Bureau.
As soon as he entered the back courtyard, he saw two figures, one tall and one small, busy in the vegetable garden.
Bai Xiang was bent over, her waist as slender as a willow branch, carefully banking soil around a few newly planted vegetable seedlings. Her silhouette was as tranquil as a painting.
Yuan Ahqing followed beside her, carrying a small wooden bucket.
The warm golden sunset cast a beautiful halo of light around the two of them.
Hearing footsteps, Yuan Ahqing was the first to look up. Seeing it was Jiang Mu, her eyes lit up. She quickly wiped her hands on her apron and trotted over to greet him.
"Master, you’re back? I’ve already heated the water. Would you like to bathe now?"
"Yes, thank you."
Jiang Mu sniffed at the foul, fishy stench of demon on his clothes; it was indeed quite pungent.
"It’s no trouble at all!"
The little girl replied in a bright, clear voice, then turned and scurried toward the kitchen.
Jiang Mu walked to the edge of the vegetable garden. Watching the busy, graceful figure, he smiled and said, "Should I hire a helper for you? This courtyard isn’t small, and with gardening and housework, I’m afraid it might be too much for you both."
Bai Xiang straightened her willow-like waist and turned around.
She gently shook her head, then pointed a slender finger toward Yuan Ahqing, who was running to the kitchen, indicating that the girl’s help was enough.
Jiang Mu nodded. "True. It’s better to have some peace and quiet."
His tone shifted, and he suddenly asked, "Xiang’Er, do you want to learn martial arts, too?"
Bai Xiang froze, her expression turning a little strange.
Jiang Mu wasn’t joking.
He had been thinking about it on the way back. After joining the Demon-slaying Bureau, he was bound to kill many demons and make enemies.
Although demons wouldn’t dare to openly enter the city for revenge, it’s easy to dodge a spear in the open but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark.
There was no guarantee his family wouldn’t be affected.
The tragic annihilation of the Jiang family was a bloody lesson.
Now, with these two defenseless women in the house, it would be troublesome if a demon really did sneak in while he was away.
Bai Xiang blinked and gestured with her hands:
"I’m a coward. I’m terrified of all the fighting and killing, so I don’t want to learn. Besides, at my age, my body is already set. How could I possibly achieve anything?"
"What’s there to be afraid of in a fight?"
Jiang Mu pursed his lips, his gaze sweeping over her before he replied reflexively,
"But you’re not wrong. You really are old now, so you wouldn’t achieve much anyway."
The moment the words left his mouth,
he suddenly felt the surrounding air drop by several degrees.
Jiang Mu looked up.
Bai Xiang was gazing at him with a smile.
Her eyes, usually as gentle as autumn waters, were now curved into beautiful crescent moons.
Her gaze flowed with a natural charm.
But from those smiling, crescent-shaped eyes, Jiang Mu could read a murderous intent, as if she were sharpening her knives.
"What are you looking at? Was I wrong?"
Jiang Mu refused to indulge this woman. "Even though you have a great figure, a great aura, and on the outside you look about the same age as Ah Qing, like a sixteen-year-old girl, you’ve still missed the best age for cultivation."
With that, he snorted coldly and turned to head for his room.
Bai Xiang watched the man’s retreating back, the curve of her lips deepening. The hint of invisible killing intent from a moment ago instantly vanished, replaced by a faint, amused smile.
She raised a hand to touch her cheek.
Her rosy lips pouted slightly, and with a hint of playful indignation and resentment, she mumbled under her breath:
"What a stupid mask. Couldn’t they have made it look a little younger? Getting called old for no reason..."
She had come to the Great Qing at sixteen.
Now, she was only twenty. How was that old?
...
After Yuan Ahqing had prepared the hot water, Jiang Mu took a long, comfortable bath, washing away all the blood and exhaustion.
Changing into a set of clean, dry clothes, he walked out of his room to see Yuan Ahqing already sitting in front of a large wooden basin under the eaves, scrubbing the pile of dirty clothes he had taken off.
The little girl’s frame hadn’t fully developed yet; she looked like a skinny little kitten.
The huge wooden basin was almost large enough to fit her entire body.
She had her sleeves rolled up, her small face slightly flushed from the effort, and tiny beads of sweat dotted the tip of her nose.
’This is a sin...’
Watching her serious, adult-like expression, Jiang Mu was struck by a pang of guilt.
’In my past life, I’d have been strung up on a lamppost for this, publicly shamed and labeled for exploiting child labor.’
But in all fairness, Yuan Ahqing’s arrival had indeed solved a lot of practical problems.
While Bai Xiang was happy to handle the three daily meals, tend to the flowers, and even manage his accounts, she politely but firmly refused to touch his smelly, cast-off clothes.
Before, Jiang Mu had always had to wash them himself, a miserable chore.
Now, with this diligent little helper, things were certainly much easier.
"Ah Qing."
Jiang Mu walked over, unable to stop himself from speaking.
"This fabric is thick and gets very heavy when it’s wet. If you’re tired, take a break. Or just leave them, and I’ll wash them myself after I’m done training. You don’t have to work so hard."
Yuan Ahqing heard his voice and quickly looked up.
She used the back of her hand to wipe the sweat and foam from her cheek, revealing a row of small, white teeth in a clean, pure smile:
"Master, I’m not tired! These clothes aren’t even as heavy as the firewood I used to carry at home. I’m really strong!"
Jiang Mu knew the girl was stubborn and extremely insecure, always trying to prove her worth by working, so he didn’t insist.
He was about to head to the sandpit when a thought suddenly struck him.
"Ah Qing, I remember you’re ten this year, right?"
"Master, I’m eleven," Yuan Ahqing replied in her clear voice.
Jiang Mu’s eyes lit up.
Xu Fu had once said that the ages of nine to twelve were the golden period for tempering one’s body and beginning cultivation.
This girl was right in that golden window.
’I just don’t know what her innate talent is like... Ah, whatever. We’ll just start her training and see!’
’With her hardworking nature, even if her talent is average, as long as she’s willing to put in the effort, she can at least learn some skills for self-defense.’
’It’ll be an extra layer of security for the household in the future.’
Thinking of this, Jiang Mu made his decision on the spot.
"Ah Qing, after you finish the laundry, come to the sandpit. I’ll teach you how to cultivate."
"Cul... cultivate?"
Yuan Ahqing looked completely bewildered.