Chapter 21 - 15: Not a Day Longer
For the next few days, Jiang Mu continued his usual routine of cultivating in seclusion at home.
Unfortunately, without his father’s powerful boost, his progress in both the Body Casting Skill and the Heaven-Breaking Eight Skills was painfully slow.
During this time, he went to the Demon-slaying Bureau several times to ask Ran Qingshan for an assignment, but Ran Qingshan seemed to be deliberately avoiding him.
The other Hall Masters were polite enough, exchanging pleasantries whenever they saw him, but they never once mentioned teaming up for a mission.
This left Jiang Mu feeling incredibly frustrated.
He even considered heading out to the barren wilderness outside the city to try his luck alone. But after taking stock of his First Realm Cultivation Level, he ultimately restrained himself.
When you’re not strong enough, being reckless is just suicide.
「One day.」
After some coaxing and cajoling from Bai Xiang, Yuan Ahqing finally agreed to sit at the dinner table and eat.
But the little girl was still terrified.
She only dared to perch on the edge of her stool, head bowed as she picked at her rice in small bites, too afraid to reach for any of the dishes on the table.
Jiang Mu placed a piece of braised pork in her bowl and said casually,
"By the way, I forgot to tell you. We’ve identified the culprits who harmed your father. It was a den of fox demons.
"Your father probably trespassed on their territory while looking for medicinal herbs in the mountains and was afflicted with a demonic poison. The Demon-slaying Bureau has already wiped out that den of foxes, so in a way, your father has been avenged."
He’d heard from Bai Xiang over the past few days that the girl was often plagued by nightmares.
Sometimes, she would even throw little punches in her sleep, shouting things like, "I’ll kill you, you demon!"
Jiang Mu suspected the girl was still bottling up a great deal of hatred and obsession toward demons, so he told her the news, hoping it would alleviate some of her bitterness.
Unexpectedly, Yuan Ahqing just shook her head softly and whispered,
"Sir, my father wasn’t killed by foxes."
"Hmm?"
Jiang Mu’s chopsticks paused.
"It was Immortal Huang." Yuan Ahqing looked up. "My father was killed by Immortal Huang."
"Immortal Huang? A yellow weasel?"
Jiang Mu was taken aback. "How do you know?"
"For the first two days after my father returned, he had a high fever and was delirious."
Yuan Ahqing’s voice was faint, but her words were clear.
"When I was giving him water, he said that ’Immortal Huang’ had told him about a Blood Ganoderma that could cure any illness... He said he’d been tricked, that the Immortal was actually a demon."
Jiang Mu’s brow furrowed.
"When the officials from the Demon-slaying Bureau were asking questions, you didn’t tell them any of this?"
Yuan Ahqing shook her head. "They never asked me, only Granny. But she knows."
Jiang Mu grew even more suspicious.
’How strange.’
Ran Qingshan had told him explicitly that the Bureau had questioned Elder Wu’s mother, Granny Yuan. She had only said that her son had "heard from somewhere about a Snow Ganoderma and went into the mountains to find it."
’If Granny Yuan knew Immortal Huang was behind it, why would she hide it?’
’Unless...’
A possibility suddenly occurred to Jiang Mu. He stared at Yuan Ahqing and asked, "Are there many people in your village who know about this ’Immortal Huang’?"
"Lots!"
Yuan Ahqing nodded emphatically.
"A lot of people know about him. They say Immortal Huang is a real god who can bless them with good weather and protect them from disaster. They also say that as long as you worship him sincerely, even if this life is hard, you’ll be reborn into a good family and live a happy life.
"Everyone believes in him. But my mother once secretly told me that Immortal Huang is a liar, a demon. But Granny and my father both believed. My father only stopped believing right before he died."
’So that’s how it is!’
A chill ran down Jiang Mu’s spine.
This so-called "Immortal Huang" had already become an object of faith for some of the villagers.
He was even a source of spiritual comfort.
No wonder Granny Yuan would rather conceal the truth than report him to the Demon-slaying Bureau. In her mind, the Bureau represented the government—outsiders—while Immortal Huang was the god who could grant them salvation.
’How tragic.’
Jiang Mu was reminded of the idle talk he’d had with the ruffian Zhang A’wu.
He’d said that over in Yan City, some commoners were worshipping demons.
It seemed that in these desperate times, some demons had learned to exploit people’s suffering and fear to fashion themselves into deities.
"Ah Qing, have you ever seen this Immortal Huang?"
Jiang Mu pressed.
Yuan Ahqing shook her head.
"I’ve never seen him. The village elders say Immortal Huang is very powerful, that he can ride the clouds and mists, so he isn’t around here very often.
"But Granny once secretly took me to give offerings and kowtow to one of Immortal Huang’s sons. Very few people know about it."
Jiang Mu’s eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward. "Do you remember where this son of Immortal Huang was?"
"I do."
Yuan Ahqing said, "It’s on Dragon Head Mountain."
’Dragon Head Mountain!’
Jiang Mu’s heart skipped a beat.
’Last month, at a Bureau meeting, Ran Qingshan mentioned a murder case outside the city... wasn’t Dragon Head Mountain the very place where they found the bodies of several villagers?’
At the time, the case was assigned to Wen He of the Third Hall and Xu Fu of the Seventh Hall.
Xu Fu later told him that their investigation had revealed the culprit to be a Tier Two demon.
But the beast was too wary and was never caught. They presumed it was a transient demon that had already fled, so the case was temporarily shelved.
’Could it be related to this son of Immortal Huang?’
"Ah Qing, describe the place to me in detail," Jiang Mu said in a low voice.
After getting a clear description of the location and its features, Jiang Mu was about seventy or eighty percent certain.
He quickly finished the rest of the rice in his bowl and hurried toward his Government Office.
...
Jiang Mu rushed all the way to the Government Office.
As he stepped into the deserted courtyard, he saw a bare-chested Zhang Xiaokui practicing with his saber.
He was practicing the Heaven-Breaking Eight Skills, of all things.
Although he had only reached a minor level of mastery, his foundation as a peak Second Realm cultivator was solid. Every slash tore through the air with a powerful, commanding presence.
"Hmm, not bad."
Jiang Mu remarked after watching for a moment.
Zhang Xiaokui faltered for a second, shot him a look, then ignored him and resumed swinging his saber.
He scoffed inwardly:
’Like I need you to tell me if I’m good or not?’
’What could you possibly know about it?’
Nearby, under the eaves of the corridor, his older brother, Zhang Daxie, was polishing his weapon. When he saw Jiang Mu arrive, he quickly set down his work, walked over, and clasped his hands in a salute.
"Greetings, Sir."
Jiang Mu got straight to the point.
"I heard that you two brothers used to be subordinates of Master Wen He of the Third Hall, is that right?"
Zhang Daxie’s expression faltered, and he nodded bitterly. "Yes."
Jiang Mu continued,
"I recall that a while ago, Master Wen He was in charge of investigating a demon case on Dragon Head Mountain, and you two were involved. What’s the status of that case? Did you catch the demon?"
Zhang Daxie didn’t understand why Jiang Mu was asking about this, but he answered truthfully,
"To answer your question, Sir, no, we didn’t. We searched the mountains for several days but couldn’t find the demon’s lair. We later concluded that it was a transient demon, and it had likely already fled."
"I heard from Xu Fu that the demon was classified as Tier Two, correct?"
"That’s right. Based on the evidence at the scene and the residual demonic aura, it was most likely a yellow weasel demon. That type of demon is extremely cunning and notoriously difficult to catch."
’It’s a lock!’
A sense of certainty settled in Jiang Mu’s heart.
’If they didn’t catch it, that means the "goods" are still out there.’
’This is the perfect opportunity to recharge my cheat!’
He took a deep breath, a flicker of excitement in his eyes. "Get ready. We’re going on a mission."
"A mission?"
Zhang Daxie was stunned. "Was it assigned by the Lord Chief?"
Zhang Xiaokui, who had been practicing, stopped as well. He stabbed his saber into the ground, sauntered over with a smirk, and said sarcastically,
"What kind of ’real’ mission could it be? Probably just helping the county office collect taxes in some village, or maybe helping some rich family move their furniture and find their lost pets."
Jiang Mu said, "We’re going to Dragon Head Mountain to find that yellow weasel demon."
The two brothers froze.
Without waiting for them to ask any questions, Jiang Mu headed for the records office to draft a preliminary report for the operation.
’I can act now and deal with the paperwork later.’
Staring at Jiang Mu’s retreating back, Zhang Xiaokui’s eyes widened as he muttered,
"Is this guy so bored he’s lost his mind? They already said the beast is long gone, and he wants to go on a wild goose chase? I think he’s just making trouble for fun and messing with us!"
Zhang Daxie didn’t understand the situation either. He patted his younger brother’s shoulder.
"Alright, that’s enough. Since the Sir has given the order, we just have to follow it. If we really do find a lead on that demon, it would be a great accomplishment."
"Tch. Find what? My ass? You go if you want. I’m not interested in going crazy with this spoiled brat."
But despite his words, Zhang Xiaokui pulled his saber from the ground, still cursing under his breath, and turned to get dressed.
After taking a few steps, he looked back at his brother and said,
"Bro, I’ve made up my mind. Tomorrow, I’m putting in a request with the higher-ups to leave this hellhole."
Zhang Daxie frowned. "Maybe you should—"
"Don’t try to change my mind, Bro!"
Zhang Xiaokui said coldly, "Mark my words, Bro. I, Zhang Xiaokui, would rather die out there and accomplish nothing in my entire life than stay here for one more day!"