Chapter 187 - 113: Get Off That Horse
"Hu State City."
Jiang Mu’s gaze swept over the two. "Are you from the Yan City Demon-slaying Bureau?"
Hearing "Hu State City," surprise flashed in both of their eyes.
The young woman shook her head and whispered quickly, "My name is Ming Cuicui, and this is my senior brother, Zhu Chang. We’re from the Yunzhou City Demon-slaying Bureau."
Yunzhou City?
A thought struck Jiang Mu.
He immediately recalled Ran Qingshan’s roundabout warning before he left, the one that mentioned Water Director Shui Miaozheng.
He hadn’t expected to run into her subordinates here first.
He asked doubtfully, "What are you doing here?"
Ming Cuicui pointed toward the people tied to the pillars near the blood pool, her young face filled with resentment.
"We received a request for assistance from the General Office. It said a hall from Yan City went missing around White Deer Peak. The Water Director assigned small teams to search, and my senior brother and I ended up finding this godforsaken place.
We sent out an emergency signal for help before coming in. Now we’re just waiting for the others to arrive so we can wipe out this whole den of demons!
By the way, why are you alone?"
Jiang Mu said calmly,
"I’m also looking for my missing colleagues. The clues led me here. The others are still searching elsewhere. I’m just faster, so I arrived first."
"You’re so reckless!"
Ming Cuicui’s eyes widened, her expression one of belated fear.
"Charging into a deathtrap like this all alone? If my senior brother hadn’t been sharp-eyed enough to spot your uniform, realize you were human, and stop you with that pebble, were you really planning to charge out there and get yourself killed?"
The girl was a fast talker. It was clear she was usually a frank and outspoken person.
Jiang Mu smiled but didn’t try to explain.
He could tell that Ming Cuicui was around the Third Realm Great Perfection, while the man beside her was in the Fourth Realm.
’That makes sense, though. Anyone sent out on a major mission wouldn’t have a low cultivation level. There’s no point in sending anyone from the Second Realm—they’d just be food for the demons.’
Jiang Mu cut straight to the core issue. "Have you figured out the situation? How many demons are here, and how strong are they?"
Zhu Chang withdrew his gaze, his expression grave.
"We’ve got the gist of it. We caught an informant outside before we came in and interrogated him. This is a major demon nest, with nearly a hundred demons gathered inside.
At least ten of them are Tier Three and Tier Four demons.
There are two leaders, both demons at Tier Four Great Perfection. Also, we heard there’s a Tiger Demon couple with a Little Tiger Demon that often goes out to hunt. Their strength shouldn’t be underestimated either."
"A Tiger Demon couple and their child?"
Jiang Mu raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you don’t have to worry about those three anymore."
"Why?" Zhu Chang was taken aback.
"Because I already cut them down outside."
Jiang Mu’s tone was matter-of-fact.
Zhu Chang and Ming Cuicui stared at him, dumbfounded, as if he were an idiot.
But Jiang Mu’s attention was focused on another number.
’Nearly a hundred...’
The corners of Jiang Mu’s mouth threatened to curve up.
’What a great harvest!’
He patted Ming Cuicui on the shoulder and said in a relaxed tone:
"Miss Ming, Brother Zhu. Since we’re waiting for the others anyway, we might as well not be idle. I’ll go kill a few demons to liven things up. You two stay hidden here, look for a chance to rescue the prisoners, and save as many as you can."
"What?!"
Ming Cuicui was so scared she almost cried out. She grabbed his sleeve.
"Are you insane?! Didn’t you hear what my senior brother just said? A hundred demons! If they all spat on you, you’d drown! And you’re just a Third Realm..."
Jiang Mu looked at her and corrected her seriously,
"Miss Ming, the spit of a hundred demons can’t actually drown a person."
"You..."
Ming Cuicui was left speechless.
’Is this really the time to be discussing whether spit can drown someone?!’
Jiang Mu said no more, just patting her shoulder lightly.
"Stay here and don’t move."
His figure flashed, like a bolt of black lightning, as he charged directly toward the nearest demon cave.
"Hey! You—"
In a panic, Ming Cuicui was about to get up and chase after him when her senior brother, Zhu Chang, grabbed her and held her down.
"Don’t go!"
Zhu Chang stared at Jiang Mu’s disappearing back, gritting his teeth.
"He has a death wish, but do you want to die too?! Don’t give away our position, or we’ll lose any chance we have to save the prisoners!"
Ming Cuicui stomped her foot in frustration, her eyes turning red.
"But..."
"No ’buts.’ He’s asking for death, so he has no one to blame but himself."
Zhu Chang said through gritted teeth, "Aren’t there enough people like him in the Demon-slaying Bureau? The second they get some cultivation, they all think they’re invincible!"
The moment he finished speaking, a demon’s head flew out and landed on the edge of the blood pool.
The two of them froze, then instinctively peeked out to look.
They saw the head of a Middle Stage Tier Four demon rolling to a stop by the side of the pool.
The demon still had a dazed look on its face.
Zhu Chang: "..."
Ming Cuicui: "..."
...
...
In the dense forest,
an elite team of about twenty people was flying toward the source of the signal.
Leading them was a woman in her forties, dressed in a tight-fitting, grayish-blue martial uniform. Though her features weren’t stunning, she exuded a capable and refined air.
Her name was Tang Guixin, Hall Master of the Fourth Hall of the Yunzhou City Demon-slaying Bureau.
Fifth Realm Cultivation Level.
She was one of Water Director Shui Miaozheng’s most trusted right hands.
Right now, her lips were tightly pressed together and her brow was deeply furrowed. Her figure moved like sturdy grass in the wind, each leap covering several dozen feet.
"Faster! Even faster!"
Tang Guixin barked, her voice filled with anxiety.
The wind howled in her ears, stinging her cheeks, but she didn’t dare slow her pace in the slightest.
"Hall Master, try not to worry so much."
Seeing her grave expression, a deputy beside her offered some words of comfort. "That girl Cuicui is clever, and she has Zhu Chang there to look after her. Zhu Chang has always been a steady kid; he’ll definitely be able to protect her."
"What good is being steady?"
The worry in Tang Guixin’s eyes didn’t fade as she said in a low voice,