Chapter 22 - 16: My Lord, Run
On Dragon Head Mountain.
Jiang Mu and his two companions were crouched behind a pile of man-high rubble. Hidden by the withered grass, they secretly observed a bare cliff face not far away.
Zhang Daxie retracted his gaze, his brow furrowed.
"Sir, there’s nothing ahead but a bare stone cliff. I can’t even spot a mouse hole."
Jiang Mu narrowed his eyes.
"It’s right there. There’s a hidden door in that cliff face. Inside is that little Weasel Demon’s lair. It’s just... I’m not sure if the beast is still in there."
A hidden door?
The two brothers exchanged a puzzled glance.
Zhang Daxie said in a low voice, "Sir, since you’re so certain, how about I go scout it out first?"
"Alright. Be careful."
Jiang Mu nodded.
This was exactly why he had brought these two.
Although he had broken through to the First Realm, his practical combat experience was no match for theirs.
One was Third Realm, one was at the peak of the Second Realm, and with a First Realm master like himself, this battle was, by any calculation, a sure win.
Zhang Daxie shot his younger brother a look that said, ’Protect the Sir,’ then took a deep breath. His body suddenly shrank, melting into the earth beneath his feet as if it were water.
A slight mound of earth rose from the ground.
Like a nimble serpent, it snaked its way toward the cliff face.
"Whoa!"
A trace of envy flashed in Jiang Mu’s eyes. ’He even knows the Earth Escape Skill.’
Zhang Xiaokui, standing beside him, crossed his arms and explained:
"That’s a Divine Ability. Once you enter the Third Realm, attain a Star Position, and draw Star Power into your body, you’ll naturally acquire a Divine Ability of your own. However..."
He ultimately swallowed the latter half of his sentence—the taunt, ’with your aptitude, you probably have no hope in this lifetime.’
The two of them stared intently at the raised mound of earth.
They watched as the "earth dragon" that was Zhang Daxie circled the area around the cliff face.
Jiang Mu also began to understand the mechanics of it.
While Zhang Daxie’s Earth Escape Skill was miraculous, it only worked in soft soil. The moment he encountered hard rock, it was like hitting a brick wall, and he couldn’t advance an inch.
After about the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the mound of earth suddenly stopped at an inconspicuous corner of the rock wall.
Zhang Daxie’s figure suddenly burst out of the ground.
Then, he slapped his palm against a slightly protruding rock.
BOOM!
Amid the muffled rumble, loose stones trickled down.
The rock face actually caved inward, rotating open to reveal a narrow entrance just big enough for one person to pass through while stooped.
"It’s really here?!"
Zhang Xiaokui’s eyes widened. He immediately turned to look at Jiang Mu, a little shocked.
’Could it be that what this guy said was true?’
’The Demon is really hiding here?’
At this thought, Zhang Xiaokui felt his blood begin to boil with excitement.
After all, even their old superior, Wen He, had failed to root out the Demon responsible for the Dragon Head Mountain case.
’If he and his brother were to take it down today...’
’Wouldn’t that be like slapping the credit right in Wen He’s face?’
’You looked down on us brothers and kicked us aside like trash, didn’t you? Now we’ve solved a case you couldn’t. Let’s see how much your face stings!’
"Stay here. Don’t move."
Zhang Xiaokui forcefully suppressed his excitement. After giving Jiang Mu this instruction, he drew his saber and was about to charge into the hidden cave.
"Wait for me!"
There was no way Jiang Mu was going to just wait around.
’I came all this way to charge my cheat system.’
He raised his saber and followed.
He had just reached the cave entrance when Zhang Daxie blocked his path.
"Sir, wait!"
Zhang Daxie’s expression was grave.
"Sir, I just sensed something from underground. I’m afraid there’s more than one Demon inside. It’s better if Xiao Kui and I go in first to check things out. If it’s safe, we’ll ask you to enter. How does that sound?"
Ultimately, he couldn’t rest easy letting this Hall Master with his shallow Cultivation Level personally face danger.
If Jiang Mu died here, even if the two brothers achieved the greatest of merits, they would have to accompany him in death.
"More than one?"
Jiang Mu’s eyes flickered for a moment, then he nodded. "Very well. But remember, if you slay a Demon, you must call me in immediately."
’It’s my first mission, after all. Better to play it safe.’
"Alright!"
Zhang Daxie said no more. He turned, and together with his brother, stooped and entered the cave.
...
Inside, the cave was dark and damp.
The further they went, the stronger the rank, foul stench became.
A faint green mist also drifted in the air.
It was clearly a demonic poison miasma.
However, with their Cultivation Levels, Zhang Daxie and Zhang Xiaokui were protected by their Qi and Blood and had no fear of this thin, poisonous miasma.
After advancing about a hundred feet, the passage suddenly opened up.
A natural cavern about twenty feet square appeared before them.
Torches fueled by animal fat were stuck into the surrounding rock walls.
Ghastly white bones were scattered across the ground—some animal, some human.
And on a stone slab at the far end of the cavern lay a Demon.
The Demon had a fanged rat’s head and the body of a portly dwarf, bloated and fat. Its round belly was exposed, quivering with each snore.
It was currently hugging a wine jug and sleeping soundly, turbid drool trickling from the corner of its mouth.
Several empty jugs lay toppled beside it.
The spilled wine was a deep crimson and gave off a bloody stench.
Curled up around the stone slab were six smaller, but equally fanged, Weasel Demons.
They were nestled together, sleeping soundly.
"A Tier Three Demon?!"
Sensing the aura emanating from the fat Demon, Zhang Daxie’s expression changed slightly.
A Tier Three Demon meant it had already condensed a Demon Pill within its body.
Only a Cultivator wielding the power of a Star Position could effectively kill it.
Zhang Xiaokui also sucked in a cold breath, his voice hushed.
"Look, its Demonic Power is unstable. It must have just broken through. The villagers who were killed before were probably the blood sacrifices it hunted to break through to Tier Three."
Zhang Daxie quickly scanned the cave and whispered to his brother:
"I’ll handle the Tier Three one. Of the six lesser demons, only one has a Tier Two aura; the rest are all Tier One. With your skills, you can handle them."
"Don’t worry, brother. Leave these bastards to me!"
Zhang Xiaokui licked his slightly dry lips, his eyes filled with bloodthirsty excitement.
Following that guy Wen He had been nothing but hard, thankless labor. When had they ever gotten a cushy job like this, piled high with EXP packs?
’Today is the day we brothers make our mark!’
Zhang Daxie lowered his body, once again using the Earth Escape Skill to sink into the ground and sneak toward the Weasel Leader on the stone slab.
Although the leader was dead drunk, it was a Tier Three Great Demon after all, and its senses were sharp.
Just as Zhang Daxie crept beneath the stone slab, preparing to launch a surprise attack, the fat rat-demon’s tiny, bean-like eyes snapped open, a vicious light exploding within them.
"I smell a living person!"
Its reaction was incredibly fast. It snatched the jug of blood wine beside it and smashed it down hard on the raised patch of ground.
POW—!
The wine jug shattered, sending shards and blood wine splashing everywhere.
Almost simultaneously, Zhang Daxie erupted from the earth, his long saber cloaked in an earthy-yellow glow of Star Power, slashing straight for the Demon’s neck.
"Enemy attack!"
The leader let out a shrill, piercing shriek. It pulled a jagged, bone-like Blood Saber from beneath its body and, with a CLANG, parried Zhang Daxie’s attack.
The immense rebound force sent them both stumbling backward.
"It’s those bastards from the Demon-slaying Bureau! Children, skin them for me to go with my wine!"
Recognizing the intruders’ attire, the leader was both shocked and enraged. It brandished its Blood Saber and charged forward.
The six surrounding Weasel Demons were startled awake by the shouting and fighting. They all bared their teeth and, hissing, pounced.
"Heh, you forgot about your granddaddy!"
Zhang Xiaokui, who had been waiting for this moment, let out a great shout and charged into the pack of lesser demons, saber swinging.
His long saber swept wide, opening and closing paths of destruction.
PFFT! PFFT!
In the first exchange, two Tier One lesser demons were sliced in half at the waist, blood spraying everywhere.
Seeing this, the largest of the demons, the Tier Two weasel, bared its sharp fangs and lunged at Zhang Xiaokui.
Demons are born with formidable physiques; at the same realm, they are often more difficult to deal with than Human Race Cultivators.
But this Tier Two Weasel Demon had clearly underestimated Zhang Xiaokui.
After all, Zhang Xiaokui had one foot in the Third Realm. His Cultivation Level was solid and his Saber Skill was vicious. After just a few exchanges, he gradually gained the upper hand, forcing it to retreat again and again.
"Die for me!"
The saber’s edge flashed, drawing a spray of foul blood.
The Tier Two Weasel Demon let out a wretched howl. A gash deep enough to show bone was sliced across its chest. It staggered back several steps, slammed into the cave wall, and slid to the ground.
Its limbs twitched a few times, then fell still.
"Nothing special."
Zhang Xiaokui spat, not even giving it a second glance, and turned to continue slaughtering the remaining Tier One lesser demons.
However, as he was cutting them down, Zhang Xiaokui suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
His instincts told him something was wrong.
He whipped his head around.
The Tier Two Weasel Demon he had just "killed" was gone!
Looking up,
he saw a yellow shadow clinging to the ceiling, scrambling at high speed toward the tunnel leading to the exit.
"Fuck! The beast was playing dead!"
Zhang Xiaokui was both shocked and furious. He immediately gave chase.
The Demon ran on all fours, its escape speed incredibly fast. Combined with the low, winding tunnel, Zhang Xiaokui’s pursuit was severely hampered, and for a moment, he couldn’t catch up.
Just then, Zhang Xiaokui suddenly saw a tall, straight figure standing at the cave entrance, craning his neck to peer inside.
It was Jiang Mu.
Zhang Xiaokui’s heart leaped with joy. He was about to shout for help to block it, but then he suddenly remembered that his Hall Master only had a First Realm Cultivation Level. His face instantly turned deathly pale.
"Get out of the way! Hurry up and move!"
Zhang Xiaokui roared hoarsely, "That’s a Tier Two Demon!"
The fleeing Weasel Demon was also startled to see someone blocking the exit.
But it heard the shouts of its pursuer from behind and quickly sensed the aura of the person in front.
’First Realm?’
’An ant!’
A glint of delight flashed in the Weasel Demon’s eyes.
It let out a hiss, pouring all its Demonic Power into its claws, and leaped into the air. Transforming into a swift yellow bolt, it shot straight for the figure blocking its path.
’Kill this weakling blocking the way, and freedom is mine!’
’It’s over!’
Watching this scene unfold, Zhang Xiaokui felt a chill run through him.
In the instant the Demon’s claws were about to touch Jiang Mu’s clothes—
SWISH!
The light of a saber flashed like a bolt of white silk, illuminating half the dim tunnel.
SQUELCH!
Warm blood splattered out, spraying the rock walls on either side.
Time seemed to freeze for an instant.
Then, the Weasel Demon successfully leaped out of the tunnel.
The warm sunlight washed over its body. It smelled the long-missed scent of the mountain forest and the taste of freedom.
’Heh, that weakling really couldn’t stop me...’
it thought smugly, trying to land and break into a run.
But when it landed, it suddenly realized its line of sight was a bit low, and its body felt much lighter.
It subconsciously looked down.
Its lower half... was gone?
THUD.
The sound of something heavy hitting the ground came from behind.
It was its lower half, still twitching on the ground.
"Squeak...?"
The Weasel Demon opened its mouth, then finally pitched forward into the weeds, going completely silent.
Jiang Mu sheathed his saber.
He looked at the stunned Zhang Xiaokui inside the cave and uttered a single, faint sentence:
"Tier Two, nothing special."