Chapter 184 - 112: Laugh, Isn’t It Funny?
As he spoke, he suddenly produced a bloody, severed head from behind his back as if by magic. He held it up, gave it a little swing, and smiled.
"But look, uncle... It seems your companion... was even slower than you."
Li Ge froze.
He stared intently at the head.
It was Xiaquan’s head.
The young man’s face was a mask of lingering terror and indignation, his eyes wide open.
"Xiaquan..."
A heart-wrenching roar of grief erupted from Li Ge.
"I’ll kill you!!"
With a furious bellow, he found a sudden burst of strength and sprang from the ground, raising his saber and charging at the Little Tiger Demon in the tree.
"BAM!"
A dull thud echoed.
The Little Tiger Demon’s figure flickered, effortlessly dodging the blade before kicking Li Ge square in the chest.
Li Ge flew backward like a sack of rags and slammed hard against a tree trunk. He coughed up a spray of blood and collapsed to the ground, unable to move.
The Little Tiger Demon leaped lightly from the tree.
He walked over to Li Ge, squatted down, and poked the man’s still-rising chest with a small hand.
"No fun. You stopped moving already."
It mumbled, a little disappointed.
Then, it opened its small mouth to reveal sharp fangs and bent down, sinking them into Li Ge’s neck!
The man’s pained grunts and miserable cries were followed by his body beginning to convulse.
Soon, the sounds faded, and he fell silent.
A moment later.
The Little Tiger Demon wiped the blood from the corner of its mouth, patted its bulging little belly, and said with a scrunched-up face:
"Blech, this meat is too tough. It doesn’t taste good."
From out of the fog nearby, a middle-aged couple slowly emerged.
A demonic aura emanated from them.
The man was tall with rugged features. Faintly visible on his forehead was a pattern resembling the character for "king," and he exuded a natural, oppressive pressure.
The woman, still graceful and attractive, had a gentle gaze laced with a demonic allure.
They looked at the Little Tiger Demon wiping the blood from its mouth, their eyes full of adoration.
"You just spoil Xiaobao."
The man shook his head helplessly and said to the woman, "Reinforcements from the Demon-slaying Bureau will be here soon. If we run into a tough opponent, Xiaobao’s playful nature could easily get him into trouble."
The woman, however, was unconcerned. She walked over, gently wiped the blood from the Little Tiger Demon’s face with a silk handkerchief, and smiled.
"What’s there to be afraid of? As long as Xiaobao is happy."
"Besides, with us here, however many people the Demon-slaying Bureau sends, we’ll just let Xiaobao eat them all. It’s a perfect chance for him to get some nourishment and grow bigger."
The Little Tiger Demon threw himself into the woman’s arms, whining affectionately, "Mommy is the best!"
The man watched his wife and son, his eyes filled with warmth. But then he looked into the depths of the fog, his brow furrowing slightly.
"That may be so, but we still can’t be careless. I just feel... something’s off about the atmosphere in the mountains today."
"What could be off? It’s just a few more Demon Slayer Envoys coming to get themselves killed. They might sound impressive, but they’re all just trash."
The woman said dismissively, "Perfect. Xiaobao isn’t full yet."
"Oh, right! One of them got away just now."
The Little Tiger Demon suddenly squirmed out of her embrace, his eyes sparkling. "Mom, I’m going to have a proper play with him this time. The last one was no fun at all, hehe."
The woman nodded with a smile and straightened her son’s collar.
"Go on, don’t worry. Your father and I will be right behind you. No one can hurt my Xiaobao."
"I know!"
The Little Tiger Demon cheered, his figure flickered, and he vanished into the depths of the foggy forest as a blurry afterimage.
...
...
「Meanwhile, in another part of the mountain forest.」
Jiang Mu was walking at a leisurely pace, occasionally using the long saber in his hand to push aside the vines blocking his path.
He could sense the faint, lingering demonic aura in the woods.
But after walking for some time without seeing so much as a demon’s hair, he couldn’t help but feel a little frustrated.
’Could these guys have seen through my disguise?’
’Or did Xu Fu and his group run into them?’
Just as he was muttering to himself, the fog ahead suddenly stirred, and a dark figure came stumbling toward him.
’Here we go!’
Jiang Mu’s heart leaped with joy, and he subconsciously gripped the hilt of his saber.
But as the figure drew closer, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
It was clearly a person.
The running man also saw Jiang Mu and shuddered in fright, instinctively turning to flee in the other direction.
"Hey, are you from the Yan City Demon-slaying Bureau?"
Jiang Mu called out.
The man’s steps faltered. He turned his head to look at Jiang Mu and finally recognized that he was human.
He let out a long sigh of relief, but his expression remained wary.
"And you are?"
Jiang Mu took out his Iron-Carved Token and casually tossed it to him. "Hu State Demon-slaying Bureau, Eighth Hall. My surname is Jiang."
The young man caught the token and, after examining it carefully to confirm its authenticity, finally let his guard down completely.
He took a few steps forward, holding out his own Token as he panted heavily.
"I’m You Dashan, a member of the Second Hall of the Yan City Demon-slaying Bureau. Brother Jiang, are you here as reinforcements? That’s great! By the way, where are your colleagues?"
You Dashan glanced around but saw no one behind Jiang Mu.
After confirming the man’s identity, Jiang Mu said nonchalantly:
"The others are searching elsewhere. It’s just me here. What about you? Where is everyone else?"
"Just you?"
You Dashan’s expression turned strange.
’A Third Realm Cultivator, daring to search alone in these demon-fog-filled mountains?’
’He’s got some serious nerve!’
But he didn’t have time to dwell on it and said hurriedly:
"Brother Jiang, there are Tiger Demons here, and their cultivation levels are high. We need to regroup with your colleagues right away. There’s safety in numbers!"
"Tiger Demons?"
Jiang Mu’s eyes lit up instantly. "Where? What are their cultivation levels, roughly?"
You Dashan was baffled by his excited reaction but quickly replied:
"A Little Tiger Demon, around the Third Realm. And a Tiger Demon couple—the male is at the Fourth Realm Great Perfection, and the female is at the early Fourth Realm."
"As for whether there are any others, I don’t know. I got separated from my group."