Chapter 72 - 66: Keep the Music Playing, Keep on Dancing
The courtyard was deathly silent.
No one had expected Jiang Mu to actually dare cut someone down in public.
He left no room for negotiation.
He showed no deference at all.
"You—"
Wen He’s face was livid. His slightly pudgy body trembled uncontrollably as a vortex of cyan energy slowly swirled in his palm, filling the air with killing intent.
Jiang Mu, however, was completely unafraid, and simply raised an eyebrow. "Thinking of making a move? Do you dare?"
’It’s actually quite simple to see through a person.’
’Just watch how they act.’
’Wen He was a typical self-serving bureaucrat.’
’He was capable but trapped in his own cage, constantly weighing pros and cons, calculating every step.’
’The longer he held his official position, the more his courage shrank. He’d rather accomplish nothing than stir up trouble for himself.’
’The last time Jiang Mu had taught one of his men a lesson, Wen He had merely blustered, hiding behind Ran Qingshan’s authority, and then backed down the moment he was given an out.’
Jiang Mu was certain Wen He would never truly dare to make a move.
"Hall Master..."
Wang Ershang reported in a low, careful voice. "I’ve already sent someone to report to the Bureau. The Lord Chief should be here soon..."
’He really didn’t want to see the two of them clash.’
’And yet, despite being a member of the Third Hall, he felt an incredible sense of satisfaction!’
’Anyone who saw the tragic state of those children would be filled with rage.’
’Jiang Mu had done what Wen He didn’t dare to do.’
’In his eyes, that was what it meant to be a real man!’
Seeing his own Hall Master acting so timidly, Wang Ershang felt a mix of contempt and disappointment.
Just as Jiang Mu had guessed, upon hearing his subordinate’s words, Wen He’s tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and the cyclone of energy in his palm dissipated.
He took the excuse to back down, letting out a cold snort.
"Since the Bureau has been notified, we’ll let the Lord Chief pass judgment!"
Jiang Mu’s lips twitched in a smirk. He couldn’t be bothered with this posturing fool any longer.
He crouched down and began to search the body.
According to the gray-robed servant, Madam Liu had acted on the advice of some evil demonic method and must have been in league with a Demon Fiend.
’There had to be some evidence on the body.’
His luck was good.
Jiang Mu pulled a sealed letter from her robes.
He unfolded it and saw it was indeed a handwritten letter from Madam Liu to a certain Demon.
The letter mentioned that after consuming the "heart flesh," her body had grown weaker, not stronger. She suspected there was something wrong with the method and feared being discovered by the household. She urged the recipient to resolve the issue quickly.
After reading it, Jiang Mu had a clear grasp of the situation.
The letter confirmed two things:
First, Madam Liu was indeed colluding with a Demon.
Second, Elder General Chang and Young Master Chang, who was quelling a rebellion in Yan City, were completely unaware of this matter.
This confirmed Jiang Mu’s suspicions.
Elder General Chang had guarded the border for decades and valued his pristine reputation above all else. His family’s code of conduct was surely strict; he would never tolerate such a filthy business.
This Madam Liu was nothing more than a sheltered woman driven mad by her desire to gain status through a son.
Jiang Mu glanced at Wen He and shook his head inwardly.
’To be an official with so little courage... it was pathetic.’
Unfortunately, the letter did not mention the Demon’s name, only referring to the being as "Immortal Master."
He had originally planned to interrogate the woman thoroughly, but Wen He’s meddling had ruined it. He’d ended up killing her to satisfy a moment of righteous clarity.
’Fortunately, the gray-robed servant was still alive. The Bureau could take their time interrogating him.’
’Still, he recalled the servant mentioning a Demon with the surname Huang.’
’Huang?’
Jiang Mu’s heart lurched.
He thought of Huang Silang, and then recalled Ran Qingshan saying that Huang Silang’s older sister, Huang Dalang, might come seeking revenge.
’Could it be her?’
’If it’s her, why didn’t she come for me directly?’
Jiang Mu pushed his questions aside and continued searching the body.
Soon, he felt something hard.
He pulled it out for a look.
It was a palm-sized cloth doll.
The doll was crudely made and bristling with countless needles.
"Voodoo?"
Jiang Mu frowned slightly. ’Was she cursing the official wife?’
Just as he was about to throw it away, his fingertips felt a sinister chill.
’The doll seemed to be shrouded in a malevolent energy.’
After a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Mu stuffed the doll into his robes.
—
Meanwhile, as tensions in the courtyard reached a breaking point...
...a filthy weasel clambered, shivering, out of a foul-smelling gutter outside the alley.
It didn’t bother to wash off the mud, not even daring to look back, and just scurried along the shadows at the base of the wall, heading straight for a small courtyard in the south of the city.
A quarter-hour later, it scurried into an ordinary courtyard.
"This is bad! First Mistress!"
The weasel spoke in a panicked, shrill human voice.
Inside the room.
Enchanting music drifted like silken threads, and a sweet fragrance filled the air.
Hearing the shout, the woman opened her eyes, furrowed her delicate brows, and waved her hand gently. A puff of pink smoke billowed out, knocking the man beside her unconscious.
The door opened.
The filthy weasel scurried in and huddled on the floor, trembling violently.
"What’s the panic?"
The woman’s voice was languid. "Has the sky fallen?"
"First Mistress, Madam Liu... Madam Liu was killed by someone from the Demon-slaying Bureau!"
"Hm?"
The woman shoved the man off her, sat up, and said in surprise, "The Demon-slaying Bureau found out so quickly? Who killed her?"
"It was that brat from the Eighth Hall, the one surnamed Jiang! The same one who killed the Fourth Master!"
"Him!?"
Huang Dalang’s expression changed abruptly.
Her once-seductive face instantly twisted with ferocity.
She had infiltrated Hu State this time specifically to avenge her beloved younger brother, Huang Silang. She’d only held back because of the important mission her father had given her.
She never thought their paths would cross again so soon. The brat had practically delivered himself to her.
And he had ruined a pawn she had put in place.
"This damn brat... he has some skill, to actually ruin my ’Child-Mother Elixir’ plan."
Huang Dalang gritted her teeth. "That Madam Liu was stupid, but if we could have used her womb to nurture a demonic fetus and control the Chang Residence through it, it would have been a great boon to our clan’s grand plan. What a pity..."
The Huangshu Little Demon asked timidly:
"First Mistress, why don’t... we go kill him now?"
"Idiot!"
Huang Dalang shot it a glare.
"Go kill him now? Are you in a hurry to die?"
"Father has ordered that this is a critical time, and we absolutely must not stir up any trouble. He is, after all, a Hall Master of the Demon-slaying Bureau. If we kill him, it will lead to a city-wide manhunt."
"Besides, I came into the city this time to personally hand over a special shipment of goods to a certain Young Master He. Before that Young Master He comes to make contact, we absolutely cannot afford any complications."
The Weasel Demon flinched.
"So... we just let it go? That’s letting that kid off way too easily."
"Let it go?"
Huang Dalang’s eyes shifted, and she suddenly gave a cold laugh.
"Our spies reported earlier that the one named Jiang keeps two servant girls at home, one named Bai Xiang, and the other named Yuan Ahqing...
Surely the Demon-slaying Bureau won’t raise an army over a dead servant, will they?
Besides, we’ve come all this way. It would be rude not to leave a little welcome gift, wouldn’t it?"
She looked at the little demon on the floor and commanded:
"You, go find a chance to get rid of that woman named Bai Xiang!"
"Huh? Me?"
The little demon was stunned.
"What are you afraid of? Leave the city immediately after you succeed. Is the Demon-slaying Bureau really going to launch a city-wide manhunt for a lowly maid?"
Huang Dalang said coldly,
"It’s the perfect way to warn that Jiang brat. Make him feel some pain, some fear. So he doesn’t think we’re just pushovers he can crush whenever he wants!"
"Yes!"
The little demon didn’t dare to disobey, and left with its orders.
Huang Dalang gazed out the window, her fingers slowly curling into a tight fist as she said hatefully:
"You killed my brother and ruined my grand plan. Sooner or later, I’ll settle this score with you—with interest!"
After venting her anger, her mood calmed a little.
With a gentle wave of her hand, the pink mist spread again.
The man woke up.
Let the music resume, and the dancing continue.