Chapter 68 - 62: Angry Ling Xigua
On the rooftop.
As an idle spectator to the drama, Jiang Mu gazed at the sky as it gradually cleared. Only then did he slowly realize something was off.
He turned to look at the dumbstruck Ling Ye beside him and asked,
"Is there a problem?"
Ling Ye took a deep breath, trying to quell the tempest in her heart.
She instinctively reached for a spoonful of watermelon to calm her nerves.
SCRAPE.
The spoon hit the rind.
It was gone.
Without realizing it, the two of them had scraped the watermelon half completely clean, leaving only the pale, scraped rind.
"Here, I’ve still got a little. You can have it."
Jiang Mu offered her the spoonful of watermelon he had just scooped up but hadn’t yet eaten.
Ling Ye was still dizzy and in a trance.
When the spoon was held to her lips, she didn’t give it a second thought, instinctively parting her moist, crimson lips.
She took it in her mouth.
The tip of her pink tongue instinctively curled under the spoon.
As the cool juice slid down her throat, its refreshing chill finally began to pull her back from her stupor.
"He failed."
Ling Ye’s voice was a little hoarse.
"Huh? That quickly?"
Jiang Mu pulled the spoon back, seeing it was still dotted with red pulp and glistening juice.
Not wanting to be wasteful, he casually slurped it clean.
’Huh?’
’It seems a little sweeter than before.’
Ling Ye didn’t notice this little detail.
A lingering horror still clouded her eyes, and her pale hand tightly clutched the hem of her skirt.
’It was terrifying.’
’Is this the might of an Emperor Star?’
She had never seen such a disastrous attempt to claim a Star Position.
Ling Ye murmured to herself,
"That Ziwei Star is truly something else, tyrannical beyond all reason. It wouldn’t even let him touch it before it... utterly obliterated a Thirteenth Realm expert, a man at the very pinnacle of power."
"You’re saying... Beitang Batian is dead?"
Jiang Mu was startled too.
He’d enjoyed the fireworks, but the realization that those fireworks had been a top-tier expert was still a shock.
"He should be."
Ling Ye’s expression was complicated as she gazed into the void.
"Usually, after a Cultivator of that level falls, the Star Position they occupied will return to the sea of stars after a period of time.
It can be as quick as half a month, or as slow as three.
If after three months, a new ’Star of the Unfavored Son’ doesn’t light up in the sky, then it means he’s still alive.
After all, an old monster like that has countless tricks up his sleeve to stay alive.
But even if by some miracle he survived... after suffering such a severe backlash, it’s highly unlikely he could hold on to his original Star Position."
As she said this, a glint suddenly appeared in Ling Ye’s eyes.
She thought of Shangguan Luoxue.
Luoxue had previously attempted to force a breakthrough, hoping to contend for the Lunar Star, which was also an Emperor-level star.
But she failed.
That Lunar Star had already been claimed by the Buddha Mother.
But now that Beitang Batian was gone, the high-tier Star Position he had occupied—the Star of the Unfavored Son—was very likely vacant.
That’s one of the Five Stars of the North Pole!
If her disciple could claim this Star Position, it would be a tremendous opportunity.
Of course, that was on the condition that Luoxue’s injuries healed quickly and she could stabilize her current realm.
At this thought, Ling Ye couldn’t sit still for another moment.
"I have something urgent to attend to. I’m leaving now, you go on with your business."
Before Jiang Mu could reply, her figure blurred, transforming into a streak of black light as she shot off the roof.
"Hey..."
Jiang Mu raised his spoon to call out, but she had already vanished.
...
Ling Ye sped towards the Underground Palace.
The cold wind whistling against her face gradually cooled her restless emotions.
As her reason returned, she suddenly felt that something was wrong.
’Just now...’
’Did I overlook something?’
Just as she reached the entrance to the Underground Palace, Ling Ye stopped dead in her tracks, her body freezing on the spot.
’Wait!’
’That watermelon...’
The memory flashed through her mind like lightning—
The two of them, casually digging into the same watermelon, their spoons even clashing inside.
And especially at the end...
Jiang Mu had fed her a bite with the spoon he had just used.
And after she finished, that bastard... actually put the spoon back in his own mouth and slurped it clean?!
BOOM!
Ling Ye felt blood rush to her head, and her normally aloof, beautiful face instantly flushed crimson.
"You bastard!!"
Mortified and furious, Ling Ye clenched her fists, grinding her teeth so hard they audibly clicked.
"Slurp, my ass! Who told you to slurp it?!"
She spun around, practically radiating killing intent, ready to go back and settle the score with him.
But after taking a single step, she stopped again.
Her gaze fell on the dark entrance to the Underground Palace.
’Forget it... business first.’
Ling Ye took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her burning cheeks and racing heart. She gritted her teeth.
’I’ll put this on your tab for now. We’ll settle it slowly later!’
...
After leaving the inn, Jiang Mu had planned to head back to his Government Office.
But as he was walking down the street, the image of that gloomy alley from Lan Rou’Er’s dream suddenly flashed through his mind.
’That Demon that took advantage of the Mist Demon invasion to kidnap children... I wonder if it was ever killed?’
Jiang Mu carefully recalled the details of the location from the dream.
The alley seemed somewhat familiar.
’That’s right!’
He had passed by a similar area before, when he was investigating the Snake Mother’s courtyard.
It was in the territory managed by the Third Hall.
Jiang Mu thought for a moment, then changed direction and headed that way.
Following his memory, he quickly found the familiar little alley.
As luck would have it, he ran right into Wang Ershang from the Third Hall, who was on patrol with a few of his men.
"Master Jiang."
Upon seeing Jiang Mu, Wang Ershang hurried forward and bowed respectfully.
Ever since Jiang Mu had saved his life in the Snake Mother’s courtyard, Wang Ershang’s previous hostility had vanished, replaced with immense gratitude for the young Hall Master.
"Perfect timing. I have a few things to ask you."
Jiang Mu didn’t bother with pleasantries and got straight to the point.
"On the day of the Mist Demon invasion, did any children go missing around here?"
Wang Ershang’s expression darkened, and he nodded.
"That’s right. The city was in chaos then, with Demon Fiends running rampant. Afterward, many families reported their children missing. We searched for a long time and eventually found numerous remains in a nearby abandoned estate."
He sighed at this point. "It was confirmed to be a Demon attack."
"Was the Demon caught?" Jiang Mu pressed.
"It was slain."
Wang Ershang said, "It was a Raccoon Demon. We surrounded and killed it on the spot, right in that very estate."
"A Raccoon Demon..."
Jiang Mu was lost in thought.
If the culprit had already been punished, then the case should be closed.
But for some reason, he still felt uneasy.
After asking a few more questions, Jiang Mu bid farewell to Wang Ershang and headed to the abandoned estate alone.
He pushed open the courtyard gate.
The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, a scene of utter desolation.
It bore a strong resemblance to the scene from Lan Rou’Er’s dream.
The only thing missing was that giant, fleshy Nightmare orb.
Jiang Mu wandered around the courtyard for a while, recalling the details of the dream as he carefully observed his surroundings.
Soon, he discovered footprints on the steps of a side building.
And they were relatively new.
’Strange...’
Jiang Mu narrowed his eyes. ’This place has been abandoned for ages. No one dares to come here normally. These footprints look fresh—left in the last day or two. A vagrant?’
He stood up and followed the footprints into the side building.
The footprints led to the far wall at the back of the room and then disappeared.
Jiang Mu stood before the wall and knocked on it firmly.
’A secret room!’
Listening to the sound the wall made, Jiang Mu immediately came to a conclusion.
There was definitely something behind this wall.
He felt around, trying to find a mechanism, but found nothing.
So he simply summoned Demon Shadow Number One and tossed it straight through the wall.
Then, he activated Instant Teleportation.
SWOOSH!
The next moment, Jiang Mu vanished from the spot.
He had just landed and hadn’t yet gotten a clear look at his surroundings.
A swathe of pale flesh immediately filled his entire field of vision.
It was a...
Large, shimmering white butt.