Chapter 71 - 65: Ghost God Spear
Madam Liu scrambled out of the secret passage and back into the room. When she saw the servant’s corpse on the floor, her heart pounded with even greater terror.
’Why are people from the Demon-slaying Bureau here?’
’This place is clearly extremely well-hidden. It was already swept during the last crackdown. It should have been completely foolproof!’
’Who on earth betrayed me?!’
Madam Liu’s heart hammered in her chest, and she was terrified beyond measure.
Once her deeds—concocting evil medicine and harming people—were exposed, not only would her hopes of becoming the primary wife be dashed, but she wouldn’t even be able to save her own life!
’No! I have to escape!’
Her only chance of survival was to flee back to the General’s Mansion as quickly as possible.
She staggered toward the door, but her vision suddenly blurred—
a cold, stern figure appeared out of thin air.
Before she could even cry out, a vicious kick sent her flying back, crashing into the table.
Madam Liu rolled to the floor, coughing violently.
She struggled to her feet, only to be kicked in the waist again, forcing her to spit out a mouthful of bloody foam.
Jiang Mu strode forward, grabbed a handful of Madam Liu’s long hair, and dragged her like a dead dog all the way into the courtyard, where he threw her down.
He looked down at her and said:
"To have a child, you killed so many innocent people. Does the rest of your family know? Does Young Master Chang know? Does Elder General Chang know?"
Madam Liu’s pupils contracted.
She clutched her agonizingly painful chest and stared venomously at Jiang Mu.
"I don’t care who you are... Since you know my identity, you should understand the consequences of touching me.
If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave now, and I can pretend today never happened. Otherwise, never mind a lowly Demon Slayer Envoy like you—even that Director Ran behind you might not be able to bear the fallout!"
"Heh."
Jiang Mu slowly walked closer, raised his foot, and stomped down.
"CRACK!"
The crisp sound of a breaking leg bone was exceptionally clear.
Madam Liu let out a bloodcurdling scream, her body convulsing.
"And you think someone like you deserves to have a child?"
Jiang Mu flipped his long blade, pressed the tip against the back of her right hand, and drove it inch by inch into the stone pavers.
Then he slowly twisted.
Madam Liu’s face contorted in pain as she cursed frantically, "I’ll kill you! I’ll tear you to pieces, you bastard!"
Jiang Mu ignored her, churning the blade’s tip in her flesh and bone.
Fresh blood welled up.
The heart-piercing agony almost broke the woman.
Finally, her curses turned into wails and pleas for mercy:
"Please, let me go... I have money, I have a lot of money! I can even help you get promoted... As long as you let me go, I guarantee you a life of splendor and riches..."
Jiang Mu pulled out the blade.
Then, with a SQUELCH, he plunged it into the woman’s other hand.
And twisted.
Screams once again tore through the courtyard’s silence.
"Stop!"
Just then, a stern shout echoed.
It was Wen He, who had arrived in a hurry with his subordinates from the Third Hall.
Wang Ershang followed behind him, a worried look on his face.
When he saw the scene before him, Wen He’s expression darkened.
Especially after recognizing the woman as indeed Madam Liu of the Chang residence, his expression became alarmingly grim, his brows furrowing deeply.
He said in a low voice:
"Master Jiang, this case occurred in the jurisdiction of my Third Hall. It should be handled by us. Leave the rest to me."
"Leave it to you?"
Jiang Mu looked up. "And how does Master Wen plan to handle it?"
Wen He said, "That’s not for you to worry about. My Hall has its own procedures."
Jiang Mu said coolly:
"I discovered the case. According to the Bureau’s regulations, I have the right to participate in the investigation. Your Hall will naturally get a share of the credit.
Besides, this woman has practiced a Demon Technique and harmed others. The evidence is conclusive. She already falls into the category of a Demon."
Beside them, Wang Ershang spoke to Wen He:
"Hall Master, this woman did indeed harm those people. We also interrogated her servants. Her methods were extremely cruel..."
Before Wang Ershang could finish, Madam Liu, enduring the excruciating pain, shrieked:
"What harm? I don’t know anything about it!
I am a concubine of the Chang residence! I was abducted and brought here by a wicked servant today and nearly met a terrible fate!
You people from the Demon-slaying Bureau act indiscriminately and use torture! I want to see your Director! I want to see my husband! I want to see the magistrate! I want to see my father-in-law, Elder General Chang..."
When Wen He heard the name "Elder General Chang," his brow furrowed even more tightly.
Chang Lie was a veteran general who had served three emperors, with an illustrious military record.
He had once been granted a noble title.
However, he later angered the late emperor by defending the Great Demon Jiang Chaoxi, and his title was stripped. Still, his prestige remained undiminished.
The reason he defended Jiang Chaoxi was because the man had saved his life.
And had also taught him a set of spear techniques.
It was with these techniques that he became invincible on the battlefield, once defeating sixty thousand barbarian cavalry with only three thousand men, his might shaking the land.
That was why he always considered himself Jiang Chaoxi’s junior or disciple.
There were even rumors that he was the keeper of Jiang Chaoxi’s Divine Weapon, the Ghost and God Spear.
It was said that when the new emperor ascended the throne, he tentatively tried to ask for it. In response, the old man simply lay down in a coffin and said, "You can take my life, but you can’t have the spear."
It made the new emperor laugh in exasperation.
If not for the old man’s devotion to protecting the nation and his ability to defend the borders, he would have likely been sent home long ago to live out his days in retirement.
Wen He took a deep breath and looked at Jiang Mu again.
"Master Jiang, I will repeat myself one last time. This area is under the jurisdiction of my Third Hall. Please release the woman immediately. I will take her back to the Bureau for interrogation."
Jiang Mu stared into Wen He’s eyes and suddenly smiled. "Master Wen, are you afraid?"
Wen He’s eyelid twitched.
’Jiang Mu is right. I am afraid.’
’Elder General Chang holds immense power at the border, and Young Master Chang is now a leading general in suppressing rebellions. Even though this Madam Liu is just a concubine, you still have to consider the master before you beat the dog.’
’If this woman dies in my jurisdiction and the Chang residence investigates, how could a lowly Hall Master like me possibly bear the responsibility?’
’If she were a Demon, it would be simple. I could just kill her.’
’But she has to be a human—a Demon.’
’There’s too much room to maneuver in that gray area.’
’With the right connections, she could easily be painted as a victim deceived by a Demon, or a scapegoat could be found to take the fall.’
’All Wen He wanted in this life was to hold onto his position as Hall Master and retire peacefully.’
’He didn’t seek merit, only to avoid fault.’
’He would rather let a criminal go than get himself mired in trouble.’
Wen He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and tried to make his voice sound calm.
"Master Jiang, you know how sensitive the situation is right now. The case hasn’t been fully investigated. It’s too rash to convict her based on a one-sided account.
Take my advice: release her for now and let the Bureau handle her according to the law.
If you insist on acting so recklessly, don’t blame me for reporting this according to regulations. When you get stripped of your post, don’t say I didn’t warn you!"
Seeing Wen He’s resolve waver, a flicker of vengeful delight crossed Madam Liu’s eyes.
She pushed herself halfway up and stared coldly at Jiang Mu.
"Your surname is Jiang, is it? I’ll remember that!"
"I don’t understand why you’re trying to frame me, but when my husband returns, I’ll personally strip that official uniform right off you!"
Jiang Mu quietly watched the venomous woman.
’He was certain that if he let go now, this woman would most likely walk out of the Demon-slaying Bureau’s gates alive.’
’Even if Ran Qingshan came, he would probably prioritize the bigger picture.’
’Should I let her go?’
’But then, the image of the children’s bones in the secret room flashed before his eyes.’
’And the young boy who had knelt before him, begging him to "just eat me" to protect his little brother.’
A wave of brutal energy exploded in his chest.
Jiang Mu raised his head, his gaze as sharp as a blade, and said to Wen He, "And what if my Eighth Hall insists on getting involved?"
Wen He’s face turned ashen, but before he could speak, a confidant standing beside him, who had long harbored a grudge against Jiang Mu, could no longer hold back and snapped harshly:
"Don’t mistake kindness for weakness! The Hall Master told you to release her, so do it! What do you think the Eighth Hall is, to dare act so brazenly on our Third Hall’s turf—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a crimson flash of a blade drew an arc through the air.
"SQUELCH!"
Blood shot into the air like a fountain, splashing across the confidant’s face.
There had been no warning.
Madam Liu’s head rolled to the ground, her eyes wide with disbelief.
The entire courtyard fell deathly silent.
Wen He froze on the spot, his pupils trembling.
The subordinate who had been shouting stood with his mouth agape, warm drops of blood on his face, completely dumbfounded.
"You ask me what the Eighth Hall is?"
Jiang Mu flicked the drops of blood from his blade, his tone indifferent,
"Let me tell you right now—"
"The Demon Fiends the Third Hall dares not kill, I kill! The matters the Third Hall dares not manage, I manage!"
"In short, I’ll handle what you can, and I’ll especially handle what you can’t!"
"Slaying fiends and purging demons—act first, report later! This is a right granted by the throne!"
"Is that clear enough?"