Chapter 50 - 44: Even a Dog Wouldn’t Use It
’Trying to set me up?’
Feeling the murderous aura permeating the air, Jiang Mu became unexpectedly calm. He declared righteously,
"Well, you’re a whole person. You’re definitely bigger than a melon."
"..."
"Am I wrong?"
"..."
Just then, the figures of Demon-slaying Bureau personnel appeared in the distance. Ling Ye took a deep breath, suppressing her irritation.
She wasn’t sure if Jiang Mu had actually seen anything.
But at this point, she could only pretend he hadn’t.
"Hmph."
The woman twisted her slender waist and vanished into the night.
Jiang Mu let out a long sigh of relief, muttering to himself, ’Who said women like her are brainless? She’s as cunning as they come.’
Too bad I didn’t ask if that melon was ripe.
...
...
「Demon-slaying Bureau, Chief’s Seal Room.」
Wisps of sandalwood incense, meant to refresh the mind, curled up from the desk.
Jiang Mu gave a detailed report of the situation to Lord Chief Ran Qingshan.
As for why he had suddenly gone to investigate that courtyard, he stuck to his story.
He had received a tip from a "concerned citizen" and went to check it out.
As for who this "citizen" was...
He didn’t know either.
Looking at the entire process, Jiang Mu hadn’t done anything wrong.
After confirming the Demon’s presence, he had indeed notified the Third Hall at the first opportunity and explained the Demon’s situation.
It was just that those "idiots" from the Third Hall had done something stupid.
Plus, with Wang Ershang’s testimony to back him up, Wen He couldn’t find any fault, no matter how much he wanted to.
After hearing the report, Ran Qingshan rubbed the bridge of his nose, his tone laced with a hint of exasperation.
"So, you, a Third Realm Cultivator, killed a fourth-rank Demon?"
"Yes."
"Does that sound right to you?"
"Uh, is it not?"
Jiang Mu blinked, glanced at the varied expressions on everyone’s faces, and quickly added,
"Of course, the Demon was already injured at the time, which is how I got lucky. Besides, it was also thanks to the help of the Protective Talisman bestowed by you, Lord Chief."
The corners of everyone’s mouths twitched as they listened.
’Got lucky?’
No matter how injured it was, it was still a full major realm higher than you.
At the same level, Demons are already a cut above Human Race Cultivators. But with you, the situation is reversed?
’Why does it feel like you’re the real Demon Fiend here?’
Ran Qingshan couldn’t be bothered to say anything more. His gaze fell on the saber in Jiang Mu’s hand.
"This saber..."
"This was Lady Ling Ye’s spoil of war. She gave it to me."
Jiang Mu explained hurriedly.
Normally, valuable spoils of war collected after a Demon-slaying Bureau mission must be handed over.
But Patrol Envoys have special privileges and can dispose of them as they see fit.
Ran Qingshan said irritably,
"What are you afraid of? I’m not asking you to hand it over. Bring it here, let me see."
Jiang Mu handed the saber over.
Ran Qingshan took the long saber and examined it closely.
The body of the blade was dark red, etched with blood-colored patterns, and exuded a ferocious Evil Qi.
He flicked the blade with his finger and mused,
"If I’m not mistaken, this should be the Divine Weapon of the Celestial Blade Ancestor, called the ’Mad Saber’."
"This saber was forged from high-grade cold iron essence mixed with cloud sand, then repeatedly quenched with the Essence Blood of seven types of fierce beasts. It nurtures Evil Qi within it, making it exceptionally vicious."
"It doesn’t leave its sheath easily, but when it does, it must taste blood..."
"Unfortunately, most of the blood-soaked Evil Qi within the blade seems to have dissipated. Even so, compared to ordinary weapons, this saber is still of superior quality."
"The Celestial Blade Ancestor?"
Jiang Mu looked puzzled.
"Mm."
Ran Qingshan nodded, a hint of reminiscence in his eyes.
"He was once a powerful and famous figure in the martial world, and a sworn brother of the Divine Sword Sect’s Sect Leader."
"Later, because he insisted on protecting a Great Demon, he had a falling out with his good brother and was backstabbed by the Divine Sword Sect. Since then, the Celestial Blade Sect gradually declined, and now it’s merely a third-rate sect."
Speaking of the Celestial Blade Ancestor, Ran Qingshan recalled an amusing anecdote.
"It’s said that the Ancestor deeply admired the Great Demon known as Jiang Chaoxi back then, and poured his heart and soul into forging this precious saber for her."
"When he finally managed to present the precious saber, the Great Demon merely glanced at it and tossed out a single comment:"
"Even a dog wouldn’t use this."
This utterly crushed the Celestial Blade Ancestor.
He couldn’t get over it even on his deathbed, and it became the greatest regret of the old senior’s life.
Ran Qingshan handed the saber back to Jiang Mu and warned him with a serious expression,
"This saber is vicious in nature. Prolonged use might affect the wielder’s temperament, making it easy to foster a violent aura."
"But it’s not a major problem. Just remember to frequently wash the blade with a solution made from Clear Heart Concentration Powder. The Service Hall has it in stock. You can go pick some up later."
"Yes, thank you for the reminder, my lord."
Jiang Mu took the long saber with delight. ’A Divine Weapon indeed.’
Ran Qingshan’s gaze shifted to Wen He at the side, and he said in a heavy voice,
"Master Wen, in this matter, Master Jiang fulfilled his duty to report and coordinate. It was your men who botched the job."
"If Patrol Envoy Ling Ye hadn’t intervened in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable. You should be clear on this point."
From the moment he entered the room, Wen He’s face had been as black as the bottom of a pot.
He looked as if someone owed him a fortune.
Hearing the warning and reminder in Ran Qingshan’s words, he grunted and replied stiffly,
"For such a Demon to appear in the area under my jurisdiction is my failure of oversight and a dereliction of my duty. I will request punishment from the Bureau and will strictly discipline my subordinates to prevent such incidents from happening again."
Ran Qingshan nodded slightly and said no more.
"Alright, that’s all for this matter. Master Jiang, you stay. The rest of you may leave. Oh, right—"
He suddenly changed the subject.
"In a few days, Deputy Director Lord Tian will be returning from the Capital City after his debriefing. Everyone, be on your toes. Don’t be too lax, it wouldn’t be good if he saw that."
Hearing the two words "Lord Tian," the expressions of everyone in the room changed.
That old man was known as the biggest headache in the Hu State Demon-slaying Bureau, as well as the most strict and rigid.
He was a headache for anyone who met him.
Even a passing dog would get inexplicably cursed out by him.
After everyone had left, only the two of them remained in the room.
Ran Qingshan stood up, personally poured a cup of hot tea for Jiang Mu, and his tone softened.
"Any progress on the investigation into the mole?"
"Uh..."
A chill went down Jiang Mu’s spine. He replied, feeling a bit guilty, "It’s still under covert investigation. No definite leads yet."
"It’s fine, take your time."
Ran Qingshan wasn’t surprised. He took a sip of tea and said,
"To be able to hide so deep means this person is incredibly cunning and no ordinary character. It’s impossible to root them out all at once."
Jiang Mu asked tentatively,
"My lord, besides me, you must have assigned others to investigate in secret as well, right?"
He wanted to sound him out so he could be prepared.
Ran Qingshan smiled without speaking, which was a tacit admission.
Jiang Mu understood. He then remembered something else and asked,
"My sister... oh, no, I mean the Demon that murdered my whole family. Has there been any news recently?"
Ran Qingshan shook his head.
"Not yet. However, according to news from the General Office, the case will be handed over to Lady Ling Ye to be handled personally."
"She’s a veteran of the Demon-slaying Bureau and excels at tracking elusive Demons. If there’s any news in the future, you can ask her directly."
Jiang Mu hesitated for a moment, then voiced the suspicion in his heart.
"My lord, do you think... my sister might have been killed long ago, and that Demon took her place, impersonating her?"
"That’s a possibility."
Ran Qingshan’s expression grew heavy. "The Bureau actually did a detailed investigation. About three years ago, your sister went missing for a period of time."
"Although she was later found, perhaps she had already been replaced by the Demon back then. We just never noticed."
’Missing...’
Although his guess was confirmed to some extent, Jiang Mu still felt that something was wrong.
’It’s been three years.’
’After living with her day in and day out for three years, could their parents really not recognize that their own daughter had been swapped out?’
’Could it be that Jiang Chen’s parents knew all along that it was a Demon?’
’And they were deliberately hiding it?’
A chill ran down Jiang Mu’s spine at the thought.
’Could it be...’
’Don’t tell me... my parents were collaborators, too?’