Volume One: Miscellaneous Servants of Changshui County Chapter Forty: The Remote Mountain Forest

What an eye-opener!

“Heh, Brother Lu, there’s another free chance tomorrow. Want to go together?” Wang Yunshan said enthusiastically.

“I’ll pass. I’ll leave the opportunity to you, Brother Wang. I won’t get involved,” Lu Jiuzhang replied with a smile, glancing at a man not far away—a man who had been quietly following the group at a steady pace.

Dressed in brown, with a long scar running across his face and a sword in hand, the man said nothing and focused solely on the journey ahead.

He was the guard left behind by Steward Zhao, a martial artist of the eighth rank named Mo Mo, and at present Lu Jiuzhang’s main support.

With him around, Lu Jiuzhang had little to worry about.

…

After hurrying along, they finally arrived a hundred kilometers away, nearly two hours later.

By now, the sun was high, and everyone was gasping for breath, wiping sweat from their foreheads.

Compared to the others, Lu Jiuzhang seemed much more at ease, his face only slightly flushed.

Ahead lay an ancient forest—not large, but tangled with thickets.

Beyond the grove was a village, perhaps the most remote in Changshui County, frequently harassed by monsters.

It was too far from Changshui County, and messages took a long time to reach them.

Three days earlier, in a single night, all the chickens, ducks, pigs, and other livestock raised by the villagers died.

Their deaths were particularly strange, as if their blood had been drained.

The villagers panicked and sent someone to request help from the Demon-Slaying Bureau of Changshui County.

As this was a human village, within the territory of the human race, the Demon-Slaying Bureau was duty-bound to act.

Relocating these people to Changshui County was not practical. What would they live on once there? Here, they could at least grow crops, gather herbs, and, if lucky, find spiritual medicines.

“Once we get through this forest, we’ll reach Stone Village,” the leader, Zhou Cheng, called out. “But I have an uneasy feeling about this grove. Lu Jiuzhang, come take a look.”

He beckoned Lu Jiuzhang over.

Lu Jiuzhang had no choice but to stroll over and stand by Zhou Cheng’s side, carefully observing the woods. To him, nothing seemed amiss.

“Sir Zhou, could it be you’re mistaken?” Lu Jiuzhang asked.

“No! Aside from this feeling, don’t you notice how unnervingly quiet it is here?” Zhou Cheng replied.

Reminded by Zhou Cheng, Lu Jiuzhang realized something was indeed off.

The ancient forest was dim, the trees thick and heavy with shadows, undergrowth everywhere, and visibility limited.

But the villagers who had gone to seek help from the Demon-Slaying Bureau had passed through this very forest without incident. Surely it would be safe enough for them too?

“Sir Zhou, Lu Jiuzhang is a scholar-practitioner. His sense for demonic things is sharper than yours. If he says it’s fine, why be so suspicious?” one of the attendants, following the mission, retorted.

This attendant belonged to a different squad of Demon-Slaying Guards and was a trusted aide, so he had no fear of Zhou Cheng.

Besides, Zhou Cheng was not well-liked within the Bureau—he had the fewest followers among all the Demon-Slaying Guards. At this point, contradicting Zhou Cheng had become the done thing.

“That’s right. Sir Zhou, since Brother Lu says it’s fine, I’m with him,” another chimed in.

“What do you think?” Zhou Cheng turned to Lu Jiuzhang.

“How long would it take to go around?” Lu Jiuzhang asked.

“About an hour. Don’t be fooled by the size of the forest—taking a detour would still take a lot of time,” Zhou Cheng replied.

“Then let’s just go straight through,” Lu Jiuzhang nodded. The sooner this business was settled, the sooner he could return to his cultivation.

Hearing this, Zhou Cheng could only agree.

“Everyone, stay alert! Once inside, take up a defensive formation!” Zhou Cheng barked.

“Oh, come on, if there’s no danger, why the defensive formation? Isn’t that overcautious?” the attendant from before grumbled.

Before his words had faded, a stone hit him squarely on the leg.

With a thud, he lost his balance and fell to his knees, pain shooting through his leg.

“Do you really think I’m that easy to mess with?” Zhou Cheng said coldly. “Once we’re back at the Bureau, you’ll take thirty strokes as punishment!”

At this, everyone fell silent, not daring to stand out.

“If anyone disobeys, I’ll execute first and report later! I’d like to see what matters more to the Bureau—a mere attendant, or a ninth-rank martial artist like me? I doubt the punishment would be severe if I killed you,” Zhou Cheng said, his face dark, showing no regard for camaraderie.

In fact, he didn’t need to. In Zhou Cheng’s mind, completing the mission and keeping his own life were all that mattered.

“Move out!” With Zhou Cheng’s shout, everyone entered the ancient forest.

Several hundred meters away, the guard Mo, who had been following Lu Jiuzhang, kept a careful eye on the woods.

He too sensed something odd about this forest.

With his eighth-rank cultivation, he could sense danger. Whatever was in the woods likely posed no threat to his life.

With that reassurance, once the Demon-Slaying Bureau members entered the forest, he followed after them.

…

Lu Jiuzhang and the others took the path cleared by the villagers, about ten feet wide, flanked by dense thickets.

Silence—absolute silence.

Zhou Cheng led the way, while Lu Jiuzhang, as a scholar-practitioner, brought up the rear.

Step by step, the sound of footsteps reached Lu Jiuzhang’s ears. Judging by the sound, it seemed to be the guard Mo, which put him at ease.

“Lu Jiuzhang, come to the front!” Zhou Cheng’s voice suddenly called out from ahead.

Lu Jiuzhang quickly wove through the group to Zhou Cheng’s side at the front.

There, on the ground, lay the corpse of a huge animal.

It had been dead for some time, already rotting and reeking.

Everyone else covered their noses and kept their distance.

Even Lu Jiuzhang had to lift a corner of his robe to shield his nose before approaching.

But Zhou Cheng seemed unaffected, using a branch to poke at the corpse.

“This is the body of a black bear. In these woods, it’s considered the absolute overlord,” Zhou Cheng said slowly.

“So you think its death here is suspicious?” Lu Jiuzhang asked.

“In the deep forest, even hunters give a black bear a wide berth. If we rule out humans, what could kill a bear?” Zhou Cheng replied.

“Could it be the monster behind all this?” Lu Jiuzhang speculated. “If it’s already become a demon, even a bear wouldn’t be a match.”

“That makes sense, but there’s a flaw. If you knew more about demons, you’d know their nature,” Zhou Cheng said. “When demons attack, it’s usually for food. After eating, they return to their lair.”