Volume One: Menial Worker of Changshui County Chapter Seventy-Seven: Seventh-Rank Demonic Cultivator

A dog speaking human words—just what is the true nature of this yellow mutt? If it were a monster, there would be traces upon its body, and yet, none can be found. Thankfully, this is the Demon Slayers’ Bureau, and Lu Jiuzhang feels no fear. At present, several eighth-rank martial artists are stationed within these walls. Moreover, the Bureau is one of the places in Great Xia with the highest concentration of warriors; to cause trouble here in Changshui County’s Demon Slayers’ Bureau is to challenge the very limits of tolerance, risking the pursuit of all Demon Slayers’ Bureaus across the nation.

Especially the headquarters in the capital’s central prefecture—their ranks are not lacking in masters.

“Yes, I’m speaking to you! Stew you? Over my dead body!” the yellow dog shouted at Lu Jiuzhang.

“Ah!” Zhao Chan’er shrieked. The yellow dog, which had always lingered by her side, had spoken, terrifying her into a trembling mess.

“What is your purpose in approaching me?” Lu Jiuzhang fixed his gaze on the yellow dog, his hand drawing the saber at his waist. In the same instant, the power of the Confucian path enveloped him in a faint aura. Should the dog make a false move, his saber would strike in the next moment—a full-force blow at the peak of ninth-rank martial prowess, the strongest strike he could muster.

“Who wants to approach you? If someone hadn’t told me to find you, do you think I’d willingly come here? Are you kidding me?” the yellow dog retorted, grumbling.

“Master Lu, what’s going on?” At that moment, a servant emerged from within the Bureau. Seeing this, the yellow dog dared not speak, instead barking twice at Lu Jiuzhang.

“It’s nothing, just a mad dog that startled my sister. I was about to kill it for dog meat,” Lu Jiuzhang replied.

Assured that all was well, the servant turned and left.

“Eat your grandfather? I’m no dog—I’m a divine beast!” the yellow dog cursed as soon as the person was gone.

“If you’re neither a monster nor enlightened, how is it you can speak?” Lu Jiuzhang pressed, his curiosity piqued. “And you said you were sent to Changshui County by someone. Who was it?”

“There’s such a thing as spirit pills that can bestow intelligence,” the yellow dog replied with disdain, casting Lu Jiuzhang a scornful glance. “As for who sent me to find you, I’m not sure. But I’ve caught his scent in your family’s residence.”

Caught a scent? Could it be Guard Mo?

“Second Brother Lu, it was interested in the saber hanging on your wall at home!” Xiao Chan interjected.

The saber?

“Lu Huaigu’s scent?”

Lu Jiuzhang’s composure faltered. What was going on? His elder brother Lu Huaigu had been dead nearly a month! Could he have faked his death and fled elsewhere? If that were so, his elder brother was truly unreliable—abandoning his own younger brother in his flight.

Then again, it made sense. Even when sneaking off to the Red Plum Pavilion, his brother went alone, never inviting Lu Jiuzhang to share in the pleasures. He could certainly be expected to escape on his own.

His elder brother was not to be relied upon—Lu Jiuzhang sighed deeply.

“It must have been your brother. Months ago, he encountered me and told me to seek you out. But I was in the midst of a transformation then and only set out from Fubei Commandery once it was complete,” the yellow dog explained. “I braved the elements all the way here, suffering endless bullying from your kind. If you don’t compensate me, it’s simply unjust!”

Fubei Commandery and Beilu Commandery both lay in the north, adjacent to each other. The journey spanned tens of thousands of miles. Had this yellow dog really come all that way? Lu Jiuzhang found it hard to believe. Yet the dog had no cultivation and spoke human words—truly odd.

“Did my brother leave you any instructions?” Lu Jiuzhang asked. His elder brother, Lu Huaigu, had been a mere servant at the Demon Slayers’ Bureau before his death. Whether he’d even been to Fubei Commandery, Lu Jiuzhang doubted.

“No, just told me to stick by your side. Kid, I’m a creature of auspicious omen; I can enhance your fortune. You’re blessed, you know!” the yellow dog boasted with pride.

“That’s it, this dog is abnormal. Best kill it and eat it!” Lu Jiuzhang declared. A mongrel claiming to be a divine beast—surely mad.

“What do you think you’re barking at? No, what are you shouting at? Do you have the right to question me?” the yellow dog snapped.

“If you claim to have been sent by Brother Lu Huaigu, do you have any proof?” Zhao Chan’er asked, having recovered somewhat from her fright. A talking dog was certainly a rare sight in her eyes.

“Ha... ptooey...” The yellow dog spat out a jade thumb ring.

Lu Jiuzhang stared in astonishment. This was indeed Lu Huaigu’s ring—he had seen his brother wear it before.

Things were starting to make sense. Half a year ago, Lu Jiuzhang had crossed into this world. Months ago, his brother went to Fubei Commandery. A month ago, Lu Huaigu died, and Lu Jiuzhang entered the Demon Slayers’ Bureau. The timeline was slowly coming together.

It seemed his elder brother was not as simple as he appeared. Lu Jiuzhang narrowed his eyes, recalling all the peculiarities about Lu Huaigu’s life. Besides frequent outings and nights spent at the Red Plum Pavilion, there was little else of note.

Thus, the key must lie with Lady Muyun. Were the things she said that day true? Did she conceal anything from Lu Jiuzhang?

All these threads only made the truth more elusive and baffling. It made Lu Jiuzhang suspect that his brother’s death might be connected to the “Capital Blood Corpse Case.” Perhaps there were deeper reasons yet unknown.

...

That night, Lu Jiuzhang did not remain at the Demon Slayers’ Bureau but returned to his own home. With Guard Mo gone and a yellow dog now in the house, there was at least some semblance of life.

In the night, the yellow dog squatted in the courtyard, inhaling and exhaling deeply as the gentle moonlight gathered upon its body. The essence of sun and moon—like the morning sun with its ten thousand miles of purple clouds and pure yang energy; or the cold radiance of the moon, as cool as water, embodying the chill of the lunar force.

Lu Jiuzhang, though ignorant of such things, could sense this yellow dog possessed some skill.

“Do you want to learn?” The yellow dog spoke softly under the moonlight.

Such a technique far surpassed the “Nine Cycles Chaos Method” Lu Jiuzhang practiced. For a moment, he was tempted.

“Become a monster first, then I’ll teach you,” the yellow dog said.

“Become a monster? Not interested!” Lu Jiuzhang shook his head, then asked, “By absorbing the essence of sun and moon, what’s your current cultivation?”

“Seventh-rank in the demon path. I’m about to break into the sixth rank,” the yellow dog replied slowly.

Seventh-rank in the demon path? That powerful?

Lu Jiuzhang was skeptical. So far, he had yet to meet a martial artist of equivalent rank. It was rumored that Chief Zhong might have reached the seventh rank, but it was only rumor.

With a loud “bang!” Lu Jiuzhang threw a punch at the yellow dog, pouring all his strength into the blow—nearly equal to an eighth-rank martial strike.

“Woof, woof, woof...” The yellow dog was sent flying several yards, crashing into the courtyard wall, which caved in under the impact, cracks spreading like a spiderweb.

“You’re fooling me? Is this the power of a seventh-rank demon?” Lu Jiuzhang challenged, seizing the initiative.