Volume One: General Laborers of Changshui County, Chapter Eighty-Eight: A Bloody Storm

The deputy director from Whitewater County’s Demon-Slaying Office truly lives up to his reputation as the strongest man there, with every detail considered to perfection.

Lu Jiuzhang praised him with a smile.

“When I was younger, my flattery was better than yours. There’s no need for that in front of me,” the deputy director said after glancing at him.

The man was hopeless at conversation, and the mood turned awkward at once.

Lu Jiuzhang gave an embarrassed laugh and quickly changed the subject. “Then when do we set out?”

“Wait a little longer... no, forget it. We won’t wait. Everyone should already be in position. Whether we strike first or they do, it makes no difference.”

The deputy director went on, “With the Demon-Slaying Offices of both counties joining forces, and the experts from Western Peace Prefecture lending their aid, these demons, no matter how fierce, are no match for us.”

“In the former emperor’s day, the Demon-Slaying Office was often sent out to exterminate demons. There are actually not many left in Great Xia now; most of them have gathered together in one place. With the new emperor on the throne and his grand ambitions, I suspect that before long, all the demons within Great Zhou will be driven beyond the borders, or into the territory of the Ten Thousand Mountains where they gather.”

The Ten Thousand Mountains: the realm of demons.

But among martial artists, few liked calling it a demon realm; most simply referred to it by the name of the Ten Thousand Mountains.

There, one of the forbidden lands, countless powerful demons lived in the depths of wild mountain forests.

Even martial artists of the first or second rank would not dare set foot there lightly.

“Kill!”

With a furious shout, the deputy director led the men of the Demon-Slaying Office in a direct assault up the mountain.

At the mountain gate stood a fierce beast, bull-sized, white-bodied with a black tail, a single horn on its head, tiger fangs and claws, exceedingly savage in appearance.

Seeing the low-ranking servants of the Demon-Slaying Office below the mountain, the beast did not panic. Instead, it let out a thunderous roar that shook the heavens like a drum.

At once, from the weeds and broken ruins, a swarm of fierce beasts charged out.

Among them were demons as well as ordinary beasts that had not yet attained rank.

Dozens rushed down from the summit, and in an instant they were locked in a bloody melee with the men of the Demon-Slaying Office.

Lu Jiuzhang swung his blade, and a fierce beast that looked like a tiger-leopard, red-marked and black-striped, collapsed at once into a pool of blood.

A demon still beneath rank was merely courting death by charging him.

The deputy director was even more fearsome, his strength as a martial artist of the eighth rank fully on display. He plunged alone into the horde and was instantly engulfed by dozens of demons.

Yet the fiercer the battle became, the more savage he grew, until severed limbs and broken bodies of beasts flew everywhere.

With the deputy director fighting so fiercely, the servants of the Demon-Slaying Office could not afford to retreat. One after another, they surged forward and threw themselves into a life-and-death struggle with the demons.

“Master Nine, something’s wrong!”

In the midst of the slaughter, the black dog suddenly said, “The demon here that is close to the seventh rank is moving.”

“Toward us?” Lu Jiuzhang’s heart lurched.

Zhong Zhengming had not appeared, nor had the other squad. Something seemed to have gone wrong.

The demons here could have been dealt with by the Whitewater County Demon-Slaying Office alone, but if that demon close to the seventh rank appeared, matters would become troublesome.

“No, it is leaving. And the direction it’s taking is the opposite of ours.”

The black dog spoke.

“Leaving? What does that mean?”

Lu Jiuzhang still did not understand.

The beasts here were only seventh- or ninth-rank demons at most, or else creatures not yet ranked.

The battle ended quickly. In about the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense, all the demons in the area had been wiped out.

Blood stained the ground in scattered patches, and the already ruined, abandoned sect now looked even more desolate.

Even after the fighting ended, Zhong Zhengming and the people from Nawu County still had not appeared.

The deputy director frowned slightly. “Demon-Slaying Guard Lu, I’ll leave this place to you. I’m going to look for Director Zhong.”

Dimly, the deputy director felt that something ill had happened.

“Go on, Deputy Director. Leave us be.”

Lu Jiuzhang cupped his hands.

The deputy director nodded and hurried off toward the distance.

...

A trail of dust rose behind him, proof of his terrifying speed.

After racing several li, the deputy director finally detected some movement in an old forest ahead.

When he entered the deep woods, he found Director Zhong at the center of a crowd.

Around him stood the Demon-Slaying Envoy Li from Western Peace Prefecture, Director Song of Nawu County, and two deputy directors along with one Demon-Slaying Envoy, all of them martial artists of the eighth rank.

Beyond them was a great demon perched upon a giant tree.

It had one head and two bodies, was entirely black, and covered in scales. The instant it opened its mouth, a stench of blood and rot rushed forth.

Beneath that great demon were three more demons, each also of the eighth rank.

There were already nine cultivators of the eighth rank present in the field.

Director Zhong’s condition was somewhat poor, and a trace of blood had appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“What audacity, daring to strike at the director of Whitewater County’s Demon-Slaying Office!” the deputy director roared, swiftly moving to Zhong Zhengming’s side.

No wonder the demon-clearing on the mountain had been so easy—who would have thought that all these top-tier demons had gathered here?

And the upper ranks of Nawu County’s Demon-Slaying Office were all assembled as well.

Right, where was Yuan Wufeng?

The deputy director looked around and failed to find any trace of him.

That Yuan Wufeng had long been accustomed to two-faced schemes; no doubt he had already thrown in his lot with Nawu County.

He might even be hiding in some shadowed corner, waiting for a chance to deliver a fatal blow to Director Zhong.

“Rest assured, Young Master. With this old servant here, I will protect you in perfect safety!” the deputy director called out loudly.

“Tsk, tsk, what touching loyalty between master and servant.” Director Song, with a knife scar on his face, clapped his hands. “But this is already a dead end. What difference does it make to us whether one person dies or two?”

“I do admire your courage. When the time comes, I can let you die whole. As for Director Zhong, I’m sorry, but someone specifically demanded his head. I can’t help it—I can only wait for him to die and then cut off his head.”

“How dare you, wretch?” the deputy director raged. “Do you know who stands behind Director Zhong? The Zhong clan’s ancestor is still alive. Even the former emperor did not dare punish a Zhong family descendant lightly, let alone the director of a mere county’s Demon-Slaying Office?”

“Demon-Slaying Envoy Li, are you just going to stand by and do nothing?” Having said that, the deputy director turned to Li of Western Peace Prefecture. “You represent the Demon-Slaying Office of Western Peace Prefecture. As the superior authority over Whitewater County and Nawu County, if this matter gets out of hand, it won’t matter whether you are a Demon-Slaying Envoy. Even if you were the director of the Demon-Slaying Office in Western Peace Prefecture, you could not escape responsibility!”

The deputy director shouted sternly several times, yet no one present responded.

Suddenly, everyone looked up toward the sky.

Demon-Slaying Envoy Li even slashed out with his blade, the blade qi carrying force enough to sever the crowns of several trees.

Through the forest, everyone saw the clear blue sky.

The next instant, the heavens abruptly changed. From nowhere, great masses of blood-red clouds drifted overhead.

The weather was eerily strange.

Then, one drop after another of bloody rain began to fall from the sky.

That blood rain was no different from ordinary rainwater except for its color.

Yet the sight of it was deeply unsettling, enough to make one’s skin crawl all over.