Midnight.
The sound of the clapper drifted from afar, only to be quickly swallowed by the wind.
The young Man with a delicate, effeminate air slowly opened his eyes.
"The time has come."
As soon as these words were spoken, the dozen or so people in the prison cell stood up in unison.
"Finally!"
Dog Second, also known as "Li Gui," clutched his bare wrist and stood up resentfully. "I'm going to tear that bitch into ten thousand pieces!"
"Brother Dog, don't forget the main task."
"Hmph!" Dog Second snorted coldly, walked to the heavy iron door, channeled his Demon power, and shoved it hard.
The iron door didn't budge.
"Don't waste your energy."
The effeminate Man walked over, his voice calm. "This Yumen Pass prison has outer walls made of special blue bricks and is reinforced with hundred-refined black iron inside. Forget about us; even if a True Monarch were to come in person, they wouldn't be able to break it open easily."
"Then what do we do?" a Demon asked anxiously.
The effeminate Man didn't answer, instead casting his gaze toward another small, thin Man who had remained silent all along.
"It's your turn."
The Man nodded, his body shrinking violently as his bones emitted a series of crisp cracks.
In the blink of an eye, a living person had transformed into a small black snake no thicker than a thumb.
The black snake flicked its tongue, twisted its body, and silently slithered out through the narrow gap beneath the door.
Inside the cell, all the Demons held their breath.
A moment later.
Click.
The heavy iron door was slowly pushed open a crack.
The black snake slithered back through the crack and transformed back into human form, though its face bore a look of confusion and peculiarity.
"Strange..."
"What's strange? Hurry up and go!" Dog Second had long been impatient.
The small, thin Man scratched his head and pointed at the empty corridor outside. "Outside... why isn't there a single person?"
"No one?" Dog Second was stunned, then his face broke into a look of wild joy. "Hahaha! Good! It must be that group of Human Race officials who thought this iron prison was foolproof and went off to slack off!"
"Exactly!" another Demon echoed. "How could they have imagined that we have Brother Snake's abilities!"
"Let's go, let's go, don't delay any longer. Once we break that Seal Demon Grand Formation, tonight I'll skin that little bitch alive and hang her on the city wall!"
The group of Demons filed out one by one.
However.
When the group of Demons sneakily pushed the prison door open a crack, the few Demons at the front all changed expressions, and with peculiar looks on their faces, they turned around and headed back toward the cell.
"What is it?" Dog Second was about to step out the door when he was squeezed by these people, nearly crashing into the doorframe. He immediately flew into a rage. "What the hell are you all coming back for?"
The snake Demon who had transformed into the small, thin Man squeezed to the front, his face full of terror. He pointed outside and stammered, "Dog... Master Dog... I... I think this prison is actually quite nice. It's warm in winter and cool in summer, and they even provide food. How about... we don't go out?"
"Go to hell!" Dog Second kicked him away, his face full of impatience. "What the hell are you spouting nonsense for?"
He pushed the other Demons aside and strode out of the prison door.
"Hurry up and follow me, don't..."
The voice stopped abruptly.
Outside the silent prison, a circle of bright torches suddenly lit up.
In the torchlight, figures in black with red patterns or wearing black armor, carrying undisguised murderous intent, surrounded the exit completely.
Chen Tong carried his blade on his shoulder, a ferocious grin on his face.
Liu Ke held his sword hilt, his face icy.
Behind them stood Commander Zhou and his group of heavily armored soldiers, their powerful crossbows drawn and aimed at the prison door.
And in front of everyone.
A chair was placed casually in the center of the open space.
Jiang Yuechu sat there, one hand supporting her face, the other resting lightly on the horizontal blade across her lap, as if she had been waiting for a long time.
Hearing the commotion, she slowly lifted her head, her cold, clear eyes landing on the face at the door, which had completely frozen in expression.
"What's wrong? Where are you all going?"
...
Time shifted back a few hours.
Yumen Pass, Vanguard Battalion barracks.
Chen Tong could no longer hold back; he plopped down on a stool, his face full of confusion.
"My Lord! That Li Gui clearly disobeyed military orders. Why did you let him into the Pass? In my opinion, we should have left his group outside the Pass and let them fend for themselves!"
The monk No Abstinence shook his head and sighed. "Amitabha, Benefactor Chen, that is incorrect. After all, they are from the Demon Suppression Division. If we really shut them out, it might damage your reputation if word gets out."
"Reputation? Can reputation be eaten as a meal?" Chen Tong stiffened his neck. "That dog-thing was badmouthing you behind your back, and now he left the Pass without authorization and nearly ruined everything. Are we just going to let him off that easily?"
Just then.
Liu Ke, who had been silent all along, suddenly stepped forward and cupped his hands toward Jiang Yuechu.
"My Lord, This subordinate has something to report."
Everyone was stunned and looked at him subconsciously.
Jiang Yuechu glanced at him and said calmly, "Speak."
Liu Ke took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "This subordinate has had a decent memory since childhood. Whoever I have met once, I can generally remember their appearance and demeanor reasonably well."
"The group led by Li Gui just now—I felt something was off."
He paused, a flash of surprise and suspicion in his eyes.
"Beneath Li Gui's left earlobe, there should have been a very faint black mole, but today that person didn't have one."
"Also, there is a Man under his command named Zhang San. I remember he had a one-inch-long scar on his left cheek, but the person just now had the scar on his right cheek."
"And their height, gait, accent... there were slight discrepancies. If one doesn't look carefully, it's indeed hard to notice, but if you compare them side by side..."
He raised his eyes and said word by word, "My Lord, I suspect... they are not the original group at all!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the air in the barracks instantly froze.
The look of complaint on Chen Tong's face was instantly replaced by shock.
"Damn it, you mean..."
Everyone's gaze converged on Jiang Yuechu, waiting for her reaction.
However, contrary to everyone's expectations.
There was not a trace of surprise on Jiang Yuechu's face.
She just downed the cold tea in her cup and then spoke calmly.
"I know."
"Huh?"
Liu Ke was completely stunned.
You knew?
Chen Tong was even more puzzled. "My Lord, since you knew they were Demons in disguise, why did you let them into the city?!"
"This is not..."
He wanted to say it was reckless, but since she was his superior, he felt awkward about blaming her.
Jiang Yuechu slowly stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the barracks shrouded in night outside. The corners of her mouth suddenly curled into a chilling arc.
"I have a bad habit; I am truly too greedy."
Everyone was confused.
"If we acted at the city gate, the area is too open. If things got chaotic and one or two escaped,"
Jiang Yuechu's voice was very soft, yet carried an indescribable chill. "Wouldn't I feel heartbroken?"
As for how she knew?
She extended her hand, looking at her fair palm, the smile on her face becoming increasingly eerie.
"Blood Food Technique, it really is useful~"