On the official road outside Region City, yellow dust filled the sky.
A line of more than ten riders kicked up rolling smoke and dust.
Jiang Yuechu rode the Red-Eyed Colt, leading the charge.
Following behind her were Liu Chen and several of their old comrades from back then.
However, at this moment, the atmosphere felt somewhat heavy.
The few men who usually joked around were now riding straight-backed, yet their gazes kept drifting towards the person at the very front.
Especially Tiger Zhao.
This burly man with a face full of flesh was currently shrinking his neck, wishing he could bury his head in the horse's mane, terrified that the Mistress up front might glance back at him.
Two months.
Only two months!
She was already a Sixth-Rank Langjiang, a great master of the Core Formation Realm.
And what about them?
After so many years, they were still stuck serving as low-level Demon Suppression Guardss.
Why was the gap between people wider than the gap between a person and a dog?
Tiger Zhao swallowed, feeling both bitter and apprehensive.
Fortunately.
Fortunately, he had yielded back then.
If he had truly acted rashly back then, trying to save face or secretly cause trouble... Tiger Zhao shivered and touched his own neck.
By now, the grass on his grave would probably be three feet tall.
Seemingly aware of the abnormality behind her, Jiang Yuechu slightly pulled the reins, slowed her horse, and rode alongside the others.
"We were all on the same team before; there's no need to be reserved."
Although she had a cold personality, she was not the type to stubbornly maintain airs.
As long as they didn't provoke her, she was usually easy to talk to.
Seeing her attitude, the tightly strung nerves of the crowd finally relaxed a little.
"Exactly, exactly!"
A quick-witted man quickly chimed in, "When Lord Jiang first entered The Department, This subordinate noticed right away that you are actually cold on the outside but warm on the inside."
"Get out of here, flatterer."
A person nearby cursed him laughingly, then looked at Tiger Zhao with a hint of mischief.
"Lord Jiang, you don't know, but when Tiger Zhao drinks too much normally, his mouth has no filter."
Jiang Yuechu raised an eyebrow: "Oh? What did he say?"
Tiger Zhao's face turned green, and he desperately signaled the man.
The man acted as if he hadn't seen it, chuckling, "This guy brags to everyone he meets, saying that he actually sparred with you, Lord Jiang! Although he narrowly lost in the end, he counts as someone who has experienced your high-level moves, and that gives him a unique prestige in the Xuan Battalion!"
"Pfft—"
The surrounding men couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
"Old Zhao, do you have any shame left? You probably only took one move back then, right?"
"Why wouldn't I call it that?"
Tiger Zhao's face flushed red, "When masters spar, victory and defeat are decided in an instant! Besides, being able to exchange pointers with Lord Jiang is a blessing; you guys aren't even qualified to take a hit!"
"Hahahaha..."
Even Jiang Yuechu's lips curved into an extremely faint smile.
The previously stagnant atmosphere finally livened up amidst the banter.
"Alright."
Liu Chen, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly coughed lightly.
He spurred his horse and pointed to the wisps of cooking smoke hidden in the mountain hollow ahead.
"We're almost there. Focus yourselves."
Hearing this.
The laughter of the crowd instantly ceased.
With solemn expressions, they instinctively placed their hands on the hilts of the sabers at their waists.
To be honest.
If it were just for the sake of promotion and wealth, encountering such a wicked case with no leads could easily be wrapped up hastily, using any excuse to gloss it over.
After all, in this world, a person dying is more normal than a dog dying.
But Liu Chen was not that kind of person after all.
He was also afraid of death, and he also wanted a promotion.
But some things, if he hadn't seen them, would have been fine.
Since he had seen it, and since he had taken the case.
If he just left without resolving it, and if there truly was a Great Demon hidden in this village that harmed more lives in the future... even if The Department didn't blame him, he couldn't get past that hurdle in his heart.
"Hiyah!"
Liu Chen shouted lowly and squeezed the horse's belly with his legs.
The Red-Eyed Colt whinnied, its four hooves flying, as it galloped toward the village... After turning past a ridge that looked as if it had been split by an axe, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
A village lay quietly nestled in the shadow of the cleft between two mountains.
The earth walls were low, the houses dilapidated, mostly mud-brick structures built with yellow clay. The thatch on some roofs had largely rotted away, exposing dark rafters.
The village wasn't large, only a few dozen households.
But the most eye-catching feature was the old scholar tree at the village entrance.
No one knew how many years it had grown; its trunk was so thick that it would take seven or eight strong men to hug it, and its old bark was cracked like withered Dragon scales.
The dense canopy blotted out the sky and sun, shrouding nearly half of the village entrance in a thick shadow.
Jiang Yuechu narrowed her eyes.
Huai Shu Village, Huai Shu Village—just hearing the name, one knew why the village was named so, but she hadn't expected the tree to grow so grotesquely.
Everyone slowly approached on horseback.
Only when they got closer did they see a few people sitting beneath the old scholar tree.
Hearing the sound of hooves.
Several old men turned their heads, a flash of disgust appearing in their eyes.
"Whoa—"
Liu Chen dismounted, walked forward, and cupped his hands in greeting.
"Elders, I am a member of the Demon Suppression Division. I visited a few days ago. May I ask if the Village Head is present?"
No one answered.
The old men simply stared at him coldly.
Liu Chen frowned slightly and patiently asked again.
"We need to enter the village to re-investigate the case of the missing madwoman. Please grant us passage."
An old man missing a front tooth suddenly opened his mouth.
"Get lost."
"What did you say?"
Tiger Zhao, standing behind Liu Chen, glared and placed his hand on the saber hilt.
"I said, get lost!"
The old man suddenly stood up, "We already told you there are no demons! No demons! She ran away herself! She ran off with a wild man!"
"You people who feed off the Imperial Stipend keep coming every few days to harass us poor souls! Do you want us to live or not?!"
The remaining old men also stood up, all looking agitated, shouting and yelling at the top of their lungs.
"The Government Troops are killing people! The Government Troops are trying to force people to their deaths!"
"There's no way to live! Heaven is blind!"
In just a moment.
There was movement inside the village.
A crowd of ragged villagers poured out, carrying hoes, pitchforks, and even wooden clubs.
Most were adults or elderly people.
They didn't strike, but simply blocked the village entrance in a dense crowd, staring at everyone with hostile eyes.
"This..."
Tiger Zhao's hand gripping the saber felt stiff.
If the opponents were fierce bandits or demons, he would have long since cleaved them with his saber.
But facing this group of old, weak, women, and children who looked like they'd fall over in a gust of wind, drawing the saber felt wrong, and not drawing it also felt wrong.
"This is what you called strange?"
Jiang Yuechu watched the scene from her vantage point atop the Red-Eyed Colt, her expression indifferent.
Liu Chen was covered in sweat. He retreated, forcing a bitter smile, "You see... these Troublesome Commoners won't respond to threats or kindness. If we actually resorted to violence, and word got out that our Demon Suppression Division was bullying the innocent, our reputation..."
"Reputation?"
Jiang Yuechu scoffed softly.
She glanced sideways at the crowd and lightly squeezed the horse's belly.
The Red-Eyed Colt snorted, pawed the ground with its front hooves, and slowly advanced.
Until she was right in front of the crowd.
She slowly raised her right hand, extending three fingers.
"I will only count to three."
"After three counts, if you do not move aside... Huai Shu Village will cease to exist in this world."