Chapter 61: The Blackwind Mountains
“To access full territorial intelligence, you’d need a Demon Subduing Master,” said Cui Fan.
Demon Subduing Envoys could also lead teams to exterminate demons, but they were only responsible for small towns and villages.
However, his intent wasn’t to refuse Li Hao. Changing his tone, he smiled and said, “But since you’ve traveled far with a strong determination to exterminate demons, naturally, I can’t refuse your request. Please, follow me.”
With that, he led Li Hao and his group into a secluded side room of the Demon Subduing Division.
Guards were stationed here, and Cui Fan, who was quite familiar with them, greeted them casually before leading the group inside.
On the wall hung a map—a detailed layout of Cangyu City’s territory, covering more than a dozen nearby small towns and numerous villages.
Cui Fan pulled a book from a shelf and handed it to Li Hao.
“This is the demon-extermination record for the past six months in the vicinity of Cangyu City. Take your time reading it. After lunch, I’ll personally accompany you on a patrol...” Cui Fan said with a smile.
Li Hao opened the book and began to read it intently.
Li Yuanzhao, curious as well, leaned over to read alongside him.
...
...
In a lavish mansion on the outskirts of the city...
“Yan family, ten strings of copper coins.”
“Zhang family, eight strings of copper coins.”
A young woman of elegant beauty reclined on a soft chaise, slowly paging through an account ledger. She turned to the accountant beside her and said, “There have been so many demonic disturbances this year, and our tenant farmers have had poor harvests. Let the master waive some of their taxes; it’s been so hard on them.”
The accountant hesitated, bowing his head as he replied, “Madam, your kindness is unparalleled. However, business has been tough for all of our properties this year. Reducing taxes any further could really affect the estate’s income.”
“We’ll just be a bit more frugal ourselves and let the farmers enjoy a decent New Year,” she said gently, her voice filled with warmth.
The accountant nodded, acknowledging her instructions. “I’ll discuss this with the master.”
“Madam, you’re with child; you’ve been looking at accounts all morning. You must be tired. It’s time for you to rest,” said a delicate maid nearby, her expression filled with concern.
The young woman gently caressed her rounded belly, her eyes softening with motherly affection. She closed the ledger, allowed the maid to help her up, and returned to her chamber.
“I’ll go to the kitchen and bring you some refreshments,” the maid said, helping her settle onto the bed.
The young woman gave a light nod.
As the maid quietly left and closed the door behind her, the woman lovingly stroked her belly and murmured to herself, “My child, the New Year is coming soon. Soon, I’ll finally get to meet you.”
Her gaze was warm, filled with gentle anticipation.
“Hehehe... You’re really that eager to meet me?”
Suddenly, a strange, sharp childlike voice echoed through the quiet room.
The woman froze, her eyes widening in shock as she looked down at her belly.
She was sure—she had heard the voice coming from inside her womb.
“You…”
Before she could process what was happening, her belly suddenly swelled up, bulging out in an unnatural way, and an intense tearing pain followed.
With a sickening pop, her navel ruptured, but no blood sprayed out. Instead, it looked as if an air bladder had burst, rapidly deflating.
A shriveled, blood-soaked head emerged from her belly, attached to a snake-like appendage that wriggled and coiled like the tail of a limbless centipede.
The sight was so horrifying that even with years of managing the household and a stable disposition, the young woman screamed and immediately fainted.
“So hypocritical... Your child has arrived, yet you don’t want to see me anymore?”
The shriveled head cackled, its mouth opening to reveal a row of sharp, jagged teeth.
It slithered out, climbing onto her torso. Suddenly, it opened its mouth wide, sinking its teeth into the young woman’s head.
In moments, it began devouring her entire upper body, swallowing her in a grotesque display that left its body grotesquely distended.
“Vile beast!”
An angry voice suddenly rang out.
A golden light flashed as a slender figure passed through the wall and burst into the room. It was none other than Song Yueyao.
“Hm?”
The creature, startled, paused mid-meal, and seeing her, its expression shifted. It quickly spat out the half-devoured woman and attempted to slither away, darting toward the window to escape.
“Golden Lock Dragon Trap!”
Song Yueyao’s face was icy, her fingers forming a series of gestures.
Though her Divine Soul couldn’t cause physical harm, it could perform divine techniques specifically designed to counter and seal demon creatures’ dark arts.
The Golden Lock Dragon Trap was a confinement spell, a skill in the Divine Soul Arts.
Golden light flared, trapping the creature within. It writhed and struggled but couldn’t break free.
Moments later, hurried footsteps approached, and Song Yueyao’s physical form appeared outside the window. She leaped down, slashing at the demon creature within the golden light.
“Spare me…” the creature pleaded, panic evident in its voice.
But the sword light was relentless, slicing off its head in one swift motion, sending it rolling to the ground.
Song Yueyao swung her sword twice more, cutting the creature’s body into pieces before quickly stepping into the room. Approaching the bed, she saw that the young woman’s face was already a bloody, rotting mess. Her abdomen was hollowed out, her organs devoured.
Too late… Song Yueyao’s expression darkened. Though she had experience exterminating demons, the sight still filled her with rage.
Just then, the mansion’s attendants and servants rushed over, led by the master of the house, a wealthy merchant in his forties.
Song Yueyao instructed her companions to secure the area to prevent anyone from entering.
“You’re from the Demon Subduing Division?!”
The master of the house, recognizing the official attire on Tian Congzhi, who was guarding the entrance, was shocked. “Where’s Lian’er? What’s happened to her?”
“There was a demon here. Please, don’t come any closer,” Tian Congzhi said solemnly, his tone grave.
“A demon? In my home? Surely there’s some mistake! Let me see Lian’er!” The master pushed against Tian Congzhi, his voice filled with desperation.
Song Yueyao stepped out, having already sheathed her sword. She glanced at the middle-aged man and said, “Your wife has passed, killed by a demon. I have slain it. Now, you should arrange for her to be properly buried.”
“Passed... dead?”
The master stood in stunned silence, then, as if struck by a thunderbolt, lunged forward.
Tian Congzhi, unwilling to use force on an ordinary person, tried to hold him back. Seeing this, Song Yueyao subtly shook her head, signaling him to step aside.
In the end, he would have to face it—after all, the funeral would come next.
The middle-aged man stumbled into the room and was immediately confronted by the horrific scene, his expression twisting as though struck by lightning, leaving him frozen in place.
Song Yueyao quietly instructed Tian Congzhi, “Stay here and handle the aftermath. I’m going to see the City Lord.”
“Understood,” Tian Congzhi replied.
Just as Song Yueyao turned to leave, the man suddenly grabbed her arm, his eyes bloodshot as he shouted in rage:
“Why? Why didn’t you come sooner? Why?!”
“You give me back my Lian’er! Give her back to me!!”
Song Yueyao’s expression hardened, and she instinctively pulled her arm free, sending him sprawling to the ground.
The man collapsed, sitting in a daze. He no longer tried to grab her, but instead clutched his head, sobbing uncontrollably:
“She told me... it was her first time as a mother, she had even picked a name for our child. Why... why did this have to happen to her? Heaven, why are you so unjust?!”
His wails echoed through the courtyard, reaching the ears of the servants outside, who all trembled at the sound.
Song Yueyao felt a pang of remorse as she looked at the devastated man. She knew that nothing she said would reach him now. Gripping her sword tightly, she left without a word, her pace quickening.
Why couldn’t I have come just a little sooner... She bit her lip slightly.
...
At the City Lord’s manor...
Song Yueyao arrived swiftly, her movements precise and efficient.
“Mr. Yue, you asked for me?”
There she saw Yue Shuhong, the City Lord in charge of Cangyu City’s safety.
Yue Shuhong, a man in his forties with an air of scholarly refinement, gazed at her with a hint of admiration in his eyes.
To reach the Spiritual Wandering Realm at just over twenty, and on the brink of perfection—this was the difference between a top prodigy and himself.
“Inspector Song, thank you for your hard work. You just arrived yesterday, and already you’ve slain a demon, sparing a town from calamity,” Yue Shuhong said with a small smile.
Song Yueyao, still shaken by the earlier incident, replied solemnly, “Exterminating demons is the duty of us martial artists. Think nothing of it. May I ask what you’ve called me here for?”
Recognizing her dislike for flattery, Yue Shuhong’s expression turned serious as he got to the point:
...
“I believe you’ve reviewed our recent demon-slaying records. In the past six months, demon activity has surged, and within the last two weeks, multiple demons have been gathering in the Blackwind Mountains, a hundred miles east of the city. Passing merchant convoys have met tragic ends.”
He spread a map of the entire territory across the table, pointing to a mountainous area to the east. “I sent people to investigate, and we lost four Demon Subduing Masters before uncovering some information.”
Looking at Song Yueyao, his eyes were grave. “Among these demons, there’s a powerful demon that seeks to rally the nearby lesser demons to overtake Cangyu City!”
Song Yueyao’s expression shifted, alarmed. Cangyu City housed millions—did this demon plan to massacre the entire city?
Such events were rare, even along the borders.
...
“Have you informed the Xia Family?”
The Xia Family was one of the Four Divine Generals, and they held jurisdiction over the entire Qizhou Province.
Yue Shuhong sighed. “I did. But the Xia Family seems to be occupied on another front and said they’d only send help if the demon truly attacks, advising us not to jump at shadows.”
Song Yueyao’s eyes flashed with anger, but she knew better than to criticize the Divine General’s Mansion. Any words spoken here could reach the Xia Family, bringing trouble to her headquarters. “Are you certain of the information?”
Yue Shuhong nodded solemnly. “It’s true.”
Then, after a pause, he added, “But I can’t be completely sure. That’s why... if possible, could Inspector Song approach the Xia Family to request their assistance?”
Song Yueyao frowned. She barely knew Yue Shuhong and didn’t wish to be used as a pawn.
After a moment’s thought, she replied, “I hold only the rank of Inspector and may not have the influence to secure their help. For now, I’ll go investigate and assess the situation myself.”
As if expecting this response, Yue Shuhong nodded. “Very well. Perhaps I could accompany you—demons in the Blackwind Mountains pose a great danger.”
“No need. I’ll only survey the outskirts,” Song Yueyao said, then took her leave.
Watching her departure, Yue Shuhong gazed after her for a long while, sighing deeply.
...
Back at the Demon Subduing Division...
Li Hao had finished reviewing recent demon-slaying records, as well as other intelligence on demon activity.
“Demons gathering in the Blackwind Mountains…” Li Hao’s eyes narrowed.