Chapter 61: Blackwind Mountains
Chapter 61: Blackwind Mountains
"Only a Demon Suppression Officer can access the full intelligence", Cui Fan said.
A Demon Exterminator can lead a team to slay demons, but they are only responsible for villages and small towns.
However, his words were not meant to refuse Li Hao. With a smile, he continued, "But since you've traveled far and are eager to slay demons, I can't deny your request. Please follow me."
With that, he led Li Hao and the others into a side room of the Demon Suppression Bureau.
There was a guard at the door, and Cui Fan was very familiar with him. After exchanging greetings, he led the group inside.
Inside the room, a map hung on the wall, a topographical map of Cangyu City and the surrounding dozen or so towns and numerous villages.
Cui Fan pulled a book from a shelf and turned to hand it to Li Hao.
"This is the record of demon slaying activities in and around Cangyu City for the past six months. Take your time reading it. After lunch, I'll take you on a patrol this afternoon", Cui Fan said with a smile.
Li Hao opened the book and began reading it carefully.
Li Yuanzhao, curious, leaned in to read along with him.
...
...
In a wealthy mansion on the outskirts of the city.
"Yan Clan, ten strings of copper coins."
"Zhang Clan, eight strings of copper coins."
A plump young beauty reclined on a soft couch, slowly flipping through the ledger. She spoke to the accountant beside her, "This year, the demonic disturbances have been frequent, and the tenant farmers' harvests have been poor. Please ask the Master to reduce their taxes; they are suffering too much."
The accountant was taken aback and bowed his head, "Madam, you are merciful, but this year, all the family businesses are struggling. If we reduce the taxes further, the household income will be significantly reduced."
"We can be more frugal. Let the farmers have a good New Year", the beauty said softly.
The accountant nodded, "I will discuss it with the Master later."
"Madam, you are with child and have been reviewing the accounts all morning. You must be tired. You should rest", a beautiful and delicate maid said, concerned.
The beauty gently stroked her swollen belly, her eyes filled with tenderness and affection. She closed the ledger and, with the maid's help, slowly stood up and returned to her bedroom.
"I'll go to the kitchen and bring you some snacks, Madam", the maid said obediently, helping the beauty settle into bed.
The beauty nodded lightly.
As the maid left, the door closed softly. She gently caressed her belly and whispered, "My child, the New Year is coming soon, and Mother will see you soon."
Her eyes were soft, filled with gentle anticipation.
"Hehe, are you that eager to see me?"
Suddenly, a strange, sharp child's voice echoed in the quiet room.
The beauty snapped out of her thoughts, her eyes widening in shock as she stared at her belly.
She heard it clearly; the voice was coming from her eight-month-old belly.
"You..."
Before she could understand what was happening, her belly suddenly bulged and swelled larger and larger, followed by a searing pain.
With a pop, her navel burst open, but no blood spurted out. Instead, it was like a balloon deflating rapidly.
A wet, blood-covered, emaciated head slowly emerged from her belly, but behind the head was a long, snake-like limb, resembling both a snake and a legless centipede, wriggling gently.
Seeing this horrifying sight, even with her years of managing the household, the beauty screamed and fainted on the spot.
"How hypocritical. Your child is out, and you don't want to see it anymore."
The emaciated head chuckled, its mouth full of sharp teeth.
It then slithered up to the beauty's upper body, suddenly opened its mouth, and bit her head.
It swallowed her entire upper body, and its long, thin body swelled up.
"Abomination!!"
Suddenly, an angry voice rang out.
A golden light flashed, and a slender figure darted through the wall, rushing into the room. It was Song Yueyao, her figure graceful and ethereal.
"Hmm?"
The monster, which was gnawing on the woman, froze, its expression changing. It quickly spat out the half-eaten woman and slithered away like a venomous snake, attempting to escape through the window on the other side.
"Golden Lock Dragon Trap!"
Song Yueyao's face turned cold, and she swiftly cast the spell.
While the Divine Soul could not inflict physical damage, it could still use divine techniques to counter the bizarre spells of monsters.
The Golden Lock Dragon Trap was one such technique, part of the Divine Roaming Technique.
Golden light suddenly erupted, trapping the emaciated monster inside, preventing it from escaping.
Soon, hurried footsteps approached, and Song Yueyao's physical body rushed to the window, leaped down, and swung her sword at the monster trapped in the golden light.
"Spare me..." the monster pleaded in panic.
But the sword's edge was merciless, severing the monster's head, which rolled to the ground.
Song Yueyao swung her sword twice more, cutting the monster's body into pieces. She then quickly moved to the bed, only to find the woman's face bloodied and rotting.
Her abdomen was empty, her internal organs already consumed.
She arrived too late... Her expression darkened, a mix of anger and frustration, despite her experience in slaying monsters.
At that moment, the household servants and maids rushed in, along with the master of the house, a wealthy merchant in his forties.
Song Yueyao immediately instructed her companions to seal the room to prevent ordinary people from seeing the scene.
"Are you from the Demon Suppression Bureau?!"
The master, well-versed in many things, recognized the official uniform of Tian Congzhi, who was sealing the door. His face paled, and he urgently asked, "Where is Lian'er? What happened to Lian'er?"
"There is a monster inside. Please do not approach."
Tian Congzhi, a Black Hall Disciple, was here to assist Song Yueyao. He had already seen the gruesome scene and spoke in a solemn tone.
"There are no monsters in my house. You must be mistaken. Let me see Lian'er!" The master pushed Tian Congzhi, his teeth gritted.
Song Yueyao stepped out of the room, having sheathed her sword. She glanced at the middle-aged man and said, "Your wife is dead. She was killed by the monster, which I have slain. Please give her a proper burial."
"Dead, dead?"
The master was stunned, then began pushing frantically, trying to force his way in.
Tian Congzhi, reluctant to harm an ordinary person, struggled to hold him back. Seeing this, Song Yueyao shook her head slightly, signaling him to let go.
He would have to see it eventually, and he would need to arrange the burial.
The middle-aged man rushed into the room and immediately saw the horrific sight. He was struck as if by five thunderbolts, standing there in a daze.
Song Yueyao instructed Tian Congzhi, "Stay and handle the aftermath. I need to report to the City Governor."
"Alright."
Tian Congzhi agreed.
Before Song Yueyao could leave, the middle-aged man suddenly grabbed her arm, his eyes red with anger, and roared at her, "Why didn't you come earlier? Why?!"
"Give me back my Lian'er, give me back my Lian'er!!"
Song Yueyao's expression changed, and she instinctively pulled away, slapping the man to the ground.
The man fell to the floor, no longer fighting, but grabbed his head and wailed, "She said it was her first time being a mother. She even thought of a name for the child. Why, why did this happen to Lian'er? Oh, heavens, this is so unfair!!"
His cries echoed through the courtyard, and the servants and maids outside the door heard everything, their hearts heavy.
A pang of guilt flashed through Song Yueyao's mind as she looked at the nearly hysterical man. Knowing he wouldn't listen to anything she said, she tightened her grip on her sword, remained silent, and quickly left.
Yes, why couldn't she have been a little faster... She bit her lower lip gently.
……
At the City Lord's Residence.
Song Yueyao hurriedly arrived, moving swiftly and agilely.
"Mr. Yue, you wanted to see me?"
Song Yueyao saw the City Governor, who was responsible for the safety of the entire Cangyu City.
Yue Shuhong was in his forties, exuding a refined and scholarly aura. As he watched the woman rush in, a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes.
To reach the Divine Wanderer Realm in her early twenties and be on the verge of Perfection—this was the gap between top-tier monsters and ordinary people.
"Inspector Song, thank you for your hard work. You just arrived yesterday, and yet you had to deal with a monster. Thanks to you, the town was spared from disaster", Yue Shuhong said with a light smile.
Song Yueyao had just come out of the mansion, her mood sour and her expression dark. "Exterminating monsters is the duty of martial artists. It's nothing. I wonder why Mr. Yue summoned me here?"
Yue Shuhong, accustomed to his high position, was skilled at reading people. Seeing that she wasn't the type to enjoy flattery, he felt a sense of respect and his expression grew serious.
"Inspector Song, I believe you have already reviewed the recent monster extermination records for our city. In the past half-year, monsters have been appearing frequently. About two weeks ago, in the Blackwind Mountains a hundred miles east of the city, many monsters began to gather. Caravan teams passing through have encountered misfortune."
Yue Shuhong spread out a map of the entire region on the table and pointed to a mountain range in the east. "I sent people to investigate. Four Demon Suppression Officers were sacrificed to gather some information."
At this point, he looked at Song Yueyao, his eyes stern and grave. "Among these monsters, there is a Great Demon. It intends to command the smaller monsters and invade the entire Cangyu City!"
Song Yueyao was taken aback, her expression changing. Cangyu City had millions of civilians. Were they all to be devoured? Was this monster planning to raze the city?
Such an event, even on the border, was not common.
"Have you informed the Xia Clan?" Song Yueyao asked immediately.
The Xia Clan was one of the Four Great Divine Generals, responsible for guarding Qizhou.
Yue Shuhong smiled bitterly. "I have, but the Xia Clan seems to be engaged in another battlefield. They said they would send people to clear the area only if the monster truly attacks. They told me not to make assumptions."
A flash of anger crossed Song Yueyao's eyes, but she knew that the Divine General Manor was not something she could criticize. If her words were secretly passed to the Xia Clan, it could be detrimental to the Tan Palace. She asked, "Is this information true?"
Yue Shuhong's expression turned serious. "Of course, it is true."
He continued, "However, I don't have a hundred percent certainty. So... if possible, could you, Inspector Song, go and ask the Xia Clan for help?"
Song Yueyao frowned. She wasn't familiar with the City Governor and didn't want to be used as a pawn.
After a moment's thought, she said, "I have only the rank of an inspector, and I may not be able to persuade them. Let me investigate the situation first."
Yue Shuhong, having anticipated her response, nodded. "Alright, how about I go with you? The Blackwind Mountains are extremely dangerous with a Great Demon present."
"There's no need. I'll just scout the perimeter", Song Yueyao replied and then took her leave.
Watching her departure, Yue Shuhong sighed deeply.
……
Elsewhere, at the Demon Suppression Bureau.
Li Hao had already reviewed the recent monster extermination records and other intelligence on monster activities.
"Blackwind Mountains, monsters gathering..." Li Hao's eyes narrowed slightly.
(End of Chapter)
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