The Baishui Village Tragedy

"Brother Zhang, now that I've joined the Demon Suppression Division, there's something I need to report to the organization."

What Chu Jiang wanted to report was naturally what happened at Black Tiger Mountain.

The gathering of demons at Black Tiger Mountain, and even the appearance of a puppet clone of a so-called Earth Fiend Star, meant their intentions were certainly not simple and required strict vigilance.

After hearing Chu Jiang's description, Zhang Sanbao's expression changed drastically, and he said sternly, "The intelligence you've provided is extremely valuable. The Earth Fiend Star is one of the Hall Masters of the Earth Fiend Hall, and they actually appeared within the borders of Baishi County."

Each Hall Master of the Earth Fiend Hall was a prodigy with extraordinary strength.

It seemed the Earth Fiend Hall had grand ambitions; otherwise, they wouldn't have gone to such lengths to create a clone in Baishi County.

"Fortunately, you eliminated him. Otherwise, Baishi County would likely have faced a major disaster."

"I will report your contribution to the Demon Suppression Division."

Chu Jiang showed a look of confusion and asked, "Are there more than one Hall Master of the Earth Fiend Hall?"

"Legend has it that the Earth Fiend Hall has seventy-two seats, representing seventy-two stars, and the Earth Fiend Star is one of them, though in reality, there aren't that many."

"We at Great Chu have dealt with the Earth Fiend Hall for so many years, and we've only discovered a dozen or so Hall Master-level figures. I'll tell you more about the Earth Fiend Hall later."

"I need to go back and contact the Demon Suppression Division now. The appearance of an Earth Fiend Hall Master in Baishi County, even if it's just a puppet clone, is a major event."

Zhang Sanbao's tone was somewhat urgent. With a grab of his hands, he and Liu Kong and Hu Yijiang vanished into the night within a few breaths.

Clearly, the appearance of an Earth Fiend Hall Master here was too abnormal.

A big shot of this caliber wouldn't come to a rundown place like Baishi County.

"Looks like I've offended another big shot?"

The Great Demon Tianxie issue hasn't been resolved, and now an Earth Fiend Hall Master has appeared. The people he's offended are becoming more terrifying one after another.

"Whatever, one comes, one dies!"

These big shots are basically being watched by experts from the Demon Suppression Division, so they wouldn't be able to come to him anytime soon, or they wouldn't have resorted to the trick of using clones.

It seems joining the Demon Suppression Division was the right choice.

He originally thought the Earth Fiend Hall was a single entity with one main Hall Master and two or three vice Hall Masters.

Turns out, there were seventy-two seats.

While there might not be that many, there were still over a dozen Earth Fiend Halls.

The Demon Suppression Division's strength was truly formidable to be able to maintain control in such a situation.

There was too much information tonight; he needed time to process it.

Chu Jiang soon fell asleep.

The next morning, people from Annan Commandery arrived to pick up Lu Feiyang.

Although Lu Feiyang wanted to become sworn brothers with Chu Jiang, he couldn't go against the stronger party and had to leave for now.

Noon.

He casually walked into a tavern, ordered a bottle of old wine, a plate of peanuts, and half a pound of beef, having a simple breakfast.

Just then, several Demon Hunters rode in in a hurry.

Seeing Chu Jiang drinking, they quickly approached.

"Lord Chu, something terrible has happened!"

"Baishui Village... is... gone..."

Chu Jiang frowned, took a gulp of wine, and said, "What do you mean, gone? Explain clearly!"

"Sir, this young man stutters. Baishui Village was massacred by demons. Not a single old or young person was left, not even a chicken! The scene was horrific, with severed limbs everywhere. The brothers who saw it all threw up."

Another Demon Hunter said, a hint of worry in his voice.

"A massacre?"

Chu Jiang was taken aback. Had these demons gone mad? Were there no limits anymore?

They usually followed the rules, only taking one-third, or even a quarter, and wouldn't return for many years.

Even the tiger demons of Black Tiger Mountain hadn't committed a village massacre.

Chu Jiang's eyes turned cold, and his killing intent surged uncontrollably.

The Demon Hunters trembled as they watched Chu Jiang's expression grow colder.

"Waiter, the bill!"

Chu Jiang grabbed the Blood Sun Saber, threw down some silver, and left.

Baishui Village, situated by a river and relying on fishing for a living, had nearly seven hundred people, making it a large village. It was less than ten miles from Baishi County town.

This tragedy had occurred right under their noses.

These damned demons had no bottom line, acting with impunity, treating the common people like livestock to be raised and slaughtered at will.

When in a good mood, cooperate with the authorities.

When in a bad mood, completely disregard previous contracts and rules.

"Fuck!"

Outside Baishi County, Baishui Village.

Having stepped into the Vajra Realm, Chu Jiang was faster than a horse, rushing towards Baishui Village at full speed.

Soon, he saw the blood-stained village.

Almost everywhere were corpses and remains. The once peaceful and serene village was now unrecognizable, completely reduced to a silent ruin.

Rolling smoke filled the air in all directions, spreading like demonic tentacles through every inch of the atmosphere. The pungent smell of burning mixed with the scent of blood was almost suffocating.

Some were dismembered, their heads rolling to the side, their vacant eyes gazing into the endless void.

Others had their heads and limbs scattered, as if they had suffered the agony of being torn apart by five horses in life.

The corpses by the river were equally gruesome.

Their wide-open eyes were filled with terror and despair. The pain and unwillingness frozen on their faces seemed to silently recount the extreme torment they suffered in their final moments.

They wanted to escape into the river, but were cruelly slaughtered by demons by the riverside.

Dozens of Demon Hunters had already arrived here, sorting through the scattered limbs and body parts left behind by the demonic rampage. Some were barely pieced together to resemble a human form.

Others were simply a puddle of mud, several villagers mixed together.

It was simply hell on earth.

"Sir, you're here!"

Captain Liu Ding saw Chu Jiang and hurried over.

In Baishi County now, Chu Jiang was highly respected. Not only had he become the Head of the Demon Hunting Office, but even the county officials held him in high regard and dared not offend him easily.

Chu Jiang nodded slightly, looking at the village, feeling a sense of oppression in his heart.

These common folk, they had done nothing wrong.

They just wanted to live a simple life, and even that was a luxury.

When to be born, when to die, was all at the whim of the demons.

At this moment, he truly understood what it meant for demons to wreak havoc upon the world.

"When did it happen?"

"After investigation, it happened at midnight last night and was discovered at the hour of Mao this morning!" Liu Ding replied.

Hearing this answer, Chu Jiang frowned. "Midnight? Most people are asleep at this hour, right?"

"Yes, these demons took advantage of people sleeping to strike. It's truly impossible to guard against," Liu Ding said, his face ashen.

"Can you tell what kind of demons did this?" Chu Jiang asked.

"Based on the traces at the scene, these villagers were likely ambushed and killed by demons in their sleep. Some corpses have obvious claw marks and bite wounds, while others died from having their blood drained. There are traces of Dog Demons, and some of Goat Demons as well," Liu Ding replied with a heavy tone.

Chu Jiang said solemnly, "First, handle these bodies properly to prevent the spread of plague. At the same time, strengthen patrols around the village to prevent further demonic attacks."

"Furthermore, notify the nearby villages, remind everyone to be vigilant, and assign three Demon Hunters to guard each village. Report any issues immediately."

"Yes, sir! I'll make the arrangements right away." Liu Ding responded, then turned and left.

Chu Jiang looked at the corpses scattered on the ground, a surge of killing intent rising within him. Damn it.

"Sir, a letter was found in one of the houses!" Captain Li Dagang suddenly ran over, holding a white letter in his hand.

Chu Jiang took the letter and slowly opened it.

There was only a short line of text on it.

"Chu Jiang, guess where next!"