Rising Storm

As he passed a raised mound of earth, Ling Yun kicked it.

"Ouch! Who the heck…"

Zhang Mu sprang out of the mound, clutching his backside as he scanned his surroundings. But upon seeing Ling Yun's grim expression, he swallowed the rest of his words.

"Heh heh… it's Brother Ling…"

"Right, what about that Evil Spirit? You must have dealt with it, Brother Ling!" Zhang Mu glanced around, trying to change the subject.

Ling Yun paid him no mind, his gaze fixed on Zhang Mu as if lost in thought.

Under Ling Yun's icy stare, Zhang Mu swallowed hard, his voice trailing off.

Thoughts of silencing him, of kicking him to the curb after he'd served his purpose, flashed through his mind.

With that, Zhang Mu shivered, then fell to his knees with a thud, grabbing Ling Yun's leg and wailing:

"Brother Ling, no, Master Ling! I have an eighty-year-old mother and a six-year-old child. Please, have mercy and let me go."

"I swear, I'll keep my mouth shut about everything I saw tonight. I won't say a word."

"If I break my word, I…"

Ling Yun stared at Zhang Mu, who was sobbing with snot and tears, and felt a headache coming on.

He had no idea what the guy was thinking. When had he ever said he was going to kill him?

He was just too preoccupied with thinking about Fang Yuan to bother with Zhang Mu.

After all, the Zhang family's affairs wouldn't stay hidden for long. If he were the only survivor, all eyes would be on him. But with a second person to share the pressure, things would undoubtedly be much easier.

Even if it was exposed, he didn't really care. He could just leave Cloud City. But it was better to have fewer troubles.

Seeing the guy crying and blubbering, Ling Yun kicked him away.

The man thought Ling Yun was about to make a move and rushed back, still crying.

A flicker of impatience crossed Ling Yun's eyes. Maybe I should just get rid of this guy!

Just then, Zhang Mu fumbled in his embrace and pulled out a stack of silver notes, offering them respectfully.

"Master Ling, I scooped these up from the Zhao family during the chaos. Please accept them."

Ling Yun looked at the silver notes and was silent for a moment. He then tucked them into his embrace, forcing a "kind" smile. "If anyone asks about this later, you know what to say, right?"

Zhang Mu's face lit up. Knowing his life was safe, he immediately scrambled to his feet and said without blinking, "Don't worry, Master Ling, I understand. We were guarding the ancestral hall all night when suddenly Evil Spirits invaded. We fought desperately, but in the end…"

Ling Yun's expression was strange as he listened to Zhang Mu's lengthy explanation. It almost made him believe that's how the night's events had unfolded.

Seeing Zhang Mu still eager to talk, Ling Yun patted his shoulder and gave him a meaningful look.

This guy… might be quite capable!

He then turned and walked towards the exit. As he passed a large brazier, Ling Yun casually slammed his palm into it.

Watching the flames gradually engulf the entire cave, Ling Yun's expression was calm, his thoughts unreadable.

Zhang Mu stood to the side, occasionally stealing glances at Ling Yun. He couldn't help but recall how he looked when his pig, Xiao Hua, died.

Fortunately, Ling Yun didn't have mind-reading abilities, or there might have been another soul consumed by the flames.

The next day, as the sun rose, the entire Cloud City was in an uproar.

"Hey, did you hear? The Deng family was attacked by Evil Spirits! Hundreds of people, including servants, all perished in the fire!"

"I heard that early this morning, the authorities were swarmed by people demanding answers!"

"What about the Evil Spirit? Was it killed?"

"Well, the official notice says some big shot stepped in and killed it."

"Pfft, you believe that? My second uncle's wife's sister's nephew's cousin's brother-in-law works for the government. According to internal sources, this was a very powerful Evil Spirit. The entire Deng family, plus thousands of people in over a dozen surrounding streets, were swallowed whole!"

"Really? I live on the street opposite the Deng family, why was I fine?"

"Uh… my wife is making soup. Guys, I gotta go…"

"…"

It had to be said, despite the backwardness of communication in this world, rumors spread with astonishing speed.

From the moment people discovered the anomaly at the Deng family's residence that morning, it had spread through every street and alley of Cloud City in less than half a day.

Panic gripped the populace, each fearing they would be next.

Wealthy and influential families, in particular, began fleeing to the outer city.

If the authorities hadn't quickly issued a lockdown order, with shoot-on-sight orders for anyone crossing the line, Cloud City would have likely collapsed by now.

Meanwhile, at the Black Tiger Martial Hall, a special interrogation was underway.

"Smash!"

A dark-faced man in embroidered robes slammed his palm onto the wooden table before him. The powerful force instantly shattered the teapot and other items on the surface.

"Do you really think I'd believe the nonsense you two are spouting?"

Before him, Ling Yun and Zhang Mu stood with their heads bowed. Facing his reprimand, their expressions were numb, as if they hadn't heard a word.

This posture infuriated the dark-faced man, causing veins to bulge on his forehead. He grabbed a nearby teacup, ready to smash it down.

On the other side, Ma Ruhu calmly added, "Lord Fei, that teapot you smashed earlier was made of Xuan Tao porcelain, and your jade teacup in hand... together they're worth a hundred taels of silver."

"You! You!" The voice wasn't loud, but the damage was clearly immense. The dark-faced man instantly lost his composure, his entire face turning black with anger.

But he knew he couldn't do anything to Ma Ruhu. He immediately turned his gaze back to Ling Yun and Zhang Mu, his voice chilling as he said, "You two, you're refusing to talk now, are you? Just wait until I lock you up in prison..."

However, before he could finish, Ma Ruhu interrupted him with a wave of his hand.

He stepped forward, looking down at the dark-faced man.

"Lord Fei, you're going too far."

"Just because I call you 'Lord' doesn't mean you can act like you're all that."

"My people from the Black Tiger Martial Hall, your officials have no right to interfere!"

"In the end, it's your own incompetence. You can't find the killer, so you want to pin the blame on us?"

Ma Ruhu's words were blunt, showing no respect whatsoever.

The dark-faced man's face flushed red, then white, then green. He almost spat blood.

Just then, a calm voice sounded from outside, "If he's not qualified, are we?"

As the voice faded, the tightly shut door was suddenly pushed open, and several figures clad in black Xuan robes filed in.

Seeing these people, Ma Ruhu's expression finally changed. He gritted out three words through his teeth: "Demon Suppression Division!"