Black Pupil

"Bang, bang, bang! Fang Mu, hurry up! If you're late, Commander Sun will whip you again!"

"Coming! Coming!"

Woken by the knocking, Fang Mu opened his door to find Zhao Li.

Before he could even wash up, Zhao Li dragged him off to get rations, and then they headed to the Demon Slayer Division's prison hall.

The place they lived was adjacent to the main prison, consisting of rows of single-story wooden houses.

As Fang Mu and Zhao Li arrived at the main hall, a Demon Slayer Commander in armor was already calling out names.

"Number five."

"Number six."

"Number seven."

"..."

"Number twenty-two."

Fang Mu joined the line and reported his number, twenty-two.

As his voice fell, the surroundings suddenly fell silent.

"Huh? What's wrong? Did I say it wrong?"

Fang Mu, reporting his number for the first time, looked at the gazes directed at him with some suspicion.

At this moment, the Commander Sun's low voice came, "Where is number twenty-three?"

"Reporting to Commander Sun, number twenty-three... couldn't wake up last night."

Fang Mu's heart tightened at the words. "Couldn't wake up" likely meant dead.

Such incidents seemed common; it wasn't unusual for a Demon Slayer Envoy to not wake up every few days.

The daily work of a Demon Slayer Envoy was to kill the captured demons and monsters and extract valuable items from their bodies.

Those demons and monsters weren't like cats and dogs that you could slaughter at will; many Demon Slayer Envoys died from the final struggles of these creatures.

Even those who survived often died suddenly from prolonged exposure to Demonic Energy accumulated from killing demons.

"Understood!"

Commander Sun's voice was as calm as an ancient well; he was clearly accustomed to it and immediately began assigning today's tasks.

"Zhao San! Mortal Prison, Star One, Room Thirty."

"Tian Hu! Mortal Prison, Star Four, Room Fifty-three."

"Fang Mu! Mortal Prison, Star Three, Room Seventy-six."

"."

Fang Mu was a little distracted, secretly noting down his assigned room number.

In this county office's Demon Slayer Division, the main prison was divided into three levels: Heaven, Earth, and Mortal.

The Heaven Prison was said to hold powerful demons, and killing them required the intervention of Demon Slaying Envoys, so there was little for them to do there.

The Earth Prison held powerful demons and monsters, but they, as ordinary Demon Slayer Envoys, were rarely assigned to the Earth Prison.

The Mortal Prison held the most demons and monsters, with varying strengths, but they were all minor demons.

"Little Mu, don't zone out, let's go!"

As Fang Mu stood there dazed, Zhao Li nudged him.

Watching the others leave one after another, Fang Mu quickly followed Zhao Li towards the prison cells.

The prison cells were built deep underground. The Mortal Prison was tens of feet below the surface.

Star One was closest to the surface, and Star Seven was the deepest.

The Mortal Prison Star Seven held the fewest demons but was the most dangerous.

The Earth Prison and Heaven Prison were even deeper underground; the further down you went, the greater the danger.

The underground cells were almost devoid of light. Fang Mu and Zhao Li squeezed into the elevator shaft.

With a series of clanking mechanical sounds, the elevator, made of fine iron, slowly descended.

Several Demon Slayer Envoys disembarked on the first level, Mortal Prison Star One.

Several more disembarked on the second level, Mortal Prison Star Two.

Upon reaching the third level, it was the Mortal Prison Star Three area.

Zhao Li was assigned to the next level down, so Fang Mu said goodbye to him and proceeded along the iron chain bridge on the third level, eventually finding Room Seventy-six.

The prison cell, forged from black stone, had a keyhole below the cell number.

Fang Mu inserted his Demon Slaying Token into the keyhole and turned it. A rumbling sound came from the black stone wall, and the prison door slowly opened on its own.

Fang Mu entered the cell, and the prison door slowly closed behind him.

The prison door had two sets of doors, inner and outer, specifically to prevent demons from escaping using some innate talent or divine ability when the door was opened.

After walking about ten meters forward, Fang Mu opened the inner door and discovered that the demon he was tasked to kill today was a Bird Demon.

The Bird Demon looked rather pathetic. Its limbs and abdomen were pierced by steel chains, securing it to an execution rack.

"Spare me!"

Seeing Fang Mu enter the cell, the Bird Demon weakly begged for mercy repeatedly.

"Huh? It can talk?" Fang Mu was somewhat surprised and curious, not expecting a Bird Demon to be able to speak human language.

"My lord, spare me, spare me! I have gold ingots hidden. If you spare me, I'll tell you their location."

The Bird Demon repeatedly pleaded, extending an olive branch.

Fang Mu's eyes lit up upon hearing about the gold ingots.

One gold ingot, equivalent to a gold yuanbao, was worth a hundred silver coins. That was a fortune, and he couldn't help but be tempted.

He hesitated for a moment before slowly walking towards the Bird Demon.

As he passed the execution rack, Fang Mu quietly picked up a long sword and hid it behind his back.

"Speak! Where are the gold ingots hidden?" Fang Mu asked slowly as he approached the Bird Demon.

"Coo, coo... Come closer, and I'll tell you the location," the Bird Demon said with a sly glint in its eyes, attempting to deceive Fang Mu.

Fang Mu, not suspecting anything, slowly walked in front of the Bird Demon.

At that very moment, the Bird Demon suddenly extended its beak and lunged towards his head.

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, Fang Mu, who was already on guard, dodged the attack and swiftly thrust his sword, piercing the Bird Demon's neck.

"Coo, coo...!" The Bird Demon let out a pained cry and struggled.

Fang Mu retreated to the side of the execution rack, pulled out a spear, and began stabbing the struggling, dying Bird Demon repeatedly.

His physical body had been nourished by the Yuan Yang Pill earlier, significantly enhancing his strength and speed.

Otherwise, he might not have been able to dodge the Bird Demon's sneak attack so quickly this time.

"Damn it, this demon-slaying mission is indeed dangerous. This demon actually knows how to lure and trick people. One wrong move and my life would be over."

"But it doesn't seem safe outside either. I've heard that many demons are rampant, lurking in the city and harming people."

"It seems safer to hide here. Cutting down minor demons and finding a way to improve my own cultivation is the way to go."

Looking at the slain Bird Demon, Fang Mu muttered to himself.

At this moment, a golden light shot out from his body and enveloped the Bird Demon.

Just like before, the Bird Demon instantly turned into a pool of blood.

"Damn it! I didn't even get to dig out any parts from the Bird Demon!"

Fang Mu exclaimed, and before he could stop the Demon Slaying Mirror, his consciousness was pulled into a space filled with black mist.

In the center of the black mist, a mirror emitting golden light was suspended.

Wisps of black mist emanated from the mirror, condensing into the form of the Bird Demon and lunging at him.

Fang Mu seemed to have anticipated this. He didn't dodge, but quietly watched as the black mist enveloped him and merged into his body.

This time, he was mentally prepared and didn't scream, but the throbbing pain in his head was unavoidable, causing him to groan a few times.

Black Pupil Pill: After consumption, it allows one to see in the dark, observe qi, and perceive demonic energy.

Looking at a black pill that had appeared in his hand, Fang Mu swallowed it without hesitation.

The pill dissolved upon entering his mouth, and Fang Mu felt streams of warmth flowing into his eyes.

"Ah!"

Fang Mu suddenly screamed as an unbearable pain surged through his eyes.

As his eyes bulged and blood flowed out, Fang Mu cried out in agony before his vision went black and he passed out from the pain.