Journey to Qingliu Town

The sky was clear and azure, unstained by even a wisp of cloud.

Distant mountains were veiled in a soft, hazy green, and a gentle breeze carried warmth.

The sky was as clear as a blue canvas, with a few thin white clouds, as if melted by the sun, drifting and swaying in the wind.

Fang Mu rode a spirit horse, with Fang Jing, her face full of smiles, seated behind him.

Qi Zhu and the sycophant Sun Hou, each riding a spirit horse, followed closely behind him as they galloped out of the city.

Fang Mu wasn't particularly happy about leaving Qingzhu City again.

But he was insignificant, and that damned Tu Qing had ordered him to go out and escort a new batch of Demon Slayer Envoys back to the Demon Slayer Division.

When Qi Zhu heard the news, she actually showed an excited expression and said she wanted to go out with Fang Mu.

Fang Mu didn't want to bring her along, but she pestered him relentlessly, and in the end, he could only reluctantly agree.

Tu Qing seemed to have something to attend to and couldn't accompany them, so he sent his sycophant Sun Hou to keep an eye on them.

Clearly, Qi Zhu and Fang Mu were a man and a woman alone, and he wasn't at ease.

Helplessly, Fang Mu had to leave the city with his annoying tag-along.

Fortunately, this trip was to a town, not too far from Qingzhu City.

They would definitely reach the town before dark.

However, having gone through the Darkness Invasion once, Fang Mu was still somewhat shaken by the unknown darkness.

He didn't want anyone to know that Fang Jing possessed the power to dispel darkness.

Fang Mu had a hunch that once people knew of Fang Jing's uniqueness, she would definitely become a target.

Therefore, until he had the ability to protect Fang Jing and defy the entire world, he had to keep this secret.

The continuous galloping made Qi Zhu quite unhappy. She rarely left the city and was full of curiosity and eagerness to explore the scenery outside.

But Fang Mu's eyes were only on the road, with no intention of waiting for her or stopping to admire the scenery.

To avoid being left behind by Fang Mu, Qi Zhu could only chase after him, pouting.

Sun Hou remained silent throughout the journey, following Qi Zhu closely on his spirit horse.

His furtive gaze fixed on Qi Zhu's delicate figure, and then on Fang Jing's graceful posture not far away. He couldn't help but lick his lips, revealing a meaningful smile.

Fang Mu, who had been galloping all the way, suddenly sensed a malicious intent coming from behind him.

This sudden perception came inexplicably, yet it was extremely clear.

It was probably because he had absorbed a large amount of faith power last night, and his divine soul had been enhanced, leading to a qualitative transformation in all his senses.

Looking back at the source of the malice, and finding it was Sun Hou, Fang Mu sneered inwardly.

Sun Hou's strength was not weak; he had a cultivation base of the sixth stage of the Martial Realm.

He must have benefited from Tu Qing's connections to gain quite a bit, allowing him to break through to the sixth stage of the Martial Realm.

However, Fang Mu could sense that his cultivation realm was unstable. It was obvious that he had forcefully improved his cultivation with pills, without laying a solid foundation or consolidating his realm.

Not to mention Fang Mu's current cultivation, which had already broken through to the sixth stage of the Martial Realm, even if he hadn't improved, he was confident he could shatter Sun Hou with a single punch.

That Sun Hou clearly couldn't sense Fang Mu's hidden cultivation and strength, which was why he dared to harbor malicious intentions towards him.

"Giddy up!"

By noon, Fang Mu and his group had arrived at a small town, and the scenery there felt somewhat familiar to him.

The town was quite lively, with many people coming and going.

After Fang Mu and the others entered the town, Qi Zhu completely let loose.

She dragged Fang Jing around, looking at this and that, buying many things and various snacks and delicacies.

Seeing Fang Jing so happy, he didn't disturb them and silently followed behind the two.

Sun Hou, lost in his own thoughts, followed silently behind Fang Mu.

"Yo! Two little beauties, where are you off to?"

At this moment, several men suddenly blocked Qi Zhu and Fang Jing, sizing them up with lewd smiles and teasing them.

"What do you want?" Qi Zhu pulled Fang Jing behind her and shouted.

"Oh! The little lady has quite a temper!" a bald man chuckled, reaching out to embrace Qi Zhu, clearly intending to take liberties.

"Bang!"

"Ah, my hand!"

A scream rang out. The bald man was sent flying backward, crashing into several of his companions and landing on a nearby vegetable stall.

Qi Zhu hadn't made a move. She looked at Fang Mu, who had suddenly appeared in front of her and kicked the bald man away, her eyes filled with countless little stars.

Sun Hou, who was following Fang Mu, was secretly startled, not expecting Fang Mu's movement speed to be so fast.

"Go! Beat that kid up!"

The bald man, who had been kicked away by Fang Mu, recovered and got up, shouting at his companions.

"Beat that kid to death!"

Several men who looked like thugs shouted and rushed towards Fang Mu, throwing punches at him.

A cold glint flashed in Fang Mu's eyes, and an irrepressible killing intent almost erupted.

"You bastards are asking for death!"

Before Fang Mu could make a move, Qi Zhu, whose cultivation was not weak, let out a sharp cry, drawing the long whip from her waist.

With a series of crackling sounds, the men who rushed forward screamed and were sent flying backward, crashing not far away and moaning in pain.

Qi Zhu wasn't trying to deny Fang Mu the chance to be a hero and save the damsel.

It was because she sensed the strong killing intent emanating from Fang Mu. While she was pleased, she didn't want Fang Mu to kill for her, so she acted first.

However, Qi Zhu didn't know that Fang Mu's killing intent wasn't because of her, but for another reason.

"How dare you! We are Demon Slayer Envoys. You dare to openly attack officers; are you tired of living?"

The bald man dared not rush forward anymore, but he threatened Fang Mu and the others, saying, "How is this possible?"

At this moment, a group of people rushed over from a distance, led by a middle-aged man.

"Brother! These people are reckless and dare to attack officers. They should be arrested and thrown into prison."

The bald man was overjoyed when he saw the approaching person and looked sinisterly at Fang Mu and the others, making a suggestion to the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man glanced at the four of Fang Mu, noticing two beautiful young women among them.

He immediately knew what his unpromising brother was trying to do.

So he questioned, "Who are you people? How dare you cause trouble in my Qingliu Town; are you tired of living?"

Before Fang Mu could answer, he ordered his subordinates, "Take them down and bring them back to the town hall for questioning."

"Yes."

More than a dozen town officers drew their long sabers and rushed towards Fang Mu's group, surrounding them.

"As an official in this town, don't you distinguish between right and wrong and forcibly arrest people without any reason?"

Fang Mu's face was grim, and he ignored the approaching officers, questioning the middle-aged man leading them.

"Hahaha, you idiot, you're killing me with laughter!"

"Don't you know that in Qingliu Town, my brother is the uncrowned king? Everything in town is decided by my brother?"

The bald man laughed heartily, looking at Fang Mu with the expression of someone looking at an idiot, and mocked him.

"Very funny?"

"Clang!"

Fang Mu took out his Demon Slayer Token and threw it on the ground in front of him, making a crisp sound.

He ignored the dozen or so officers who had already stepped forward and placed their sabers at his neck.

It wasn't that Fang Mu looked down on these officers; if they really tried to cut him, they might not even be able to injure him.