Heading to Qingliu Town

The sky was a clear blue, not a wisp of cloud to be seen.

The distant mountains were tinged dark green, while a gentle breeze carried warmth.

The sky was as blue as a sheet of paper, and a few thin white clouds drifted and swayed in the breeze, as though melted soft by the sunlight.

Fang Mu rode a spirit horse, with Fang Jing sitting behind him, her face wreathed in smiles.

Qi Zhu and her lackey, Sun Hou, each rode a spirit horse and galloped out of the city right behind him.

Fang Mu was not very willing to leave Qingzhu City again.

But a lowly man's words carried little weight. That damned Tu Qing had ordered him out of the city to receive a new batch of Demon Slayer Envoys and bring them back to the Demon Slayer Division.

After learning of this, Qi Zhu had actually become extremely excited and declared that she wanted to leave the city with Fang Mu.

Fang Mu did not want to bring her along, but she had pestered him relentlessly, so in the end he could only agree helplessly.

Tu Qing seemed to have matters preventing him from going along, so he had sent his lackey, Sun Hou, to keep watch.

Clearly, with Qi Zhu and Fang Mu being an unmarried man and woman, he was not at ease.

Helpless, Fang Mu could only leave the city with this annoying tail behind him.

Fortunately, they were heading to a town this time, and it was not far from Qingzhu City.

They would definitely reach that town before nightfall.

But having gone through a Darkness Invasion once, Fang Mu still felt lingering dread toward that unknown darkness.

He did not want anyone to know that Fang Jing possessed the power to dispel darkness.

Fang Mu had a premonition that if people learned of Fang Jing's special nature, she would certainly become the target of public attack.

Thus, before he had the ability to protect Fang Jing and stand against the entire world, he had to keep this secret.

The hard gallop left Qi Zhu very unhappy. She rarely left the city, and her eyes were filled with curiosity and wonder at the scenery beyond its walls.

But Fang Mu had only the road in his eyes. He had 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 with puffed cheeks.

Sun Hou did not say a word along the way. He rode his spirit horse and followed closely behind Qi Zhu.

His furtive gaze lingered on Qi Zhu's shapely figure and Fang Jing's graceful form not far away. Unable to resist, he licked his lips and revealed a meaningful smile.

As Fang Mu galloped along, he suddenly sensed a wave of malice coming from behind him.

This sudden perception had appeared for no apparent reason, yet it was exceptionally clear.

It was probably because he had absorbed a great deal of faith power the previous night. After his divine soul had been strengthened, all his senses had undergone a qualitative transformation.

He glanced back at the source of the malice and discovered that it was Sun Hou. Fang Mu gave a cold laugh inwardly.

Sun Hou's strength was not weak. He had reached the sixth rank of the Martial Realm.

He had probably scraped together quite a few leftovers while following Tu Qing, allowing him to break through to the sixth rank of the Martial Realm.

However, Fang Mu could sense that his cultivation was unstable. He had clearly relied on pills to forcefully increase his strength and had failed to lay a solid foundation or consolidate his realm.

Not to mention that Fang Mu had already broken through to the sixth rank of Martial Artist. Even without that improvement, he was confident he could blow Sun Hou apart with one punch.

Sun Hou clearly could not sense Fang Mu's hidden cultivation and strength. That was why he dared harbor malicious thoughts toward him.

"Giddy-up!"

By noon, Fang Mu and the others reached a small town, and the scenery there struck him as somewhat familiar.

The town was extremely lively, with plenty of people coming and going.

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

She pulled Fang Jing from place to place, looking here and peeking there, buying all sorts of things and various delicious snacks.

Seeing how happy Fang Jing was, he did not disturb them and silently followed behind the two.

Sun Hou did not know what he was thinking. He followed behind Fang Mu in silence.

"Well, well! Where are you two little beauties headed?"

At that moment, several men suddenly blocked Qi Zhu and Fang Jing's path. With wicked smiles, they sized the two up and teased them.

"What are you trying to do?" Qi Zhu pulled Fang Jing behind her and shouted angrily.

"Oho! The little girl's got quite a temper!" A bald man laughed heartily and reached out to put an arm around Qi Zhu, clearly intending to take liberties with her.

"Bang!"

"Ah! My hand!"

A shriek rang out. The bald man flew backward, knocking several of his companions away before crashing into a vegetable stall some distance away.

Qi Zhu had not even moved. She looked at Fang Mu, who had suddenly appeared in front of her and kicked the bald man away, countless little stars flashing in her eyes.

Following behind Fang Mu, Sun Hou was secretly shocked. He had not expected Fang Mu's movement speed to be so fast.

"Get him! Beat that brat bloody!"

After being kicked away by Fang Mu, the bald man recovered and rose to his feet. He shouted at several companions beside him.

"Beat that brat to death!"

The men, who looked like local thugs and hooligans, shouted and rushed at Fang Mu, raising their fists to smash them into him.

A cold glint flashed through Fang Mu's eyes. An overwhelming killing intent nearly burst forth.

"You bunch of bastards are courting death!"

Before Fang Mu could act, Qi Zhu let out a furious shout and drew the long whip from her waist.

Amid a string of sharp cracks, the men who had charged forward screamed as they were sent flying and crashed down nearby, howling miserably.

It was not that Qi Zhu refused to give Fang Mu the chance to play the hero and save the beauty.

She had sensed the intense killing intent radiating from Fang Mu. Though delighted in her heart, she did not want him to kill anyone over this, so she struck first.

However, Qi Zhu did not know that Fang Mu's killing intent had nothing to do with her. It stemmed from another reason entirely.

"You have some real nerve! We are Demon Slayer Envoys. You dare openly attack government officers? Have you grown tired of living?"

The bald man did not dare charge forward again, but he threatened Fang Mu and the others.

"What happened?"

At that moment, a group of people rushed over from the distance. At their head was a middle-aged man.

"Brother! This bunch is outrageously bold. They actually dared attack government officers. We should arrest them and throw them in prison."

The bald man was overjoyed when he saw the newcomer. He shot Fang Mu and the others a sinister look and suggested this to the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man glanced at the four of them and noticed the two beautiful young women among them.

He immediately understood what his good-for-nothing younger brother wanted to do.

Thus, he questioned them, "Who are you? You dare cause trouble in my Qingliu Town? Have you grown tired of living?"

Without waiting for Fang Mu to answer, he ordered his subordinates beside him, "Seize them and take them back to the town government office for questioning."

"Yes!"

More than a dozen town officers drew their sabers and rushed at Fang Mu and the others, surrounding them.

"As an official of the town, are you really going to arrest people by force without distinguishing right from wrong?"

Fang Mu's face was dark as he ignored the approaching officers and questioned the middle-aged man at their head.

"Hahahaha! You fool, you really are killing me!"

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

The bald man threw his head back and laughed. With an expression as though he were looking at an idiot, he mocked Fang Mu.

"Is it that funny?"

"Clang!"

Fang Mu took out his Demon Slayer Token and tossed it onto the ground in front of him, where it rang out with a crisp sound.

He ignored the dozen or so officers who had already come forward and pressed their blades against his neck.

It was not that Fang Mu looked down on these officers. If they really tried to hack at him, they might not even be able to injure him.