Looking at the token that had fallen to the ground, the middle-aged man at the head recognized the Demon Slayer Envoy token at a glance.
He hurried forward to pick up the token, then looked Fang Mu up and down in uncertainty and asked, "Are you a Demon Slayer Envoy?"
Fang Mu did not answer. His eyes fixed coldly on the middle-aged man at the head.
"What are you standing around for? Put down your blades and swords! If you injure this lord, be prepared to answer to me!"
The middle-aged man's eyes flickered several times before he hurriedly shouted at his many subordinates.
"I am Jiang Hai, the town guardian of Qingliu Town. If I offended you earlier, I hope Your Excellency will be magnanimous."
The middle-aged man calling himself Jiang Hai respectfully stepped forward and bowed to Fang Mu, returning the token to him.
"Hmph! What an imposing town guardian you are. You actually indulged your subordinates in doing evil. What crime do you think you deserve?"
Qi Zhu was furious as she stepped forward and questioned Jiang Hai.
"Miss, please calm your anger. I did indeed jump to conclusions earlier and failed to question matters clearly."
"If my younger brother Jiang Tao has offended you in any way, I apologize to you all here."
"When we get back, I will certainly teach him a proper lesson and punish him."
Jiang Hai appeared extremely sincere, apologizing profusely and repeatedly begging their forgiveness.
"Brother! What's so great about being a Demon Slayer Envoy? I became one too. Why should we be afraid of them?"
"Shut up! One more word, and I'll drag you back and give you a beating!"
The moment Jiang Tao finished speaking in displeasure, Jiang Hai turned around and shouted at him with a gloomy expression.
Seeing his elder brother's gloomy face, Jiang Tao immediately fell silent.
"Don't mind him. I spoiled him too much. I'll certainly discipline him properly when we get back."
Jiang Hai changed expressions as quickly as a chameleon. When he turned back, the gloom had already cleared, and he apologized to Fang Mu and the other three with a smile.
"If my guess is correct, you four should be the envoys sent by the county seat to recruit Demon Slayer Envoys in the town this time?"
"Hmph! At least you have some sense. Now take us to the town guardian's residence."
As soon as Jiang Hai finished speaking, Sun Hou, who had remained silent and intended to watch the show, snorted and spoke.
"Yes, yes, yes. Please, follow me!"
Looking at Jiang Hai leading the way ahead, Fang Mu suddenly revealed a meaningful smile.
He took hold of Fang Jing and stopped Qi Zhu from continuing to pick a fight. Then he followed everyone toward the town guardian's residence.
The bald man Jiang Tao did not dare stop Fang Mu and the other three as they left.
But his eyes flickered, and no one knew what wicked scheme he was plotting now.
Before long, Fang Mu and the other three arrived at the town guardian's residence, where they were treated as honored guests.
After eating and drinking their fill, Jiang Hai led Fang Mu and the other three to a spacious martial arts field.
More than thirty people had gathered in the martial arts field. All of them had been selected to become Demon Slayer Envoys.
Jiang Tao, who had clashed with Fang Mu before, and the seven local ruffians were also among them.
"My lord, these are the Demon Slayer Envoys recommended by our town. I hope Your Excellency will look after them a little this time."
Jiang Hai respectfully explained this to Fang Mu, then took out four small pouches and secretly stuffed one into the hands of each of them.
Sun Hou did not stand on ceremony. He weighed the small pouch in his hand, then satisfactorily put it away.
Qi Zhu, however, frowned and was about to speak up when Fang Mu stopped her.
Fang Mu put away the small pouch and sensed that it contained at least twenty-some silver coins. Jiang Hai was truly generous.
He cast a cold glance at Jiang Tao, who was looking at him with ill intent.
Fang Mu found this rather interesting. Jiang Hai had actually allowed Jiang Tao to become a Demon Slayer Envoy.
Perhaps others did not know, but Jiang Hai certainly knew that being a Demon Slayer Envoy was a profession that cost one's life.
He had pushed Jiang Tao into a pit of fire without hesitation. If not for their earlier clash, Fang Mu might have mistakenly thought that Jiang Hai did not care about his younger brother Jiang Tao.
But after that earlier clash, Fang Mu could see that Jiang Hai was extremely indulgent toward and concerned about his younger brother Jiang Tao.
Then the question was, what purpose did Jiang Tao have in becoming a Demon Slayer Envoy?
"My lord, I have prepared a private room for you. Why not rest in the town tonight and set out tomorrow morning?"
"Brother! I've already had someone clean up a courtyard. The scenery there is beautiful, so let the lord stay there as my apology."
As soon as Jiang Hai finished speaking, Jiang Tao hurried out of the ranks and respectfully bowed to Fang Mu and the others.
"Fine! Let's go take a look at your courtyard!"
"Brother!"
"Fang Mu!"
As Fang Mu answered without hesitation, Fang Jing and Qi Zhu hurriedly tugged at him, wanting to persuade him otherwise.
Both of them felt that Fang Mu had agreed far too hastily. They both detested Jiang Tao and thought he was pretending to mourn a dead mouse with no good intentions.
Jiang Hai frowned and glanced at Jiang Tao. After hesitating for a moment, he ultimately remained silent.
"I want to see that courtyard too. Let's go. Don't waste time here."
Sun Hou suddenly revealed a trace of a smile and gestured for Jiang Tao to lead the way.
Fang Mu stopped Fang Jing and Qi Zhu, who wanted to dissuade him, and followed behind Jiang Tao with them.
Fang Mu naturally knew exactly what Jiang Tao wanted to do. He could not help sneering inwardly: Heaven may let those who sin against it live, but those who bring ruin upon themselves will not survive.
After leaving the town guardian's residence, they took several twists and turns before arriving at a secluded compound. There were hardly any people around.
The compound was somewhat old and looked rather antique. Many flowers and plants grew in the courtyard, filling the small yard with a thick floral fragrance.
A locust tree stood in the courtyard. It grew exceptionally lush, and the leaves it produced had red veins running through them.
"My lord truly has a discerning eye. This Blood Sophora is worth quite a bit."
Jiang Tao came to the locust tree with a smile all over his face and flattered Fang Mu.
"Indeed! A locust tree that sucks blood would naturally be worth quite a bit. All those unjustly dead young women hanged from this tree seem to have struggled and wept..."
Fang Mu gazed absently at the Blood Sophora, but the deeper meaning in his words made Jiang Tao's expression change, his smile stiffening on his face.
"My lord must be joking! Let's head inside. I had someone prepare pastries long ago. Why not try some?"
Jiang Tao gave an awkward laugh and hurriedly changed the subject.
Fang Mu gave Jiang Tao a meaningful look. Under his gaze, Jiang Tao guiltily lowered his head, not daring to meet his eyes.
Fang Mu sneered inwardly, then called to Fang Jing and the others, who were admiring the flowers, and headed toward the inner room.
The room's furnishings were somewhat simple. Several landscape paintings hung on the walls, while the walls and floor were made of wood. The chairs and benches were all solid wood as well.
At that moment, the ruffians following Jiang Tao entered the room carrying plates of pastries that had already been steamed.
"My lord, these pastries taste quite good. They're famous delicacies from our town. Why not try some?"
Looking at the pastries Jiang Tao held out, Fang Mu smiled and accepted them.
But before Fang Mu could eat one, Qi Zhu snatched it away from beside him.
"So they're that delicious? Then I'll have to taste them first and see whether they're poisonous!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Qi Zhu looked at Fang Mu. The meaning behind her words was clearly a warning to him.
Fang Mu showed no reaction, which infuriated Qi Zhu. In a huff, she put the pastry into her mouth and chewed.
"Miss, you jest! How could these pastries possibly be poisonous? If you're worried, I can taste them first."
Jiang Tao laughed heartily and casually picked one pastry from each plate.
Then, in front of Fang Mu and the others, he ate the pastries to prove his innocence.
Fang Jing, who had originally wanted to persuade Fang Mu, froze for a moment and swallowed back the words that were about to leave her mouth.
After eating the pastry, Qi Zhu also grew suspicious, because she did not sense anything unusual or any poison in her body.
In other words, there was actually nothing wrong with the pastries. She had probably been too nervous and wrongly accused Jiang Tao.
Before you continue