Niushi Fort, Erroneous Information

Black Mountain County Yamen.

County Lieutenant Lu Jue sat at the head of the hall. The bodies of three constables lay in the main chamber, along with the unconscious Captain Yan.

Looking at the corpses below, County Lieutenant Lu Jue's expression was grim.

"Yan Liu is at the Body Tempering Eighth Level. With the four of you added in, dealing with a first-tier minor demon should have been more than enough. How did it end up like this?"

Lu Yang cupped his hands in salute. "Reporting to you, sir, before we even reached Niushi Town, we were ambushed by two Bat Demons in the woods of White Crane Ridge..."

Lu Yang then roughly recounted the group's experiences from the previous day.

He concealed the matter of the system alone, claiming that his breakthrough in cultivation had come from the fortunate chance of swallowing an exotic fruit.

Black Mountain County lay at the foot of Black Mountain. Within Black Mountain, exotic fruits capable of tempering one's qi and blood and raising one's Body Tempering Realm cultivation were quite precious, but not uncommon.

This was also why so many merchants and low-level martial artists flocked to Black Mountain like ducks to water.

If Lu Yang had happened upon an exotic fruit and thereby increased his cultivation, it could only be said that his luck was good.

Besides, Lu Yang's previous cultivation had already been on the verge of breaking through to the Body Tempering Seventh Level.

Thus, upon hearing this, County Lieutenant Lu Jue merely showed a flicker of surprise in his eyes before quickly concealing it. He did not pursue the matter further.

"It is common enough for demons to lurk within Black Mountain, but demons rarely hunt beyond its borders. Your luck was truly poor." County Lieutenant Lu Jue shook his head, as though lamenting their fate.

Yet perhaps such incidents had happened too often; there was not much grief on his face.

Lu Yang lowered his head to look at the corpses of his colleagues on the ground. "Sir, Li Yan and the others..."

"Li Yan and the other two died in the line of duty. I will have them buried, and the yamen will provide all due compensation," Lu Jue said.

"Also, Yan Liu's injuries are severe. I fear he will find it difficult to recover. Since you have now entered the Late Body Tempering stage, you will take over Yan Liu's position as captain."

Lu Yang cupped his hands and accepted the order.

"Thank you, sir."

Lu Jue was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "However, the Demonic Calamity in Niushi Town still needs to be investigated. You have fought hard and must be weary. Rest for today. Tomorrow, I will assign men to accompany you."

Lu Yang immediately nodded and acknowledged the order.

After County Lieutenant Lu Jue left, Lu Yang soon departed the county yamen as well and returned to the home he rented in the city.

Though this matter was steeped in strangeness at every turn, Lu Yang still forced himself to close his eyes and sleep soundly.

The next day, the County Lieutenant indeed assigned four additional constables to Lu Yang, sending them with him to Niushi Town.

There were only some twenty constables in the Constable Office in total. After muddling along together for a year, they had all long since become familiar with Lu Yang.

Like Lu Yang, the four constables assigned to him were country bumpkins from Martial Arts Schools. Their cultivation, however, was uniformly at the Body Tempering Sixth Level.

Presumably, after what had happened to Captain Yan, the county yamen had deliberately strengthened their group's capabilities.

Just after leaving the city, Constable Zhao Hu sidled up to him.

"Brother Yang, isn't this the wrong direction?"

"The nearest road to Niushi Town clearly runs through White Crane Ridge to the east. Why are you leading the brothers west?"

Zhao Hu had entered the Martial Arts School with Lu Yang, then entered the county yamen with him. Their usual relationship was good, so he did not stand on too much ceremony when speaking.

The other three constables did not dare speak to their captain that way now.

The further one progressed in the Body Tempering Realm, the harder it became to temper one's qi and blood.

To break through from the Body Tempering Sixth Level to the Body Tempering Seventh Level might require three to five years of painstaking effort.

If one's natural aptitude was poor, one might even never have the chance to reach the Body Tempering Seventh Level in this lifetime.

After all, as one grew older, a martial artist's qi and blood would gradually begin to decline after reaching its peak.

By then, the Path of Martial Dao for Body Tempering Realm martial artists like them would have reached its end.

Therefore, though they were all currently at the Body Tempering Sixth Level, if their luck was poor, they might never have any hope of breaking through to the Body Tempering Seventh Level in their lives.

Now that Lu Yang had broken through and taken up the post of captain, not only had his salary doubled, he would also be qualified to receive a few "filial offerings" in the future.

Naturally, the way they looked at Lu Yang was a mixture of envy and awe.

Lu Yang said irritably, "White Crane Ridge recently spawned a nest of 'Big Gray Rats.' If you want to go that way, I have no objection."

Zhao Hu shrank his neck and pulled a face, drawing a burst of laughter from the constables.

Lu Yang led the four of them along the road, stopping and starting as they went. They skirted around White Crane Ridge and took the western route, traveling several dozen li farther. They even spent a night in a village town along the way. Only by the following evening did they finally arrive at Niushi Town.

The Demonic Calamity in Niushi Town naturally had to be investigated.

But the gloom hanging over Lu Yang's heart had never dispersed.

A journey that should have taken one day had taken two entirely out of caution.

Since the news might have leaked, no one knew whether demons would lie in wait to intercept and kill them along the way.

Fortunately, they arrived without incident.

Though it was broad daylight, the streets of Niushi Town were somewhat desolate.

The once-bustling main street had every household shut tight, silent in a way that was terrifying.

Perhaps hearing movement outside, curious children cracked open the wooden windows facing the street to peek out, only to hurriedly shut them again under their parents' scolding.

"Judging by this, the Demonic Calamity probably hasn't passed yet."

Wang Fang, the accompanying constable, said with a frown.

Lu Yang nodded. "Demons crave human flesh and blood. Without a powerful figure here to deter them, they won't leave easily."

"What do we do now?" Zhao Hu asked.

"We're going to Niushi Fort," Lu Yang said.

There were more than a dozen villages around Niushi Town, all built years ago around Niushi Fort.

The Niu Family, Niushi Town's largest clan, lived within Niushi Fort.

Niu Hanshan, the mayor of Niushi Town, was the current head of the Niu Family.

Niushi Fort was built against the mountain. Though not large, it had sturdy ramparts, with an underground fortress, granaries, and weapon stores within.

The clan had raised several martial artists and maintained a group of household guards and protectors trained at Martial Arts Schools. Ordinary First-tier demons would find it difficult to breach the fort, making it the safest place in all of Niushi Town.

The group soon arrived outside Niushi Fort.

It was not yet dusk, but Niushi Fort's heavy gates were tightly shut, with traces of blood still left on the ground.

"What a strong stench of blood."

Wang Fang said, "It seems that demon came here yesterday."

Just then, a head poked out from the gatehouse, shouting down at them, "Where are you people from? Leave quickly before night falls. Things haven't been peaceful around here lately."

Lu Yang raised the badge of a County Yamen captain and waved it at the man.

"I am Captain Lu Yang of Black Mountain County. I have business with your family head."

The man withdrew his head. A moment later, the great gates rumbled open a crack, and a household servant led the group into the underground fortress.

Niu Hanshan was past fifty, yet his black hair stood straight and stiff. He was full of vigor, his voice booming like a great bell.

Lu Yang did not stand on ceremony and went straight to the point.

"Mayor Niu, was there another Demonic Calamity last night?"

A lingering fear showed in Niu Hanshan's eyes. "That's right. I sent the fort's guards and the town's strongest men to form several Night Patrol Squads, taking turns keeping watch over Niushi Town. Even so, several good men still died."

Lu Yang asked, "Does the mayor know what kind of demon attacked the town? And how many there were?"

Niu Hanshan nodded slightly, frowning. "They were black-skinned mountain leopards. I can't say exactly how many there are, but two or three come each time. They only come at night, and we can't see them clearly. I can't be sure whether it's the same group every time."

Lu Yang's gaze sharpened at once. "Not just one?"

Zhao Hu, Wang Fang, and the others exchanged glances, a stir running through them.

Seeing this, Niu Hanshan asked suspiciously, "Could it be that the county received word there was only one demon here?"

When Lu Yang nodded, Niu Hanshan pondered for a moment, then sighed. "Perhaps something went wrong with the message passed along by the townspeople who went to seek help."

As if afraid Lu Yang's group would back out, he hastily added, "The fort's strength is not weak. It's only that those beasts have been harassing us, leaving us scrambling to deal with one thing after another. Now that Captain Lu has come leading his men, our strength greatly surpasses those beasts'."

"How strong are those mountain leopards?" Wang Fang hurriedly asked.

Though Niu Hanshan was doing his utmost to keep Lu Yang and the others here as reinforcements, lives were at stake. At a time like this, he could not conceal the demons' strength. His expression turned solemn as he said, "The black panther demons are incredibly fast, and their strength is nothing to scoff at. Even three or four of my Body Tempering Fifth or Sixth Level guards working together cannot stop one. I imagine they are all comparable to Late Body Tempering."

Beside Niu Hanshan, a guard captain at the Body Tempering Seventh Level said, "Last night, I exchanged blows with one of those big cats. It should be at least at the Body Tempering Eighth Level!"

With that, the guard captain untied his bandages, revealing bloody claw marks across his arm.

A faint remnant of demonic aura still swirled around the wound, wearing away at his vitality and blood.

Seeing this, Lu Yang rummaged in his robes and tossed over a bottle. The guard captain caught it, and his face lit up with delight.

"Demon Bane Powder!"

"Thank you, Captain Lu!"

Demon Bane Powder could dispel the demonic aura lingering in a wound and hasten recovery.

Every County Yamen constable was issued some, but it was not easy for ordinary people to obtain.

When ordinary people were wounded by demons, they could only endure the corrosion of demonic aura. If they failed to withstand it, they would either die or be crippled.

"No need for that."

Lu Yang waved a hand. "Hurry and treat your wound. We may still need you tonight."

At these words, Niu Hanshan's expression brightened slightly. "Does Captain Lu already have a way to eliminate the demons?"

"Strike where they least expect it, attack where they are unprepared. First, lure them out. We have only just arrived, so the demons know nothing of us. This is the best time to get rid of them!"