Lu Bai looked at Second Young Master Hu, who had suddenly become impassioned, and finally understood. "No wonder we haven't run into any more Reincarnated Demons along the way. So you deliberately had them all hide."
"Exactly!"
Second Young Master Hu puffed out his chest proudly.
At that answer, Lu Bai's smile faded. He said calmly, "Then you're useless to me."
As he spoke, he raised his left arm.
"Wait!"
Seeing the Great Serpent Phantom begin to take shape again, Second Young Master Hu was the first to lose his nerve.
Even though Second Young Master Hu was sure Lu Bai wanted those Reincarnated Demons, it had seen Lu Bai decisively slap Third Aunt Hu to death. It still didn't dare gamble its own life.
It drew a deep breath, clearly reluctant. "What do you want?"
Lu Bai didn't care about its attitude.
He smiled warmly again, ran a hand down Second Young Master Hu's long hair, and asked gently,
"How many Reincarnated Demons do you control right now?"
"One hundred and forty-seven are still alive."
Since they could verify the number simply by calling them over, Second Young Master Hu had no reason to lie about it.
Lu Bai's eyes lit up at the number.
There were more captured deathmatchers than he'd expected. He'd thought there would only be a little over a hundred.
He crouched down beside Second Young Master Hu, his tone growing even gentler. "Can you gather them all here?"
His tone made Second Young Master Hu uncomfortable. Its body instinctively leaned back.
"I can, but it'll take time. Some are still in the county seat."
Lu Bai patted its shoulder with a cheerful smile.
"That's fine. Take your time."
A while later, the first group of deathmatchers emerged from the woods at Second Young