The Wolf Watchman shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.
At the same time, his body began to swell at a terrifying speed. In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a blurry gray-white figure, charging at them with a foul, bloody wind.
The four men in front of Chen Bin turned deathly pale.
At that critical moment, a shadowy black figure streaked low through the dark alley like lightning.
It moved so fast that all they saw was a flash of black. In an instant, it was right in front of the gray-white figure.
The figure was swift as a shooting star, and the blade in his hand was faster still, like a black bolt of lightning cutting through the night sky.
In the darkness, a spot of crimson bloomed. With a hiss, blood sprayed into the air.
Then a huge dog's head went "thud... clatter-clatter..." and rolled away under its own momentum. It bounced a few times on the ground before coming to a stop.
"Thump..." The headless corpse fell straight to the ground and slid a long way, leaving a shocking streak of blood behind.
[Slain Qi Gathering Realm Wolf Demon: Wolf Watchman, earned Merit: 10, remaining Merit: 447]
"Cough, cough..." Only then did Huang Yong and the other three snap out of it.
But the moment they came to their senses, the dog's head hit the ground right beside their feet with a "thud." They shuddered in fright and stumbled backward.
Only the dog's head kept rolling by itself across the ground.
The four nearly tripped over their own feet and made fools of themselves.
Staring at the head on the ground, they stood dazed, their minds utterly blank.
"Why?" Bewildered, the four couldn't make sense of it.
They hadn't even had a chance to draw their swords and defend themselves before the fight was over.
Their superior's style was so reckless and bold, as if he didn't care in the least about his own life.
When they looked up, intending to ask him why, they saw that he had already sheathed his sword in one smooth, unhurried motion.
Then Chen Bin started toward the mouth of the alley, leaving them with only his back to look at.
"Two of you stay behind. One keeps watch here, and the other goes to report to Liu Wei. Have him bring people to deal with the corpse."
His voice came from ahead, steady and firm, leaving no room for argument.
As he spoke, Chen Bin kept walking. A "crack" rang out as he stepped on a jade-pendant-shaped Demon Sealing Ornament, crushing it and leaving it on the ground.
The four swallowed involuntarily. Huang Yong turned to the other three and asked, "Which of you will stay?"
He was the leader of the group.
The three exchanged glances, and Liu Xiaodong spoke first. "Zhiming and I will stay!"
Liu Xiaodong knew that the Huangs were the core of the group. As outsiders, he and Zhiming were ultimately a little distant from them.
"All right." Huang Yong nodded and hurried after Chen Bin with Huang Kaisheng.
Behind them, Zhang He's figure trembled slightly.
The sudden burst of demonic aura had terrified Zhang He earlier, leaving his mind blank and his whole body frozen in place.
By the time he had fully come to his senses, his legs were already trembling uncontrollably.
Now, he finally understood what the other man had meant when he said, "You'll die."
Just one demon had left him shaking all over. If he ran into the Mountain Lord on South Mountain, wouldn't he be scared to death on the spot?
Damn it! I have to pull myself together!
Zhang He roared inwardly, sprang to his feet, and chased after the retreating figure, shouting at the top of his lungs.
Just as he brushed past Qin Zhiming, who was heading off to deliver the message, Qin Zhiming reacted quickly and grabbed him, ordering him:
"Kid, go report to Captain Liu Wei for me."
Qin Zhiming was a full-fledged constable, while Zhang He was only a temporary constable.
Putting him to work running errands was easy enough.
"My lord!" Zhang He cried out in pain as Qin Zhiming gripped him. "I'm a temporary constable under Captain's command. I have to follow him."
"Hmph. Captain hasn't said a word about you following him from start to finish. Still hoping to climb the ladder, are you, kid?"
As he spoke, Qin Zhiming drew his sword and held it to Zhang He's neck. "Or are you planning to disobey orders?"
Without an order from the Captain, a temporary constable had no power to resist a full-fledged constable. He could only let the other man push him around.
Why?
Because the other man had an official post, while he was just a contractor. That was the difference.
At those words, Zhang He turned deathly pale. He was speechless for a moment, then could only nod obediently. "Yes!"
"Pathetic!" Qin Zhiming kicked Zhang He hard and urged him to hurry up and deliver the message.
Chen Bin hadn't noticed a thing that had happened to Zhang He.
With one hand firmly resting on his sword hilt and the other holding the Demon Sensing Plate, he hurried through the dark streets, putting on an act.
In reality, his map swept across both sides of the street, carefully searching for every Red Name that might appear.
Now that he had reached the Half Step Qi Gathering Realm, his map's detection range was twenty-five zhang.
Huang Yong and Huang Kaisheng hurried along right behind him.
They didn't understand why Chen Bin was rushing about like this, but their superior was leading the way.
All they could do was keep close behind him, not daring to slack off in the slightest.
It was true that Kang Ronghao had sent them, but that still meant nothing in front of Chen Bin.
After what had happened tonight, this man really would cut people down with his sword.
Chen Bin finally stopped in front of a grand estate.
Its walls towered high, and its red-lacquered gates were shut tight. A gold-lettered plaque hung above them, bearing the words "Zheng Mansion." Beneath the dim moonlight, it radiated an air of authority.
"My lord, what happened?" Huang Yong looked up at the plaque and felt his heart jolt. A sense of foreboding welled up inside him.
"Go!" Chen Bin made a show of putting the Demon Sensing Plate away in his robe, then ordered, "Tell Liu Wei we've got a big catch."
"My lord, we can't come here!" Remembering Kang Ronghao's warning, Huang Yong was filled with worry. The Zheng Mansion was precisely the place Captain Kang had specifically told them not to investigate.
"Oh?" Chen Bin turned and fixed Huang Yong with a blade-sharp stare. "Why not?"
"Captain Kang ordered us not to investigate this place!" Fine beads of sweat broke out on Huang Yong's forehead as he answered cautiously.
He tried to invoke Kang Ronghao's name and stir whatever fear the other man still had for him.
A cold smile curled Chen Bin's lips. "Are you saying Captain Kang is colluding with demons?"
"N-no, nothing like that!" Huang Yong was so frightened that sweat poured down his face as he waved his hands frantically.
Wouldn't that be accusing his superior?
Chen Bin's hand tightened slightly around the sword hilt. The blade gave a faint scrape. "Then are you saying you're the ones colluding with demons?"
"Thump!" Terrified, Huang Yong and Huang Kaisheng dropped to their knees. Huang Yong stammered, his voice trembling. "I... I'm not!"
"Then prove it to me." Chen Bin toyed with his sword, a mocking smile on his lips. "I'll give you one quarter of an hour. If Liu Wei isn't here by then, I'll take it that you're colluding with demons, and I'll cut you down myself!
"If the demons escape, I'll count that as you tipping them off, too."
"Yes!" Huang Yong's voice shook badly. He scrambled to his feet and sprinted back the way they had come.
Huang Kaisheng remained kneeling where he was, trembling all over and not daring to breathe too loudly.
Chen Bin lowered his head to look at the map. It was crowded with Red Names marked as [Tiger Demon]—fourteen of them in all!
Yet even the one with the most Merit had only 9 points, not even reaching 10.
Besides those, there were seven Red Name Martial Artists, with around forty points of Merit between them.
An estate this enormous, hiding so many Red Names—this was a perfect example of collusion with demons!
If he didn't cut them down, all this would have gone to waste.
He looked once more at the plaque above the imposing gate. His gaze firm, he strode forward without hesitation.
"My lord, what are you going to do?" Huang Kaisheng asked in a trembling voice from his knees.
The only answer he received was two words:
"Kill demons!"
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