Cold Intent

Rumble!

Thunder roared, and a torrential downpour fell. Countless raindrops gathered, and the ground quickly became a muddy torrent.

The entire world was vast and somber, as dark as ink.

Thump, thump, thump.

Jiang Yan gripped his sword with one hand. The water level reached his calves. The entire Yuyang Village was submerged in the rain.

He moved swiftly, crossing the ditch and entering the Yuyang Village boundary.

Suddenly, a shadowy figure darted out from the ditch, a mournful sob echoing in his mind, drawing his attention.

Without looking back, Jiang Yan swung his sword, cleaving the shadow into black ash.

Monster Anomaly Value: 2

In this gloomy, rainy weather, monsters are more active.

Turning, outside the ditch at the village boundary, a blurry figure stood. It was plump, resembling a beautiful woman, and was beckoning to him.

Jiang Yan glanced at it. The figure merely beckoned to him but could not enter.

After a moment of eye contact, Jiang Yan turned and left without a word.

Returning to his lodging, Jiang Yan dried himself and changed his clothes.

He sat alone on the bed, quietly cleaning his long sword.

Rustle, rustle, rustle. Footsteps sounded.

Jiang Yan sheathed his sword and looked coldly towards the door.

Clang! As the door was pushed open, a familiar voice shouted, "Jiang Yan, Jiang Yan, are you back? I brought you..."

Hiss!

Ren Tao stepped into the room and suddenly felt his hair stand on end, as if being stared at by a monster.

He was about to retreat.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Yan's voice reached his ears, and that monstrous feeling receded like a tide.

It felt like an illusion.

"Uh... Jiang Yan, your room is a bit cold."

Ren Tao patted himself and stretched. "Seriously, your room is a bit cold."

Jiang Yan gestured for Ren Tao to sit, not addressing his previous remark. He asked casually, "Did anything happen in the village today?"

Ren Tao shook his head. "A small team encountered a monster at noon, but they dealt with it."

"Oh, right. I saw you didn't go for dinner, so I brought you some. Eat it quickly, you'll be on night watch soon."

"Mm, thanks."

Jiang Yan took the food: a bowl of porridge, a piece of jerky, and a few steamed buns. He placed them directly on the bed and began to eat silently.

Ren Tao, having finished his day shift, was a bit tired but still felt like chatting. After bringing Jiang Yan his meal, he had intended to talk for a while.

But for some reason, watching Jiang Yan eat silently, he felt a strange, cold, and sharp aura emanating from him. He opened his mouth several times, ready to speak, but couldn't.

He bid farewell and left. As soon as he was outside, he unconsciously relaxed. "Strange. Jiang Yan is even more of a shut-in than usual."

After finishing his meal, Jiang Yan prepared his travel gear, put on his straw cape, and left the room, walking into the heavy rain.

In the plaza, Shan Renhu was already waiting for everyone, looking anxious.

Seeing Jiang Yan approach, he immediately asked, "Brother Jiang, have you seen Tang Long and Fei Shan?"

Jiang Yan and the others had gone out during the day, planning to return smoothly in the afternoon. They hadn't informed the rest of the patrol team, as it was Sheng Fuwu's personal matter.

"I haven't seen them," Jiang Yan's voice was faint, the rain obscuring his expression, making it impossible to discern his emotions. "You haven't seen them at all?"

"No!"

Shan Renhu confirmed. "I arrived early today, and Tang Long and Fei Shan haven't shown up."

After speaking, he looked annoyed. "The heavy rain makes the usual large lanterns unusable. We need Brightness Gathering Talismans, which only they have..."

"Alright, they're here."

Jiang Yan raised a hand and pointed. Not far away, two blurry figures were approaching. They were hard to make out, but familiar people could still recognize them as Tang and Fei.

"Captain Tang," Old Shan said upon seeing them, with a slight complaint. "Where did you two go? It's raining heavily today..."

Shan Renhu's words faded as Tang Long and Fei Shan stopped listening. They stared intently at the figure beside Old Shan.

Unbelievable!

Jiang Yan sensed their gaze, his eyes holding a deep coldness. Then, he grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.

Tang Long felt a chill as he watched Jiang Yan smile at him. A gust of wind blew, and he tightened his clothes.

"Chief Tang, time is almost up. Hurry and distribute the Brightness Gathering Talismans to everyone."

At this moment, several squad leaders also walked over, urging him.

"Alright."

Without time for anything else, Tang Long distributed the illumination talismans one by one.

After the distribution, each squad set off.

"Jiang Yan."

Tang Long couldn't help but call out.

Turning around, Jiang Yan didn't speak. He just gave the two of them a deep look before leaving with Shan Renhu and two others.

"Did I see wrong? That was Jiang Yan."

"He came back alive, how is that possible?"

Tang Long muttered, shock and confusion in his eyes.

Fei Shan had remained silent since seeing Jiang Yan. Now, he finally spoke, "Believe it or not, Jiang Yan is back alive."

His gaze shifted to the large carp, the Talisman Soldiers. In fact, since he saw Jiang Yan, his eyes had never left the Talisman Soldiers.

From beginning to end, the carp Talisman Soldiers had not moved, showing no reaction.

This indicated that Jiang Yan had not been possessed by a monster.

Fei Shan's words pulled Tang Long back from his shock.

"He's back alive, so we must do something to appease his resentment towards us."

Tang Long said indignantly, "In that situation, even if we had stayed, it would have been suicide. I wasn't wrong, and neither were you."

"That's right, we weren't wrong."

Fei Shan didn't argue. They truly weren't wrong; they had made the most rational decision.

"We weren't wrong, but Jiang Yan is back. Even if he rationally understands our actions..."

"But in reality, do you think he'll feel alright inside?"

Tang Long fell silent.

The wind and rain grew fiercer. Fei Shan's gaze drifted towards the distant, gloomy sky. "Old Tang, do you want to be on the mind of a young man with good talent?"

After a long pause, Tang Long spat out four words, "I'm not afraid of him!"

Fei Shan shook his head. "Do you remember him killing a Yin Ghost by himself a few days ago?"

"Being able to kill a Yin Ghost alone means his strength is no less than yours or mine."

He paused. "Today, he went through this and came back alive. I observed him carefully just now and found his emotions to be calm, without a trace of hostility."

Patting Tang Long's shoulder, Fei Shan continued, "Such a disposition is even more terrifying than his talent."

"Listen to me. I don't have many other skills, but I'm pretty good at judging people!"

Fei Shan, who usually didn't talk much, spoke a lot in one go. Tang Long, who knew his personality, couldn't help but listen.

He sighed. "I'll listen to you. Regardless, we were in the wrong."

Fei Shan nodded. "This also serves another purpose: we can clear ourselves of the crime of abandoning our brothers, and all it takes is for Jiang Yan to say a few words."

Tang Long nodded in agreement.

The two walked towards the room in the square.

Fei Shan walked slowly, with one sentence still unsaid: Jiang Yan had good talent, and having survived this disaster today, his disposition had also been tempered. His status and position would sooner or later surpass theirs.

I'm willing to reconcile, just seeking a safeguard. If I fall on hard times in the future, I don't ask for help, just that he doesn't add insult to injury, he said silently in his heart.

I originally wanted to get closer to Jiang Yan and perhaps have him support me in the future. Now it seems...

What a shame, a good opportunity lost.

Tonight, with the heavy rain, the possibility of monsters appearing was higher. They needed to keep watch here and be ready to support any location that might encounter trouble.

Inside the room, Tang Long's voice was muffled. "Brother, what do you think Chief Sheng thinks of Jiang Yan?"

Neither of them could have imagined that Sheng Fuwu was already dead and would never return.

Fei Shan's voice remained calm. "I'm unwilling to speculate on the Chief's thoughts."

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