This Trip Was Worth It

Wu Shouxin's expression shifted, and he stood up with a sharp scrape of his chair.

"Gentlemen, the movement of demons is not to be taken lightly; the matter of the Chen Family shall be set aside for now."

The sudden appearance of demonic aura meant that a demon had revealed its tracks. Such matters had to be treated with the utmost caution, or it could very well lead to a tragedy where the demon harmed the populace.

As for the Chen Family, they were currently only under suspicion without a shred of evidence; the weight of the two matters was clear at a glance.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out.

"I will go to the North Ferry."

Lu Yuan stood up without a change in his expression, a flicker of eager excitement flashing deep within his eyes.

Wu Shouxin was stunned. Wait, that's a demon we're talking about—what are you so excited for?

He instinctively furrowed his brows. "You're a newcomer, aren't you, little brother? The demons here aren't like those in the Demon Locking Well; you should really—"

Lu Yuan revealed his Waist Token, and Wu Shouxin looked over.

Demon Suppression Captain!

His eyelids twitched violently.

His legs went weak.

Thump!

"Wu Shouxin, Demon-Suppressing Guard of Chixia County, greets the Captain!"

Clerk Wang, standing to the side, saw his expression change drastically and hurriedly knelt down as well.

Wu Shouxin kept his head bowed, his face burning with shame. Recalling his earlier condescension toward Lu Yuan, he felt like an ant on a hot pan.

"I will handle the demonic infestation at the North Ferry," Lu Yuan said in a calm tone. "You and old Su go to the Chen Family. Use the cover of night to probe the truth, but remember not to alert the enemy."

"Understood!" Wu Shouxin accepted the order.

Su Ding'an opened his mouth, but seeing the situation, he swallowed his words back down.

The yamen runner to the side took a step back and cupped his hands in a salute.

"Captain, please follow me. The North Ferry is not far from the Garrison Station; it's just two streets away..."

Lu Yuan nodded and walked quickly toward the door.

"Lord Lu!"

As he reached the threshold, Su Ding'an's voice suddenly came from behind.

"Demons are vicious; be careful in all things."

"Rest assured."

Lu Yuan stepped over the threshold and strode into the night.

Only then did Wu Shouxin and Clerk Wang stand up, unable to help but offer bitter smiles.

"Lord Su, you're too underhanded. Since you were traveling with the Captain, you could have at least given us a hint when you walked in!"

"You have the nerve to blame me?" Su Ding'an retorted irritably. "I was blinking and gesturing with my mouth, and you didn't see a thing."

Clerk Wang chimed in from the side, "Alas, I was wondering why Lord Su's face was all twisted and twitching..."

Lu Yuan rode his horse at a gallop, moving fast enough to stir the wind.

Several yamen runners followed behind, panting until their lungs felt like they were about to burst, their legs trembling uncontrollably.

"How much further?" Lu Yuan deliberately slowed his pace.

"Almost... almost there. Just go straight down this street... the end is the North Ferry..." the lead runner gasped, completely out of breath.

"Fine, you lot rest for a moment."

With that, Lu Yuan flicked his horse whip. The Wind-Chasing Horse beneath him neighed, and in the blink of an eye, it was ten zhang away.

A few breaths later, he vaulted off the horse and arrived at the edge of the ferry.

This was the largest ferry in Chixia County. By day, carts and boats bustled back and forth, but at night, it was deathly silent. Further east lay the great river that led to Qing Province.

The surface of the river was pitch black, and a row of Black-Awning Boats was moored at the bank, swaying gently with the waves.

He swept his gaze across them; the demonic aura was radiating from those very boats.

It was exceptionally dense—there was definitely more than one!

The corners of Lu Yuan's mouth curled up slightly; he had been worried he wouldn't have enough to kill.

Excellent, it was a whole nest of demons.

Just as he was about to lift his foot, his peripheral vision caught a figure crouching on the deck of one of the Black-Awning Boats.

It was a dark, hunched mass huddled in the shadows, its entire body dripping wet, as if it had just been fished out of the river.

Lu Yuan looked over, and the thing looked right back.

As their eyes met, the creature slowly straightened its back, poking half its head out from the side of the cabin, its pupils glowing with a dim, waxy yellow light.

At this moment, Lu Yuan saw the creature's appearance clearly.

It was hunched over with a back arched, its entire body covered in black fur. Its features were monkey-like, with a green face and fangs, and a pair of eyes that flickered in the darkness like cold, yellow phosphorus flames.

It extended a hand with distinct knuckles, pointing its three-inch-long sharp claws at Lu Yuan through the air.

Lu Yuan frowned slightly.

What was the meaning of this?

Pointing at him?

Was it treating him like prey on the spot?

Lu Yuan suddenly laughed.

He was now in the Initial Realm, and his Myriad Transformation Infinite Art had been cultivated to perfection; he had been worrying about not having any demons to practice on.

As it turned out, the first demon he encountered not only didn't run away, but actually dared to point at him!

Could he tolerate this?

He took a step forward and raised a finger.

"Stop your damn pointing, I'm standing right here. If you've got the guts, come over!"

As his voice fell, the demon actually moved, but it didn't charge over.

Instead, it raised its head and opened its mouth.

"Screech!!!"

A sharp, piercing shriek tore through the night sky, making Lu Yuan knit his brows tightly.

The next moment, a dense, foul demonic aura surged into the sky from the Black-Awning Boat, and rows of dim yellow pupils lit up in the darkness, flickering with an eerie light.

One, two, three, four...

A row of Black-Awning Boats revealed a full eight figures, all of them this same type of demon.

At the same time, movement came from beneath the water.

He looked down and saw ripples spreading across the river surface in circles.

There were black shadows hiding below, at least twenty or more.

Lu Yuan stood where he was, scanning his surroundings without leaving a trace.

The demons were gathering, more and more of them emerging from the water one after another.

Some were perched on the wooden pilings of the pier, some were squatting on the stones along the bank, and some were simply standing in the water with only their upper bodies exposed.

Pairs of dim yellow eyes were like ghost fires in the night, dense and numerous, cold and eerie.

Lu Yuan suddenly laughed.

He laughed loudly, so loudly that the demons were somewhat confused.

"Good, good, good. Chixia County really is a fine place. First the Blood Demon caused chaos, and now you lot have crawled out. My trip here was truly not in vain."

"Tell me, thirty-four demons trying to kill one man—can you even manage it?"

The demons saw the expression on Lu Yuan's face; it wasn't fear, but excitement.

The leading demon seemed to realize something was wrong and suddenly let out a shrill shriek.

All thirty-four demons moved at once.

The closest one leaped from a stone, its four claws spread wide, its three-inch-long talons glinting with a dark light as it lunged at Lu Yuan to kill him.

Lu Yuan's aura surged, deep and vast like an abyss or the sea.

The Myriad Transformation Infinite Art operated at high speed, and the spiritual power in his palms instantly crystallized, forming a Sharp Crystal Spike.

The crystal spike shot out, piercing the air with a sharp whistling sound.

With an unstoppable force, it blew the demon's head apart, then continued on without losing momentum, shattering a ten-foot-tall reef into pieces before finally dissipating.

Amidst the flying debris, the demon's corpse collapsed on the bank, black blood and white gore splattering everywhere.

[Killed Mortal Realm Water Ghoul, obtained White Trait [Night Pupil]]

The remaining Water Ghouls paused in unison, a flicker of hesitation flashing through their yellow-glowing pupils.

On the deck, the leading Water Ghoul let out a thin, high-pitched cry, appearing to give an order.

The other Water Ghouls looked at each other and moved simultaneously.

They lunged from all directions, their assault as dense as rain, instantly sealing off all of Lu Yuan's paths of retreat.

"Now that's more like it."

Lu Yuan shouted, spreading his hands and raising them upward.

Vast and majestic spiritual power erupted, and under the tempering of the Myriad Transformation Infinite Art, Sharp Crystal Spikes condensed all around his body.

As the moonlight shone down, the crystal spikes traced brilliant streaks of light through the darkness, shooting toward the surroundings with an unstoppable force.

Puff, puff, puff, puff--

Amidst the screams, one Water Ghoul after another was struck down in succession.

Some had their chests pierced, some had their skulls shattered, and others had their limbs severed...

A nauseating stench of blood permeated the air, and in less than a dozen breaths, the ground was already piled high with the corpses of the monsters.

[Killed Mortal Realm Water Ghoul, obtained White Trait [Night Pupil] ×34]

The leading Water Ghoul no longer dared to linger; it let out a roar and turned to flee.