Secret News

The figures present were all stunned.

Li Mu's face stiffened in an instant.

Qin Jiu seemed not to notice anything amiss. Calm and composed, he said, "If any of you have news related to demons, why not share it now?"

It wasn't that he hadn't noticed the strange looks around him.

But Qin Jiu had come for only two reasons. First, he wanted to see what the Li Family hoped to accomplish by inviting him over in the wake of the Fisher Gang's dire situation. Second, he wanted to hear whether these people really had any news related to demons.

He didn't care about anything else.

In fact,

if it weren't for those two reasons,

these so-called personal disciples and young masters and misses wouldn't even have been qualified to meet him.

They were on entirely different levels.

If the person before him had been the Li Family head, a martial arts hall master, or a gang leader, then he would have treated them with due seriousness. After all, Qin Jiu was the head of the Qin Family, and his status spoke for itself.

"Mr. Qin."

At that moment,

Han Qingyue furrowed her brows and said, "This banquet was arranged by Young Master Li. You shouldn't be sitting in the host's seat. Besides, even by the standards of martial cultivation, Young Master Li is not yet twenty, and has already reached Second Refining, surpassing all of us. If you continue sitting there, you'll only seem exceedingly rude."

When she finished, she shook her head.

Then she said no more.

"Martial artists respect strength above all. If you want to put on airs, you've chosen the wrong place."

A voice dripping with scorn followed right after. "A wastrel is always a wastrel, never able to tell what's appropriate in any given situation. If I were you, I wouldn't even leave the house at a time like this, unless it was to chase women."

The others heard this

and couldn't help showing faint, peculiar smiles.

Qin Jiu's figure looked very gaunt at that moment, his cheeks tinged with an unnatural pallor that wouldn't fade. He looked like someone who had indulged himself to excess.

He glanced at the speaker.

It was the Chai Gang's young gang leader, whom Li Mu had introduced earlier.

The man was sneering at him with utter disdain.

Qin Jiu's expression remained as still as an ancient well. He only said, "Huang Jing, slap him."

"Yes."

The two men who had been standing behind him

immediately stepped forward at his command.

"Got some nerve!"

Seeing this, the man sneered and drew a long sword. A surge of vigorous qi and blood burst from his body, and he charged straight at them.

"His qi and blood are so vigorous."

"Brother Meng must be on the verge of breaking through to Second Refining."

"We may already have fallen behind him..."

Seeing this,

the people around them all began whispering among themselves.

Even the senior inner disciple of the Canghai Martial Arts Hall opened his eyes, looking at the young gang leader in surprise.

And yet...

The young gang leader lost his sword after just one exchange.

Then Qin Xudong seized his limbs, while Huang Jing raised his thick, calloused hands and began slapping him from side to side.

"Smack, smack, smack!"

A rapid string of crisp slaps

rang through the hall without end.

Everyone was left dumbfounded.

"Two Second Refining attendants... This man's getting more and more overbearing."

A young girl beside Han Qingyue

couldn't help muttering under her breath.

The Chai Gang's young gang leader didn't manage to say another word. The two men casually tossed him to the ground only after he had passed out.

"Qin's time is a little tight."

At that moment,

Qin Jiu spoke.

He didn't even glance at the young gang leader. Fixing his gaze on Li Mu, he said, "I came here because Brother Li told me there was news about demons to discuss, so I accepted the invitation."

"If you keep wasting time, Qin will be leaving."

"But if I don't hear anything satisfactory, I'll take it that you're making sport of the Qin Family."

Li Mu heard this,

and his face changed abruptly.

He hadn't expected Qin Jiu to be so forceful. From the sound of it, if they offered even the slightest bit of irrelevant information, there would be trouble.

"Head of the Qin Family, you give us too much credit."

Li Mu forced a smile and looked around at everyone. "Since everyone has arrived, allow me to offer a few preliminary remarks."

"Demons of yin and evil arise by chance."

"They usually act alone and feed on the blood essence of living beings. Now that this kind of evil has gathered around the county seat, someone must be controlling it from behind the scenes."

"As for their purpose..."

"Honestly, my Li Family's informants have investigated for half a month without finding a thing."

Li Mu paused, his eyes flashing. Then he continued, "However, while my Li Family hasn't been able to uncover anything about the person behind it all, we have learned a shocking secret: the County Magistrate went out last night with men to eradicate the source of the calamity, and he is bound to fail."

"Because it's a trap set specifically for the County Magistrate."

"A trap?"

Everyone's expressions changed.

Especially those whose family elders at Internal Strengthening had gone out with the group.

Their faces showed a trace of alarm.

"Could your Li Family have gotten it wrong?"

"Besides, if even you could discover this, are all the experts over at the County Office really a bunch of useless fools?"

"That's what makes it interesting."

Li Mu's lips curled into a faint, meaningful smile. His gaze lingered briefly on Qin Jiu before sweeping over the others. "The County Magistrate knows about this, but he has no choice but to lead men out. Going out with them is his only option."

"The demons have surrounded the county seat without attacking."

"Why do you think that is?"

"They're forcing the County Magistrate to act. In fact, according to my Li Family's deductions, the demons outside the city are currently divided into opposing camps. They still haven't made a move because the two sides haven't yet come face to face, or because one side is unwilling to act. As for which side that is, you should be able to guess, shouldn't you?"

"Because the moment the two sides meet head-on, the demons outside the city will erupt all at once."

"They'll storm the county seat together."

By the end, his tone was utterly certain.

Han Qingyue furrowed her brows. "Why would the demons attack the county seat if those people make their move?"

"Why?"

Li Mu was taken aback. Then he shook his head with a faint, knowing smile. "The County Magistrate's strength is unfathomable, and the person behind the demons is wary of him. They won't act rashly. That's the first reason. Second, the County Magistrate cares about the people. At the very least, he doesn't want the demons to wreak havoc in the county seat. Otherwise, he wouldn't risk his life trying to put an end to the demonic disaster."

"Guess what the County Magistrate will do once the demons attack the county seat."

"So my Li Family has concluded that within a few days, the demons outside the city will surely attack the county seat. The day the demons erupt will also be the day the County Magistrate and the others fight the person behind them. And in that battle... they will surely die!"

By the time Li Mu had said this,

his expression had turned exceedingly grave.

"This isn't merely a conclusion my Li Family has come to on its own. We learned a shocking secret in Ning'an Prefecture."

"A month ago,"

"the prefectural command already began withdrawing troops behind the pass."

"Do you all know what that means? It means the government has already abandoned the land beyond the pass, abandoned this vast prefecture. The Li Family doesn't know whether it was because of the demons or for some other reason. But one thing is certain: the person behind the demons is waiting for the prefectural martial artists assisting the County Magistrate to leave."

That last sentence

struck everyone like a bolt of lightning.

Qin Jiu's expression shifted slightly as well.

Because he thought of the Wei Army he had heard mentioned during his conversation with the County Magistrate and Fu Hanchuan that day, when he had activated his Ghost Illumination talent. Combined with the County Magistrate's resolute attitude yesterday, it was clear the County Magistrate had been in a great hurry back then. Otherwise, he wouldn't have hastily led men out of the city that very night.