A-Shui

Chapter 25

The further A-Shui traveled upstream, the more pungent the stench in the river water became.

The vegetation on both banks had long since withered and died, bare branches swaying in the wind.

Not a single insect or ant could be seen along the riverbank.

Zhao Hu finally couldn't hold it in anymore and yelled out, "Damn it, this godforsaken place doesn't even have a single living thing!"

"Shut up."

Liu Chen, at the front of the group, barked in a low voice.

Zhao Hu sullenly closed his mouth, but the irritation on his face only grew heavier.

Old Wang reined in his horse, sidled up to Liu Chen, and lowered his voice, "Chief, something's off."

"What do you mean?"

"Those Yellow Battalion bastards are best at leaving marks, but we've been walking this whole way and haven't found a single trace."

Liu Chen's expression darkened as well.

That was true.

The Demon Suppression Bureau had its own secret signals for communication.

If the Yellow Battalion had investigated this area, they would have left clues.

But along this entire stretch, there was nothing.

Could it be... that old man was lying?

The group continued for about another half hour, and the river channel ahead gradually narrowed.

After traveling a few more li, the scene before them suddenly opened up.

The stench came to an abrupt halt right there.

Not far ahead was a cliff, with clear spring water gushing from cracks in the rock face, pooling into a limpid pond, and from there flowing down into that foul Black River.

The water at the source was clean.

"..."

Everyone exchanged glances, all seeing the doubt in each other's eyes.

The source was fine.

Then where did all the filth in the river come from?

"Split up and search!"

Liu Chen dismounted and took the lead, heading toward the cliff.

The others also got off their horses and began searching the area carefully.

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, everyone regrouped and shook their heads.

"Chief, nothing."

"Nothing on my end either, didn't even see a single hair."

Liu Chen's brows knitted into a tight knot.

"Over there."

A clear, cold voice suddenly rang out.

Everyone followed the sound and saw Jiang Yuechu standing before a withered forest not far away, pointing deeper into the woods.

Liu Chen's heart stirred, and he immediately led the men to follow.

Passing through the dead forest, a small temple came into view.

The temple was not large—in fact, it could even be called shabby.

But the clearing in front of it had been swept spotlessly clean, not even a fallen leaf in sight.

Liu Chen stepped forward first and pushed open the half-closed wooden door.

A creak sounded.

Inside, it was equally clean.

But the offering table was completely bare, with no incense or tributes to be seen.

In the shrine directly facing the door, the statue of the deity had been smashed to pieces, leaving only a bare pedestal.

"Be careful." Liu Chen drew half of his Horizontal Blade, his gaze sweeping warily across the room.

The men filed in one by one, spreading out to search the small temple thoroughly.

But after searching for a long time, they found nothing.

"Chief, nothing."

"I even checked every rat hole—clean as a whistle."

Liu Chen's frown grew deeper and deeper.

So clean—someone must have been cleaning it regularly.

But why were there no incense or offerings, and even the statue had been smashed?

Just then.

A small, thin figure appeared at the temple entrance.

It was a little girl, no more than seven or eight years old, dressed in a tattered hemp cloth garment, her face streaked with dirt and ash.

The girl seemed not to expect anyone in the temple. She froze mid-step, rooted to the spot.

In her hands, she held a broken bowl, half-filled with water.

Their eyes met hers.

The next instant, all color drained from the girl's face. As if she'd seen a ghost, she dropped the bowl, turned, and ran.

Crash—

The bowl hit the ground and shattered into pieces.

"Don't run!"

The others hadn't even reacted yet.

Zhao Hu didn't think twice. He lunged after her.

"Little brat, what are you running for! Stop right there!"

How could a malnourished child outrun a skilled hand from the Demon Suppression Bureau?

In just a moment.

Zhao Hu returned, the struggling girl clamped under his arm.

"This girl's got some strength."

"Ow ow ow, she even bit me, damn it."

He walked to the temple and tossed the girl onto the ground, then clutched his arm, grimacing as he checked the teeth marks.

The girl hit the ground with a muffled groan of pain, curling into a ball, trembling all over.

"Zhao Hu!"

Liu Chen shot him a glare.

He hurried over, crouched in front of the girl, and softened his voice.

"Don't be afraid. We're not bad people."

The girl looked up, her big eyes filled with terror, biting her lip hard to keep from crying out.

Liu Chen sighed, pulled a piece of dried meat jerky from his pocket, and held it out.

The girl stared at the jerky, swallowed, but didn't reach for it.

"We're from the Demon Suppression Bureau."

"We came here to find out why the Black River turned out like this. Do you know anything?"

The girl's body stiffened.

The others exchanged glances, understanding in their eyes.

This child clearly knew something.

Liu Chen sighed, feeling a headache coming on.

His gaze swept around, and when it landed on Jiang Yuechu standing nearby, his eyes suddenly lit up.

He walked quickly to Jiang Yuechu, lowered his voice, a hint of embarrassment on his face.

"Jiang... Miss Jiang, look... how about you give it a try?"

Jiang Yuechu raised an eyebrow, a strange look in her eyes.

She had just joined the Bureau, on her first mission—it was hardly her turn to interrogate.

Seeing her confusion, Liu Chen's face reddened, and he quickly explained.

"Us lot... we're all rough men, fighting and killing all day. The stench on us—even rats steer clear, let alone kids."

Jiang Yuechu's gaze swept over the rugged men one by one.

Each had either a face full of brute force or a cold, hard expression, and the Horizontal Blades at their waists constantly exuded a fierce, murderous aura.

In terms of appearance, she was indeed more approachable than them.

But Jiang Yuechu felt her headache worsen.

In this life, she was a woman, but deep down, she was still the man she'd been for over twenty years in her past life.

If she had to draw a blade against demons and monsters, she wouldn't even blink.

But coaxing a terrified little girl...

How was she supposed to do that?

She looked at the little girl curled up on the ground, then at the few rough men beside her with expectant faces, and only felt a surge of irritation.

But since things had come to this, she couldn't just let it drag on.

Forget it.

Suppressing the strange feeling in her heart, she walked over to the little girl and slowly crouched down, trying to make her voice sound gentler. She even attempted to tug at the corners of her mouth, forcing what she thought was a kind smile.

"Don't be afraid. We won't hurt you."

"What's your name?"

Whether it was because her face had some charm to it, or because being a woman made the other party less wary, the little girl actually wasn't as scared anymore. She secretly lifted her eyes and cautiously sized up Jiang Yuechu.

"My name... is A-Shui."

"A-Shui..."

Jiang Yuechu repeated it, trying to reach out a hand to pat the girl's head, but halfway there, she felt awkward and pulled it back.

"A-Shui, don't be afraid. We won't hurt you."

"You... are you from the Demon Suppression Bureau too?"

A-Shui asked timidly.

She wondered to herself, how could such a pretty older sister be from the Demon Suppression Bureau? Weren't the people from the Demon Suppression Bureau supposed to be like those fierce-looking men beside her?