Summoned

The setting sun was blood-red.

"Gurgle, gurgle~"

After Shen Mu finished another round of practicing the Army-Breaking Saber Technique, his stomach growled repeatedly.

"I've finally digested another pound of beast meat."

Shen Mu looked pleased. He returned to the Bamboo Shed, took a pound of beast meat from the jar, rinsed off the salt, and began to boil it.

At some point, the Three-Tailed Demon Fox had come over. It sat beside him, occasionally sticking out its tongue to lick its lips.

After several days of recuperation, the wound that had pierced the Three-Tailed Demon Fox had scabbed over, and it had regained its vitality.

But to keep the other Guardians from discovering it, Shen Mu had no choice but to keep it in the Bamboo Shed to recover.

Looking at the Three-Tailed Demon Fox beside him, Shen Mu couldn't help marveling inwardly at the creature's vitality.

Only five days had passed, and if not for the bloodstained fur on its body, it would have been almost impossible to tell it had been injured.

Of course, the beast meat Shen Mu had fed it had also played a crucial part.

Once the beast meat was cooked, Shen Mu cut off a piece and tossed it to the Three-Tailed Demon Fox. It caught the meat in its mouth and ran aside to wolf it down.

"Your injuries are almost healed now. I can't keep you here any longer. Find a chance to leave Emerald Cloud Valley tonight. This isn't the place for you!"

Under the night sky, Shen Mu opened the door and gestured for the Three-Tailed Demon Fox to leave.

He knew that although the creature couldn't speak, it could more or less understand what he said.

Hearing that Shen Mu was sending it away, a look of reluctance flashed in the Three-Tailed Demon Fox's eyes.

It understood perfectly well that if Shen Mu hadn't saved it, it would have become a fox-fur stole by now.

It crept out of the Bamboo Shed, glancing back from time to time, its eyes full of pleading.

Shen Mu didn't look at it. He simply gazed at the silver moon hanging high in the sky.

How could he not want to keep the Three-Tailed Demon Fox? But his cultivation was weak, and he could barely protect himself. He truly had no way to keep it.

Especially now, when the Three-Tailed Demon Fox had practically offended everyone in Emerald Cloud Valley. If Shen Mu took it in, wouldn't that mean making an enemy of everyone?

He had already done everything he could by letting the Three-Tailed Demon Fox heal in the Bamboo Shed.

Now that its injuries were nearly healed, every extra day it stayed with him would mean one more day of danger.

"Whimper, whimper~"

The Three-Tailed Demon Fox turned back once more and gave Shen Mu a long, deep look, as if it wanted to engrave him forever in the depths of its heart. Then it let out a mournful cry and vanished into the night like a streak of white.

"Good riddance to this hot potato. I hope it manages to leave Emerald Cloud Valley safely..."

Watching the direction in which the Three-Tailed Demon Fox had disappeared, Shen Mu murmured to himself.

Just then, a dark figure in the distance headed toward his Bamboo Shed.

Shen Mu's gaze sharpened, and he called out, "Who's there?"

After what had happened with Zhou Xuan, Shen Mu had become rather jumpy. It had also made him realize that the Guardians of Emerald Cloud Valley weren't as kind-hearted as he had imagined.

The only reason they could get along peacefully was that their interests didn't conflict.

But once their interests clashed, who knew when the other party might stab you in the back...

Hearing Shen Mu's warning, the figure hurriedly stopped several yards away, then called out, "Brother Shen, it's me, Wei Bo."

"Oh, it's you, Brother Wei. What brings you here at this hour?"

Shen Mu furrowed his brows and asked.

Wei Bo smiled. "Brother Shen, Brother Hong has gathered everyone for something. I came to get you."

"Brother Hong?"

Shen Mu's heart stirred. "All right, I'll go with you."

He immediately walked over to Wei Bo, who led the way as they left together.

"Brother Wei, did something happen? Why is Brother Hong gathering us?"

As they walked, Shen Mu asked in confusion.

Wei Bo replied, "It's because of Zhou Xuan."

"Zhou Xuan?"

Shen Mu's pupils contracted, and his expression changed.

He kept his voice steady as he said, "Brother Wei, Brother Hong came to ask me about Zhou Xuan at noon today. He said Zhou Xuan had been missing for several days. What exactly happened? And why is Brother Hong gathering everyone?"

"I don't know either."

Wei Bo shook his head. "But if you ask me, Zhou Xuan probably met with misfortune. Brother Hong has gathered everyone, most likely because he's found the person who killed Zhou Xuan."

He's found the person who killed Zhou Xuan?

Shen Mu broke out in a cold sweat at those words.

Had Hong Jingcheng already found out that he had killed Zhou Xuan?

An idea sprang almost instinctively into his mind: Should he make a run for it now?

With his First Stage Boiling Blood cultivation, there was no way he could stand against Hong Jingcheng.

If he went to meet Hong Jingcheng, he might not even get the chance to run.

"No."

But in an instant, Shen Mu had regained his composure.

"If Hong Jingcheng knew I killed Zhou Xuan, why would he summon everyone?"

"But the fact that he sent Wei Bo to fetch me suggests that Hong Jingcheng has concluded Zhou Xuan's killer is one of us. He wants to use this gathering to see if he can expose the real culprit."

"My displayed cultivation is only First Stage Boiling Blood. Among the sixteen Guardians under Hong Jingcheng, I'm the weakest. How could I have killed Zhou Xuan?"

"To an outsider, even if I confessed to killing Zhou Xuan, I doubt many people would believe me."

"He probably only called me over to make up the numbers. I absolutely can't lose my nerve and scare myself!"

Shen Mu's thoughts raced, and he immediately understood.

He couldn't help asking, "Brother Wei, who do you think killed Zhou Xuan?"

"I have no idea."

Wei Bo chuckled. "But you know how we made a fortune with the Origin Cicada a month ago. Maybe someone secretly went after Zhou Xuan for that money."

At that, Wei Bo stopped walking. "Brother Shen, you'd better be careful. You're weak right now, so someone might set their sights on you. Guardians disappearing without a trace isn't uncommon in Emerald Cloud Valley."

Shen Mu smiled. "Thanks for the warning, Brother Wei. I hid the money we earned a long time ago. Even if someone comes after me, there's no way they'll get their hands on it."

Wei Bo's mouth twitched.

Last time, he and Hong Jingcheng had followed Shen Mu and seen just how cautious the man was.

He'd even stashed the money in several different places, making full use of the cunning rabbit's three burrows.

Before long, the two of them arrived outside Zhou Xuan's Bamboo Shed. An oil lamp was lit inside.

Wei Bo pushed open the door and entered first, with Shen Mu following close behind.

"Brother Hong."

Shen Mu greeted him and glanced around. Some of the Guardians had already arrived, while the rest were still on their way.

"Mm."

Hong Jingcheng nodded and gestured. "Find a seat for now."

Shen Mu said nothing more. He sat down on the ground beside Wei Bo.

About the time it takes an incense stick to burn passed. Apart from Zhou Xuan, all the Guardians under Hong Jingcheng had arrived.

Everyone looked at Hong Jingcheng in confusion.

"Now that everyone's here, I'll get straight to the point."

Hong Jingcheng glanced around and said in a grave voice, "I called you all here today mainly because Zhou Xuan has gone missing without a trace."