Summoning

The setting sun looked like blood.

"Gurgle, gurgle~"

Shen Mu finished practicing the Army-Breaking Saber Technique once more, his stomach letting out a series of growls.

Finally, I've digested another pound of beast meat.

Shen Mu's face lit up with joy. He returned to the Bamboo Shed, took a pound of beast meat from a jar, washed the salt off with water, and began to boil it.

The Three-Tailed Demon Fox had crept over at some point, sitting nearby and occasionally licking its lips with its tongue.

After these few days of recuperation, the wound that had pierced through the Three-Tailed Demon Fox's body had scabbed over, and it had regained its vitality.

However, to prevent it from being discovered by other Guardians, Shen Mu had no choice but to keep it locked in the Bamboo Shed to heal.

Looking at the Three-Tailed Demon Fox beside him, Shen Mu couldn't help but secretly marvel at the beast's immense vitality.

Only five days had passed, and if not for the fur still stained red with blood, one would hardly be able to tell it had ever been injured.

Of course, the beast meat Shen Mu had been feeding it played a crucial role in this.

Once Shen Mu finished boiling the meat, he cut off a piece and tossed it to the Three-Tailed Demon Fox, which snatched it up and ran to the side to devour it greedily.

"Now that your injuries are mostly healed, I can't keep you any longer. You should find a chance to leave Emerald Cloud Valley tonight; this is no place for you!"

Under the cover of night, Shen Mu pushed open the door and signaled for the Three-Tailed Demon Fox to leave.

He knew that although this creature couldn't speak, it could generally understand what he said.

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

It naturally understood that if Shen Mu hadn't saved it, it would likely have become a fox-fur shawl by now.

It stepped out of the Bamboo Shed, looking back every so often, its eyes filled with a pleading expression.

Shen Mu didn't look at it, only gazing 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 low, and he could barely protect himself; there was truly no way for him to keep it.

Especially now that the Three-Tailed Demon Fox had offended almost everyone in Emerald Cloud Valley, if Shen Mu were to take it in, wouldn't he be making enemies of everyone?

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

Now that its injuries were mostly healed, every extra day it stayed with him added another layer of danger.

"Woo, woo, woo~"

The Three-Tailed Demon Fox looked back one last time, staring deeply at Shen Mu as if to etch him into the depths of its heart forever. Then, it let out a desolate cry and transformed into a white blur, quickly vanishing into the night.

This hot potato has finally been sent away. I hope it can leave Emerald Cloud Valley safely...

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

Just then, a black shadow approached his Bamboo Shed from the distance.

Shen Mu's gaze sharpened, and he shouted in a clear voice, "Who is it?"

Having gone through the incident with Zhou Xuan, Shen Mu was truly a bit of a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow, which also made him realize that the Guardians of Emerald Cloud Valley were not as kind as he had imagined.

The reason both sides could coexist harmoniously was simply because there were no conflicts of interest.

But once a disagreement over interests arose, who knew when the other party might stab you in the back...

Hearing Shen Mu's warning, the figure hurriedly stopped a few yards away and shouted loudly, "Brother Shen, it's me, Wei Bo."

"Oh, it's Brother Wei. Is there something you need, coming over at this hour?"

Shen Mu frowned slightly and couldn't help but ask.

Wei Bo laughed, "Brother Shen, Brother Hong has something to discuss with everyone, and I came specifically to fetch you."

"Brother Hong?"

Shen Mu's heart skipped a beat, then he said, "Alright, I'll go with you."

He immediately walked quickly toward Wei Bo, and they left together with Wei Bo leading the way.

"Brother Wei, has something happened? Why is Brother Hong gathering us all?"

Walking along the path, Shen Mu asked with suspicion.

Wei Bo replied, "It's all because of the matter regarding Zhou Xuan."

"Zhou Xuan?"

Shen Mu's pupils contracted, and his expression couldn't help but change.

He kept his composure and said, "Brother Wei, Brother Hong only just found me at noon to ask about Zhou Xuan, saying he had been missing for several days. What exactly happened? Why is Brother Hong gathering everyone together?"

"I don't know either."

Wei Bo shook his head, "But based on my speculation, Zhou Xuan has likely met with misfortune. Brother Hong gathering everyone together is very likely because he has already found the murderer who killed Zhou Xuan."

Found the murderer who killed Zhou Xuan?

Hearing this, cold sweat instantly seeped out from Shen Mu's back.

Could it be that his killing of Zhou Xuan had already been discovered by Hong Jingcheng?

A thought surfaced in his mind almost subconsciously: should he take this chance to run?

With his Boiling Blood Second Layer cultivation, he was absolutely no match for Hong Jingcheng.

Once he went to see Hong Jingcheng, he feared he wouldn't even have the chance to run.

"No, that's not right."

In an instant, Shen Mu calmed himself down again.

"If Hong Jingcheng knew that I was the one who killed Zhou Xuan, what would be the point of summoning everyone?"

"However, the fact that he used Wei Bo to find me suggests that Hong Jingcheng has likely deduced that the killer is among us, and he wants to use this gathering to see if he can ferret out the true culprit."

"Right now, I am only displaying Boiling Blood First Layer cultivation. Among the sixteen Guardians under Hong Jingcheng, my strength is considered the lowest. How could I possibly have killed Zhou Xuan?"

"To outsiders, even if I confessed to killing Zhou Xuan myself, I doubt many would believe it."

"The purpose of calling me over is likely just to make up the numbers. I absolutely must not lose my composure and scare myself!"

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

He couldn't help but ask, "Brother Wei, in your opinion, who could have killed Zhou Xuan?"

"I have no idea about that."

Wei Bo chuckled and said, "But Brother Shen, you know as well as I do that we made a fortune from the Origin Cicada a month ago. Perhaps someone was just looking to get their hands on that money and struck at Zhou Xuan in secret."

At this point, Wei Bo paused his footsteps and said, "Brother Shen, you must be careful. Your strength is low right now, so you might be targeted. Guardians disappearing from Emerald Cloud Valley without a trace is not exactly a rare occurrence."

Shen Mu laughed, "Thank you for the reminder, Brother Wei. I hid the silver I earned long ago. Even if someone were to target me, it would be impossible for them to take the silver in my possession."

Hearing this, the corners of Wei Bo's mouth twitched.

Last time, when he and Hong Jingcheng tailed Shen Mu, they had witnessed how cautious this guy was.

He even split his hidden silver across several different locations; he truly applied the concept of a "wily hare having three burrows" to the extreme.

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

Wei Bo pushed open the door and stepped into the Bamboo Shed first, with Shen Mu following closely behind.

"Brother Hong."

Shen Mu offered a greeting and looked around. A portion of the Guardians had already arrived, while others were still on their way.

"Mm."

Hong Jingcheng nodded and gestured, "Find a spot to sit wherever you like."

Shen Mu said no more and sat down on the floor next to Wei Bo.

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

Everyone looked toward Hong Jingcheng with puzzled gazes.

"Since everyone is here, I will get straight to the point."

Hong Jingcheng scanned the room and said in a deep voice, "The reason I summoned everyone here today is primarily regarding the unexplained disappearance of Zhou Xuan."