Demonic Beasts

When Lu Jing'an heard the news of Li Zhaolin's death, little surprise showed on his face.

Still,

he had died far too quickly.

Had the Li Family really been so ruthless?

"The Li Family moved fast."

Lu Jing'an's voice was faint, as if he were commenting on some trivial matter.

Lu Huaiqian shook his head, a hard-to-read gravity in his expression.

"The Li Family didn't kill him."

"He was killed by a demonic beast in the wilderness."

"When the Li Family realized he hadn't returned, they sent people out to search."

"They found a guard who was badly wounded and unconscious."

"Only then did they learn from the guard that they'd run into a demonic beast on the way back."

This outcome

really was beyond Lu Jing'an's expectations.

Li Zhaolin had died in the jaws of a demonic beast.

Lu Jing'an had never imagined he would meet such an end.

He knew demonic beasts roamed the wilderness.

But he had grown up inside the city.

He had never seen with his own eyes the demonic beasts of legend.

The land beyond the city walls was dangerous.

Lu Jing'an had no reason to go looking for trouble.

Yet Li Zhaolin's death at the jaws of a demonic beast

somehow carried an inexplicable air of strangeness.

Two Martial Cultivators who had broken through the Blood Barrier had accompanied Li Zhaolin.

The wedding procession had numbered seventy or eighty people.

They had no fewer than forty or fifty guns between them.

With that kind of force, even if they had encountered a demonic beast,

the beast should have been riddled with bullets. How could the entire party have been wiped out instead?

The demonic beasts of this world

were not the spirits from storybooks, capable of summoning wind and rain, taking human form, and speaking.

Such beings existed only in the tales told on the streets. No one had ever seen one.

Real demonic beasts

were simply wild animals that were larger, tougher-skinned, stronger, and somewhat more intelligent.

A few rare variants could develop strange and unpredictable abilities.

But at the end of the day, they were still beasts.

They might be terrifying to ordinary people.

But when faced with a scion like Li Zhaolin, surrounded by guards,

even a demonic beast with such powers might hesitate to pick a fight.

After all, beasts of that caliber were no fools.

They knew how to judge strength and pick on the weak.

Unless Li Zhaolin had barged into its den or deliberately provoked it,

why would a demonic beast come charging out of nowhere to get itself killed?

If the Li Family had done it themselves, deliberately feeding Li Zhaolin to a demonic beast

to give him a dignified death,

that might just about make sense.

But such a method would have been too clumsy, and left far too many traces.

So, from every angle, the whole affair gave off an uncanny air.

As his thoughts raced, Lu Jing'an spoke again.

"So the Li Family is seizing on this to demand an explanation from us?"

His guess wasn't baseless.

If the Li Family weren't making an issue of it,

he wouldn't have been summoned to the study.

Now that the man was dead, they would naturally squeeze the last bit of value from him.

That was the cold calculation of a great family.

Lu Huaichuan picked up the conversation, his tone turning heavier.

"The Li Family took the matter to the people above us.

They rebuked Big Brother for failing to maintain public security

and ordered us to kill the demonic beast responsible by a set deadline."

Lu Jing'an understood at once.

It was still about the position of Public Security Bureau chief.

They had failed to assassinate him, so they had found another angle: accuse them of failing to maintain public security.

Only this time, it was one of their own who had died.

He had been about to say that they had no interest in the chief's position

and could simply ignore the demonic beast.

But he swallowed the words before they left his mouth.

If the answer were that simple, surely his father and uncles would have seen it too.

There had to be more to it.

After a brief pause, Lu Jing'an ventured, "Is there someone above us we can't afford to defy?

Has a death order been issued?

Are we absolutely required to kill this demonic beast?"

Lu Huaiqian nodded, a trace of helplessness flickering in his eyes.

"Yes.

Secretary Hu from the province personally gave the order.

He wants us to deal with that demonic beast by the deadline."

"Secretary Hu?" Lu Jing'an had no recollection of the name.

Lu Huaichuan explained quietly, "Secretary Hu is something like an umbrella for our Lu Family in the provincial government.

Every year, we pay him a sum of money.

When we run into minor troubles,

he'll help smooth things over.

Pay and military equipment, for example.

But when something serious happens, we still have to rely on ourselves."

He paused briefly, then continued.

"And Secretary Hu has more than just our Lu Family under his wing.

In the past, we didn't even rank on his list. He didn't think much of our Lu Family."

Lu Jing'an immediately picked up where he left off.

"Because we handled things well this time, he thinks the Lu Family might be useful. So he wants to test our mettle again with this matter.

If we do well, he'll put us forward for the chief's position at the merged Public Security Bureau?"

Lu Huaichuan gave a quiet assent, but there was no joy on his face.

"That's what he said.

But a verbal promise like that means nothing.

The difficult part is that we don't know what he really wants."

His brows furrowed as he went on.

"We sent people by several different routes to make inquiries in the provincial capital.

None of them got a definite answer.

Your second sister went to deliver money, too.

He took the money, but wouldn't see her."

Lu Jing'an's brows knitted slightly at that.

This was troublesome.

If it was about money,

then the fact that the man had taken their money but refused to meet them probably meant he didn't think they had shown enough sincerity.

But the amount needed to make up the difference was likely beyond what the Lu Family could easily afford.

If it wasn't about money, then he had still accepted their payment.

That meant he wasn't trying to bring down the Lu Family.

Rather, if the Lu Family handled this matter, everyone would benefit.

As for the demonic beast,

it had nearly wiped out Li Zhaolin's entire party. Its strength could not be underestimated.

At such a precarious time, weakening their own forces would hardly be wise.

Lu Jing'an could fully understand his father and uncles' hesitation.

"What can I do to help with this?"

Lu Jing'an raised his eyes and looked calmly at Lu Huaiqian, seated behind the desk.

Lu Huaichuan glanced at his elder brother, then took over.

"Jing'an, the three of us have discussed this for a long time, but still haven't found a sure solution.

We called you here because we wanted to hear your thoughts.

See if you can find a way to break the deadlock."

Lu Jing'an fell silent for a moment.

He knew too little.

He had been able to bring down the Lin Family only after secretly investigating for over a month and learning every crucial detail before making his move.

As for this matter, he knew only scraps and didn't dare jump to conclusions.

"There really are too few useful leads,"

Lu Jing'an said slowly.

"It's hard to settle on a plan right away. But there are a few things we can do for now."

Lu Huaichuan's eyes shifted. "Go on."

"First, make the Li Family hand over every lead and report they have on the demonic beast.

They're the aggrieved party and the first ones to discover it, so they must have details.

If the Li Family refuses to cooperate, we can ask Secretary Hu to step in.

Since this matter affects his interests too, he'll probably be glad to put the Li Family in their place.

And if the Li Family still drags its feet, then even if we fail, it won't all be the Lu Family's fault."

Lu Huaichuan's eyes lit up. He clapped his hands and said, "Excellent! Turn the trouble back on them! Big Brother, Jing'an's plan can work!"

He turned to Lu Jing'an, undisguised admiration in his gaze.

"Jing'an, if this works, you'll deserve credit for it."

Lu Jing'an merely shook his head. "You're too kind, Second Uncle. I'm only following the logic of the situation."

He didn't think the plan was particularly clever. It was just the obvious response.

His father and uncles probably hadn't thought of it because they were wary of Secretary Hu and hadn't dared to bring him into their calculations.

Lu Jing'an had no such qualms.

In his eyes, anything useful could be a pawn.

After a long silence, Lu Huaiqian finally spoke, his voice as steady as ever.

"Huaichuan, find a way to gather more information. Once you've organized it, send a copy to Jing'an's courtyard."

"Yes." Lu Huaichuan agreed, then gave Lu Jing'an a look of approval.

Seeing that there was nothing else, Lu Jing'an rose to take his leave.

"Jing'an,"

Lu Huaiqian called to him, his tone a little gentler,

"I've had them sort through some things from the Qian Family and the Lin Family that could help with your martial cultivation.

I've already arranged for them to be sent to your other residence."

Lu Jing'an paused. At last, a genuine hint of delight crossed his eyes.

This was what he most wanted to hear right now.

"Thank you, Father." He bowed. His voice was soft, yet clear and sincere.

As he left the study, dusk had deepened beyond the window.

On the distant horizon, a streak of fading red looked like a smear of blood that could not be wiped away.