Tiger Demon [Seeking Follow-up Reads]

Lu Jing'an returned to his private courtyard.

The courtyard was quiet, save for the rustling of wind through the branches of the old trees.

Returning to his room, he saw over a dozen ebony chests.

They were lined up neatly on the floor.

In the fading daylight, they shimmered with a heavy, dark luster.

Everything related to martial arts confiscated from the Qian and Lin families had been delivered in full.

Having entrenched themselves in Yinshan County for generations, the foundations of these two families were truly profound.

Lu Jing'an walked over to the nearest chest.

He reached out and lifted the lid.

A scent, a mixture of aged wood and faint herbs, rushed toward him; inside, exquisite brocade boxes were packed tightly together.

He picked one up at random and opened it.

A wild mountain ginseng, with intact roots and a distinct form, lay upon the scarlet velvet.

The body was plump, the reed-like crown tightly knit—it was at least a century old.

Lu Jing'an flipped through several more boxes in succession.

They were all century-old ginseng of this quality, fifteen in total.

As his fingertips brushed over the rough texture of the ginseng, he pondered silently.

For an ordinary family, obtaining even one such life-saving item would be a stroke of great fortune.

When critically wounded, holding a single slice under the tongue could sustain one's life.

That the Qian and Lin families could collect so many was truly worthy of their status as local snakes.

These alone were worth nearly fifty thousand ocean dollars.

He closed the brocade box and turned to the second chest.

As the lid was lifted, stacks of neatly arranged thread-bound books came into view.

The pages were yellowed, the ink heavy—these were all martial arts manuals.

Lu Jing'an pulled one out; the cover read Wind-Breaking Blade Art.

He flipped through a couple of pages, seeing that the move diagrams and mental cultivation annotations were quite detailed, but he didn't look further and put it back.

He did not intend to study these manuals one by one himself.

That would be far too time-consuming.

Lu Jing'an planned to send them all to his master, Chen Xuan, later.

He would ask his master to screen them first.

With that time, he would be better off standing in his stance for two more quarters of an hour; breaking through to the Three Transformations of Blood and Qi sooner was what truly mattered.

The third chest contained neither books nor ginseng.

Instead, it held a set of neatly folded soft armor.

Lu Jing'an lifted the upper garment; it felt cool and supple to the touch.

Upon closer inspection, it was densely woven from dark, exotic threads with hidden patterns.

However, compared to the set gifted by Chen Xuan, the quality was clearly a notch lower.

He channeled strength into his fingertips and pressed down, thinking:

It likely won't stop a bullet at close range.

But it should be able to deflect seven or eight parts of the force from ordinary sword strikes; it is still a rare find.

He opened the remaining chests one by one.

Most contained weapons and miscellaneous items related to martial arts.

Though there was no lack of fine craftsmanship, there was nothing extraordinary.

Lu Jing'an leaned against the edge of a chest, his eyes deepening.

The Qian and Lin families had operated for many years.

It was impossible that they had only hoarded these mundane martial arts items.

There must be treasures like a Treasure Tool kept as a final trump card.

His father and the others did not know he needed those as well, so they hadn't sent them over.

"I must go to the confiscated warehouse myself to take a look," Lu Jing'an whispered to himself, his mind already made up.

In the end, Lu Jing'an only kept those fifteen old ginseng roots.

He then retrieved a sheathed short sword from the bottom of a chest.

The blade was three inches longer than a standard dagger, qualifying it as a short sword.

The scabbard was crafted from black sharkskin, simple and unadorned.

Lu Jing'an gripped the hilt and drew it slowly.

A flash of cold light spilled out like water, the blade revealing fine, icy patterns.

He casually snapped a copper ring off the chest.

The edge swept past, and the ring parted silently into two halves, the cut as smooth as a mirror.

"A fine blade."

Lu Jing'an sheathed the sword and tucked it close to his body.

Though he rarely used weapons, having this item on him provided an extra sense of security.

He ordered the remaining books to be sent directly to Chen Xuan.

The rest of the items were temporarily placed in the storeroom.

At dusk, his second uncle, Lu Huaichuan, sent someone over with the information gathered today.

Two documents were placed on top.

Lu Jing'an picked up the top document first.

It was a report from the Li Family to the Lu Family regarding the details of the demon beast.

For the Li Family to be so cooperative—

Lu Jing'an guessed that Secretary Hu must have exerted some influence.

Otherwise, considering the two families had just clashed, the Li Family would never have been this accommodating.

Even if they were trying to set a trap for the Lu Family, they wouldn't have cooperated to this extent.

"Demon tiger..."

Lu Jing'an scanned it quickly, his fingertips tapping lightly against the paper.

The intelligence was written concisely.

It only stated that the tiger haunted the old forest thirty miles north of the county seat.

All other information was extremely sparse.

Lu Jing'an set the document down and gazed at the thickening night outside the window.

A demon beast lurking at one's doorstep was always a thorn in one's side.

After a moment of contemplation, he muttered to himself:

"Perhaps I should pay a visit to the Peacekeeping Bureau.

They patrol the region year-round; they should have more detailed records."

His father and the others would likely learn nothing if they went to the Peacekeeping Bureau to inquire.

But given his current status, it might be worth a try.

Before rising, he glanced at the other document.

This one concerned Secretary Hu.

He unfolded the document and read it through.

A knowing smile tugged at the corners of Lu Jing'an's mouth.

As expected.

Secretary Hu was so eager for the Lu Family to get involved because he was paving the way for himself.

The document stated it clearly:

The Provincial Garrison Command was currently lacking a person in charge.

Secretary Hu had his eyes set on that position and was in urgent need of political achievements and loyal subordinates.

If the Lu Family could establish a firm foothold in Yinshan County, they would become a useful blade in his hands.

When the time came, he would have more leverage to secure his promotion.

"Power above all else; it's quite pragmatic."

This was largely in line with what he had previously guessed.

What Secretary Hu pursued was nothing more than power and wealth.

To take the money and not do the job is to demand power.

Lu Jing'an stopped overthinking and straightened his robes.

He called for Chen Xuan and set off for the Peacekeeping Bureau.

When the car pulled up in front of the slightly mottled black-lacquered gate of the Peacekeeping Bureau.

The lanterns under the eaves were already casting a dim, yellowish light.

Lu Jing'an had just stepped out of the car.

When he saw a graceful figure emerge from within—it was Wen Ling.

She was wearing a deep purple satin qipao today.

Her hair was loosely pinned, and her hairpins swayed gently with every step.

In the twilight, she exuded a lazy, alluring charm.

Seeing it was Lu Jing'an, Wen Ling's eyes danced, and she smiled before speaking:

"Oh, is Young Master Lu missing his big sister? It's only been a few days and you're back at my door."

Lu Jing'an had already caught a glimpse of Kui Shan in the courtyard, his burly figure standing with arms crossed, glaring over with an unfriendly expression.

Lu Jing'an smiled calmly, his voice clear and loud enough for those in the courtyard to hear:

"Sister Wen Ling is joking.

Nine-Fingered Yama caused quite a scene in the city yesterday, injuring many people.

It disrupted the lives and businesses of many.

The county felt terrible about it and specifically allocated some consolation silver to be distributed to those affected.

I was entrusted to bring a portion to the brothers at the Peacekeeping Bureau first."

Silver paves the way; it has been the universal rule since ancient times.

Hearing this, Wen Ling's smile deepened, her eyes curving like crescent moons:

"Young Master Lu is as thoughtful as ever. Please, come inside."

Kui Shan gave a heavy cough in the courtyard, but in the end, he didn't say anything harsh.

The Peacekeeping Bureau's wages had been frequently delayed in recent years.

The brothers were living tight, and since someone had found a suitable excuse to bring money, Kui Shan couldn't turn them away.

He turned his head, pretending not to see.

Wen Ling led Lu Jing'an into the hall to sit, her voice softening to a honeyed tone:

"Sit for a moment, little brother. Sister will go pluck some good tea leaves for you."

Hearing Wen Ling's words, Lu Jing'an began to feel sorry for that Plant Cultivator.

His own life-bound spirit treasure was being plucked by Wen Ling again and again.

After Wen Ling left, Kui Shan spoke up in a muffled, gruff voice: "Young Master Lu, what is your purpose for coming here this time?"

"You aren't planning to just use money to buy our entire Peacekeeping Bureau for your Lu Family, are you?"

"Senior Kui Shan is joking. I really am just here to deliver the consolation money."

After a pause, Lu Jing'an added: "And incidentally, there is a piece of official business I would like to consult the Peacekeeping Bureau about, hoping for some guidance."