Surrounding and Killing the Tiger Demon 2 [Please Follow][Monthly Tickets]

Lu Huaichuan and Lu Huaishan heard Lu Jing'an out.

They both snapped, "Nonsense."

Lu Jing'an patiently repeated to Lu Huaichuan and Lu Huaishan what he had told Wen Ling earlier.

He kept the truth to himself.

The two of them hadn't noticed.

Now, after hearing Lu Jing'an out,

they realized that the Chang Ghost had indeed come with a clear target that day.

The three children of the Lu Family.

Even so, neither of them agreed.

Lu Jing'an patiently explained that he had bodyguards with him.

He'd also asked experts from the Peacekeeping Bureau to accompany him.

The two of them still shook their heads.

They simply wouldn't agree.

With no other choice, Lu Jing'an could only play his last card:

"I've already spoken to my father. He agreed to let me go."

"I'll go talk to my eldest brother."

But even after he played his trump card, Lu Huaishan still wouldn't budge.

Lu Huaichuan, however, grabbed Lu Huaishan. "If eldest brother agreed, then there shouldn't be any problem."

"Let's set off."

Lu Huaishan tried to pull away, but Lu Huaichuan forcibly dragged him into the car.

Lu Jing'an was still riding with Chen Xuan, and Lu Huaishan was with them.

Lu Huaichuan rode in another car.

According to plan, Lu Huaishan would be responsible for taking the front.

Lu Huaichuan would be responsible for stirring things up.

The two cars were headed in different directions.

As for the third car, it was going to the Peacekeeping Bureau to pick someone up.

After picking them up, it would meet up with Lu Jing'an.

The car drove on for a while.

Lu Huaishan finally couldn't hold back any longer. "Jing'an, thank you."

Lu Jing'an knew what Lu Huaishan was thanking him for.

He replied casually, "Third Uncle, we're family. There's no need to be so polite."

"Besides, I have martial arts to protect me, and I'm the elder brother. This is my duty."

Lu Huaishan opened his mouth, about to say something more.

But Lu Jing'an cut him off. "Third Uncle, instead of spending your time on that, you should conserve your strength and think about how to kill that beast later."

In the end, Lu Huaishan pressed his lips together and said no more.

The car fell quiet, with only the engine's low rumble and the regular clatter of wheels over the stone road.

The car rolled over the stone road, jostling slightly.

Outside the window, the morning mist still hadn't cleared from the county town.

Steam and the fragrant smell of oil drifted over from breakfast stalls.

The crisp ring of a rickshaw bell swept past.

The streets on either side were still brimming with life.

People who lived in the city found it hard to imagine the monsters in the wilderness.

Even this was Lu Jing'an's first time facing a monster.

He couldn't imagine what sort of beings monsters really were.

Lu Jing'an gazed at the trees streaking past the window and suddenly asked:

"Master, have you ever encountered a monster?"

Chen Xuan nodded. "I've encountered a few."

Hearing that Chen Xuan had encountered monsters too, Lu Jing'an immediately grew interested.

"Master, how did the monsters you encountered compare to this Tiger Demon?"

"According to what I saw in the Peacekeeping Bureau's records, this Tiger Demon is Human-Grade Superior."

"How do these grades work?"

Lu Jing'an had wanted to ask that day.

But then Kui Shan had arrived, so the matter had been dropped.

Now was the perfect chance to ask Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan didn't hide anything in response to Lu Jing'an's question.

He first answered Lu Jing'an's first question. "The monsters I've encountered included ones stronger than the Tiger Demon and ones weaker than it."

That answer put Lu Jing'an at ease.

Chen Xuan had dealt with monsters stronger than the Tiger Demon.

The Tiger Demon should be no problem for him.

Just as Lu Jing'an was feeling relieved,

Chen Xuan began explaining the monsters' grades.

Lu Jing'an quickly focused and listened closely.

"According to the Peacekeeping Bureau's classification, monsters are divided into five major grades and fifteen minor grades."

"The five major grades are Human, Ghost, Divine, Earth, and Heaven."

"Each major grade is further divided into lower, middle, and upper tiers."

"Human-Grade monsters correspond to Martial Cultivators who haven't broken through the Blood Barrier."

"But because monsters are naturally stronger, in practice they're a grade higher."

"Human-Grade Superior corresponds to a martial artist who has broken through the Blood Barrier."

"If a monster also has supernatural abilities, the grade corresponding to its human opponent goes up another tier."

After a pause, Chen Xuan said, "But all of this is just theoretical. The reality is much more complicated."

"So if you really encounter a monster, don't just look at the theoretical data. Give it everything you've got."

"There's no shortage of cultivators who've come to grief by underestimating monsters."

Lu Jing'an quickly nodded to show that he'd remember.

After explaining the grades, Chen Xuan said nothing more.

Lu Jing'an curiously pressed on. "Master, how strong was the strongest monster you ever encountered?"

Chen Xuan was silent for a moment, then slowly answered, "Divine-Grade."

Lu Jing'an drew in a sharp breath, then continued asking. "Master, did you kill it?"

"I ran."

Chen Xuan answered plainly, without the slightest hesitation,

"I saw it from far away and turned straight around. I didn't hesitate for a moment."

Chen Xuan said it very calmly.

He didn't seem to think running away was shameful at all.

That made Lu Jing'an even more curious.

Just how powerful was a Divine-Grade monster that could make his great martial artist of a master run at the sight of it from afar?

Chen Xuan's voice remained calm, but it carried a chilling weight:

"Every Divine-Grade monster has another name: City-Destroying Grade."

After a pause, Chen Xuan added, "And by city, I don't mean a county town like Yinshan County. I mean a major city like a provincial capital."

Lu Jing'an heard him out.

He drew in a sharp breath.

He was glad his master had run, and run fast enough.

Against a monster of that grade,

if you were too slow, you might not get away at all.

"Master, do the top two grades of monsters really exist?"

Chen Xuan shook his head. "I don't know either, but if there are grades for them, they must exist."

Divine-Grade meant a city could be destroyed.

Would Earth-Grade mean a country could be destroyed?

And Heaven-Grade?

World-Destroying Grade?!

Lu Jing'an could hardly imagine it.

He drew a deep breath.

Lu Jing'an forced himself to quickly rein in his emotions.

There was still a tough battle ahead.

Now wasn't the time to think about such things.

Once Lu Jing'an had calmed down,

the car had also left Yinshan County.

This was Lu Jing'an's first time seeing the wilderness.

The greenery out here was truly lush.

Towering trees lined both sides.

But the wilderness wasn't quite as uninhabited as Lu Jing'an had imagined.

There were a few scattered villages here.

The closer they were to Yinshan County, the more there were; farther away, they grew rarer and more spread out.

Once the car left the county town, it could finally pick up speed.

Twenty minutes later,

the three of them reached the ambush site to the west.

Lu Jing'an opened the door and stepped out.

The damp, chilly air of the woods, mixed with the smell of earth and rotting leaves, hit him in the face.

Faint voices and the light clink of metal could already be heard nearby.

All the men had taken up their ambush positions the day before.

Besides the sixty men from the Security Station, more than a hundred elite fighters from Lu Huaishan's Canal Gang were there.

Everyone was armed.

Long and short guns gleamed with a cold, steely blue in the morning light.

Two ZB vz. 26 Light Machine Guns were set up behind piled sandbags,

their barrels aimed deep into the woods.

The one leading the Security Station's team was Director Liu.

After the previous incident, Section Chief Liu had successfully become Director Liu.

Seeing that Lu Jing'an had come in person,

Director Liu hurried over to greet him.

After all, Lu Jing'an had been responsible for half of his promotion.

"Congratulations on your promotion, Director Liu," Lu Jing'an said, clasping his hands.

Director Liu quickly bowed. "Young Master Lu, you're too kind. I owe everything I have today to your support."

Lu Jing'an didn't continue with the pleasantries. He looked over all the equipment on-site and nodded to himself.

"Good. You've prepared thoroughly."

Director Liu said, "Young Master Lu, we've also hidden two mountain guns in the back. Would you like to take a look?"

"You have cannons too?!"

This really was a pleasant surprise for Lu Jing'an.

Those were proper heavy weapons.

Director Liu said, "A few years ago, the Bureau Chief obtained two mountain guns and thirty shells through some special connections.

"They've never had a chance to be used, but now we can finally bring them out into the daylight."

"When that beast shows its head, we'll give it a shell to taste."

Lu Jing'an nodded. "All right. I'll look forward to watching you in action, Director Liu."

Not long after Director Liu left,

the car that had gone to pick up Wen Ling and the others returned.

The car door opened, and a foot in a high heel emerged first.

Then came a lotus-root-colored qipao, tailored to fit her slender figure.

Wen Ling bent to get out of the car. The morning light flashed at her temples, and her earring swayed gently.

She stood up, straightened her already-neat hem, and looked over.

Her gaze was clear and limpid, like a pool of spring water.

Beside her, another woman climbed out of the car.

The woman wore a moon-white qipao embroidered with pale purple curling lotus vines.

She was a little slimmer than Wen Ling, her head bowed, a plain handkerchief pinched in her hand.

As she got out of the car, she seemed to stumble. Wen Ling reached out to steady her.

She immediately shrank half a step behind Wen Ling.

Only half of her fair profile showed, along with a stretch of slender, pale neck.

Kui Shan was the third to get out. His tall frame nearly blocked the car door.

Lu Jing'an stepped forward to greet them. "Sister Wen Ling, you're here."

Wen Ling said, "Didn't we come here for a learning exchange?"

"Who's this young lady?" Lu Jing'an asked Wen Ling about the woman standing beside her, head bowed and not even looking at him.

Wen Ling said, "Her name is Lin Qingya. She's an Opera Cultivator."

An Opera Cultivator?

With a shy demeanor like that... could she really take the stage?

Wen Ling saw what Lu Jing'an was thinking and chuckled.

"Sister Lin becomes a different person once she steps onstage. If you're lucky enough to see her perform, you'll understand."

Lu Jing'an held out his hand. "Welcome, Sister Lin. I look forward to your guidance."

Lin Qingya looked at Lu Jing'an's outstretched hand but didn't take it.

Instead, she hid a little farther behind Wen Ling.

Lu Jing'an didn't mind.

Kui Shan glanced at the people and equipment gathered there and asked,

"Are you planning to head into the mountains like this and hunt that Tiger Demon?"

Lu Jing'an shook his head. "No. We're going to set the mountain on fire and drive the Tiger Demon out."