Sorry to Disappoint You

This woman, with her seemingly graceful figure, was actually a corpse!

Cui Lang swiftly drew his waist saber, but Zhao Changshan patted him on the shoulder. "Brother Cui, what are you doing? Put that knife away before you scare the lady."

Cui Lang quietly warned, "Brother Zhao, there's something wrong with this woman. She might be some demon or evil entity."

Zhao Changshan looked at Cui Lang with utmost seriousness. "Brother Cui, I spotted this woman first."

Cui Lang: "..."

Who the hell was trying to steal her from you?

He made a gesture of invitation. "Brother Zhao, your eyesight really is excellent."

"Of course. I've got a sharp eye for women." Looking smug, Zhao Changshan went around Cui Lang and strode forward. "Miss, don't be afraid. I'm here."

The woman turned around and slowly walked farther away. Seeing Zhao Changshan's eager expression, Cui Lang watched as he hurried several steps to reach the woman's back.

"Miss, don't walk so fast. Be careful not to fall."

Who would have thought that the woman seemed completely deaf to him? Instead, she walked even faster.

Zhao Changshan quickly overtook her and blocked her path. The smile on his face instantly froze.

He now saw the woman clearly. There was not the slightest trace of life on her face. No wonder her movements had seemed so stiff earlier; he had thought she had been injured in a fall because it was dark.

The woman grinned at Zhao Changshan, and chilling blood seeped from her mouth.

Zhao Changshan instantly drew his waist saber and viciously slashed at the woman's neck.

A head flew into the air. The woman's body swayed twice before collapsing to the ground.

Seeing Cui Lang rush over with his saber in hand, Zhao Changshan flourished his blade beautifully before sheathing it. "A mere evil entity dares act so brazenly before me?!"

"Brother Cui, you didn't really think I was blinded by lust just now, did you? I was deliberately confusing that evil entity, afraid she might run away."

"Now that we've caught the true culprit who killed Zhang Si, we can hand in the case without a hitch."

Cui Lang eyed Zhao Changshan sideways. That lecherous look earlier had been an act? Had his shocked expression also been an act?

"Brother Zhao, your eyes are truly as bright as torches. But if we use her to close the case, will Constable Li believe us?"

As he spoke, Cui Lang crouched and reached toward the severed neck of the female corpse. He wondered whether the little pot would be interested in this kind of blood.

Unfortunately, the little pot in his mind did not move at all, leaving Cui Lang somewhat disappointed.

Zhao Changshan held his head high and puffed out his chest. "She's Zhang Lius hi, Zhang Si's wife. I'd recognize her even without seeing her face."

"She was the one who reported Zhang Si missing. Looking at it now, she must have harmed him."

Cui Lang rose to his feet. "Brother Zhao, then why did she become like this? Why did she harm Zhang Si?"

"Why are you asking so much?" Zhao Changshan said impatiently. "You checked her too. She died long ago, and only that little blood came out after her head was cut off. That confirms she was an evil entity, doesn't it?"

"Hurry up and bring the cart over. Bury that servant back where he was, then we'll return to the city and close the case."

Cui Lang wanted to say that Zhang Si's wife might not have been the true culprit. Perhaps the husband and wife had both been killed by the same demon.

The case file said Zhang Si had first encountered a walking corpse, then fled home and fell gravely ill. His wife had still been alive at that time, so the corpse Zhang Si saw could not possibly have been Zhang Lius hi.

Even so, they should indeed take Zhang Lius hi's corpse back first.

They placed the corpse onto the cart and covered it with a straw mat. As the two filled in the pit, they suddenly heard a sound from nearby.

Cui Lang had just raised his head to see what it was when Zhao Changshan bellowed, "Watch out!"

A striped tiger pounced at them. Cui Lang could even smell the stench from its mouth.

Fortunately, Zhao Changshan kicked Cui Lang, sending him flying backward more than ten feet. At the same time, Cui Lang saw the tiger's paw swipe toward Zhao Changshan's chest.

Having saved Cui Lang, Zhao Changshan no longer had time to evade. A ruthless gleam appeared on his face. Rather than tensing his body to block, he drew his saber and fiercely chopped down at the tiger's head.

Bang!

Zhao Changshan crashed into a tree, spat out blood, and fell to the ground. The tiger was no better off: blood gushed from its head, and one of its eyes had already been blinded.

"You killed my subordinate, then wounded one of my eyes. I'll chew your bones to pieces, inch by inch." The tiger suddenly spoke in human words.

Though it had been injured this time, devouring two Refining Essence Realm martial artists would still be a great tonic.

"Tiger Demon!" Zhao Changshan's eyes widened. "Zhang Si's wife was a Chang Ghost under your control?!"

A Tiger Demon could turn those it killed into Chang Ghosts, then use those Chang Ghosts to lure in even more people. How had he failed to think of that?

After killing the Chang Ghost Zhang Si's wife had become, he should have immediately told Cui Lang to run.

"I'm a government constable. If you dare kill me, the county commandant will never let you go!"

The Tiger Demon's gaze was savage. "You're just a lowly constable. Do you really think those officials care whether you live or die?"

A saber suddenly swept in from the side. The Tiger Demon leaped back to dodge it, then stared at Cui Lang. "You've got some nerve. Not only did you fail to run, you even dared swing a blade at me."

"Good. That saves me the trouble of chasing you later. I'll eat you first!"

Cui Lang stood with his back to Zhao Changshan. "Brother Zhao, how are you?"

Setting aside the fact that Zhao Changshan had just saved his life, if he ran alone, the Tiger Demon would come for him after killing Zhao Changshan. It was better to stay and fight for their lives together; their odds would be greater.

If they managed to kill the Tiger Demon, he could also verify whether the little pot was interested only in demon blood.

Zhao Changshan looked deeply moved. "I won't die. Brother Cui, from now on, you're my blood brother."

"Hold it off for a while. Let me catch my breath, and I'll cut it down in a moment!"

Cui Lang: "..."

He discovered that the hardest thing about Zhao Changshan was his mouth.

The man could not even stand up, yet he was still bragging.

Seeing the Tiger Demon pounce, Cui Lang gritted his teeth and swung his saber in the stance of One-Blade Slash.

The Tiger Demon had just wanted to open its mouth and bite Cui Lang's saber, but it pulled at the wound on its face and could only tilt its head back to evade.

Cui Lang stepped forward and swung again.

Watching Cui Lang attack like a madman, saber stroke after saber stroke, yet without any pattern—all simple chops and slashes—Zhao Changshan immediately realized that Cui Lang had never learned any saber technique.

He was merely relying on his strength to swing his saber. After a dozen or so breaths, once most of his strength was spent, he would be no match for the Tiger Demon.

When Cui Lang slashed down again and the Tiger Demon tilted its head to dodge, Zhao Changshan shouted, "Turning Blade, Upward Sweep!"

Though he could not attack, he could guide Cui Lang. At the very least, it might help Cui Lang stall for a little longer.

Cui Lang heard Zhao Changshan's warning as well, but while his mind understood, his hand could not keep up. He still slashed down diagonally.

The Tiger Demon also heard Zhao Changshan's words. It immediately lunged forward from the side, intending to rip open Cui Lang's abdomen with one swipe.

Awooo—

The Tiger Demon let out a miserable howl. A saber wound so deep that bone showed appeared at the back of its neck.

It glared at Cui Lang with its remaining eye. "Wasn't that supposed to be Turning Blade, Upward Sweep?"

If Cui Lang had used Turning Blade, Upward Sweep just then, it would have already torn open Cui Lang's belly. Instead, it had thrown itself onto Cui Lang's saber.

Cui Lang blinked. "Sorry, I don't know that move. I disappointed you."