The figure gradually came into focus.
An old man stood at the village entrance, leaning on a cane, with dozens of villagers behind him.
"My lords, what brings you here?"
He went straight to the point.
Qin An narrowed his eyes and said nothing.
Hostility.
The villagers' gazes were thick with it, as though they deeply resented their arrival.
Nie Hu waved a hand. "A demon is causing trouble. I've brought my men to put it down. Who are you?"
The old man cupped his fists in greeting. "I'm the chief of Kaoshan Village. My surname is Yang."
"There are no demons in the village, only the young and the old. Please show mercy, my lord."
Coldness flashed in Nie Hu's eyes. "Enter the village."
He said nothing more.
After years as a Bronze Captain, he had enough experience to see at a glance that something was wrong.
The Fox Woman excelled at bewitching people. These villagers had likely been exposed to her for some time and fallen under her spell.
The Evil Extermination Division always acted swiftly.
If the villagers refused to let them in, they would tie them up first.
Once they dealt with the Fox Woman, the predicament would resolve itself.
A shadow crossed Village Chief Yang's eyes. Trembling, he stepped aside.
The villagers behind him stood firm, fists clenched, glaring at the members of the Evil Extermination Division.
"Move!"
Village Chief Yang slammed his cane against the ground.
The villagers gritted their teeth, but opened a path.
With a sweep of his hand, Nie Hu led the Evil Extermination Division's Prefecture Clerks into the village.
Qin An turned his head. "Didn't you say the village had been slaughtered? If we walk in so openly and the Fox Woman escapes, won't this all be for nothing?"
Ma Rou explained, "No intelligence is foolproof. Mistakes happen."
"The Fox Woman won't leave. She's already absorbed some Primordial Yang from this village. After all the painstaking work she put into setting things up, how could she abandon it so easily?"
"If she does abandon it, we can only go back and report. This mission requires enough people, and with so many of us, there's no hiding our movements."
"You can't have it both ways."
Qin An understood.
There was nothing wrong with Nie Hu's approach.
If the Fox Woman fled, they would go back and report.
If she couldn't bear to give up that Primordial Yang, she would make a move.
Nie Hu heard them whispering and said coldly, "You still have much to learn. When we get back, you'd better read more in the Confidential Archives, or one day you'll lose your life without knowing why."
He disliked Qin An. If he hadn't caught Cheng Sufeng's interest, he wouldn't even qualify to accompany me.
He even suspected Qin An had deliberately approached Cheng Sufeng after learning who he was.
The Evil Extermination Division was half a bureaucracy. Others had tried such things before, but they were all dead.
Only the strong could live long.
Bureaucratic maneuvering had its uses in the Evil Extermination Division, but not many.
Qin An raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Since joining the Evil Extermination Division, he had noticed that its members often carried an innate indifference.
At times, they even seemed to look down on everyone else.
Perhaps they had seen too much life and death, or perhaps their high positions had made them that way.
None of it mattered. He was only there for Cultivation Methods and Blood Crystals.
Upon entering the village, Qin An caught a faint fragrance.
Villagers stood before their houses, watching them with cold, resistant eyes.
"Search," Nie Hu ordered with a wave.
The Evil Extermination Division's Prefecture Clerks spread out and began searching the houses.
Only the three Bronze Captains—Qin An, Nie Hu, and Ma Rou—remained where they stood.
Feeling the villagers' stares, Ma Rou raised a fair hand and gently rubbed her forehead.
"When we get back, we'll have plenty to write."
The Evil Extermination Division did not fear slaying demons and banishing evil. It feared dealing with ordinary people.
In situations like this, they might even have to record how every single villager died.
Those were orders from above. Slaying demons was no excuse to treat commoners as though they did not matter.
Before long, the Prefecture Clerks gathered and cupped their fists.
"No leads so far."
Nie Hu frowned and was about to speak.
Just then, a boy of thirteen or fourteen tossed some rotten vegetable leaves at Nie Hu's feet.
Nie Hu turned to see a middle-aged woman shielding the boy behind her.
Disgust filled the boy's eyes, as though he were looking at a dog covered in mud.
"We're staying," Nie Hu ordered. "In a few days, whatever she left inside them will dissipate on its own. If the Fox Woman wants all her work to go to waste, so much the better."
Village Chief Yang stepped forward. "My lord, there aren't many houses in the village. I'm afraid..."
Nie Hu sneered. "We're staying. Did you not understand?"
Nie Hu's gaze swept over Village Chief Yang, making him shudder. He called over two villagers to arrange lodging for the Evil Extermination Division's Prefecture Clerks.
The Prefecture Clerks seemed used to this. They followed the villagers to their lodgings.
Qin An lightly brushed his fingers over the Black Blade.
The people of the Evil Extermination Division had been through this many times. They surely knew what to do next.
Since Nie Hu said nothing, he did not ask.
Quick-witted Ma Rou leaned close to Qin An's ear and whispered, "Even when we lodge separately, we're positioned so we can support one another."
"Spreading out lets us watch a wider area. If the Fox Woman makes a move, we'll notice sooner."
"We need only wait a few days. Once the aura she left behind fades, the villagers will return to normal. That will mean she's given up on absorbing their Primordial Yang, and we can go home."
The Fox Woman had her own process for absorbing Primordial Yang.
Qin An did not ask for details, but he knew the next few days would hardly be simple.
If she gave up, all would be well. If she did not, a fight would be unavoidable.
Nie Hu, Qin An, and Ma Rou took a room together.
As soon as they sat down, Nie Hu crossed his legs and began cultivating.
Ma Rou did the same, finding herself a spot without another word.
Strength was everything in the Evil Extermination Division. Even on a mission, they did not waste a moment they could use to cultivate.
They could keep part of their attention on their surroundings while cultivating, so there was no danger in it.
After a moment's thought, Qin An found a chair, sat down, and gently wiped the Black Blade.
He had recently taken up the Physician profession and had not found time to visit the Blacksmith Shop to have the Black Blade reforged. He decided to do it after he returned.
Nie Hu saw this and snorted. "Only diligent cultivation will keep you moving forward. Keep slacking off like this, and you'll lose your life."
Qin An glanced at him. "You're noisy."
Nie Hu froze for a moment.
He had meant to mock Qin An, assuming that after slaying two demons in the Body Infusion Realm, the young man had grown arrogant and overbearing.
He had seen plenty of people like that. In time, they faded into the crowd.
He had not expected Qin An to talk back.
He was a veteran Bronze Captain. Why should he put up with that?
Nie Hu was about to speak when Ma Rou smoothed things over.
"We all serve Lord Cheng. Let's keep the peace."
At the mention of Lord Cheng, Nie Hu thought of how highly Cheng Sufeng regarded Qin An. He gave Qin An one cold look, then fell silent.
Qin An's expression remained as still as a lake. He went on wiping the Black Blade.
Time passed, and night fell.
In a dense forest not far from Kaoshan Village,
mottled moonlight fell upon a seductive woman clad only in sheer gauze.
Beside her stood a man whose body was striped like a tiger's.
"The Evil Extermination Division is here. There's enough Cultivator blood for what you want. I'll lure the Bronze Captains away. The remaining Prefecture Clerks are yours."
"Once you've taken the Prefecture Clerks' blood, if you don't give me my share of the Tiger Clan's Secret Treasure, the Fox Mother will have your life."
Before you continue