Chen Kuang's Threat: Fight to the Death

On the surface, the Great Harvest Dynasty strictly prohibited collusion between humans and demons, but beneath the surface, interests were tangled like roots and vines. The upper ranks of the court turned a blind eye, tacitly allowing the existence of such places beyond the law.

Lu Yuan shoved open the shrine's heavy wooden doors.

A thick stench of cheap incense rushed straight at him.

At the center of the shrine, there were no gods or Buddhas enshrined.

Instead, several bizarre clay statues, half-human and half-beast, stood there.

Behind the offering table sat a figure shrouded entirely in black robes.

Clearly, he had been waiting here all along.

"Pingyang County Yamen?"

The black-robed man in a ghost mask spoke in a hoarse, grating voice.

He saw Lu Yuan wearing an official uniform, but still needed confirmation.

"An Attendant?"

Lu Yuan likewise confirmed the other party's identity.

An Attendant was someone who handled matters inconvenient for both humans and demon beasts to appear in person over.

"You may call me Gong."

The ghost-masked man spoke again, answering Lu Yuan's question.

"Gong? Someone might think he had a doubled name!"

Lu Yuan thought to himself.

Then he slapped the handover document bearing its red seal onto the offering table, turned around, and lifted the first oilcloth from the cart, revealing the demon beast corpse they had originally been transporting.

"No problem."

Gong glanced at it and was about to sign for it and collect the demon beast corpse.

"Not so fast. There's more."

Lu Yuan reached out and lifted the second cloth.

Bai Sanniang's corpse, covered in sharp spines, and the headless body of the little Hedgehog Demon were exposed beneath the dim yellow candlelight.

"Hm!"

Lu Yuan's actions made Gong's pupils contract.

He stared at Bai Sanniang's beast corpse for several seconds.

Then he suddenly said, "This is Bai Sanniang of the White Family. You actually killed her. Do you know what kind of place this is?"

Gong had not expected this brat before him to be so impulsive.

This was simply a provocation against the Five Demon Families.

Besides, this place was no longer inside the town. It could not be considered all that safe.

"Of course I do."

"You killed her. That is truly a provocation against the Five Great Demon Houses. Aren't you afraid of endless pursuit?"

Gong calmed down.

Lu Yuan decided to play the fool, since his goal was to provoke the Five Great Demon Houses anyway.

"Can you blame me? That Hedgehog Demon broke its word and came out halfway through to ambush and kill us. We even lost a yamen runner."

"If we hadn't killed her, she would have silenced us all."

Lu Yuan was indignant beyond measure.

Moreover, he pointed at Bai Sanniang's beast corpse and cursed, "Our captain, Chen Kuang, has dealings with the Five Great Demon Houses. Since the Five Great Demon Houses refuse to follow the rules, he will surely gather men and uproot the Five Great Demon Houses, wiping them out completely."

"You mean you want me to relay those words to the people of the Five Great Demon Houses?"

Gong could not help but laugh.

This brat truly was a greenhorn!

He even dared provoke the Five Great Demon Houses, let alone a mere captain.

Even the county magistrate of the county yamen would not dare say such things!

"My errand is done. If the Five Great Demon Houses are dissatisfied, they can come find me."

After saying that, Lu Yuan gave Gong no time to react.

He grabbed the signed document, then hurriedly left the Black Market Shrine with the Bao brothers.

He feared that this Gong might possess some method of instantly passing along information.

If the people of the Five Great Demon Houses surrounded him then, things would become troublesome.

"Let's go. Back to Pingyang County."

Lu Yuan waved a hand and tucked the document into his robes.

The Bao brothers' legs had gone weak with fright.

Yet they were also thinking that Brother Lu seemed to have even more nerve than Captain Chen Kuang!

Along the way, the Bao brothers kept looking at Lu Yuan with astonished expressions.

Having witnessed Lu Yuan's decisive, ruthless side, neither dared question him.

Naturally, Lu Yuan had no intention of explaining.

This was his plan to kill two birds with one stone.

Didn't Chen Kuang want to deal with him?

He had already laid traps for him several times.

This time, Lu Yuan would simply go with the flow.

He would pin both the blame for killing the demons and the wild declaration of destroying the Five Great Demon Houses on Chen Kuang's head.

The cooperation between the Demon Race and humans had never been reliable to begin with.

With Lu Yuan's words added to the demon beast corpses of the Hedgehog Demon, the Five Great Demon Houses would absolutely not let the matter rest.

"You... won't expose this matter, will you?"

Lu Yuan looked at the Bao brothers.

A faint smile hung on his face.

To the two brothers, that smile was more chilling than any demon beast. They repeatedly waved their hands and swore, "If we brothers harbor any disloyalty, may heaven strike us with thunder. Besides, our household registration documents contain information on our families. We would never dare betray you, Brother Lu."

The two swore oaths and even brought up their families.

Lu Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

To him, pursuit by the Five Great Demon Houses meant an endless stream of experience points delivered to his door.

After leaving Sea-Gazing County and traveling along the official road back to Pingyang County, Lu Yuan's thoughts stirred.

[Host: Lu Yuan]

[Realm: Mortal Realm (not yet Grade Entry)]

[Lifespan: 25 days]

[Techniques: Blood-Baleful Demon-Slaying Saber???, Wild Bull Force (major mastery 20/300), Carefree Steps (not initiated 0/50)]

[Experience Points: 760 points]

[Draw Chances: 1 chance (free)]

Looking at the 760 experience points remaining on the panel and that precious free draw, a sharp glint flashed through Lu Yuan's eyes.

Good steel had to be used on the blade's edge. For now, he did not intend to use either the roulette draw or the remaining experience points. He had to keep them as trump cards for unforeseen crises.

Two days later, Pingyang County Town.

Lu Yuan returned to the yamen's rear courtyard with the Bao brothers.

"Hm!"

The instant he saw Lu Yuan.

Chen Kuang, captain of the constable squad, who had been drinking tea.

Crushed his teacup in a fierce grip.

He had thought Lu Yuan would surely die this time.

Then he could give an explanation to those above him and the demons he worked with.

Who would have thought that this hard-to-kill brat would return alive?

"Lu Yuan, where is Shi Yun?"

"You bastard, you dared collude with demons and slaughter a fellow official! Men, seize him and execute him on the spot!"

Chen Kuang let out a furious shout.

Pointing at Lu Yuan.

Several yamen runners immediately drew their sabers and surrounded him.

"How did you know Shi Yun was dead?"

"We found Shi Yun's corpse in Black Wind Valley. Now you have returned unharmed. Who else could it have been but you?"

"Captain Chen, Shi Yun was killed by demon beasts in Black Wind Valley. The Bao brothers witnessed it with their own eyes."

Lu Yuan looked toward Bao Tianbao and Bao Dibao.

The Bao brothers and Lu Yuan were now grasshoppers tied to the same rope.

If anything happened to Lu Yuan, they would certainly be identified as murderers as well.

"Shi Yun truly was killed by demon beasts..."

The Bao brothers described the events of that day in detail.

At the same time, they handed over the written record.

"You two are certain that what you say is true?"

Chen Kuang shot the Bao brothers a threatening glance.

The two could only nod with stiff resolve.

Things had reached this point. They could only stand with Lu Yuan.

Both witnesses and material evidence were present, while the other squad leaders and yamen servants nearby had gathered around.

Naturally, Chen Kuang could not twist black into white.

"This is the handover document. The mission has been completed perfectly. If Captain Chen does not believe it, you may go to the Sea-Gazing County Yamen and verify it!"

Lu Yuan handed Chen Kuang the handover document that had been stamped at the Black Market Shrine.

Then he quietly added, "Captain, it seems your friendship with those demon beasts runs rather deep."

Lu Yuan was not prepared to fight Chen Kuang to the death just yet. He wanted to build himself up a little longer.

Thus, he did not reveal Chen Kuang's collusion with demon beasts to the public.

He merely gave him a warning.

"Good. Very good. You can dodge the first day, but not the fifteenth. Your life is tough."

"I wonder whether the lives of your family in Green Mountain Village are tough enough."

Seething with fury, Chen Kuang gritted his teeth and spoke in a low voice.

Before this, he truly had not taken Lu Yuan seriously.

But given the current situation, he had no choice but to make a move.

A flash of killing intent passed through Lu Yuan's eyes at those words.

If Chen Kuang targeted him, he could lie low and grow stronger, taking things slowly.

But if he touched his family, then it would be a fight to the death.