Chapter 43 - 42: Surrounding and Killing the Tiger Demon

Chapter 43: Chapter 42: Surrounding and Killing the Tiger Demon

After hearing Lu Jing’an out, Lu Huaichuan and Lu Huaisan both chided him in unison, "Nonsense."

Lu Jing’an patiently repeated what he had previously told Wen Ling.

Before Lu Jing’an spelled it out,

the two of them hadn’t realized.

But now, after hearing him finish,

they finally understood that the Chong Ghost’s attack that day had indeed been highly targeted.

The target was the three children of the Lu Family.

Even so, the two still refused.

Lu Jing’an patiently explained that he had guards with him,

and had also requested skilled personnel from the Anping Bureau to accompany him.

The two still shook their heads.

They just wouldn’t agree.

Having no other choice, Lu Jing’an could only play his last card:

"I’ve already spoken to my father, and he agreed to let me go."

"I’ll go find Eldest Brother."

However, despite Lu Jing’an playing his trump card, Lu Huaisan remained adamant.

Lu Huaichuan, on the other hand, held Lu Huaisan back. "If Eldest Brother has agreed, then there shouldn’t be any problem."

"Let’s set out."

Lu Huaisan tried to struggle free, but Lu Huaichuan forcibly pulled him into the car.

Lu Jing’an was still in the same car as Chen Xuan, accompanied by Lu Huaisan.

Lu Huaichuan rode in another car.

According to the plan, Lu Huaisan would be responsible for the frontal assault.

Lu Huaichuan, meanwhile, was in charge of stoking the fire.

The two cars headed in different directions.

As for the third car, it was heading to the Anping Bureau to pick people up.

After collecting them, it would rendezvous with Lu Jing’an.

After the car had traveled a short distance,

Lu Huaisan finally couldn’t hold it in any longer. "Jing’an, thank you."

Lu Jing’an knew what Lu Huaisan was thanking him for.

Lu Jing’an said casually, "Third Uncle, we’re all family. There’s no point in being so formal."

"Besides, I have my Martial Arts to protect me, and as the older brother, this is my duty."

Lu Huaisan opened his mouth, wanting to say more.

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

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

The car fell silent, leaving only the low hum of the engine and the rhythmic sound of the wheels rolling over the stone slabs.

The car rolled over the stone-paved road, jostling them with small, gentle bumps.

Outside the window, the morning mist of the county town had not yet completely dissipated.

The steam from the breakfast stalls drifted in, mixed with the fragrance of oil.

The crisp ring of a rickshaw’s bell flashed by.

The streets on both sides were still bustling with life.

For those living in the city, it was actually very difficult to imagine Demon Beasts in the wild.

Even for Lu Jing’an, this was his first time facing a Demon Beast.

Lu Jing’an couldn’t imagine what kind of existence a Demon Beast truly was.

Watching the trees fly past the window, Lu Jing’an suddenly spoke:

"Master, have you ever encountered a Demon Beast before?"

Chen Xuan nodded. "I’ve run into a few."

Hearing Chen Xuan say that he had encountered them too, Lu Jing’an’s interest was immediately piqued.

"Master, the Demon Beasts you’ve met—how were they compared to this Tiger Demon?"

"I saw on the Anping Bureau’s report that this Tiger Demon is considered Upper Human Level."

"And what’s the deal with these levels?"

Lu Jing’an had wanted to ask about it that day.

But then Kui Shan arrived, and the matter was dropped.

Now was the perfect opportunity to ask Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan held nothing back in answering Lu Jing’an’s questions.

He first answered Lu Jing’an’s first question. "Of the Demon Beasts I’ve encountered, some were stronger than the Tiger Demon, and some were weaker."

This answer undoubtedly put Lu Jing’an at ease.

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

So the Tiger Demon shouldn’t be a problem.

Just as Lu Jing’an was feeling relieved,

Chen Xuan began to explain the levels of Demon Beasts.

Lu Jing’an quickly focused his attention and listened carefully.

"According to the Anping Bureau’s classification, Demon Beasts are divided into five major levels and fifteen minor levels."

"The five major levels are Human, Ghost, Divine, Earth, and Celestial."

"Each major level is then subdivided into Lower, Middle, and Upper classes."

"Human Level Demon Beasts actually correspond to Martial Cultivators who haven’t broken the Blood-Breaking Barrier."

"However, because Demon Beasts are naturally physically powerful, they are effectively one class higher."

"An Upper Human Level beast already corresponds to a Martial Artist who has Broken the Blood Barrier."

"If the Demon Beast also has a Superpower, its corresponding level is raised by another class."

After a pause, Chen Xuan said, "But this is all theoretical. The actual situation is much more complex."

"So if you really encounter a Demon Beast, don’t just rely on theoretical data. The right thing to do is go all out."

"Countless Cultivators have fallen to Demon Beasts they underestimated."

Lu Jing’an nodded quickly, indicating he had taken it to heart.

After explaining the levels, Chen Xuan fell silent again.

Lu Jing’an, however, pressed on curiously, "Master, what’s the strongest Demon Beast you’ve ever encountered?"

Chen Xuan was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Divine Level."

Lu Jing’an sucked in a sharp breath, then continued to ask, "Master, did you kill it?"

"I ran."

Chen Xuan answered crisply, without a hint of hesitation.

"I saw it from a distance, turned, and left. Without a shred of hesitation."

Chen Xuan’s tone was extremely calm as he said this.

He didn’t seem to think running away was shameful in the slightest.

This made Lu Jing’an even more curious.

Just how powerful was a Divine Level Demon Beast that it could make his master, a Great Martial Cultivator, flee at the mere sight of it from a distance?

Chen Xuan’s voice remained flat, yet it carried a chilling sense of reality:

"Every Divine Level Demon Beast also has another name: a City-Destroying Level Demon Beast."

He paused, then added, "And by city, I don’t mean a county town like Yin Mountain County. I mean a major city, like a Provincial City."

Hearing this,

Lu Jing’an sucked in a sharp, cold breath.

’It’s a good thing Master ran, and that he ran fast enough.’

’Otherwise, facing a Demon Beast of that level...’

’if he had been any slower, he probably wouldn’t have escaped at all.’

"Master, do the top two levels of Demon Beasts really exist?"

Chen Xuan shook his head. "I don’t know either, but since the levels exist, I suppose the beasts must exist too."

’Divine Level is already city-destroying.’

’Wouldn’t Earth Level be nation-destroying?’

’And Celestial Level?’

’World-Ending Level?!’

Lu Jing’an found it a bit hard to imagine.

He took a deep breath.

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

’There’s a hard battle ahead.’

’This isn’t the time to be thinking about such things.’

By the time Lu Jing’an had calmed his mind,

the car had already left Yin Mountain County.

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

The greenery in the wild was truly impressive.

Towering trees lined both sides of the road.

However, the wilderness was not the completely desolate and uninhabited place Lu Jing’an had imagined.

There were some scattered villages here.

There were more of them closer to Yin Mountain County, becoming more sparse and scattered the farther they went.

After leaving the county town, the car could finally pick up speed.

「Twenty minutes later.」

Lu Jing’an and the other two arrived at the ambush point to the west.

Lu Jing’an pushed open the car door and stepped out.

The damp, cold forest air, mixed with the smell of earth and decaying leaves, rushed to meet him.

Faint sounds of human voices and the soft clinking of metal already reached his ears.

The men had all moved into their ambush positions the day before.

Here, aside from the sixty men from the Public Security Bureau, there were also over a hundred elites from the Cao Bang under Lu Huaisan’s command.

Everyone was carrying a gun.

Long and short firearms glinted with a cold, hard, bluish sheen in the morning light.

Two Czech light machine guns were mounted behind a barricade of sandbags,

their muzzles pointing into the depths of the forest.

The person in charge of the Public Security Bureau’s team was Director Liu.

Since their last encounter, Director Liu had earned a promotion.

Seeing Lu Jing’an arrive in person,

Director Liu hurried over to greet him.

After all, Lu Jing’an was responsible for at least half the credit for his promotion.

"Congratulations on your promotion, Director Liu," Lu Jing’an said, clasping his fist in a salute.

Director Liu quickly bowed. "You’re too kind, Young Master Lu. I owe my current position entirely to your support."

Lu Jing’an didn’t continue the pleasantries. Instead, he scanned all the gear on site and couldn’t help but nod in silent approval.

"Not bad. The preparations are very thorough."

Director Liu said, "Young Master Lu, we also have two Mountain Cannons hidden in the back. Would you like to see them?"

"You even have cannons?!"

This was a truly big surprise for Lu Jing’an.

These definitely counted as heavy weapons.

Director Liu said, "Years ago, the Bureau Chief acquired two Mountain Cannons and thirty shells through some special connections.

We’ve never had a reason to use them, but now we can finally dust them off."

"When that beast shows its head later, we’ll give it a taste of a cannonball first."

Lu Jing’an nodded. "Alright. I’ll be looking forward to your performance then, Director Liu."

Not long after Director Liu left,

the car sent to pick up Wen Ling and the others returned.

The car door opened, and a foot in a high-heeled shoe emerged first.

Followed by a well-tailored, pale lilac qipao.

It wrapped around a slender and well-proportioned figure.

Wen Ling bent down to get out of the car. The morning light glinted at her temple, and her earrings swayed gently.

She stood still, smoothed down the hem of her dress which wasn’t messy to begin with, and looked up.

Her gaze was crystal clear, like a pool of mountain spring water.

Beside her, another woman also got out of the car.

That woman wore a qipao of moonlight-white silk embroidered with light purple interlocking lotuses.

Her figure was slightly slimmer than Wen Ling’s. Her head was lowered, and she clutched a plain handkerchief in her hand.

She seemed to stumble as she got out, and Wen Ling reached out to steady her.

She immediately shrank back half a step behind Wen Ling.

Revealing only half of her fair profile and a sliver of her slender, pale neck.

The third person to get out was Kui Shan. His large frame nearly blocked the car door.

Lu Jing’an walked over to greet them. "Sister Wen Ling, you’re here."

Wen Ling said, "Aren’t we here to observe and learn?"

"And this lady is...?" Lu Jing’an asked Wen Ling, gesturing to the woman beside her, who kept her head down and wouldn’t look at him.

Wen Ling said, "Her name is Lin Qingya. She’s a Drama Cultivator."

’A Drama Cultivator?’

’This shy... she can get on a stage?’

Wen Ling seemed to read Lu Jing’an’s mind and chuckled lightly.

"Sister Lin is like a different person on stage. If you ever have the chance to see her, you’ll understand."

Lu Jing’an extended his hand. "Welcome, Sister Lin. We’re grateful for your help."

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

Instead, she hid further behind Wen Ling.

Lu Jing’an didn’t mind.

Kui Shan glanced at the men and equipment present and said:

"Are you all planning to go into the mountains like this to hunt the Tiger Demon?"

Lu Jing’an shook his head. "No. We’re going to set fire to the mountain and lure the Tiger Demon to us."