Chapter 99 - 92: If Humans Can’t Deal With You, What About Demons?

Chapter 99: Chapter 92: If Humans Can’t Deal With You, What About Demons?

He was already annoyed about the Lu Family’s situation, and this just stoked the flames of his anger.

But in the next instant, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes:

"Water Monkeys? Those are vile creatures from the Canglan River. The Lu Family Water Patrol Bureau is responsible for river affairs and eliminating demons, so this is their duty!"

He sneered and ordered Director Liu:

"Inform the Water Patrol Bureau immediately. Use harsh wording.

If they try to shirk their responsibility or handle it poorly, we’ll report it directly to the Provincial Government.

We’ll accuse the Lu Family of dereliction of duty and allowing a demon to run rampant!"

Liu Zhenyue picked up his teacup, gently blew on the foam, and a calculating smile touched the corners of his mouth.

The lives of those villagers, in his eyes...

...were nothing more than disposable pawns on a chessboard. If he could use this to put the Lu Family in check...

...and drag them into the vortex of the Canglan River’s Water Demons...

...then in his eyes, those country bumpkins would have died a worthy death.

...

At almost the same time, the Li Family’s trusted confidant had quietly returned.

He reported back to Li Chongshan and presented the strange Demon Whip.

Li Chongshan didn’t take it. He just slowly and deliberately wiped his fingers with a silk cloth.

As if they were stained with something filthy, his voice was flat yet bone-chillingly cold. "Go again tonight. The brighter this fire burns, the more people it will kill."

"Yes, Patriarch." The confidant accepted the order, carefully put away the Demon Whip, and bowed before retreating.

Li Chongshan walked to the window. He gazed in the direction of Xiao County, his eyes as deep and dark as an old well. ’Lu Jing’an, let’s see how you handle this.’

...

「At the Lu Family’s Old Mansion, the morning light was faint.」

Lu Jing’an finished his breakfast in the flower hall, his Spirit fully recovered.

The cooldown for [Absolute Guardian] was over.

But what he was more focused on right now were the things he had extracted from the assassin’s Divine Soul yesterday.

His consciousness sank into that mystical space, and the results appeared:

[Acquired Red entry: Peak Strike]

[Acquired one Lin Tian Memory Pearl]

[Acquired 2 Energy Points]

"A Red entry?" Lu Jing’an raised an eyebrow slightly.

Lu Jing’an had expected that an eight-hour Refining process would yield an extraordinary entry.

But a Red one was still surprising.

[Peak Strike] (Red)

[Note]: This is the ultimate killing blow from a top-tier assassin, condensing his life’s Cultivation, essence, and spirit into one. It was tempered and extracted at the moment of his death.

Equipping this entry allows you to activate its special effect once per day.

Temporarily gather all your own Attributes and stack them onto a single Attribute.

Duration: five minutes.

After the effect ends, you will enter a "Weakened" state for half an hour, during which All Attributes will be greatly reduced.

’All Attributes, gathered into one?’

Lu Jing’an glanced at his current stats panel and quickly calculated in his head.

’If I focus everything on Attack, my instantaneous Attack Power could exceed one hundred and eighty points, more than three times what it is now!

Combined with [Absolute Guardian], I could crush almost anyone a full major realm above me in a head-on confrontation.

Even without Absolute Guardian, I could have defeated Lin Tian head-on yesterday with just this entry.’

’A five-minute duration is enough to resolve a high-intensity battle.

As for the weakened state...’

Lu Jing’an thought of another entry.

’With [Fighting Bravely], I can maintain my peak state for another half hour.

So this weakened period isn’t a fatal flaw.

This Red entry truly is powerful.’

’Next, let’s see what surprises the Fate Cultivator has in store.’

Just as Lu Jing’an was about to start Refining the Fate Cultivator’s Divine Soul...

...Orchid, dressed in a maid’s uniform and walking with a light but hurried pace, arrived at the entrance to the flower hall.

"Young Master." Orchid’s voice was tinged with urgency.

"There’s an urgent call from the Water Patrol Bureau. They said it’s important, and it sounded very pressing."

Lu Jing’an froze.

’It’s starting. Faster than I expected.’

’The Liu and Li Families aren’t even giving me a moment to breathe.’

He set down his teacup, picked up a warm towel from the side, and wiped his hands. "I understand."

Postponing the Refining, Lu Jing’an stood up and walked straight to the study.

Inside the study, the telephone receiver was lying on its side.

Lu Jing’an picked it up, and the anxious but clear voice of the Water Patrol Bureau’s on-duty agent immediately came from the other end.

The agent laid out the massacre at the village in Lou Mountain County, the pressure from the Liu Family, and the threat of the Provincial Government’s potential intervention, analyzing each point in a rapid report.

Lu Jing’an listened quietly, his face expressionless.

Only the fingers holding the receiver tightened slightly, his knuckles turning pale.

Only after the agent finished speaking did Lu Jing’an speak in a low voice:

"I understand.

Send people to lock down the scene and collect all the evidence, especially any traces left by the demon. If the Liu Family doesn’t cooperate, let them deal with the Water Monkey themselves."

After hanging up, Lu Jing’an gently placed the Monkey Gong on his desk, where it made a dull thud.

He had anticipated that his enemies might incite the Water Monkey to cause trouble, either to force his hand or to frame the Lu Family for negligence.

But he hadn’t expected them to act so cruelly and with such disregard for human life.

An entire village, over a hundred living souls.

Overnight, they had become a Sacrificial Offering for their political schemes.

The air in the study seemed to freeze. Only the faint sound of the wind whistling past the eaves could be heard.

Lu Jing’an’s gaze fell upon the Monkey Gong, on the shattered part of its surface.

In the morning light, it glinted with a faint, cold metallic sheen.

The Li and Liu Families had already made their move.

Refining the Fate Cultivator’s Divine Soul would have to wait.

Right now, repairing the Monkey Gong was the priority.

[Damaged Treasure Instrument: Monkey Gong. Repair requires fifty catties of Crimson Gold Copper and five Energy Points. Repair now?]

"Repair."

Lu Jing’an muttered under his breath.

As Lu Jing’an muttered the word...

...the Monkey Gong and the fifty catties of Crimson Gold Copper all vanished into the Zhengqi Furnace.

Then, Lu Jing’an saw a new prompt.

[Repair initiated. Time required: 12 hours.]

A twelve-hour repair time.

It wasn’t too long.

Lu Jing’an paid the Zhengqi Furnace no more mind.

Instead, he changed into his uniform and went directly to the Water Patrol Bureau.

This matter definitely had to be investigated.

He couldn’t just take the Liu Family’s word that a Water Monkey was responsible without even investigating it himself.

What if this was all a setup orchestrated by the Liu Family?

After arriving at the Water Patrol Bureau by car, he saw the team preparing to leave for the investigation in Lou Mountain County.

"Master, you’re going with them?" Lu Jing’an asked, looking at the man in the lead, Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan nodded. "They aren’t familiar with Water Monkeys and might not make an accurate assessment. I’ll go take a look."

Lu Jing’an thought for a moment, then said, "In that case, Master, you and your men be careful. Don’t spend the night in Lou Mountain."

Chen Xuan nodded. "Alright."

Lu Jing’an didn’t know what the Liu and Li Families were plotting.

It would be too dangerous to let Chen Xuan and his team stay the night in Lou Mountain.

After Chen Xuan and the others left, Lu Jing’an returned inside the Water Patrol Bureau to wait.

Before nightfall, Chen Xuan returned with his men, bringing back a great deal of physical evidence from Lou Mountain.

Chen Xuan brought the evidence before Lu Jing’an and said, "It should be the work of a Water Monkey. These shed scales are all fresh."

This result wasn’t unexpected.

After all, the Liu Family must have known that the Lu Family would send someone to investigate.

But now, there was another suspicious point.

The Water Monkey had been very calm recently.

The people on both banks of the river often sent it livestock.

They even continued the annual offering of a young boy and girl without fail.

Under these circumstances, the Water Monkey hadn’t shown any aggressive behavior for years.

For it to suddenly fly into a feral rage and come ashore to slaughter an entire village was clearly irrational.

"Did something nearby provoke it?" Lu Jing’an asked Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan shook his head. "I checked along the riverbank. There was nothing there that could have provoked it."

"Besides, given the Water Monkey’s Spirituality, it shouldn’t have gone berserk for no reason."

After hearing this, Lu Jing’an pondered for a moment, then something suddenly struck him.

"Master, do you think the whip your wife kept back then could have compelled it to do this?"

Hearing Lu Jing’an’s words, Chen Xuan’s expression clearly darkened.

"Yes."

Chen Xuan quickly gave a firm answer.

And that firm answer also meant...

...that in the incident back then, besides the involvement of the Qi Family, who were the overlords of Yin Mountain County at the time, the Liu and Li Families might have also been involved.

Noticing Chen Xuan’s emotional shift, Lu Jing’an said, "Master, don’t worry. Whether it’s for your wife or not, this matter will be resolved this time."