Chapter 289 - 182: White Tiger

Chapter 289: Chapter 182: White Tiger

"Now that he’s defeated the man ranked third on the Metamorphosis List, the entire Dragon and Tiger List has become a joke."

Liang Jinglue sighed.

Man proposes, Heaven disposes.

One small mistake had caused his entire scheme to fall apart.

Coupled with the Taiping Bureau’s sudden show of force, the idea of using the Dragon and Tiger List to drain Da Xuan’s National Power had become a complete farce. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

"The Taiping Bureau’s sudden assertiveness sends a message to everyone. Fair competition for rankings is acceptable. But if anyone tries to use it as an opportunity to stir up trouble, even a power as great as the Wenren Family will be punished."

Liang Jinglue sighed. "And with this unexpected turn from Jing Ke, it seems Da Xuan’s destiny has not yet run its course.

Indeed, destroying Da Xuan won’t be so simple. In the end, it seems we must still go to war."

Liang Jinglue raised his head, gazing toward the Da Xuan Capital City.

"If that’s the case, then let there be war."

He muttered to himself, a sharp glint flickering in his eyes.

...

"The Wenren Family’s businesses in Jingzhou have been completely uprooted, and all its members have been expelled."

"The Commander-in-Chief of the Xiangzhou Taiping Bureau, Li Tingkui, personally visited the Wenren Family and publicly wounded their current Patriarch as a warning to others."

"Marquis Lin went before the Emperor in court and laid down three simple rules with the Inspection Bureau. The Inspection Bureau may continue to monitor the realm, but the Taiping Bureau will relinquish its authority to execute corrupt officials. From now on, the Taiping Bureau will focus solely on slaying demons and devils, and the Inspection Bureau is forbidden from interfering in its affairs."

"In a single day, Marquis Jin visited both the Divine Weapon Pavilion and the Shennong Hundred Herbs Sect. He had a private sparring session with the Sect Leaders of both sects. The outcomes are unknown, but the Divine Weapon Pavilion and the Shennong Hundred Herbs Sect have each gifted the Taiping Bureau a batch of weapons and elixirs."

"Marquis Sui, in a contest of wine and poetry, forced nearly a hundred members of the Civil Servant Families to resign from their posts."

"Marquis Mingyi went beyond the pass alone. He set fires across three hundred li, slayed over ten thousand demons, and built a massive corpse mound in the wildlands to intimidate the Demon Court."

Luo Anning’s face was flushed with excitement as she spoke.

Su Mu, too, was mesmerized as he listened.

The Taiping Bureau was quiescent, but when it finally moved, it struck like thunder from the heavens.

Behind every one of those sentences was an earth-shattering operation.

Su Mu had always felt that since the fall of the two Marquises, the Taiping Bureau had become far too easy to bully.

He never imagined that the Taiping Bureau hadn’t changed at all. They had simply allowed all the monsters and fiends to run rampant, just to see clearly who was an enemy and who was a friend.

Now that they had taken action, the board was instantly swept clean.

The Inspection Bureau, the Civil Servant Families, the great sects—before the Taiping Bureau, they were all nothing but clay chickens and pottery dogs.

Zhao Poni had said everything would be fine in three months.

And he was right.

The Taiping Bureau was still the same Taiping Bureau, but the Inspection Bureau no longer had any authority over it.

"Oh, right, there’s one more little thing."

Luo Anning said suddenly, "Over ten days ago, the Golden Wind Tower’s Silver-faced Killer, Jing Ke, challenged Wenren Jiangbo and seriously wounded him with a single slash.

Before this, Jing Ke was only ranked nineteenth on the Dragon and Tiger List’s Metamorphosis section.

Now, everyone is questioning the authenticity of the Dragon and Tiger List. Wenren Jiangbo, ranked third on the Metamorphosis List, was defeated so easily. It’s made everyone suspect that the Hundred Knows Hall took bribes from the Wenren Family to rank him so high."

Luo Anning looked at Su Mu, her eyes filled with suspicion.

The timing of Jing Ke’s victory over Wenren Jiangbo was too much of a coincidence.

At that exact time, Senior Brother Su happened to be training in the Daxing Mountains.

It was hard for her not to be suspicious.

But that Jing Ke was said to be proficient in the White Tiger Killing Intent and the Gen Mountain Realm, which were different from Senior Brother Su’s specializations.

’Could Jing Ke be a friend of Senior Brother Su?’

Luo Anning wondered.

"Wenren Jiangbo does have some skill."

Su Mu hadn’t expected that defeating Wenren Jiangbo under the identity of Jing Ke would have such an unexpected bonus.

’Good, let them be suspicious. This bucket of shit belongs right on the Wenren Family’s head.’

’This way, few people will take the Dragon and Tiger List seriously anymore.’

’Though, to be fair, Wenren Jiangbo wasn’t actually that weak.’

’He was just unlucky enough to run into me.’

But Su Mu certainly wasn’t going to explain on Wenren Jiangbo’s behalf.

If Wenren Jiangbo wanted to prove himself, he would have to wait until his injuries healed. By then, it would be far too late.

"I wonder what this Jing Ke’s origins are, to be able to master the White Tiger Killing Intent."

Luo Anning said, looking at Su Mu.

"Isn’t he a killer from the Golden Wind Tower? What other origins could he have?"

Su Mu said calmly, "Heroes often rise from obscurity. It’s not strange for a powerhouse to emerge from the Golden Wind Tower."

Luo Anning couldn’t detect anything unusual in Su Mu’s expression, and ultimately decided she was just overthinking things.

’Senior Brother Su might have wanted to go deal with the Wenren Family himself, but Jing Ke beat him to it. It doesn’t necessarily mean Senior Brother Su and Jing Ke have any connection.’

"Now that our Taiping Bureau is back on its feet, can I return to the city?"

Su Mu said, changing the subject.

"Not yet."

Luo Anning shook her head.

"Why not?"

Su Mu asked, somewhat surprised.

Back then, Zhao Poni had sent him out of the city on a pretext, just to let him lie low for a while.

Now that the Taiping Bureau had reasserted its might, he naturally didn’t need to hide from the Inspection Bureau anymore.

"This time, we’ve really found traces of a demon."

Luo Anning said, "It’s not a false alarm like last time.

A few days ago, a Taiping Capital Captain encountered a Tier Three Demon. After a bloody battle, the demon managed to escape.

That Tier Three Demon is skilled at shapeshifting, and we currently suspect it’s hiding in one of the nearby villages. All available Taiping Captains are searching for it. Senior Brother Su, you can decide for yourself whether you want to accept this mission."

"A shapeshifting Tier Three Demon?"

A curious expression appeared on Su Mu’s face.

He had seen his fair share of Tier Three Demons, but he had never encountered one that could shapeshift.

"It’s said that it can transform into an ordinary wild beast."

Luo Anning said, "And it can conceal its demonic aura, making it very difficult for ordinary people to realize it’s a demon."

"I see."

Su Mu mused. He had thought ’shapeshifting’ meant it could turn into a human.

However, it seemed that it was extremely difficult for demons to truly take on human form. In all the records of the Taiping Bureau, there had never been a single case of a demon fully transforming into a person.

"If there really is a Tier Three Demon, then of course we have to find it."

Su Mu said slowly.

...

「In a small village between the Daxing Mountains and Wuling City.」

A pure white cat lay lazily under a tree at the village entrance.

Whenever a villager passed by, it would lift its eyelids to glance at them.

The villagers were long used to it.

The white cat had been in the village for a long time. No one knew when it had arrived, but it never scratched anyone and looked quite adorable.

The villagers would even feed it scraps from time to time.

’The Saint Master wants us to scout the Da Xuan Taiping Bureau’s force distribution. Isn’t that like the God of Longevity hanging himself—just asking to die?’

The white cat thought to itself with its eyes closed, resting. ’Good thing I found a path through the Daxing Mountains that leads straight here.

I’ll just gather some random information, then head back and report that the mission’s done.

As for the Da Xuan Taiping Bureau, they specialize in dealing with us demons. You think I’d dare get close to them?’

The white cat thought smugly. As long as it didn’t reveal its identity, no one would ever realize it was a demon.

But even so, it had no intention of going anywhere near the Taiping Bureau.

’The Saint Master’s orders are the Saint Master’s orders, but humans have a saying: a general in the field is not always bound by his sovereign’s command.’

’I’m just a scout, out here on my own. I can follow some of the Saint Master’s orders and ignore others.’

’Besides, no one will know if I gave it my all or not.’

’I was careless last time and let someone from the Taiping Bureau spot me. I have to be more careful this time and not carelessly change back to my original form.

A few more days of napping, and then I’ll take that secret path through the Daxing Mountains back to the wildlands. Of all the scouts, I’ve ventured the deepest. The Saint Master will surely reward me handsomely."

A smug look appeared in the white cat’s eyes. Suddenly, it saw a Taiping Captain and a Taiping Capital Captain approaching from the distance.

A flicker of demonic ferocity flashed through its eyes.

’All the Taiping Bureau people I’ve seen these past few days have been in large groups. It’s rare to find two of them alone like this.’

’Should I take them down and bring them back to the Demon Court as my trophies?’

’It’s only two of them. I should be able to capture them without causing too much of a commotion.’

’This will also prove I really came to Da Xuan. Just two young humans. It’s doable.’

The white cat narrowed its eyes. As the two figures drew closer, its claws extended from their fleshy pads.