Chapter 149 - 102: The Mastermind Behind Jiang Mu

Chapter 149: Chapter 102: The Mastermind Behind Jiang Mu

"And Inspector Ling, couldn’t he have come a little sooner? Did he have to wait until after we took a beating to show up?"

"Master Jiang is a real man."

Yan Fenghuo was filled with emotion.

At the Hu State Demon-slaying Bureau, no Demon Slayer Envoy had ever dared to confront Tian Wenjing so directly. They were always trembling, bowing their heads to take a scolding.

Even Ran Qingshan had to show him some respect.

He never expected their very first meeting to be so explosive.

"Sigh, Old Jiang is probably in for a tough time now."

Xu Fu sighed, a worried look on his face. "That Vice Director Tian is notoriously petty. Now that he’s made an enemy of him, he’ll definitely find ways to make things difficult. Trouble, this is real trouble."

"What’s there to be afraid of?"

Yan Fenghuo snorted. "In the Demon-slaying Bureau, strength is the only thing that matters. Master Jiang’s fists are strong and his merits are great—that’s the source of his confidence!

If I had his skills, I’d be just as arrogant! If anyone tried to sabotage me, I’d make sure they ended up with no shoes to wear!"

Xu Fu glanced at him.

Well, there you have it.

This Master Yan, who was usually so arrogant, had completely turned into Jiang Mu’s little fanboy.

But he had a point. Jiang Mu was currently the most talked-about figure in Hu State, held in high regard by Ling Ye and possibly even higher-ups. It probably wouldn’t be so easy for Tian Wenjing to make a move against him.

...

Meanwhile.

Zhang Daxie walked over to the woman who had collapsed on the ground.

He looked at the face that once haunted his dreams, but now it only felt foreign and tiresome.

Zhang Daxie sighed.

"Perhaps it was all just my own wishful thinking from the very beginning. From now on, let’s just pretend we never met and go our separate ways."

With that, he didn’t spare the woman another glance and turned to leave.

His departing figure looked somewhat desolate.

Zhang Xiaokui shot the woman a fierce glare and hurried after his brother.

Watching the man’s retreating back, the woman stood frozen in place.

Regret, indignation, unwillingness... A torrent of emotions flooded her heart.

She had been stringing him along and had never given him a clear answer, but she hadn’t rejected him either!

He had already pursued her this far, so why couldn’t he just persist a little longer?

’I... I was just about to give in and say yes!’

The crowd gradually dispersed.

Young Master Zhao, who had been standing in the shadows all this time, no longer showed any trace of anger or frustration. His expression was now grim.

"What a character, this Jiang Mu."

He picked up the dust-covered folding fan from the ground and tapped it gently against his palm, his gaze dark and unreadable.

"I never expected our first meeting to be like this. The Master wants me to cooperate with him in the future... but this man is so arrogant and domineering. I’m afraid he won’t be easy to control."

He glanced at the woman still sobbing on the ground, a flash of disgust in his eyes, and turned to leave.

However, just as he turned, his eye suddenly twitched.

He saw a faint, light-red umbrella mark shimmering on the back of the woman’s neck.

Young Master Zhao’s pupils contracted, and he froze in his tracks.

He immediately put on a gentle smile and hurried forward to help the woman up. "Miss Ruyan, please don’t cry. Let’s get you into the carriage first. There are too many prying eyes here."

Ruyan looked up.

Seeing that someone still cared about her at a time like this, her heart warmed.

The contempt she had felt for Young Master Zhao’s earlier cowardice lessened, and she sobbed her complaint:

"Young Master Zhao, he wronged me! I never wanted those gifts, he forced them on me..."

"Yes, yes, I know. You’re a good girl."

Young Master Zhao comforted her in a soft voice as he helped her into the carriage.

Ruyan’s tears turned to a smile, the gloom in her heart swept away.

Hmph!

’Zhang Daxie, you worthless backup plan! You think you’re too good for me? There are plenty of men who want me!’

Inside the carriage, they were shielded from outside gazes and the cold air.

Ruyan let out a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to thank him, her body suddenly went rigid.

An eerie red glow appeared in her eyes.

Then, a phantom image of a red umbrella slowly materialized above her head.

Her entire demeanor changed in an instant.

From weak and pitiful, she became languid and faintly sinister.

Young Master Zhao’s face filled with reverence. He quickly clasped his hands and bowed. "Greetings, Master."

The woman looked at Young Master Zhao with a faint smile, her voice low. "Were you really scared by him just now, or were you just pretending?"

Young Master Zhao gave a bitter smile. "A bit of both, I suppose. That fellow is a little too wild."

"Only the capable can afford to be wild,"

the woman said lightly, a hint of admiration in her eyes.

"Throughout the entire Great Qing, it would be hard to find another person so young and so capable. It’s inevitable that he’d have a bit of a temper."

"I’m just afraid that if his arrogant nature is indulged for too long, the higher he climbs, the harder he’ll fall,"

Young Master Zhao said in a low voice.

The woman looked at him with a half-smile. "What? Are you jealous already?"

Young Master Zhao lowered his head in embarrassment.

The woman leaned against the carriage wall and chuckled.

"We can talk about how high he climbs later. For now, at least, I quite like that boy.

His position in the Demon-slaying Bureau is crucial, and his methods are ruthless enough. Perhaps when we make our move in Hu State, we’ll really have to rely on this pawn.

That good-for-nothing Shen Wanhai may have betrayed me, but bringing me such a treasure makes his death a worthy one."

Young Master Zhao hesitated for a moment before reminding her in a low voice:

"Master, I heard that when you sent the Pig Demon and the Fox Demon to kill Shen Wanhai’s entire family, they ended up getting slaughtered by that kid, Jiang. This..."

The woman narrowed her eyes.

"That, I admit, I didn’t expect. But... they’re dead, so be it. They were just two idiots. I only care about value. As long as he can bring me greater benefits, what does it matter if he kills a few of my dogs?"

Young Master Zhao frowned.

"That’s not what I’m worried about. I’m afraid this kid is too wild and unruly to listen to us.

Master, you saw it yourself. The guy doesn’t even respect Tian Wenjing."