Chapter 2018: Incoming Attack!

For the current Dragon God, time was more important than money.

Someone whispered in the darkness not far away: "Move now?"

"Yes, quickly, lest the night grow long and dreams multiply!" Qing Wei said in a low voice. "There are only two people in the target courtyard, neither skilled in combat. That General Moqi will be bringing men over soon; by then it won't be easy to fight."

"Yes!"

……

Before long, a few bangs sounded outside, and the sky turned colorful.

Fan Shuang walked to the courtyard and looked up: "Fireworks."

Mian City had escaped death and turned defeat into victory; the whole city's populace wanted to celebrate properly. Hanging lanterns and decorations was too mild; firecrackers and fireworks were what made for joyous revelry.

Dong Rui dug at his ear, annoyed. He hated noisy environments the most.

Just then someone knocked on the door outside. Fan Shuang opened it and saw it was Tu Shanfang who had come.

He brought a sheepskin bag for Dong Rui. The latter opened it to look inside — it was full of insect corpses, each one stiff and straight.

"Good, very good." With the racket outside, Dong Rui couldn't rest anyway, so he might as well study this bag of insect corpses.

The nearby firecrackers were too loud; all three had to raise their voices.

Fan Shuang immediately said: "Strange. Does Mian City still have this much fireworks stock?"

These past several tens of days he had gotten used to doing inventory checks, and always wanted to tally supplies.

The speaker meant nothing by it, but the listener took it to heart. Tu Shanfang immediately said: "You're right. During the siege gunpowder ran short, and the city's fireworks and firecrackers were all used up. Where would they come from now? I'll send people to investigate."

He was just about to take his leave when Dong Rui asked him again: "Right. When you pursued Guo Bai Yu just now, did you encounter any Divine Descent?"

Moqi Liang had chased Guo Bai Yu; he had not gone along, but returned to save Mian City.

"Divine Descent?" This was a new term to Tu Shanfang, but earlier when Moqi Liang interrogated prisoners he had stood by the side, so he had some impression. "Do you mean a Divine Descent Body?"

"Mm, yes, that counts. Were there any?"

"None." Tu Shanfang repeated to Dong Rui the answer Moqi Liang had obtained.

Dong Rui frowned tightly: "If there was a Divine Descent Body, why did Guo Bai Yu not use it even at death?"

Tu Shanfang did not understand Divine Descent Bodies and did not care much: "Perhaps it was just an ordinary woman?"

Guo Bai Yu had not publicly announced the existence of a Divine Descent Body; who dared say that woman was definitely it?

"If she was one, yet Guo Bai Yu didn't use her, it certainly wasn't that he didn't want to, but that he couldn't." Dong Rui's eyes flickered. "Compared to other Shanjin powerhouses, Guo Bai Yu had a higher chance of obtaining a True Body. Hm, you say the Supervising Army Commander also disappeared; perhaps he saw victory was hopeless and simply took the Divine Descent Body away."

"Not impossible." Tu Shanfang spoke truthfully. "Guo Bai Yu's army was routing at the time; many fled along the way. Perhaps they took advantage of the chaos and slipped away too."

If the true Divine Descent Body was on the run, would it flee back to Yao Di, back under Qing Yang's command?

Dong Rui was deep in thought when several more fireworks shot into the sky outside. This time over a dozen large ones exploded, handful after handful of fireworks bursting in midair into a sky full of light points, more dazzling than stars.

Large fireworks like these were pricey; could Mian City still have such stock? Tu Shanfang immediately said: "I'll go send people to check, and by the way assign a few more guards to Mr. Dong. General Moqi seems to have finished his business and will be over soon."

He and Fan Shuang were just heading out when someone knocked on the door again.

Thump thump thump.

Fan Shuang opened the door and saw a young woman standing outside, sixteen or seventeen years old, plain and unremarkable in appearance, carrying a food basket in her hand.

"What is it?"

The young woman smiled: "Lunch sent by the prefectural office for Mr. Wei."

She wasn't pretty, but when she smiled she wasn't ugly either.

"Give it to me." Fan Shuang reached out quite naturally to take the food basket. "You can just deliver it here."

But Tu Shanfang blocked her with one hand: "Wait. Who from the prefectural office sent you to deliver the meal?"

The young woman's smile stiffened slightly: "Ah, it was An... An Li Rong, my lord."

An Li Rong was this county's Assistant Magistrate. After Huang Chengqi died in the line of duty, he temporarily assumed the prefectural duties.

Tu Shanfang kept staring at her, a glance full of suspicion: "Why call him 'Mr. Wei'?"

The local Assistant Magistrate didn't even know Dong Rui had once used the alias 'Wei'; how could this woman blurt it out?

Fan Shuang, however, didn't grasp his meaning, and even explained for her: "Mr. Dong used the alias Wei during his time in Tianshui City..."

Before he could finish, the woman's eyebrows shot up. The food basket smashed toward Tu Shanfang, and with one hand she shoved Fan Shuang aside.

She had no patience to tangle with these two mortals!

The one truly blocking her way was Fan Shuang, so she shoved him without the slightest mercy; her fingertips even scattered a faint gray light.

With her strength, if this palm pressed onto Fan Shuang's chest it would cave in at least two inches and shatter his five viscera — even if she only pushed lightly, Fan Shuang would have absolutely no chance of survival.

Tu Shanfang moved the instant suspicion arose, and turned out half a beat faster than her. One hand pushed Fan Shuang away, the other flashed with cold light, his axe chopping toward the woman's neck.

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Better to kill by mistake than let one slip!

They both aimed to "push aside" Fan Shuang — one to take a life, one to save a life.

The woman gave a sharp laugh. The hand that had missed Fan Shuang rose up, seized Tu Shanfang's axe blade in passing, and yanked backward.

Tu Shanfang felt a terrifying force; he seemed like a field mouse before a great tree, utterly unable to shake it.

But he had brawled for over a decade and knew well there are always stronger men, and above men there are gods. At this moment he did not contest for his axe, but retreated while shouting loudly: "Enem—!"

Enemy attack!

Right now raising the alarm was most important, reminding Mr. Dong to flee was most important!

A flash of anger crossed the woman's eyes. Hating that he had ruined her plan, she casually grabbed the axe she had just seized and flung it at his neck.

This axe in her hands was completely different. The axe head likewise emitted a hazy gray light; spinning as it flew, the blade light surged two chi. Anyone it touched would be decapitated.

Tu Shanfang exhausted all his lifelong learning to dodge this fatal blow, horrified in his heart.

An expert reveals his skill the moment he acts. In just these one or two exchanges, he understood he was absolutely no match.

This woman's strength, reaction, and speed all far surpassed a cultivator.

This thought had just flashed through his mind when he saw the other party reach out and press hard against his chest.

This movement was exactly the same as when she had pushed aside Fan Shuangru earlier; he could barely make it out, but for some reason, his body's reaction speed couldn't keep up with his eyesight—although he wanted to block, his hand only lifted halfway.

With a bang, Tushan Fang was sent flying three zhang away and directly crashed into the firewood shed, collapsing it.

He spat out a large mouthful of blood in midair.

Just as Fan Shuang let out a startled cry, the woman suddenly crouched down, placed her hands on the ground, muttered a few words under her breath, and a gray light flashed in her eyes.

A point of gray light began spreading from beneath her palms on the ground, expanding to a radius of thirty zhang within two or three breaths.

As for Fan Shuang, who had been flung to the side and whose combat power was zero, she simply chose to ignore her.

At the same time, a faint light flew out from inside the house, rushing straight toward the woman's eyes, even faster than she was.

It was precisely the bat demon puppet.

There is no doubt that although Tushan Fang's warning was brief, Dong Rui heard it!

(End of chapter)