Chapter 782

Jiao Qiu introduced himself: "Jiao Qiu and Mo Ze, acting on the orders of Heaven-Strike General Feixiao, have come to escort the Strider major criminal Hu Lei to Radiant Azure. This visit is to inspect his detention conditions and prepare in advance for the subsequent handover and transfer. Judge, you must have already received the notice."

The application for inspection has already been approved. I will be the guide for this trip. Xueyi took out the judgment document and read aloud according to the text: "The prisoner Hu Lei is the Abomination of Abundance, the war chief and nest-father of the Striders, the great enemy of the Foxfolk. He bears responsibility for the 2,123 invasive wars and their attendant crimes."

Because of his ferocious cruelty, his sins are innumerable; he has been consigned to the Abyssal Prison to suffer the punishment of the Hellish Sword Tree until heaven and earth crumble, with no pardon ever.

Jiao Qiu hurriedly interrupted, saying that the deeds of Hu Lei are used by the Radiant Azure Immortal Vessel as material to quiet children's night crying; they know it all too well, and only hope to move on to the next step quickly.

Xueyi, however, spoke sternly: "Inspecting a major criminal, every rule concerns your safety. Even though you two envoys of Radiant Azure have heard the legends of Hu Lei since childhood, your knowledge of him remains pitifully scarce. Only the Judge of the Ten Kings Office knows what kind of abomination is truly locked away in the depths of the Abyssal Prison."

"Since the former Sword Chief of Luofu captured Hu Lei, hundreds of years have passed, and the Abyssal Prison has never allowed Hu Lei to receive food or rations. Yet even after starving to this day, he remains alive. This severely contradicts the recorded physiology of the Striders."

"The Hellish Sword Tree forged by the Department of Punishments is meant to inflict painful karmic retribution on sinful abominations. Most Striders cannot endure more than three days under the sword-tree punishment. But this monster is different: the sword shards pierce, and it instantly regenerates. Even after enduring the punishment to this day, it still lives."

——

Demon Slayer.

Such powerful regenerative ability… It sounds just like the Blade; could it be that it cannot be killed?

Ganlu Si Mitsuri recalls that the Blade previously gained this immortal body due to the influence of the Abundance Envoy's 'Sudden' flesh and blood; could Hu Lei have also received the Abundance Envoy's blood or blessing?

Moreover, this regenerative ability… is simply far more extravagant than that of a ghost.

If judging solely by regenerative ability, Hu Lei should be inferior to the Blade, since the Blade's regenerative power comes directly from the envoy, but the difference probably isn't great. As the leader of the Striders, he stands a good chance of having received the Abundance's blessing.

Yihei Xiao Ba Nei looked up at the Abyssal Prison, also puzzled as to what power besides the Abundance's blessing could sustain a creature for seven hundred years without food or drink, since even the blameless need to obtain blood food.

But fortunately, although his regenerative ability is strong, his strength is still inferior to that of the Immortal Vessel folk; remarkably, 700 years ago, Jingliu managed to capture him alive… The Insect Hashira also couldn't help but feel a sigh: "The Sword Chief's strength is simply too extravagant… but fortunately, although Jingliu is detained, that Heaven-Strike General's strength seems to be above Jingliu's, so there's no fear that Hu Lei will stir up trouble during his detention."

——

"All these strange traits of this evil beast are precisely the meaning behind every rule. Having said this, do you two understand?"

Jiao Qiu quickly gathered his earlier relaxed expression: "It was Jiao Qiu who offended… please, Sir, continue."

Xueyi handed Jiao Qiu a sheet of precautions for inspecting Hu Lei; besides the aforementioned crimes, the most important are two notes.

First, contact requires taking a pill beforehand or wearing a respirator with a filter, to avoid the influence of wolf poison.

Second, avoid mentioning 'Jingliu' in conversation with the criminal.

——

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid

Even Jingliu's name cannot be mentioned… is this guy traumatized by Jingliu's strike?

Probably so.' Tohru, who had just stepped out of the bath, was wiping water droplets from his horns with a towel, saying as he wiped, 'Our dragon kind also have similar things; presumably, hearing a certain name just brings back painful memories. Although Hu Lei is a name that can make foxfolk children stop crying, conversely, perhaps Jingliu is also something that makes Strider children stop crying.'

Makes sense… capturing their war chief alive will surely become a nightmare for many Striders. Perhaps it is also because they lost Hu Lei that the entire Strider tribe fell into fragmentation.

Looking at it this way, Jingliu's record as one of the Five Valiants of the Cloud Upper is astonishingly fierce.

She is still a person who has lived over a thousand years; who knows how many times such a scene of capturing Hu Lei alive has occurred in her life. Aside from Jingyuan, the achievements of the few others who can stand alongside her as Five Valiants are also evident.

'I don't know where Jingliu is currently detained; if Hu Lei really escapes by accident, could we request to transfer Jingliu back and capture him again?' Tohru excitedly clenched his fists, '…mainly I want to see Hu Lei's expression when he sees Jingliu again! Before imprisonment, it was Jingliu who personally captured him; after barely escaping seven hundred years later, to meet Jingliu face‑to‑face again—wouldn't that scare him to death?'

'…Are you a devil?' Kobayashi sighed helplessly, 'With that Great Victory General around, even if Hu Lei escaped he couldn't stir up any trouble; no matter how strong he is, could he match a general?'

——

After finishing the briefing, Xueyi fished out two pills from his pocket and handed each to the two of them.

'Also, before going down to the next level, you must take this pill.'

Mo Ze, however, was very stubborn, turning his head aside: 'I won't take a medicine of unknown origin.'

Xueyi replied coldly: 'Then you cannot enter the lower level to inspect.'

'Take it. Hu Lei, like all Striders, can release a pheromone called 'wolf poison' that arouses inner fear.' Jiao Qiu urged, 'Thousands of years ago, my people were long enslaved by the Striders and powerless to resist. It wasn't because foxfolk are naturally inferior to them; the reason lies precisely in this. The Judge's medicine is prepared for our mental well-being.'

'Understood.' Mo Ze silently tossed the pill into his mouth.

After taking the pills, they followed Xueyi down to the deepest part of the Abyssal Prison. Along the way they encountered several patrolling officers; as the two groups brushed past each other, Jiao Qiu immediately caught a whiff of something amiss.

This smell was exactly like those people they had met back at Hui Xing Harbor.

He stopped his steps and called out to Xueyi ahead: 'Judge…'

'What is it?'

Jiao Qiu fell silent for a moment, then finally shook his head: 'No, it's nothing; perhaps it was just my imagination… let's go.'