Chapter 53: I'll Go First, You Cover the Rear! (Please Follow!)

One quarter of an hour ago.

Two men in black arrived at the depths of the mine pit.

The man removed his bamboo hat, revealing a face with well-defined features; it was none other than the captain of the Zhou Fu guards, Zhou Li.

The other person tore off his veil, revealing a face with a rat-like appearance and slanted eyebrows that looked rather sinister.

"Captain Zhou, as you can see, the red sand has been mostly mined. Shouldn't you settle the remaining commission for me?" Qian Tong rubbed his hands together and gave a fawning smile.

Zhou Li’s eyes showed a hint of disgust.

Although Jingcheng was under the feet of the Son of Heaven, where there is light, there are shadows; all sorts of people were mixed together, and many sordid dealings were hidden in the dark.

Qian Tong was a human trafficker who specialized in the "business" of kidnapping and selling people.

These miners were brought by him from surrounding villages and towns; they were basically loners with no family, and no one would care even if they went missing.

Seeing that Zhou Li did not speak, Qian Tong’s smile faded, and he frowned, saying:

"Captain Zhou, you aren't planning to welsh on the debt, are you?"

"Private mining of red sand is a capital offense. I’ve put my head on the line to do this for you... Don't think about silencing me, either. If I haven't returned by daybreak, my brother will make this matter public."

"The Zhou family is fine porcelain, so don't try to clash with a stone like me."

"As long as you pay the commission, I will leave Jingcheng immediately and guarantee that not a single word will leak out."

Business had been getting harder lately; that head constable surnamed Lin from the Six Doors had a very firm hand, arresting dozens of people in just three months.

Qian Tong knew in his heart that at this rate, getting caught was only a matter of time.

Given the numerous crimes he had committed, beheading would be considered getting off lightly!

He had intended to leave Jingcheng, but Zhou Li happened to find him and offered a price he couldn't refuse, so he thought he would finish this job before fleeing far away.

Zhou Li said indifferently, "Is your brother named Qian Da?"

Qian Tong was stunned upon hearing this, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his figure retreated like lightning.

Pfft—

The sound of flesh being torn came through.

Qian Tong’s body stiffened, and he slowly looked down.

He saw a fair, jade-like hand piercing through his chest, the palm clutching a bloody heart that was still beating violently.

"Hah, hah..."

Qian Tong wanted to say something, but he couldn't make a sound.

His body withered rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, only skin and bones remained, like a dried corpse.

Thump.

The corpse fell to the ground.

The woman sniffed the heart in her hand, expressed disgust, and tossed it aside.

"Truly foul-smelling; the food has been getting worse lately."

She had snow-white skin and a flower-like face, with eyebrows like a painting and a pair of peach-blossom eyes that were soul-stirring.

She wore a thin, gauze-like skirt with a loose collar that revealed her delicate collarbones; the hem of the skirt was slit, and one could see glimpses of fair, tender skin as she walked.

Facing this woman who was more beautiful than a top courtesan, Zhou Li’s eyes were full of wariness.

"The red sand is mostly mined. Prepare to wrap up; these miners must be dealt with as soon as possible," Zhou Li said.

Juemi’s voice was seductive to the bone, "I’ll pick a few that suit my appetite later, and kill the rest."

Suddenly, she sensed something and frowned, saying:

"Were you followed when you came?"

"Followed? Impossible."

Zhou Li shook his head and said, "I set five layers of arrays at the entrance. Taking one wrong step will trigger a chain reaction and simultaneously ignite 'Explosive Flame Talismans,' causing the mine to collapse and completely cover this place... In short, no one can get in without me leading them."

Juemi’s nose twitched, and her expression turned gloomy, "Idiot! They’ve already found their way to the door and you don't even know it!"

Whoosh—

Her figure turned into a cold wind and whistled away.

Realizing something was wrong, Zhou Li hurriedly leaped to follow.

Arriving at the entrance of the mine, he saw a man and a woman confronting Juemi.

Zhou Li recognized one of them; it was the young master of the Chen family, the Tianlin Guard Platoon Leader, Chen Mo!

In an instant, a chill crawled up his spine to the back of his head!

"The Tianlin Guard actually found this place?"

"No, I absolutely cannot let them leave!"

Juemi descended from the air, her eyes scanning the two, and she licked her rosy lips.

"One with skin like ice and bones like jade, fresh and delicious; the other with strong muscles, very chewy."

"Good luck; it seems I'm having a feast today~"

Facing the woman who had suddenly appeared before him, Chen Mo’s expression was grave.

Her demonic aura was extremely dense, far beyond that of the Rat Bride, and his spiritual sense was frantically warning him that this person was extremely dangerous!

"The demon race has been found, but it seems we can't beat her..." Chen Mo whispered.

"Then what should we do?"

Lin Jingzhu’s face was pale.

Caught off guard, the demonic aura had entered her body, causing her to lose all her methods and strength.

"Don't struggle. Just let me eat you obediently, and you might suffer less."

Juemi said with a light laugh.

As soon as she finished speaking.

Clang—

Suiyu was unsheathed, and a powerful blade aura slashed down!

"Seeking death!"

Juemi’s eyes turned cold, and she waved her sleeves, sending a gray mist swirling to scatter the blade aura.

However, Chen Mo did not attack again; with wind and thunder surging under his feet, he picked up Lin Jingzhu and turned to run.

Not to mention whether they could win, there might be traps in this mine, and it would be disastrous if they were buried here!

Behind them, the cold wind howled and drew closer. Lin Jingzhu said anxiously, "Captain Chen, run faster, we're about to be caught."

"You don't need to remind me!"

Chen Mo squeezed a drop of life essence from his fingertip and touched it to the center of Lin Jingzhu’s brow.

Lin Jingzhu felt the demonic aura in her body instantly dispersed; she hurriedly circulated her cultivation technique, and black ice spread over her skin as a ferocious armor slowly emerged.

"I'll go first, you cover the rear!"

"?"

Before Lin Jingzhu could react, Chen Mo lifted his hand and threw her backward, then rushed out of the cave without looking back.

"..."

Juemi pursued relentlessly, feeling somewhat suspicious.

That man had clearly been eroded by the demonic aura, yet he was completely unaffected and running faster than a rabbit...

Just then, a black shadow suddenly smashed toward her.

Juemi raised her hand to strike, wrapping it in dense demonic aura.

This time, Lin Jingzhu did not fall for it; her figure passed through the gray mist, and the twin blades popped out from the black staff in her hand, whistling as they slashed toward Juemi’s throat!

Swish—

The head fell on cue!

Before she could rejoice, she saw the head soar into the air, open its mouth wide, and bite down on her shoulder!

Crunch—

Cracks appeared on the black ice armor.

"You have a good set of teeth."

Lin Jingzhu grabbed the hair and pulled the head off, frost condensing in her palm to freeze the head into an ice block.

She threw it on the ground and crushed it with one foot!

Juemi’s neck writhed, and a beautiful head grew out once again.

"Don't waste your effort; you can't kill me."

"People die when they are killed, and demons are the same; it’s just that their weaknesses are different."

Black ice condensed behind Lin Jingzhu, forming a pair of huge black wings, each feather edge extremely sharp and shimmering with a metallic luster.

"Since I can't find your weakness, I'll just beat you into a sieve!"

The wings vibrated, and countless feathers shot out, pouring down like a torrential storm!

Boom, boom, boom!

Gravel flew, and the entire cave trembled!

At this moment, Zhou Li arrived just in time, and seeing such a display of power, he couldn't help but be shocked!

Juemi’s figure turned into gray mist, wrapping all the flying feathers within it, and her voice came from the mist:

"You go chase the other one; leave her to me."

"Very well."

Zhou Li leaped and flew toward the cave entrance.

Just as one foot stepped out of the cave, what greeted him was a blade light of extreme brilliance!