Chapter 95

“Huh? Why’s it so small? Only three leaves? It’s still in the sprout stage, isn’t it?” Su Huchen exclaimed in shock.

“It’s five leaves—the other two are still buds! This little thing only just hatched from the seed, after all.” Su Jian pointed to two buds he had specifically drawn.

Su Huchen couldn’t help but laugh as he stared.

“I’ve never seen a Blood Crimson Spider this small.”

“Then have you ever seen a big one?” Su Jian asked, dumbfounded.

“Cough, cough,” Su Huchen shook his head. “I haven’t seen one with my own eyes, but I’ve heard of a massive Blood Crimson Spider—said to be ten meters tall, it’s earned legendary fame on the human-m demon battlefields. And this? Still just a pup.”

Su Huchen tapped his finger on the painting of the Blood Crimson Spider.

“It’s definitely a pup,” Su Jian didn’t deny it. “But it’s enough to lead you to the insect nests.”

Su Huchen nodded vigorously in agreement.

“Then hurry home and discuss it. I’ll find someone to cover your shift.”

“No. It doesn’t matter if I wait a day or two. The Blood Crimson Spider must stay secret. My sister’s only six—I don’t want her exposed, hunted every single day.” Su Jian said.

Su Huchen wasn’t angry at the refusal—he knew Su Jian was right.

As older brothers, they should be more cautious and thorough.

“Just keep thinking about this. I’m desperate—the mother insects hidden inside the city have all been found, but the nests remain undiscovered. I fear disaster.”

“If insects suddenly swarm from around Xiancheng or beneath it, we’re truly in trouble.”

“We’ll be laughed out of the sect!” Su Huchen grumbled.

“Does City Master Xu know about the Blood Crimson Spider?” Su Jian asked again.

“Of course he does. He’s the one who told me you’re raising one.” Su Huchen said.

“A city master acting so unscrupulous—spilling everything he knows,” Su Jian immediately grew displeased.

“He’s doing it for the city’s safety.”

“The situation right now is genuinely complicated.”

“Based on the intel I’ve gathered, I’ve compiled a summary.”

“The insect plague inside the city is mutated black locusts, but the monsters outside are also insects.”

“That means at least two mother insects and two insect nests exist near Xiancheng.”

“Last night, two more households in the outer city were wiped out.”

“The outer city is now in a state of panic.”

“After all, being wiped out is too bloody, too psychologically devastating.”

“I worry the new threat will be even harder to handle.”

Su Huchen laid out his concerns one by one.

“I really want to ask what your Police Inspector Office has been doing for the past ten years?” Su Jian, hearing this, nearly cursed. “They’ve managed to place nests right at our doorstep—that couldn’t have been done in just a year or two.”

“Don’t ask me—I don’t know either. You’ve lived in Xiancheng over a decade and didn’t notice anything. What about me? I just returned home after severe injuries. I’ve been back less than a month.” Su Huchen grumbled. “But I’ve gradually replaced the Intelligence Office staff with my own people, so I’ve been getting more recent intel.”

“What’s City Master Xu thinking? Letting such a massive hole open right under your Police Inspector Office’s nose?” Su Jian continued complaining.

“When Xu first arrived, he was Director of the City’s Elixir Office—he didn’t handle city master duties. He only became city master last year,” Su Huchen explained. “Those people deliberately chose the time of the thirty-year city master transition.”

“Still, the former city master was utterly negligent—he bears undeniable responsibility.”

“Will the sect punish him?”

“Of course. I heard he’s already been secretly arrested.”

Su Jian felt a weight lift from his chest.

He thought: That’s better.

At least it shows the sect still enforces strict control over its subordinate cities.

“So you and City Master Xu are both in a tough spot now?” Su Jian asked again.

Su Huchen rolled his eyes.

Who’d be happy taking over a pile of garbage?

“How’s Hanlin’s condition?” Su Huchen asked.

“He needs more days of rest,” Su Jian said.

“Mm, I understand. Tell him that when he recovers, he’ll be the External Intelligence Chief.” Su Huchen said.

“Wait—what’s an External Intelligence Chief?” Su Jian hurriedly asked.

“The External Intelligence Chief handles investigations into enemy factions’ spies and intelligence,” Su Huchen said.

“So if there’s an External Intelligence Chief, is there also an Internal Intelligence Chief?” Su Jian asked curiously.

“Yes. The Internal Intelligence Chief oversees patrols, defense, and hunting down traitors,” Su Huchen said. “The sect’s too big, too many birds—traitors come in all kinds of weird forms.”

Su Jian felt utterly drained.

“By the way, did you investigate the one who stabbed Hanlin? Hanlin treated him well—why did he strike so brutally?”

“No choice—he’s an ‘Yanzi.’”

“What’s an ‘Yanzi’?” Su Jian looked at Su Huchen, puzzled.

“I forgot you’ve never left Xiancheng—you’ve never heard the term. ‘Yanzi’ are children of human origin, secretly collected and rigorously trained by the demon race as child spies.”

“They’re trained from early childhood, and once they grow slightly older, they’re sent into sect territories.”

“Some are taken into sects as disciples; others infiltrate major Xianchengs, free cultivator markets, or affiliated factions under sect control, gathering intelligence and conducting covert operations for the demons,” Su Huchen said.

Su Jian was stunned.

He stared wide-eyed at Su Huchen. “Can the demons be this cruel?”

“They’re exactly that cruel. Human children raised by demons have their natures twisted beyond recognition. They often appear cheerful, generous, even chivalrous and benevolent.”

“But all of that is just a facade they deliberately put on.”

“In truth, their real natures are mostly insane. Like the child who stabbed Hanlin—he now calls himself Deng Yuzhou, but he can’t remember his home, his original surname or name. He was taken to the demon ‘Yanzi’ training base too young.”

“Besides, demons never teach Yanzi their own cultivation arts. Instead, they purify the children’s bodies, using bizarre, rapid methods to enhance their potential—or teach them the most basic human cultivation techniques before sending them back.”

“The biggest difference between Yanzi and true human children lies in their nature.”

“They’ve been trained into demons wearing human skins.”

“Demons only recognize demons.”

“So they’ll strike without hesitation at friends, colleagues—even wives and children.”