Chapter 188 Farewell Talk

Qi Huan stayed in Yunmeng for a few more days.

During these days, he met with Zhou Huaian several times to finalize the aftermath matters in Yunmeng one by one.

The compensation for Xu Changze, the allocation of city defense and public security, and the money and grain for resettling disaster victims—every single item was settled under the guise of official documents.

However, Chen Mu rarely appeared during this period.

He spent most of his time in his small courtyard, occasionally going to the Demon Suppression Division office to settle the few unfinished small cases on hand.

The Medicinal Pills sent by Zhou Huaian were all consumed by him, and with the operation of the "Hunyuan Wuji Calamity Body," the hidden injuries left from the battle at the City God Temple were already eighty or ninety percent healed.

And that little black dog seemed to have sensed something long ago, becoming exceptionally clingy these few days.

When Chen Mu practiced his saber, it would lie in the corner of the courtyard watching; when Chen Mu sat in meditation to regulate his breath, it would curl up at his feet, and at night, it insisted on squeezing to the head of the bed to sleep.

Jiang Huoyu also keenly sensed the anomaly.

This day, just as Chen Mu walked back to the small courtyard and pushed open the door, he saw Jiang Huoyu sitting on a stone stool in the courtyard.

There were a few side dishes and a pot of wine on the table. Jiang Huoyu's face, which always carried a cunning smile, rarely showed a sense of calmness.

"I heard you are leaving?"

Chen Mu sat down opposite her without concealing it.

"Probably in these two days."

Jiang Huoyu poured two cups of wine and pushed one over, but she said nothing. Chen Mu took it and downed it in one gulp.

Seeing him drink the wine, Jiang Huoyu finally put down her cup, staring straight at him, her voice carrying a hint of petulance.

"Why do you have to leave? Is Yunmeng not good? You are now the Squad Leader of the Demon Suppression Division, even Zhou Huaian dares not offend you, Old Wang the Lame respects you, and Liu Ziming is your brother. Staying here means you have power and support."

Chen Mu picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and slowly chewed it.

"Not enough."

"What is not enough?"

"The demons are not enough, not strong enough."

Jiang Huoyu was stunned upon hearing this, then laughed out of anger.

"You are doing this for that? Chen Mu, are you addicted to killing demons? There are great demons in the Prefecture, but those are old monsters that have lived for hundreds or thousands of years. Do you think they are like these kittens and puppies in Yunmeng, waiting for you to chop them like vegetables?"

Chen Mu looked up at her, "That is why I must go."

Jiang Huoyu opened her mouth, suddenly unable to speak.

She remembered the first time she saw Chen Mu, that young man who was unnervingly calm; she remembered the indifference in his eyes when he slew the white tiger; she remembered the bloody battle at the City God Temple, where he was covered in blood yet did not retreat a single step.

This person had never lived for the sake of stability.

Jiang Huoyu was furious, but she didn't speak either. She downed several cups of wine until she felt a bit dizzy, then looked at Chen Mu's cold face, bit her lip, and lowered her voice.

"Chen Mu, can you... not leave?"

This was said abruptly, her voice carrying a plea she hadn't even realized.

Chen Mu looked into her eyes and shook his head.

Jiang Huoyu froze, her eyes gradually reddening, and she reached out to grab Chen Mu's sleeve.

"But... but the Prefecture is so far away, and so chaotic. You are alone, what if... what if the demons of Beimang find you, what if Wen Jingxing plays dirty, what if..."

Chen Mu sighed and gently pulled back his sleeve.

"There are no 'what ifs'. The path is chosen by oneself, and one must bear the consequences of life and death."

His tone was flat, yet resolute. Jiang Huoyu looked at his profile and suddenly felt that the young man in front of her, with whom she had once shared a room and eaten at the same table, was so strange, yet so distant.

She knew that saying more was useless, so she could only sniff, trying to keep her voice calm, and pointed to the corner of the wall.

"Then... you must at least take this little black dog with you?"

The little black dog had originally been dozing there, but upon hearing this, it immediately perked up its ears, darted to Chen Mu's feet, and rubbed its head against his calf.

Chen Mu looked down.

This little thing had only been with him for half a month, yet it had already developed some spiritual intelligence. In those eyes flashing with dark golden light, there was reliance, reluctance, and a hint of determination.

After a long silence, Chen Mu finally bent down and picked up the little black dog. The little fellow immediately licked his finger, making a satisfied purring sound in its throat.

"Okay."

Jiang Huoyu smiled, but there was some loneliness in her smile, so she poured two more cups of wine.

"This cup, I wish you a bright future, to slay demons and eliminate evil, and to reach the Peak of the Dao as soon as possible."

"This cup, I wish that you don't forget Yunmeng, and don't forget... that you still have friends."

The two drank together until the moon was high in the sky. Jiang Huoyu stood up and brushed off her skirt.

"Then I will leave now, see you again."

After saying that, she picked up the little black dog, stumbling out of the courtyard gate, as if escaping something.

Chen Mu drank the last cup and pondered for a moment, then stepped out of the courtyard gate, heading towards the City God Temple.

Before leaving, he always had to go see Old Wang the Lame again, that unfathomable acting City God.

It was already late at night. The City God Temple was no longer as noisy as it used to be, but it was brightly lit.

Old Wang the Lame was wearing a green robe, sitting on a bamboo chair under the eaves of the side hall, gently waving a fan. Two temple attendants were sweeping the dust in the courtyard. Seeing him come, they wanted to stop him but were stopped by Old Wang the Lame with a wave of his hand.

"Chief Chen is here."

Old Wang the Lame opened his eyes, his murky eyes looking at Chen Mu.

"I heard you are going to the Prefecture?"

"Yes."

Old Wang the Lame nodded, his withered fingers clutching the cattail fan, slowly waving it.

"The Prefecture is a good place, but it is also a big melting pot. A person like you going there will either soar to the sky or..."

He did not continue, just sighed.

"The Jiang Family always has their calculations in doing things. Going this time is both a good bond and a shackle; you must keep that in mind."

Chen Mu was silent for a moment and asked.

"Does Lord Wang still have any words to bring to the Jiang Family?"

Old Wang the Lame laughed, carrying a desolation of having seen through the world.

"What words can a lame old man bring? You just need to know that this Karma of Yunmeng is something this old man has recorded. If one day you are truly at your wit's end, perhaps... this dilapidated temple can still leave a stick of incense for you."

This was said vaguely, but Chen Mu understood the profound meaning within and cupped his hands.

"Many thanks, Lord Wang."

Just as he was about to leave, Old Wang the Lame suddenly called him back, reached into his bosom, and took out a warm jade pendant. It was gray-green in color, with extremely simple cloud patterns carved on it.

"Take this. It's not a valuable item, but keep it on you. Ordinary evil and filthy things will not dare to approach you. Your journey ahead is likely not going to be peaceful."

Chen Mu took the jade pendant, which felt warm and cool to the touch, with a faint, pure scent of incense circulating within it. He put it away solemnly, bowed again, and turned to leave.

Two days later, at the hour of Chen.

The sky was slightly bright. A dense crowd of people already stood by the official road outside the East Gate of Yunmeng.

The news had spread, no one knew when—the new Squad Leader of the Demon Suppression Division, Chen Mu, was being transferred to the Prefecture.

The common people who learned the news poured in from all parts of the city, filling the road. Some carried freshly steamed coarse flour buns, others carried bamboo baskets filled with eggs accumulated at home.

Most of them were illiterate and couldn't speak any great principles; they only knew that this young man had once killed a Ghostly Creature at the Zhao residence, had protected Yunmeng in the City God Temple, and had once carried a saber in the darkness, walking from one end of the street to the other.

The colleagues from the Demon Suppression Division had also arrived. Dozens of people in dark official uniforms were lined up in two rows, their expressions filled with envy, reluctance, and a trace of indescribable melancholy.