Chapter 203 Meeting an Old Friend in Jingzhou

Hearing this, Shen Suning glanced at him and said indifferently.

"Xiao Ning, have you mastered the first form of 'Wind Chasing Steps'? Brother Lu instructed me this morning to watch over you. If you don't learn it today, there'll be no meat for dinner."

Ling Xiaoning instantly wilted. With a howl of despair, he resigned himself to his fate, grabbed the parchment, and continued to struggle with the footwork written on it.

Chen Mu remained silent for a moment. He did indeed need to acquire some things; the bedding issued by the Division was thin, the washbasin was crude, and some personal items needed replenishing. More importantly, his understanding of the Prefecture mostly came from others' accounts or dossiers; walking around in person might allow him to notice something different.

"I'll trouble you then."

Chen Mu stood up abruptly. Zhuifeng woke up immediately, shaking its fur to follow, but Chen Mu leaned down and pressed its small head.

"You stay. Guard the house."

Zhuifeng let out a dissatisfied whimper from its throat, its golden pupils shimmering with grievance as it looked at him pitifully. Ultimately, it didn't persist and crawled back to its spot with drooping ears.

Shen Suning watched this scene with interest, the smile in her eyes deepening.

"This little thing is truly full of spirituality."

The two left the Demon Suppression Division yamen one after the other. There were many pedestrians on the street—vendors, porters with shoulder poles and carts—the sounds of shouting and bargaining mixed with the aroma of food wafted toward them. Compared to Yunmeng, Jingzhou City was clearly more than a level more prosperous; the buildings were taller, the streets wider, and the pedestrians' clothing much more glamorous.

Shen Suning seemed very familiar with this area, walking with a composed pace and casually introducing it to Chen Mu as they went.

"The West Market is a mixed bag, but it has everything and the prices are fair. That street to the south is all silk manors and jewelry shops; the prices are artificially high, specifically to cheat outsiders. The East Market is near the government offices, so there are many rules and it's expensive. The North Side is the dock and freight station, which is very chaotic."

Chen Mu listened silently, his gaze seemingly sweeping casually over the shops and pedestrians on both sides of the street, as well as the inconspicuous corners. His perception spread out quietly like an invisible spider web, capturing any slight abnormal fluctuation in the air.

Shen Suning was quick and decisive when buying things—needles, thread, soap nuts, towels, and even a bag of herbs with excellent insect-repellent effects. Soon the bamboo basket she carried was full. She also picked out a thicker wooden basin and two softer cotton towels for Chen Mu.

"You men always just make do."

She handed the items to Chen Mu, her tone carrying a bit of helplessness.

"When your face is chafed, you just wipe it hard with your sleeve, and you don't wash your clothes in time when they're dirty. Working for the Demon Hunting Division means keeping your head tied to your waistband, but life still has to be lived. You have to be better to yourself."

Chen Mu took them and said his thanks.

Shen Suning's concern was very practical and free of Impurities, reminding him of Liu Ziming's occasional nagging in Yunmeng City. This subtle warmth felt precious and foreign in a career of licking blood from a blade.

Just as they were about to turn toward a blacksmith shop to see if there were any suitable whetstones, Chen Mu's footsteps suddenly paused.

It wasn't that he had discovered any powerful Demonic Qi, but rather an extremely faint, murky aura that vanished in a flash.

But that aura carried a sickeningly fishy sweetness.

"Wait for me a moment."

Chen Mu said to Shen Suning and walked straight toward an alley.

Shen Suning frowned slightly and followed. She was a veteran of Team C and highly experienced. Although she hadn't perceived the Demonic Qi as keenly as Chen Mu, seeing his expression told her something was wrong.

The further into the alley they went, the darker it became. The ground was damp, moss grew in the corners, and ahead was a dead end with some old wooden crates and junk piled in the corner.

Chen Mu stopped in the alley, his gaze falling on an inconspicuous pile of withered grass at the base of the wall. The grass seemed to be stacked randomly, but careful observation revealed the ground beneath was slightly bulging, as if something was hidden there.

"Come out!"

Chen Mu's voice was flat, carrying a hint of coldness.

The pile of withered grass remained motionless.

Chen Mu wasted no more words, stepping forward half a pace with his right foot. Hunyuan Calamity Astral Qi quietly circulated, and an invisible pressure radiated out with him as the center.

"Hiss—"

A sharp hiss came from beneath the grass pile. Then, the withered grass exploded as a black shadow darted out, lunging straight for Chen Mu's face.

It was a dark-brown demonic creature shaped like a civet cat, less than two feet long, but with sharp claws and teeth. Its eyes flashed with bloodthirsty light, and it moved extremely fast. A gust of fishy wind accompanied its pounce; it had clearly gained intelligence and knew how to ambush.

Shen Suning saw this clearly from behind Chen Mu, her face changing slightly as her hand already moved toward the soft whip at her waist.

She had seen this kind of demonic creature before. Although not powerful, it was extremely fast, its claws and teeth were venomous, and it excelled at lurking and ambushing. If an ordinary Dao Entry Realm Martial Artist were approached by one, it would be quite troublesome.

However, before her whip could be drawn, Chen Mu had already moved.

He didn't draw his blade, nor did he make any extra movements. Just as the creature pounced to within three feet of him, Chen Mu raised his left hand, fingers forming a claw. Arriving first despite moving second, he grabbed the creature's neck in one go.

"Crack!"

With a soft sound, the creature's pouncing momentum came to a dead stop. The savage light in its eyes instantly froze, then dimmed. Its limbs twitched twice before hanging limp, devoid of life.

Chen Mu let go, and the creature's corpse fell to the ground.

The entire process took less than a breath.

Shen Suning's hand holding the whip froze in mid-air, astonishment flashing in her eyes.

She knew Chen Mu's strength was formidable—she had witnessed it during the battle at Shi Town—but seeing him instantly kill a civet cat known for its speed so nonchalantly still made her heart tremble.

This could no longer be described simply as being powerful. This precise grasp of timing and ruthless decisiveness in action were clearly instincts that could only be honed through countless life-and-death struggles.

[Killed Civet Demon, plundered Martial Dao Lifespan: Twenty-one years.]

The System's notification arrived as expected.

Chen Mu stood up and looked at Shen Suning.

"Let's go."

"That's... resolved?"

Shen Suning asked subconsciously, her voice carrying a bit of tension.

"You seem... accustomed to this."

Chen Mu walked slightly ahead, his gaze still scanning the street. Hearing this, he tilted his head to look at her.

"When you kill enough, you get used to it."

A very simple answer without any embellishment, yet it carried a heavy sense of reality.

Shen Suning was momentarily speechless.

Indeed, one gets used to it after killing enough. Many in the Demon Suppression Division eventually reach this point, viewing life-and-death combat as routine and the flesh of demons as ordinary. But she hadn't seen many like Chen Mu, who at such a young age seemed to have etched everything into his marrow, turning it into instinct.

Asking no more, the two walked half a street in silence, yet the atmosphere wasn't awkward. It was a subtle trust and tacit understanding born from having fought side-by-side and witnessed each other's methods.

At that moment, Chen Mu's gaze inadvertently swept over the intersection ahead.

Amidst the bustling crowd, a figure abruptly burst into his line of sight.

Tall and upright, even in an ordinary gray cloth robe, he could not hide his steady and composed aura.

Jiang Xiong!

Though it was only a glimpse before the person's figure entered another street and disappeared, Chen Mu was certain it was Jiang Xiong—the man from the Jiang Family of the North who had given him the bear paw gloves, traded the divine cache with him, and left him with parting words.

Why was he here? Was it a coincidental passing, or did he have another purpose? The matter in Yunmeng was over; what else did he need to linger here for?