Chapter 249 Reporting Back with Shocking News

The mountain wind was biting. Chen Mu stood atop a bluestone, watching the last group of villagers searching the mountain as they filed down from the mountain hollow with torches in hand.

They hadn't found him.

In several hours, they had practically overturned the entire range surrounding the mountain village, yet Li Tiezui seemed to have been swallowed by the great mountain; not even a scrap of his clothing remained.

Feng Qing walked back with heavy, uneven steps, the soles of his boots caked with wet mud and several thin scratches on his face from thorns. He walked straight up to Chen Mu and shook his head.

"We searched three mountain ridges. No sign of him."

Chen Mu had expected this answer long ago.

Li Tiezui was half-blind; if he intended to hide, it would be impossible to cross those ravines within a few hours. Either he was already dead, his body dragged into some hidden cave or crevice, or he hadn't run far at all.

Instead, he was hiding in a place no one would think of, watching the people searching the mountain come and go with those dysfunctional eyes of his.

Wan Chongshan also stumbled over. He was in much worse shape than Feng Qing, but his eyes were burning red.

"Brother Chen, let me search for one more night. There are several Mountain God Temples on the back mountain that I used to visit as a child. There's a very secluded spot; he might be hiding there..."

"It's dark."

"You know better than we do what's on the mountain at night."

Chen Mu's voice wasn't loud, yet Wan Chongshan felt a chill from head to toe. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

He naturally knew the warnings passed down by the ancestors of Kaoshan Village: one must not enter the mountains after dark. Those ancient bones and the remains of wild dogs occasionally found on mountain paths, chewed until only half remained, didn't appear for no reason.

But that was his own younger sister!

Wan Chongshan slowly crouched down, burying his face in his palms. No one else spoke.

After a long while, Chen Mu spoke.

"We are returning to the Division immediately to report back."

Wan Chongshan jerked his head up.

"Brother Chen..."

"The trail has gone cold."

Chen Mu didn't look at him. "The Bat King has been spooked and won't strike again soon. Li Tiezui's whereabouts are unknown; we cannot afford to waste time."

Wan Chongshan's lips trembled violently. He opened his mouth, but again, he couldn't say a word.

He naturally knew they couldn't afford to waste time. The Division had its rules; if they said three days, it was three days. Mission deadlines could never be exceeded. To return late, even with a valid reason, would result in charges of desertion and delaying military operations.

If they wasted time here indefinitely and delayed official business, Chen Mu would be held responsible, and the entire Team C would be held responsible.

It wasn't that he didn't understand the logic; he just... couldn't accept it.

Chen Mu patted his shoulder and scanned the group.

"Back to the village first."

...

At the entrance of Kaoshan Village, Wang Laogen, his back hunched, was crowded forward by several villagers. The fire in his pipe had long since gone out, and his lips were trembling.

"Lord Chen, Chongshan, are you... really leaving this time?"

Chen Mu nodded. Wang Laogen's eyes instantly turned red, his body shook, and he suddenly fell straight to his knees with a thud.

"Lord Chen, this old man knows you must return to the yamen to report back. I don't dare stop you, nor can I, but..."

He crawled forward a few steps on his knees, tears streaming down his face.

"But that beast isn't dead! It will come back. Once you're gone, what will happen to us... to our daughters, our granddaughters..."

He couldn't continue, and suppressed sobs came from the surrounding crowd.

Chen Mu stood in place, silent.

Since he didn't speak, Wang Laogen remained kneeling as if he intended to kneel until his life ended.

Feng Qing remained silent. Shen Suning supported the slightly recovered Ling Xiaoning, turning her face away in pity.

Wan Chongshan looked at the village chief, who was over sixty, then scanned the slowly gathering fellow villagers before looking down at his own black official uniform.

He had fought with his life to pass the exams for the Demon Suppression Division, thinking that by wearing this uniform, he could protect those he wanted to protect.

But Xiao Yuan was still gone; he couldn't even protect his own sister.

Wan Chongshan slowly turned his head toward Chen Mu, cupped his fists, and bowed deeply.

"Brother Chen, I'm not begging you. You have your duties, I understand. I, Wan Chongshan, have been in the Division for ten years and followed the rules for ten years without a single violation."

"Just this once, let me stay. You return to the Division to report; report whatever you must. Just consider... just consider that Wan Chongshan has deserted his post and disobeyed military orders."

"Once I find my sister, I will bind myself and return to the Division to accept whatever beating or punishment comes my way."

After speaking, he actually lifted the hem of his robe and knelt down abruptly, his head striking the ground with a dull thud.

Chen Mu looked down at Wan Chongshan. After a long while, he finally spoke.

"Get up."

Wan Chongshan didn't move.

Chen Mu spoke again.

"Squad Leader Wan, in my capacity as the leader of this mission, I order you to remain stationed at Kaoshan Village."

Wan Chongshan jerked his head up. Chen Mu's voice remained calm.

"The Bat King is injured and won't dare return in the short term. However, monsters hold grudges; it will surely seek revenge once healed. Kaoshan Village cannot be left defenseless."

He took a black iron medallion from his robes.

"Wan Chongshan will remain in the village to lead the local militia in patrols and defense. If the monster strikes again, send someone to report immediately."

"This is Flag-bearer Cheng's command token; I'll leave it in your care for now. I will explain the circumstances myself upon returning to the Division."

Wan Chongshan took the token with both hands and replied in a deep voice.

"Yes, this subordinate obeys your command."

Chen Mu said no more. He mounted his horse and galloped away into the moonlight.

Wang Laogen remained kneeling on the ground, tears streaming as he kowtowed toward the departing figures.

...

The moonlight was like frost. Four riders galloped along the official road, the sound of hooves breaking into a frantic rhythm.

Chen Mu led the way, with Shen Suning following closely behind. Ling Xiaoning was slumped on her back; blood had seeped through his bandages again, but his spirit was much better than in the morning. He remained silent the whole way, lost in thought.

The silhouette of the Demon Suppression Division yamen gradually became clear. The guards at the gate saw it was the Team C party and noted their exhausted expressions. They didn't dare ask questions and quickly let them through. The four dismounted and headed straight for the Demon Hunting Division.

Lights were still burning inside the Demon Hunting Division. Bai Junyi's injuries hadn't healed yet, but he hadn't rested either; he was hunched over his desk reviewing documents. Hearing the hurried footsteps, he looked up to see Chen Mu entering first.

"How did it go?" Bai Junyi set down his brush and stood up.

Chen Mu was concise, recounting everything that had happened over the four days—from the intact doors and windows and the Eight-Character Yin Evil, to the midnight ambush and the Blood Bat night attack, all the way to the Bat King with a human face escaping under the moon, Li Tiezui's only daughter's tragic death, and his own disappearance into madness.

At first, Bai Junyi only listened intently. But when he heard the parts about the "human face and bat body," the "ten-foot wingspan," and "having developed intelligence," his expression changed drastically. He stood up so abruptly he nearly overturned his desk.

"A Human-Faced Blood Bat? Are you certain you didn't see wrong?!"

Chen Mu nodded.

"Dark red wing membranes, a protruding snout, exposed fangs. The head resembled a human's, with high brow ridges and eyes that were pitch black with no whites."

Bai Junyi paced back and forth, his breathing becoming heavy.

"I've seen this thing in the archives before. Fifty years ago, in three counties under the jurisdiction of Jiangling Prefecture, seventeen villagers disappeared in a single night. No one was found alive, and no bodies were recovered. The Division sent three teams of elites to investigate. It took over a month to find their nest in an ancient mountain tomb. Inside that tomb..."

He paused, his voice turning somber.

"It was full of mummified corpses. The seventeen villagers had been drained of blood, their bodies hanging from the cave ceiling like air-dried bacon. The culprits were Human-Faced Blood Bats—and back then, there wasn't just one, but a whole nest of them."