In the Demon Suppression Division: Crimson Words Nurture the Blade, Slaying Demons to Prove the Dao

Upon seeing Jiao Yuxiao, Wei Xuanfeng and the other two immediately tensed up.

"Boss... Boss..." Wei Xuanfeng chuckled awkwardly, "What... what are you doing here..."

"How did I get here?" Jiao Yu stood up, leaning on her knife. She wiped the mud off her face and looked at the three of them with a half-smile. "I ran for half an hour with that jade box, and when I looked back, good heavens, not a single wolf had followed. At first, I thought it was because I was good at light footwork and had left those beasts far behind."

"And then?" Fox Murong asked, blinking.

"And then?" Jiao Yu rolled her eyes at her. "Then the more I thought about it, the more something seemed off. If there really was the aura of the Earth Immortal Spring Lotus in that jade box, the wolf demon wouldn't have left it unattended. I opened the box and, well, there was nothing there!!"

As she said this, her gaze swept across Wei Xuanfeng's face like a knife.

Wei Xuanfeng touched his nose and looked up at the sky.

"Originally...it was just a dried mushroom..."

"Fine, Wei Xuanfeng." Jiao Yu walked up to him step by step, half a head taller than him, staring down at him with a tone that sounded like she was gritting her teeth, "You even dared to lie to your boss, huh?"

"Boss, what I was doing was..."

"That was so I could go first, wasn't it?"

Wei Xuanfeng was taken aback.

Before he could answer, Jiao Yu punched him on the shoulder.

She turned around and glanced at Hu Murong and Wen Shihan one by one, her tone suddenly softening.

"You three arrogant brats, who gave you permission to take the blame for me?"

"Boss, we're not..." Fox Murong grinned.

"Not what?" Jiao Yu interrupted her, her voice slightly choked, "If you all die, how can I live a carefree life for the rest of my days?"

Seeing that her eyes were red, Hu Murong quickly went over and put his arm around her.

"Boss, look at us, we're all alive and kicking! And Old Wei's 'dried mushroom' trick really worked. Those wolf demons chased us all the way, but in the end, they were all taken down by Shi Han's hammer, right, Shi Han?"

Wen Shihan paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Besides, if it weren't for this, we wouldn't have been able to find Sister Embroidery and get the real Earth Immortal Spring Lotus, would we?" Fox Murong added.

When embroidery was mentioned, Jiao Yu's smile faded slightly.

She didn't reply, but simply turned her head to glance at the jade box in Wei Xuanfeng's arms and remained silent for a moment.

Wei Xuanfeng knew he couldn't hide it any longer, so he suppressed his smile and said seriously.

"Boss, Xiuhua is dead."

Jiao Yu's shoulders twitched slightly, but she didn't say anything.

"The villagers of Chenjia Village and the soldiers are all dead," Wei Xuanfeng continued. "Qisha's whereabouts are unknown, and he wasn't among the corpses."

Jiao Yu took a deep breath, closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, her eyes were clear again.

"Let's go. First, let's go back to the Northern Garrison Command and get reinforcements. This is too big of a deal for the four of us."

The four turned to leave when a voice suddenly came from behind them.

"Wait a moment."

A figure emerged from the shadows.

The man was dressed in a flying fish robe, of medium height, and walked with a composed gait.

Stepping into the morning light, a face of about thirty-five or thirty-six years old was revealed, with regular features and an old knife scar on his cheekbone...

It doesn't look fierce; instead, it seems to have a more down-to-earth quality.

"Duan Hai?" Jiao Yu was taken aback at first, then her face lit up with surprise. "What brings you here?"

Wei Xuanfeng also recognized him.

Duan Hai had been in the Northern Garrison for over a decade, making him a veteran under Wu Santong. He was at the peak of the Martial Master realm and possessed unparalleled skill with his swift sword.

Wei Xuanfeng had drunk with him a few times. This man had a loud voice and a loud laugh; he was the kind of sunny, middle-aged man who could "live up the atmosphere as soon as he sat down at the table."

His wife and daughter, in particular, were incredibly beautiful.

Duan Hai strode over, his gaze sweeping over the four people. Only after confirming that no one was seriously injured did he speak.

"Boss Wu was worried, so he sent me to come and help. Make sure we bring the Earth Immortal Spring Lotus back."

Jiao Yu nodded, without suspecting anything.

Duan Hai was one of the fastest light-footed soldiers in the Northern Garrison, so it was perfectly reasonable for Wu Santong to send him to provide backup.

Jiao Yu quickly recounted the events of Xiuhua falling off the cliff, the villagers being wiped out by the swords, and Qi Sha disappearing.

After listening, Duan Hai frowned deeply and remained silent for a long time before speaking.

"Jiao Meiren, I don't doubt you, but I really don't believe Xiuhua would make the decision to send you to your death."

"I have no reason to lie," Jiao Yu said, her tone hardening. "I will tell Boss Wu the truth when I get back."

When the name Wu Santong was mentioned, Jiao Yu's lips involuntarily tightened, and a faint resentment flashed in her eyes.

In her view, the decision to send the four of them to their deaths was made jointly by Wu Santong and Xiuhua.

Now that Xiuhua is dead, the debt is cleared, but she has no intention of settling accounts with Wu Santong yet.

Duan Hai noticed her emotions and sighed softly.

"Jiao Meiren, you've been wronged. I... I don't know what to say, I just hope you won't blame Boss Wu."

"Never mind," Jiao Yu waved her hand. "We'll talk about it when we get back."

Before he could finish speaking, a series of urgent wolf howls came from the mountains behind them, growing louder as they approached. Clearly, the wolves that had been shaken off earlier were catching up again.

"Let's go!" Jiao Yu called out, and the five of them set off at the same time.

As they passed through a dense forest, Duan Hai was noticeably faster than the others.

He ran in the lead, glanced back, and frowned.

"This won't do, you're too slow. Give me the Earth Immortal Spring Lotus, I'll take it back first, you can take your time later."

Jiao Yu did not hesitate.

She knew about Duan Hai's lightness skill. Back then, when the two of them were chasing a wolf demon of the demon general level outside the city, she was panting after running for thirty miles, but Duan Hai could run another thirty miles.

"Xuanfeng, give the jade box to Lao Duan." She turned around and gestured with her chin towards Wei Xuanfeng.

Wei Xuanfeng's lips curled up slightly, a very small movement, like an expression that said, "As expected, they've come."

He reached into his robes, took out the jade box, twirled it between his fingers, and then tossed it away.

"Lord Duan, you've worked hard," he said.

The jade box traced an arc in the air before landing steadily in Duan Hai's arms.

The instant Duan Hai caught it, a glint of light flashed in his eyes...

The light was fleeting, like ripples on the surface of water, but Wei Xuanfeng caught it.

Duan Hai suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Old Duan, shall we go?" Jiao Yu stopped and turned around, frowning.

Duan Hai did not move.

He stood there, weighing the jade box in his hand, his expression suddenly shifting from that of a "sunny uncle" to something indescribable...

The smile on his lips had changed from "seeing a friend" to "seeing prey".

"Jiao Meiren," Duan Hai said, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, "I'm so grateful to you. Without the four of you, I really wouldn't have been able to complete this mission of seizing the Earth Immortal Spring Lotus so smoothly."

Jiao Yu's smile froze on her face: "Old Duan, what do you mean?"

"What he means is..." a voice slowly came from the shadows to the side, "This Earth Immortal Spring Lotus has finally fallen into the hands of our Black Flag."

A figure stepped out from the shadows of the trees.

The moment Wei Xuanfeng saw that face clearly, his pupils contracted sharply.

"Wei Zhaoting!" Wei Xuanfeng blurted out.

The man tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on Wei Xuanfeng, and even carrying a hint of kindness and gentleness.

"Young friend, you've got it wrong. This body was indeed called Wei Zhaoting in life, but I prefer you to call me... Black Flag Mo Lao."

"Black Flag Dog!"

Upon hearing those two words, Jiao Yu instantly flew into a rage. She drew her embroidered spring knife and transformed into a black shadow as she pounced on the attack.

The blade flashed fiercely, carrying the full force of a peak Martial Master, aimed straight for Elder Mo's face.

"when!"

Duan Hai's knife blocked the attack. Sparks flew half a foot high as the two blades collided, and Jiao Yu was knocked back two steps, her wrist going numb.

She stared at Duan Hai, her eyes shifting from shock to disbelief.

"Duan Hai!" Her voice trembled. "You're a fucking Black Flag dog? So many of our brothers died at Black Flag's hands, and you actually serve as their lackey!"

Duan Hai sheathed his sword, the smile on his face faded slightly, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

"Jiao Meiren, there are some things you..."

"You can't talk about ice with a summer insect." Old Mo raised his hand to interrupt him, his tone calm. "Duan Hai, there's no need to waste your breath. Explaining things they can't understand is just a waste of breath."

Old Mo took two steps forward, stood with his hands behind his back, and scanned the four people one by one with his gaze, finally stopping on Wei Xuanfeng and lingering for a moment longer. Then he smiled.

"Ladies and gentlemen, how fortunate you are to witness the birth of a miracle," he said. "However, before we witness it, it would be better if the stage were quiet."

As he finished speaking, a dense cacophony of wolf howls erupted from all directions. Hundreds of emerald green eyes emerged from the shadows of the forest, slowly approaching the five men and surrounding them in the center.

"Boss," Wei Xuanfeng lowered his voice, "that Old Mo can communicate with wolf demons. Back in White Lotus Mountain, it was him..."

Old Mo looked at them with a smile on his face, and then he slowly raised his right hand.

"Young friend, rest assured. More than you, I'd rather these beasts..." His hand slammed down, "...die here!"

A buzzing sound erupted from the depths of the jungle.

A dark mass surged out of the treetops like a tide, converging into a moving curtain in the morning light...

Black water mosquitoes!!

Thousands upon thousands of black water mosquitoes swept towards the wolf pack, blotting out the sky and engulfing the green-eyed wolf demons like dumplings.

Wei Xuanfeng's pupils suddenly dilated.

He saw the fur of the wolf demon at the very front of him collapsing at a visible speed...

His skin became dry and wrinkled, his eye sockets sunken, and his limbs twitched twice. He collapsed to the ground like an empty rice sack.

The wolf demon's claws flared weakly in mid-air, like a drowning person's last few strokes.

Then came the second, the third, the fourth...

The howls of hundreds of wolf demons changed from anger to fear, from fear to weak whimpers, and finally there was no sound at all.

In less than twenty breaths, all the hundred wolf demons withered and died on the ground.

They didn't even have the ability to escape!

Old Mo stood in the morning light, hands behind his back, looking at the dried corpses scattered on the ground, and sighed softly.

"Alright, everything that was in the way has been taken care of... Now..." He took the jade box from Duan Hai, his expression suddenly becoming manic, "Everyone, witness a miracle!"

……