Chapter Thirty-One: The Wolf Demon

Under the shroud of night, the southern district of Tongyang City was a dense cluster of marketplaces. Qingyun Ward was the most bustling of them all, its main street flanked by an array of pleasure houses, brothels, and entertainment venues. Looking up, one could see ornate buildings with carved beams and painted rafters, where colorful silk lanterns swayed, casting an ambiguous, hazy glow. Heavily made-up women leaned against the railings, smiling coyly as the soft, lingering sounds of string and bamboo instruments drifted out, stirring the imagination.

But at this moment, this scene of decadent indulgence was shattered.

Dozens of Demon Slayers clad in black official robes first sealed off every intersection, then a group of them charged into Qingyun Ward, initiating a chaotic and disruptive search. Inside the brothel, both the patrons and the courtesans were stunned; a prominent, high-ranking official, whose romantic evening had been rudely interrupted, could not help but curse loudly, "Damn it! Who let you in? Get out, now!"

From the doorway came a robust and commanding voice: "I did."

The man frowned and looked over to see a burly, bear-like man pushing through the door, followed by three others. The patron on the bed was instantly struck dumb. He scrambled off the mattress; though he was clearly over fifty, his speed was more agile than that of a young man. He stood before the newcomer with a look of reverence and spoke in a gentle, deferential tone, "I am blind to true greatness. Greetings, Lord Chu."

Chu Yang stared at the man with a playful, enigmatic gaze, remaining silent. The man, who was bare-chested, began to feel unsettled under that piercing stare, his heart rate gradually quickening. After a long pause, Chu Yang finally spoke, "Lord Yang, at your age, you certainly have quite the adventurous taste."

Lord Yang gave a sheepish smile and promised with a tone of grave sincerity, "Lord Chu, you must believe your humble subordinate; this is truly my first time in a place like this."

Chu Yang rolled his eyes. "I’d sooner believe in ghosts."

On the bed, a delicate young woman wrapped in a quilt was turning her head away. However, ever since they had entered the room, the gaze of the young man in a green shirt behind Chu Yang had been fixed upon her as if glued, not shifting for even an instant. Pierced by that stare, which felt as sharp as a blade, the woman’s body trembled slightly, her expression one of even greater indignation than if she had been molested. Suddenly, she whipped her head around toward him. "Young master, what is the meaning of staring at me like this?"

The next moment, the man in the green shirt said nothing. With a wide sweep of his sleeves, eighteen talismans drifted out, attacking the woman from all directions. The woman on the bed was inwardly startled, but her movements were swift; she cast aside the quilt she was wrapped in. A radiant light shimmered around her, and in an instant, she was clad in an elegant, plain dress.

The quilt was shredded by the talismans, which circled her at six different points. Before the woman could retaliate, the talismans suddenly connected, erupting in a brilliant light. A cage shimmering with golden lightning took form—the Six Harmonies Array of Heaven and Earth. Ever since breaking through to the Qi Sea Realm, Gu Xian could use this formation at will against opponents of lower cultivation.

It all happened in the blink of an eye, so fast that Lord Yang had not yet realized that the courtesan he had been intimate with just moments ago was now being suppressed by immortal techniques. Seeing him standing there in a daze, Chu Yang gave his shoulder a heavy, rough pat, causing the official, who rarely practiced martial arts, to stagger.

Chu Yang smiled, yet his eyes remained cold. "Lord Yang, you are in big trouble."

Lord Yang turned his head in a hurry, only to witness the most heart-wrenching sight of his life. Inside the cage on the bed, the woman’s expression had turned fierce and vicious, a complete transformation from her earlier tenderness. Under the watchful eyes of those present, she shed her human form, shifting into a white wolf half a zhang tall. Demonic energy billowed from her body, and cold, murderous light shot from her eyes as she clawed incessantly at the cage.

Gu Xian’s thoughts shifted, and streaks of golden lightning flickered across the cage, lashing out like whips against the wolf demon. The demon let out a shrill cry, but the murderous intent in her eyes only intensified as she tore at the cage with renewed desperation. The room echoed with incessant, explosive sounds as the golden arcs of lightning from the cage rained down without restraint, tearing the wolf’s skin and flesh, drawing out continuous, agonizing screams.

The murderous light in her eyes faded significantly, and she curled up, not daring to make another move. Lord Yang, witnessing this, felt his heart hammering against his ribs. His eyes grew vacant and dull, and he muttered to himself, "It’s over... everything is over."

As soon as he finished speaking, he lost consciousness and collapsed heavily to the floor. He was merely a sixth-rank official in the commandery government, whose only hobby was visiting pleasure houses; he had never expected to become entangled with the demon race, and with the Demon Slayer Division involved, his career was finished. Chu Yang felt no sympathy and simply ordered his subordinates to drag the man away. Then, Gu Xian and the others walked up to the cage and looked down at her.

The young man in the green shirt spoke with indifference, "I ask, you answer. If you dare to hide even a shred of truth, you will have your fill of suffering."

The wolf demon, her body covered in wounds, was curled up tremblingly in the cage. Hearing the young man’s words, she hurriedly shifted back into human form and nodded like a bird pecking at grain. "Young master, please speak. I will tell you everything I know, without reserve."

Gu Xian nodded in satisfaction. "Many young boys and girls have gone missing in the city recently. Does this matter have anything to do with you?"

The woman struggled for a moment, but finally shook her head slightly, her expression appearing sincere. "Young master, I truly do not know about that."

Gu Xian had been observing her expressions closely. With a flick of his mind, a dozen more arcs of lightning descended. The wolf demon hurriedly channeled her demonic energy to resist, but the golden lightning was overwhelmingly powerful, shattering her defenses and striking her body with thunderous explosions. Gu Xian remained unmoved by the screams of the beautiful woman inside the cage.

As the lightning dissipated, the wolf demon lay on the verge of death. "I will ask one more time: does this have anything to do with you?"

The woman’s eyes grew dim, and she nodded slightly, her face filled with pleading. "Young master, please spare my life. If I reveal who that person is, even if you don't kill me, I won't live much longer."

The man in the green shirt frowned. "Did that person leave a curse on you, or is there someone else behind them who will seek revenge?"

Hearing this, the woman’s pleading intensified. With tears in her eyes, she begged, "Don't ask... please, I beg you, don't ask any more."

Just then, her complexion changed drastically. Her breathing became rapid, her eyes turned bloodshot, and she reached out toward Gu Xian. "Save... save me."

Gu Xian quickly withdrew the Six Harmonies Array and leaned in close. The woman’s aura was fading, and she whispered intermittently, "Peach... Blossom Alley."

Before she could finish, her arm dropped to the side of the bed, and she spat out a mouthful of dark, black blood, her breath ceasing entirely. Gu Xian stood up and shook his head at the others.

"What is that?" Yang Mao suddenly pointed at the corpse and exclaimed.