Tang Bai Li

Chapter 25 The Peculiar Token Hanging at the Waist

The village of Fengqing was extremely quiet that night.

It was because Xu Mu had slapped Li Ancheng in front of Liang Chen.

"Killing him is not necessarily the case."

"You used your left hand just now, right?"

Liang Chen squinted, his gaze contemptuously fixed on Xu Mu's arm.

He wouldn't kill Xu Mu, at most he could cripple him.

Because the laws of Great Xia were quite strict, and there were even anti-weapon decrees for otherworlders. While they couldn't completely restrict them, they still served as a deterrent.

Killing someone in broad daylight would lead to an investigation by the Demon Eradication Division, and he didn't want to court that kind of trouble.

At most... cripple him?

"He deserved it."

Xu Mu looked at Li Ancheng on the ground, his eyes as calm as a deep well, as if he were looking at a dead man.

"But he is my friend, Liang Chen. Did you consider the consequences of your actions?" the young man asked, bringing one hand to his chest and leaning forward slightly.

Xu Mu was growing impatient. If they wanted to fight, they should just fight. Why were these people so indecisive?

"I advise you to mind your own business."

Xu Mu said coldly, then grabbed Li Ancheng by the collar and pulled him up from the ground, like lifting a wild dog that had been run over by a carriage.

"That slap just now was just a warning."

"If I ever hear you say anything disrespectful about Uncle Kui again, I'll kill you and feed you to the dogs."

It was as if a demon was hidden in Xu Mu's eyes. Li Ancheng struggled to breathe, staring at those eyes in terror.

At that moment, he suddenly felt a pang of regret.

...

"You will regret this."

Yellow-grey spiritual energy floated, silently enveloping Liang Chen's opulent robes. He could no longer maintain his composure. The demeanor of a young master was truly beyond him.

He now only wished to punch Xu Mu to death.

Perhaps in the next second.

...

Xu Mu's expression was cold. This was the state of otherworlders nowadays.

For the sake of pride, they could lash out at innocent people without reason, disregarding the laws of Great Xia and casting the anti-weapon decrees aside.

If he were an ordinary person facing this situation today, he would have no choice but to endure humiliation.

A cold wind howled, and the dark energy in the air seemed to thicken. Xu Mu's eyes narrowed slightly. Could the source of pollution have shifted again?

With this thought, he lost any interest in further entanglement with the other party and said impatiently:

"For your own safety, I advise you not to make a move."

"But if you are determined to fight, please hurry up and throw your punch. I'm in a hurry."

Xu Mu stood upright, his hands hanging loosely at his sides, with no intention of drawing his saber.

Liang Chen was an otherworlder who cultivated his physical body, and perhaps Xu Mu could be considered half a practitioner of that as well.

After all, his own physique was already formidable, capable of holding its own against the mutated Feng Tianzhu.

If he went head-to-head with Liang Chen, he would definitely not lose.

...

In Fengqing Village, the villagers gathered in the open space listened to the conversation between the two men, their hearts in their throats.

Were they about to fight at the slightest disagreement?

Zhao Dayong's palms were sweating, and he stared intently at Liang Chen's arms, his heart filled with fear.

He had personally witnessed that terrifying white skeleton being scattered by a single punch from those iron fists, without even a whimper.

Although Xu Mu was also strong, could he defeat Liang Chen?

If he couldn't win, and if Brother Xu were in mortal danger, should he intervene?

Zhao Dayong pondered this, his gaze gradually firming. ...

"Heh heh..."

Liang Chen was so angry he let out a laugh. What did he mean by advising him not to act for his own safety?

Now that he was about to make a move, what could Xu Mu do?

Liang Chen's right arm bulged slightly, and after a moment, his muscles completely filled his sleeve, creating a visually striking effect.

He looked massive, like a gorilla seeking a mate in spring.

Xu Mu stood his ground, calmly waiting for Liang Chen to make the first move.

This way, even if he severely injured the other party afterward, he would still be in the right if reported to the authorities. Xu Mu thought this, completely forgetting that he himself was a member of the Demon Eradication Division.

...

Liang Chen completed his power-up, and spiritual energy surged around them, lifting everyone's robes. But just as he was about to strike in his anger, he suddenly stopped.

Because he seemed to spot a familiar object hanging on Xu Mu's waist.

"Golden nanmu wood, red background with carved characters..."

Upon closer inspection, Liang Chen suddenly realized what it was, and his movements became stiff. His squinted eyes instantly widened to their full extent.

"This is... an Otherworlder's waist token of the Demon Eradication Division!"

Liang Chen was shocked. Why would an Otherworlder's waist token from the Demon Eradication Division be on Xu Mu? Could it be fake?

"No!"

The young man shook his head, immediately dismissing the thought.

In the Domain of Ghost Night, no one dared to forge the waist token of the Demon Eradication Division. It was a crime punishable by the extermination of one's entire clan!

Besides, even if one wanted to fake it, it wouldn't be easy. The Otherworlder's waist token was inscribed with intricate talisman patterns that ordinary people could not replicate.

As an otherworlder working for the Jin Yin Merchant Guild, he often dealt with people from the Demon Eradication Division, so he was very familiar with everything about them. If it were truly a fake, he would have spotted it at a glance, and Liang Chen had that confidence.

But now, a problem arose. Liang Chen's expression turned grim.

If this token was real, then Xu Mu was no longer just a hunter or a night watchman... but an otherworlder, a noble otherworlder from the Demon Eradication Division!

Cold sweat dripped down Liang Chen's back. Xu Mu was so young and had not received training from a monastery; it was impossible for him to become an otherworlder through his own efforts.

There was only one possibility for him to awaken his spiritual power: that Xu Mu had the help of another powerful individual behind him!

Liang Chen's eyes stung as he gazed at the token on Xu Mu's waist, and his mind began to conjure elaborate scenarios.

A young night watchman from a village, with decent talent, then by chance, he was noticed by a high-ranking official of the Demon Eradication Division, who secretly took Xu Mu as a disciple. After awakening his spiritual power, he was naturally recruited into the Demon Eradication Division...

It was as if a current of electricity had passed through Liang Chen's mind. Yes, that was the sequence of events. Xu Mu must have a prominent figure from the Demon Eradication Division behind him!

"It's over... it's over..."

The young man's face turned ashen, as if he had suffered a devastating loss.

His Liang family, backed by the Jin Yin Merchant Association, had been thriving in recent years, and his clan elders even had hope of breaking through to the third stage. Everything was developing in a positive direction, yet at this critical juncture, he had offended a high-ranking official of the Demon Eradication Division!

Liang Chen's arms trembled slightly. The Demon Eradication Division was the force that controlled their very livelihoods.

Which areas were permitted for business, where merchant guilds could be established, the rent for shops, when to open, when to close... and so on. Anything related to business had to be approved by the court.

And the Demon Eradication Division's status within the court was similar to that of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in earlier times.

They were independent of the laws of Great Xia, possessed the power to execute first and report later, and could interfere in almost all matters that officials could manage!

Their Jin Yin Merchant Association paid an annual tribute of silver to the officials of the Demon Eradication Division, which accounted for two-tenths of their total profit. Don't underestimate this two-tenths; it was a astronomical sum, enough to buy half of Unfallen City!

The more Liang Chen thought about it, the more terrified he became. If Xu Mu were to report this matter to the official behind him, and that official were to further trouble the Jin Yin Merchant Association, how much money would the association have to spend to satiate that official's greed?

And after that, how would the association deal with their Liang family?

...