Lu Zheng glanced at Yuan Jing.
Yuan Jing nodded, “The scorpion demon’s cultivation isn’t high. Junior Brother, just block her path to the east, I’ll handle the southwest.”
Hearing the demon’s cultivation was low and his role was merely to support and prevent escape, Lu Zheng felt reassured.
In truth, when the Anomaly Office came calling, unless it was particularly dangerous, Lu Zheng didn’t want to refuse, especially since he needed qi luck to enhance his *Five Curses Technique* and *Binding Curse*.
Wasn’t this task perfectly timed?
If his involvement led to the demon’s defeat, wouldn’t the qi luck released upon her death be his to claim?
Hmm, how much would assisting yield? Duan Changzai and Yuan Jing didn’t need it, and with his mind’s jade seal being so effective, he might get it all… right?
Snapping back to the moment, Lu Zheng clasped his fists righteously, “Since Lord Duan asks, I’m duty-bound to help.”
Duan Changzai nodded, satisfied, “Then we move tonight at the hour of Hai. If Young Master Lu has preparations to make, now’s the time.”
“Alright.”
Lu Zheng nodded, then asked, “Where’s the scorpion demon hiding?”
“Spring Breeze Tower!”
Well, that was certainly a fitting place to drain men’s yang energy.
…
Yuan Jing and Duan Changzai stayed, meditating in the guest room.
Lu Zheng returned to his bedroom, crossed to the modern world, and grabbed a new batch of Frost Talismans from the fridge, a potent weapon against demons.
Could these freezing talismans stop the scorpion demon?
He crossed back, donned a Da Jing dynasty night outfit, and packed various talismans—peace, exorcism, and swift movement.
Finally, he equipped two patterned steel Xiuchun blades, one on his back, one at his waist.
Preparations done in under half an hour.
Looking up, the sky was still light.
Lu Zheng, “…”
He removed the blades and went to arrange extra food for dinner, knowing Duan Changzai, with his calloused hands, was a martial arts master with a big appetite.
On the way, he ran into Yuan Jing, who asked with a strange look, “Junior Brother, why are you in a night outfit?”
“Isn’t this for tonight’s mission?”
“We’re catching a demon, not sneaking around like thieves. Change back!”
“Fine.”
Damn, so embarrassing… TV dramas are misleading!
…
At the start of the Hai hour, the three set out, soon arriving at Fragrance Street in the south of the city.
Fragrance Street wasn’t a single road but a district, with shops selling cosmetics, dresses, undergarments, and virility drugs, alongside venues for illicit affairs.
The most famous was Spring Breeze Tower.
By now, night had deepened, and while the rest of the city was quiet, Fragrance Street, though less crowded, was alive with lit buildings, clinking glasses, and the sounds of singing and dancing.
Spring Breeze Tower, a five-storey U-shaped building at the district’s heart, was one of Tonglin County’s grandest structures.
“First Yuling Garden, now Spring Breeze Tower. The entertainment industry really rakes it in!” Lu Zheng remarked.
He looked at Duan Changzai and Yuan Jing, “What’s the plan, charge in?”
Duan Changzai glanced around, where constables were already emerging from the shadows.
“I’ll go in, you two cover me.”
As he spoke, Duan Changzai headed toward the tower, stepping out of the darkness, his qi and blood restrained, poised but unspent.
Yuan Jing moved west, and Lu Zheng slowly headed east.
…
Lu Zheng leapt onto a nearby rooftop, standing against the wind, exuding the air of an ancient hero.
The next moment…
*Bang!*
A loud crash. Lu Zheng focused and saw a window on the fifth floor of Spring Breeze Tower shatter, a figure darting out, heading south.
Fragrance Street was in the city’s south, the fastest route to escape.
Behind the figure, Duan Changzai burst through the window, stomped on the building, and shot forward like a cannonball.
But the figure twisted and glided in mid-air, dodging Duan Changzai’s sudden punch, landing on a nearby rooftop, weaving like a snake, moving at lightning speed.
Then, Yuan Jing, boosted by a Swift Movement Talisman, blocked the figure’s path.
“Taiqing Edict! Exorcise Evil! Now!”
Yuan Jing formed a hand seal, and a green talisman appeared, like a stamp about to mark the figure.
Lu Zheng’s eyes lit up—this was the advanced Exorcism Curse, very impressive.
“Filthy Taoist, get lost!”
A hoarse voice rang out. The figure paused, and a black, whip-like thing emerged from her shadow, bypassing the curse and striking Yuan Jing.
*Clang!*
Yuan Jing, too close, took the hit. A yellow light flared on him, but the whip sent him crashing off the rooftop with a thud.
“Ghost python!” Duan Changzai shouted from behind, “No wonder you’re draining yang energy—you’re trying to birth a ghost python!”
“Hee hee!”
The scorpion demon paused, giggled, and fled at high speed.
That brief stop gave Duan Changzai a chance to catch up. He stomped on the roof, lunged forward, and thrust a short spear at her back.
The demon twisted, dodging the spear, and continued her escape.
Lu Zheng leapt forward, not to chase the demon but to check on Yuan Jing.
“Senior Brother, you alright?”
“Got careless!” Yuan Jing sat against a wall, clutching his lower back, blood at his lips. “Didn’t expect her to have a ghost python. Caught me off guard.”
Lu Zheng blinked, the scene feeling oddly familiar.
Yuan Jing pointed upward, “I’m fine, protected by the Golden Light Curse, just a minor injury. Chase the demon, I’ll catch up.”
“Alright.”
Lu Zheng nodded, looking up to see the demon dodge another of Duan Changzai’s spear thrusts, heading south.
With a leap, Lu Zheng closed in just below her.
“Go!”
Three Frost Talismans turned into white beams, shooting at the demon.
She twisted, and Lu Zheng adjusted the talismans with his Transport Technique.
She dodged two but was hit by one under her skirt.
“Ah—”
The icy chill hit, and the demon shivered, turning to glare at Lu Zheng.
Lu Zheng looked up, meeting her eyes.
His gaze sharpened, heart skipping a beat. He knew this scorpion demon—it was Ningyu, the woman he met buying jewellery before the Qiqiao Festival.
