Chapter 18

Qin Shaoyou did not hesitate, immediately lowering his voice and instructing Zhu Xiuzai:

"Go and fetch the flying tiger claws to distribute to everyone. Ask Old Wei who else from the Wu family, besides Wu Benliang, is on this earthen wall and the watchtowers, and have them remember the positions of these people. Be discreet, don't let the Wu family discover you."

Qin Shaoyou's thoughts were simple: whether or not the Wu family was truly problematic, it was always better to be prepared.

The Wu family had already drawn their bows and arrows; they couldn't possibly not have any defenses, right?

One should not have the heart to harm others, but one must also not lack the heart to guard against others!

Zhu Xiuzai confidently replied, "Don't worry, Sir. Concealing my presence is what I'm best at; I definitely won't be discovered by the Wu family."

Qin Shaoyou nodded slightly, then suddenly remembered something and hurriedly instructed, "Without my order, no one is to fire the cloud-piercing arrows."

"Yes!"

Zhu Xiuzai was somewhat surprised but did not ask further. He accepted the order, took two steps back, and hid in the darkness between the flames.

He was indeed well-hidden, making it difficult to spot him.

Seeing this, Qin Shaoyou couldn't help but feel curious.

What did this Zhu Xiuzai do before joining the Demon Suppression Bureau?

Not only could he climb onto roofs and pick locks, but he was also particularly skilled at hiding himself... Could he be the legendary "Old Wang Next Door"? But he doesn't even have the surname Wang.

To divert the Wu family's attention from Zhu Xiuzai, Qin Shaoyou took the initiative to speak:

"Lord Wu, you are too kind. We slay these demons to protect ourselves, but since you want to reward us, we can't refuse and must accept it. Come, everyone, thank Lord Wu for his reward!"

Ma Heshang and the other strongmen cooperated, all saying in unison, "Thank you, Lord Wu!"

"No need to thank us; this is what you deserve, righteous heroes."

Wu Benliang and the Wu family's attention was indeed diverted, completely unaware that Zhu Xiuzai had already stealthily returned to the previous resting place and was quietly searching for equipment.

Qin Shaoyou caught sight of this and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He continued to distract the Wu family with his words, while also testing them again.

"Lord Wu, the people in the pavilion are still in a deep sleep and cannot be awakened. Since the Wu family has items that can counter evil spirits and demonic spells, can you use them to wake them up? I'm afraid if they sleep for too long, their souls might be affected."

Wu Benliang did not rush to respond, instead asking, "I wonder how the righteous heroes managed to wake up from the demonic spell earlier?"

Qin Shaoyou half-truthfully said, "To be honest, we also have a mystical item that can counter the bewitching and hypnotic effects of demons. However, this mystical item has significant side effects and cannot wake up those who have already been hypnotized."

"I see."

Wu Benliang nodded and laughed heartily, "Eat the meat and drink the wine to restore your energy and blood. Our Wu family's mystical item is large and heavy, so it will take some time to bring it over. But rest assured, these people encountered evil in our Wu family stronghold, and we will take full responsibility."

At this moment, the Wu family had already brought the wine, meat, and gold and silver up to the earthen wall.

However, they did not open the gate of the barbican but instead lowered a large bamboo basket from the earthen wall, placing everything inside.

Wu Benliang explained, "We are not distrustful of the righteous heroes, but it is late, and we must consider the safety of our clan. When it is light, I will personally express my gratitude and apologies to all of you."

Qin Shaoyou and his group did not find anything wrong with the Wu family's actions.

After all, they were outsiders who had just killed several demons and puppet corpses, so it was not surprising that the Wu family would be wary of them.

On the contrary, if the Wu family had no wariness at all, Qin Shaoyou would likely have immediately fired the cloud-piercing arrows to call for reinforcements and, despite the darkness, rushed out of the Wu family stronghold.

"Lord Wu, you are too kind."

Qin Shaoyou politely said, leading Ma Heshang a few steps to the bamboo basket. Under Ma Heshang's protection, he peered into the basket and saw that it was indeed filled with fine wine, meat, and gold and silver.

The gold and silver were all gold and silver ingots cast by the Wu family, and the quality looked quite high.

Qin Shaoyou glanced up at Wu Benliang on the earthen wall, thinking: The Wu family is indeed generous, but I wonder if they are truly generous or planning to take it all back with interest later?

Regardless of whether the Wu family was truly generous or not, Qin Shaoyou would not be polite and immediately took out the gold and silver from the basket, distributing it to his subordinates.

Zhu Xiuzai also came over to collect a gold ingot and handed a cloth-wrapped flying tiger claw to Qin Shaoyou.

At this point, Ma Heshang and the other strongmen all had flying tiger claws, some hanging from their waists and others hidden in their robes. With the cloth wrapping and the flickering firelight, the Wu family did not notice anything amiss.

Qin Shaoyou hung the cloth-wrapped flying tiger claw on his waist and gave Zhu Xiuzai a questioning look.

Zhu Xiuzai understood and nodded in response.

Qin Shaoyou felt relieved and, after distributing the gold and silver to all his subordinates, also put two gold ingots in his pocket.

No matter what, he had now saved enough money to visit the Fragrant Breeze Courtyard and the Spring Tower, as well as to treat everyone to a meal in Cat Alley.

Once the mission in Miyan County was over and they returned to Luocheng, he could fulfill his wish to visit the Spring Tower.

He wanted to see the differences between the Spring Tower and high-end clubs.

He also wanted to see if the woman named Ruan Xiangxiang in the Fragrant Breeze Courtyard still made him drool and want to eat her.

As for the wine and meat in the bamboo basket, although they were fragrant and mouth-watering, Qin Shaoyou did not distribute them.

Among the mystical items he had taken from the Spirit Item Room of the Luocheng Demon Suppression Bureau was one numbered Yellow 27, a僵虫 (stiff worm).

This stiff worm looked like a young silkworm and was a living creature, but most of the time, it remained motionless, as if dead.

However, when it encountered toxic substances, it would instantly come out of its state of apparent death and wriggle away from the toxic substances.

When distributing the gold and silver, Qin Shaoyou had placed the stiff worm in the bamboo basket. The stiff worm immediately woke up and tried to escape.

The wine was good wine, and the meat was good meat, but they were all poisoned!

Seeing this, Qin Shaoyou confirmed that the Wu family indeed had issues.

All their talk of righteousness and benevolence was just a facade; they were a pack of wolves in sheep's clothing!

The man-eating demons were likely in league with them!

The attacks on merchant caravans in the Luocheng area might not have been the work of bandits and demons but were likely related to the Wu family!

Just like today, the demons attacking them.

The Wu family and the demons each got what they wanted, which is why they could grow stronger and, in just a few decades, transform from a poor, small village of the same surname into a powerful local force.

Qin Shaoyou's mind raced, deducing many things.

He also secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon discovering the poison in the wine and meat.

Since the Wu family resorted to poisoning, it showed they lacked confidence.

Wu Benliang on the earthen wall, unaware that his poisoning had been exposed, continued to act kindly, urging them:

"Righteous heroes, you have worked hard slaying demons. Quickly eat some wine and meat to replenish your energy. If it's not enough, we have more."

"We won't eat the wine and meat."

As Qin Shaoyou said this, he took out a mirage pearl from his pocket and threw it onto the bodies of the slain demons.

The demons' blood had not yet fully drained, and the moment the mirage pearl landed, it began to absorb the blood.

At the same time, a mist was released by the mirage pearl. Initially, the mist was not much, and the night was dark, so the Wu family did not notice this anomaly.

However, Zhu Xiuzai and Ma Heshang and the others did see it.

Their spirits immediately tensed, and their eyes locked onto the important figures of the Wu family on the earthen wall and the watchtowers.

"Why not eat?"

Wu Benliang's face darkened, his expression sinister and threatening in the flickering torchlight.

Qin Shaoyou did not answer Wu Benliang's question.

The mist released by the mirage pearl had already enveloped a large area of the open ground.

The mist was thick, obscuring vision, making it impossible for the Wu family and Qin Shaoyou's group to see each other.

"Attack!"

Qin Shaoyou surprisingly did not fire the cloud-piercing arrows. He gave the order, tore off the cloth wrapping the flying tiger claw, and rushed to the base of the earthen wall, throwing the flying tiger claw toward the direction where Wu Benliang was.

"Kill!"

In the thick mist, the voices of Ma Heshang, Zhu Xiuzai, and the other strongmen echoed in unison.

The sound of flying tiger claws being thrown and the whistling of arrows being fired from powerful bows turned the once-quiet Wu family stronghold into a fierce battlefield once again.