Chapter Forty-One: The Fiery Phoenix Fruit Tree

Recalling what Qing Ruowu had said earlier, Fang Mu began to form a suspicion in his mind. How could things be so coincidental? Qing Ruowu just happened to arrive at that very moment.

Thinking it over carefully, Fang Mu sensed something was off.

At first, he had killed Old Chen and Aunt Wang—both of them were Tricksters, so there was nothing wrong with killing them. The issue was what happened afterward: one exploded into pieces, the other also fragmented. The only evidence proving their identity as Tricksters was the corpse of that bizarre boy that burst out of Aunt Wang’s body, but even that had vanished without a trace.

The most likely explanation for its disappearance was the interference of the mastermind lurking behind the scenes.

Right then, Deng Zheng had arrived, just in time to witness the grisly remains scattered across the ground. He’d immediately assumed Fang Mu had gone on a senseless killing spree.

Just as Fang Mu was about to finish Deng Zheng off, Qing Ruowu appeared.

Luckily, he and Qing Ruowu were acquainted. If it had been someone else, Fang Mu probably would have killed them too without hesitation.

“Setting someone up, sowing discord, killing with a borrowed knife—the mastermind is quite adept at these tricks,” Fang Mu mused, already deducing the other party’s intentions.

Was this reasonable? Since when did villains possess such high intellect? Weren’t those transmigrators in the novels always facing off against idiotic antagonists? Why did things suddenly become so much more complicated for him?

Qing Ruowu seized the opportunity, speaking cautiously, “Fang Mu, put the knife down first. We can talk things out.”

She was genuinely afraid Fang Mu would cut Deng Zheng down without a second thought.

Her previous encounter with Fang Mu, when dealing with the supernatural, had left her with a complicated impression. Outwardly, he seemed amiable, but anyone who thought he was truly harmless would suffer a terrible fate.

At critical moments, Fang Mu was decisive and cold—so long as you didn’t provoke him, you’d be fine. If you did, your end would be miserable.

Simply put, he held grudges.

There was another thing: everything had to go his way. Any attempt to strong-arm him would only backfire.

Fang Mu glanced down at Deng Zheng beneath his foot and shook his head. “I’ve beaten him like this—of course he holds a grudge. How about this: I kill him, and you pretend you saw nothing?”

His foot was already pressing on Deng Zheng’s face. If he let him go now, there was no guarantee Deng Zheng wouldn’t seek revenge later, making trouble behind his back—a pointless nuisance.

“I guarantee it!” Qing Ruowu raised her hand. “I guarantee Deng Zheng won’t seek revenge on you.”

“And what do you have to guarantee that?”

“Uh…”

This question left Qing Ruowu momentarily stunned. Indeed, what could she use as collateral?

“Fang Mu, just let him go,” Qing Ruowu sighed. “If you kill a member of the Skywatch Division, you’ll really be…”

“Who would know?” Fang Mu’s expression gradually calmed, his voice indifferent. “Don’t you agree?”

A formless killing intent shrouded Qing Ruowu, sending a chill through her body.

“You…”

The talisman sword circled protectively around her, forming a tight defense.

In that instant, she keenly felt Fang Mu’s murderous intent. It was directed at her.

Was he planning to kill her too, tying up all loose ends?

But suddenly, the killing intent vanished. Fang Mu removed his foot from Deng Zheng and sheathed his butcher’s knife.

Qing Ruowu was taken aback, not understanding why Fang Mu had suddenly let go when he’d just been brimming with the intent to kill her.

Fang Mu’s gaze was fixed behind her as he said gravely, “The skies have changed.”

Qing Ruowu turned to look as well.

Not far away, in the dark sky, clouds tinged with fiery red could be seen looming.

“Let’s go and see. I won’t kill him for now,” Fang Mu said, narrowing his eyes as he pointed at the distant sky. “Let’s settle this matter first.”

Deng Zheng climbed to his feet, his eyes full of resentment.

“Thinking of making a move?” Fang Mu patted his own face provocatively. “Go ahead—hit me here, as hard as you can. Do you dare?”

Deng Zheng fell silent. He really didn’t dare.

This guy was like a madman.

He’d felt Fang Mu’s murderous intent earlier—he’d actually considered killing them both.

Better to bide his time. Once this affair was over, he’d find a way to report Fang Mu, embellishing the story as needed. The Skywatch Division would deal with him—he wouldn’t have to lift a finger.

“Three decades of the river east, three decades of the river west. Just you wait!” Deng Zheng thought to himself, already plotting to use the Skywatch Division against Fang Mu.

Qing Ruowu exhaled in relief; the crisis had been averted—at least for now.

“Let’s go see,” Fang Mu said, ignoring Deng Zheng’s venomous glare as he pointed toward the crimson clouds in the distance.

Qing Ruowu nodded, about to follow when a thought struck her. She asked, “Just now, you were planning to kill me too. I could feel your murderous intent. But why did you stop?”

“Because the skies changed,” Fang Mu replied without looking back. “I can kill you all anytime I wish. For now, keeping you around might be useful.”

Qing Ruowu was speechless.

They’d fought side by side, and yet he was this cold and ruthless…

There was one thing Fang Mu hadn’t said: now that things had changed, letting this Deng Zheng die another way would be simple enough.

Besides, keeping them alive could serve as a distraction for the mastermind at a crucial moment.

For instance…

Fang Mu touched the item in his pocket, a plan forming in his mind.

First, they’d tried to provoke him and arrest him for no reason. Now, judging by that venomous glare, Deng Zheng was already plotting his revenge.

But once you’ve made an enemy of me, Fang Mu, do you really think I’ll let you get away?

Impossible.

…

The three of them followed the trail of crimson light in the sky. Deng Zheng remained silent the entire way, clearly biding his time.

When they reached their destination, they finally understood the source of the red clouds.

Not far ahead stood a dense grove of trees—fruit trees, their branches heavy with elliptical, dark red fruit that glowed with an intense, fiery light.

The red glow shot skyward, dyeing the heavens scarlet.

“These are the Fire Phoenix Fruit Trees of Meng County,” Qing Ruowu said with a frown, the beauty mark at the corner of her eye faintly visible. “But why are they glowing?”

Fire Phoenix Fruit Trees?

Fang Mu narrowed his eyes, recalling the tree bark from Meng County and the information he’d received from Magistrate Zhang.

This was the root of it all. The mastermind had used the bark of these trees to cultivate Tricksters, resulting in the series of murders.

And the nightmares afterward were still linked to the bark. Now the fruit of these trees shone a brilliant red—tonight would be anything but ordinary.

“Let’s take a look,” Fang Mu decided, heading toward the grove.

Deng Zheng suddenly stepped in front of him, stopping him. “The grove is sinister. We can’t just rush in. We should come up with a plan first.”

“Oh?” Fang Mu asked, clearly entertained. “What do you propose?”

“We have to report this, of course,” Deng Zheng said decisively. “There’s something evil at work here. To play it safe, we should…”

“And let the culprit escape? Or let something worse happen?” Fang Mu drew his butcher’s knife, sneering, “Idiot.”

“You!” Deng Zheng fumed, grinding his teeth. “Just wait—when I report you, the experts will come and deal with you.”

“Fang Mu is right,” Qing Ruowu said, pointing ahead. “We must act immediately.”

Ahead, the red light grew ever more intense, intermingled with terrifying screams.