Chapter Sixty-Eight: Drinking and Leisurely Conversation

Jinglong County—ten days had passed since the last incident. During this period, the official explanation for Yu Youde’s disappearance from Gu Yue Kingdom was his reassignment, and the new county magistrate was said to be hastening his arrival.

Fang Mu had not been idle. He had visited the burial grounds, even wandered through those in neighboring counties, but found nothing unusual. As Qing Ruowu put it, though the uncanny abound, they are not so easily encountered.

Fang Mu pondered that seeking out the uncanny might be easier if he went to the Celestial Observation Bureau, but—no, that was out of the question. The Five Trials alone were enough to make his scalp tingle.

He had a plan in mind, though it was not yet ready for execution; it required further consideration. If successful, it would greatly broaden his avenues for finding the uncanny.

“Meow!”

A Bai leapt from the table onto Fang Mu’s shoulder, rubbing affectionately against him.

“You’re getting heavy.”

Since consuming so many uncanny beings, A Bai had grown steadily, especially after devouring the uncanny form Yu Youde had become. Now, A Bai was larger than a fully grown cat.

Fang Mu grasped A Bai by the scruff, lifting him up and saying sternly, “You aren’t even yellow, so how are you growing so much?”

A Bai scrabbled with his paws, making a feeble plea for mercy.

“From now on, you’re in charge of chores in this house.” Fang Mu set A Bai down, enunciating each word: “Cleaning, dusting, and guarding the home—these are tasks anyone with paws can do.”

A Bai glanced at the broom in the corner and waggled his forepaw as if to say, “I don’t have hands.”

“You are no ordinary cat.” Fang Mu patted A Bai’s head, feigning seriousness. “You must learn to ease your master’s worries and help with household duties—this is what a cat should do.”

A Bai was bewildered, unable to comprehend the connection between being a cat and doing chores.

Fang Mu crouched down, looked A Bai in the eye, and said solemnly, “If you cannot keep your house clean, how can you hope to cleanse the world? If you wish to help me accomplish great things, you must begin with small ones. Think, countless years from now, when you and I stand invincible between heaven and earth, it will be thanks to these humble tasks.”

His words were stirring. With A Bai’s tiny head, understanding was out of reach—but the little beast felt its spirit ignite.

Ignited! Damn!

A Bai dashed into the corner, spewing black mist to lift the broom, darting energetically about the room, working so diligently it bordered on the absurd.

Fang Mu nodded in satisfaction, then turned his gaze to the doorway and tapped the table, saying, “You’ve watched long enough—come in and sit.”

At the door stood a middle-aged man with a long spear slung across his back, his face frozen in bewilderment as he stared at A Bai industriously cleaning. The man was none other than Li Gun, Captain of the Celestial Observation Bureau.

Li Gun was utterly stunned. What had he just seen? A devourer beast—a living, breathing devourer beast stood before him.

That was not the most important thing. The critical point was how rare such creatures were. Anyone who possessed one would cherish it as a treasure, yet Fang Mu… what was he doing? Deceiving it, using the most shameless tactics to make a precious devourer beast clean and guard the house.

What’s more, he’d succeeded. The beast, stirred by Fang Mu’s words, seemed genuinely fired up. The speed and enthusiasm with which it cleaned made one question reality.

Li Gun walked in mechanically, placed his wine jar on the table, and said woodenly, “This is…”

“Good character must be cultivated from an early age,” Fang Mu interjected, glancing at the wine jar. “You’ve been drinking quite a bit lately.”

Li Gun had visited several times over the past days, mostly to drink with Fang Mu.

Li Gun opened the jar, poured a bowl for Fang Mu and one for himself, sighing, “Brother Fang, we've talked at length these days. Drink with me one last time—consider this my farewell.”

“Farewell?” Fang Mu picked up his bowl, pausing at Li Gun’s words and narrowing his eyes.

They had shared much wine, during which Fang Mu had learned a little about Li Gun. His temperament was peculiar—distinctly unconventional.

For instance, when they discussed the incident in the Great Wilderness Village, Li Gun approved of Fang Mu’s refusal to bow to the village chief’s threats, and his plan to take down Qing Ruowu as well.

Li Gun had failed his promotion three times before advancing from case captain to patrol captain, due largely to his unusual character. Fang Mu had once asked, half in jest, if even the inspector general’s promotion had eluded him; unexpectedly, Li Gun had looked embarrassed.

Now, Li Gun had come, mentioning a farewell drink, arousing Fang Mu’s suspicion.

“Brother Fang, we hit it off instantly, but my visit today has two purposes.” Li Gun drank, then continued, “One was to help you out of your predicament—but you resolved it yourself. The second… I’m here to deal with the Five Gods Cult.”

“The Five Gods Cult?” Fang Mu was intrigued by the unfamiliar name. “What is that?”

Li Gun’s face twisted with disdain. “Just a group of uncanny practitioners—a bunch of rats scurrying through the streets.”

That only piqued Fang Mu’s interest.

Li Gun explained, “It’s no secret among mystics. Brother Fang, think—where does Jinglong County sit, at least within Gu Yue Kingdom?”

Fang Mu set the wine jar aside, frowned, “The southwest.”

Jinglong County lay in the southwest, a region of barren land.

“The Five Gods Cult used to be a sizable uncanny practitioners’ group.” Li Gun dipped his finger in wine, sketching on the table. “The southwest is poor, and many uncanny practitioners hide here. The cult recruited many, then brazenly announced itself.”

“So bold?” Fang Mu was taken aback.

Recruiting uncanny practitioners and daring to come out into the open—did they have a death wish?

“Sometimes, geography narrows one’s vision.” Li Gun chuckled. “In barren lands, our bureau’s oversight is lacking, and the Five Gods Cult, like frogs at the bottom of a well, became overly confident.”

Fang Mu stroked his chin. “And what happened?”

“No more,” Li Gun shrugged. “Now just a rabble scattered and fleeing—the cult’s leaders have all been executed. My other purpose here is to wipe out the remnants.

There’s evidence that one leader’s son took some followers and hid in the surrounding area; today, I intend to hunt them down.”

So that’s how it was…

Fang Mu drank, falling into thought.

The Five Gods Cult… uncanny practitioners’ group—how intriguing.