Immortals and Demons Forever

Chapter 21: The Supervision Team

Tang Kuan slunk away. Guo Yan shot a grateful glance at Su Mu. “Brother Mu, I can’t help you with this one. You’re on your own.” “Rather than sitting back and taking a beating, I’d rather strike first. I’d already made preparations before coming here.” “Impressive, impressive. You’ve really stirred up a hornet’s nest this time. I’m afraid you’re in for a rough night.” “The long night holds no sleep for me—I’ll just wait it out.” The others refused to say a single word to Su Mu and didn’t even enter the room; each of them was on edge, still worried that Su Mu might drag them down with him. Su Mu returned to his room, threw open all the windows, and split a wooden plank bed in two with a single palm strike. He then spent a little time crafting a staff. His fists were far harder than the wooden staff, but he needed it mainly because he’d mastered a staff-fighting technique that allowed him to take on multiple opponents at once—suitable for both offense and defense. Plus, the staff gave him a longer range of attack, which would definitely come in handy if anyone came looking for revenge tonight. After all, he lived here alone, so he might as well use this free time to be better prepared. In a small three-story building on the west side of the camp, heavy panting could be heard from inside a room. “Bro Hammer, you’re getting better and better.” “Little Fox, you’re going to wear me out. Sooner or later, I’m going to die at the hands of a woman.” The burly man, with his plump face and large ears, was as strong as a bear. He was the local tyrant, the foreman Song Dachui. He didn’t have to do any hard or exhausting labor himself; his main job was to supervise others in turning in the required monthly quota of Source Stones. Since most of the people who came here were troublemakers who had committed offenses or broken the rules, they needed a tough guy like him to keep them in line—a case of fighting fire with fire. Previously, Inner Sect members had been put in charge, but that led to numerous incidents of theft, hoarding of Source Stones, and brawls. Those with high cultivation levels aren’t necessarily skilled at management, whereas he was well-versed in the ins and outs of this place. He’s seen it all—many of the underhanded tricks have already been played out. He’s been here for three years now, after spending six years in the Outer Sect. “Bro Hammer, it’s been a while since you’ve given anyone a gift.” Song Dachui wrapped his large hand around the woman’s slender waist. “I’ll give you one today! A group from the Outer Sect is coming over, and they’ll be bringing some gifts as a token of respect. Pick whatever you like!” The woman happily planted two kisses on his cheek and reached out to caress Song Dachui; she knew exactly how to please a man. Song Dachui rolled over and pinned the woman beneath him once more. “We’ve got plenty of time tonight. Just wait and see how I’m going to take care of you, hehe!” Doubtful women weren’t allowed to wander into the camp, but Song Dachui’s status was exceptional—he was permitted to keep a mistress. Suddenly, a deep voice rang out from the doorway, “Brother Chui, is the battle over yet? Kuanzi should be back any minute.” “Damn it, you really picked the worst time to show up. This little vixen just got me all worked up. Oh well, let’s stick to the old rules for the first night. Have the other brothers all arrived yet?” “Most of them are here.” “Let’s go check out what’s good over there, and then we’ll figure out who in this batch needs a good beating.” Before long, Song Dachui came out, fully dressed. Standing at the door was a tall, thin man with a hooked nose—one of his right-hand men named Cao Shang. He was the first person Song Dachui had met shortly after being exiled to this place—a man of mediocre ability but full of devious schemes. When the two reached the ground floor, five people were already seated in the living room—all members of the Supervision Team he had assembled. A few others were working hard down in the mine shafts; those who stayed at the camp all day and only went down to inspect the mine every now and then were Song Dachui’s absolute confidants. A big guy with a scar at the corner of his eye chuckled, “Boss, your step seems a little unsteady—you must’ve been going a bit too hard. You’d better take care of yourself. I’ve got some special tonics to restore your strength; want me to bring you a bottle?” “Erhu, go to hell! I’m as tough as a diamond. Don’t believe me? Ask Old Shang—he must’ve heard that slut’s moans right at the door. She begged for mercy from start to finish.” Erhu was Song Dachui’s right-hand man; together with Cao Shang—one scholarly, one martial—he was the top enforcer under Song Dachui’s command. The others burst out laughing. When this group of guys got together, their conversation was always this crude and direct—teasing and ribbing each other—which showed just how close they were. The others all had names in the same style—Sun Datou, Ergou, and the like. Song Dachui’s name was incredibly tacky; if it had been anything elegant, he would’ve been mocked by them. Some people even called him by his nickname. “I heard that among the people who came this time, there’s one with quite the background—a former inner-door disciple and a top student of Elder Qingsong. He’s come over to our side too,” Cao Shang said. “Oh? That’s quite the background. Old Shang, who is he?” “His name is Su Mu. He’s Cheng Yao’s junior brother. I hear he’s been making quite a splash in the Outer Sect lately.” “So he’s the junior brother of that little beauty, Cheng Yao? Damn it, back when I was ruling the roost in the Outer Sect, I was wandering around one day and ran into a pretty little junior sister. I’d never seen such a gorgeous girl in my whole life. I was itching to go over and flirt with her, but that little vixen was a real tough nut to crack. I’m not afraid to admit this in front of you guys—she beat the crap out of me right then and there,It wasn’t until later that I found out her name was Cheng Yao. She’d been at the sect for less than half a month—a disciple of that old man Qingsong, with a prestigious family background. I’ve long since forgotten most of the people in the sect, but that little beauty is still fresh in my memory to this day.” Erhu chuckled, “How does she compare to that little vixen upstairs?” Song Dachui spat on the ground. “Compared to Cheng Yao, she’s not even worth a single toe of hers. If I could spend one night of pure ecstasy with her, it’d be fucking worth losing ten years of my life!” Cao Shang gave a half-smile, half-sneer. “Rumor has it that Cheng Yao and her little junior brother are getting pretty cozy.” “Holy shit, he’s gotta be some pretty-boy, right? Does that kid really have that kind of luck? Pretty-boys are the last thing I’d ever want in my life!” Sun Datou spoke bluntly, “Now that he’s stepped onto our turf, it wouldn’t make sense not to teach him a lesson. “Well… let’s wait and see. If we take him down here and he goes back to snitch, and if Cheng Yao decides to make a big deal out of it, she could get me fired as foreman with a single word. Send someone over tomorrow to invite him over—tell him I’m inviting him out for a drink.” “Boss, come on—is it really necessary? Are we giving him that much face?” “People with connections aren’t to be messed with. If he really is that little bitch Cheng Yao’s boyfriend, I’ll have to think twice before I lay a finger on him.” No sooner had Song Dachui finished speaking than Tang Kuan walked in, blood in his hair, his clothes still soaking wet, his face bruised and swollen—looking as pitiful as could be—carrying a bag in his hand.