Chapter Ninety-One: The Assassin of Red Moon City

I am done with small talk. Let me explain tonight’s assignment.

Liu Shiyu eased off the accelerator. “You have a vampire’s sense of smell. You should be able to tell whether there’s a monster’s scent within a few hundred meters, right?”

“Of course. You want to use my nose to find the target?”

“More or less. Tonight’s target is a little special.”

Liu Shiyu told him about the mission. “Recently, a group of strangely behaving demons has appeared in Winterfall City. After an investigation by the intelligence division, it was discovered that these odd creatures came from Crimson Moon City.”

“Demons from Crimson Moon City?”

Cheng Feng frowned slightly. So it was Crimson Moon City again. That demon kingdom had been stirring up trouble nonstop lately.

“As the city lord, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, Tamamo Yukihime, has long had Winterfall City in her sights. That’s common knowledge,” Liu Shiyu went on. “At a time like this, with demons from Crimson Moon City suddenly appearing in Winterfall City, it’s not hard to guess what they want.”

“The Disaster Association believes those demons that infiltrated the city came as spies, to secretly steal information about human combat strength so they can gain an intelligence advantage for the war to come.”

Cheng Feng froze. Infiltrating the city to steal combat intelligence? Then those demons were practically walking traitors.

Liu Shiyu continued, “The infiltrators were all eliminated over the past two days. Only one rat remains. It’s extremely cunning and impossible to catch. That’s why I wanted to rely on your sense of smell to find it…”

“Wait a second!”

Cheng Feng suddenly realized something. “Liu Shiyu, maybe those demons from Crimson Moon City didn’t infiltrate Winterfall City to steal human combat intelligence. Maybe they came to kill Xueju.”

He remembered what Xueju had said last night.

Tamamo Yukihime had long since vanished without a trace, and Crimson Moon City had already changed hands. Her son, Onikiryu, had forcibly seized the throne.

Earlier, Onikiryu had sent a small band of pursuers, assassins who infiltrated Winterfall City for one purpose only: to kill Xueju, who had fled here, and keep her from telling Black Yasha about the coup in Crimson Moon City.

Black Yasha was the fourth Abyssal One, terrifyingly powerful, and once a close friend of Tamamo Yukihime. He had enjoyed immense prestige in Crimson Moon City.

If she returned with Xueju, there was a high chance it would threaten Onikiryu’s claim to the throne.

A few days ago, Cheng Feng had already killed the ghoul assassin who had followed him home.

It seemed Onikiryu was worried Xueju was still alive, so he had sent out another wave of pursuers to cross the sea in secret.

“Those demons aren’t here to steal intelligence. They’re here to kill that cat demon?”

Liu Shiyu frowned. “Is the information reliable?”

Cheng Feng said with certainty, “Absolutely. Xueju has been staying at my place these past few days. She told me about it herself. It can’t be wrong.”

“Then sense where that assassin is now.”

“Mm.”

Cheng Feng closed his eyes and activated the vampire’s sense of smell. Immediately, countless scents flooded his senses.

Very soon, from one direction, he caught the strong stench of a demon. Cheng Feng snapped his eyes open. “Found it. That bastard is moving fast, to the east, about seven hundred meters away.”

“Good.”

Liu Shiyu turned the wheel and drove toward the indicated direction.

Cheng Feng suddenly stiffened. He not only smelled that monster’s scent, but also another demon’s presence—an all too familiar cat scent.

No mistake. It was Xueju!

From the distance between their scents, he could tell the two were not far apart, and both were moving at the same time.

Cheng Feng quickly judged that the demon was pursuing Xueju.

He had clearly told her not to go out at night, yet she had still slipped away. She must have gone to look for Black Yasha’s whereabouts again, never expecting to be tracked by a pursuer.

This was bad.

After all, Xueju had been staying at Cheng Feng’s home for several days already, washing clothes, cooking, tidying the house, chatting with him every day, and even taking her cat form at night to sleep beside him.

Naturally, Cheng Feng had developed some feelings for her and did not want anything to happen to her.

More than that, if Xueju died, Onikiryu would face no more obstacles and would secure his throne soon after.

Cheng Feng did not want that either, because once that warmonger successfully became the city lord of Crimson Moon City, he would lead the demon army in an invasion of Winterfall City.

At that point, war would be unavoidable.

Cheng Feng had never expected Xueju to become the key to the entire battle. In that case, she had to live.

Drawing in a light breath, Cheng Feng tracked the distance between the two monsters and urged, “Liu Shiyu, go faster.”

“But there’s a red light ahead…”

“…”

Time rewound to a few minutes earlier.

Under the night sky, moonlight spilled down, draping the prosperous and beautiful Winterfall City in a thin silver veil.

The night market glittered with stars and lights, and crowds surged through the streets.

A girl in a little white dress was walking along a commercial avenue.

Her short white hair, azure eyes, and exceptionally adorable face made Xueju stand out conspicuously on the street.

As for her unusual hair and eye color, people assumed she was just dressed up for cosplay and did not pay it much mind.

There happened to be an anime convention nearby, and it was common enough to see people on the street dressed as all kinds of anime characters.

Xueju was holding a bone pendant in her hand, wandering around in confusion. The pendant was Black Yasha’s token. By sensing it, she could locate Black Yasha’s position.

However, when she reached the area near a maid cafe on this commercial street, the sensation vanished, as if blocked by some barrier or ward, leaving her with no way to continue the search.

Xueju looked no more than sixteen, and since she was out walking alone at night, it did not take long before several shady delinquents approached her.

“Hey there, little cutie. What are you looking for? Maybe this uncle can help you.”

“Ah.” Xueju looked utterly innocent. “Mister, do you know Black Yasha?”

The other party was dumbfounded. “Huh? What the hell is that?”

“You don’t know him? Then never mind.”

Xueju turned and walked away.

“Hey, wait a second, little girl.”

Not far away, atop a tall building, a pair of eerie green eyes glowed in the darkness.

A black figure wearing a dark cloak and metal claws embedded in both arms stood on the roof, gazing out over the endless city, its eyes shimmering with a ghostly green light.

It was Joyce, the assassin dispatched by Crimson Moon City.

Its true form was the werewolf of Western legend, an advanced monster and one of the immortal species.

Under the full moon, its power would increase dramatically, and demon hunters below the elite rank were no match for it at all.

Joyce fixed its gaze on a certain direction below. Its eyes crossed a short distance and, amid the vast sea of people, found the long-sought figure in the white dress.

A cruel smile split its lips. “At last, I’ve found you, little kitty.”