Chapter 2018: Coming Attack

For the current Dragon God, time is more important than money.

In a nearby dark corner, someone whispered, "Shall we make our move now?"

"Yes, quickly, before things get complicated!" Qing Wei murmured. "There are only two people in the target courtyard, and neither is skilled in combat. General Moqi will be here with his men soon, and it will be much harder to fight then."

"Understood!"

Soon after, there were several loud bangs outside, and the sky filled with colors.

Fan Shuang walked into the courtyard, looked up, and said, "They're setting off fireworks."

Miancheng had narrowly escaped death and turned defeat into victory, so the entire city's residents wanted to celebrate properly. Hanging lanterns and decorations was too subdued; firecrackers and fireworks were what truly conveyed joy and liveliness.

Dong Rui rubbed his ears, annoyed. He hated noisy environments the most.

Just then, someone knocked on the door. Fan Shuang opened it to see Tu Shanfang.

He brought Dong Rui a goatskin pouch, which the latter opened to reveal a pile of stiff insect corpses.

"Good, very good." The noise outside prevented Dong Rui from resting, so he decided to use the bag of insect corpses for his research.

The firecracker noise nearby was so loud that all three had to raise their voices.

Fan Shuang immediately said, "Strange, does our Miancheng still have so much fireworks in stock?"

Having been accustomed to inventory checks for the past few dozen days, he instinctively wanted to count supplies.

Though Fan Shuang spoke without thinking, Tu Shanfang listened intently. He promptly said, "You're right. During the siege, gunpowder was scarce, and all the city's fireworks and firecrackers were used up. Where would these come from now? I need to send someone to investigate."

Just as he was about to leave, Dong Rui asked him, "By the way, when you were pursuing Guo Baiyu earlier, did you encounter any 'God Descended'?"

Moqi Liang pursued Guo Baiyu, but Tu Shanfang did not follow; instead, he returned to rescue Miancheng.

"'God Descended'?" This was a new term for Tu Shanfang, but he had some recollection from standing by when Moqi Liang interrogated prisoners earlier. "Are you referring to a God Descended Body?"

"Yes, precisely. Did you encounter one?"

"No," Tu Shanfang replied, relaying Moqi Liang's answer to Dong Rui.

Dong Rui frowned deeply. "If there was a God Descended Body, why didn't Guo Baiyu use her even until her death?"

Tu Shanfang didn't understand what a God Descended Body was and wasn't particularly concerned. "Perhaps she was just an ordinary woman?"

Guo Baiyu had never publicly announced the existence of a God Descended Body, so who could say for certain that the woman was one?

"If she was, and Guo Baiyu didn't use her, it certainly wasn't because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't," Dong Rui's eyes flickered. "Compared to other powerful Golden Flash figures, Guo Baiyu had a greater chance of obtaining a true body. And you said the Commander-in-Chief is also missing; perhaps seeing no hope of victory, he simply took the God Descended Body with him."

"It's not impossible," Tu Shanfang admitted truthfully. "Guo Baiyu's army was routing at the time, and many people deserted along the way. Perhaps they also slipped away amidst the chaos."

If the true God Descended Body was on the run, would it flee back to Yao Land, back to Qing Yang's control?

While Dong Rui pondered, several more fireworks shot into the sky outside. This time, a dozen large ones exploded, with bouquet after bouquet of fireworks bursting open in mid-air, scattering into countless points of light that were even more dazzling than stars.

Such large-scale fireworks were expensive. Could Miancheng really have such a supply? Tu Shanfang immediately said, "I'll send someone to investigate, and I'll also assign a few more guards to Mr. Dong. General Moqi seems to have finished his tasks and will be here shortly."

As he and Fan Shuang were walking out, someone suddenly knocked on the door again.

Knock, knock, knock.

Fan Shuang opened the door to see a girl standing outside, sixteen or seventeen years old, with an unremarkable appearance, holding a food basket.

"What is it?"

The girl smiled and said, "Lunch from the City Hall for Master Wei."

She wasn't pretty, but her smile made her not ugly.

"Give it to me," Fan Shuang naturally reached out to take the food basket. "You've delivered it far enough."

Tu Shanfang, however, stopped him. "Wait a moment. Who from the City Hall sent you to deliver this meal?"

The girl's smile froze slightly. "Ah, it was Master An... An Lirong."

An Lirong was the city's county magistrate, and after Huang Chengqi's death in the line of duty, An Lirong temporarily took over the prefectural affairs.

Tu Shanfang continued to stare at her, suspicion in his eyes. "Why did you address him as 'Mr. Wei'?"

Even the local county magistrate didn't know that Dong Rui had once used the alias "Wei." How could this woman blurt it out?

Fan Shuang, however, didn't grasp his meaning and even tried to explain for her. "During his time in Tianshui City, Mr. Dong used the alias Wei..."

Before he could finish, the girl raised an eyebrow, hurled the food basket at Tu Shanfang, and pushed Fan Shuang aside with her other hand.

She had no patience to tangle with these two mere mortals!

Fan Shuang was truly blocking her way, so she pushed him without mercy, gray light even emanating slightly from her fingertips.

With her strength, if that palm had been pressed against Fan Shuang's chest, it would have caved in at least two inches, shattering his internal organs. Even with just a light push, Fan Shuang would have had no chance of survival.

Tu Shanfang acted the moment he became suspicious, proving half a step quicker than her. With one hand, he pushed Fan Shuang away, while his other hand, a cold glint appearing, swung an axe towards the woman's neck.

Better to strike decisively than to let an enemy escape!

Both of them sought to "push away" Fan Shuang, but one aimed to take a life, while the other sought to save one.

The woman gave a sharp laugh, raised the hand that had missed Fan Shuang, and effortlessly seized Tu Shanfang's axe blade, pulling it back.

Tu Shanfang instantly felt a terrifying force, as if he were a field mouse standing before a giant tree, utterly incapable of moving it.

But he had been fighting for over a decade and knew well that there were always stronger individuals, even gods, beyond human limits. At this moment, he didn't try to reclaim his axe; instead, he retreated while shouting, "Enem...!"

Enemy attack!

Warning them was paramount now, and urging Mr. Dong to escape was the top priority!

A flicker of anger crossed the woman's eyes; she resented him for ruining her plans. She casually grabbed the axe she had just snatched and flung it towards his neck.

In her hands, the axe was transformed. It, too, emitted a faint gray light, and as it spun through the air, its blade expanded by two feet. Anyone struck by it would be instantly decapitated.

Tu Shanfang used every bit of his lifelong training to narrowly dodge this fatal blow, his heart filled with terror.

An expert immediately recognizes skill, and with just one or two moves, he knew he was no match for her.

This woman's strength, reflexes, and speed far surpassed those of cultivators.

No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than he saw her extend her hand and press it forcefully against his chest.

The movement was identical to when she had pushed Fan Shuang earlier. He could barely perceive it, but somehow, his body's reaction speed couldn't match his eyes. Although he intended to block, his hand only rose halfway.

With a loud thud, Tu Shanfang was sent flying ten meters, directly collapsing the woodshed.

He coughed up a large mouthful of blood in mid-air.

Just as Fan Shuang cried out in alarm, the woman suddenly crouched down, placed her hands on the ground, murmured a few words, and a flicker of gray light passed through her eyes.

A point of gray light began to spread from the ground beneath her palms, expanding to a radius of a hundred meters within two or three breaths.

As for Fan Shuang, who had been tossed aside and had no combat ability, she simply ignored him.

At the same time, a faint light shot out from inside the house, flying directly towards the woman's eyes, moving even faster than her.

It was the Bat Demonic Puppet.

Without a doubt, although Tu Shanfang's warning was brief, Dong Rui had heard it!