In the air,
Huangfu Jun maintained her bow-drawing posture, her clothes rustling in the wind. Behind her, a massive phantom mirrored her movements: a robust, muscular archer in a long shirt and leopard-skin skirt, his eyes like lightning, looking down at the nine-headed demon on the ground.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" The nine arrows shot through the sky like a string of stars, trailing long flames that burned everything in their path, hurtling toward the target with overwhelming force.
"Yi!!" The moment Hei Zhe saw the phantom of Hou Yi, he was terrified, his bones softening and his body freezing. He could only stare blankly as the arrows, with unstoppable force, pierced through all nine of his heads. Most of the arrow shafts sank into his skulls, pinning them to the ground. The arrow tails trembled slightly. A foul, bloody mist erupted as Jiuying's body crashed to the ground.
Several supervisors failed to dodge in time and were drenched in the blood mist. Their clothes were mostly corroded by the tainted blood, and their exposed skin sizzled. The worst case had his face melting like a candle, features blurring into a bloody mess. Sharp screams of pain abruptly stopped as the tainted blood poured into their mouths.
Everyone was horrified. Jin Hu quickly cast a spell, summoning six more tigers, who leaped toward his subordinates with golden shields.
Bai Lin also quickly exhaled a burst of cold air, freezing the blood mist into tiny ice crystals that fell to the ground.
When he looked up again, Huangfu Jun, glowing with dazzling golden light in midair, looked down at him. Her eyes were filled with deep nostalgia and joy at reunion. She murmured, "Bai Bai..." then her eyes closed as she fainted, falling straight down.
Seeing her lips form those words, Bai Lin's body trembled violently. Before he could respond, she was already falling. He quickly flew up to catch her, his large hand brushing over her face, his thumb rubbing her pale lower lip until it turned red.
"You finally... remember me?" His voice quivered. He hugged her soft body close, burying his face in the hollow of her neck. His heart felt like it was being washed by wave after wave, and his whole body trembled slightly.
Jin Hu, who was busy treating his subordinates, turned and almost spat blood at the sight. "Captain Bai! My big brother Bai! Can you two get cozy after we get back?! Save people first!!! My bros' lives are also lives, ah!!!"
...
The supervisors corroded by snake venom lay on the ground like fragile maidens, vomiting copious amounts of black blood under Jin Hu and Bai Lin's emergency treatments. Jin Hu bustled around, muttering, "Ay, ay, there's only so much blood, Old Seven, save some. Old Third, stop tearing your clothes! Sigh! You're pulling off flesh. Fifth, hold Fourth's hands, don't let him scratch his face and neck—it's already a mess. Aiyah, brothers, hold on, I'll take you back now. Those with lighter injuries, help the heavily injured. Take everyone back to the Supervision Bureau!"
After saying that, he activated his half-demon power. Several lightly wounded or uninjured supervisors also cast their spells, some transforming into flying fish, some into birds, and one even into a wild boar. They carried, hoisted, or bit the injured supervisors and transported them back to the Supervision Bureau.
Without resting, Jin Hu first recalled his tigers and then flew to where Jiuying had fallen. But he only saw the corpses of the nine snake demons; Hei Zhe had completely disappeared.
"Sss—" Jin Hu gasped in shock, nearly choking. He checked meticulously, even almost turning over every inch of the ground, but finally had to accept this cruel result. His eye corners seemed to have gained another wrinkle from this.
But he couldn't dwell on it. He rushed to Bai Lin and looked at Huangfu Jun, still unconscious in his arms: How could this be? Hou Yi was not a demon. How did this half-demon have Hou Yi's bloodline, capable of summoning his bow and arrows, and the skill of the continuous arrow shot?
Bai Lin picked up Huangfu Jun horizontally and prepared to leave. Jin Hu reached out to grab his arm, his face urgent: "Captain Bai, you can't leave. Such a half-demon has never been seen before, and besides, she's injured. The Supervision Bureau has the best medical equipment. Half-demons can only be treated at the Half-Demon Medical Center. Please return with me to the Supervision Bureau for treatment."
"It's fine. Her wound has already healed. She's just fainted now; no treatment needed. We'll return to the Monster Bureau." Bai Lin evaded his hand and said calmly.
Jin Hu was stunned. He looked at Huangfu Jun and saw that her complexion was ruddy, and the wound on her neck visible through the fur collar had disappeared.
"This... this is incredible! Please let this intern undergo a full physical examination at the Supervision Bureau. She can heal herself. Maybe her blood..."
Seeing Jin Hu's gaze on her neck, Bai Lin turned slightly, displeased. Hearing Jin Hu's next words, his expression turned colder: "Don't even think about it. Treating the wounded is your medical center's duty. Don't put improper thoughts on the Monster Bureau's people."
"The Monster Bureau taking in half-demons is already against regulations. Now that she's so abnormal, we have the right to supervise and question the Monster Bureau's motives for sheltering her." Jin Hu stood his ground.
Bai Lin raised an eyebrow. "You want to stop me?"
Jin Hu froze, then forced a dry laugh: "I can't stop you, Captain Bai. But this situation isn't about whether I want to stop you; I have to. The Monster Bureau forbids humans and half-demons from working there. I already let it slide before. Now that a half-demon with Hou Yi's power appears, I must report to headquarters. You can come and go as you please, but your intern cannot leave the Supervision Bureau until headquarters approves."
Bai Lin's eyes swept over Jin Hu, seeing his determined look and the tigers closing in.
The next second, the tigers were suddenly repelled and dissipated into smoke. Jin Hu himself was pushed back several steps.
"Jin Hu, you're no match for me. But Huangfu Jun entered the Monster Bureau legally. Zheng Tuoni is even stricter than you. The Supervision Bureau's notice will be issued soon. Whether you trust me or not, I'm leaving."
With that, Bai Lin turned and strode away, holding Huangfu Jun.
Jin Hu summoned several more fierce tigers to block Bai Lin's path. He bit his tongue, turned his head, and spat out blood. Staring at Bai Lin's back, he said fiercely: "Then please wait, Captain Bai, until the Supervision Bureau's notice is released. Then I'll let you go. Before that, if you want to leave, you'll have to step over my dead body."
Bai Lin stopped. His gaze grew colder. Slowly, he turned around. As he did, the phantom of a white dragon appeared behind him, slowly moving to shield Bai Lin and Huangfu Jun. Facing the challenging Jin Hu, it opened its mouth and roared.
The phantom tigers immediately cowered, half-crouching, their ears flattening against their heads.
Jin Hu gritted his teeth and held on for three seconds, then suddenly gave in. Helplessly shaking his head, he put on a cheeky grin: "Oh, Captain Bai~ You said yourself the notice would come soon. Just wait a bit. Once I get the notice, I'll naturally let you go. If you really don't trust our medical center, I can give her some treatment myself. We're all half-demons. I've got tons of experience with fighting injuries and bumps!"
Jin Hu slapped his chest loudly.
"You?" Bai Lin looked him up and down with suspicion.
"Yeah, yeah! Captain Bai, don't think I'm just a rough guy hanging around construction sites all day. Your brother here also has nursing and medical licenses! In my nursing practicals, the teacher gave me a thumbs up for being gentle and meticulous, full of maternal glow—ah, no, full of Nightingale's light!"
Seeing a glimmer of hope, Jin Hu quickly waved his hand to display his certificates in the air. Little red, green, and blue booklets floated, then snapped open in unison, revealing a less rough, fuller-haired version of Jin Hu grinning stupidly.
"..." Bai Lin closed his eyes and said nothing, but he didn't leave.
Jin Hu waved his hand to retract the certificates and pressed his advantage, rubbing his hands together like a fly: "Captain Bai, now that Jiuying's main head Hei Zhe has escaped, this is a major work mistake. If I let a half-demon suspected of possessing Hou Yi's power leave now, my position as the first town mayor of Qixing Town would be over. I'm an official fanatic. I've always been cautious, diligent, day and night, night and day, every night thinking of my mother's words... cough, cough, cough..."
Seeing Bai Lin's death glare, he quickly changed the subject. "I usually take good care of the colleagues from the Monster Bureau stationed here. Please help me out, Captain Bai. Just wait for the notice. When it arrives, I'll immediately send you off!"
Seeing Bai Lin unmoved, Jin Hu gritted his teeth and said in a low voice: "After this, when your little intern comes here, her surveillance monitor can be customized!!"
Bai Lin's brow twitched, but he didn't speak.
Jin Hu added fuel: "And matching clothes will be provided!"
"..."
Author's note:
None