'So they're not restricted by distance when they're underground?' Gu Zheng reasoned to himself.
'Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense why the Demon Fiends haven't attacked the villages and towns on this side.'
Considering the mysterious power shrouding Great Dragon Mountain, it wasn't hard to understand that the Demon Fiends' movements were restricted.
If this was really the case, Gu Zheng wouldn't need to rush back to the county seat to discuss evacuating the populace with Tong Yuanshan.
'But this theory needs to be tested!'
Decisively, Gu Zheng turned around and headed back towards Great Dragon Mountain.
However, he didn't go straight to Great Dragon Mountain. Instead, he took a wide detour, avoiding the mountain itself and only traveling along its periphery, entering villages and towns to gather information.
As expected, not a single village more than two miles from Great Dragon Mountain had been attacked by Demon Fiends.
It was just that the commotion from Great Dragon Mountain had left them unsettled. They were especially terrified because none of the people who had gone to check on the mountain had returned.
In response, Gu Zheng offered a few simple words of comfort before quickly departing.
His theory confirmed, he inwardly let out a sigh of relief.
The Demon Fiends' area of activity was limited to a two-mile radius centered on Great Dragon Mountain.
But this didn't include the area underground.
Of course, there was probably a corresponding limit to how deep they could go as well.
'But will this restricted area expand later on?'
'That is the important question.'
...
Back in the county seat, Gu Zheng informed Tong Yuanshan of what he had discovered during his investigation.
Finally, he offered his advice, "Sir, I believe it would be best to evacuate. With those people out there, if the mysterious power on Great Dragon Mountain disappears, or if the restricted area expands, the Demon Fiends will rush out, and the casualties will be even greater."
"That makes sense, but where would we resettle these people on such short notice?" Tong Yuanshan frowned, putting down the cucumber in his hand and sighing. "This isn't just moving a few dozen people. We're talking about relocating and resettling tens of thousands from over a dozen villages and towns!"
Gu Zheng fell silent.
He also knew how difficult it was to move so many people at once.
This wasn't the modern era, after all.
The Government Office had limited manpower. Even if they sent out all the constables and government constables, it wouldn't be enough.
"The main problem is that we don't understand these Demon Fiends."
Tong Yuanshan continued, "If we knew the origin of the Demon Fiends and the nature of the mysterious power on Great Dragon Mountain, it would be much easier to deal with this."
"The letter to my master will take at least ten days to get a reply. In the meantime, all we can do is wait."
"...I will go back out there." Gu Zheng's eyes flickered as he analyzed the situation. "I can kill individual Demon Fiends. Even if I can't kill one, I can escape. During this time, while I'm standing guard at Qingniu Market, I'll re-enter the two-mile zone around Great Dragon Mountain and slay as many Demon Fiends as I can!"
Qingniu Market was a market town just over two miles east of Great Dragon Mountain, in the direction of the county seat.
"This..."
After hearing this, Tong Yuanshan was first startled, then gave a wry smile. "Then I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you, Gu Zheng. However, you're not enough on your own. Take ten men with you. I'll go find Pang Qian Ding and make that guy send a hundred men. The Demon Fiends have been confirmed. If the City Defense Bureau dares to sit on its hands again, Pang Qian Ding can forget about keeping his position as Captain!"
"I will follow your arrangements, Sir!"
Gu Zheng cupped his fist in a salute.
'If he could, Gu Zheng would have gone alone.'
Demon Points came from the Bloodshed on a Demon Fiend's body.
If he wanted to get stronger, hunting Demon Fiends was currently his only way.
This included equipment, which he could only find and touch when he was close to Great Dragon Mountain.
Therefore, returning to Great Dragon Mountain was a must for Gu Zheng.
Tong Yuanshan's arrangements were more about giving the mission an official capacity.
...
After leaving the County Magistrate's Office,
Gu Zheng immediately went home and had the kitchen whip up a large spread of hearty dishes. He explained the situation to Gu Sihai as he ate.
"Dad, you can ease up on the household's defenses a bit, but you absolutely cannot let your guard down."
Although he had blocked the underground passage from King Runan's villa at the other end, there was no guarantee the Demon Fiends wouldn't find another tunnel or simply come over land.
"Alright."
Gu Sihai nodded and said seriously, "Be careful when you go to Qingniu Market. This family can survive without me, but it cannot survive without you."
"Dad, not this again." Gu Zheng slowed his eating slightly, picked up his soup, drank half of it, then set it down and exhaled. "I've told you before, I have no interest in taking over the business. Just let my older sister handle it."
"Your older sister will have to marry out sooner or later," Gu Sihai replied calmly.
Gu Zheng said, "Then have her marry a man into our family. It's not like our family can't afford it."
"Heh heh, how about I take over?" Outside, Gu Feng's head suddenly poked in. He leaned against the doorframe, grinning at the two of them. "If I took over, I guarantee profits would increase by fifty percent in one year, one hundred percent in three years, and in ten years..."
"Get lost." Gu Sihai's face darkened as he turned to look at Gu Feng. "Don't force me to enforce the family rules."
"Tch."
Gu Feng rolled his eyes, pulled his head back, and deliberately stomped away.
"Dad, I'm serious. When it comes to business and management, my older sister is far more talented than I am," Gu Zheng continued to persuade him. "If she marries a man into the family, it'll make things easier for all of us. And what's more, I've already picked out the perfect husband for her."
"You've picked someone? Who?"
Gu Sihai was curious. The next moment, a thought occurred to him, and he asked strangely, "You're not talking about that sickly weakling you brought back half a year ago, the one who's been living in the small courtyard next to yours, are you?"
"He's no sickly weakling."
After devouring the rest of the meal, Gu Zheng picked up his soup, drained the bowl, and set it down, exhaling. "Li is a genius of the Martial Dao. I didn't tell you before, but I'm telling you now, Dad—don't you dare spread this around. Li is the youngest Grandmaster in the Jing Country. He's only twenty-six this year, just three years older than Sis."
"What?"
Gu Sihai exclaimed, "That sickly weakling has such an incredible background? A Grandmaster at twenty-six... tsk tsk, that's amazing."
"So, if Li marries into our family, we'll be the ones who benefit hugely." With that, Gu Zheng stood up and said as he walked, "As it happens, I have something to discuss with Li. I'll go sound him out first. Dad, you should talk to Sis about it, too."
"No problem." Gu Sihai's face was all smiles. "Heh, if a Grandmaster that young is really willing to marry into our family, we'll be more than just benefiting."
Gu Zheng smiled without a word.
Inside, however, he felt a surge of urgency.
With the appearance of the Demon Fiends, every bit of extra strength was a welcome help at a time like this.
Besides, Li Cunyi was indeed a genius.
...
「Gu Mansion.」
Gu Zheng strode into a quiet, secluded courtyard and walked up to a closed door.
KNOCK KNOCK.
"Come in." A gentle, clear male voice came from inside the room, followed by a couple of coughs.
CREAK.
Gu Zheng pushed the door open, stepped inside, and closed it behind him.
He then walked toward the bed, where a pale but strikingly handsome young man was leaning against the headboard. Gu Zheng met the man's gaze as he approached the bedside, grabbed a round stool, and sat down.
"What brings you here today? *Cough, cough*."
The young man smiled at Gu Zheng as he coughed. "I heard from Wan'Er that a terrible villain appeared in the city. You didn't catch him?"
"It wasn't a villain. It was a Demon Fiend."
Gu Zheng calmly and quickly recounted the events that had taken place both inside and outside the city.
Finally, meeting the young man's astonished gaze, he asked, "Li, do you know anything about Jiang Mingjiu's background? I saw him outside Great Dragon Mountain today. It seems Jiang Mingjiu has pledged allegiance to some faction."
Li Cunyi was silent.
He frowned, looking down as he processed the shocking news Gu Zheng had brought.
After a long moment, he looked up at Gu Zheng and said in a low voice, "If I'm not mistaken, the young man and woman Jiang Mingjiu was with are likely members of a legendary Hidden Clan."
"A legendary... Hidden Clan?" Gu Zheng repeated, deliberately pausing in the middle.
"Yes, a true Hidden Clan. Not like the Tan Family or the Xia Family, who have vast industries out in the open and operate from behind the scenes, but are still known to many people."
Li Cunyi said seriously, "With a true Hidden Clan, no one knows about their industries, overt or covert. Most importantly, they are, without exception, ancient existences with lineages stretching back over a thousand years. They've always hidden away in mysterious places, living lives different from the outside world."
"And every one of them is incomparably powerful, possessing strange abilities. Figures like the Martial Arts Alliance Leader, or the so-called 'Number One Under Heaven,' are nothing but a joke in their eyes!"