The further upstream they went, the more pungent the stench from the river became.
The vegetation on both banks had long since withered, with bare branches swaying in the wind.
Not even an insect or ant could be seen on the riverbank.
Zhao Hu finally couldn't hold it in anymore and shouted, "Damn it, this godforsaken place doesn't even have a living creature!"
"Shut up."
Liu Chen, at the front of the group, snapped.
Zhao Hu reluctantly closed his mouth, but the irritation on his face grew more intense.
Old Wang reined in his horse and approached Liu Chen, lowering his voice, "Boss, something's not right."
"What do you mean?"
"The people from the Yellow Division are best at leaving marks, but we've found no trace of them along the way."
Liu Chen's expression darkened.
Indeed.
Within the Demon-Suppressing Bureau, there were secret signals for communication.
If the Yellow Division had investigated this area, they would have left clues.
But along this route, there was nothing.
Could it be... that old man was lying?
The group continued for about half an hour, and the river ahead gradually narrowed.
After a few more miles, they were suddenly greeted by a bright sight.
The foul stench abruptly stopped here.
Not far ahead was a cliff, with clear spring water gushing from the crevices, forming a clear pool, which then flowed into the foul-smelling Hei River.
The source of the water was clean.
"......"
Everyone exchanged glances, seeing the confusion in each other's eyes.
The source was fine.
So where did all the filth in the river come from?
"Search separately!"
Liu Chen dismounted and took the lead towards the cliff.
Everyone else dismounted as well, carefully searching the area.
After a stick of incense, they regrouped, all shaking their heads.
"Boss, there's nothing."
"Same here, didn't even see a hair."
Liu Chen's brow furrowed into a knot.
"Over there."
A cool voice suddenly spoke.
Everyone turned towards the sound, seeing Jiang Yuechu standing in front of a patch of withered forest, pointing deeper into the woods.
Liu Chen's heart stirred, and he immediately led the group over.
Through the withered forest, a small temple appeared before them.
The temple was small, even somewhat shabby.
But the clearing in front of the temple was swept clean, not a single fallen leaf in sight.
Creak.
Inside, it was equally clean.
But the offering table was empty, with no incense or offerings in sight.
The shrine facing the door had its statue smashed to pieces, leaving only a bare pedestal.
"Be careful." Liu Chen drew half of his horizontal blade, his gaze sweeping cautiously inside the room.
The group filed in, spreading out to search the small temple thoroughly.
But after searching for a long time, they found nothing.
"Boss, there's nothing."
"Even turned over the mouse holes, it's very clean."
Liu Chen's brow furrowed tighter.
Such cleanliness meant someone regularly cleaned it.
But why were there no offerings, and even the statue was smashed?
Just then.
A small figure appeared at the temple entrance.
It was a little girl, looking about seven or eight years old, wearing tattered burlap clothes, her face streaked with dirt.
The girl seemed surprised to find people in the temple, pausing in her steps and freezing in place.
She held a broken bowl in her hands, half-filled with water.
Everyone's gaze met hers.
In the next instant, the blood drained from the girl's face, as if she had seen a ghost. She dropped the bowl and turned to run.
Crash—
The bowl shattered on the ground.
"Don't run!"
Before anyone could react.
Zhao Hu, without thinking, took off after her.
"You little brat, why are you running! Stand still!"
A malnourished child could hardly outrun the skilled members of the Demon-Suppressing Bureau.
In just a moment.
Zhao Hu returned, the struggling girl tucked under his arm.
"This girl, she's got quite the strength."
"Ouch, she even bit me."
He walked to the front of the temple and casually tossed the girl to the ground, while he clutched his arm, grimacing at the bite marks.
The girl hit the ground with a muffled groan, curling up into a ball, trembling all over.
"Zhao Hu!"
Liu Chen glared at him.
He quickly approached, squatting in front of the girl, softening his voice.
"Don't be afraid, we're not bad people."
The girl raised her head, her large eyes filled with fear, biting her lip hard to keep from crying out.
The girl eyed the jerky, swallowed, but didn't reach out to take it.
"We're from the Demon-Suppressing Bureau."
"We're here to find out why the Hei River has become like this. Do you know anything?"
The girl's body stiffened.
The group exchanged glances, understanding dawning in their hearts.
This child clearly knew something.
Liu Chen sighed, feeling a headache coming on.
His gaze swept around, and when he saw Jiang Yuechu standing aside, his eyes suddenly lit up.
He quickly walked over to Jiang Yuechu, lowering his voice, a bit embarrassed.
"Jiang... Miss Jiang, do you think... you could ask her?"
Jiang Yuechu raised an eyebrow, a peculiar look in her eyes.
She had just joined the bureau, on her first mission, and it somehow fell to her to question the girl.
Seeing her confusion, Liu Chen blushed and quickly explained.
"We're all rough men, fighting and killing all day, with a smell that even rats avoid."
Jiang Yuechu's gaze swept over the rough men one by one.
Each had a face full of scars or a hard expression, their waist blades exuding a constant aura of menace.
In terms of appearance, they certainly weren't as approachable as she was.
But Jiang Yuechu felt even more of a headache.
She was indeed a woman in this life, but in her bones, she was still the man who had lived over twenty years in her past life.
Facing demons with a blade, she wouldn't bat an eye.
But coaxing a terrified little girl...
She had no idea how to do that.
Looking at the girl curled up on the ground, then at the hopeful faces of the rough men, she felt a wave of frustration.
But things had come to this, and they couldn't just stand around.
Fine.
Suppressing the strange feeling in her heart, she walked over to the girl and slowly squatted down, trying to make her voice sound softer, even attempting to pull a smile she thought was friendly.
"Don't be afraid, we won't hurt you."
"What's your name?"
Whether it was her somewhat pretty face or her female identity that eased the girl's guard, the girl seemed genuinely less afraid. She cautiously raised her eyes, carefully observing Jiang Yuechu.
"My name is... Ah Shui."
"Ah Shui..."
Jiang Yuechu repeated, trying to reach out to pat her head, but halfway through, she felt awkward and withdrew her hand.
"Ah Shui, don't be afraid, we won't hurt you."
"Are you... also from the Demon-Suppressing Bureau?"
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Ah Shui asked timidly.
She was puzzled, wondering how such a beautiful sister could also be from the Demon-Suppressing Bureau.
Weren't the people from the Demon-Suppressing Bureau supposed to be like those fierce men beside her?