"Team leader, these two sisters are quite the troublemakers. After a big fight in Jingkou last time, are they trying to flip the river now?" Wei Xiaoming said, looking at the churning river with some displeasure.
An Bohou looked at the river's surface with a stern expression, not replying.
The dense fog covering the river couldn't obscure their vision; everything was clearly visible to them, one aided by the glasses on his face, the other by his own strength.
At this moment, a colossal white bone Dharma image stood erect on the river's surface. The bones were as clear as jade, emitting a gentle, inherent fluorescence. The Dharma image held dual white bone swords, crossed behind its back, gazing solemnly at the river.
Within the river, a phantom of a Kui Ox weaved through the water, manipulating the currents.
"Who could have angered the two sisters to this extent, making them so furious?" An Bohou murmured.
Soon, he had his answer. A woman emerged from the river, wielding a long sword, with two horns on her head.
The river water lifted her into the air.
"It's her?"
An Bohou was somewhat surprised, yet it also seemed logical.
If it weren't Ao Jiangyue, who else could make the Su sisters take such a serious, life-or-death stance?
Without further ado, the two sides clashed.
The churning river water stirred up monstrous waves that crashed towards the banks, but they were blocked by an invisible force and returned to the river.
"Huh?"
An Bohou was startled. Had the River Dragon King intervened?
The sheer power generated by the clash stunned Wei Xiaoming, who stood with his mouth agape for a long while before closing it.
"Team leader, are we just going to watch? Not intervene?" Wei Xiaoming asked.
"Intervene? Of course, we must," An Bohou replied.
Wei Xiaoming, not catching the sarcasm in An Bohou's tone, asked excitedly, "How should we intervene?"
Hearing this, An Bohou produced a megaphone from somewhere and handed it to him.
"Go shout that they're surrounded and tell them to stop fighting..."
"Team leader, are you kidding me?" Wei Xiaoming looked utterly bewildered.
"It's not me who's kidding you, it's you who's kidding me. How can I intervene? Just record it, write a report, and submit it. This is not something we can get involved in," An Bohou shot him a look.
"Team leader, you're so powerful, are you afraid of them too?" Wei Xiaoming asked, feeling indignant.
"Where did you see me as powerful? If I were powerful, would I only be a mere team leader?"
"Last time, you grabbed me and we instantly moved dozens of miles. Isn't that powerful?"
"Does running fast make one powerful? If I didn't run fast, I probably wouldn't even be a team leader."
"Why?"
"Because I'd be dead by now."
Wei Xiaoming: ...
So, if he doesn't run fast, does that mean he'll be dead soon?
"Then what's the point of our work? Are we just simple record keepers? What's the meaning of it?" Wei Xiaoming grumbled.
This was completely different from what he had imagined when he joined the Ninth Department.
"Of course not?"
"Then what is it?"
"Go collect money? Keep good records; these are all evidence. How much compensation is due, not a single bit less."
"I see. Then it's still very meaningful. Protecting people's property is our duty."
"A teachable young man. I'll teach you a thing or two when we get back."
"Thank you, team leader." Wei Xiaoming was overjoyed.
He then curiously pressed on, "What will you teach me?"
"Teach you to escape... no, teach you how to run fast."
"Alright..."
Wei Xiaoming sounded a bit disappointed, responding reluctantly.
An Bohou, feeling a bit displeased, swatted the back of his head.
"You lucky brat, be happy about it. Many people want me to teach them my Ground-Stomping Divine Speed technique, but I haven't taught anyone. And you're complaining?"
"Ground-Stomping Divine Speed?"
Wei Xiaoming thought the name didn't sound that impressive.
Seeming to sense Wei Xiaoming's thoughts, An Bohou wasn't angered.
Instead, he explained, "Because it requires stomping the ground to borrow power at the start, it's named thus. But don't underestimate it. It's not a movement technique, but an escape art. Once perfected, covering a thousand miles in an instant is nothing."
So that's how it is. Wei Xiaoming recalled how the team leader had grabbed his arm last time, and they had moved dozens of miles instantly without him feeling anything, as if teleporting. If it were a movement technique, he shouldn't have felt nothing at all.
Meanwhile, in the Yangtze River, the water churned, raising monstrous waves without any sign of stopping.
"When will they stop?" Wei Xiaoming frowned, a hint of worry in his voice.
Although the banks were protected by the River Dragon King, continuous fighting wasn't a sustainable solution.
"Soon, probably," An Bohou murmured.
He said this because they were in the Yangtze River, the territory of the River Dragon King, who wouldn't allow them to fight indefinitely.
As An Bohou had predicted, about half an hour later, the towering waves suddenly subsided back into the river. The entire river surface instantly calmed, becoming placid. This was Zhu Yin'e using her authority as the River Dragon King to forcefully suppress the river currents.
Even Ao Jiangyue, as a Dragon Lady, couldn't override this, as it wasn't her territory.
At this moment, a massive whirlpool appeared in the river. The Su sisters didn't hesitate and vanished into it.
Ao Jiangyue, who had been standing on the river, let out a cold hmph, sheathed her weapon, and also retreated.
A gust of wind blew, dispersing the fog on the river. The bright moonlight once again shone upon the water, reflecting shimmering ripples, as if nothing had happened.
"It's over just like that?" Wei Xiaoming said.
He felt the whole affair was a bit anticlimactic.
They had fought so fiercely, with such a life-or-death demeanor, so why did they stop so abruptly? Although the River Dragon King had intervened, it still felt too sudden.
An Bohou was also puzzled, gently pinching his chin in thought.
"Team leader, is something wrong?"
"This battle is a bit strange, especially since the Su sisters used all their techniques, appearing to fight desperately, but it wasn't truly the case."
"Wasn't the case what?"
"They seemed more like they were establishing dominance, asserting their authority..."
Saying this, An Bohou took out a pocket watch-like device. On it, over a dozen green dots moved rapidly, varying in intensity.
"As expected..."
It turned out they weren't the only ones observing. Dozens of other demon races were also watching from the banks of the Yangtze River.
After demons transformed, although they resembled humans, they were not human. Their bodies constantly emitted a special magnetic field in all directions, which ancient people called "demonic energy," making it difficult to conceal.
With the advancement of modern science, people had developed a demon detection device based on this characteristic.
Within a certain range, as long as a demon appeared, it would show up on the device. The intensity of the light dots varied according to the strength of the emitted magnetic field.
This also represented their strength; the stronger they were, the larger and brighter the light dot.
Government departments could even assess a demon's approximate strength based on the intensity of the magnetic field they emitted.
Of course, this was only for reference, as variables were too numerous in actual combat.
As the river calmed, the surrounding "observers" dispersed.
At the same time, they were greatly shocked by the Su sisters' strength, and any ulterior motives they might have had were tempered, as they weighed their gains and losses.