Chapter 40 – Messy Business!

"Brother Mu! Brother Mu!"

Leading a few reinforcements, Xu Yuan shouted anxiously as he pushed through the forest.

But as soon as they passed through the dense woods, Xu Yuan's voice came to a sudden halt.

The patrolling inspectors accompanying him also stopped in their tracks, their expressions shifting as they looked toward the dim forest ahead.

There, amidst the shadows, was a blood-soaked figure, half-kneeling among the trees, hacking repeatedly at something with a blade.

The distance wasn't too great, and they could clearly see the corpse lying beneath that figure. Each strike sent blood splattering into the air—every slash brutally vivid.

And then, an even more horrifying sight came into view.

The blood-drenched figure raised a severed, dripping head. Blood still streamed down its neck, forming a gruesome mirror to the crimson-stained man holding it—an eerie, unspeakable horror against the twilight of the forest.

"B-Brother Mu…"

Xu Yuan swallowed hard, his voice stammering.

"We won."

Chu Mu raised the severed head, grinning. But that blood-smeared smile only added to the nightmarish scene.

A single head earned thirty silver coins—not much, but it was a start. It meant hope.

With five heads, he could rise from an ordinary patrol officer to a squad captain.

Such a promotion meant a leap in both power and status.

Though gathering four more heads seemed unlikely, just having the goal lit a fire in his chest.

"What's your name?"

One of the burly men stepped forward. His iron armor clearly marked his rank.

"Chu Mu," Chu Mu replied.

The armored man asked again, "Where's Li Tie, who came with us as reinforcement?"

"He was injured," Chu Mu said. "I had someone carry him to the Centurion."

The man glanced at the corpse on the ground, his gaze lingering on the blade wounds, then subtly looked at the long saber in Chu Mu's hand.

He didn't ask further, nor did he care that the severed head was already in Chu Mu's possession. With a simple nod, he turned and left with the other patrolmen.

Chu Mu raised an eyebrow. That was unexpected. He thought he'd be interrogated, especially since the armored man had sustained heavy injuries. And this severed head? It represented military merit.

That such a man could walk away so nonchalantly—Chu Mu hadn't seen that coming.

"Brother Mu, you killed him?"

Xu Yuan approached, eyeing the severed head with fear and awe.

"I think so…" Chu Mu replied, not entirely certain. That armored man's punch had played a major part, after all.

"You're amazing, Brother Mu!"

"I wouldn't go that far," Chu Mu waved him off, fully aware that luck had played a massive role.

"Let's go," Chu Mu exhaled, glancing up at the still-dark sky. "Looks like we're in for a long night."

Worry crept into his expression. From what he'd seen, the attackers were all formidable fighters.

If they were truly pushed to a corner… desperate rats could bite.

"You just killed one of the bandits?"

Just as Chu Mu was lost in thought, a voice nearby snapped him back to reality.

"Captain."

Chu Mu turned toward the approaching figure. His eyes narrowed—Li Gang?

Li Gang was injured?

His patrol armor was torn, strips of cloth crudely wrapped around his wounds. Blood had soaked through the makeshift bandages and dripped with every step.

His once-proud face—since entering the mountains he'd worn a look of triumph—was now pale and sickly.

Li Gang looked at Chu Mu, voice unusually soft. "I'm short one head. Give it to me, I'll pay you a hundred silver."

"As long as you agree, I'll owe you a favor."

Then, perhaps worried that wasn't enough, Li Gang added, "I know a bit about martial arts. If you agree, you can come find me anytime. I'll even teach you my family's secret techniques."

The generous offer genuinely tempted Chu Mu.

After all, severing this head had been pure luck. Gathering four more? That was wishful thinking.

Selling it for such a price—money, connections, and martial arts—was an absolute win.

Chu Mu was just about to agree when a voice rang out, stopping him cold.

"Li Gang, what are you doing!"

"Since when can military merits be bought and sold?"

"If you want merit, go out and fight for it! Trying to cheat your way through—shameless!"

Wu Shuo arrived with several patrolmen, his sharp gaze locked onto Li Gang.

Li Gang's expression soured instantly. His once-soft demeanor twisted into fury. "Wu Shuo, are you looking to die?"

"If it wasn't for you, would I have been injured?"

Wu Shuo sneered, "You got hurt because you're incompetent!"

"And now you're blaming me? Where do you get the face for that?"

"Also, is that how you talk to your superior, Captain Li?"

As tension soared, Chu Mu quietly stepped back two paces, deeply speechless.

He'd gotten dragged into someone else's power struggle! Talk about bad luck.

It was all too obvious—Li Gang's overconfidence had rubbed people the wrong way, and not just Wu Shuo. Now, Wu Shuo stood flanked by two other squad leaders.

Something had clearly happened between them, pushing things to the breaking point. Maybe Wu Shuo had even taken advantage of the earlier ambush to strike at Li Gang.

Now heavily injured and unable to keep fighting, Li Gang had come to him, hoping to buy a head and complete his military merit.

"Oh, right, I nearly forgot—Captain Li, you only have three confirmed heads."

"You pressured Li Sang and stole his merit—I've already reported that to the Centurion!"

"Stealing military merit is a serious offense!"

Li Gang's face flushed unnaturally red with fury. "Bullshit! It was mutual—I didn't steal anything!"

Wu Shuo chuckled, "That's not for me to say. Go ask Li Sang."

"Captain Li, I suggest you think carefully about your next steps."

"You despicable bastard!"

"Just you wait!"

Blood leaked from the corners of Li Gang's mouth—he was livid. Clenching his fists tightly, but ultimately helpless, he shot Wu Shuo a venomous glare and staggered off.

Chu Mu remained silent, his head lowered, staring at the still-bleeding head in his hand as though it were the most fascinating thing in the world.

It was clear now—Wu Shuo was several levels above in cunning. Maybe more than just a few.

His poor Captain had been utterly outmaneuvered—caught red-handed, injured, and stripped of his leverage.

As for what would happen next?

Chu Mu honestly didn't want to know.

This kind of messy business… he didn't want anything to do with it.

*(End of Chapter)*