My Five Bigshot Seniors: I am The Most Coddled Junior!

Chapter 238 - 106: Sharing Intelligence [Part 1]

The street was quiet, but the shadowing sensation of being spied on hadn’t disappeared. Nan Hua’s brows furrowed ever tighter, growing increasingly impatient.Just as he was about to speak again, a shadow loomed over him and Mu Chen, and when they looked up, they saw hundreds of Black Feather Crows, seventh-tier demon beasts, flapping their wings above them, entirely black in color.

The Black Feather Crows weren’t large, only about twice the size of ordinary crows. However, their beaks, claws, and feathers were exceptionally sharp, and their beaks and claws were also poisonous. A bite could easily cause poisoning, and the toxin acted swiftly.

They were demon beasts that most Cultivators didn’t like!

"How can there be Black Feather Crows here?" Mu Chen recognized the Black Feather Crows in the sky at a glance and asked with a frown.

"Aren’t Black Feather Crows supposed to be in the Dark Swamp? How could they appear here?" Nan Hua was also surprised to see the Black Feather Crows, and his brows furrowed even more.

The two exchanged a glance, both a bit doubtful, but the most important thing at the moment was to deal with these Black Feather Crows, as they were suddenly flying toward the two of them.

"Their claws and beaks are poisonous, it’s best not to let them get close." Mu Chen drew the Red Flame Spear, reminding Nan Hua at the same time.

Nan Hua nodded, and the Glazed Frost Flower Fan in his hand expanded. He gave a fierce wave towards the oncoming Black Feather Crows, and a gust of wind appeared in front of him, sweeping away some of the Black Feather Crows at the forefront.

The Red Flame Spear spun in Mu Chen’s hand, and with one sweep, a wall of fire appeared in front of him. The Black Feather Crows flying toward him were immediately engulfed in flames, making mournful cries. However, Mu Chen, cold and unyielding as iron, remained unfazed, even further wielding the Red Flame Spear to transform the wall of fire into a sea of flames, causing more Black Feather Crows to be caught in the blaze.

In just one encounter, about a sixth of the Black Feather Crows were dealt with by Nan Hua and Mu Chen. This seemed to anger the remaining Black Feather Crows. One among them, slightly larger than the others and distinguished by a tuft of red feathers on its forehead, suddenly screeched, and the remaining Black Feather Crows once again launched an attack on the two.

This particular Black Feather Crow was the leader of the flock, or one might say, their king, responsible for managing these crows.

Nan Hua and Mu Chen clearly noticed its presence as well. The two exchanged a look, and their tactics shifted.

Mu Chen remained on the ground to draw the attention of the Black Feather Crows, making them all attack him, while Nan Hua took to the air. The Glazed Frost Flower Fan transformed into the shape of a sword, and he delivered a fierce strike. Several wings of the Black Feather Crows were injured, sending them plummeting towards the ground, where Mu Chen’s flames were already burning. The feathers of those Black Feather Crows were ignited instantly and consumed by the fire.

Without pause, Nan Hua closed in on the Black Feather Crow flock and executed another sweeping strike. Once more, several Black Feather Crows had their wings pierced by Sword Qi, fell to the ground, and were enveloped in flames, becoming fireballs.

Within moments, another fifth of the Black Feather Crows was gone. The Black Feathered Crow King clearly noticed this, fixing its gaze on Nan Hua. It dashed toward Nan Hua from within the Black Feather Crow flock, moving with lightning speed under the cover of the other crows.

Nan Hua’s initial target was the Black Feathered Crow King. His peripheral vision had been tracking the Black Feathered Crow King’s movements, and upon seeing it break from the flock, he readied himself. A talisman appeared in his hand, and just as the Black Feathered Crow King drew near, he activated the talisman, making a transparent wall appear in front of him. The Black Feathered Crow King, intending to bite Nan Hua’s neck, crashed into the transparent wall.

Because of its speed, it was momentarily stunned, seeing stars, and that split second was enough for Nan Hua to attack.

Nan Hua swiftly unleashed dozens of Sword Qi strikes, trapping the Black Feathered Crow King within them. The green Sword Qi slashed across its body, causing many feathers to fall off, numerous wounds to appear, one claw to be cut off, and part of its sharp beak to be chopped away. Its black eyes turned red instantly, looking sinister as it flapped its injured wings, assaulting Nan Hua.

Nan Hua easily evaded its attack, then pierced its body with a stab, causing red blood to drip from the tip of the sword. The Black Feathered Crow King’s red eyes turned back to black as its head tilted and life left its body.

With a gentle flick, Nan Hua tossed the Black Feathered Crow King’s body aside. By this time, many Black Feather Crow corpses had already been burned to charred husks on the ground, with fewer than a quarter remaining of the original number.

Seeing the Black Feathered Crow King killed, the Black Feather Crows let out a sharp screech. A few Black Feather Crows were the first to cease their assault and fly into the sky. Soon after, the rest followed suit, and shortly, those Black Feather Crows had turned into a black dot in the sky.

Nan Hua landed on the ground and exchanged a look with Mu Chen, glancing at the Black Feather Crow bodies burned to death on the ground. The two sensed at once that the feeling of being watched had indeed vanished, indicating that it was the Black Feather Crows who had been spying on them just moments ago.

"The waters of Canghui City are truly getting murkier by the day, to the point that even demon beasts like the Black Feather Crow, which shouldn’t be appearing in cities, have shown up. The people behind this must have significant influence." The sword in Nan Hua’s hand had transformed back into the Glazed Frost Flower Fan. He shook the fan, reverting to the image of a carefree gentleman, shaking his head as he spoke of complexity, but his eyes carried a hint of amusement.

"Doesn’t that make it all the more interesting?" Mu Chen put away the Red Flame Spear, looked at Nan Hua, and his lips curled slightly. Coupled with his somewhat pale face, he had an air of sickly allure that sent a chill down one’s spine.

The two of them continued walking deeper along the street.

...

Yue Zhao, along with Yun Ran and Zhuo Tingqiu, headed to the East District, where the prominent families of Canghui City resided. Most of the residences here were courtyards, and the streets were far better maintained than the ones they had previously passed.

Affected by recent events, every household here had their doors tightly shut, even withdrawing the guards who stood at the entrances, leaving the street eerily quiet. It wasn’t like other places where people would sneak peeks out their windows.

Walking down the street felt like traversing an empty space.

Yue Zhao noticed that several households had white lanterns hung at their entrances. Clearly, people in these homes had died recently, yet unlike before, no crying could be heard. Everything was disturbingly silent.

"Isn’t this the area where the most influential families of Canghui City live? Why is it so quiet too?" Yun Ran looked around and couldn’t help but ask.

"They know far more than ordinary folks do. Even having one ninth-rank Cultivator in these city families is rare, and now even eighth-rank Cultivators have been killed. How could they not be afraid?" Zhuo Tingqiu analyzed more thoughtfully than Yun Ran.

Yun Ran mulled it over and agreed. Canghui City isn’t a big city, and there can’t be many ninth-rank Cultivators. Since whoever is doing the killing is obviously above eighth-rank, it’s only natural to be cautious.

"But in this case, how do we gather information? There isn’t even a person around," Yun Ran said, feeling a bit frustrated. Without people, how can they gather information?

Zhuo Tingqiu thought of this as well, pondering, and then glancing at Yue Zhao.

"Let’s first see if we can discover anything. We’ve only just arrived, so we shouldn’t act too conspicuously." Seeing both Yun Ran and Zhuo Tingqiu looking at him, Yue Zhao thought for a moment and said.

Initially, he planned to knock on a household’s door and ask, but considered it unwise. It was their first day here, and exposing themselves directly might bring trouble later; it was better to search on their own first and then discuss further.

Yun Ran and Zhuo Tingqiu also found it reasonable, and the three walked through the district, observing ten households with white lanterns hung at their doors, indicating recent deaths. Yue Zhao memorized their positions, planning to investigate further that night.

Finding nothing else, the three could only return to the inn.

When they returned, the other two teams hadn’t come back yet. They waited at the inn for a quarter of an hour, by which time Mu Chen and Nan Hua returned from outside. After another quarter-hour, Gu Qingqing and Jun Wu also returned, and by then it was getting dark, soon to be nightfall.

They asked the innkeeper to prepare a table of dishes, and as they did at lunchtime, they shared the information they’d gathered during their exploration while dining in Yue Zhao’s room.

"Jun Wu and I entered an array. The one who set it up had remarkable skills; it took us some time to break it. Additionally, we found over twenty households in the West District with white lanterns at their doors. Their doors were tightly shut, so we couldn’t just waltz in, but we remembered the locations; beyond that, nothing else," Gu Qingqing shared their findings, took a sip of Spiritual Dew that Jun Wu handed her, and then looked towards Nan Hua.

"After we went to the South District, we felt a sinister gaze upon us, then encountered a group of Black Feather Crows. We killed the Black Feathered Crow King and most of the crows; the rest flew off somewhere unknown. We also encountered an array, but it was ineffective against me, and I broke it quickly. There are also a dozen or so trade unions with white lanterns in the South District. It’s evident people have died there too, and I’ve noted their locations," Nan Hua continued, building on Gu Qingqing’s words, and relayed their findings.

"The East District is where the prominent families of Canghui City reside. We didn’t encounter much there, only observed ten households with white lanterns, and I’ve noted their locations as well," Yue Zhao said, summarizing their results.

"If I remember correctly, the Black Feather Crow is supposed to appear in the Dark Swamp, isn’t it? How is it here?"