“Is the Earl of Righteous Prosperity aboard the treasure ship?”
Liang Qu surfaced, the two Ice Jade Toads at his sides blinking as they peered into the distance. A skiff skimmed toward them. A black-clad man stood aboard, garments snapping in the wind.
No one rowed, yet the vessel shot forward at startling speed. A distinctive Waist Token at his hip shone with vivid purple light. From more than two hundred paces away, he cupped his hands in salute but did not venture recklessly closer.
“Finally!”
The more than half a month of feasting and drinking in the Ice Jade Toad clan’s territory had been spent waiting for the Imperial Court’s team sent to root out the Great Snow Mountain’s secret posts. Liang Qu knew they had that capability, especially with him remaining motionless.
The River Patrol Bureau governed the Marshlands; the Demon Suppression Bureau hunted the Demonic Beasts that plagued the land. Where the empire’s investigations and personnel were concerned, however, the Three Judicial Offices held primacy. And their Cloud Eagle Guards were the state’s hounds and fangs.