Linjiang County, Qingfeng Mountain.
Sword-Watching Gorge.
Dozens of sturdy demon horses galloped tirelessly day and night, their hooves kicking up clouds of dust.
With a long sigh, a lieutenant clad in a black cloak dismounted and looked ahead at a row of neatly arranged tents.
It was early morning, and the campfires, dampened by the dew, crackled as the blackened charcoal emitted thin wisps of white smoke.
About a dozen corpses of Golden Eagle Captains were gathered together, their bodies riddled with sword wounds, flesh torn open, some cuts deep enough to reveal bone.
Hong Lei, leading his demon horse, felt his eyelids twitch.
If the outer camp captains were more like wandering martial artists, skilled in working together to investigate and handle cases, then the inner camp captains were akin to soldiers.
A hundred of them could form a demon-suppressing formation, capable of sweeping through demon lairs with unstoppable force.
Any casualties among them indicated that the situation was nearly out of control.
Perhaps hearing the sound of hooves, a young man, also cloaked but with a golden eagle embroidered on his shoulder, emerged from one of the tents.
He looked at least ten years younger than Hong Lei.
His right arm was bandaged, his face pale, and his aura weak.
He frowned slightly, displeased.
"Why did it take you so long to get here?"
"I was about to ask you the same, Lieutenant Zhao," Hong Lei replied coldly, his other hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
"I gave you forty men, just to guard the Sword-Watching Gorge and prevent the Qingfeng disciples from leaving the mountain. And this is how you handle it?" As he spoke, his gaze fell on the dozen or so corpses.
The Sword-Watching Gorge was a high cliff, with treacherous terrain that made it easy to defend and hard to attack.
Any movement by the Qingfeng disciples would be noticed by the Demon-Suppression Bureau.
If anything unusual happened, there would be enough time to report to higher-ups and request reinforcements.
"I don’t have the habit of sitting around doing nothing," Zhao Kanglin sneered, raising an eyebrow arrogantly.
"If it weren’t for that old man, the Furious Sword, suddenly showing up, I would have already led my men through and earned myself a great merit in front of General Chen."
Hearing this, Hong Lei barely held back the urge to slap him.
He looked up toward the cliff.
At the edge of the precipice sat a figure in gray robes, his sparse silver hair tied up with a wooden hairpin.
His eyes were slightly closed, his face gaunt, and his palms rested on his knees, holding an unremarkable iron sword.
This was the Furious Sword Elder of the Qingfeng Sect, a swordsman who had reached the peak of the Jade Liquid Realm many years ago and was quite renowned in Qingzhou.
If not for his advanced age, having lived over three hundred years, and his fear of failure, unwilling to waste the precious opportunity to condense a Golden Core in the Sword Pool, he might have had a chance to break through to the Core Formation Realm.
"Though I’m injured, he also suffered a hidden loss. It’ll take him at least ten days to recover," Zhao Kanglin said with a smug look in his eyes.
Born into a prestigious family, he had used a secret family technique to exchange injuries with a famous senior martial artist despite being only at the mid-stage of the Jade Liquid Realm.
Escaping with his life was something he could boast about to anyone.
Seeing his triumphant expression, both the Golden Eagle Captains by the tents and the outer camp captains on their demon horses wore grim expressions.
"..."
Shen Yi held the reins calmly.
So this was the reason they had been forcibly summoned here.
"Hmph, merit," Hong Lei sneered, giving Zhao Kanglin a deep look.
"You’d better prepare yourself for a whipping when we get back."
"You!" Zhao Kanglin gritted his teeth.
If it weren’t for his bad luck, being stranded here and in desperate need of reinforcements, a mere outer camp lieutenant wouldn’t dare speak to him like this.
Such insolence.
Hong Lei ignored him and turned to the outer camp disciples.
"Dismount!"
Forty men landed in unison.
Hong Lei walked past them one by one.
"We were in a hurry earlier, so I didn’t have time to talk. Most of you aren’t under my command. My name is Hong Lei. I’ve been a lieutenant in the Demon-Suppression Bureau for sixty years, at the mid-stage of the Jade Liquid Realm, and I’ve always worked for General Chen—yes, the one currently at the peak of Qingfeng Mountain, Old Man Chen Qiankun."
"I know you’re resentful, having to clean up the mess for these fools who’ve been sitting around in Qingzhou."
"Don’t worry. As long as you don’t make any mistakes, when we return, you’ll all be credited with a Core Formation-level merit."
At these words, the captains’ faces finally showed some excitement.
To rise from one stripe to two, one needed to participate in five Jade Liquid-level demon calamities.
To go from two to three stripes, it took over twenty.
But participating in a single Core Formation-level demon disaster was equivalent to at least twenty Jade Liquid-level merits.
Moreover, although this was considered a Core Formation-level mission, they wouldn’t actually have to fight.
They just needed to help General Chen Qiankun guard this mountain.
"Three bottles of precious medicine, unlimited access to top-tier martial arts for the Initial Realm, and one mid-tier Jade Liquid Realm martial art."
"Three years’ salary, two months’ leave."
As Hong Lei extended his hand, even Shen Yi’s eyes showed a flicker of interest.
The Demon-Suppression Bureau might be strict, but they were certainly generous.
Back in Baiyun County, such rewards were unimaginable.
Now, everyone would get a share.
"What you need to do is guard this cliff for me."
Hong Lei’s gaze turned serious as he lowered his hand and approached the first person.
"Name and cultivation level?"
"Liu Daqian, late-stage Initial Realm, skilled with the sword."
"Wang Meng, late-stage Initial Realm, proficient in fists and palms."
"Dai Bing, early-stage Jade Liquid Realm, I... use the sword."
Hong Lei paused, his eyes lingering on the woman’s sleeve, where three cloud patterns shone brightly.
Such a young Jade Liquid Realm cultivator couldn’t be an unknown figure.
He casually reached for the sword at her waist, but Dai Bing took a half-step back, her hand protectively covering her weapon.
Hong Lei smirked thoughtfully, then moved on to the next person.
The young man was tall and straight-backed, with a black, straight ceremonial sword hanging diagonally at his waist.
His ink-black robe seemed tailor-made for him.
His features were handsome, and aside from his fair complexion, there was little to criticize.
Noticing the two cloud patterns on the man’s sleeve, Hong Lei asked slowly, "Peak Initial Realm?"
Shen Yi shook his head and replied calmly, "Jade Liquid Realm."
The moment these words left his mouth, the captains erupted in murmurs.
Although they were all well-traveled sons of Qingzhou, it was rare for someone to break through to the Jade Liquid Realm before the age of seventy or eighty.
A thirty-something Jade Liquid Realm cultivator was only possible with the backing of a top-tier sect and exceptional talent.
Even if this man’s youthful appearance was due to some preservation technique, and his actual age was closer to forty, it was still astonishing.
What was even harder to accept was that, after only a few questions, two such individuals had already appeared.
"..."
Hong Lei was momentarily stunned, then suddenly recalled the man’s face.
In that small courtyard, there had stood the disciple of the General and the young lady of the Li family, both formidable figures.
The burly man standing beside them, though seemingly weak in aura, was likely also a notable figure, just skilled in concealing his presence.
Similarly, the man before him having such strength wasn’t entirely surprising.
He clearly had the ability to refuse but had still chosen to come to Qingfeng Mountain.
Such was the spirit of a young hero.
Thinking this, Hong Lei’s expression softened.
"Don’t worry. We’re just guarding the cliff. Old Man Chen hasn’t truly decided to raise the sword against the Qingfeng Sect yet. As long as they hand over that person, we’ll naturally withdraw."
"Just don’t act like that spoiled brat from a wealthy family, a forty-something-year-old with the brains of a pig."
(End of Chapter)