"Take the lead and bring ten people to guard the dense forest below."
After speaking, Hong Lei put away his smile and continued walking forward.
Though his expression remained unchanged, his Adam's apple twitched slightly.
Almost instantly, Shen Yi heard a secret message whispered into his ear.
"Keep an eye on her for me. Be careful. Report any unusual behavior to me immediately."
This method of secret communication made Shen Yi pause for a moment.
Tsk, it seemed there was still much for him to learn.
As for the person Hong Lei was referring to, it likely wasn't the two junior lieutenants.
Shen Yi glanced slightly to the side, his gaze falling on the woman beside him.
Though she wore a dark robe, she still exuded a mature charm.
Her peach-like face tried hard to maintain composure, but a trace of distraction flickered in her eyes.
Hong Lei's inexplicable friendliness toward the young man had clearly caught everyone's attention.
Apart from the one being questioned, the others all cast curious glances at Shen Yi, wondering why a two-marked officer was put in charge of a three-marked one, even though both were at the Jade Liquid Realm.
Moreover, having two Jade Liquid cultivators in one squad seemed a bit excessive.
Among the many gazes was that of Zhao Kanglin, who sat not far away, draped in a cloak.
He lounged by the campfire, poking at the embers with a stick.
The phrase "pig brain" had reached his ears more clearly than anyone else's.
Zhao Kanglin licked his lips expressionlessly.
Heh, once they returned to Qingzhou, he had plenty of ways to make Hong cry.
After Shen Yi, the other lieutenants' cultivation levels were much more ordinary.
Out of the thirty-eight people, only one elderly lieutenant had barely broken through to the Jade Liquid Realm.
After years of accumulating merits, he had come here clearly aiming to climb higher, gain another century of lifespan, and even his demeanor seemed rejuvenated.
The only thing that puzzled Shen Yi was that all the people summoned here bore cloud patterns.
On the other hand, those who had emerged from medicinal baths, who were generally older, were nowhere to be seen.
Soon, Hong Lei divided the forty people into the most familiar formation of the outer camp.
Shen Yi and the elderly lieutenant each led ten people, while the rest were personally led by Hong Lei, guarding three sides.
"Set up camp."
As the order was given, the group dispersed in an orderly manner.
At that moment, a mocking voice rang out.
Zhao Kanglin lounged lazily by the campfire, tossing aside the stick in his hand.
He looked up at Shen Yi, who was passing by, and waved to stop him.
"Hey, little brother, I'm injured and need a few days to recover. Why don't you take over managing these twenty-something useless fellows for me? How about it?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone turned to look.
Even Hong Lei, who had just walked away, paused slightly.
He truly hadn't expected this fool to still have the audacity to make noise after committing such a grave mistake.
The only one who didn't react was the young man in the dark robe with the black blade.
As if he hadn't heard anything, Shen Yi stepped over Zhao Kanglin's outstretched arm and walked down the slope.
Staring at the slightly thin figure, Zhao Kanglin froze for a moment before slowly sitting up straight.
He hadn't actually expected the other to agree.
He just wanted to tease a bit and make Hong Lei look bad, venting some of his frustration.
But now, the fire in his heart burned even hotter.
He forced a smile, trying to ease the awkwardness.
"Tsk, which family's kid is this? Quite the temper, reminds me of my younger self. Once we're back in Qingzhou, I'll make sure to get to know him better."
Hearing the thinly veiled threat in his words, the outer camp lieutenants clenched their fists but could do nothing.
Those who could enter the inner camp already had much stronger backgrounds than them, and Zhao Kanglin was among the top scoundrels in the inner camp.
"Which family?" Hong Lei glanced at him and snorted.
"The kind that could make your grandfather kneel and call him father. Save it, don't make things harder for yourself."
Though he didn't know the exact relationship between Fang Heng and the young man, or if it was as close as he suspected, it didn't matter.
In a war of words, one couldn't afford to lose face.
If he didn't suppress this fool's arrogance now, once they returned to Qingzhou, who knew how much more trouble he'd cause.
Zhao Kanglin's face twitched at the retort.
He clearly didn't believe it.
In Qingzhou, there were no more than ten people with such immense influence and youth, and none of them would hold such a low-ranking position as a regular lieutenant.
But he didn't say more and turned back to his tent, leaving the others to exchange glances, pondering the truth behind Hong Lei's words.
The Golden Eagle lieutenants, who had been almost directly insulted, silently guarded their tents, occasionally glancing at the corpses not far away, their expressions tinged with sorrow.
...
At the foot of the slope, ten people followed closely behind Shen Yi.
Apart from Dai Bing, who seemed unsettled, the rest kept their heads down.
Someone who dared to snub an inner camp lieutenant right off the bat—whether Zhao could afford to offend him or not was unclear, but they certainly couldn't.
"Sir Shen, please rest. We'll set up camp quickly."
Entering the dense forest, Wang Meng cupped his hands and, with keen awareness, wiped a flat, damp stone for Shen Yi to sit on.
"No need," Shen Yi shook his head.
"Let's do it together. It'll be faster."
"Ah, it's fine. We're quick with our hands. We're used to this; it won't take long," Wang Meng thought Shen Yi was just being polite.
Shen Yi turned and took the wooden stakes someone handed him, nodding slightly.
"I don't have much experience hunting demons in the wild. I'll need you all to teach me."
"This..."
Wang Meng was momentarily stunned, then laughed.
"This isn't anything worth teaching. It's just manual labor."
Though he said that, he still explained as they worked.
"As the saying goes, 'In the mountains, follow the valleys; in the wilderness, seek high ground with a view... near water, sheltered from the wind... The stakes shouldn't be placed like that. Watch me."
Shen Yi followed his example, though a bit clumsily, he did his best.
Seeing this, Dai Bing, who had been about to sit down, hesitated and then walked over to join the group.
As they talked, Wang Meng gradually lost his earlier nervousness and lowered his voice.
"You really didn't need to embarrass that scoundrel. He's just a petty, cunning, and disgusting man. No need to dirty your hands with him."
Shen Yi raised an eyebrow.
He hadn't intended to assert dominance.
He simply didn't want to become cannon fodder for someone else's ambition, dying only to be labeled as useless.
Right now, he was just a lieutenant.
If he stopped to chat and was reassigned under Zhao, that would truly be a humiliation.
He needed to accumulate more merits and quickly rise to the rank of lieutenant commander.
At least then, he'd have more freedom.
Whether it was bad luck or good fortune, in less than a month since joining the Demon-Suppression Bureau, he had already encountered two major troubles.
Whether it was the river demon's betrayal or the sect's resistance, most lieutenants wouldn't face such events even in decades.
There was danger, but the speed of his promotion was also astonishing.
As long as he returned from this mission intact, he would be a three-marked lieutenant... completing in a month what others took a lifetime to achieve.
Thinking of this, Shen Yi looked at the nearly completed tents.
His gaze shifted slightly toward the woman in the distance.
...
Dai Bing had set up the campfire and sat on the ground.
She took out her sword and gently stroked it.
Inside the hilt, two small, neatly carved characters had been worn smooth over time, slightly glaring.
Qingfeng.
(End of Chapter)