Qingzhou City.
At the grand and imposing city gates, two rows of soldiers stood straight, holding long spears.
In the distance, on the wide and smooth official road outside the city, hundreds of black-clad riders galloped forward like a dense black cloud, their hoofbeats rumbling like thunder.
Though the people of Qingzhou City had seen their fair share of the world, it was rare for them to witness such a large-scale movement from the Demon-Suppression Bureau.
"So many?" they exclaimed, their eyes wide as they crowded the streets.
"Tch, this is nothing. The real main force is still behind, handling the transportation," said a young man from a minor family, arms crossed as he mocked the crowd for their lack of knowledge.
Compared to the top-tier factions, families like his were neither high nor low, and they were likely to join the Demon-Suppression Bureau in the future.
They didn’t have the same emotional connection to the destruction of Qingfeng Mountain.
For them, whether it was the top-tier factions or the Demon-Suppression Bureau, both were equally unreachable.
Standing in the crowd, the Li siblings looked uneasy.
Li Xinhuan never expected that after being injured for just a few days, his older sister had sent Shen Yi to Qingfeng Mountain.
Even the deputy generals wouldn’t dare say they could come back unscathed from such a place, let alone Shen Yi.
He knew that Shen Yi had once slain a late-stage Jade Liquid Realm river demon.
Even though the demon was in poor condition at the time, it was still something he couldn’t have handled himself, which made him admire Shen Yi.
But he had also heard about the reward Shen Yi took after returning—the Wind-Thunder Sun-Melting Scripture...
If it truly was the battle that wiped out Qingfeng Mountain, even if Shen Yi had a few killer moves, his chances of survival would still be far lower than someone with a higher cultivation level.
In such a meat-grinder battlefield, what mattered more than sharp weapons was thick skin, speed, and a deep reservoir of energy.
"..."
Li Mujing didn’t explain what had happened that night.
She just silently stared outside the city gate.
Her hand, hidden in her wide sleeve, clenched slightly.
The first to return would undoubtedly be the deputy generals and captains who had been temporarily reassigned, as they didn’t have to deal with the aftermath.
If Shen Yi was still alive, he would most likely be among them.
Even Li Mujing didn’t know what she was looking for.
A severely injured Shen Yi?
To prove that his decision back then had been foolish? That pushing the document back had been reckless?
She bit her lip slightly.
It would be better if he returned safe and sound.
What good was winning a momentary argument compared to the life-saving favor he had done for her?
But the chances were slim.
With Qingfeng Mountain gone, it was easy to imagine how brutal the situation had been.
A second-rank captain like Shen Yi, who had been forcibly reassigned, would most likely have been sent to the front lines to weaken the sect disciples.
"Whoa!"
As the reins were pulled, hundreds of demon horses came to a halt.
A continuous stream of black-clad figures dismounted.
It was a rule set by the Demon-Suppression Bureau’s commander-in-chief: unless it was an emergency, all captains and deputy generals were forbidden from riding horses within Qingzhou City.
Violators would not only lose their pay but also receive lashes.
The crowd surged toward the city gate again, and even the disciples of noble families and sects couldn’t help but get excited.
"Can we see General Chen?"
"There! General Chen Qiankun!"
Someone shouted and pointed outside.
At his call, countless gazes surged like a tidal wave toward the direction he indicated.
With all the black-clad figures dismounted, one figure stood out.
A group of Golden Eagle captains slowly walked into the city, their cold eyes quickly clearing a path.
Several deputy generals, cloaked in heavy capes, surrounded a demon horse.
On the back of the tall and robust demon horse sat a handsome young man, gripping the reins.
His black robes were thin but straight, fluttering in the wind.
His fair face, clear eyes, high nose bridge, and thin lips, combined with the black saber at his waist, gave him a slightly stern aura.
As the horse’s hooves clattered, even without the Golden Eagle captains guarding him, the onlookers instinctively stepped back.
"Damn it, General Chen isn’t this handsome... or this young," some young men muttered in disappointment, pushing the person who had shouted earlier back into the crowd.
The girls, however, continued to stare at the young man’s face.
Even if he wasn’t General Chen, it didn’t seem to matter.
Captains clearing the way, deputy generals guarding and leading his horse—who could enjoy such treatment without being of high status?
In the crowd, the Li siblings suddenly began to breathe heavily.
Li Xinhuan stared blankly at the two cloud patterns on the man’s sleeve, then at his familiar face.
He slapped his own face twice and turned to his sister, asking in a daze, "Am I seeing things?"
He knew the commander-in-chief’s rules better than anyone.
After all, he had just been lashed not long ago.
"Probably not."
Li Mujing suppressed the slight tremor in her voice and watched as the tall horse passed in front of her and gradually moved away.
The man didn’t even glance in her direction.
Nor did he give her the mocking smile she had imagined, ridiculing her for the arrogance she had shown when she thought she could control him by presenting the document.
He just... calmly passed by.
"..."
"Hey, why are you so stiff?"
Hong Lei, walking beside the demon horse, whispered in confusion, "We’re from the Demon-Suppression Bureau, not tax collectors."
"I’m just being aloof."
Shen Yi’s face remained expressionless as he stared straight ahead, his body slightly rigid.
He discreetly wiped the sweat from his palms on the horse’s mane.
Hong Lei noticed the small movement and smirked.
If it were him on the horse, he would have been waving left and right, eliciting cheers from the crowd.
That would have been a proper use of the moment.
Finally breaking free from the excited crowd, they arrived at the Demon-Suppression Bureau.
Shen Yi didn’t hesitate to dismount.
But as soon as he moved, Hong Lei used his shoulder to block Shen Yi’s leg, gritting his teeth.
"General Chen’s orders. If you get off before reaching the office, he’ll break your legs."
"..."
...
Meanwhile.
In the clean bamboo building of the Demon-Suppression Bureau’s medical hall.
Bai Ziming irritably picked up a needle and jabbed it into Fang Heng’s arm.
Hearing the muffled groan from Fang Heng, who was clenching his teeth, Bai Ziming said indifferently, "Keep acting recklessly, and next time I’ll show you the Core Formation Realm needle technique my master got from the imperial court for me."
"It’s been days. How much longer?" Fang Heng lay on the bed, feeling the numbness in his arms, his mood growing impatient.
"Interesting. I’ve wasted so much of my salary treating your injuries, and now you don’t even call me ‘senior brother’ anymore."
Bai Ziming smiled gently and proceeded to jab over a dozen needles into Fang Heng.
Fang Heng’s body jerked like a carp, veins popping on his forehead as he nearly bit through his teeth.
"Senior Brother Bai... I’m really in a hurry... I need to go to Qingfeng Mountain..."
"If Master knew he had such a useless disciple... Tsk, a mighty Martial Immortal, rejected twice without even meeting the person. And here you are, still trying to warm up to someone who clearly doesn’t want you."
Bai Ziming shook his head, retrieving the needles one by one.
He stood up and patted his clothes.
"Let’s go."
"Where?" Fang Heng looked up in confusion.
"To see just how skilled this captain who beat you so badly really is."
Bai Ziming’s eyes were calm as he placed the flat needle box into his robe.
"While our senior brother and sister are away, he beat you up like this. If Senior Sister Jiang finds out, she’ll think I’ve forgotten how to fight after all these years of practicing medicine."
Back already? So soon?
Fang Heng got up anxiously, his lips moving before he finally sighed in defeat.
"Senior Brother, I was the one who started it."
"How much did you lose by?" Bai Ziming glanced at him, already expecting the answer.
"Ten to one."
Fang Heng lowered his hands and sighed under Bai Ziming’s questioning gaze.
"I used all my strength, and he just slapped me to the ground."
"..."
Bai Ziming pretended to take out the needle box again.
"I almost forgot. A doctor’s duty is to heal, not to fight. This kind of thing is better left to Senior Sister Jiang."
Fang Heng knew Bai Ziming was teasing him and said helplessly, "If you fought him, of course you’d win, Senior Brother Bai. After all, your methods are so underhanded. He’s got some body-refining skills, but it’s not enough."
Both were experts who could defeat him in one move.
Shen Yi needed to get close, while Bai Ziming’s poisoned needles, extracted from Jade Liquid Realm poison demons and enhanced with precious medicines gifted by their master, could kill an ordinary martial artist on contact.
Hard to defend against, and Bai Ziming loved to attack with a smile.
One moment he’d be chatting, the next, the needles would be flying.
Compared to that, Shen Yi seemed more like a true expert, always letting Fang Heng make the first move, but that also made him more vulnerable.
"I’ll take that as a compliment."
Bai Ziming stepped out of the bamboo building without a care.
He was genuinely curious about this new captain now.
The two quickly made their way to the external affairs hall, only to find it completely blocked by a swarm of captains.
(End of Chapter)