The sky was overcast, and a fine rain drizzled down.
The pitter-patter of raindrops tapped against the green tiles of the Demon-slaying Bureau’s conference hall, gathering into streams that dripped intermittently from the flying eaves, splashing into little blossoms on the stone slabs below.
Inside the hall, the atmosphere was heavy.
Five days had passed since the Mist Demon’s attack on Hu State.
Ran Qingshan, the Lord Chief of the Hu State Demon-slaying Bureau, still wore a look of deep exhaustion. His crotch, injured during the battle with the Demon Fiend, was still wrapped in bandages.
"Have you figured it out? How exactly did that Mist Demon get in?"
Ran Qingshan’s gaze swept over the assembled Hall Masters below, his tone cold. "Why did the City Defense Array suddenly fail?"
Since the founding of the Great Qing, incidents of a Great Demon directly invading the heart of a major city, causing such death and panic, were exceedingly rare—a severe defensive failure.
If General Shangguan hadn’t discovered and contained the threat in time, he would have lost his official post long ago.
Even so, he had received a furious tirade from the General Office.
A black mark had been put on his record.
Faced with the Lord Chief’s questioning, the group below remained silent.
Some cracked melon seeds, some drank tea, some secretly read novels...
SLAP!
Ran Qingshan slammed his hand on the table in fury.
"What? Have you all gone mute?"
Only then did the men grudgingly compose themselves, exchanging glances.
Finally, under the pointed gazes of a few senior members, Xu Fu, Hall Master of the Seventh Hall, who was seated in the back row, braced himself and stood up.
"Lord Chief, about the failure of the City Defense Array... it actually has, well, a little something to do with you."
"Me?"
Ran Qingshan laughed in anger. "Then why don’t you tell me what it has to do with me?"
’If the Array had been running normally, we would have detected the Great Demon’s appearance immediately and locked onto its demonic aura.’
’How could it have forced General Shangguan, who was in the Underground Palace in closed-door cultivation to break through to a new realm, to forcibly exit and manifest their Dharma Aspect?’
’The timing of this Demon’s invasion was too precise.’
’It struck right when the General was in seclusion and just as the Array failed.’
’It’s hard not to suspect a mole.’
’And now I’m being told the Array failure was my fault, the Lord Chief’s fault?’
’Am I, Ran Qingshan, the mole?’
Xu Fu cleared his throat and said:
"Lord Chief, three months ago, the core materials for maintaining the Array in Yunzhou City were stolen, causing their Array to be paralyzed.
Although the Court approved a replacement, the shipment would take time. You were concerned that Yunzhou City’s period of vulnerability would be too long and might lead to chaos, so you took the initiative to lend them the spare materials from our warehouse.
Who would have thought that after they received the new supplies from the Court, they wouldn’t have time to return ours? And we just happened to have exhausted our own reserves, so..."
The hall fell silent.
Everyone averted their gaze, pretending to be absorbed in thought.
Who didn’t know that the still-charming female Lord Chief of the Yunzhou Demon-slaying Bureau was the object of Ran Qingshan’s affection back in his youth?
During normal official business, the Lord Chief always showed them special consideration. This time, he was so "eager to help" that he practically gave away the entire storeroom.
And the result?
The simp simped so hard he almost simped his own city out of existence.
Ran Qingshan’s expression turned ugly. "Didn’t we only lend them half?"
Xu Fu replied, "The other half wasn’t enough."
Ran Qingshan was left speechless.
Seeing his chance, Xu Fu quickly added:
"Of course, the Lord Chief acted for the sake of the greater good. At the time, a demonic miasma was gathering outside Yunzhou City, signaling an imminent invasion. As a neighboring state, our fates are intertwined; if they fall, we are next. It was only right to help. The General Office also tacitly approved this."
He turned to the others. "Fellow Hall Masters, wouldn’t you agree?"
"Oh, yes, yes, yes."
"That’s right. The Lord Chief’s actions were understandable."
"My Lord, don’t blame yourself too much. Demons are cunning and strike when least expected. It is truly beyond human foresight."
"..."
Ran Qingshan rubbed the bridge of his nose and cleared his throat. "We’ll put this matter aside for now."
"Right, how are the arrangements for the Jiang family coming along?"
Xu Fu immediately adopted a serious expression:
"My Lord, we have helped Jiang Chen properly bury his parents and the servants who perished in the manor. The deceased and the bereaved are now emotionally stable.
In addition, his sister, Jiang Yuexin, who mutated into a Demon Fiend, has been confirmed to have fled toward Red Blood Valley. A search party is in pursuit.
As for why his sister mutated, our preliminary conclusion is that the Mist Demon caused it through some covert means."
"Jiang Yuexin..."
Ran Qingshan tapped his fingers lightly on the table and asked, "And Jiang Chen, he’s not a problem, is he?"
"He’s not a problem."
Xu Fu said, "We’ve checked him repeatedly. Aside from some memory loss caused by inhaling a small amount of mist toxin, there are no traces of demonic corruption in his body."
"You’re sure?"
Xu Fu thumped his chest. "Rest assured, my Lord. If that kid’s a Demon Fiend, I’ll do a handstand and eat shit!"
Ran Qingshan nodded.
"Since he’s clean, what are your thoughts on him joining the Demon-slaying Bureau? Who’s willing to take him?"
Xu Fu instantly fell silent.
The others all lowered their heads. Some adjusted their collars, some studied the tips of their boots, and some went back to secretly reading their novels...
Seeing this, Ran Qingshan felt helpless.
’I don’t know what the General Office was thinking, letting a decadent wastrel like him join the Demon-slaying Bureau.’
’It seems Jiang Chen’s father must have stuffed a lot of silver into the right hands before he died.’
"Xu Fu, how about you take him?"
Ran Qingshan singled him out.
Xu Fu’s face changed dramatically.
"My Lord, you promised you wouldn’t stick me with any more newcomers! Besides, the Seventh Hall is already at full capacity. One more person and we’ll be overflowing!"
Ran Qingshan turned to a chubby, middle-aged man.
"Old Mo, what about you?"
The chubby man waved his hands repeatedly, a bitter smile on his face.
"Please, my Lord, spare me. My place is full of rough brutes. How are we supposed to wait on a pampered little young master like him?
I heard this kid even dared to curse at General Shangguan. My timid heart can’t handle that. If it really comes to it, why not assign him to Old Brother Wen? He happens to be short-staffed."
"Old Mo, you bastard, don’t drag me into this!"
Across the room, a man with a scar on his face was so startled his hand jerked, spilling his tea. He quickly turned to Ran Qingshan and said,
"My Lord, my performance review for this quarter was already a D-grade. If you stick me with another deadweight, I’ll probably lose my position as Hall Master next month. I think... why not let Lord Yan give it a try?"
Everyone’s gaze snapped toward the corner.
A man in black sat there, radiating a gloomy aura that warned all to keep their distance.
The man lifted his eyelids, his voice as cold as ice.
"I can take him. But I’m known for going all-out on my cases. The casualty rate for those under me is the highest in the entire bureau."
"If this Young Master Jiang comes along and loses his life on a mission two days later, I won’t take the blame when the General Office comes asking questions."
Ran Qingshan was speechless and had to look away.
’What am I going to do?’
’The man’s already been inducted, and no one wants him. This is ridiculous.’
’What a headache.’
Just then, Xu Fu’s eyes darted about, and he lowered his voice to say:
"My Lord, your subordinate has just remembered something."
"A while ago, didn’t the General Office send out a document stating that under special circumstances, city branches could apply to create a temporary Hall roster?"
"Why don’t we... make use of that?"
"You mean..." Ran Qingshan’s eyes narrowed.
Xu Fu said:
"Since his induction was specially approved by the General Office, we should give him good treatment, right? But putting him in any hall is dangerous. Why not just make him a Hall Master himself? That way he won’t have to go ruin... er, I mean, integrate into the other brother halls."
Xu Fu’s meaning was obvious.
Enshrine this "great Buddha" by himself, putting him on a pedestal. It would give face to the General Office while avoiding internal trouble.
Ran Qingshan frowned. "Won’t that be too insulting to him?"
A one-man hall. A commander with no soldiers.
There was no precedent for such a thing in the history of the Demon-slaying Bureau.
It was tantamount to treating him as a decorative wall scroll.
Xu Fu chuckled slyly.
"To rise to such a high position at a young age—it shows how highly you regard him, my Lord. I’m sure neither the General Office nor Jiang Chen himself will have any objections."
"Besides, according to the rules, for every official hall established, the General Office allocates an additional corresponding share of resources..."
This was Xu Fu’s true goal.
Resources!
The one thing the Demon-slaying Bureau lacked most was resources!
Now they had a mascot specially approved from on high; it would be a waste not to take advantage of it.
An idea sparked in Ran Qingshan’s mind. He glanced at the others. "What do you all think?"
"I think Lord Xu’s idea is excellent."
"Brilliant! Truly brilliant!"
"That’s right, I support Lord Xu."
"I support him as well."
Everyone voiced their support one after another.
How could they not support it?
Creating a new hall roster out of thin air meant an extra share of resources, funding, and equipment quotas.
As for where those resources would ultimately end up...
Heh, the brothers of the bureau were one big family. The resources would naturally be allocated in a "coordinated and reasonable" manner.
How much could that Young Master Jiang possibly use by himself?
Besides, the rotten idea came from Xu Fu, and the Lord Chief was the one making the final decision. If anything went wrong, the ones in charge would take the heat. What was there not to like?
Ran Qingshan slammed the table.
"Good! We’ll do as Xu Fu says. Xu Fu, you will take the lead on this. Immediately draft the official application to establish a new hall and submit it to the General Office for the record posthaste. You will also be fully responsible for all related matters."
"Huh? Me?"
The smile on Xu Fu’s face froze.
’Wait...’
’I get the feeling my superior is making me the scapegoat.’
—
—
The old Jiang family estate, its courtyards deep and sprawling.
White mourning lanterns swayed in the wind and rain, exuding a desolate air.
Jiang Mu, fanning himself with a cattail-leaf fan, was sprawled out on an old bamboo chair. He stared blankly at the tattered bird’s nest in the branches of the locust tree outside the courtyard.
’The start was a bit tragic, but at least I inherited such a large estate. I guess that’s a consolation prize.’
Jiang Mu withdrew his gaze.
’Of course, it wasn’t just the large estate.’
’The previous owner of this body’s father was a savvy businessman with substantial assets.’
’But Jiang Mu knew his own limits; he was definitely not cut out for managing a business.’
’Seeing the merchants outside who, smelling blood in the water, were eager to pounce and "devour the heirless," he steeled his heart and acted decisively.’
’He sold what needed to be sold and transferred what needed to be transferred.’
’In the end, he only kept a jewelry shop and an apothecary, leaving himself a safety net.’
’Now, he was a wealthy, single young man.’
But for Jiang Mu, money wasn’t what he wanted.
He had no interest in money at all.
Ever since the day he had witnessed the terrifying Demon Fiend and General Shangguan’s sky-blotting Dharma Divine Abilities with his own eyes, a powerful desire had surged within him.
’I want to get bigger, too.’
’I want to get stronger.’
’This world is too dangerous.’
’I have to be able to protect myself, or who knows when I might suffer the same tragic fate as my predecessor’s parents.’
’Not to mention, I have a sister who turned into a Demon Fiend.’
’She’s a ticking time bomb.’
Jiang Mu could even picture the scene:
Late one night, a familiar yet strange face would silently appear by his bedside, a twisted, sinister smile on its lips, and whisper creepily:
"Oh, big brother... a family should be together. All neat and tidy, you know?"
At the thought, Jiang Mu couldn’t help but shudder, fanning himself even faster.
Fortunately, his "convenient" old dad had at least paved a way out for him before he died.
By joining the Demon-slaying Bureau, he could cultivate martial arts and master supernatural powers. Plus, with the backing of a state organization, he would have a measure of security.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
A series of urgent knocks suddenly broke the tranquility of the courtyard.
’Is that Xu Fu?’
Jiang Mu’s eyes lit up, and he ran excitedly to open the courtyard gate.
However, it was not Xu Fu at the gate.
Instead, there stood a tall, bright-eyed young woman in green robes.
"Jiang! What’s the big idea?"
"You just dump that woman at my house and wash your hands of her, is that it? If you want to keep a mistress in a gilded cage, don’t use my house!"
Jiang Mu: "?"