Chapter 60: The Inspector of Demon Subjugation
“Flood Dragon!”
Seeing the lifeless body of a flood dragon in the jungle, its head shattered, the two were dumbfounded.
They still had plenty of precious materials harvested from the black flood dragon on them—an inner core that enhanced cultivation, reverse scales, flood dragon teeth, and sharp claws, all valuable for forging weapons.
It was because they had stayed to gather these materials that they were delayed, and now, another one appeared here?!
The two immediately thought of the mysterious senior who had helped them earlier in secret. This flood dragon was likely killed by that senior.
Looking at the surrounding forest, there weren’t many fallen trees, and the battle didn’t seem fierce. This suggested an overwhelming victory.
“Two flood dragons crossing the border—how could they appear so close to the main road? If they were hunting, they’d target remote villages...”
Li Fu frowned. Suddenly, his pupils constricted. Dropping all the reverse scales and the flood dragon tooth, which was as tall as a person, he dashed forward.
As he charged, his divine soul materialized above his head, roaming through heaven and earth, quickly tracking the hoofprints on the ground.
Wei Feng quickly understood, his face changing drastically. He abandoned the materials without hesitation and leapt forward, swiftly arriving at the tea stand where Li Hao and the others had previously rested.
Here, the elderly tea seller was tidying up his stand.
Night had fallen. In the distance, dark clouds gathered, heralding a heavy rain.
“Old man, did a group of young riders pass by earlier?” Wei Feng asked urgently.
Earlier, they had been following Li Hao and his group from a distance, but they were intercepted midway by a flood dragon lying in ambush. The ensuing fierce battle separated them from Li Hao and the others.
At first, they thought the flood dragon was targeting them, wanting to devour their flesh and blood. However, with the appearance of a second flood dragon in a different location, it became clear... these two flood dragons weren’t after them but after Li Hao’s group.
“Oh, them? They’ve already gone far,” the tea seller said with a smile, looking at Wei Feng in mild surprise.
“Gone far?” Wei Feng was taken aback. They weren’t harmed?
...
He didn’t stop to ask further, instead flying off directly to confirm with his own eyes.
Soon, his divine soul scanned the road ahead, spotting five figures riding at full gallop. When he got a clear view, a heavy weight lifted from his heart, and he let out a long breath of relief.
Thank goodness. It seemed that the mysterious senior had acted in time, preventing the black flood dragon from making a move.
While secretly grateful, he also felt conflicted. His instincts told him these two flood dragons weren’t targeting the young lady but the two young masters from the Divine General Mansion.
After all, the Divine General Mansion guarded the borders, earning the enmity of the demon clans. Sending two flood dragons for a covert assassination seemed plausible.
The young lady traveling with the Divine General Mansion might not be entirely safe or wise.
Still, the senior who acted earlier was likely also from the Divine General Mansion. With this thought, Wei Feng felt a bit more at ease.
Remembering that Li Fu was still behind, he turned back to the tea stand and saw Li Fu rushing over.
“They’re fine, don’t worry,” Wei Feng said, immediately offering reassurance.
Hearing this, Li Fu exhaled deeply. If anything had happened to Li Hao, he would have failed in his duty and wouldn’t have been able to face the Divine General Mansion.
“Would you two like some tea?” The elderly tea seller, halfway through packing up, asked with a smile.
Neither of them had the heart to drink tea. Li Fu said to Wei Feng, “I’ll trouble you to keep an eye on them for now. I’ll send a message back to the mansion to have people collect the flood dragon’s corpse. As for the inner core, I’ll send it to you after this mission.”
“No problem,” Wei Feng replied, shaking his head. “We owe it all to that senior’s intervention. Otherwise, we’d both be dead. The flood dragon materials rightfully belong to the Divine General Mansion. Enough talk—I’ll go keep watch over the young lady.”
“Alright.”
The two hurriedly parted ways, leaving the tea seller shaking his head slightly.
“Why are young people always so impatient and restless?”
...
...
They traveled through the night without pause.
Two days later, Li Hao and his group arrived in the Qizhou region. After another half day of riding, they reached Cangyu City, the site of their demon-slaying mission.
This city wasn’t large. Among the hundreds of cities in Qizhou, it was of medium size at best, surrounded by a dozen towns and hundreds of villages, with a population of four to five million.
Yu Wei, experienced in such missions, released a messenger bird ahead of their arrival.
When they entered the city, they were promptly greeted by personal guards from the City Lord’s Mansion, who were warm and respectful, especially toward Li Hao and Li Yuanzhao.
Yu Wei and Du Qiuyue looked on with envy. On their previous missions, they had received only perfunctory courtesies at best.
...
Shortly after, they were escorted to the local Demon Subduing Division.
As they arrived, they saw a familiar figure.
“It’s her!”
Du Qiuyue immediately recognized Song Yueyao, clad in the official attire of a Demon Subduing Inspector, and was surprised to see her here.
Li Yuanzhao and the others also recognized her. She was the young woman who had visited the Jia Academy previously, rumored to be one of the most talented individuals in the Black and White Hall.
At that moment, Song Yueyao, accompanied by another young man and two middle-aged officials, hurriedly stepped out of the Demon Subduing Division, seemingly heading out on a mission.
She gave the new arrivals a brief glance and a slight nod before leaving quickly.
The young man, however, seemed intrigued. Noticing the crimson-blood horses the group was leading, he smiled warmly.
“The demonic threats outside the city are frequent these days. Junior brothers, please be careful. If you need anything, feel free to find me.”
With that, he waved and followed Song Yueyao and the others, disappearing down the street.
“It’s Senior Sister Song from the Black and White Hall, along with Senior Brother Tian. I can’t believe they’re here too. And look—Senior Sister Song is wearing the uniform of a Demon Subduing Inspector!”
After they left, Yu Wei exclaimed in a hushed tone.
In an average city, a Demon Subduing Inspector was a position of immense authority, second only to the City Lord.
Du Qiuyue sighed. “Senior Sister Song truly has celestial talent. She’s already at the Spiritual Wandering Realm, capable of overseeing an entire city. It’s no surprise she’s qualified to wear the Inspector’s uniform.”
“She’s amazing,” said the middle-aged Demon Subduing Officer who had escorted them. “Just yesterday, she arrived and already slew a demon that had lived for several centuries.”
Soon, the group was led into the Demon Subduing Division, where uniforms were brought out for them.
...
“Is Cangyu City really so chaotic that demons appear as soon as one arrives?” Du Qiuyue asked in surprise.
The officer, whose name was Cui Fan, was polite toward Li Hao and his group. He replied, “Recently, the demon activity has been increasingly rampant. Cangyu City is situated near the border of Qizhou, so it’s common to see traces of demons throughout the year. It’s not as peaceful as the cities further inland. But don’t worry—you’re here to gain experience in demon-slaying. For now, you’ll just be patrolling the area with the Demon Subduing Officers, so there shouldn’t be any real danger.”
It was clear that the Demon Subduing Division took good care of these elite young talents who came for training.
Moreover, with two young masters from the Divine General Mansion in their group, the higher-ups had already instructed that they must not face any risk.
Hearing Cui Fan’s accommodating tone, Yu Wei and Du Qiuyue were secretly delighted. Thanks to Li Hao and Li Yuanzhao’s prestigious background, they were confident they would earn full marks on this mission with little effort and secure ten academic credits.
“We’re here to slay demons, not to enjoy ourselves.”
Li Yuanzhao’s expression turned serious. As a scion of a martial family, he had been raised with strict discipline. Frowning, he said, “You should arrange things as you normally would. If there are no demons to kill, what’s the point of us being here?”
Cui Fan was taken aback, his attempt to flatter having backfired. He smiled awkwardly but didn’t argue.
“We truly admire your iron will, Young Master Li!” Cui Fan said, giving a thumbs-up with exaggerated admiration. “Such determination is exactly why the Divine General Mansion stands tall!”
Although he was silently cursing to himself—after all, he wasn’t avoiding danger for their comfort but to preserve his own position—Cui Fan’s professional demeanor betrayed none of this.
Li Yuanzhao, hearing the praise, couldn’t help but show a faint smile of pride.
Li Hao observed Cui Fan’s polished performance and sighed inwardly. He understood that Li Yuanzhao’s words wouldn’t change anything. It wasn’t Cui Fan’s fault for being ingratiating; their identities carried a natural weight.
For them, demon-slaying missions were a way to gain merit and prestige, but for people like Cui Fan, it was their livelihood—a responsibility and a job to survive.
Before long, five sets of official uniforms were brought in. Judging by the sleeve embroidery and insignias on the plaques, the uniforms designated them as Demon Subduing Officers.
In the Demon Subduing Division, those in the Tongli Realm were considered Demon Subduing Apprentices, those in the Zhoutian Realm were Demon Subduing Officers, and those in the Soul Fusion Realm were Demon Subduing Masters.
Above them were the Inspectors, such as Song Yueyao, whose position and authority were exceptionally high.
“Could we trouble you to provide a report on the recent demon activity in the region?” Li Hao asked Cui Fan.