Heavenly Supervision Department, Flying Fish Guard

By the time Chen Yan and the Sloppy Old Daoist hurried back to Shanxi Town, night had fully fallen. The sun had set beyond the western hills, and a bright moon hung high in the sky.

On the way back, Chen Yan keenly noticed that although the old Daoist looked aged and decrepit, his stamina was no worse than Chen Yan's, even after Chen Yan had changed his blood. In fact, it seemed to surpass his own.

They raced all the way back. Even Chen Yan's breathing had grown heavier, yet the Sloppy Old Daoist was neither red in the face nor short of breath. He could even sway his head as he drank, showing not the slightest trace of fatigue.

This gave Chen Yan an even deeper impression of the old Daoist's strength. Setting aside his identity as a cultivator, in terms of martial prowess alone, Chen Yan might not necessarily be his match.

Just in time, the two made it back to Shanxi Town before the gates closed.

Watching the drunken Sloppy Old Daoist walking ahead of him, Chen Yan's eyes filled with thought.

He was considering what the Sloppy Old Daoist's true purpose might be.

Chen Yan had never believed that kindness came without cause.

The old Daoist had sold him a saber for one hundred copper coins and a jug of wine. It sounded reasonable enough, but in truth, it was no different from giving it away for free.

Given the Fish Dragon Saber's value, let alone one hundred copper coins, even one hundred taels of gold would not have been enough to buy it.

Yet the old Daoist had practically given it away at the price of cabbage.

Clearly, the old Daoist had some other purpose.

But what that purpose was, Chen Yan had no idea.

The only thing he knew was that the old Daoist bore him no ill will.

Otherwise, he would not have accepted the Fish Dragon Saber, no matter how precious it was.

"Could the original owner of this body be his long-lost biological son?"

Chen Yan could not help letting his imagination run wild, and the way he looked at the Sloppy Old Daoist became rather strange.

The old Daoist grew uncomfortable beneath Chen Yan's odd gaze. He could not help lifting his wine gourd and lightly rapping Chen Yan on the head as he cursed, "What kind of look is that, brat? Why are you sticking so close? I'm not your grandfather. Go on, you walk in front!"

Chen Yan shot the old Daoist a sidelong glance, too lazy to argue. Just as he was about to pass him, a shout suddenly came from ahead.

"Lord Liu! Lord Liu!"

Chen Yan looked up. Farther down the main street, a fat figure dressed in an oversized official robe was jogging toward them, sweat pouring down his face. More than a dozen constables surrounded him, maintaining order, and Uncle Zhao, Zhao Gang, was among them.

Chen Yan was no stranger to this fat man—or rather, no resident of Shanxi Town was. He was Wu Yong, Magistrate Wu, the county magistrate of Shanxi Town, a man who stood above ten thousand people in the town.

Magistrate Wu jogged over, sweating profusely. He was so fat and poorly balanced that Zhao Gang and another constable had to support him carefully on either side.

When he reached the Sloppy Old Daoist, Magistrate Wu's fat face held both grievance and resentment as he said, "Since Lord Liu had already arrived in Shanxi Town, why did you not visit my County Yamen? This humble official had quite a time searching for you."

"Haha, this old Daoist's wine worms were craving a drink. Forgive me, forgive me..."

The Sloppy Old Daoist looked somewhat embarrassed as he laughed it off.

Meanwhile, Chen Yan quietly pulled Zhao Gang aside and asked in a low voice, "Uncle Zhao, what is the background of this old... Lord Liu?"

Chen Yan had originally intended to call him "old Daoist," but seeing the county magistrate right there, he changed his words and addressed him as "Lord" as well.

Zhao Gang secretly glanced at the old Daoist, then bent down and said quietly, "Xiao Yan, have you heard of the Heavenly Supervision Department?"

"The Heavenly Supervision Department?"

Chen Yan frowned. He searched through all of the original owner's memories, only to find that he seemed never to have heard those three words before.

Seeing that Chen Yan did not know, Zhao Gang continued, "It is not strange that you have not heard of it. The Heavenly Supervision Department was originally a secret bureau of our dynasty. Only in recent years, because of certain events, has it gradually emerged into the open and become known to the world. The Heavenly Supervision Department watches over all under heaven—none dare refuse its authority..."

After that, Zhao Gang began recounting the origins of the Heavenly Supervision Department, and Chen Yan gradually gained a preliminary understanding of this mysterious official organization of the Martial Dynasty.

Put simply, the Heavenly Supervision Department was not much different from the Embroidered Uniform Guard of the Ming Dynasty in his previous life.

The only difference was that, besides monitoring officials and common people, the Heavenly Supervision Department also monitored the Martial Dynasty's Martial Masters and... cultivators.

Yes, cultivators.

From Zhao Gang's words, Chen Yan finally learned definite information about cultivators.

Not only did cultivators exist in the Martial Dynasty, there were even sects devoted specifically to cultivation. Those folk tales of immortals were, in truth, stories of cultivators with powerful cultivation.

In its heyday, the Heavenly Supervision Department had been filled with powerful experts, suppressing the thirteen commanderies across the Nine Provinces of the Martial Dynasty. No force had dared disobey.

Only after certain events occurred did the Heavenly Supervision Department's power gradually decline. Yet even so, it remained the Martial Dynasty's greatest apparatus of violence.

And because all members of the Heavenly Supervision Department wore Gold-Woven Flying Fish Robes, they were also known as Flying Fish Guards.

Among the Flying Fish Guards, there were ordinary Flying Fish Guards and rank-bearing Flying Fish Guards. Without question, rank-bearing Flying Fish Guards were the elite among elites, every one of them highly capable.

The Sloppy Old Daoist's full name was Liu Fujing, and he was a Bronze-Rank Flying Fish Guard. Though Bronze-Rank Flying Fish Guards were merely the lowest rank among the rank-bearing Flying Fish Guards, with Silver-Rank and Gold-Rank Flying Fish Guards above them—

Even so, in terms of official rank, a Bronze-Rank Flying Fish Guard stood one rank above a seventh-rank county magistrate. That was why Wu Yong addressed Old Daoist Liu as "Lord."

But when Chen Yan recalled how the Sloppy Old Daoist had nearly pawned his bronze Flying Fish insignia for money to buy wine, the corner of his mouth could not help twitching.

The reason Old Daoist Liu had appeared in Shanxi Town was also simple. Recently, the number of family extermination cases in Shanxi Town had sharply increased, yet the constables could find no clues. They suspected the cases were connected to Evil Spirits and Ghosts.

Thus, Wu Yong, the magistrate of Shanxi County, reported the matter to the commandery government of Yiling Commandery. The Yiling Commandery branch of the Heavenly Supervision Department then dispatched Old Daoist Liu to investigate.

Hearing this, Chen Yan could not help glancing at Liu Fujing.

Rank-bearing Flying Fish Guards had always possessed the authority to execute first and report afterward. In other words, if Old Daoist Liu were to cut down Wu Yong with a single stroke right now and declare him the source of demonic chaos, no one present would speak up—or dare to.

Of course, the Heavenly Supervision Department would certainly send someone to verify the matter afterward, but that still could not conceal the fact that Flying Fish Guards wielded immense power. No wonder Wu Yong treated Old Daoist Liu with such cautious reverence.

As if sensing Chen Yan's gaze, Old Daoist Liu proudly swept him a glance, then said to Wu Yong, "Enough. This old Daoist has traveled all day and is weary. Have you prepared any food to make offerings to this old Daoist's Temple of the Five Organs?"

"Yes! Yes! The feast has long been prepared. Lord Liu, please follow this humble official."

Wu Yong nodded repeatedly and led Old Daoist Liu toward the County Yamen. Zhao Gang needed to protect Wu Yong, so after reminding Chen Yan to be careful these next few days, he followed them away as well.

After Wu Yong and the others departed, the empty street gradually regained its bustle.

Chen Yan remained where he stood, watching Old Daoist Liu and the others leave, his eyes deep in thought.

From Old Daoist Liu's tone, it seemed that the true culprit behind Shanxi Town's several family extermination cases was not the Skin-Peeling Puppet, but someone else—and most likely a cultivator who practiced evil arts.

At the thought of an Evil Cultivator lurking in the shadows like a venomous snake, Chen Yan was immediately seized by a sense of crisis.

After all, the Skin-Peeling Puppet had died by his hand. Even if Chen Yan wanted to hide, he would not be able to avoid this.

Placing one's hopes in an enemy's mercy was the most foolish thing of all. Who knew whether that Evil Cultivator had already set his sights on him?

"No!"

"The Blood Qi Realm is not enough! Far from enough! At the very least, I need the Second Blood Qi Realm, perhaps even the third, before I can barely have the strength to protect myself..."

"At the same time, it would be best if I could obtain a cultivation method. Though I do not know whether a Qi and Blood Martial Artist is stronger or weaker than a cultivator, mastering spells and possessing cultivation can only bring benefit, never harm."

"But when all is said and done, I still need merit. Without enough merit, everything is empty talk."

At this thought, Chen Yan's gaze grew ever deeper.

"Since killing the Skin-Peeling Puppet can earn merit, then without a doubt, slaying demons and eliminating evil, destroying Evil Spirits and Ghosts, can earn it as well. In that case, could acting chivalrously, helping the poor, and eradicating evil also earn merit?"

For the time being, Evil Spirits and Ghosts were not easy for Chen Yan to find, but Shanxi Town had no shortage of wicked men and ruffians. Could dealing with them also earn him merit?

He had been too young and weak before, leaving Chen Yan with no way to act. But now that he was a Blood-Changing Martial Artist, Chen Yan felt that perhaps he could give it a try...