Demon Purging Division

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Demon Purging Division
Alias(es)	荡魔司 (Dàngmó Sī); Demon Purging Division Reserve Camp; Commander's Office
Affiliation	Great Gan imperial court and imperial family 17
Occupation/Role	Imperial anti-monster force; monitors officials and investigates collusion with monsters 17
Status	Active
First Appearance	5

Mandate and Authority

The Division is described as an imperial blade: it fights monsters externally while monitoring officials internally. Officials found colluding with monsters may be executed before a formal trial, with the Division reporting afterward. 17

• Responds to monster incursions, eliminates demon nests, and organizes city defense. 39 102 110 172
• Uses military merit to record monster kills, award promotions, and exchange for cultivation resources. Monster corpses are marked with the Division’s insignia to prevent others from stealing credit. 26 40
• Investigates or suppresses forbidden half-demon cultivation, which the Great Gan court classifies as treason. 146 198 202
• Maintains strict wartime discipline; failure to answer a monster-alert summons is treated as desertion under military law. 39
• Preserves evidence at dismantled half-demon cultivation sites while awaiting investigation by higher authorities. 171
• Treats the elimination of Blood Fiend Cult remnants as a significant military achievement. 161

The Division’s jurisdiction is distinguished from ordinary civil administration. In the dispute involving Gao Xiang and Zhao’s Shop, Deputy Inspector Han Qiong argues that civilian disputes belong to the East Prefecture Office rather than the Division. Yellow Sand Gang leader Jin Ming similarly invokes the Prefect’s jurisdiction over matters not involving demons, although the discovery of his gang’s half-demon operation provides grounds for Division intervention. 100 199

Membership can provide substantial protection even before formal promotion. Xu Qiang stops an attack upon seeing Lin Feng’s trainee token, and the Xu family fears severe consequences if its involvement in an attack on a trainee is discovered. Nevertheless, trainees are not recognized as full members, and their lack of independent law-enforcement authority is invoked against Lin Feng after his assault on the Green Snake Gang. 29 32 71

Organization

Position / Unit	Documented function
Reserve Camp trainee	Recruits who train and must meet advancement requirements before becoming official members. 26 27
Squad Leader	Lowest formal position in the Division; trainees who reach Blood Replacement within five years may be promoted into the role. 26 27
Lieutenant	Leads groups of trainees and lower-ranking personnel in field operations. 39
General	Commands teams of trainees, Lieutenants, and Squad Leaders. 33 105
Centurion	Senior field commander; Centurions assign personnel and lead large deployments. 89 102
Deputy Commander	High-ranking prefectural official; Zheng Yu is identified as one and is an Essence Refining Realm expert. 88 109
Commander	Head of a Commander's Office; Li Qingyun presides over the Hall of Punishment and directs major operations. 92 110
Reserve Camp	County-level institution that recruits and trains talent for the Prefectural City’s Division. 17
Commander's Office	Prefectural headquarters that trains promoted personnel, distributes resources, and coordinates deployments. 88 89
Pacification Commissioner	Senior regional official who can mobilize Commanders, Deputy Commanders, and other Division personnel; Mei Zuo leads the Yellow Sand Gang suppression, and Lin Feng later holds this position. 198 230
Pacification Division	Regional office from which Division forces are mobilized and city-defense responsibilities coordinated. 198 252 263
Division Commander	Li Buyi is identified as Commander of the Demon Purging Division and a leading figure in the imperial court. 186

Kaiyang County Reserve Camp

The Kaiyang Reserve Camp occupies the eastern Inner City, a location and scale that display the Division’s wealth and influence. Its entrance is guarded by stone lions and uniformed guards bearing “Demon Purging” insignia. 24

The camp’s commands are politically divided. General Wu Peng is associated with the Li and Wu families, while General Bai Sheng is associated with the Zhao and Yu families. General Huang Qiong is regarded as neutral and connected to county-yamen interests. 33

General Ding Yun’s command is notably neglected: it has few surviving Squad Leaders, receives little guidance or resources, and is often assigned menial work or dangerous front-line duties. 33 39

Ding Yun’s trainees are described as having poor aptitude and little background. The few Squad Leaders previously assigned to him have died fighting monsters, and the camp has stopped assigning replacements, reportedly because of his laissez-faire leadership. Lin Feng, Mu Yu, and You Lin are assigned to this command after being left out of the other assignments. 33

Wu Peng, Bai Sheng, and Huang Qiong are subsequently killed by County Magistrate Guo Yang during the events preceding the Anomaly disaster. 135

Prefectural and Regional Offices

The Qinhe Prefecture Commander's Office is situated in the central part of the prefectural city. It houses trainees arriving from different counties for promotion training, including shared courtyards with individual rooms. 88

After Li Qingyun is recalled for reporting, Zheng Yu temporarily holds the Commander’s position. A month later, the permanent appointment remains unresolved. Zheng Yu and fellow Deputy Commander Cao Ying subsequently participate in a joint meeting with prefectural officials concerning Huang Haitong’s disappearance. 157 164

At the regional level, Mei Zuo’s Pacification Division can summon several Commanders and Deputy Commanders for a coordinated operation. The office sends a smaller team to secure the Yellow Sand Gang’s exposed cultivation site while directing its main force against the gang’s headquarters. 198

Documented Personnel

Person	Position or institutional connection
Li Buyi	Commander of the Division; leads a court faction opposed to Grand Chancellor Qiu Yuan’s faction. His disciples and associated personnel include Ding Yun, Li Qingyun, and Lin Feng. 163 170 186
Li Qingyun	Qinhe Prefecture Commander; enforces discipline, leads the Liuyang follow-up operation, and investigates suspected half-demon cultivation. 92 110 113
Zheng Yu	Deputy Commander who leads deployments and later serves as temporary Commander in Li Qingyun’s absence. 109 157
Cao Ying	Deputy Commander involved in the official response to Huang Haitong’s disappearance. 164
Guan Xue	Centurion and trusted subordinate of Li Qingyun; fights powerful demons and covers the Liuyang retreat. 103 104 105
You Mingyuan	Centurion involved in the Liuyang expedition and Liang Feifan’s disciplinary case. 92 102
Zhao Hu	Kaiyang Centurion; protects the Reserve Camp with a Jade Plate during the Anomaly disaster and refuses Guo Yang’s invitation to join him. 137
Ding Yun	General at the Kaiyang Reserve Camp; later works with Lin Feng against the Green Robe Sect and helps repel another monster attack. 33 170 263
Liang Feifan	General who extorts cultivation resources from new personnel and attempts to sacrifice subordinates during the Liuyang breakout. 89 92 105
Mei Zuo	Pacification Commissioner who commands the Yellow Sand Gang suppression and represents Li Buyi’s faction. 198 202
Lin Feng	Enters as a Reserve Camp trainee and later serves as a General, Centurion, Deputy Commander, and Pacification Commissioner. 26 150 171 198 230
Treading Snow	Tracking half-demon dog formally enlisted by Li Qingyun after assisting the Liuyang extermination effort. 157

Recruitment and Training

Entry Assessment

Applicants for the Reserve Camp must reach peak Skin Refining before age twenty. 17

The assessment includes:

• Examination of bones and age.
• Lifting a heavy stone lock.
• Registration before an examiner. 24

Recruitment is vulnerable to favoritism. Wealthy applicants can arrange guaranteed placements, while poorer candidates face stricter treatment; Liu Mancang is disqualified and seriously injured after challenging the examiner. 24

Lin Feng obtains entry after defeating Mei Changyun in a competition, after which Huang Qiong confirms the successful applicants’ admission and directs them to register and collect supplies. Zhao Sheng and Zhao Chengzhe assist him in securing the opportunity. 21 26

Humble origins are not an absolute bar to admission. Lin Feng understands that applicants without major criminal records can enter with sufficient maneuvering and connections, and that becoming a Squad Leader would make recommending another applicant relatively straightforward. 46

Trainee Benefits

Benefit	Details
Salary	Five taels of silver per month for low-level trainees. 26 27
Food	Meals are included; medicinal cuisine is served every three days. 27
Cultivation support	One medicinal bath per month for trainees. 27
Equipment	Trainee token, three dark-green uniforms, and a Thousand-Refined Iron saber. 26
Techniques	New recruits may select a Bone Forging Realm cultivation technique. 26
Treasury access	Weapons, elixirs, techniques, and other resources may be exchanged with military merit. 26
Higher trainee benefits	Benefits double upon advancement to the Tendon Strengthening Realm. 27
Prefectural newcomer supplies	Personnel arriving for promotion training receive uniforms, cultivation techniques, a Hundred-Forged Saber, a Blood Replacement Pill, and salary. 88

Trainees must reach the Blood Replacement Realm within five years to qualify for promotion to Squad Leader and become recognized Division members. Those who fail can remain trainees indefinitely despite receiving basic benefits. 26 27

Formal advancement reflects assessed potential rather than cultivation alone. Some veteran trainees reach Marrow Cleansing but remain below Squad Leaders in institutional standing because they failed to meet the earlier promotion requirement. 27

Techniques and Field Preparation

The Reserve Camp’s cultivation techniques are described as carefully selected, with each supplied alongside a suitable Yellow-tier High-grade martial skill. Available techniques include Flowing Water Art, Blazing Sun Scripture, Mystic Turtle Art, and Vajra Art. Lin Feng selects Vajra Art, which includes Iron Shirt, despite warnings about its pain, difficulty, and resource requirements. 26

Personnel receive training in battlefield withdrawal and battle formations. During the Liuyang encirclement, Generals reorganize their commands into charging formations and lead separate breakout teams while Centurions cover the rear. 105

Specialized Equipment and Tracking

• Merit protection: Marked monster corpses are protected against stolen credit. The Division can track offenders by scent, with theft carrying the threat of execution. Lin Feng receives thirty military merit points for killing a Second Realm Lesser Demon during the Kaiyang incursion. 40
• Anti-Anomaly artifact: Zhao Hu’s Jade Plate creates a protective field over the entire Kaiyang Reserve Camp. He activates it slowly with tongue-tip blood, causing nine runes to light before the artifact sinks into the ground and dispels the Domain’s influence. 137
• Signal flares: Personnel carry Division flares to summon nearby forces. Lin Feng uses one after eliminating a Blood Fiend Cult Anomaly, expecting a stationed General to respond. 161
• Tracking half-demons: Besides Treading Snow, the Division possesses other half-demons capable of tracking by scent. Their abilities are limited when a location contains too many mixed scents, as demonstrated during the search for Li Buyi. 157 312

Operations

Kaiyang Monster Incursion

When monsters attack Kaiyang County, the Division summons available personnel to the training grounds, divides them into groups, and deploys them across the city. Its forces fight alongside the county yamen, local clans, gangs, and military units. 39

The Division records individual kills for merit and secures monster corpses under its insignia. 40

Lieutenant Wang dies during the fighting, but senior trainees reorganize the survivors, arrange for their merit to be recorded, and continue advancing rather than withdrawing while monsters remain active. 40

Liuyang County Expedition

The prefectural Commander's Office mobilizes Centurions, Generals, Lieutenants, and trainees against an unusually large demon force near Liuyang County. 102

The force suffers heavy casualties after encountering numerous Commander-level demons and a Demon General. It ultimately breaks out in multiple directions under Centurion cover. 104 105

After the Minotaur Demon General devastates Liuyang County, Deputy Commander Zheng Yu and Commander Li Qingyun lead a follow-up extermination effort into the mountains. 109 110

Guan Xue distinguishes herself against Commander-level opponents and remains behind to engage the Demon General during the retreat. She later follows Lin Feng’s escape route under Li Qingyun’s instructions to protect him. 103 105

During the follow-up operation, Treading Snow assists in locating the demons. Li Qingyun overpowers the Minotaur Demon General, but two black-clothed attackers intervene and allow it to escape. The Division subsequently reports that most of the other demons have been eliminated. 110 112 157

Upon returning to Qinhe Prefecture, Li Qingyun immediately invites the leaders of the Green Robe Sect, Sanhe Gang, and Black Tiger Gang to a banquet. He intends to identify the first black-clothed attacker through the serious injuries he inflicted and thereby investigate the force secretly cultivating half-demons. 113

Kaiyang Anomaly Disaster

An Anomaly Domain causes Reserve Camp trainees and Lieutenants to lose control and attack one another. Centurion Zhao Hu activates a Jade Plate artifact that dispels the Domain’s influence across the camp and orders the survivors to remain inside. 137

The protective effect does not extend safely beyond the camp. Zhao Hu warns that leaving would cause personnel to lose their minds again, then sets out to seek a solution. Guo Yang intercepts him, reveals his collusion with the Anomalies, and attempts to recruit him. Zhao Hu refuses but is defeated and captured by the newly advanced Essence Refining Realm magistrate. 137 138

The Division later restores order after the disaster, with no major expansion of the incident reported. 143

The camp suffers relatively few casualties, and its surviving trainees and Lieutenants help restore order overnight. 143

Yellow Sand Gang Suppression

After Lin Feng exposes the Yellow Sand Gang’s secret half-demon cultivation operation, Pacification Commissioner Mei Zuo mobilizes Division personnel to surround and assault the gang. 198

The operation treats the cultivation of half-demons as a capital offense and dismantles a major power in Luocheng within an hour. 199 202

Lin Feng discovers the cultivation den with Treading Snow, pursues Wu Yue through its underground passages, and kills him before reporting to Mei Zuo. The mobilized forces divide between securing the den and attacking the headquarters, where Lin Feng leads the initial assault as a Deputy Commander. 196 197 198

Commander Gu claims that Wu Yue has confessed, although Wu Yue is already dead; this is a deliberate attempt to draw a response from Jin Ming. Jin Ming denies responsibility, refuses to accompany the Division, and orders resistance. After the operation, Division personnel take the surviving gang members into custody. 199 202

Defense of Qinhe Prefecture

The Division joins the government office, local clans, gangs, and other forces in defending Qinhe Prefecture City after demons openly declare war. 172 174

During the siege, Centurion Zhu Wei abandons his post, sacrifices subordinates to escape, and kills his own men while fleeing—actions identified as capital offenses by Lin Feng. 176

The declaration follows an attack on the officers guarding the destroyed Green Robe Sect. General Niu, Deputy Inspector Gong, and their subordinates are stationed there to remove useful property and preserve the secret chamber as evidence when the White Ape and several Demon Generals surround them. 171 172

Lin Feng and Ding Yun subsequently kill the White Ape, an outcome that fuels later attempts by demons and the Blood Fiend Cult to retaliate against Lin Feng. 195

Blood Fiend Cult Investigation

Division Commanders and Generals become involved in investigating disappearances in Qinhe Prefecture. Lin Feng and Treading Snow locate Jiao Guo, but Inspector Yuan Kong and Deputy Inspector Han Qiong attempt to take over the arrest and claim the credit. Jiao Guo kills Yuan Kong, and Han Qiong offers to join the Blood Fiend Cult to survive. 157 158

After eliminating the Anomaly involved in the confrontation, Lin Feng sends up a Division signal flare to summon personnel and record the achievement. No Commander's Office personnel arrive during his wait; Prefect Nangong Yu and two prefectural clerks appear instead. 161

Green Robe Sect Dismantling

Lin Feng and Ding Yun uncover the Green Robe Sect’s secret half-demon breeding den, rescue captive humans, and dismantle the sect. Lin Feng kills Huang Haitong, while Ding Yun forces a masked opponent to retreat. Personnel from the government office and Commander's Office arrive afterward. 170

The Division subsequently shares responsibility for securing the site, preserving evidence, and removing useful property until the demon attack on its stationed guards. 171

Regional Defense under Lin Feng

After Lin Feng becomes a Pacification Commissioner, his destruction of major local families and the Azure Dragon Gang prompts other powers to visit the Division with gifts. His newly established authority helps bring local forces into the city’s defensive arrangements. 230 252

During a later siege, the Prefectural Office guards two gates and the Pacification Division guards the other two, with assistance from local gangs and families. Lin Feng commands the north gate alongside the Zheng family and several medium-sized powers. The defense succeeds with casualties reported as acceptable, while another force led by Ding Yun also repels its attackers. 252 263

Search for Li Buyi

Following Li Buyi’s disappearance, Li Qingyun and Lu Hongyu repeatedly petition Emperor Zhu Tianxin to send search parties. Dissatisfied with the limited imperial response, they lead personnel from the Li Residence in their own search. Division tracking half-demons are also brought to the scene, but mixed scents prevent them from finding a clear trail. 312

The Wolf King later identifies Li Buyi and Qiu Yuan as his captives when confronting the emperor at the Imperial Palace. 313

Institutional Problems

Despite its mandate to monitor officials, the Division is repeatedly affected by corruption, factionalism, and selective enforcement.

• Family factions influence trainee assignments and access to capable commanders. 33
• Bribery can influence entry to the Reserve Camp, and privileged applicants may treat assessments as a formality. 24
• The Division and county yamen issue a public notice that protects Chief Constable Wu Hua from accusations connected to the Xu family, despite evidence being submitted against him. 59
• Villagers reporting missing infants and deaths receive no help from the Reserve Camp; personnel eventually draw weapons to drive them away. 132
• General Liang Feifan extorts Blood Replacement Pills from newly promoted Lieutenants until Commander Li Qingyun punishes him with twenty lashes. 89 92
• Low-ranking personnel are sometimes treated as expendable in major engagements, particularly during the Liuyang breakout. 105
• Liang Feifan orders Lin Feng, Zhang Liang, and Wu Kai to cover the retreat with the intention of using them as cannon fodder, then pursues Lin Feng when he refuses to remain behind. 105
• The Division’s prestige is described as having weakened in Kaiyang County, where Magistrate Guo Yang considers action against Lin Feng partly as a means of checking its authority. 71
• Rival officials exploit the Division’s perceived political decline. Yuan Kong and Han Qiong interpret Li Qingyun’s recall and Zheng Yu’s uncertain temporary appointment as signs that Qiu Yuan’s faction has gained the advantage, encouraging their attempt to appropriate Lin Feng’s investigative credit. 157

Court Factionalism and Discipline

Li Buyi’s position combines military authority with influence at court, where he is engaged in a two-faction struggle with Grand Chancellor Qiu Yuan. Lin Feng’s association with Li Buyi’s faction exposes him to opposition beyond Qinhe Prefecture, particularly after Zhu Wei’s death. 170 186

The rivalry also shapes relations between regional institutions. Mei Zuo represents Li Buyi’s faction, while Luocheng Prefect Zhuge Ling represents Minister Qiu’s faction; their exchange after the Yellow Sand Gang suppression is openly strained. Zhang Tan likewise claims that Li Buyi’s influence at court is declining, although this is his assessment rather than an institutional ruling. 198 202

Internal discipline is not wholly absent. Li Qingyun’s handling of Liang Feifan’s extortion establishes limits on abuse of office, but he also punishes Lin Feng for his part in the confrontation, offering a month of gate and training-ground duties or work in the mess hall. 92

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