He had not told the whole truth. In fact, they had been the ones who first wanted to kill Chu Jiang.
As for Great Demon Tianxie wanting Chu Jiang's life, that had been entirely accidental.
Afterward, they had even wanted to squeeze out his last shred of value before he died and lure him to Black Tiger Mountain.
But those words could not be spoken.
For now, they could only shift all the blame onto the demons if they wanted any chance of surviving.
"Godfather, how could you collude with demons and plot against your own people?!"
"Lord Chu slays demons and exterminates evil to protect the people of this region!"
"How could you hand him over to demons?!"
After hearing Assistant Magistrate Liu's words, Liu Guangwu could hardly believe that the official responsible for Baishi County could do such a thing. He could not understand it.
This man had always taught him to draw a clear line between himself and demons, to make slaying demons and exterminating evil his duty, and to treat the people generously. Yet he himself had been colluding with demons.
He could not accept that the person he respected most had become like this.
"Ten thousand things are fated; not half a point is left to man's will!"
Assistant Magistrate Liu closed his eyes. He still did not answer Liu Guangwu, instead speaking to himself.
"You have your path, and I have my way. Now, you are completely free."
He truly had treated Liu Guangwu as a chess piece.
But in Liu Guangwu, he saw the shadow of his younger self.
He too had once been so high-spirited, wanting to sweep away the darkness from this world, slay demons and exterminate evil, cleave open an age of peace, and return tranquility to the common people.
He had been filled with confidence and the light of dawn.
But life sometimes drifted onto another path without warning.
Perhaps the sky had simply been too dark.
He could not cleave it apart, and it had instead swept him along until he became part of the darkness.
That was why he had extended his affection to Liu Guangwu because of his regard for another.
Though Liu Guangwu was a chess piece, he still wanted him to remain a pure person.
Perhaps it was to make up for the regrets of his past.
"From the sound of it, the demons wanted my life, and it had nothing to do with you, Assistant Magistrate Liu." Chu Jiang smiled playfully, his gaze sharp as light.
"That is indeed the case!"
Assistant Magistrate Liu could only answer.
Chu Jiang suddenly looked in a certain direction. A smile touched his lips as he said, "My little courtyard is truly lively tonight. Do I need to invite you in?"
"Hm?"
Assistant Magistrate Liu was startled. There was someone else? Could the hall master have come?
If the hall master had come in person, they would be saved.
"Who is it?"
"Come out at once!"
The Demon Hunters shouted loudly. Long blades were drawn in an instant, their edges flashing with cold light beneath the moon.
"Haha, there is no need for alarm, everyone. It is me!"
A fat man in luxurious clothes flipped over the courtyard wall. Though his body was obese, he moved as lightly as an agile cat. Dropping from a wall several meters high, he made no sound at all.
"Manager Wang, why is it you?!"
"The authorities are handling a case right now. This is not a place you should be!"
Liu Guangwu recognized the fat man at once. He was Tianxiang Tower's manager, the one who had helped him out before. His character had seemed fairly decent.
"Hehe, Constable Liu, rest assured. Wang would naturally not barge in without permission."
Manager Wang smiled and waved a hand.
As he spoke, he reached into his robes, fumbled around for a moment, and pulled out a token.
"Oh? What is that?"
Liu Guangwu looked at the object in the other man's hand with a puzzled expression.
It was a round bronze token, carved with countless mysterious patterns. At its center was a large character for "Suppression," as though an oppressive force radiated from it.
"A Demon Suppressing Guard!"
Chu Jiang recognized the token. It came from the Demon Suppression Division, an institution formally established only at the prefectural level. Even at the commandery level, it had only temporary outposts.
The Demon Suppression Division had been established by Great Chu specifically to deal with demons, its duty being to suppress them.
These people were the core force resisting demons. Their County Yamen Demon Catching Division could only be considered unofficial personnel of the Demon Suppression Division.
They handled demon cases that were not particularly difficult.
They were contract workers, essentially.
Even their martial arts had been taught to the county yamen by Demon Suppressing Guards who happened to stop by while carrying out certain missions.
Demon Suppressing Guards stood three ranks above ordinary officials. They were Great Chu's true powerhouse department. Not only did they suppress demons across the land, they also monitored the Martial Sects throughout the realm.
"Zhang Sanbao of the Yunzhou Demon Suppression Bureau!"
Zhang Sanbao's introduction left everyone present stunned.
No one had expected Baishi County to have a Demon Suppressing Guard stationed there long-term. He had hidden himself too deeply.
Demon Suppressing Guards usually carried out short-term missions. Long-term stationing in one place was extremely rare, which meant this location was extraordinarily important.
"Greetings, my lord. May I ask what business brings you here?" Chu Jiang asked calmly.
Zhang Sanbao glanced around and could not help coughing a few times.
"All of you, leave. Do not let anyone enter."
Chu Jiang smiled, understanding Zhang Sanbao's meaning. Clearly, what came next was not convenient for others to hear.
"My lord, you may speak now."
Zhang Sanbao said teasingly, "You are stronger than I am, so there is no need for this. Demon Suppressing Guards standing three ranks above officials is only for outsiders. Within the Division, strength is still respected above all."
"We can speak as equals."
Chu Jiang nodded.
"Do you know the true identities of Liu Kong and Hu Yijiang?" Zhang Sanbao asked.
"They have other identities?"
Chu Jiang questioned him. Since Zhang Sanbao had said this, the identities of those two were likely far from simple. It was highly possible that the people sent from above had come specifically for them.
"They are members of Earth Fiend Hall!"
"A martial force? Are they trying to overthrow the Great Chu Dynasty?"
"Though that is not entirely precise, you could put it that way."
Zhang Sanbao continued, "Earth Fiend Hall is an extremely powerful force. They belong neither to the Human Race nor to the demon race."
"However, overall, they lean toward the demons and have some cooperation with them."
"Their core members are basically in a half-human, half-demon state. They use demons for experiments, transplanting them onto themselves to increase their strength."
"Resources are limited. Some peripheral members do not even get such an opportunity unless they make special contributions."
"At times, they even come into conflict with the demon race."
Using demons as experimental subjects—now that was something. This organization was rather formidable.
Would they not eventually create some terrifying monster?
"Hm, then by using demon bodies for experiments, isn't Earth Fiend Hall indirectly easing our pressure?" Chu Jiang said.
Zhang Sanbao gave a bitter smile and continued, "At first, that was indeed the case, so we did not interfere. Later, Earth Fiend Hall secretly abducted a great number of Human Race martial artists for human experimentation, and conflict arose between us."
"After that came all manner of open and covert struggles, each side trading blows."
"The Demon Suppression Division not only has to suppress demons throughout the land and monitor the Martial Sects to prevent them from stirring up trouble in the shadows, but also secretly resist Earth Fiend Hall."
"Quite a few people have infiltrated the Great Chu court, harboring malicious intentions."
"We are severely short-handed. Even after numerous expansions, in the face of such a vast nation where people are needed everywhere, we can only barely maintain the current situation."
After hearing this, Chu Jiang felt that the Demon Suppression Division deserved the greatest credit for Great Chu having survived for so long. They did every kind of job there was.
It was like a house on the verge of collapse, patched and mended year after year, yet somehow refusing to fall.
But this Great Chu Dynasty truly was swaying on the brink, battered by wind and rain.
The threat of demons alone had already exhausted them, while the Martial Sects behind the scenes were also far from peaceful. Otherwise, there would have been no need to send people to monitor them. Some martial upheaval had likely occurred before.
And there was Earth Fiend Hall as well. They were already short-handed, yet Earth Fiend Hall kept poaching people from the Great Chu Dynasty. Sooner or later, this grand edifice would collapse.
A feeling rose involuntarily within him.
"Great Chu... is in peril..."
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