Demon Suppression Division Office

The Demon Suppression Division's working office stood right beside the Lingqiu County yamen.

After Captain Wu arrived, the yamen requisitioned that residence and converted it into the Demon Suppression Division office.

At this moment.

Quite a few young people had gathered before the main hall of the Demon Suppression Division office.

"What is it, Brother An? Do you know this man?"

An Mingxin looked at Song Chengan, his face full of confusion.

Wasn't today the day the Demon Suppression Division office was recruiting?

Why was Song Chengan here?

An Mingxin came back to himself. The speaker had a long spear strapped to his back, dressed in white, with sword-like brows and starry eyes.

It was the Wen family's eldest young master, Wen Chengyun.

An Mingxin shook his head. "I don't know him."

At that moment, a frivolous-looking young man holding a folding fan sidled over.

"I know him."

"Song Chengan."

"He used to be the young master of the Song family's restaurant. Their family had some assets back then, but later this fellow became addicted to gambling and lost both the restaurant and the family's fields."

As he spoke, he cast an ill-intentioned glance at An Mingxin. "Brother An, you've cultivated away from home for many years, so naturally you don't know him."

"Come to think of it, he can be considered your relative."

"His elder sister married your father as his third concubine."

An Mingxin's face instantly darkened.

This bastard.

Of all the pots he could have opened, he had to open the one that wouldn't boil.

"Who are you?"

he said irritably.

Wen Chengyun said, "Brother An, this is Young Master Qian of the Qian family, Qian Xin."

He then turned to Qian Xin with helplessness. "Young Master Qian, why have you come here today as well?"

Qian Xin waved his fan and cupped his hands. "The Demon Suppression Division has only just been established, so its selection standards aren't that strict. This is an excellent opportunity for us."

"If we don't seize this chance, it won't be so easy to enter the Demon Suppression Division later."

"I heard that among this group, some are even from the great Lineages of Liang Province."

"Hasn't Shen Changning come?" Qian Xin looked around.

Wen Chengyun said, "I'm not sure."

"Of our five Houses, the Du family has always focused steadfastly on business and doesn't get involved in such matters. If I'm not mistaken, Brother An's quota came from the Du family, right?"

An Mingxin nodded.

The Demon Suppression Division had initially given each of the five Houses one quota.

He had spent a hefty sum to buy his quota from the Du family.

"Aren't these quotas supposed to be limited?"

"Why are so many people here?"

An Mingxin watched the growing crowd in the courtyard, puzzled.

Wen Chengyun spoke.

"Brother An, you don't know this."

"Most of these people are martial artists. They will serve as strongmen for the Demon Suppression Division in the future."

"The Demon Suppression Division's duty is to deal with demons and monsters. It relies on Qi Refiners like us."

"What do you mean?" An Mingxin did not understand.

Qian Xin took over.

"It means that the ones who can truly be called members of the Demon Suppression Division are those of us who received quotas."

"Our salaries are paid by the Demon Suppression Division."

"As for them, they actually belong to the local yamens, and collect their salaries from those local yamens."

"They exist to assist us in dealing with those demons and monsters."

"So that's how it is."

"Scholar Song, over here, over here!"

Song Chengan was looking over the people in the courtyard.

Out of nowhere, he heard someone calling him.

He looked up.

It was a young man he did not recognize.

So he pretended not to hear and lowered his head, continuing to toy with the Demon Subduing Staff in his hand.

"Scholar Song!"

"Schol... ar... Song!"

But to his surprise, that man's voice only grew louder.

He shouted while waving his hands.

Song Chengan was speechless.

In the end, he could only walk over helplessly.

"Did someone in your family die? Why are you howling so loudly?" Song Chengan was about to explode with anger.

"No one in my family died."

"I just thought Scholar Song might have trouble with your ears and couldn't hear very well."

"Why did you call me over?"

Song Chengan said irritably.

The yamen's notification time had been so early that he had gotten up at dawn today.

"I called you over to join us."

"Can't you see everyone else is in groups?"

"Follow the three of us from now on. We'll make sure no one bullies you."

An Mingxin's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

When he saw Song Chengan approaching, he gave an even colder snort.

There was no helping it.

The sight of Song Chengan irritated him.

When he and An Mingxu had fought over a toy as children,

Song Chengan, who was ten years older than him, had cast aside all martial virtue and helped An Mingxu beat him up.

He still remembered it!

Even though Song Chengan had later been cursed bloody by An Ruifeng, who said he was a dog catching mice and meddling in other people's business.

Now he was even more annoyed at Qian Xin.

This man clearly knew he disliked Song Chengan, yet he had called Song Chengan over anyway.

"Isn't this Mingxin?"

"You came back without even telling your uncle." Song Chengan immediately grinned when he saw An Mingxin.

An Mingxin said impatiently, "Whose uncle are you?"

"I'm Mingxu's uncle, so doesn't that make me your uncle too?"

"You're just too petty. You should be more generous, like me. It was only when we were children..."

The veins on An Mingxin's forehead throbbed. "Enough."

"I have nothing to do with you."

If there had not been so many people around, he truly would have wanted to beat Song Chengan up.

This Song Chengan truly did not know whether he was dead or alive.

Didn't he know An Mingxin was now a Qi Refiner?

Did he still think this was childhood, when he could bully him simply because he was a few years older?

Given the chance, An Mingxin would have to teach him a lesson.

Qian Xin stopped talking.

He watched the show with a beaming smile.

He had called Song Chengan over precisely because he knew Song Chengan and An Mingxin did not get along.

He had deliberately wanted to disgust An Mingxin.

"Song Chengan!"

Song Chengan heard someone call his name and turned around.

It was a middle-aged scholar.

He was calling out to him with a smile.

Song Chengan remembered him. He was the man who had followed behind Wu Cong that day.

"Advisor Song!"

"Advisor Song!"

At this moment.

Wen Chengyun and the others hurriedly rose to salute him, as did everyone else.

"Advisor Song!" Song Chengan hurriedly cupped his hands.

"Come inside with me. I have something to discuss with you."

After Advisor Song spoke, he nodded to the others, turned, and walked into the main hall. Song Chengan hurriedly followed.

"Your uncle seems rather familiar with Song Chengan."

Wen Chengyun was also somewhat curious. "I heard the yamen recruited quite a few clerks this time. It seems Brother Song is one of them."

Suppressing his anger, An Mingxin cupped his hands toward Wen Chengyun. "He probably stepped in dog shit and got lucky."

After saying that, he turned to Qian Xin and roared in a low voice, "I told you I have nothing to do with him! I think he's your fucking uncle, the way you keep bringing him up."

Qian Xin used his fan to block the spittle An Mingxin sprayed. "Fine, fine, let's just say he's my uncle."

"Look at you. You get worked up the moment anyone mentions him."

At this point, he lowered his voice. "Do you know how our uncle became a clerk for the Demon Suppression Division?"

"He fished his way into it."

"Captain Wu likes fishing, so this fellow deliberately showed up every time Captain Wu went fishing. Over time, he caught Captain Wu's eye."

"And just like that, he rode the east wind and became a clerk."

"Isn't our uncle lucky? Scholar Liu on East Street spent who knew how much silver, yet in the end all he got was a single sentence: the clerk positions are full."

If An Mingxin had a knife in his hand right now, he would definitely stab the bastard in front of him to death.