My Fool (Part 2)

Early morning, breakfast.

When Long Haochen and Cai'er appeared before their companions together, everyone, including Gao Yingjie, looked at them somewhat strangely.

Cai'er could not see, but she could sense the slight change in atmosphere. However, with black gauze covering her face, no one could see her expression.

The other nine newly formed Demon Hunt Squads were also dining in the restaurant. They would soon be setting off again.

Lin Xin leaned close to Long Haochen's ear and whispered, "The fastest updates are, of course, on Divine Throne Bar... Not bad, Captain. Just as expected of a young hero."

Long Haochen asked in confusion, "What is it?"

Lin Xin chuckled. "The leader went looking for you in your room last night, but you weren't there. It seems you didn't return to your room all night, did you? Restraint, restraint."

Only then did Long Haochen understand the strange looks on his companions' faces, and he immediately felt embarrassed. "Eat. Hurry up and eat." As he spoke, he first served Cai'er a bowl of porridge and took some food for her before beginning to eat himself.

Sima Xian's gaze was not as lecherous as Lin Xin's, but he still looked at Long Haochen strangely and secretly gave him a thumbs-up.

Long Haochen lowered his head and ate, pretending not to see anything.

When they finished breakfast and boarded the carriages again, Gao Yingjie passed Long Haochen and seemingly casually remarked, "Things are progressing a little quickly, aren't they?" Long Haochen's lips twitched, but in the end, he did not explain anything to the others. He could hardly say, "Actually, I didn't do anything," could he? In truth, when Cai'er woke up that morning and realized he had nothing covering him, she quietly pulled back the blanket and covered him as well. But Long Haochen in the morning no longer possessed the boundless restraint brought on by last night's emotion. Holding Cai'er's warm, delicate body beneath the blanket truly tested his strong will.

Already feeling guilty, he could only accept his companions' teasing.

Cai'er, on the other hand, was not nearly as shy. Her bashfulness and the door to her heart would only ever be revealed for her fool. In everyone else's eyes, she remained that icy young generation's number one assassin. Over the next ten days, the members of the ten newly formed Demon Hunt Squads spent nearly all their time in the carriages. They traveled by day and rested by night, heading straight for the Alliance's eastern frontier.

Just as Gao Yingjie had said, he spent a certain amount of time each day imparting his experience to Long Haochen. Though he spoke to Long Haochen, everyone else could naturally hear as well. Over the past ten days, everyone felt they had benefited greatly.

At the same time, with the help of Lin Xin's Spirit Gathering Pills, Sima Xian and Chen Yinger's Inner Spiritual Power improved rapidly. Naturally, Shi Xiaoxue did not receive Spirit Gathering Pills. After all, she was not a member of the Demon Hunt Squad, and the cost of refining pills was quite considerable.

During this time, everyone's roles within the team were also established. Long Haochen was the captain, while Cai'er, whose actual combat strength was the greatest, was the vice-captain. Lin Xin was responsible for all of the team's financial matters. The equally carefree Sima Xian and Wang Yuanyuan handled nothing and were only responsible for fighting. Chen Yinger, naturally, handled even less. Demon Expelling City was a major frontier stronghold of the Temple Alliance. It was a city almost like a fortress, situated between two mountains in the center of the Demon Subduing Mountain Range. Its terrain was dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Demon Expelling City was also known as Demon Expelling Pass. It could be said to be the gateway to the thousand-mile-long Demon Subduing Mountain Range and the Temple Alliance's most important eastern pass against the demons. Within Demon Expelling City lay a basin in the Demon Subduing Mountain Range, beyond which stretched vast plains. In other words, once Demon Expelling Pass fell, the demon army could drive straight through.

Therefore, the Temple Alliance stationed heavy forces here. At the same time, the headquarters of the Assassin Temple, one of the Six Great Temples, was located here as well. This was also where Cai'er had grown up. At noon that day, ten carriages from Holy City entered Demon Expelling City. The ten newly formed Demon Hunt Squads, which had just been established in Holy City, were arranged by the Assassin Temple to stay in the Hall of Governance in the eastern part of Demon Expelling City.

After dinner, all ten newly formed Demon Hunt Squads, having rested for the afternoon, gathered in the Hall of Governance's main conference hall under the guidance of their respective leaders. They had arrived at the destination of this mission.

The ten Demon Hunt Squads sat in ten rows, with each squad's captain seated at the front. Long Haochen was in the first row, and Yang Wenzhao sat beside him.

Yang Wenzhao occasionally turned back to look at Chen Yinger, who was seated behind Soldier Grade One Demon Hunt Squad. Chen Yinger did not look at him, instead letting her gaze drift around from time to time.

Long Haochen went over to greet Li Xin, who was two rows away. Li Xin was the vice-captain of Demon Hunt Squad Number Four and held a very high position within her team.

The ten Demon Hunt Squad leaders were seated on the platform, but two seats in the center had been left empty. Clearly, someone else was yet to arrive.

Footsteps sounded, and everyone subconsciously turned toward the door. A man and a woman entered the main conference hall under the escort of several fully armored soldiers.

Both appeared to be around thirty years old. The man wore a crisp black military uniform trimmed in gold thread, dignified yet carrying a touch of nobility. He was tall and slender, handsome, with short dark-purple hair that made him look especially spirited. His eyes shone with faint, cold pride, their gaze sharp as blades. The moment he entered the main conference hall, he brought an icy, piercing air into the vast room. The woman who entered beside him wore an aqua-blue mage robe, and dense water elements seemed to dance around her body. She appeared younger than the man beside her. Her long pale-blue hair, delicate brows, and beautiful features gave her peerless natural beauty. Her gentle, alluring eyes swept across the crowd, as though searching for something.

Seeing the pair, Long Haochen could not help but freeze slightly. For some reason, he felt a faint sense of familiarity.

Very soon, the two arrived at the platform. The ten Temple Knight leaders had already risen to greet them, and Gao Yingjie stepped forward to welcome them.

"Brother Gao." The man's voice seemed somewhat excited as he stepped forward and gave Gao Yingjie a hearty embrace. The woman walked up to Gao Yingjie, smiled, and nodded before standing quietly to one side.

Upon hearing the man's voice, Cai'er's delicate body trembled slightly behind Long Haochen, but she quickly returned to normal. Her lovely face remained as cold as ever.

Gao Yingjie turned to the young Demon Hunt Squad members below the platform. "Allow me to introduce them. This is the Military Chief of Demon Expelling City, Sheng Lingxin. Chief Sheng is also the Deputy Commander of the Demon Subduing Military District and the Temple Alliance's youngest King Assassin-tier assassin."

A King Assassin? That meant a seventh-step assassin. Military Chief Sheng looked only around thirty. Could there really be such a young seventh-step powerhouse? For a moment, admiration appeared in the eyes of these chosen prodigies from the Six Great Temples.

Sheng Lingxin smiled faintly. "Brother Gao flatters me. I am already thirty-seven this year, so I cannot be considered young. You are the true young talents. I hope that during your time in the Demon Subduing Military District and in my Demon Expelling City, all of you will distinguish yourselves."

Gao Yingjie turned toward the woman, but at that moment, her gaze had fallen upon the crowd. Her expression changed slightly, carrying sorrow, longing, and something else.

"This is the Head of the Demon Expelling City Mage Division, the Magic Temple Demon Expelling City Branch Hall Master, Great Archmage Lan Yanyu."

Sheng Lingxin gently touched Lan Yanyu, whose gaze had become somewhat vacant. Only then did she snap back to her senses. She nodded to the people below the platform but said nothing. The direction of her gaze, however, never changed.

Long Haochen noticed this oddity, because Lan Yanyu's gaze was directed right toward him. Was she looking at Cai'er?

Sheng Lingxin and Lan Yanyu took their seats in the center of the platform. Sheng Lingxin said in a deep voice, "Welcome to Demon Expelling City. First, I will brief you on the current situation in the Demon Subduing Military District and Demon Expelling City. Then, I will arrange the tasks for this mission. I hope that when you leave this place, you will return laden with Merit Points."

"The jurisdiction of the Demon Subduing Military District includes the entire Demon Subduing Mountain Range. The Demon Subduing Mountain Range stretches 1,654 kilometers from north to south, with rolling peaks. Most of its terrain is steep and difficult, easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is a natural barrier for the eastern territory of our Temple Alliance. Six thousand years ago, our ancestors relied upon the natural defenses of the Demon Subduing Mountain Range to hold their ground and keep the demons at bay, stabilizing the Alliance and making our present possible."

"At present, the Demon Subduing Military District is mainly managed and commanded in battle by our Assassin Temple, with the other five Great Temples providing assistance. More than two hundred thousand troops are stationed here. Of those, eighty thousand are stationed in Demon Expelling City, the most important gateway of the Demon Subduing Mountain Range, where you are now. To demonstrate its determination to resist the enemy to the death, the Assassin Temple deliberately established its headquarters here. Over the six thousand years of the Dark Ages, the Demon Subduing Military District and Demon Expelling City have endured countless demon assaults, yet they have always stood firm. This place bears the blood and tears of countless ancestors, but it also holds the wretched lives of countless invading demons."

As they listened to Sheng Lingxin, all the assassins among the ten newly formed Demon Hunt Squads, aside from Cai'er, visibly revealed excitement and pride. Demon Expelling City itself was a holy land for assassins. Being able to come here and fight was itself an immense honor to them.

"The demons' autumn offensive has already begun, and the warriors of the Six Great Temples have sworn to resist them to the death. You will each be assigned to one of ten Infantry Battalions, starting as ordinary infantrymen and fighting alongside regular soldiers. In the military, you will have no special privileges. Bravely killing enemies will not only earn you Merit Points; it will also be the only path to promotion in military rank. Teams with greater merit will gradually be able to accept more important missions from me. What you can accomplish in three months will depend entirely on your own efforts. This trial grants you a high degree of freedom. How far you can go will depend on your own efforts. Remember this: if any member of one of your teams dies, that Demon Hunt Squad will automatically be disbanded, and all Merit Tokens belonging to that team will be confiscated. On the battlefield, individual strength is always insignificant. Teamwork is the path you must take."