The Lu Family's retaliation came even faster than Lin Baichuan had imagined. Just as Yang Zhan was still offering him strategies, a loud shout suddenly came from outside the courtyard.
"Lin Baichuan, come out and accept your mission..."
Inside the courtyard.
Lin Baichuan and Yang Zhan's expressions changed at the same time. Yang Zhan gritted his teeth and said, "Damn it, it must be the Lu Family. Otherwise, our newcomer mission shouldn't have been assigned today. Baichuan... don't go out. I'll find someone right away..."
"No. It would be useless even if you did. They're acting within the rules. If I refuse the mission, I'll be violating regulations and only give them something to talk about—a handle to use against me." Lin Baichuan immediately stopped Yang Zhan and said in a deep voice, "Let's go out and see first."
As he spoke, Lin Baichuan had already strode toward the courtyard gate.
Seeing this, Yang Zhan immediately followed.
At the courtyard entrance stood five young men and women. The leader was a young man dressed in the uniform of a Senior Demon Slayer, while the other four—three men and one woman—were likely all Intermediate Demon Slayers.
When the young Senior Demon Slayer saw Lin Baichuan and Yang Zhan emerge, he immediately asked in a deep voice, "Which one of you is Lin Baichuan?"
"I am!"
Lin Baichuan stepped forward and cupped his fists toward the three of them.
"Lin Baichuan, I am Li Da, captain of Thirteenth Squad, Seventh Battalion. From today onward, you are a member of Thirteenth Squad. Captain Song Gang has ordered that demons are causing trouble in Yunshan County, and Thirteenth Squad is to go exterminate them. Depart immediately. Pack up and come with us at once..."
The Senior Demon Slayer glanced at Lin Baichuan, then took out a scroll and handed it to him. "Take a look for yourself. This is the transfer order."
Lin Baichuan did not stand on ceremony. He accepted the transfer order and gave it a glance. Sure enough, it ordered him to join Thirteenth Squad and follow Li Da to Yunshan County to slay demons.
It also bore the seal of the Cangwu County Demon Suppression Division.
Lin Baichuan put away the scroll, his eyes narrowing slightly. After sweeping his gaze over Li Da and the four team members behind him, he said in a deep voice, "Captain Li, please wait a moment. I'll go pack up."
As he spoke, he immediately dragged Yang Zhan, who still wanted to say something, into a room in the courtyard.
"Baichuan, this is definitely the Lu Family's doing. From what I know, Song Gang has close ties with the Lu Family..."
The moment they entered the room, Yang Zhan hurriedly said, "You can't take this mission. It's too dangerous. The Lu Family definitely wants to use this chance to get rid of you. Li Da and the others are probably Lu Family men. Or they were ordered by Song Gang to deal with you."
"The transfer order bears the great seal of the Cangwu County Demon Suppression Division."
Lin Baichuan shook his head slightly and handed the order to Yang Zhan. "If I don't go, I'll be disobeying orders. You know full well what the consequences would be. So I have no choice."
"But..."
Yang Zhan was anxious.
"Don't worry!"
Lin Baichuan patted his shoulder and smiled faintly. "It won't be that easy for the Lu Family to take my life. Hmph... Since I know Li Da and the others may be a problem, I'll naturally be careful. So rest assured—I'll be fine."
Naturally, Lin Baichuan could not refuse this mission. First, the rules did not permit him to refuse. Second, he did not want to refuse it in the first place. If he wanted to obtain more merit and increase his strength, he had to kill demons.
And this mission was a demon-slaying mission. It suited him perfectly.
As for whether Li Da and the others had been ordered to make a move against him, he had his own guess. Even if they had been ordered by Song Gang to deal with him, they would most likely wait until they reached Yunshan County and use the demons' hands to kill him. They would not make a move themselves.
So for now, he was still relatively safe. Once they reached Yunshan County, he would play it by ear.
No matter what, meeting change with constancy was the right path. Only by going out could he find a way forward.
"You... I..."
Yang Zhan was left speechless. Then he sighed. "It's all my fault. If I hadn't taken you to Tianyin Workshop last night, none of this shit would have happened."
"It's already come to this, so what's the point of saying that? Don't worry. I'll be fine. Trust me..."
Lin Baichuan chuckled and patted Yang Zhan's shoulder again. "All right, I'm heading out. Once I return from this mission, we brothers will have a proper drink."
As he spoke, Lin Baichuan simply packed his belongings, took up his battle saber, and left the courtyard.
"Let's go!"
At the courtyard gate, Li Da saw Lin Baichuan come out. He did not waste words, merely said that, then immediately set off toward the Demon Suppression Division's compound exit.
Yang Zhan stood at the courtyard gate, watching Lin Baichuan and the others depart. His expression was icy as he gritted his teeth and growled, "Lu Changkong, you bastard—don't let me get an opportunity..."
Icy killing intent surfaced in his eyes. Lin Baichuan's journey was fraught with danger.
The odds of returning alive were less than one in ten.
Yang Zhan understood this clearly, but he could do nothing. The Lu Family had used an open scheme, grand and aboveboard, without a single flaw to be found. He had some standing and backing, but he was not qualified to alter Lin Baichuan's transfer order.
The Yang Family behind him did possess such influence, but the problem was that the Yang Family was not his to command.
Yang Zhan knew very well that the people in the Lineage would never offend Demon Slaying Captain Song Gang—or even the Lu Family, whose strength was comparable to that of the Yang Family—for the sake of one Lin Baichuan.
Elsewhere.
After Lin Baichuan followed Li Da and the other four out of the residential area, they did not immediately leave the Demon Suppression Division's grounds. Instead, they first went to the Beast-Riding Hall and borrowed six Unicorn Horses.
This world was profoundly mysterious. Not only were there demons beneath heaven and earth, but all manner of exotic beasts, spirit beasts, and savage beasts as well.
The Unicorn Horse was a low-grade spirit beast. It resembled an ordinary warhorse, save for the single horn growing from its head. Though its combat strength was nothing remarkable, it was extremely fast and could travel three thousand li in a day, making it an excellent mount for travel.
The Demon Suppression Division valued precisely this, which was why it had captured large numbers of Unicorn Horses and bred them through domestication.
Demon Slayer Guards of the Demon Suppression Division generally traveled on Unicorn Horses whenever they went out on missions.
The Great Xia Dynasty possessed vast territory, with a single county spanning tens of thousands of li in every direction. Yunshan County, where Lin Baichuan and the others were headed, lay in a remote region more than ten thousand li from Cangwu County City. Even traveling at full speed on Unicorn Horses, the journey would take more than three days.
After borrowing the Unicorn Horses, the group delayed no longer. They rode straight out of Cangwu County City and headed north.
At the same time!
Just as Lin Baichuan followed Li Da and the others out of Cangwu County City, inside a tavern in the city, a young man clad in fine brocade robes was drinking and chatting with a middle-aged man whose face was covered in a thick beard.
Had Lin Baichuan been there, he would have recognized at a glance that the young man was Lu Changkong.
"Captain Song, that Lin Baichuan..."
After lifting the wine jug and filling the bearded man's cup, Lu Changkong took the opportunity to ask.
"Young Master Lu, rest assured. That brat is as good as dead. I sent him to Yunshan County, and I guarantee he won't return."
The bearded man was none other than One-Star Demon Slaying Captain Song Gang of the Demon Suppression Division. He smiled, raised his wine cup, took a sip, and chuckled softly. "A mud-legged nobody who happened to enter the Demon Suppression Division, and he no longer knows the height of heaven or the depth of earth.
This time, he will learn that some matters are not his to meddle in. Some people are not people he can afford to offend.
Since that person has spoken, I, Song, will naturally see this matter handled properly.
Young Master Lu, just wait in the city. Within a few days, you'll receive word of Lin Baichuan's death..."
Before you continue