Night fell, and darkness shrouded the land.
Within Yunshan County, in a rather refined courtyard, Lin Baichuan and the other five were brought over by people Liang Youtian had arranged.
At this moment, inside the room.
As soon as the people from the yamen left, Lin Baichuan came out of the room with his saber in hand. There was something wrong with Liang Youtian. The man was clearly deliberately preventing them from going to the village that had been slaughtered by demons.
When something was abnormal, there had to be a demon behind it. Since Liang Youtian was desperately obstructing them, Lin Baichuan had to go and take a look.
After all, this mission was his novice mission. It concerned his future advancement in the Demon Suppression Division, so he did not dare to be careless in the slightest.
The moment he stepped out of the room, Lin Baichuan froze.
The courtyard, which had originally been empty, now contained five figures—Qin Qing and the four men, including Li Da, who had clearly been drunk.
"What, did you think the four of us were really drunk?"
Seeing Lin Baichuan staring at them in a daze, Niu Zhenye sneered disdainfully. "If we couldn't see through even such a little trick, what demons would we be slaying and evil spirits subduing? We'd have died a hundred, a thousand times over these past years..."
"We noticed long ago that County Magistrate Liang Youtian had a problem. We knew he wanted to get us drunk and stall for time, so we played along."
Li Da smiled faintly at Lin Baichuan. "What I didn't expect was that Baichuan, you noticed it too. For a newcomer to have such vigilance is truly rare."
"I see."
Lin Baichuan nodded slightly, but inwardly, he sighed with emotion.
Sure enough, he had still underestimated the people of the world. Li Da and the others had become Demon Slayer Guards and prospered all these years—how could they be useless fools who did not know their own limits, easily trapped by Liang Youtian's petty tricks?
They had seen through everything long ago. They had merely played along.
Yet just now, he had been smug with self-satisfaction. He truly had been like a frog at the bottom of a well.
Sure enough, there wasn't a single fool in this world. I'll have to be even more cautious around these people, or I might get them kill me without ever realizing it.
Lin Baichuan shook his head slightly, but said aloud, "Captain, you flatter me. I merely happened to notice a few irregularities. Unlike you all, who already knew everything and seem to have laid out a detailed plan."
"Of course. If we didn't have a plan, were we really supposed to count on a greenhorn like you to complete the mission?" Before Li Da could speak, Niu Zhenye sneered disdainfully. "Kid, being able to follow us is a stroke of shit luck for you."
Lin Baichuan's expression tightened slightly, and killing intent surged in his heart.
This Niu Zhenye had targeted him again and again. If Lin Baichuan did not make him pay, would he not have lived this second life for nothing?
However, Lin Baichuan also knew that now was not the time to act. The urgent matter was to complete the mission; everything else could be pushed back.
"Stop dawdling. Let's go!"
At that moment, Qin Qing suddenly spoke. After saying this impatiently, she took the lead toward the courtyard's rear gate.
Liang Youtian's people were guarding the front gate. They were avoiding the county yamen to investigate, so naturally they could not leave through the front. They could only go through the back.
Seeing this, Li Da and the others did not waste any words and immediately followed.
Only after giving Lin Baichuan a cold smile did Niu Zhenye follow them. Lin Baichuan's expression remained unchanged. He reined in his killing intent and did not bother arguing with the man, merely taking his place at the back of the group.
The six of them climbed over a section of wall by the rear gate and slipped straight out of the city.
Outside the city gates, someone was already waiting—a young man with an exceedingly ordinary appearance. Lin Baichuan gave him one glance and immediately guessed his identity. He was likely an Intelligence Officer of the Demon Suppression Division.
His features were simply too ordinary. The kind of ordinary that, once thrown into a crowd, made him impossible to find again. Such a person had a tremendous advantage in intelligence work.
"Ying Que, Intelligence Officer of the Demon Suppression Division in Cangwu County, greets you, my lords..."
As soon as Lin Baichuan's group of six arrived, the young man immediately bowed to them.
As a massive organization, the Demon Suppression Division naturally possessed a complete system. It had not only Demon Slayer Guards, who specialized in combat, but also Intelligence Officers responsible for gathering information, as well as prison guards for the great prison that held demons.
Beyond that, it even had some relatively secretive and specialized positions.
Among these many positions, Demon Slayer Guards undoubtedly held the highest status. That was why Ying Que bowed and addressed Lin Baichuan's group as my lords.
"Mm. Tell us the specific situation."
Li Da gave a slight wave of his hand and asked in a deep voice, "What exactly is Yunshan County's current situation? Where are those demons now?"
"The situation is worrying."
Ying Que shook his head slightly, his expression grave. "Before you lords arrived, another village was slaughtered. Also... after investigating these past few days, I discovered that these demons are connected to certain people within Yunshan County.
"But exactly who they are still requires verification..."
The moment he said this, Li Da and the others' expressions changed slightly, and they exchanged glances.
Lin Baichuan raised his brows as well, an image almost instinctively surfacing in his mind.
Yunshan County Magistrate Liang Youtian.
If someone in Yunshan County was colluding with demons, Liang Youtian was likely the prime suspect.
However, it was all merely speculation. Without conclusive evidence, they could not make a final judgment. Besides, Liang Youtian was an official. Though he was only a ninth-rank County Magistrate, he was still an appointed official of the Imperial Court. This concerned the Imperial Court's dignity, so they had to proceed with even greater caution.
"Take us to the most recently afflicted village first." Li Da waved his hand slightly and spoke in a deep voice.
"Yes!"
Naturally, Ying Que did not waste words. He turned and led the way ahead.
The group quickly traveled along the official road. Though they were on foot, none of them moved slowly. All of them possessed cultivation; when traveling at full speed, they might not match Unicorn Horses, but they were far faster than ordinary horses.
After roughly half an hour, they left the official road. Led by Ying Que, they traversed a stretch of rugged dirt path and finally arrived outside a small mountain village.
"My lords, this is Baixi Village. It was originally a large village with nearly a thousand residents, but two days ago, overnight, it became what you see before you." Ying Que pointed at the desolate, chilling village ahead.
Lin Baichuan swept his gaze over Baixi Village, and his brows could not help but furrow slightly.
The village was deathly silent, looking gloomy enough to chill one to the bone. Most importantly, it appeared incomparably desolate. No matter how he looked at it, it did not resemble a village inhabited only three days ago. Instead, it looked as though no one had lived there for decades.
"You're certain this village still had people living in it three days ago?" Wu Xiaoqi glanced at Ying Que and asked in a deep voice. "From the looks of it, I'd say no one has lived here for decades! You wouldn't be deliberately toying with us, would you?"
"How would I dare?"
Ying Que hurriedly explained, "Baixi Village truly had residents three days ago. You lords can confirm that with a casual inquiry. As for why it has become like this, we do not understand either. We only suspect it is related to those demons."
"Hmph... Whatever it is, we'll know once we go inside and take a look."
Niu Zhenye snorted, looking utterly unconcerned. "Demons are strange and bizarre, but ordinary demons can only play at gods and ghosts. They are not particularly capable. We have slain no small number of demons—what kind of scene haven't we seen..."
"Don't let your guard down."
Li Da waved his hand and said gravely, "Still, we do need to go in and take a look. There may be clues inside."
As he spoke, Li Da had already taken the first step into Baixi Village.
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