Words That Harm Unity Must Never Be Spoken

"All of you, listen up. From today onward, no one is allowed to run wild with Captain Lu."

"If she wants to kill demons, let her kill them. When the demons come seeking revenge, they can go straight to her."

"Also, find a few people to carry this White Ape and the corpses of his underlings to Black Mountain. The rest has nothing to do with us."

After County Commandant Liu finished speaking, he strode away from Wangchun Pavilion.

Watching County Commandant Liu's departing back, Chen Fan could not help shaking his head.

"Since the demons have already been slain, we should head back as well."

"Step up patrols over the next few days. The moment any demon enters the city, kill it without mercy!"

Brocade Guard Chief Squad Leader Li Mo spoke with decisive conviction.

Yet no one could tell how much truth and how much falsehood lay in his words.

"Yes!"

Everyone answered in unison.

When Chen Fan left Wangchun Pavilion, he did not return directly to the Brocade Guard garrison. Instead, he went to the constables' office and found Lu Xuening.

"Help me investigate the owner of that courtyard annex north of the city, beside the County Magistrate Estate. I suspect the owner is colluding with demons, and that courtyard may be one of their hideouts."

Chen Fan did not stand on ceremony and stated his request outright.

"No problem."

"You saw those people's true faces today. Whether or not they are colluding with demons, they have already gone numb. Expecting them to join us in slaying demons and eliminating evil is nothing but a fool's dream."

"What are you planning to do next?"

Lu Xuening asked.

"Kill demons!"

"If you uncover any trace of demons, remember to tell me."

After saying that, Chen Fan turned and left.

Luckily, you are here. My path is not a lonely one!

Watching Chen Fan's departing back, Lu Xuening could not help thinking to herself.

Cao Estate.

After leaving Wangchun Pavilion, Brocade Guard Chief Squad Leader Li Mo neither went home nor returned to the Brocade Guard garrison for duty. Instead, he paid a visit to the home of his immediate superior, Cao De.

Inside Cao De's study.

"This subordinate, Li Mo, pays his respects to you, my lord."

Led by the Cao Estate's steward to the study door, Li Mo bowed deeply and spoke in a clear voice.

"Li Mo? Come in!"

A deep, resonant voice came from within the study.

Creak!

Hearing this, Li Mo pushed open the door and entered, while Cao De's steward bowed and withdrew.

Inside the study.

Cao De sat cross-legged atop a meditation cushion. Crimson mist blanketed his body, and with every breath, he drew all of it into himself. Then he finished his cultivation, a flash of crimson passing through his eyes before they swiftly returned to normal.

He rose to his feet, looked at Li Mo, and smiled faintly.

"What brings you here today?"

Li Mo then told Cao De about everything that had happened at Wangchun Pavilion that day.

Cao De nodded calmly after hearing it.

"I heard that the ape demon at Wangchun Pavilion had only recently broken through. Even so, for Captain Lu, who was transferred down from Dragon Abyss Prefecture, to kill it proves that she possesses at least the strength of the peak Divine Treasury Realm."

"As expected of someone from Dragon Abyss Prefecture. Reaching the peak Divine Treasury Realm at such a young age truly makes one envious."

"Since she has the strength to kill White Ape, when Three-Eyed comes to seek revenge, he can go find her."

"However, I suspect that old dog Liu Xuan, the County Commandant, may personally deliver her before Three-Eyed to demonstrate his loyalty."

"That has nothing to do with us. Still, having such a reckless greenhorn arrive in Ping An County is no good thing for us."

"Our Brocade Guard internal selection assessments consist of a minor review every five years and a major review every ten."

"The ten-year inspection is nearly upon us. We must ensure that no major demon calamity breaks out in Ping An County and pass this inspection assessment smoothly."

"Then I will be transferred to Dragon Abyss Prefecture. As for the Brocade Guard Hundred-Household Commander of Ping An County, I will recommend you to those above. Old Huang is getting on in years, and he is far too upright. He will not live long. The future of Ping An County belongs to you."

"As long as you can stabilize the situation in Ping An County as I have, when the next ten-year term arrives, you and I may well reunite in Dragon Abyss Prefecture."

Cao De patted Li Mo on the shoulder and spoke in a calm tone.

Yet these words sent Li Mo into raptures. He immediately dropped to one knee, cupped his fists, and bowed.

"Thank you for your appreciation, Hundred-Household Commander. This subordinate is willing to brave boiling water and tread through fire for you, without hesitation!"

"Get up."

"I promoted you with my own hands. There is no need for such formalities between us."

"Oh, and you just mentioned that Chen Fan from Ninth Squad was also at Wangchun Pavilion, and that he was with Captain Lu. I recall that he had been poisoned by demon venom and was not long for this world. What happened?"

Cao De abruptly changed the subject as he asked. While speaking, another faint bloody gleam flashed through his eyes.

"That brat survived a desperate situation. Before dying, he trained the Body Tempering Fist with all his might, and unexpectedly broke through to the second stage of the Divine Treasury Realm. Between life and death lie great terror, but also great fortune!"

Li Mo could not help sighing with emotion.

"Did he say anything he should not have said?"

Cao De's tone immediately turned icy.

"You mean he knows about our affairs?"

Li Mo immediately understood the meaning behind Cao De's words.

"Whether he knows or not, this person cannot be allowed to remain."

"I had once intended to take advantage of his injuries and illness to send the Crimson Serpent Demon to assassinate him, while also interrogating him about what exactly he knew. I never expected Crimson Serpent to be killed by him instead."

"To kill the Crimson Serpent Demon, who stood at the peak of the second stage of the Divine Treasury Realm, with strength only at the Bone Vajra level of the second stage—this shows that his abilities are anything but simple."

"Perhaps the Crimson Serpent Demon took my words to heart and grew careless, which was why she was killed in return by Chen Fan."

"But since he survived, he may have noticed something. Staying with Captain Lu may be his way of seeking her help."

Cao De spoke coldly.

"Then he truly cannot be allowed to live."

"My lord, should I handle it personally?"

Li Mo made a throat-slitting gesture.

"Ah!"

"Words that harm unity must never be spoken, and deeds that harm unity must never be done."

"The demons use us, but are we not also using the demons? If we can kill with a borrowed knife, why dirty our own hands?"

Cao De waved his hand and spoke directly.

"You are wise, my lord. This subordinate knows what to do."

Li Mo smiled coldly as a venomous scheme rose in his heart.

"Mhm."

"It is getting late. Go home and rest early. I will not keep you."

Cao De nodded in satisfaction and dismissed him.

"Yes."

"My lord, rest early as well!"

"This subordinate takes his leave!"

Li Mo cupped his fists and bowed, then turned and left the Cao Estate.

"I have already spent twenty years in this godforsaken place of Ping An County. A full twenty years."

"How many twenty years does a person have in a lifetime?"

"Now, at last, I have waited for my opportunity. So long as I achieve an upper B rating in the ten-year inspection assessment, I can accumulate enough merit to be promoted to Vice Chiliarch."

"At present, an excellent opportunity has appeared. A Vice Chiliarch overseeing logistics in Dragon Abyss Prefecture is about to retire and return home. The next Vice Chiliarch will very likely emerge from among the few Hundred-Household Commanders in Dragon Abyss Prefecture."

"And I have already received that Vice Chiliarch's recommendation. My odds have greatly increased. Even if I cannot become Vice Chiliarch, being transferred to Dragon Abyss Prefecture to serve as a Hundred-Household Commander there would still be better than being trapped in this tiny county town for the rest of my life."

"I only hope everything goes smoothly and no accidents arise."

"Chen Fan?"

"Heh heh."

Cao De muttered his reflections to himself, then once more walked to the meditation cushion. As familiar as a well-trodden road, he sat cross-legged upon it and began cultivating in meditation.

For a time, blood-colored mist filled the study.