"I joined the Brocade Guard at fourteen. It has now been forty-four years."
"My martial talent was never outstanding. Even now, I am only at the fourth stage of the Divine Treasury Realm and have yet to break through to the fifth. My hopes of making a breakthrough in the future are also exceedingly slim."
"I was simply lucky. Relying on accumulated merit, I held the position of Brocade Guard Chief Squad Leader for over twenty years. Now that I am old, my vitality and blood are beginning to wither, and my strength is starting to decline."
"Besides, I have long grown weary of this life of fighting and killing. Now that our Ping An County Brocade Guard Precinct has finally produced a genius martial artist, there is no need for an old fellow like me to stand in the way of the young."
"Tomorrow, I will report to the Centurion and officially retire to the second line. In two years, I will be sixty, the age to retire and return home. Giving my position to Chen Fan now is perfectly timely."
Huang Chengyue glanced at Chen Fan and spoke with undisguised admiration.
"Chief Huang, there is no need. I am still young. I can wait."
Chen Fan clasped his fists and bowed to Huang Chengyue as he spoke.
He had already learned from Lu Xuening that the old man before him might be one of the few upright people in the Brocade Guard, worthy of being called the last conscience of the Ping An County Brocade Guard Precinct.
Now, the man was actually taking the initiative to retire to the second line so Chen Fan could rise quickly. Chen Fan could not help but feel deep respect for him.
"Boy Chen Fan, my mind is made up. Say no more."
"To slay demons and exorcise evil, to cleanse the cosmos, will depend on young people like you."
"As for what I have said today, I hope all my colleagues and brothers will bear witness. Even if I die a violent death tonight, it will not change my decision for Chen Fan to take over my post."
After saying that, Huang Chengyue walked up to Chen Fan, patted him on the shoulder, and whispered in his ear:
"Work hard!"
With that, he strode away from the Brocade Guard Precinct headquarters.
"That old bastard!"
Watching Huang Chengyue's departing back, Li Mo could not help clenching his fists as he cursed through gritted teeth.
Huang Chengyue had already been the Chief Squad Leader of the Ping An County Brocade Guard Precinct before Cao De came to Ping An County. His position had been recognized by the Dragon Abyss Prefecture Brocade Guard Thousand-Household Office, so even Cao De could not dismiss him from office.
Yet he had never joined Cao De and the others in their foul dealings. He was considered an oddity within the Ping An County Brocade Guard Precinct. However, all his relatives and friends lived in Ping An County. Even though he knew Cao De and the others were colluding with demons, he chose silence for his family's safety.
Seeing how sensible he was, Cao De and the others had not touched him.
Yet today, that old bastard had pulled off a desperate counterkill. Before everyone's eyes, he declared that Chen Fan would take over his post. Was that not deliberately throwing a wrench in their works?
Moreover, he had said before everyone that even if he died a violent death tonight, it would not change his decision for Chen Fan to take over. So even if Li Mo personally acted tonight, or used demons to kill that old bastard, it would be useless.
After all, Chen Fan had slain seven Wolf Demons and accumulated ten thousand merit points. He also possessed the strength of the fifth stage of the Divine Treasury Realm, fulfilling every requirement for direct promotion to Chief Squad Leader. With Huang Chengyue voluntarily yielding his position, they could no longer stop it.
"Chief Chen, congratulations, congratulations!"
Li Mo looked at Chen Fan with a complicated expression and spoke with a smile that did not reach his eyes.
"Chief Li, you are congratulating me too early. At the very least, we must wait until the Centurion arrives tomorrow before it can be finalized."
"If Chief Li has nothing else, I will take my leave first. I have been rushing about all afternoon and am rather hungry."
Chen Fan spoke calmly. After that, he directly left the Brocade Guard Precinct headquarters with the Hundred-Refined Embroidered Spring Blade at his waist.
Seeing this, everyone knew that the long-peaceful Ping An County Brocade Guard Precinct was about to see the sky change. A new star was slowly rising.
Those old Brocade Guard members who knew some of the secrets also felt that things were turning bad. Chen Fan, who was about to be promoted to **Chief Squad Leader, seemed to share Chief Huang's hatred of evil.
But he was younger than Chief Huang, and stronger as well.
In the future, he might well contend with Centurion Cao. Perhaps even the entire landscape of Ping An County would be rewritten. At such a critical juncture, choosing which side to stand on became the first thing they needed to consider.
After leaving the Brocade Guard Precinct, Chen Fan went straight to the government office and found Lu Xuening, who had already been sidelined by the county lieutenant. He told her what had happened in Black Bear Gulch Village and also confirmed that Brocade Guard Centurion Cao De was colluding with demons.
"So that was it."
"It seems the matter is even more serious than I imagined."
"The Brocade Guard, who should have been slaying demons and exorcising evil, have become the demons' accomplices. The county officials, who should have upheld justice for the common people, have become the demons' lackeys."
"The people of Ping An County truly have suffered too much!"
Lu Xuening spoke with deep emotion.
"Today, I revealed my strength at the fifth stage of the Divine Treasury Realm before everyone in the Brocade Guard. I also reported the merit for the seven Wolf Demons I slew in Black Bear Gulch Village, accumulating ten thousand great merits. Therefore, I can be directly promoted to Brocade Guard Chief Squad Leader."
"Li Mo originally wanted to brush me off by claiming that the Ping An County Brocade Guard Precinct had no vacant positions. But Chief Huang appeared at just the right time and announced before everyone that he would retire to the second line and let me take over his post."
"If nothing unexpected happens, tomorrow I will become one of the two Chief Squad Leaders of the Ping An County Brocade Guard Precinct. In terms of authority, I will be second only to Cao De. I can also gather my own people, expand my strength, and contend with Cao De and the others."
Chen Fan spoke with some excitement.
"That is truly wonderful."
"I told you Old Huang was absolutely reliable."
"Then should we still investigate that separate residence near the County Magistrate Estate tonight?"
Lu Xuening asked.
"We still have to go."
"Because I do not know who the woman with Cao De was, nor do I know whether that separate residence truly is a demon stronghold. We still need to confirm it further."
"Come on. Let us eat first. Once we are full of food and drink, we will begin."
Chen Fan said to Lu Xuening.
At some point, Chen Fan had already gained the upper hand in their cooperative relationship and become the one giving orders.
Lu Xuening did not object to this arrangement. After all, her strength was inferior to Chen Fan's, and her mind was not as meticulous as his.
When carrying out missions with Chen Fan, she did not need to use her brain. Was that not a good thing?
The two casually found an inn for dinner. Then, before the middle of the night, they climbed over the wall and entered the separate residence of a wealthy merchant from Dragon Abyss Prefecture.
This courtyard did not look like a place that had been unoccupied for a long time.
The tables, floors, windows, and everything else were spotless.
In a flowerbed in the rear courtyard, Chen Fan discovered signs that the soil had recently been turned over. He slashed out several times and saw heaps of white bones beneath the flowerbed.
"These damned beasts!"
Chen Fan said through gritted teeth.
So many bones could not possibly have accumulated in just a day or two. This was undoubtedly the demon stronghold in Ping An County.
He continued searching and discovered an underground chamber behind an artificial rockery. With one slash, he shattered the stone door of the chamber, and a foul, fishy stench drifted out from within.
The chamber was covered in bloodstains, with bones that had not yet been cleared away. Judging from the bone age, these remains were not very old and should have belonged to young boys and girls.
For a moment, Chen Fan seemed to see a scene of demons reveling around several trembling children.
He simply did not know whether these children had been captured by demons or seized by people Cao De had sent.
As for why no one reported missing children to the authorities—
One reason was that the authorities were also the demons' lackeys. Even if people reported it, they might not care.
The other reason was that if everyone in a household had been killed clean, who would still meddle in such affairs and report it to the authorities?
Before you continue