Heavenly Realm Division.
In Great Zhou, it was a living signboard that walked around.
Anyone who could enter the Heavenly Realm Division was no simple character.
"Since you began standing guard, has anyone entered or left the village?" Looking at the somewhat desolate village before him, Wei Qing questioned the yamen runner at the front.
"Reporting to Lord Wei, no one has entered or left since we began our watch," the yamen runner respectfully replied.
"That will do. Lord Wei and I will handle things from here. You can go back." Zhu Huan waved at the group.
"Yes."
The four men were overjoyed and did not delay for even a moment.
They hurried to the village entrance, untied the reins, mounted their horses, and sped away.
"Sorry for the trouble, my lord."
"It was only human nature. Let's go."
As he spoke, the two entered the village one after the other.
The instant they crossed into the village, a chill swept over them.
The cold was still within Wei Qing's range of tolerance, but Zhu Huan could not help shivering.
"Constable Zhu, why don't you go out first? I'll look around on my own."
"Lord Wei, everyone is responsible for exorcising demons and defending the righteous. How could I retreat? I'll get used to it in a while."
Seeing this,
Wei Qing did not try to persuade him further.
Along the way, the entire village was frighteningly quiet. Only their footsteps rang in their ears.
For Wei Qing, who had spent years hovering at the edge of death in his previous life, this oppressive atmosphere instead carried a familiar flavor.
From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Zhu Huan's taut profile and the fine beads of sweat on the tip of his nose.
His right hand remained firmly pressed against the long blade at his waist.
What was intriguing was that his breathing method—one exhalation every three steps and one inhalation every two—was the Heavenly Realm Division's Clear Heart Art.
Seeing this, Wei Qing's lips curled into a meaningful smile.
"My lord, Li Da Niu's home is just ahead."
Zhu Huan pointed at a courtyard with blue-brick walls and white tiles. Compared with the other rammed-earth houses in the village, it was considerably more luxurious.
"This family looks rather wealthy."
"What use is wealth? Once a demon comes, the final outcome is still only one thing—death!"
Zhu Huan sighed helplessly. He was willing to fight this demon, but powerless to do so.
Wei Qing arrived at the gate. Energy surged through his palm, and he struck out.
The blow shattered the lock on the gate, and he walked straight inside.
"What formidable internal energy."
Seeing Wei Qing shatter the lock with one palm, Zhu Huan's expression shifted slightly.
One had to know that the gate's lock had been forged from black iron. Shattering it with projected energy was no easy feat!
For Wei Qing to accomplish this, his strength was clearly far beyond that of an ordinary trainee Garrison Commander.
At the same time he spoke,
the instant Wei Qing stepped into the courtyard, the originally clear sky was swallowed up completely. Darkness filled the surroundings.
"Drip!"
A drop of viscous liquid fell onto the tip of Wei Qing's shoe. Black smoke immediately rose from the bluestone-paved ground.
The scene before his eyes twisted.
Beep, beep, beep—
The shrill alarm of electronic instruments pierced the darkness. Dazzling white light seeped through the cracks of his eyes, and the pungent smell of disinfectant flooded his nostrils.
"Doctor, come quickly... Captain Qing, you can't let anything happen to you..."
An anxious roar rang out in the hospital room.
Hearing the familiar voice, Wei Qing tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt as heavy as lead.
The familiar young man's voice roared again: "Doctor..."
Thud, thud, thud—
A burst of hurried footsteps rushed into the hospital room. Seeing this, the female doctor immediately gave orders: "Blood pressure dropping rapidly. One milligram of adrenaline, intravenous injection. Quickly..."
"Yes."
Just as the young nurse was about to insert the needle into the vein of Wei Qing's left arm, Wei Qing seized the arm holding the syringe with his backhand.
"Qingzi."
"Captain Qing."
"Brother Qing."
The people from Dragon Group were delighted when they saw Wei Qing open his eyes.
"Patient, let go," the young nurse said, her face flushed as she struggled with all her might.
"Instructor, Qiangzi, San'er—it's so good to see you all again."
The bearded man standing at the front frowned. "Qingzi, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"Your task now is to cooperate with the treatment."
"You're a grown man. Why are you grabbing the nurse? Let go, quickly."
A young man standing behind the bearded man teased, "Captain Qing, don't tell me you've taken a liking to the nurse? Hahaha."
At this, the young nurse's face reddened like a fully ripened apple. "Patient, please cooperate with the treatment."
"Shut up! All of you, get the hell out of here, you little brats."
The bearded man's eyes widened. Frightened, the other members of Dragon Group fled the room as if their lives depended on it, as though some great terror lurked behind them.
"Patient, please let go."
The nurse's soft, sweet voice reminded him again.
"Qingzi..."
"No matter what, I still have to thank you."
The instant Wei Qing finished speaking, the scene around him twisted once again.
The hospital bed rapidly grew into a five-meter-tall Ghost Face Vine. Its rough bark outlined a wrinkled giant face nearly two meters across.
The bearded man's two arms melted like snow, transforming into two vines two meters long that instantly wound tightly around Wei Qing's body.
The syringe in the young nurse's hand transformed into a bone spike shimmering with a cold, ghostly-blue light.
With a clang, it collided with the Soul Severing Blade in Wei Qing's hand, sending sparks flying in all directions.
"Hehehe... No wonder you're from the Heavenly Realm Division."
A sinister, baby-like laugh rang out. The giant face on the Ghost Face Vine slowly writhed, and a scarlet slit appeared beneath its nose, revealing layer upon layer of sharp teeth.
"You saw through my Nanke's Dream so quickly."
"But... why wake up?" The baby's voice suddenly turned aggrieved, like someone who had been robbed of a beloved toy.
"Wasn't the dream exactly what you wished for?"
As the words fell, the entire Ghost Face Vine began to tremble violently. Several vines suddenly sprayed out clouds of pink mist.
Pink robes floated within the mist, giving off a green fluorescence like fireflies.
Wei Qing twisted his wrist. A cold gleam flashed, and wherever the blade passed, it cleaved the pink mist in two.
Energy exploded around his body. The vines wrapped around him shattered inch by inch, and dark-red sap dripped down, spreading waves of foul stench.
Using the force of his escape, Wei Qing spun through the air, and the Soul Severing Blade carved two afterimages across the sky.
"Flowing Cloud Cross Slash."
"Roar..."
The slash struck the Ghost Face Vine's giant face with pinpoint accuracy. The giant face immediately let out a shrill howl, while vines lashed wildly at everything around them.
"I'll kill you!"
"Li Fire Talisman—Burn."
Wei Qing's assault did not stop. He formed a hand seal with his right hand, and a streak of light flew from his sleeve.
In an instant, it transformed into a ball of searing golden flames that engulfed the Ghost Face Vine entirely.
"Roar—"
The Ghost Face Vine writhed madly in the flames. The giant face on its main trunk let out a pitiful howl, and its bark rapidly blackened.
After only a few breaths,
the entire Ghost Face Vine turned into a pile of charcoal. A gust of night wind scattered it into a skyful of dust that gradually dissipated.
Only a section of ghostly-blue bone spike remained, glinting coldly as it lay alone on the ground.