At the Xiao residence.
Xiao Yungui had already prepared the banquet.
Xiao Yungui sat at the head of the table.
Lu Jun and Li Tuo sat on either side.
"Hahahaha, what a fine meeting this is today! My spirits remain undiminished. I, Xiao Yungui, raise a cup to the two of you."
Xiao Yungui raised his cup, an air of heroic grandeur bursting from his entire body, then addressed the two men before him.
"General Xiao..." Li Tuo hurriedly raised his cup.
Lu Jun merely raised his cup casually.
Xiao Yungui waved his hand. "At today's banquet, there's no need to fuss over official ranks and court positions. Make yourselves at home and enjoy yourselves."
The three of them drank heartily together.
After three rounds of wine, it was time to discuss serious business.
Xiao Yungui spoke. "Hahaha, refreshing."
"In my younger days, before I joined the army, my greatest wish was to join the Demon Slaying Envoys. Unfortunately, I didn't possess the talent to become a Law Seeker. In this life, I could only cultivate the martial arts of the mortal world and temper myself into an ordinary martial artist. What a pity."
Li Tuo hurriedly said, "Brother Xiao, you're too modest. The martial arts of the mortal world are equally varied, with countless profound mysteries. A martial artist who reaches the pinnacle of the martial path is naturally no weaker than us Law Seekers."
Li Tuo was not flattering Xiao Yungui.
In this world's cultivation system, there were not only Law Seekers, but martial artists as well.
Law Seekers cultivated divine abilities, while martial artists tempered their bodies.
Once martial artists reached a certain level, they could even withstand divine abilities with their physical bodies. They were not necessarily any weaker than Law Seekers.
However, the primary enemies of the Demon Slaying Division were demons. Demons possessed extraordinary innate abilities, and martial artists faced many restrictions against them.
Thus, most of the Demon Slaying Division chose to recruit Law Seekers.
But there were exceptions to everything. Within the current Demon Slaying Division, the presiding officer known by the codename Xuanwu was a martial artist—the culmination of the martial path.
Xiao Yungui smiled helplessly. "To reach the pinnacle of the martial path... easier said than done..."
Immediately afterward, Xiao Yungui lifted his head, and the heroic smile returned to his face.
"You two are Demon Slayer Envoys, heroes who constantly fight on the front lines against demons. Naturally, I, Xiao Yungui, admire you greatly."
"I also know that the two of you came down from the mountain carrying, to one degree or another, missions to slay demons."
"If there's anything I, Xiao Yungui, can do to lend a hand, I certainly won't refuse."
Li Tuo's expression stiffened, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Xiao Yungui's hospitality this time had given them more than enough face and respect.
Li Tuo couldn't exactly say outright:
Your second wife is a demon.
We Demon Slayer Envoys would like to inspect her.
If she really is a demon, then let's kill her on the spot.
That would be far too disrespectful.
Just as Li Tuo was struggling with what to do—
"Ahem..."
Lu Jun cleared his throat and addressed Xiao Yungui. "It's like this."
"Our Demon Slaying Division suspects that your second wife, Xu Xun, is a Skin-Peeling Ghost."
"We need to investigate her identity. If she really is a demon, we'll have to slay her immediately!"
Lu Jun was utterly helpless.
Li Tuo was so long-winded whenever he spoke.
What was he babbling on about?
They had already drunk three rounds and it was time to explain the serious business.
Yet when asked to explain it, he had spent ages too afraid to open his mouth.
Lu Jun couldn't wait any longer, so he simply spoke up himself.
In an instant.
The atmosphere in the entire room froze solid.
Li Tuo was dumbfounded, staring blankly at Lu Jun in disbelief.
No way, brother!
You really are my Brother Lu!
Were you actually this bold?
You just said it outright!
You didn't give him even the slightest bit of face?
Li Tuo paused, then quietly raised his head and looked toward the expression of Xiao Yungui, who sat at the head of the table.
Sure enough, Xiao Yungui's originally heroic smile instantly vanished, replaced by a hint of severity.
This was bad.
He was angry.
Li Tuo's heart sank.
"Colleagues, this is the Xiao residence." Xiao Yungui spoke softly. "And I am the Pacification Officer."
"In court, the two of you would have to address me as 'Lord'..."
Li Tuo understood the implication behind his words—this was the Xiao residence, the estate of a fifth-rank imperial official. He was a Pacification Officer of the imperial court. Even though the two of them were Demon Slayer Envoys, in terms of official rank, they were still a step below him. To act so recklessly—did they not even possess the most basic respect?
Those words were extremely heavy.
Li Tuo was about to stand and offer an explanation.
But Lu Jun spoke first.
"I know..."
Then Lu Jun paused before continuing, his voice carrying an even colder edge:
"But I know something else even better!"
"The Demon Slaying Division slays demons first and reports afterward, with imperial authority as its sanction. So long as any person, any force, or any imperial official shows even the slightest connection to demons, Demon Slayer Envoys need not report to their superiors. They may investigate directly. Those who violate this rule will be killed without mercy!"
Li Tuo's body, which had been preparing to rise, instantly stiffened. Immediately afterward, he collapsed back into his seat.
Brother Lu!
Brother Lu!
You didn't listen to a word of anything else, but you memorized that line—'slay first and report afterward, with imperial authority as its sanction'—perfectly!
Xiao Yungui fell silent, merely staring intently at Lu Jun with a pair of deep-set eyes.
Lu Jun's expression did not change. His face remained calm as he met Xiao Yungui's gaze.
The scene was one of needlepoint against wheat's edge.
"Good!" Xiao Yungui shouted. Then he called toward the door, "Someone!"
"Bring Xu Xun out!"
Immediately afterward, Xiao Yungui looked at Lu Jun and spoke in an icy tone.
"What is your name?"
"Lu Jun."
"Good! Lu Jun! Lord Lu!"
"If Xu Xun isn't a demon, and isn't the damned Skin-Peeling Ghost you speak of, I hope you can give me an explanation!"
Lu Jun remained seated, upright as a pine, and said softly, "Of course!"
Before long, a beautiful woman with a faintly fragile look between her brows and a graceful figure was brought before the three men.
"Husband!"
"Honored sirs!"
The woman bowed to the three of them.
"How are you two going to verify it?" Xiao Yungui asked coldly.
Li Tuo could now only brace himself and speak.
"Skin-Peeling Ghosts are easy to verify. Beneath their skin, they have none of the flesh and blood of the Human Race. So long as you use a sharp object to cut open the skin, you can verify their true form."
"If you cut the skin open and it still doesn't bleed, then she's a Skin-Peeling Ghost..."
Lu Jun said casually, "There's no need to verify it. She isn't one..."
Lu Jun's See Through Myriad Illusions saw everything clearly. Although the woman before him possessed demonic aura, it was not the source from which that demonic aura emanated.
It was not of the same origin as the dense wisp of demonic aura he had seen at the entrance of the Xiao residence.
"Presumptuous!" Xiao Yungui roared at Lu Jun.
"Are you trying to toy with me here?"
"Or do you think I would casually find some woman to stand in for Xu Xun just to conceal a demon?"
"Today, you'll verify her whether you want to or not!"
"If Xu Xun is not a demon, both of you will give me an explanation! Otherwise, even if I have to take this all the way to the imperial court, I'll have the two of you punished!"
With that, Xiao Yungui abruptly drew the dagger at his waist. True Qi erupted from his body as he flung it out. The dagger landed heavily beside the maid, who was trembling and slumped on the floor near the door. Xiao Yungui pointed toward her and said, "You! Pick up the dagger and cut open Xu's palm!"
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