Unexpected Scene

Early the next morning, outside the Demon Slaying Division.

Lu Jun lightly cupped his hands towards Old Man Yun, who was seeing him off at the entrance of the Demon Slaying Division, then spoke to Li Tuo beside him.

"Let's go."

"Mm," Li Tuo nodded, then turned his horse around and followed behind Lu Jun.

Compared to Lu Jun's light travel, with only a saber and a few changes of clothes, Li Tuo was laden with bags and bundles.

"Lu Jun, do you know anything about Qingci Town, where we're heading for inspection?"

Lu Jun shook his head, "Not really."

Li Tuo then said, "Last night, I learned a bit about the place from that book, 'Records of Demonic Calamities in Yunzhou,' that Old Man Yun had."

"Qingci Town has always only had two Demon Slayers stationed there. In the reports of demonic calamities they've submitted over the years, Qingci Town has been basically blessed with fair weather and wind, with almost no demonic calamities. Perhaps we're just going there for a leisurely inspection and a three-month vacation," Li Tuo chuckled.

Lu Jun frowned.

Demonic calamities almost nonexistent?

That's not good news for me.

Qingci Town was still some distance from Yunzhou. After four days of travel, Lu Jun successfully reached his destination.

Along the way, Lu Jun encountered and incidentally slew a few common Gray Wolf Demons and Weasel Demons.

The Demon Essence he obtained successfully reached nine thousand three hundred.

[Demon Essence: 9300]

It wouldn't be long before he gathered ten thousand Demon Essence to upgrade the River Lord Subdues the Flood Dragon Art to the third level.

Lu Jun arrived at Qingci Town in the evening. As he entered the town, the streets were practically deserted.

Li Tuo explained, "It must be curfew time. Some towns and counties implement curfews at night to prevent demonic calamities."

Lu Jun raised an eyebrow. "Heh, didn't you say before we came that Qingci Town has fair weather and wind, with almost no demonic calamities? Why bother with this extra step of implementing a curfew?"

Li Tuo was taken aback and scratched his head. "That's true..."

Lu Jun didn't speak. The silver pattern on his forehead flickered gently, and the scene before his eyes changed.

In Lu Jun's eyes, which could See Through Myriad Illusions, the ordinary town was filled with pervasive demonic energy, as dense as a thick fog.

Lu Jun's lips curled.

Looks like I came to the right place.

He then urged his horse forward, heading towards the Demon Slaying Division's yamen in Qingci Town.

He wanted to see what exactly the Demon Slayers in this town were up to.

The Demon Slaying Division's yamen in Qingci Town was located in the suburbs. It was a rather dilapidated mansion, looking more like a rundown ancestral shrine than a Demon Slaying Division office.

As Lu Jun arrived before the gate and before he could even knock, someone inside seemed to have heard his horse's hooves and quickly emerged from the house.

The person who came out was a thin middle-aged man with graying temples, many wrinkles around his eyes, and a hunched posture. A bronze plaque identifying him as a Demon Slayer hung from his waist.

Upon seeing both Lu Jun and Li Tuo, he quickly bowed.

"You two colleagues must be the Patrol Envoys who have come to Qingci Town this time!"

"I am Jia Kuiren."

Li Tuo quickly dismounted and shook hands with the middle-aged man. "Ah, Senior Jia! I am Li Tuo, you can just call me Little Li."

Then, Li Tuo enthusiastically introduced Lu Jun to Jia Kuiren. "This is Lu Jun, Brother Lu. Don't let Brother Lu's youth fool you, he's very strong..."

Lu Jun interrupted Li Tuo's introduction. "I heard there are two Demon Slayers here at the Demon Slaying Division."

Jia Kuiren frowned, seemingly displeased with Lu Jun's interrogative tone, but still replied, "There are indeed two. Besides me, there's a Bronze Robe Envoy named Zhang San."

"Where is he?" Lu Jun asked.

A fleeting look of discomfort crossed Jia Kuiren's face before he said, "He has some family matters and cannot meet the two colleagues today."

Lu Jun continued to question Jia Kuiren. "And what about the Demon Slaying Division yamen? Is there anyone else here?"

Jia Kuiren replied, "Just me, and a woman who couldn't get home due to the curfew and had to stay at the yamen."

Lu Jun let out a light laugh. "Heh..."

However, there was a distinct chill in his laughter.

"Then what's the situation with those demons and monsters in the yamen?"

Jia Kuiren's expression shifted slightly, his face instantly becoming flustered, and his tongue began to stumble. "De...demons? What demons?"

"After I come out, I'll settle scores with you properly!"

With that, Lu Jun gave Jia Kuiren a deep look, then spurred his white horse and charged directly into the yamen without hesitation.

"Wait!" Jia Kuiren's face paled in alarm, and he rushed to stop Lu Jun.

Lu Jun remained silent, raised his hand, and used the Soaring Wind spiritual power, unleashing a wind blade slash.

The attack sent Jia Kuiren flying backward.

Li Tuo was still stunned by the sudden turn of events, but a voice in his ear—"Li Tuo, keep an eye on him!"—snapped him back to attention. He quickly nodded, "Oh, okay!"

Immediately, Lu Jun, mounted on a white horse, charged into the courtyard, his gaze locked onto a room within. With a raise of his hand, a strong gust of wind erupted, smashing the wooden door to pieces.

"Who let you in!" a ferocious tiger roar suddenly came from inside the room. "My cubs aren't full yet!"

The tiger demon inside the room also froze upon seeing Lu Jun, a flicker of confusion crossing its face. "Who are you? Where's that kid named Jia?"

Li Tuo also saw the scene inside the room.

A tiger demon adorned with vibrant patterns was seated high on a chair, devouring a human leg with gusto. Blood dripped continuously from its mouth, and from the depths of the room, a woman's pained cries could be faintly heard.

The tiger demon, seeing Lu Jun's unfamiliar face, was momentarily taken aback before reacting. "Oh, I get it. You're the newcomer that old man Jia mentioned would be coming today?"

"Alright, prepare two fresh humans for this tiger tomorrow as a welcome gift, and this tiger lord won't eat you today!"

"Get lost!"

A chilling expression flashed across Lu Jun's face.

"Good, good, good. The Demon Slaying Division colluding with demons and monsters, offering local blood sacrifices to appease them. No wonder this place has been free of demonic calamities for so many years. So this is how you maintain peace and prosperity!"

The tiger demon, impatient, was about to say something when Lu Jun acted faster. His figure moved like a phantom, his long saber emitting a ferocious, blazing light. With a single strike, he decapitated the tiger demon.

[Slain Demon—Mountain Tiger Demon. Acquired innate ability—Mountain Lord's Might.] [Mountain Lord's Might: You can emanate your unique might. The more demons you slay, the stronger your might becomes.] [Demon Essence: 9500]

Lu Jun glanced indifferently at the tiger demon's corpse on the ground, his expression as hard as iron, and continued towards the inner room where the pained moans of the woman could be heard.

Upon formally entering the room and seeing the situation within, Lu Jun's face darkened considerably.

Inside the room, a woman lay in a tragic state. Her chest was a bloody mess, and four tiger demon cubs, about the size of normal infants, were gnawing at the flesh and milk from her chest.

Lu Jun swung his saber, and in the blink of an eye, the four tiger demon cubs were sent to join their father.

[Demon Essence: 9600]