Fox Demon

Ming Shu did not know whether Supervisor had secretly worked his magic again, but the arrangements had been made with such uncanny precision.

As he sighed over it, the latest issue of Starfall arrived.

This time, it slipped down amid the rosy light of dawn, mingled with sparkling starlight, and came to a stop in front of Chong Li.

She was still meditating—or perhaps she had fallen asleep. After waiting for a long while, she finally opened her eyes and reached out to catch the glowing little star before her.

She performed the hand seals and incantations to decode it, unlocking the encrypted information inside and then interpreting it line by line.

One: Earl Ying had already arrived in Jiujiang Prefecture. He had taken on a new identity and become the new governor of Jiujiang Prefecture.

Two: The Southern Dao Sect would hold a new Dao Discussion Conference at its ancestral court, Dragon Tiger Mountain, and was inviting cultivators from across the realm to attend.

A Grand True Person would appear and lecture on the Dao! Truly, everyone was looking forward to it!

Three: The Imperial Academy, one of the Twelve Internal and External Directorates, had had its Grand Libationer replaced by the new emperor's first edict of the new year.

That scholar, a seventh-stage Grand Scholar Realm Grand Scholar named Zhu Lingyu, had left the Royal Capital to wander the world.

Four: Grand Scholar Zhu Lingyu had encountered a Buddhist Cultivator from the Buddhist Sect of the Western Regions outside the Royal Capital. The man was probably a seventh-stage cultivator of the Integration Realm.

The two sides had fought a great battle without determining a winner, then departed separately.

Five: Li Jixu, formerly the magistrate of Qing Shui County, had been transferred to become governor of Donghai Prefecture for his achievements.

Ming Shu did not know whether he had offended someone. How else could a magistrate from an upper county have been promoted to govern a lower prefecture?

Donghai Prefecture's people were suffering terribly now. It was a genuine lower prefecture.

Under the pirates' attacks, even the most profitable sea salt could no longer be produced normally.

Six: A new group of pirates had appeared on the Northern Sea. Calling themselves Evil Dragon Island, they had engaged in a clash with Qunwa Island during the New Year.

The outcome was probably Qunwa Island's defeat. The coastal regions of the Northern Sea, Donghai, and elsewhere might all become part of Evil Dragon Island's sphere of influence.

Ming Shu felt deeply troubled after reading the news.

He had originally thought he could use the prisoners in his hands to trade with the pirates for some resources. Who could have known those people would be so useless? It seemed he would have to swallow the loss himself.

He decided to keep squeezing their labor out of them. He could not afford to lose the cost of their food as well. He told Old Zhao to put them on two shifts—no, three shifts—and keep working through the night, with people taking turns to rest.

Ming Shu still had a sliver of anticipation in his heart. The only good news was that his old friend Li Jixu would be coming here to take office. It seemed he would have to pay him a visit then. If they could help each other—and perhaps he could also latch onto the governor's coattails—that would be even better.

As for the Grand Libationer? That was far too distant from them. There was no need to think about it.

As for the Twelve Internal and External Directorates? He could simply ask Old Zhao and Zhao Siqi. Collectively, they were called the Twelve Internal and External Directorates: six inner directorates and six outer directorates.

The Inner Six Directorates were: the Imperial Seal Directorate (roughly equivalent to the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs plus the Directorate of Seals and Ribbons, with tremendous authority), the Imperial Artifact Directorate, the Imperial Horse Directorate, the Imperial Cuisine Directorate, the Imperial Use Directorate, and the Imperial Communications Directorate (which specialized in transmitting information between the inner and outer realms, as well as the overt and covert sides).

The Outer Six Directorates were: the Sky-Toppling Observatory, the Imperial Academy, the Secret Archives Directorate, the Works Directorate, the Waterways Directorate, and the Supervision Directorate.

The Secret Archives Directorate was similar to a sect's library, but its functions and authority were greater, and its standards stricter. It collected and stored countless classics, books, documents, and records.

The Works Directorate oversaw construction, manufacturing, casting, repairs, weaving, and other such work. It was a technical department. It was similar to the Imperial Artifact Directorate, except that the latter specialized in utensils and implements for the imperial clan.

The Waterways Directorate was in charge of rivers and marshes, waterways, ferries and bridges, boats, dikes, and other such affairs.

The Supervision Directorate was another supervisory department, independent of the Censorate, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Ministry of Justice—the other Three Judicial Offices. It answered directly to the emperor and mainly supervised the Twelve Internal and External Directorates as well as the Three Judicial Offices.

The Dao Discussion Conference had little to do with Ming Shu either.

As for Earl Ying, he was in Jiujiang Prefecture, a strategic choke point and an important location along the middle reaches of the Azure Dragon Great River. It was certain that King Chu had entrusted him with an important mission.

They did not know the exact situation in Jiujiang Prefecture, so there was no basis for judgment. What if he had gone there to kill people and purge dissidents? To handle dirty work?

After reading the news, Ming Shu was deep in thought when he suddenly saw a small bird flying over.

Chong Li gently reached out and caught it. After sensing her aura and magical power, the little bird dispersed, transforming into a cloud of smoke.

Before Chong Li, it changed into a single sentence.

A fox demon was fleeing eastward, and a Demon Hunter team was tracking it.

Demon Hunters in the surrounding area, prepare for battle at once and participate in the interception.

She had just finished reading it and informed Ming Shu and Zhao Siqi beside her when a burly, muscular man rushed in through the door.

It was Ren Yuan. As a Demon Hunter, he had received the message as well.

Was this also a communication method developed by the Sky-Toppling Observatory? It was pretty advanced.

"Since Qunwa Island was defeated, they probably won't come here to raid us again for a while. That means we'll have to wait to face a new enemy in the form of pirates."

They probably would not come looking for trouble with poor households like theirs anytime soon either.

Everyone who needed to clear land went to clear land, and everyone who needed to build houses went to build houses.

The guard team prepared for battle.

Ming Shu climbed onto the arrow tower and personally took charge of scouting in every direction.

Below, Zhao Dun, Zhao Chuan, and Ren Yuan each led people on patrol.

Little Zhao set out once more, exerting his lightness skill to the fullest as he ran to the valley in the north to inform the butchers about the fox demon's appearance.

They had received the news in the morning, and by afternoon, a five-person Demon Hunter team had arrived. But Ming Shu had sat there for half a day without discovering any trace of the fox demon.

The Life Book had not given any reaction. Ming Shu trusted it very much—unless the Life Book itself had malfunctioned and been deceived.

He could use this opportunity to verify whether this treasure he relied on so heavily could make a mistake in this regard.

These Demon Hunters were dressed like martial artists. One of them was leading a demon-spirit war hound. Its ability was very simple: it had a keen sense of smell and excelled at tracking. They did not need to let the demon spirit possess them and merge with their bodies; they could simply let it track the target.

However, when they encountered this particular fox demon, it kept escaping from them. The fox demon must have possessed some innate ability or carried some special item that caused these demon-spirit war hounds, which excelled at tracking, to lose their effectiveness.

Just as Zhao Siqi asked Old Zhao to prepare the meal, Ming Shu, standing atop the arrow tower, saw a signal flare rise from the northern valley.

Something was happening over there.

He immediately climbed down and set out ahead with Ren Yuan.

Chong Li would naturally discuss the operation with the Demon Hunters behind them. He himself had no say in the matter, so there was no point wasting time.

He would go ahead and hurry there.

There was no time to fetch the horses. He had Ren Yuan circulate his power, hoist Ming Shu onto his shoulders, and sprint there at full speed. The scene was comical, but Ming Shu could not bring himself to laugh.

He was motion sick. Even though there was no carriage.

After this period of accumulation and growth, Ren Yuan had already touched the threshold of the fourth stage of the Martial Artist path. His progress was tremendous.

He was truly fast on the road, but the ride was truly rough as well. Ming Shu was nearly throwing up. If he had not improved greatly during this period too, he probably would not have been able to endure it.

By the time Ming Shu and Ren Yuan arrived, the valley was already a complete mess. No one had been injured, but many of the chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, cattle, and sheep they raised had suffered, and some had vanished.

It seemed the fox demon had come here for a meal.

It had eaten and immediately left. How cunning.

Even with preparations in place, it had still moved through the area as if no one were there. Its strength was extraordinary.

Ming Shu could not help worrying. The fox demon was so cunning—how were they supposed to capture it? He looked south. The Demon Hunter team was hurrying over, while Old Zhao and the guard team had stayed behind to defend the settlement.

He secretly made up his mind. No matter what, he had to capture the fox demon.