Chief Envoy Ye Tian

The night was deep and dark within the dimly lit courtyard. Fang Mu silently drew the long sword he carried.

As the Zen Staff struck down, he suddenly turned, transforming into a swift streak of dark light, darting towards a shadowy figure tracking him like a ghost.

With a clang, Fang Mu attacked the shadowy figure with all his might, holding nothing back.

Sword energy crisscrossed the air. The long sword in his hand was like an illusion, so fast that only flashes of sword light could be seen.

With a loud bang, a figure was sent flying backward, spitting out a mouthful of blood. The long sword in his hand shattered in response.

"Brother!!"

The house door opened, and a figure cried out in alarm, rushing into the courtyard to help the injured Fang Mu.

"Get back!"

Fang Mu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, pulled Fang Jing behind him, and looked with a grave expression at the figure slowly emerging from the corner of the courtyard wall.

Discarding the sword in his hand, which was now only a hilt, Fang Mu directly took out the Golden Sword.

He was very serious; this person was the most powerful he had ever encountered among the many experts he had seen.

Even the mighty Huihai of the Innate Realm wouldn't be able to render him completely unable to fight back.

"Your sword is quite good!"

The figure slowly walking towards Fang Mu glanced at the Golden Sword emitting a golden light in Fang Mu's hand with some surprise and praised it.

Fang Mu didn't reply, remaining fully alert and vigilant towards the elegant man who had emerged from the darkness.

"Let's talk inside! I was just testing your skills, and you've surprised me somewhat."

The elegant man glanced at Fang Mu, who was full of vigilance, left his words, and flashed into the nearby house.

Frowning, Fang Mu eventually pulled Fang Jing towards the inner room.

Upon entering the house, the elegant man had already taken a seat in a chair.

Seeing Fang Mu and Fang Jing enter, he waved them over to find seats.

"Fang Mu! I pay my respects to Chief Envoy!" Fang Mu did not sit but instead bowed respectfully to the elegant man.

"Oh! You've seen me?" The elegant man said with some surprise.

"Your subordinate has not had the honor of seeing your esteemed face, Chief Envoy, but I can only guess that with your strength, no one in Qingzhu County could possibly be your match."

"With such cultivation, and your appearance bearing some resemblance to Miss Qi Zhu, your subordinate dared to guess your identity as Chief Envoy."

"Heh heh! You are indeed sharp and intelligent. With your cleverness and hidden cultivation, making you an envoy feels like a waste of your talents."

"I dare not!"

Hearing the Chief Envoy Ye Tian's pointed words, Fang Mu, unsure of his intentions, could only repeatedly say he dared not.

He harbored suspicions about why Ye Tian had suddenly visited.

"I have something to say to you. Please have your sister step out for a moment!"

Ye Tian suddenly spoke, causing Fang Mu to snap back to attention and not dare to object. He quickly signaled Fang Jing to go outside.

Fang Jing hesitated for a moment, but then obediently nodded and exited the room, closing the door behind her.

"I don't like beating around the bush, so I'll get straight to the point."

After Fang Jing left the room, Ye Tian spoke first.

Before Fang Mu could reply, he continued, "I believe you've already guessed the purpose of my visit."

"Chief Envoy and your subordinate have no prior dealings, so your sudden visit must be about Miss Qi Zhu."

"That's right, I am here for Qi Zhu, and I also want to see the quality of the person she fancies, in terms of both strength and character."

"I am ashamed, Chief Envoy. Your subordinate has disappointed you!"

Fang Mu looked at Ye Tian's scrutinizing gaze and quickly changed the subject, "Chief Envoy, are you here for the Demonic Scripture?"

Hearing Fang Mu's question, Ye Tian shook his head. "I believe the cultivation method you passed on to her was without reservation."

"I want to ask you, what are your feelings for Qi Zhu? I can see that she relies on you greatly."

"This time, I forced her into marriage, and she threatened to die if she couldn't have her way. I imagine a large part of the reason is that her heart already belongs to someone else."

Looking at Ye Tian's questioning and demanding gaze, Fang Mu couldn't help but frown and fell silent.

"Please forgive me, Chief Envoy! Miss Qi Zhu and I are merely friends. I have always treated her as a friend and have no romantic feelings for her."

"What if I were to betroth Qi Zhu to you?"

"Please forgive me, Chief Envoy, but if I may be so bold, a melon forced to ripen is not sweet. Fang Mu cannot possibly ruin Miss Qi Zhu's life."

As Fang Mu finished speaking, Ye Tian's expression suddenly turned grim. He stopped speaking and simply watched Fang Mu.

After a long while, seeing Fang Mu's unwavering and resolute expression, Ye Tian sighed and withdrew his gaze.

"As a friend! How much can you help Qi Zhu?"

Ye Tian suddenly changed the subject, which momentarily stunned Fang Mu.

After he recovered, he replied, "If there's anything I can help with, Fang Mu will spare no effort to assist."

"Since that's the case, I won't keep it from you anymore. You can probably guess that Qi Zhu isn't entirely human; she's a Half-Demon."

"Her mother, who is my wife, actually transformed from an elemental spirit."

"All things in heaven and earth have their own rules of evolution."

"Different races are strictly forbidden from procreating; it's a taboo and an insurmountable chasm."

"Although Qi Zhu can maintain her human form, her Half-Demon bloodline means she won't live for long."

"Not only is her lifespan greatly reduced, but the Vital Energy and Demonic Energy within her body will also conflict."

"Once the Vital Energy in her body is completely consumed by the Demonic Energy."

"Without the Vital Energy to suppress and stabilize it, she might fully demonize, or even lose her consciousness."

"The Demonic Scripture can allow her to control the Demonic Energy within her, but ultimately, it only treats the symptoms, not the root cause."

"I need to find a way to solve this once and for all, so during this time, I'd like you to look after her for me."

"With the Demonic Scripture, there shouldn't be any major problems in the short term."

"When you have time, just infuse some Vital Energy into her body to help suppress and stabilize the Demonic Energy."

"As compensation, I'm promoting you to Deputy Chief Envoy of the Demon Slayer Division."

"This is the key to the Heaven Prison. From now on, the prisons will be under your command. As for your immediate superior, he barely handles any affairs, so you don't need to pay attention to him."

As the words fell, Ye Tian had already vanished from his original spot.

Fang Mu looked at the two tokens on the table, feeling a bit stunned.

He didn't care much about the promotion, but he really needed the key to the Heaven Prison.

He never expected that his deliberate efforts would yield nothing, while his unintentional actions would bring such great fortune. It felt like searching for something everywhere, only to find it without even trying.

After putting away the tokens and watching Ye Tian leave, Fang Mu decided to return to the Earth Prison to deal with the Jade Faced Gentleman's corpse. He might be able to refine something from it.

"Xiao Jing! You hide yourself tonight. I have to go to the yamen for something."

"Oh, right! I'm introducing a new companion, Xiao Hu!"

Fang Mu brought Fang Jing into the family's cellar and released the Black Tiger demon, introducing it.

After warning the Black Tiger a few times, Fang Mu left his home.

With the Black Tiger and Green Snake protecting her, Fang Jing's safety was somewhat guaranteed.

After Fang Mu left, two dark figures hidden in the dim courtyard began to whisper.

"That was close! I didn't expect Ye Tian to show up. We were almost discovered."

"Stop the nonsense! Are we really going to make a move?"

"I'm telling you, I won't take responsibility if we make a move. Don't let that kid's usual quiet demeanor fool you; he's terrifying when he gets serious."

"I don't want to ruin the image I have in his mind."

"Give me a break. You're already faking your death, what kind of image can you possibly have left?"

"We have to act quickly while he's gone and advance the plan."