Chief Envoy Ye Tian

The night was deep and still. In the dimly lit courtyard, Fang Mu silently drew the long sword at his side.

As the Buddhist staff came crashing down, he suddenly spun around and transformed into a swift streak of black light, darting toward the shadow behind him that had been following him like a ghost.

Amid the clanging din, Fang Mu attacked the shadow with almost no reservation, giving it everything he had.

Sword Qi crisscrossed the air. The long sword in his hand moved like an illusion, so fast that only streaks of flashing sword light could be seen.

With a resounding boom, a figure was sent flying backward. It spat out a mouthful of blood, and the long sword in its hand shattered on the spot.

"Brother!!"

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

"Stand back!"

Fang Mu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and pulled Fang Jing behind him. His expression grave, he stared at the corner of the courtyard wall, where a figure was slowly walking out.

Throwing aside the sword that had been reduced to a hilt, Fang Mu directly took out the Golden Sword.

He was extremely solemn. Among all the experts he had ever seen, that person was the strongest.

Even Huihai, who was as powerful as an Innate Realm expert, could not have left him completely powerless to fight back.

"Your sword is quite good!"

The figure walking slowly toward Fang Mu cast an unexpected glance at the sword radiating golden light in his hand and offered a word of praise.

Fang Mu did not answer. He remained fully alert, watching the refined man who had emerged from the darkness.

"Let's talk inside. That just now was only a test of your abilities, though you did surprise me."

The refined man glanced at the wary Fang Mu, left him with those words, and flashed into the nearby room.

Frowning slightly, Fang Mu ultimately pulled Fang Jing toward the inner room.

When they entered, the refined man was already seated in a chair.

Seeing the two of them enter, he waved for them to find a place to sit.

"Fang Mu pays his respects to the Chief Envoy!" Fang Mu did not sit. Instead, he respectfully bowed to the refined man.

"Oh? You've seen me before?" The refined man sounded somewhat surprised.

"This subordinate has never seen the Chief Envoy's face. I merely guessed that with Your Excellency's strength, no one in Qingzhu County could possibly be your match."

"With such cultivation, and a face somewhat resembling Miss Qi Zhu's, this subordinate took the liberty of guessing that Your Excellency was the Chief Envoy."

"Heh heh! You're quite clever. With your intelligence and concealed cultivation, making you an envoy is somewhat beneath you."

"I wouldn't dare!"

Hearing the pointed implication in Chief Envoy Ye Tian's words, Fang Mu had no idea why he had come and hurriedly said that he would not dare.

He was full of doubts. What was Ye Tian's purpose in suddenly paying him a visit?

"I have something to say to you. Have your younger sister step outside for a while."

Ye Tian suddenly spoke. Fang Mu came back to himself and did not dare object, quickly signaling for Fang Jing to go outside.

Fang Jing hesitated briefly, but obediently nodded and left the room, pulling the door nearly shut behind her.

"I don't like beating around the bush, so I'll speak plainly."

After Fang Jing left, Ye Tian spoke first.

Without waiting for Fang Mu to reply, he continued, "I imagine you've already guessed why I came."

"The Chief Envoy and this subordinate have had no dealings. Since you came without warning, it should be because of Miss Qi Zhu."

"That's right. I came for Qi Zhu, and I also wanted to see what kind of strength and character the person she favors possesses."

"I'm ashamed. This subordinate has disappointed Your Excellency!"

Watching Ye Tian's assessing gaze, Fang Mu hurriedly changed the subject. "My lord, did you come for the Demonic Scripture?"

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

"I want to ask you: how do you feel about Qi Zhu? I can see that she relies on you greatly."

"This time, I forced her to marry someone. She carried on as if she would rather die, so I imagine much of the reason is that her heart already belongs to someone."

Under Ye Tian's questioning eyes and pressing gaze, Fang Mu could not help frowning and fell silent.

"My lord, forgive me. Miss Qi Zhu and I are merely friends. I have always regarded her as a friend, with not the slightest trace of romantic feelings."

"What if I betrothed Qi Zhu to you?"

"My lord, forgive me, but if I may speak frankly, a forcibly twisted melon is never sweet. Fang Mu cannot ruin Miss Qi Zhu's life."

After Fang Mu finished speaking, Ye Tian's expression suddenly darkened. He said nothing more, merely staring silently at Fang Mu.

After a long while, seeing that Fang Mu remained resolute and unyielding, Ye Tian sighed and withdrew his gaze.

"As her friend, how much can you help Qi Zhu?"

Ye Tian suddenly changed the subject, leaving Fang Mu stunned for a moment.

When he recovered, he replied, "If there is anything I can help with, Fang Mu will spare no effort."

"Since that is the case, I will not hide it from you. You should be able to guess that Qi Zhu is not entirely human. She is a Half-Demon."

"Her mother—my wife—is actually a spirit monster in human form."

"All things under Heaven and Earth follow their own rules of evolution."

"Different races are strictly forbidden from reproducing with one another. That is both a taboo and a natural chasm."

"Although Qi Zhu can maintain a human form, her Half-Demon bloodline has doomed her to a short life."

"Not only is her lifespan greatly reduced, but the Vital Energy and demonic power in her body will also come into conflict."

"Once the Vital Energy in her body is completely devoured by Demonic Energy—"

"Without Vital Energy to suppress and stabilize it, she may completely transform into a demon and even lose her sanity."

"Although the Demonic Scripture can let her control the Demonic Energy in her body, it only treats the symptoms, not the root cause."

"I need to find a way to solve the problem once and for all, so during this period, I want you to take care of her for me."

"With the Demonic Scripture, there should be no major problems in the short term."

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

"As payment, I will promote you to Deputy Chief Envoy of the Demon Slayer Division."

"This is the key to Heaven Prison. From now on, you will be in charge of all the prisons. As for your immediate superior, he practically never handles affairs, so you need not pay him any mind."

As his voice faded, Ye Tian had already vanished from the spot.

Fang Mu stared at the two command tokens on the table, unable to hide his astonishment.

He did not really care whether he was promoted, but he truly needed the key to Heaven Prison.

He had expected flowers to bloom after tending them, yet the flowers did not bloom; he had casually planted willow branches, and they had grown into a shady grove. It felt as though he had worn out iron shoes searching everywhere, only to obtain it without the slightest effort.

After putting away the command tokens and watching Ye Tian leave, Fang Mu planned to return to Earth Prison and deal with the corpse of the Jade Faced Gentleman. Perhaps he could refine something from it.

"Xiaojing, hide somewhere tonight. I have something to take care of at the yamen."

"Oh, right! Let me introduce you to a new companion. Little Tiger!"

Fang Mu brought Fang Jing into the cellar beneath the house and released the Black Tiger demon, introducing it to her.

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

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

After Fang Mu left, two shadows hidden in the dark courtyard began whispering to each other.

"That was close! Who would have thought Ye Tian would come? We were almost discovered."

"Stop wasting words! Are we really going to make our move?"

"I'm telling you, I'm not taking responsibility for this. Don't be fooled by how little that brat usually talks. When he gets ruthless, even I'm afraid."

"I don't want to ruin the image he has of me."

"Give me a break. You already faked your death. What image could you possibly have left?"

"We have to take advantage of his absence and act quickly. Move the plan ahead."