Lord Li is doing alright

Si Miaoyin was stunned.

According to intelligence, Ning'an City had long been plagued by demons.

The Magistrate had repeatedly sent letters seeking help from the Demon Slayer Division in Pei Province.

But from the looks of it now, it didn't seem like a place that needed help at all.

The atmosphere here was even more pleasant than in Pei Province.

What was going on?

Si Miaoyin was a bit bewildered.

A little girl with pigtails walked over, chewing on a candied hawthorn with her cute little baby teeth.

Upon seeing Si Miaoyin, her eyes lit up, "What a beautiful big sister!"

The corner of Si Miaoyin's mouth curved into a smile as she picked up the little girl. "Such a sweet mouth~"

"Where are your parents?"

The little girl raised her tender little hand and pointed to the side, "Over there, they're buying yummy food!"

Si Miaoyin gently tickled the tip of the little girl's nose, making her giggle.

She looked up and saw her parents walking over.

She gently put the little girl down and nodded at her parents.

"You two must be from out of town, right?"

Si Miaoyin nodded.

"Haha, welcome to Ning'an City. You don't have to worry about demons causing trouble here."

"Thank you."

Si Miaoyin smiled and asked, "May I ask why Ning'an City doesn't have to worry about demons causing trouble?"

The couple exchanged a look and smiled, "Because Lord Li is here!"

Ling Yan raised an eyebrow, "Lord Li?"

"Isn't the Magistrate of Ning'an City surnamed Song?"

The man shook his head, "We're not talking about the Magistrate, we're talking about Constable Li Xuanxiao, Lord Li!"

A constable!?

This time, both Ling Yan and Si Miaoyin were stunned again.

Ning'an City didn't have to worry about demons causing trouble because of a constable?

Just how formidable must this constable be to achieve such a feat?

Si Miaoyin chuckled, "Interesting~ I'm starting to get curious, who exactly is this Lord Li?"

"How can he make the nearby demons afraid to act rashly?"

The woman shook her head again, "It's not that they're afraid to act rashly, it's that they can't. Lord Li has already slain all the nearby demons!"

What!!

All the nearby demons have been slain!?

To achieve this, one would need to be at least in the mid to late stages of the Apex Realm, right?

This small Ning'an City, such a barren and desolate place!

How could it possibly have a martial artist like this?

After all, they had passed through many cities on their journey, and few had Apex Realm martial artists guarding them.

This was determined by objective conditions.

No matter how great the talent, without resources, the achievements would be limited.

For Apex Realm martial artists, the resources in a small border town were too meager; staying there would be tantamount to ruining their future prospects.

And if he were a martial artist born and raised in this place, for him to have entered the Apex Realm here, and even reached the mid to late stages…

This Lord Li was no ordinary person!

"Hahahahaha~"

Si Miaoyin displayed the brightest smile of her journey. Regardless of the reason, it was ultimately a good thing.

Having seen too many gloomy and desperate cities, suddenly encountering a vibrant Ning'an City made her mood unconsciously beautiful.

Ling Yan, however, looked slightly gloomy.

Despite all his efforts, he couldn't even elicit a smile from the beauty.

This Lord Li, who knows where he came from, managed to make Si Miaoyin so happy without even showing his face!

Ling Yan felt a pang of discomfort.

After Si Miaoyin finished laughing heartily, new questions arose in her mind.

How could someone so capable be content with just being a constable?

Even if he were willing, the magistrate wouldn't dare not promote such a martial artist!

Is this magistrate blind or something?

But these were questions ordinary folk wouldn't know the answers to.

Anyway, I'm heading to the yamen later, so I'll know what's what when I get there.

After saying goodbye to the little girl and her parents, Si Miaoyin, in high spirits, strolled through the streets, enjoying the rare atmosphere.

She hadn't experienced this feeling much since the world was plagued by demons.

Even in the Royal City, with the Demon Slayer Division headquarters located there, while there was no need to worry about demonic incursions, people weren't this free and relaxed.

It was the same in the capitals of other provinces.

There was always a sense of oppression and tension.

Being in those places, one's mood was always restrained, and life felt less expansive.

It was much better here now, allowing for a slight reprieve.

"I didn't expect such an interesting person to be hidden in the small Ning'an City."

"This trip was truly worthwhile!"

Si Miaoyin's lips curved into a smile, revealing her cute little canine teeth.

Ling Yan snorted, "The surrounding area only has mere Profound Realm demons. Achieving this is hardly any great feat!"

Si Miaoyin pouted. This guy was such a buzzkill!

If it weren't for her uncle's request, she wouldn't want to travel with him at all.

Without paying him much mind, Si Miaoyin set off for the Ning'an City yamen.

The two soon arrived in front of the yamen.

To their surprise, there wasn't a single guard at the entrance.

They walked straight in and into the yamen's interior.

It turned out that not only was the front gate unguarded, but the interior was also almost deserted.

The only person there was sound asleep.

Ling Yan, already in a foul mood, found an outlet for his frustration.

He shouted, "Not working during duty hours and hiding here to sleep?"

"Such dereliction of duty, are you worthy of the monthly salary you receive?"

Li Xuanxiao slowly woke up, looking at this person who had appeared out of nowhere with utter confusion.

Who are you, yelling here?

What business is it of yours if I'm taking a nap? Why are you sticking your nose where it doesn't belong?

He scratched his head, and Li Xuanxiao's gaze was suddenly drawn to the radiant and beautiful Si Miaoyin beside him.

Holy crap!

She's so pretty!

Seeing Li Xuanxiao's gaze, Ling Yan became even more incensed and was about to reprimand him.

But Si Miaoyin stopped him.

"Now is not the time to assign blame. Let's clarify some things first."

Si Miaoyin walked up to Li Xuanxiao. "Little constable, I have a question for you. Do you know Lord Li Xuanxiao?"

Li Xuanxiao blinked in surprise. Huh?

Isn't that me?

But not knowing their intentions, Li Xuanxiao didn't reveal his identity immediately.

He just nodded. "Yes, I know him. Are you looking for him for something?"

Si Miaoyin chuckled. "I heard that this Lord Li cleared out all the demons in and around Ning'an City. Is that true?"

Li Xuanxiao raised an eyebrow and glanced at Si Miaoyin. She was quite pretty, just not very bright-looking.

Can't you tell if that's true or not?

Does the current atmosphere in Ning'an City, the state of the common people, look like it's faked?

If the demons hadn't been wiped out, how could this be the result?

Li Xuanxiao didn't want to answer and simply nodded again.

"To clear out all the nearby demons, one would need to be at least a mid-to-late stage Apex Realm martial artist, right?"

"In a place as resource-poor as Ning'an City, Lord Li was able to reach this stage. He must be a very talented person, right?"

Li Xuanxiao wasn't sure how to answer. He didn't consider himself particularly talented, did he?

He pursed his lips. "I'm... alright, I guess. Just so-so! Not as amazing as everyone makes me out to be."

Alright?

Just so-so?

Before Si Miaoyin could say anything, Ling Yan was already getting agitated.