The study in the Thousand Household Office of the Demon Suppression Bureau.
The moment he stepped into this familiar territory,
the tension that had kept Centurion Zhao's expression taut melted away like thawing ice.
He warmly invited Gu Cheng to sit at the tea table, then brought out his treasured tea leaves and brewed a pot of hot tea.
Wisps of steam rose from their cups, lending the room an especially peaceful air.
After a long while,
Centurion Zhao hesitated for quite some time before finally speaking.
"Xiao Cheng, there's been a little unexpected hiccup with your trip to headquarters for the final assessment..."
"You've probably heard about the major purge in Tianshui Prefecture, right?
Thanks to that, this year's screening standards are far stricter than in previous years. Even someone like you, who came through a referral, has to pass a preliminary screening first."
Centurion Zhao looked a little awkward.
After all, he'd previously made a bold promise, confidently claiming he could pull strings and get Gu Cheng sent straight through.
Who could have guessed that another screening round would suddenly be added...
"Within ten days, the assessor in charge will come to Changle County with the team investigating the remnants of the Rebirth Sect.
You don't need to feel too much pressure. He'll just be going through the motions, giving your talent and strength a simple test.
Once you pass, you can head straight back to Tianshui City with him."
"Understood. Thank you for letting me know, sir."
Gu Cheng nodded politely, his heart unmoved.
It was nothing more than one extra screening.
Compared with the tedious vetting of the normal channels, the back door Centurion Zhao had arranged for him had already spared him most of the process.
"Ah, we're all on the same side. No need to be so polite."
Centurion Zhao waved a hand and took a small sip of tea before saying meaningfully,
"With your talent, it's only a matter of time before you make a name for yourself at headquarters. Maybe in a few years, I'll be relying on you..."
At that, a flicker of understanding passed through Gu Cheng's eyes.
Given the tough, overbearing way the Tianshui City headquarters did things,
the Deputy General who was coming this time would probably investigate the Rebirth Sect and take the opportunity to clear out the parasites in the branch office as well.
If so, Centurion Zhao, the ringleader of the slackers, would naturally be first in the line of fire.
If the blame really came down on him, then even with someone powerful backing him, he'd most likely lose his post as a thousand-household officer.
That was why Centurion Zhao wanted to build a good relationship with Gu Cheng, a rising star, and secure himself a fallback for the future.
Thinking of this, Gu Cheng suddenly remembered something and hurriedly asked,
"By the way, sir, with Centurion Lin's talent and strength, didn't you invite her to develop her career at headquarters before?"
"Huh? You don't know about that? I thought Xiao Yan had already told you."
Centurion Zhao glanced at Gu Cheng with a puzzled look.
Seeing that the bewilderment on his face seemed genuine, he quietly explained,
"Two years ago, I suggested she go to headquarters in Tianshui City.
But she insisted on staying in Changle County to avenge her father. And for some reason, she doesn't seem to have the slightest interest in transferring to the Demon Suppression Bureau's headquarters..."
As he spoke, Centurion Zhao lifted his eyes to Gu Cheng's handsome face, and a sudden idea struck him.
"By the way, Xiao Cheng, why don't you try talking her into going to Tianshui City with you?
Her father's killer has already been killed by a Demon Hunter, so there's really no reason for her to keep staying in Changle County..."
Centurion Zhao offered his sincere advice.
For his own selfish reasons, he truly didn't want to see such a well-matched pair part ways.
"..."
Gu Cheng lowered his eyes to the steam rising from his teacup and said nothing.
After spending nearly eight days together on Black Wind Mountain, day and night,
Gu Cheng was absolutely certain that the cold, alluring big sister was hiding a great secret.
Perhaps her reluctance to go to the Demon Suppression Bureau's headquarters had its own special reasons, just as he had his reasons for not taking the special recruitment route through Hundred Refinements of the Azure Dragon.
If that was the case, he had even less reason to try to sway her.
After that, Gu Cheng and Centurion Zhao chatted over tea.
Only after they had finished the pot did Gu Cheng take his leave.
Watching the young man's figure recede into the distance,
Centurion Zhao withdrew his gaze and sighed softly.
"Alas... I hope my contribution for recommending talent to headquarters this time will make up for my past mistakes."
As he spoke, he walked over to his desk.
He took out a fresh sheet of xuan paper and picked up his brush to practice calligraphy again.
But with so many distracting thoughts crowding his mind, the characters he wrote fell far short of his usual standard.
Lost in thought, Centurion Zhao suddenly furrowed his brow, as though he'd noticed a blind spot.
"Strange... The old master of the Zheng Family lost two sons. Why has he been so quiet today?"
"Given the Zheng Family's usual ways, shouldn't they have come to the office to throw their weight around and demand that the Demon Suppression Bureau punish the killer severely?"
Centurion Zhao's brush froze in midstroke.
Thick ink spread across the xuan paper, forming a conspicuous blot.
He knew just how much the head of the Zheng Family had doted on his two precious sons.
Back then, the man had thrown plenty of money at the Demon Suppression Bureau's office just to get his second son into the Bureau.
Now both his sons were dead, yet the old master of the Zheng Family hadn't reacted at all. It was far too strange.
"Could he be so heartbroken that grief has swallowed him whole?"
Centurion Zhao pondered to himself.
He decided to wait a few more days, then pay a personal visit to the famous local tycoon of Changle County to offer his condolences.
Three days later.
In a dense forest on the outskirts of Changle County,
two wolf-headed, human-bodied demons fled through the woods at full speed.
The way they stumbled along on all fours showed that they were terrified to the extreme, as if some unimaginably fearsome enemy were hunting them down.
In the blink of an eye, a tall figure suddenly burst out of a nearby thicket.
Like an arrow loosed from a bow, he charged straight at the two wolf demons!
"Die!"
Xiao Yun's expression was grim as a chilling blade aura gathered along his long saber.
He swung at one wolf demon's vital point!
Just as the sharp blade was about to touch the wolf demon's glossy fur,
crack—
with the sound of an electric current tearing through the air,
an Ink Blade wreathed in azure lightning struck first, though it had been drawn later.
Xiao Yun saw a silver-white ghostly shadow flash before his eyes.
By the time he came to his senses, both wolf demons had been decapitated, dead beyond any doubt.
The heat of the lightning had charred their severed necks black, so not a drop of demon blood spilled. A pungent burnt stench filled the air.
"..."
Xiao Yun looked at the two headless wolf demon corpses, then at the handsome Centurion standing nearby with his blade in hand.
His determined face was full of frustration and confusion.
Sigh...
There was nothing wrong with Lord Gu, except that he loved stealing the kill.
In the three days they'd spent together, Gu Cheng had taken every demon they encountered for himself. He'd probably insist on killing even a chicken with his own hands.
Xiao Yun's saber was practically getting rusty.
Slayed a Body Tempering Realm wolf demon, gained thirty-one years of lifespan
Slayed a Body Tempering Realm wolf demon, gained twenty-nine years of lifespan
Remaining lifespan: one thousand and twenty-four years
Gu Cheng returned Mo Yu to its scabbard and looked at the refreshed records on his panel, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Over the past three days, the demons of Black Wind Mountain that had gone into hiding had suddenly become active again.
He didn't know whether they'd been incited by the Rebirth Sect or had some other purpose.
Either way, Gu Cheng had certainly gotten his fill of "all-you-can-eat."
Most were small fry in the Body Tempering Realm, but what they lacked in quality, they made up for in quantity.
After he swept through them like a gale, his lifespan had climbed back into four digits.
"With more than a thousand years of lifespan, getting Crimson Palace Heavenly Thunder Incantation to grand perfection shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Gu Cheng's thoughts immediately began to burn with anticipation.
He could hardly wait to test the formidable power of this Xu Family thunder art for himself!
Before you continue