Demon Subduing Bureau

Biodata

Background

The Demon Subduing Bureau was established by the imperial court during the chaotic era of evil beings. Its earliest Demon Subduing Captains fought to reclaim territory from demon clans and other evil entities, securing the first twelve prefectures that formed Great Shang's initial foothold in the chaos. The Heavenly Fortune Orchid Festival commemorates this founding victory. 1 76 123

The Bureau recruits extraordinary individuals, Buddhist monks, and Taoist priests from across the realm. It exists to protect the populace, suppress supernatural threats, and restore Great Shang to a secure and prosperous state. 1 28

Great Shang controls sixteen prefectures, while twenty remain outside its control under the influence of demons and Malevolent Spirits. Reclaiming these lost territories is a long-term Bureau objective. 36 123

Authority and Mandate

The Demon Subduing Bureau holds supreme authority in all matters involving Malevolent Spirits. Its jurisdiction can override imperial power: it may punish imperial relatives, nobles, officials, merchants, and commoners, and is authorized to remove an emperor who colludes with evil or endangers the nation. 15 28

• It investigates supernatural incidents, gathers intelligence, captures or eliminates hostile entities, and suppresses evil factions. 6 28
• It may imprison Malevolent Spirits for interrogation, resource extraction, or containment before execution. 39
• It stores dangerous non-living anomalous objects, evaluates their risks, and develops containment procedures through the Department of Fate. 72
• Attacking a Demon Subduing Captain invites severe retaliation; after a Bronze Leopard Captain was assassinated in Yunze Prefecture, the Bureau dispatched hundreds of Captains and identified every involved party within three days. 59

Organization

Demon Subduing Captain Ranks

Command Structure

• Bronze Leopard Captains cover the retreat of Iron Horse Captains, while Iron Horse Captains cover ordinary civilians. Desertion or abandoning one's duty results in immediate expulsion and permanent disqualification from Bureau service. 31
• Bronze Leopard Captains may form elite squads composed entirely of Bronze Leopard Captains for front-line operations against demon generals; these units are known as Demon Subduing General Slayers. 36
• The Three Demon Subduing Tigers, including Qin Daorong and Nan Yuanxing, are among the Bureau's highest officials. 127 133
• The Bureau's eighteen Protectorates in the Outer Regions serve as forward positions for Great Shang's eventual recovery of the twenty lost prefectures. Establishing such bridgeheads is called pioneering. 123 133

Recruitment and Training

The Bureau oversees the Champion Camp, which recruits boys and girls between the ages of ten and fourteen for unified martial training. At eighteen, trainees may undergo selection; exceptional underage candidates can receive early invitations. 1

• Bronze Leopard Squads commonly recruit promising Champion Camp trainees and cultivate them into Lower Three Ranks experts. 73
• A Captain may recruit capable individuals encountered during missions, as Ning Xiu did with Chen Peifeng and Daoist Master Kongxu. 63 72
• The Demon Subduing Prison can serve as an alternate entry route: apprentices who endure its duties may be added directly to the Bureau roster without ordinary selection. 1
• New Iron Horse Captains receive no formal induction ceremony; enrollment consists of collecting their armor, saber, rank token, and assigned room. 7

Facilities and Internal Departments

Equipment and Identification

• Mysterious Silver Lock Armor — Exclusive armor worn by Demon Subduing Bureau personnel throughout Great Shang. 1
• Wild Goose Feather Saber — Saber carried by returning Demon Subduing Captains. 1
• Rank tokens — Iron Horse Captains carry iron tokens carved with a horse; promotion requires exchanging the token for the appropriate rank insignia. 7 72
• Iron masks — Worn by some mounted Bureau squads alongside Mysterious Silver Lock Armor. 1
• Signal Arrows — Remote-warning devices that can release a plume of smoke when activated, alerting other Captains to danger. 32

Operations and Procedure

Information on suspected demonic activity is collected through Great Shang's local surveillance stations and government offices, then sent to the Heavenly Eye Tower. After consolidation, specialists assign cases to Bronze Leopard Captains through the Fifth Examination Hall. 73

• Captains returning from a mission must report to their superior, provide a full account, and have the case entered into Bureau archives. 28
• Captured Demons are escorted to the Demon Subduing Prison for detention and interrogation. 26 72
• Malevolent Spirits may be retained alive if they provide intelligence, yield alchemical materials, or possess components useful for weapon crafting; those without further value are executed. 39
• Captains traveling outside their assigned areas may assist local authorities against evil threats. Confirmed assistance is reported to Chaotian Capital and earns additional silver and merit. 62
• In major emergencies, the Bureau issues secret summons by black-feathered falcon to Captains operating away from Bureau territory. 99

Major Operations

• Spring Full Pavilion investigation — An anonymous report exposed Spring Full Pavilion as a gathering place for Malevolent Spirits. Qin Daorong mobilized available Captains to surround Marquis Wuyi's estate, while the pavilion was sealed and searched. 13 14
• Marquis Wuyi case — The Bureau's investigation uncovered Marquis Wuyi's association with the Black Heaven Gate and demonic resurrection practices. His noble title was revoked, and he was sentenced to death. 31 36 42
• Demon Subduing Martial Arts Tournament — Held every ten years during the Heavenly Fortune Orchid Festival, the tournament sends Bronze Leopard Squads into unrecovered prefectures to hunt evil entities and demonstrate the Bureau's strength. 76 123
• Four Symbols Altar operation — Bureau forces assembled to rescue captured Captains, recover the Vermilion Bird Blood, and destroy the Four Symbols Altar's four sub-towers. 116 120
• Qingque Prefecture counteroffensive — After Outer Regions Demons killed more than twenty Captains during the tournament, the Bureau deployed Silver Tiger Captains to hunt the responsible Demon groups and eliminate six major Demon strongholds. 129 132 133
• Profound Yin Domain response — During the Yin Tide catastrophe, Heavenly Monarch Ning Xiu used the Protectorate Manor to shelter and organize civilians after its teleportation array was blocked. 169

Related Organizations

• Great Shang Dynasty — The Bureau's founding state and source of authority. 1 15
• Champion Camp — Bureau-supervised training camp and a principal source of new Captains. 1 73
• Black Heaven Gate — A notorious Evil Spirit Cultivator faction and one of the Bureau's principal enemies. 5 114
• Great Spirit Sound Temple — A Buddhist institution that cooperates with Bureau personnel against escaped Demonic Creatures and related crises. 77
• Outer Regions Protectorates — Eighteen forward territories governed by powerful Golden Dragon Captains. 133

Trivia

• The Bureau's stated aspiration, displayed in the Fifth Examination Hall, is to restore Great Shang to a peaceful and prosperous era where people may live and travel without fear. 28
• The Bureau conducts slogan-selection activities for Champion Camp training, with selected submissions receiving mysterious rewards. 28
• In the final era, the Bureau has “transitioned,” though its past campaigns against Demons and Evil Spirits remain central to the identity of its newer Captains. 217