After entering the armory, Princess Jinxi let out a sigh of relief.
"That scared me half to death just now. Father Emperor was so fierce, I almost thought he was going to slap you dead."
Ye Kang smiled and shook his head. "Your Majesty is wise and mighty, with eyes that miss nothing. He naturally wouldn't hold a grudge against a nobody like me."
"You're no nobody. You helped me resolve the unrest in Mengzhou. As a reward, I'll pick out the best weapon for you."
Princess Jinxi looked proud as she strode into the weapon pavilion.
It was filled with all manner of weapons. Every one kept here was a Divine Weapon collected by the imperial court from somewhere across the land.
It wasn't just the Imperial City Department. Whenever other departments caught criminals, they brought the confiscated weapons here too. The collection was a real mixed bag, and many of the weapons were every bit as good as the Great Golden Saber.
Seeing the princess's confident expression, Ye Kang glanced at Leng Ruyi beside him, puzzled.
"Lord Leng, the princess seems very familiar with this place?"
Leng Ruyi smiled with her hands behind her back. "Naturally. Her Highness has loved all kinds of weapons since childhood. She's personally tried most of the weapons here, so she knows them better than I do."
"I see."
"Found it!"
Princess Jinxi picked up an Ink-Colored Long Saber, satisfaction shining in her eyes.
"This is a Demonic Saber. Its former owner was Blood Bodhi, the notorious murder king who shook the martial world. Later, Father Emperor sent several people to surround and kill Blood Bodhi, and this saber was left behind. Give it a try."
Princess Jinxi tossed the saber over, and Ye Kang caught it steadily.
At first glance, the blade was exceptionally long, resembling the Miao Dao wielded by the money-loving scholar in Embroidered Spring Saber. Strange plant patterns adorned its scabbard, while its long, unadorned hilt had a simple, stately elegance.
The saber weighed at least a hundred catties. Of course, to martial artists like them, there was little difference between a hundred catties and one. If anything, a heavier weapon felt more solid in the hand, rather than light and insubstantial.
Even before drawing it, Ye Kang knew the saber was extraordinary. It was in a completely different league from the standard steel sabers of the Imperial City Department.
His eyes narrowed as the long saber flashed from its scabbard.
The blade was pitch-black, with a string of blood-red bodhi beads carved down its center. It had no other decorations.
Yet all three people present were slightly astonished. The instant the saber left its scabbard, its sharp aura stirred the air around them. Numerous weapons began to tremble, ringing with sword cries, saber notes, and spear howls.
Ye Kang was overjoyed. He poured his Imperial True Qi into the blade.
The next moment, the edge gleamed coldly, and the blade turned blood-red. Wisps of Blood Qi drifted from it, while faint, ghastly wails seemed to pierce through the air, chilling everyone to the bone.
Leng Ruyi's expression turned cold.
"There's a reason Blood Bodhi was called the murder king. Just his saber alone must have claimed countless innocent lives to become such a Demonic Saber."
Ye Kang nodded repeatedly.
"Wonderful, wonderful. This is the most extraordinary saber I've ever seen. The Golden Saber may be heavy, but it can't compare to this saber's Divine Might. What a treasure!"
After sheathing the Demonic Saber, Ye Kang couldn't bear to put it down.
Princess Jinxi raised her chin. "Well? My eye for weapons is pretty good, isn't it?"
Ye Kang cupped his hands again and again. "Thank you, Highness. I absolutely love this saber."
"No need to thank me. This is my way of repaying you. Also, this Demonic Saber is far too sinister. You'd better be careful not to let its killing aura affect you."
Hearing this, Leng Ruyi wore a strange expression.
"Your Highness, Lord Ye's bloodlust is no less than this saber's."
Indeed, Ye Kang had lost count of how many people he'd killed since entering the martial world.
In the battle at Mengzhou alone, he'd slaughtered at least several thousand martial artists.
The Ninth Princess remembered the spectacle that day and couldn't help wincing.
Leng Ruyi continued, "Now that Lord Ye has obtained a Fine Saber, he shouldn't rest on his laurels. Things are unsettled in every region, and the Imperial City Department will be relying on Deputy Commander Ye's saber from now on."
"Wait! I've only just been promoted, and I already have to work? You should at least throw me a promotion banquet!"
"The Imperial City Department isn't like other positions. We're not allowed to hold such lavish celebrations. People would gossip."
"Fair enough. Then, Lord Leng, I wanted to ask: are there any assignments near the Jiayang River lately?"
Ye Kang remembered what Dai Huanhuan had said.
Since he had to go out on assignment anyway, he might as well see if he could find anything along the way.
Leng Ruyi thought for a moment. "There is one. Come to headquarters tomorrow to meet with the other officers, and I'll give you the case files then."
"Understood."
Ye Kang said no more. After greeting the princess, he went straight home to rest.
The next day, at Imperial City Department headquarters.
Ye Kang went to Leng Ruyi's office. Zhu Cong and Zhang Gong were there too.
When they saw Ye Kang, their expressions turned complicated.
A mere Jailer had risen through the ranks so quickly that he'd caught up with them in just a few days. It was almost too fantastical to believe.
Zhu Cong in particular had a trace of panic in his eyes. Naturally, Ye Kang's promotion troubled him most.
Ye Kang ignored the two of them and cupped his hands. "Lord Leng, I'd like to hear more about the Jiayang River assignment you mentioned yesterday."
Leng Ruyi nodded and pulled out a case file.
"Bandits have long held the Jiayang River. Recently, several major bandit groups suddenly joined forces and formed the Jiayang Water Stronghold. Under the pretense of upholding Heaven's justice, they've been robbing wealthy merchants and slaughtering government troops. Someone needs to deal with them."
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Gong chuckled. "They're only a bunch of river bandits. For such a small matter, surely there's no need to trouble Deputy Commander Ye?"
Leng Ruyi shook her head.
"It's not that simple. There's another force behind this stronghold, and the matter involves more than one Innate Master. If Deputy Commander Ye hadn't risen so suddenly, this case would have gone to someone else."
After Leng Ruyi finished, Zhu Cong and Zhang Gong exchanged glances. They could both see the helplessness in each other's eyes.
There was no helping it. The Imperial City Department had a fine reputation, but its members weren't strong enough. Neither of them had reached the Innate realm, so they couldn't get involved in a case of this scale.
If Ye Kang didn't go, a case of this level would certainly be handed to a more specialized group.
It would have little to do with the Imperial City Department.
Ye Kang didn't mind either way. He scanned the case file, paying particular attention to any mention of Lightness Skill.
Sure enough, although there were no Lightness Skill experts in the Jiayang Water Stronghold, Jiayang City had recently seen a rash of Flower Thieves who had yet to be caught.
Needless to say, the Flower Thieves had to be skilled in Lightness Skill.
Ye Kang nodded. "Leave this matter to me. You officers needn't trouble yourselves. Just give me a team."
Soon, a hundred Imperial City Department elite troops were ready, awaiting Ye Kang's orders.
Since he had only just been promoted, he had no trusted subordinates of his own. So the troops were all personal retainers of the two Deputy Commanders, under the command of his old acquaintance, He Zhi.
After assembling the troops and their gear, Ye Kang brought along his only personal retainer, Jin Baobei. The group mounted their horses and rode straight for the Jiayang River.
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