The corpses of humans and demons lay stark naked before the villagers, the stench of blood spreading through the air.
The villagers of Ertang Village had barely drawn near when the scene before them left them dumbstruck.
So many corpses lay sprawled in every direction. Bright red blood had flowed all the way here without drying, pooling on the ground in puddles.
Many members of the Demon Suppression Division had died, and so had many from the Demon Race. But judging from the scene before them, it seemed the Demon Suppression Division had won.
That eased the villagers' hearts, which had been hanging in suspense.
Liu Wei's expression was stern. He strode over to a tiger demon's corpse and stood above the crowd, beginning to berate them loudly. "All the demons that have been harassing you these past few days are lying here now.
From now on, you can tend your fields in peace and obey the law.
If you have any trouble involving demons, come to the Demon Suppression Division. We'll see that justice is done."
The villagers' faces lit up with excitement. One after another, they dropped to their knees with a thud and kowtowed furiously, crying out at the top of their lungs. Their voices rose and fell in a chorus. "Great Lord of the Azure Sky!"
Chen Bin sat on his horse, his brows faintly furrowed as he watched in silence. He made no move to stop them.
He knew that every world had its own rules. He didn't consider himself worthy of being called the Great Lord of the Azure Sky.
Besides, the people lying on the carts had been killed by his own hand.
Liu Wei basked in the villagers' kowtows, a satisfied look on his face. Only after quite some time did he finally call out to the troops, content at last, and order them to continue back.
"This is called calming the people."
Liu Wei rode up beside Chen Bin and explained with a smug look. "They can only calm down when they see something covered in blood.
Of course, they're afraid of getting close and ending up covered in blood themselves.
But whatever hurts them has to be 'dead' before they can be consoled."
Chen Bin nodded slightly, giving it some thought. "You're right, Brother Liu."
The procession moved on.
The sunlight gradually slanted westward.
At last, the procession came within sight of Wanbao County City's gates.
At the gate, people entering and leaving the city mingled with the cries of hawkers peddling their wares.
The City Guard Division's soldiers stood neatly to one side, while the gatekeeper from the County Office was on duty at the entrance.
When they saw the group from the Demon Suppression Division approaching, their faces filled with alarm, and they hurriedly moved aside to make way.
The small traders and peddlers coming and going through the gates scattered to either side like startled birds and beasts, afraid of angering these Demon Suppression Division officers, who radiated bloodlust from head to toe.
In the blink of an eye, the gate stood empty.
"Enter the city!" Liu Wei swept his hand through the air, and the procession filed in.
The corpses were exposed to the air, not even covered with a cloth. Blood still trickled along the wheel ruts, and the thick stench of it quickly spread.
The tiger heads had been placed atop the corpses. Even in death, the tiger demons' faces remained fierce, as if still bearing the savagery and resentment they'd shown in life.
Even dead, these tiger demons still commanded a fearsome presence.
The commoners needed only one glance before they fled in terror. Some went pale and stumbled, afraid the tigers would rise and pounce on them. For a while, everyone showed their ugliest side.
After the carts bearing the tiger demons' corpses passed, carts carrying the dead members of the Demon Suppression Division followed.
The sight of cart after cart of corpses made people's hearts pound with fear.
By comparison, even the tigers seemed less frightening.
"How many people died?" someone in the crowd cried out softly.
"Ten whole carts of corpses," another replied, his voice trembling.
"Good heavens! So many people died. The Demon Suppression Division really paid a heavy price this time," someone else exclaimed.
After entering the city, the procession followed the street toward the Demon Suppression Division.
Liu Wei turned to Li Kun and ordered sternly, "Li Kun, go back first and inform General Banner Wang. Have someone waiting at the Demon Suppression Division's entrance to welcome us."
Li Kun answered and galloped off ahead.
The commoners along the road had been going about their business when someone suddenly beckoned to them and stirred them up. "Come on, let's go see the Demon Suppression Division."
That shout sent ripples through the crowd.
Before long, a long line of curious onlookers trailed behind the procession.
The County Town hadn't been this lively in a long time.
How to put it?
It was truly as if the whole city had emptied into the streets.
Wang Sheng stood before the Demon Suppression Division, his eyes fixed on the packed, dark mass of people filling the square.
The crowd surged like a swarm of ants, yet seemed to hesitate for some inexplicable reason.
A zhang or so from the square, the commoners peered timidly at the corpses strewn across the ground.
Their eyes held both curiosity and fear. Their feet seemed nailed to the ground: they couldn't bear to leave this mysterious scene, yet didn't dare take another step closer.
"General Banner, we've returned victorious!"
Liu Wei hurried to Wang Sheng's side, his face alight with excitement and his voice brimming with barely restrained enthusiasm.
Wang Sheng slowly surveyed the scene.
He already had a clear grasp of the situation, and a sense of foreboding began to spread through him.
This is bad. Really bad.
Tiger One was dead. Tiger Two was dead, too.
The Mountain Lord was already difficult to deal with, but that was manageable.
If all else failed, he could always break with him. He still held the moral high ground before the court and the commoners.
But the most troublesome thing was that Kang Ronghao was dead, while Captain Qian's side had to be placated, no matter what.
Still, his subordinates had earned merit, and they had to be rewarded.
As their commanding officer, he had to make a decision right now.
"You've done very well," Wang Sheng said gravely.
Then he raised his voice and called out, "Guards!"
"Here!" everyone answered in unison, their voices loud and clear.
"Gather the bodies of our fallen comrades. Identify each one carefully and notify their families to come claim them. Make sure they receive their compensation..."
Wang Sheng gave his orders one by one, then turned his gaze to Liu Wei and Chen Bin. "You two, come with me."
Chen Bin paid no heed to the commotion around him. He followed close behind Wang Sheng with Liu Wei and entered the Demon Suppression Division.
The General Banner's office was somewhat somber.
Wang Sheng picked up the teacup on his desk, took a small sip to moisten his dry throat, then said, "Tell me. What exactly happened?"
Chen Bin immediately recounted the events, embellishing and extensively revising them first, then laying out the account he'd prepared in advance.
"All right," Wang Sheng said when he was done. "You killed so many tiger demons. Given your merit and your cultivation, you're fully qualified for promotion to Small Banner.
Tonight, I'll write a memorial and report it to the Hundred Households Office. I'll send it by flying eagle to recommend you for merit.
Starting today, you'll take Kang Ronghao's place."
"Thank you, General Banner." Chen Bin hurriedly cupped his hands in gratitude.
"Don't thank me. You're the only one left to hold down South Ward, which used to be under Little Banner Kang's care.
Recruit people to patrol as soon as possible. Don't let anything go wrong," Wang Sheng said sternly.
"Yes!" Chen Bin replied crisply, without hesitation. Then he immediately added, "Sir, there's one more thing I'd like to ask."
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