Watching them walk away, Liu Wei couldn't help saying, "My lord, they..."
"They've already put plenty of distance between us!" Wang Sheng said, his gaze deep and his tone tinged with desolation and resolve.
Liu Wei froze for a moment, then understood what he meant.
Wang Sheng's expression was grim. "Pass down the word. From now on, we don't need to go easy on the City Defense Division or the County Office, because they won't go easy on us either!"
"Yes!" Liu Wei nodded solemnly.
"Let's go!" Li Kun led several constables over, escorting four people to Wang Sheng.
"General Banner," Li Kun said after clasping his hands in greeting. "We've finished checking everyone. These four are the only ones with a problem."
"What problem?" Wang Sheng asked, brows drawn together, suspicion and confusion in his eyes.
Li Kun hesitated. "They won't confess."
Liu Wei turned to Wang Sheng with a smile. "General Banner, that makes them even more suspicious."
"Have they all been blood-tested?" Wang Sheng asked.
"We drew blood from them all. There's nothing wrong," Li Kun replied.
Blood tests detected demonic energy in the blood and were the simplest, most direct way to check for demons.
But they had their limitations.
"Let everyone else go once they've paid the fine." Wang Sheng looked the four over and said in a low voice, "As for these four, take them back to the office for now. We don't have time to deal with them tonight."
"Yes!" Li Kun led his men away.
"Where's that kid Chen Bin now?" Wang Sheng asked.
Liu Wei replied, "Wang Yun just sent someone to report that Chen Bin killed twenty-one Fox Demons. He's left Yan Hua Alley now. Looks like he's going to search the whole city?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Wang Sheng's eyes, then he looked impressed. "He killed twenty-one Fox Demons and is still searching the whole city? The kid's got guts. Come on, let's go back him up."
With that, he strode off, leading the others in Chen Bin's direction.
Night blanketed Wanbao County City.
Wanbao County was a large county, with its East, South, West, and North Wards dotted with houses and three thousand households scattered among them.
The streets were deserted. Only the Demon Suppression Division's troops carried torches, forming a long, winding fire dragon as they threaded through the twisting alleys.
Wherever the fire dragon stopped, shrill screams rang out. Demons hiding in various places were dragged out without mercy, and the Demon Suppression Division's blades fell ruthlessly, cutting them down.
As the screams rang out, blood stained the bluestone streets.
The cries sounded especially piercing in the silent night, waking the sleeping townsfolk.
Every household kept its doors and windows tightly shut, their homes pitch-black. Even those who had been woken didn't dare light so much as an oil lamp, fearing that the slightest glimmer might earn them an accusation of colluding with demons.
Someone muttered a curse from beneath the covers. "What a racket. The Demon Suppression Division's gone mad tonight."
Still not satisfied after cursing, he rolled over and pulled his wife tightly into his arms, venting his frustration with rough movements. Only after a bout of exertion did his anger ease a little.
By then, the Demon Suppression Division's troops had reached North Ward.
They had set out from West Ward, gone south, then turned east, and finally headed north.
They had now reached the last alley on tonight's route.
The operation had been fruitful, yielding tremendous merit.
"After we left Yan Hua Alley, we killed another forty-nine demons."
Wang Sheng looked pleased. Turning to Chen Bin, he spoke with unmistakable satisfaction. "I never expected there to be so many demons in Wanbao County City."
Chen Bin only gave a slight nod, without saying much.
After leaving Jiaofang Si, he had killed twenty-one Fox Demons, earning 270 Merit. He now had 930 Merit remaining.
After leaving Yan Hua Alley, he had single-handedly killed another forty-three demons.
Among them were seven Qi Gathering Realm demons and thirty-six Body Tempering Realm demons. He had earned 343 Merit in total, leaving him with 1,273 Merit.
The demons came in all kinds: Monkey Demons, Rat Demons, Wolf Demons, and more.
"You've made a great contribution this time. I'll write a report and request a commendation for you from the Hundred Households Office." Wang Sheng thumped his chest as he spoke, his tone hearty.
"Thank you, Captain Wang." Chen Bin clasped his hands in thanks, without a hint of false modesty.
Wang Sheng was in high spirits, though he had the vague feeling that something was missing.
It didn't take long for him to realize what it was.
He couldn't help sighing. "What a shame. There weren't any Aperture Opening Realm demons this time, so I didn't get to fight at all. It's a real pity."
He shook his head slightly, regret showing in his eyes.
A demon's Aperture Opening Realm was on the same level as a human's Meridian Opening Realm.
However, demons and humans were fundamentally different.
Humans were born with their Eight Extraordinary Meridians. To advance their cultivation, they only needed to open the twelve regular meridians, along with the Conception and Governing Vessels. Demons, on the other hand, were born without meridians and had to endure the arduous process of gathering qi and opening their apertures.
Chen Bin suddenly stopped. Surprise showed in his eyes as he stared straight at Wang Sheng. "Are you serious?"
Wang Sheng was taken aback by the sudden question, confusion on his face. "???"
After a brief moment of shock, he hesitated, then forced himself to answer, "Of course."
He even thumped his chest to prove it, then joked with a smile, "What, can you find an Aperture Opening Realm demon or something?"
They were already in the last alley. It wasn't as though one would be waiting atop the city gate, right?
"Come with me." Chen Bin said nothing more. He turned and headed back the way they had come.
Wang Sheng's mind went blank. This is bad. That blockhead's going to cause trouble.
The other members of the squad looked just as confused. They all turned to Wang Sheng, waiting for him to decide what to do.
Chen Bin passed through the squad and ran about a zhang ahead. When he saw that they hadn't followed, he stopped and looked back, puzzled. "Why are you all standing there?"
Wang Sheng blushed under everyone's gaze, then shouted in exasperation, "What are you looking at? Hurry up and follow!"
"Yes!" Only then did everyone snap out of it. They hurried after Chen Bin.
"Where are we going?" Wang Sheng asked as he hurried along after Chen Bin.
"East Ward!" Chen Bin answered, brief and firm.
"There are demons in East Ward?" Wang Sheng pressed.
Chen Bin nodded, his expression grave. "A whole den of Wolf Demons."
"A whole den? How many are there?" Wang Sheng asked urgently, startled.
"About thirteen. Three are Qi Gathering, nine are Body Tempering. One of them has a powerful aura. I think it's at the Aperture Opening Realm." Chen Bin explained in detail.
"Why didn't you say so just now?" Wang Sheng asked, glaring at Chen Bin as he ran.
"I was afraid you couldn't beat it, so I didn't want to bother you." Chen Bin looked completely serious. "You just said it was a pity. Since you want to fight, then let's fight."
The words grated on Wang Sheng's ears. A wave of frustration welled up inside him, and he thought to himself: It was a pity, sure, but I was just putting on a show. Did you really not notice, or do you honestly not know?
"Can you sense how strong that demon is?" Wang Sheng asked again.
"I can't." Chen Bin shook his head as he explained. "I'm at the Qi Gathering Realm, so I can only tell that it's a little stronger than me."
"That's it?" Wang Sheng pressed.
"Why make it so complicated?" Chen Bin looked at him, a hint of confusion in his voice.
"I hope that's all there is to it." Wang Sheng felt more and more uneasy.
Damn! Why does it feel like I've lifted a rock only to drop it on my own foot?
He turned around and saw that the squad had fallen more than three zhang behind. His anger flared, and he roared, "You lot in the back, hurry up!"
At his urging, the footsteps behind him grew noticeably faster.
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