Hall of Bestowing Merit

He looked at the people behind him and continued asking, "Did any of you notice anything suspicious?"

"This old man was in a hurry to take my grandson home. I waited by the entrance the whole time and didn't see anyone." The speaker was a man over sixty.

The others shook their heads as well. Seeing this, Su Ye realized that he was probably the only one who could see the female corpse.

Perhaps it wasn't a corpse at all, but some kind of ghost. Either way, its strength was terrifying. After returning to the Demon Suppression Division, he would have to learn more about it.

"Since there's nothing else, you're all free to leave."

After Yang Tao finished speaking, he and Su Ye headed straight for the Hedong County yamen. In the main hall, the Hedong County magistrate learned what had happened and hurriedly summoned his deputy. Then he instructed him, "Go and reassure the people. Tell them the rumors about the earth dragon turning over were false. Make sure they don't panic."

"Thank you both for saving us. Though I am the county magistrate, my father and son were held hostage by Demonic Beasts, so I had no choice but to report the truth falsely. I will report this matter to the Prefectural Commander." At the banquet, County Magistrate He spoke with shame written all over his face.

Yang Tao gave a cold snort. "County Magistrate He, your family's lives matter, but does that mean my men deserve to die?"

"Five of us set out on this mission. Now I'm the only one left. The Prefectural Commander will decide what to do about this."

Yang Tao understood that the family of a county magistrate had been taken by Demonic Beasts. If the matter were investigated, the Demon Suppression Division would be unable to escape blame either. That was why he hadn't seized County Magistrate He right away.

With that, Yang Tao rose abruptly and clasped his hands toward Su Ye. "Commandant Su, let's head back to Yunzhou City now."

"Gentlemen, why not wait until daybreak before you leave?" Outside the yamen, County Magistrate He hurriedly tried to keep them.

"This matter is settled. We need to return and report, so we won't trouble you any longer, Magistrate He." Yang Tao put heavy emphasis on "Magistrate He," then turned and left.

Su Ye and Yang Tao mounted their horses and galloped toward Yunzhou City. Halfway there, Yang Tao spoke angrily. "These Demonic Beasts are slapping the Demon Suppression Division in the face. Yunzhou may be on the frontier, but we can't let the Demonic Beasts run rampant like this."

"Why don't we submit a joint report? That should get the higher-ups to take this seriously."

Su Ye nodded slightly but didn't reply. He had learned something about Yunzhou's situation from the two members of the Blood Lotus Cult. He had been waiting to confirm it, but now—

The events in Hedong County made him believe even more that it was true.

If things really were this bad, Yunzhou would soon be far from peaceful. He had to make plans early. If matters grew so dire that nothing could be done, he would have no choice but to leave Yunzhou and look for somewhere else.

"Tell Big Black to find a hiding place for himself." Su Ye and Yang Tao spurred their horses onward.

Three days later, at the main headquarters of the Yunzhou Demon Suppression Division, the two entered the Imperial Commission Office together. A middle-aged clerk seated behind the desk picked up the Mountain Ghost's head, examined it repeatedly, then stamped the paperwork with a red seal.

"Your merit has been recorded. According to regulations, these hundred taels of silver are an extra reward."

The middle-aged clerk pushed the tray toward Su Ye. While entering the record, he reminded him, "The register says you may go to the Hall of Bestowing Merit and choose any one Aperture Opening Realm technique."

Before Su Ye could answer, Yang Tao turned to him in surprise and whispered, "Commandant Su, what mission did you take? The reward is an Aperture Opening Realm technique!"

Su Ye didn't want to say much. He mumbled a few vague words, then hurriedly took his leave. As he walked through the carved wooden doors, he heard people quietly discussing him.

"Is that the guy who took the Mountain Ghost mission a while back?"

"Now that you mention it, I remember. He actually survived."

Just then, Zheng Yu, whom Su Ye had met earlier, joined in. "What do you people know? This fellow may be at the Meridian Opening Realm, but he's no pushover."

"I heard that he'd already killed several Meridian Opening Realm Martial Artists in Linshan County. If he had a little luck, completing the Mountain Ghost mission would be nothing surprising."

"Still, I heard someone snatched his commander's position out from under him."

"If you think this book is any good, add it to your bookshelf so you can find it again next time!"

"Commandant Zheng, what do you mean by that?" The onlookers nearby grew curious.

"I can't say much about it. If you want to know, go ask around yourselves."

After Zheng Yu finished, he left on his own. Once outside the wooden door, he hurried a few steps and darted in front of Su Ye, clasping his hands. "May I ask where Commandant Su is headed?"

"Who are you?" Su Ye calmly looked at him.

"I'm Zheng Yu. A few days ago, I happened to be there when you took the Mountain Ghost mission."

Zheng Yu sighed softly. "I've heard a little about what happened in Linshan County."

"We all risk our lives to carve out a future. You should have been given a commander's position. Instead, all you got was an Aperture Opening Realm technique. It's truly chilling."

Su Ye's eyes narrowed slightly, but his expression didn't change.

"Tell me why you came."

Zheng Yu led Su Ye to a corner and said, "I don't mean to meddle, but the Qian Family handled this terribly."

"Brother Su, I won't hide it from you. I'm quite close with Young Master Wu."

"When he heard about this, he was outraged too."

"He sent me to find you. The Qian Family treated you unfairly. With your abilities, you could just as well build ties with the Wu Family and rise to prominence."

Su Ye didn't care about the commander's position. But he had never expected the Qian Family to simply keep it from him.

The Qian Family was a prominent clan in Yunzhou City. How could they act so petty? In the end, this had come from someone else's mouth, so it couldn't be wrong.

Su Ye wasn't going to let this go lightly. Once he grew stronger, he would take back what belonged to him.

Su Ye clasped his hands. "I'm used to being on my own. Please thank Young Master Wu for his kindness."

"As for the Qian Family, I'll decide what to do myself."

Getting too entangled with the great clans wasn't a good thing. Before he had grown strong enough, it would only mean more constraints. If he accepted someone else's favors, he would have to work for them, and their faction's mark would be stamped on him. He would be putting himself beneath them without even realizing it. Why invite that trouble?

Zheng Yu smacked his lips and shook his head. "Commandant Su, don't rush to refuse. You may change your mind tomorrow. If you do, come find me."

After parting with Zheng Yu, Su Ye didn't head straight back to his lodging. Instead, he turned off and made for the Hall of Bestowing Merit.

The rear hall of the Demon Suppression Division was heavily guarded. A five-story pavilion stood amid an array of formations, towering behind walls of red.

Su Ye strode toward the pavilion and stopped before its vermilion doors. An elderly man with snow-white hair was reclining leisurely in a chair.

The old man slowly opened his eyes. "Hand over the Black Iron Token."

Su Ye did as he was told and took out the Black Iron Token. The old man before him seemed utterly ordinary; Su Ye couldn't sense even the slightest fluctuation of cultivation from him.

But the Hall of Bestowing Merit was such an important place. How could an ordinary old man be allowed to stay here?

The old man's eyes were clouded. He took the Black Iron Token and merely glanced over it. "Your first completed mission earns you one Yellow-rank technique."

Then he added, "Oh, there's also a special reward: one Profound-rank technique."

"The Aperture Opening Realm techniques are on the third floor. Go choose one."

"As for the floors above the third, you have no business going there. Don't wander around. Copy down the one you choose, then remember to return it. Take care, take care—under no circumstances may you pass it on."

After a few more instructions, the old man took a sip of tea and waved his hand. Then he closed his eyes and hummed a tune Su Ye didn't recognize, saying no more.

Su Ye had heard about the Hall of Bestowing Merit long ago. The first floor held only Mortal-rank Martial Arts, open to everyone in the Demon Suppression Division—not even the odd-job workers were excluded.

"If you can't find a book by searching its title, try searching the author's name. It may have been renamed!"