"I joined the Jinyiwei when I was fourteen. Now, forty-four years have passed."
"My talent in martial arts isn't outstanding. Even now, I've only reached the Fourth Stage of the Spirit Concealment Realm, and I haven't yet broken through to the Fifth Stage. My hopes of advancing in the future are slim."
"I've simply been lucky. I rose through the ranks by accumulating merit, and I've served as a Zongqi Officer in the Jinyiwei for over twenty years. Now I'm old. My vitality is fading, and my strength has begun to decline."
"On top of that, I've long since grown tired of this life of fighting and killing. Now that our Ping'an County Jinyiwei Baihu Office has finally produced a gifted Martial Artist, there's no need for an old fogey like me to block the way of the young."
"Tomorrow, I'll report to Baihu Master and formally step back from the front line. In two years, I'll be sixty, old enough to retire and return to my hometown. It's only right that I hand my position to Chen Fan now."
Huang Chengyue glanced at Chen Fan, his eyes full of admiration as he spoke.
"Zongqi Huang, there's no need. I'm still young. I can wait."
Chen Fan clasped his hands and bowed to Huang Chengyue as he spoke.
He had already learned from Lu Xuenning that this old man might be one of the few upright members of the Jinyiwei, and could be called the last shred of conscience in the Ping'an County Jinyiwei Baihu Office.
Now, the man was actually stepping back of his own accord to help Chen Fan rise more quickly. Chen Fan couldn't help but feel respect for him.
"Chen Fan, I've made up my mind. There's no need to say more."
"Slaying demons and exorcising evil, cleansing the world—that will be up to young people like you."
"I hope all my fellow officers and brothers here will bear witness to what I've said today. Even if I'm struck down tonight, it won't change my decision to have Chen Fan take over from me."
After he finished speaking, Huang Chengyue came over to Chen Fan and patted him on the shoulder. Then he said in his ear:
"Do a good job!"
With that, he strode out of the Jinyiwei Baihu Office's barracks.
"You old bastard!"
Watching Huang Chengyue's retreating figure, Li Mo clenched his fists and silently cursed through gritted teeth.
Huang Chengyue had already been the Zongqi Officer of the Ping'an County Jinyiwei Baihu Office before Cao De came to Ping'an County. His position had been confirmed by the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office, so even Cao De couldn't strip him of it.
Yet he had never joined Cao De and the others in their corruption. He was an oddity in the Ping'an County Jinyiwei Baihu Office. But all his relatives and friends lived in Ping'an County. Even though he knew Cao De and the others had colluded with Demonic Creatures, he had kept silent for his family's safety.
Seeing how sensible he was, Cao De and the others had left him alone.
But today, the old bastard had turned the tables on them with a single stroke. He'd announced in front of everyone that Chen Fan would take over from him. Wasn't that just making trouble for them?
What's more, he'd declared in front of everyone that even if he died tonight, it wouldn't change his decision to have Chen Fan take his place. So even if Li Mo personally struck him down tonight—or used Demonic Creatures to kill the old bastard—it would make no difference.
After all, Chen Fan had slain seven wolf demons and earned a total of ten thousand Merit Points. He also had the strength of the Fifth Stage of the Spirit Concealment Realm, meeting every requirement for direct promotion to Zongqi Officer. Add Huang Chengyue's voluntary resignation in his favor, and they had no way to stop it.
"Zongqi Chen, congratulations!"
Li Mo looked at Chen Fan with a complicated expression and offered congratulations with a false smile.
"You're speaking too soon, Zongqi Li. Nothing can be settled until Baihu Master arrives tomorrow."
"If you have nothing else, I'll take my leave. I've been running around all afternoon, and I'm getting hungry."
Chen Fan replied calmly. Then he slung the Hundred Refinements Embroidered Spring Blade over his shoulder and left the Jinyiwei Baihu Office's barracks.
Seeing this, everyone knew that the long-quiet Ping'an County Jinyiwei Baihu Office was about to undergo a dramatic change. A rising star had appeared.
The older Jinyiwei officers who knew a few of the secrets also felt that things were going badly. Chen Fan, soon to be promoted to Zongqi Officer, seemed much like Zongqi Huang: he despised evil and hated criminals.
But he was younger than Zongqi Huang, and his strength was greater, too.
Who could say he wouldn't one day contend with Captain Cao? Perhaps the balance of power in Ping'an County would be rewritten. At such a critical moment, deciding which side to join was the first thing they needed to consider.
After leaving the Jinyiwei Baihu Office, Chen Fan went straight to the Government Office and found Lu Xuenning, who had been stripped of her authority by the County Lieutenant. He told her what had happened during his trip to Black Bear Gully Village and confirmed that Jinyiwei Baihu Cao De had colluded with Demonic Creatures.
"I see."
"Things are even worse than I imagined."
"The Jinyiwei, who should have been slaying demons and exterminating evil, have become accomplices of Demonic Creatures. The Government Office officials, who should have been standing up for the common people, have become their lackeys."
"The people of Ping'an County are truly suffering!"
Lu Xuenning spoke with deep feeling.
"Today, I revealed to everyone in the Jinyiwei that I've reached the Fifth Stage of the Spirit Concealment Realm. I also reported the merit from slaying the seven wolf demons in Black Bear Gully Village, earning ten thousand Merit Points in total. So I can be promoted directly to Zongqi Officer."
"Li Mo originally wanted to brush me off by claiming there were no vacant posts in the Ping'an County Jinyiwei Baihu Office. But Zongqi Huang showed up at just the right time and announced in front of everyone that he was stepping back from the front line and handing over his post to me."
"If nothing unexpected happens, tomorrow I'll become one of the two Zongqi Officers in the Ping'an County Jinyiwei Baihu Office. In terms of authority, I'll be second only to Cao De. I'll also be able to gather my own people, build up my strength, and stand against Cao De and the others."
Chen Fan spoke with some excitement.
"That's wonderful."
"I told you Old Huang could definitely be counted on."
"Should we still investigate the Separate Courtyard near the County Magistrate's Residence tonight?"
Lu Xuenning asked.
"We should."
"I don't know who the woman with Cao De was back then, or whether that Separate Courtyard really is a lair for Demonic Creatures. We still need to confirm it."
"Come on. Let's eat first. Once we've had our fill, we'll get moving."
Chen Fan said to Lu Xuenning.
At some point, Chen Fan had taken the lead in their partnership and become the one giving orders.
Lu Xuenning didn't object to this arrangement, though. After all, she wasn't as strong as Chen Fan, and she wasn't as meticulous.
When she went on missions with Chen Fan, she didn't have to use her brain. Wasn't that a good thing?
The two found an inn at random and ate dinner. Before midnight, they climbed over the wall and entered the Separate Courtyard owned by a wealthy merchant from Longyuan Prefecture.
The place didn't look like it had been left unoccupied for a long time.
The tables, floors, windows, and everything else were spotless.
In the flowerbed in the back courtyard, Chen Fan noticed that the soil had been recently disturbed. He slashed several times and found a heap of bones beneath the flowerbed.
"Those damned beasts!"
Chen Fan said through clenched teeth.
There was no way so many bones could have accumulated in just a day or two. This was undoubtedly a lair for the Demonic Creatures of Ping'an County.
He continued searching and discovered an underground chamber behind the artificial rockery. With a single slash, he smashed the stone door, and a stench of blood and rot billowed out from within.
The chamber was spattered with blood, and there were bones that hadn't been cleared away. Judging by the age of the bones, they belonged to young boys and girls.
For a moment, Chen Fan seemed to see a group of Demonic Creatures celebrating as they surrounded several terrified children.
He just didn't know whether the children had been captured by the Demonic Creatures or seized by Cao De's men.
As for why no one had reported their children missing to the authorities—
One reason was that the Government Office was also in league with the Demonic Creatures. Even if the families reported it, the officials might not bother to investigate.
The other reason was that if everyone in a family had been killed, who would be left to go out of their way to report it?
Before you continue