"I'm afraid he won't even give me another year or six months!"
Chen Fan couldn't help sighing at that, but he showed no fear.
"At this point, all we can do is take things one step at a time."
"If things become impossible, go to the Longyuan Prefecture Commander's Office ahead of time to register, then apply to stay in Longyuan Prefecture."
"With your talent, it shouldn't be difficult."
"By then, Cao De won't be able to reach you, and he won't be able to use Demonic Creatures to kill you."
Huang Chengyue said.
When he had been promoted to Jinyiwei Zongqi Officer, he'd thought the same thing: he'd stay in Longyuan Prefecture. But his application had been rejected outright. Chen Fan, however, was different from him.
Chen Fan was a genius Martial Artist, while he was no more than a mediocrity.
Any faction would treat a genius differently and make an exception for him. In front of a genius, every rule was meant to be broken!
"We'll talk about it then!"
"My top priority now is to slay demons and eradicate evil—to wipe out every Demonic Creature that wantonly feeds on the Human Race!"
Chen Fan spoke with murderous intent.
Huang Chengyue was infected by his lofty ambition. If he'd possessed such spirit back then, would Ping'an County be better off today?
While Chen Fan and Huang Chengyue were chatting, a constable from the Government Office came to the Jinyiwei Barracks looking for Chen Fan.
"Lord Chen Fan, Head Constable Lu asked me to deliver this sachet to you!"
As soon as the constable from the County yamen saw Chen Fan, he handed him a sachet and quickly turned to leave.
"A Demonic Creature is holed up in County Lieutenant Liu's home. Come at once!"
Chen Fan opened the sachet and read the note inside. He froze for a moment, then immediately headed toward County Lieutenant Liu's home. But after running only a few steps, he doubled back and asked Huang Chengyue:
"Old Huang, may I ask where County Lieutenant Liu lives?"
"I'll take you there!"
Huang Chengyue could see how anxious Chen Fan was, so he offered.
At that very moment.
At County Lieutenant Liu's home.
Lu Xuenning stood alone before the Liu residence, sword in hand. A group of constables from the Government Office stood before the entrance, weapons at the ready, facing off against her.
"Move!"
"I'm here to see County Lieutenant Liu!"
Lu Xuenning shouted, making the constables retreat several steps in fright.
"Head Constable Lu, please go back!"
"County Lieutenant Liu has ordered that you're no longer allowed to command any of the constables in the County yamen."
"And he doesn't want to see you, either. Why make things difficult for us underlings?"
A constable said to Lu Xuenning with a miserable expression.
If County Lieutenant Liu hadn't ordered them to, he truly wouldn't have wanted to oppose Lu Xuenning. Though the ninth-rank Black-Robed Head Catcher who'd been sent down from Longyuan Prefecture was a woman, she was a Martial Artist at Spirit Concealment Realm Great Perfection. In all of Ping'an County, the only person who could probably fight her was the Jinyiwei Baihu.
If people like them actually fought her, they'd be nothing but cannon fodder!
"A Demonic Creature is causing trouble at County Lieutenant Liu's home. Move aside and let me slay it for him!"
Lu Xuenning said in a low voice.
That very morning, she'd seen a tiger demon enter Liu Xuan's home with her own eyes. She'd wanted to enter and investigate, but Liu Xuan had stubbornly refused to open the door. Before long, a group of constables had gathered around, too.
"Head Constable Lu, how could there possibly be a Demonic Creature in County Lieutenant Liu's home?"
"Don't use that as an excuse to brush us off."
"Just leave, before we fall out with one another."
"We know you're incredibly strong, Head Constable Lu, but County Lieutenant Liu is still an official of the imperial court. He also commands eight hundred County Soldiers, and the three divisions and six bureaus of the Government Office are under him, too. If you really provoke him, you might be fine, but we can't afford to bear the consequences!"
"We have elders to support and children to raise. We need this job to help make ends meet. You can't drive us to ruin, can you?"
An old constable looked at Lu Xuenning and spoke gravely.
The other constables chimed in. They knew they stood no chance against Lu Xuenning, so they planned to appeal to her feelings and reason!
They were playing the sympathy card!
"I'll say it one more time!"
"Move!"
Lu Xuenning didn't budge. She shouted again, then used the Spirit Cat movement technique to slip right through the group of constables and reach the entrance to County Lieutenant Liu's home. She kicked with all her might, snapping the vermilion wooden door clean in two!
Lu Xuenning strode into the Liu residence, crossed the front courtyard, and entered the main hall. A young man in a black robe sat at the head of the room. Before him stood a table laden with all sorts of delicacies made from human flesh!
County Lieutenant Liu and his family knelt before the young man in black, trembling.
"Third Master!"
"I didn't ask her to come! This has nothing to do with me!"
"Please spare me, Third Master! I still have children, and I can marry many more women and have lots more children for you to enjoy!"
County Lieutenant Liu saw that Lu Xuenning had barged in. Trembling, he spoke to the black-robed young man, who sat in his chair enjoying the feast.
Lu Xuenning saw the whole thing.
"You, Liu Xuan, are the County Lieutenant of Ping'an County. You command over a thousand men, yet you're being threatened by a Demonic Creature. You're a disgrace to the human race!"
Lu Xuenning looked at County Lieutenant Liu with a mocking smile and taunted him.
"Miss, who are you calling a Demonic Creature?"
The young man in black looked up at Lu Xuenning, then turned his gaze to Liu Xuan, who was kneeling on the ground, and asked:
"Liu Xuan, are you saying I'm a Demonic Creature?"
"No!"
"You're a human!"
"The greatest benefactor under heaven—and my master, Liu Xuan!"
"Spare me!"
"Third Master, I really didn't mean it!"
"I'll make her leave at once. She won't disturb your meal!"
County Lieutenant Liu kowtowed frantically, his nose running and tears streaming down his face.
Then he turned around and instantly put on a different face, glaring viciously at Lu Xuenning.
"Head Constable Lu, leave my home immediately!"
"Third Master is my honored guest. If you disturb his meal, I won't let you off!"
Lu Xuenning was so furious she laughed. Pointing at the feast on the table before the black-robed young man, she scolded him:
"Third Master?"
"You call a tiger demon your master?"
"He's sitting there, leisurely eating human flesh and drinking human blood, and you're saying he isn't a Demonic Creature?"
She was furious enough to feel her lungs might burst.
Calling a deer a horse—that was exactly what this was!
"That's my son. What business is it of yours?"
"In ancient times, people killed their wives to serve as a feast for guests. Today, I, Liu Xuan, killed my son to feast my guest. What's wrong with that?"
County Lieutenant Liu said in exasperation.
He wasn't wrong about that. The food on the plates really was his child—his own flesh and blood!
The tiger demon came to his home about twice a year, and each time it came, it ate one of his children. Otherwise, it would eat one of his wives or concubines.
All these years, he'd kept marrying wives and taking concubines, doing his best to father children, all so he could feed the tiger demon and hope it would spare his life.
He was afraid to die!
He was truly, truly afraid to die!
"Why waste your breath on him? Just kill him!"
Just then, Chen Fan and Huang Chengyue arrived at County Lieutenant Liu's home. Seeing the scene before them, murder filled their eyes.
"Alas!"
"I came down from the mountain to enjoy a fine meal, but you lot ruined my mood."
"Tell me, should you all die or not?"
The black-robed young man tossed aside his chopsticks, stood up, and looked coldly at Lu Xuenning and Chen Fan as he asked.
"I don't know when I'll die, but I do know you're about to die!"
Chen Fan said calmly.
Before you continue