Order Your Manor Master to Come to the Linchuan County Station to Plead Guilty

Linchuan County.

A gray-white figure darted frantically among the staggered rooftops.

He did not rush about blindly, nor did he show any signs of madness or loss of composure; his murky eyes remained fixed on the streets and alleys, specifically choosing narrow paths with dense intersections.

The Demon-Suppressing Guard with the highest cultivation at the city gate had already been wounded by him, and the others could not catch up to him in the short term.

After passing through several alleyways and confirming no one was following, he gripped a courtyard wall with his long arms and vaulted over like a falling leaf into a dilapidated, overgrown yard.

The courtyard was piled with a few broken vats, and fallen leaves were scattered across the ground.

There was no one.

Zhou Ping sat on the ground and closed his eyes to circulate his energy.

He was not regulating his breath or healing his wounds, but rather reversing his demonic arts.

The demonic energy around his body was driven by an invisible pressure, dissipating from his skin bit by bit and hiding deep within his meridians.

The cracks on his gray-white skin healed, becoming whole once more.

The bones in his arms clicked softly, shrinking inch by inch until they returned to their normal size within a few breaths.

Finally, the gray-white hue of his skin gradually faded, transforming him into a dark-skinned, middle-aged man.

He crouched in the corner, panting heavily, his coarse cloth clothes clinging to him in wrinkles, with not a trace of demonic influence left on his body.

Zhou Ping opened his eyes, looked down at himself, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

"White Moon Villa? The Demon Suppression Division? A bunch of fools; they are still being played right in the palm of my hand."

His tone was filled with the relief of someone who had survived a narrow escape.

He stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and walked toward the alley entrance.

To practice this demonic art, he had killed seven people outside the city three days ago, and now people were hunting him everywhere.

To avoid the heat, he had come up with this plan to seek survival through a desperate situation.

Although Linchuan County was not large, it was more than enough to hide a person.

He would hide safely for a month or two, and once the heat died down, he would kill again to practice his arts.

As he reached the alley entrance, his footsteps suddenly halted.

A tall, upright figure appeared in his line of sight.

The man wore a black robe and had a cold, stern expression.

His eyes were like the cold pools of late autumn, with a faint golden light shimmering in their depths, staring at him without blinking.

Zhou Ping's heart skipped a beat.

"You—"

Just as he was about to speak, a streak of cold light shot toward him.

Zhou Ping's hair stood on end; he had no time to wonder how the other party had tracked him down, and instinctively dodged to the side.

A crystal spike an inch long grazed his scalp and slammed into the wall behind him, sending a spray of gravel flying.

His pupils contracted sharply as he circulated his demonic arts, and demonic energy erupted from his body like a burst dam.

But it was too late.

Reflecting the blinding cold light in the twilight, a three-foot-long crystal spike launched a surprise attack.

The crystal spike tore through the air, emitting a sharp, piercing whistle.

Zhou Ping assumed this was an ordinary attack; his body turned gray-white, his arms swelled, and he raised them to block.

The crystal spike, carrying an unstoppable force, instantly tore through his skin and arm bones.

Skin split, flesh burst, tendons snapped, and bones shattered.

His thick arms exploded into scattered flesh and blood, and the remaining force sent him flying backward, slamming heavily into an old wall on the side of the alley.

Broken bricks and rubble buried him, and amidst the swirling dust, Lu Yuan walked toward the ruins step by step.

Zhou Ping struggled out from the debris, covered in blood, his arms broken.

Only then did he clearly see the Heavenly Might Thunder Pattern embroidered on the ink-black brocade robe.

"A Demon Suppression Captain?"

His pupils shook violently.

Linchuan County had always had only one Demon Suppression Captain stationed there, the man known as the pride of the Demon Suppression Captains, Zhao Heng.

But Zhao Heng had departed for the Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division two days ago.

Who was this person?!

How could a small place like Linchuan County have two Demon Suppression Captains on duty?

"You... what right do you have to arrest me? I didn't kill those people; the demons did! It has nothing to do with me!"

Lu Yuan's eyes were calm. "I am not here to arrest you."

Zhou Ping's expression shifted slightly.

"Then you..."

"I am here to kill you."

As the words fell, a crystalline gleam flashed beneath Lu Yuan's hand.

A Sharp Crystal Spike tore through the air, expanding rapidly in Zhou Ping's vision.

His pupils constricted sharply; before the plea for mercy could even leave his throat, a gaping, blood-red hole appeared in his chest.

The next moment, the body reeking of demonic energy fell completely silent.

He waited for two breaths, but no system prompt appeared in his field of vision.

A flicker of disappointment couldn't help but cross Lu Yuan's eyes.

It seemed that those who practiced demonic arts, even after transforming into such half-human, half-ghost monstrosities, could not be counted as demons.

Come to think of it, if they truly counted as demons, the Demon-Binding Rope would not have failed.

He turned and walked toward the alley entrance, but after only a few steps, rapid footsteps sounded from behind him.

Even without looking back, Lu Yuan could guess that it was those disciples from White Moon Villa rushing over in a panic.

The group arrived beneath the broken wall, and upon realizing that Zhou Ping had already been killed, their expressions turned ugly in an instant.

One of them caught up to Lu Yuan, his tone filled with anger.

"Hey! This demon-man was a task we accepted. To execute him without permission is to show far too little regard for our White Moon Villa..."

Lu Yuan turned around, the lightning patterns on his ink-black brocade robe vibrating fiercely, like the awe-inspiring might of the heavens.

The man who had shouted was startled, and in the next instant, all the color drained from his face.

The others turned deathly pale, cursing the man who had spoken dozens of times in their hearts, hating him for being so reckless.

To hold a Demon Suppression Captain accountable in the middle of the street was nothing short of a death wish!

Lu Yuan's cold, piercing gaze swept over them.

"You can't even distinguish between a human and a demon, yet your White Moon Villa still accepts tasks?"

"Within one stick of incense, tell your Villa Master to get to the Linchuan County station and apologize."

The group's expressions were wretched, regret surging to their heads.

Not only had they failed to identify the demon and nearly caused a catastrophe, but they were now going to implicate their Villa Master, forcing him to personally apologize at the Linchuan County station.

Not only would the Villa Master lose all face, but the entire White Moon Villa would become a laughingstock among all the surrounding factions.

They lowered their heads, not daring to even breathe loudly.

They could only bite the bullet, their voices tight:

"We obey your command!"

Lu Yuan paid them no more mind and turned to walk toward the south of the city.

Not until his figure had completely vanished at the end of the alley did the few White Moon Villa disciples let out a collective sigh of relief.

Their tense bodies trembled slightly, their faces remaining deathly pale.

One disciple lowered his voice, looking at the leader with lingering fear.

"Senior Brother, was that really a Demon Suppression Captain?"

The leader clenched his fists tightly, his heart filled with frustration.

"There's no mistake. That ink-black brocade robe with lightning patterns is the unique regulation attire of a Demon Suppression Captain! I just don't know why such a lord would appear in the Linchuan territory."

A figure of that rank rarely showed their face in Linchuan County; ordinary disciples like them would never even get the chance to see one.

How did one just happen to pop out of thin air today?

And they had to run right into him!

What damn bad luck!

One disciple hung his head in dejection, "Not only did we botch the job, but we had to run into such a hard case. Now there's no room for maneuver at all."

"Stop talking!"

The leader snapped irritably.

"Falling into the hands of a Demon Suppression Captain, we can only blame our own bad luck. I just hope that after the Villa Master finds out, he doesn't expel us from the villa..."