Inside the hall,
a stern-faced man in dark green military attire sat in the seat of honor.
Commander Fu Hanchuan stood beside him.
"Qin Jiu of the Qin Family pays his respects to the County Magistrate."
Qin Jiu bowed to the man.
The man gave a slight nod. "At ease."
"The Qin Family has spared no effort in helping our bureau eliminate demons. I've seen it all. I summoned your family here for another matter. You and Wang Yue may wait to one side. We'll discuss it once everyone has arrived."
"Yes, sir."
Qin Jiu cupped his fists again.
Then he led Wang Yue over to stand beside Han Zheng.
At once, several shadowy gazes from the crowd shifted toward them.
The corner of his eye twitched.
He could roughly guess at their resentment.
The Qin Family had previously taken the initiative to send several Three Refinements martial artists to the Demon Suppression Bureau. As a result, the bureau had ordered every family to send out more experts ahead of schedule. Naturally, that move had offended quite a few factions.
As his thoughts turned, Qin Jiu lowered his voice and asked Han Zheng,
"Is something big about to happen?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
Han Zheng wore a grim expression.
He let out a sigh,
then said no more.
Seeing that, Qin Jiu didn't press him. The others nearby looked just as unhappy. Clearly, the County Magistrate had said something earlier that had left them all so unsettled.
He fell silent.
Instead, he quietly activated his Ghost Illumination talent.
Now that the city's top Internal Strengthening experts had gathered under one roof, it was the perfect chance to use Ghost Illumination and see whether any of them harbored hostility toward him or the Qin Family.
But the moment he activated it,
Qin Jiu's heart gave a sudden thump.
Three clouds of ink-black mist abruptly appeared in his field of vision. Beyond them, not far from the Demon Suppression Bureau, another mass of black fog—so dense it was almost a pillar of light—was slowly approaching the hall.
"They..."
Qin Jiu's breath caught.
Without letting it show, he glanced at Tang Yu, Jiang Lin, and one other figure.
The first two were the master of the Canghai Martial Arts Hall in the Inner City and the leader of the Canal Gang. The third was a man in armor, apparently from the County Office.
Under the light of his talent,
all three radiated naked malice toward him or the Qin Family.
As for that black glow outside...
"Ji Changqing of the Four Seasons Pharmacy pays his respects to the County Magistrate."
At that moment,
a middle-aged man with a refined, affable appearance entered the hall, holding a folding fan. He bowed to the County Magistrate, while Li Yuan followed half a step behind and bowed as well.
Qin Jiu's gaze fell on him.
His pupils contracted.
"Why is it the head of the Four Seasons Pharmacy?"
The question in Qin Jiu's mind grew heavier.
The malice this man revealed
nearly outweighed that of the other three combined.
What baffled him most was why Ji Changqing felt such hostility toward him. Surely it couldn't be because of that secret formula?
That thing shouldn't be enough to make several Internal Strengthening martial artists—
let alone Ji Changqing—
covet it.
"What if their hostility isn't aimed at me or the Qin Family because of the secret formula?"
"What if we've merely been caught up in something else..."
As Qin Jiu pondered,
the County Magistrate's voice rang through the hall again.
"The Four Seasons Pharmacy, the Weapon-Forging Shop, and all the other Internal Strengthening experts in the city have now arrived."
"I won't waste any more time."
"I summoned you here today for one purpose: I intend to put an end to the demon scourge once and for all. Of course, there are many demons, so I'll need all of you to join forces."
At those words,
everyone's expressions grew even grimmer.
Han Zheng braced himself and cupped his fists. "County Magistrate, are you perhaps overestimating us?"
"I've heard that at least three of those demons are great demons, each as powerful as the one that destroyed the Zhao Family. That day, Commander Fu and two Internal Strengthening experts from the Zhao Family fought it together. Commander Fu was wounded, and both of the others died."
"Our strength is only comparable to that of the Zhao brothers..."
"Family Head Han, there's no need to worry."
The County Magistrate's face was stern and forbidding, but he clearly had a sense of order in his dealings. He patiently explained, "Someone from the Prefecture Office arrived at the County Office yesterday. Demons of that caliber will be dealt with by them. You won't have to face those creatures."
"All you need to do is suppress the other demons."
After he finished speaking,
the gathered experts visibly relaxed.
Only Ji Changqing spoke up, his voice cool.
"I hope the County Magistrate will understand. The Four Seasons Pharmacy and the Weapon-Forging Shop have never taken part in disputes between factions, nor do we interfere in the affairs of the county. If you expect me to help hunt down demons, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."
"That would also go against the rules of the Pharmacy."
"Impudent!"
Before he could finish,
the County Magistrate flew into a rage, his voice turning icy. "How dare a mere pharmacy speak to me of rules? Do you truly think you stand above the laws of Great Zhou?"
"Even the main branch of the Four Seasons Pharmacy wouldn't dare spout such nonsense in court."
"What do you think you are?"
"Do you really believe I'm asking for your agreement?"
As he spoke,
a terrifying aura, like a vicious flood dragon lifting its head, swept through the hall.
It was a presence beyond the Internal Strengthening Realm.
Ji Changqing's expression shifted.
"At midnight tonight, all of you will assemble at the Demon Suppression Bureau. Anyone who fails to show up will be executed!"
"Does anyone have any objections?"
His voice echoed through the hall.
The crowd fell silent.
Meanwhile, Qin Jiu considered the matter briefly, then stepped into the center of the hall and cupped his fists. "The Qin Family is willing to follow the County Magistrate's orders."
"But you said a few days ago..."
"The Demon Suppression Bureau would no longer need to draw on our people, as a reward to the Qin Family."
"That's true."
The County Magistrate paused in thought, then said, "But Wang Yue can't miss tonight's operation. How about this: go to the Demon Suppression Bureau later and choose a martial art from the Armory as compensation for the Qin Family. After that, the bureau still won't draw on your people."
"Of course, if something like today comes up again, we'll discuss it separately."
"What do you think?"
At those words,
Qin Jiu looked astonished.
Was one martial art really all it took to send him on his way?
And though the man sounded as if he were asking, refusing would clearly make things difficult.
Feeling that undisguised, razor-sharp aura,
Qin Jiu gave a slight bow.
"Thank you, sir."
The others looked at him strangely.
Their gazes drifted back and forth between him and the County Magistrate.
A flicker of surprise crossed the latter's eyes. Then he nodded. "Very well. Hanchuan, take them to the Armory to choose a martial art. The rest of you may leave."
The Demon Suppression Bureau, inner hall.
The Armory.
Fu Hanchuan held out a bamboo slip to Qin Jiu. "The Demon Suppression Bureau was established in haste. For now, the Armory contains only three middle-grade martial arts and seven lower-grade ones. Their names and brief descriptions are all written here."
"Once you've chosen one, let me know."
Qin Jiu said nothing.
He took the bamboo slip and skimmed it, intending to choose one at random.
But his gaze quickly froze.
It had settled on one of the middle-grade martial arts.
"Taiyin Horizontal Training Body?"
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