Liangzhou?

Liangzhou? On the long street, the wind suddenly fell still.

A tiger claw appeared out of nowhere and gripped Jiang Yuechu's hand. Then, slowly, it actually melded into her flesh and blood.

Bzz—

In the blink of an eye.

Jiang Yuechu's appearance underwent an earth-shattering transformation.

The muscles beneath her skin bulged. Fine crimson tiger stripes spread upward from her wrist all the way to her shoulder.

Her jet-black hair was dyed blood-red, beginning at the roots.

In an instant, her pupils became golden vertical slits.

Savage. Tyrannical.

A vicious, baleful aura as though from primordial times burst forth from her body!

The Pig Demon froze.

It had actually sensed the aura of its own kind from the girl before it!

Not a demon!

Yet more demon than a demon?!

"Y-you... what exactly are you?"

Jiang Yuechu did not answer.

Her qi and blood probably could not sustain this for more than a few breaths.

She had to end this quickly!

The next second.

It was as though thunder exploded beneath her feet.

A huge hole was stamped into the uneven bluestone pavement!

Her entire body became a crimson streak of light, tearing through the air as she shot toward the still-stunned Pig Demon.

Too fast!

So fast that everyone present, including the Pig Demon, only had time to see an afterimage.

The five fingers of her right hand clenched tightly, and without any flourish, she threw a punch!

"The thing that will kill you."

Her icy voice seemed to sound right beside the Pig Demon's ear.

The fist arrived.

Bang—

Under the force of her fist, the Pig Demon's fat rippled in layer upon layer of waves.

Its expression changed as it instantly sensed that something was wrong.

"Spare me!!!"

Worthy of being father and son—even their pleas for mercy were exactly the same.

But what answered it was the next punch.

The air was torn apart once again.

This time, nothing blocked it. The blow brutally ripped through flesh and punched straight through its thick chest!

"Urgh..."

A few breaths later.

Its enormous body swayed, then toppled straight backward.

Bang—

Dust billowed across the long street.

"..."

Liu Chen knelt on the ground, mouth agape as he stared blankly at the scene.

The surviving Imperial Guards behind him were no better—every last one of them was dumbfounded.

"Th-this..."

"What just happened?!"

That terrifying Great Demon which had left them helpless moments ago, even gravely wounding Lord Xu of the Bone Resonance Realm and leaving him on the brink of death.

Had just...

Died?

The heart-palpitating vicious aura receded like a tide.

The crimson tiger stripes on Jiang Yuechu's body slowly faded, and her blood-red hair returned to black.

Her body went limp, and she dropped to one knee, gasping violently.

[Killed a Bone Resonance Realm creature. Obtained 350 years of its Dao Cultivation.]

[An unrecorded demon has been detected. Consume Dao Cultivation to record it?]

"Yes..."

Exhaustion and searing pain swept through her entire body.

She raised her head and happened to meet the uncertain, alarmed gazes of the Imperial Guards from the Demon Suppression Bureau some distance away.

The next second, darkness swallowed her vision.

Chang'an.

The foremost land under heaven, the heart of Great Tang.

Its one hundred and eight wards lay scattered like stars, their walls standing high and their boundaries as distinct as the Jing and Wei Rivers.

The Imperial City, Daming Palace.

More than a year had passed since the new emperor ascended the throne. That hair-raising palace coup now seemed like a matter from a previous lifetime.

Within the palace walls, red walls and yellow tiles, upturned eaves and bracketed roofs remained as they had always been.

The eunuchs and palace maids kept their heads lowered, their footsteps light and fragmented as they moved through the empty palace paths, not daring to make the slightest unnecessary sound.

Imperial Study.

A young man dressed in everyday black robes stood by the window with his hands behind his back, gazing outside.

He looked to be around thirty, handsome of face and tall and straight of build.

Behind him, an Old Eunuch stood bent at the waist, seemingly reporting something.

After a long while.

"Still nothing?"

"Reporting to His Majesty... everyone we sent out has returned. Still... still no news."

"..."

They said serving a ruler was like serving a tiger.

At this moment, the Old Eunuch truly understood what that felt like.

What did silence mean?

Say something, will you?!

After a while, the Old Eunuch stole a glance at him, gritted his teeth, and said, "There is... there is something this servant has heard. I do not know whether I should speak of it."

"Speak."

"I heard... Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has been in excellent health lately. She often worships Buddha in the hall and has copied many sutras, saying she wishes to pray for blessings upon all the people under heaven."

The young man picked up a jade paperweight from the desk and turned it idly between his fingers. "She certainly has plenty of leisure."

"Your Majesty is mistaken. How could Her Majesty the Empress Dowager have what she has today if not for Your Majesty's benevolence, filial piety, and magnanimity? Back then—"

"Enough."

The voice was not loud, yet the rest of the Old Eunuch's flattery died hard in his throat.

"This servant deserves death! This servant has spoken out of turn!"

The emperor ignored his plea for forgiveness and merely closed his eyes.

"Convey my decree."

The Old Eunuch hurriedly lowered his head even further. "This servant awaits Your Majesty's command."

"Keep looking."

"Living, I want to see the person. Dead, I want to see the body."

Liangzhou Prefecture.

Wind chimes rang beneath the eaves, their notes clear and crisp.

Jiang Yuechu opened her eyes.

An unfamiliar ceiling greeted her, while the air was thick with the pungent scent of medicine.

She blinked.

Wait...

Don't tell me I transmigrated again?

With a thought, the Ancient Scroll silently unfolded.

[Host: Jiang Yuechu]

[Realm: String-Hearing Realm, Complete]

[...]

Luckily.

The panel was still there.

That meant she hadn't been replaced.

She let out a breath of relief, only then belatedly feeling the weakness coursing through every inch of her body.

Just as she was wondering where exactly she was, the door was pushed open.

A woman in a white dress entered, carrying a bowl of soup.

When she saw Jiang Yuechu awake, she halted, a trace of surprise appearing on her face.

"You're awake?"

Jiang Yuechu braced herself, wanting to sit up, only to find that she could not muster even a shred of strength.

"You are...?"

Seeing this, the woman hurriedly set down the bowl, stepped forward, propped a soft pillow behind her, and helped her slowly lean back into a sitting position.

"Don't move too quickly."

The woman smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. "My name is Wei Qing. This is Liangzhou Prefecture."

"Liangzhou?"

Jiang Yuechu's pupils contracted slightly.

How had she ended up in Liangzhou?

Wei Qing seemed to see her confusion. As she brought over the bowl of medicinal soup, still steaming hot, she explained, "People from the Demon Suppression Bureau brought you back. Your vital energy and blood were severely depleted, and you were unconscious for five whole days. If your foundation hadn't been strong, I'm afraid you would have already..."

She did not continue, merely holding the spoon to Jiang Yuechu's lips.

Only then did Jiang Yuechu remember.

In the end, she had used the power of Demonization and killed that Pig Demon. After that, everything had gone black, and she knew nothing more.

She did not open her mouth, only silently watched the woman before her.

At least the Demon Suppression Bureau still had a bit of conscience. They hadn't left her where she lay to feed the wild dogs.

Wait...

The Demon Suppression Bureau?

Fuck!

My identity hasn't been exposed, has it?!