What Is She, Anyway?

Outside the hall, a straight-backed young man stood beneath the covered walkway.

He wore a black uniform with red patterns, too, and the hilt of the blade at his waist was wrapped in fine leather cord.

He seemed to hear footsteps and turned around.

Their eyes met.

Both of them froze.

What a familiar face.

It was the man she had seen in Jincheng County that day.

By now, his injuries had clearly healed. The disheveled look he'd worn that day was gone, and a sharp edge showed between his brows.

But the moment he saw Jiang Yuechu, that sharpness vanished.

Wei He had said that a specially selected newcomer would be joining them today.

But he hadn't said it was her!

So many days had passed.

He still remembered clearly how this seemingly harmless young girl had punched a Bone Resonance Realm Great Demon to death!

And not just any Great Demon—it had been a Bone Resonance Realm Great Demon with an innate divine ability!

And now, someone this formidable was his subordinate?

"Gasp..."

The young man before her just kept sucking in breaths, showing no sign of speaking.

Jiang Yuechu felt a little helpless and spoke first. "I'm Jiang Yuechu."

"Liu... Liu Chen."

He answered instinctively, then came to his senses and hurriedly straightened his back and cleared his throat. "I'm Liu Chen, Team Leader of the Mysterious Battalion."

The introduction left him feeling a little ashamed.

In front of a monster who could kill a Bone Resonance Realm Great Demon with one punch, emphasizing that he was merely an Eighth Rank Team Leader was like a mouse showing off its sharp claws to a cat.

"Team Leader Liu."

Jiang Yuechu nodded. She didn't think much of it.

"Eight hundred years have passed since the founding of Great Tang. Grand Ancestor, who established the dynasty, built his strength through martial arts, swept across the Six Directions, and brought the realm under his rule. But the flourishing of humanity also drew the covetous gaze of countless demons and evil spirits. In his later years, Grand Ancestor took pity on the hardships of the common people, gathered extraordinary talents from across the land, and established a government office east of the Imperial City."

"This office was outside the Three Departments and Six Ministries, and held no place in the central government. It answered directly to the emperor. Above, it could execute treacherous officials who disrupted the court and colluded with demons; below, it could slay evil creatures that ravaged the land and preyed on the people. It could execute first and report afterward, by special imperial decree..."

Jiang Yuechu stirred inwardly.

The Demon Suppression Bureau—it sounded as though it had been established solely to slay demons and exorcise evil.

But its actual duties extended far beyond that.

The Demon Suppression Bureau's authority stood above that of all officials and outweighed the law.

Above, it could scrutinize civil and military officials; below, it could keep the martial world in check.

Anyone who colluded with demons could be investigated, no matter their official rank or whether they belonged to an Aristocratic Clan or a powerful family.

Over the past several hundred years, those who had died beneath the Demon Suppression Bureau's blades included thousand-year-old Great Demons who had terrorized entire regions, as well as serving prime ministers who had risen to the highest offices.

Black robes, red patterns, and a Horizontal Blade at one's side.

Those eight words were the Demon Suppression Bureau's source of confidence in Great Tang.

"Besides the General Headquarters in the Imperial City, each of Great Tang's fifteen circuits has a Regional Command. Our Longyou Circuit Commandery oversees all demonic affairs in Longyou."

"Beneath each Regional Command are the Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow Battalions."

They walked down a long corridor, and the view ahead suddenly opened up.

"The Yellow Battalion handles intelligence and reconnaissance. It's the Demon Suppression Bureau's eyes and ears."

"The Earth Battalion is responsible for garrisoning and patrolling the prefectures and counties, clearing out minor demons and monsters, and protecting the cities."

As Jiang Yuechu listened, she began to get the general picture.

The Yellow Battalion handled intelligence, while the Earth Battalion was the city patrol.

Then the Mysterious Battalion, where she'd landed...

"When the Yellow Battalion discovers demonic activity and the Earth Battalion can't handle it, we step in. We have just one duty."

"What is it?"

He turned to look at Jiang Yuechu, speaking one word at a time.

"Slay demons. Exterminate evil."

Jiang Yuechu's eyes lit up.

Wonderful.

No street patrols, no standing guard, no dealing with trivial nonsense.

She'd get paid to kill monsters.

Her performance would depend entirely on how many monsters she killed.

"In your day-to-day, you don't need to do anything else. Just remain on standby in the barracks. I'll notify you whenever there's a mission."

Liu Chen saw that she didn't react and assumed the explanation had overwhelmed her, so he added, "Of course, if you want to practice at the Martial Arts Arena or read books at the Library Pavilion, no one will stop you."

"Understood."

Jiang Yuechu nodded.

Then something occurred to her.

"What about the Heaven Battalion?"

Liu Chen was walking ahead. At her question, he stopped.

"The Heaven Battalion..."

He murmured to himself, then gave a bitter laugh and shook his head. "That's not a place for people like us to think about."

Jiang Yuechu kept looking at him, so Liu Chen took a deep breath and lowered his voice.

"Every member of the Heaven Battalion is an outstanding talent, a dragon among men. The lowest rank upon entry is a Subordinate Sixth Rank General of the Guard. Even across our entire Longyou Circuit Commandery, there are only a dozen or so members at most."

"And the Heaven Battalion faces the most perilous and most terrifying Great Demons."

As he said this, Liu Chen's gaze unconsciously fell on Jiang Yuechu's face.

So young.

So strong.

The feat of killing a Bone Resonance Realm Great Demon with one punch was something she could be proud of, even across the entire Demon Suppression Bureau.

Maybe, one day, she really could...

He looked at Jiang Yuechu, his expression growing solemn.

"The Heaven Battalion doesn't just look at talent and strength. It places even greater importance on accomplishments."

"If you can slay a Demon King on your own one day, you might have a chance to join them."

Jiang Yuechu clearly didn't catch his implication.

"A Demon King..."

As they talked, they reached the barracks of the Mysterious Battalion.

It was much quieter here. A few men sat or stood in twos and threes, most of them wiping down their weapons.

When they saw Liu Chen leading a pretty, delicate-looking young girl over, many turned to stare.

The Demon Suppression Bureau didn't keep idlers.

And the Mysterious Battalion accepted no weaklings.

How could a little girl who looked so tender and hadn't even fully grown be here?

Whose connections had she used?

Liu Chen naturally sensed the mood, so he cleared his throat.

"This is Jiang Yuechu. Starting today, she's one of our brothers in the Mysterious Battalion."

Brothers...

Jiang Yuechu hadn't even had time to miss being called that.

Then a voice rang out.

"Since when did the Mysterious Battalion start recruiting girls?"

"Maybe they got tired of all the fighting and killing, and wanted a girl around to balance out all that yang energy?"

As soon as he finished, everyone burst into laughter.

Liu Chen's expression darkened. "We all know the Demon Suppression Bureau has always been strict about recruitment. If she can join, she must have the ability. So what if she's a woman?"

"What's more, the renowned Right Demon Suppression Envoy is a woman, too!"

At that, the laughter stopped.

Clearly, everyone present knew the name of the Right Demon Suppression Envoy.

But even so...

What kind of person was she?

Barely in her twenties, she had single-handedly slain a host of Great Demons on the shores of the East Sea. Even among the Demon Race, she was infamous—ten thousand demons trembled at the mere mention of her.

But this woman before them...

"What is she, anyway? How could she compare to that one?"