At her words, everyone froze, then burst into an uproar.
"Team Leader?!"
"A woman can be a Team Leader?!"
Liu Ke, standing in the corner, looked even more shaken.
A Team Leader in the Demon Suppression Bureau held an eighth-rank post, commanded a squad, and wielded real authority.
He prided himself on his outstanding talent. He'd entered the String-Hearing Realm in his early twenties, and now he was already on the verge of the Bone Resonance Realm. Among the younger generation across Longyou Circuit, he was considered one of the best.
Yet even so, he was still just an ordinary Demon Suppression Guard.
It was all because the Demon Suppression Bureau had never cared about one's background, only one's achievements.
But why?
Why should this woman—
A newcomer who'd just joined the Demon Suppression Bureau and hadn't even accumulated any merits—
leap straight into the position of Team Leader?
An absurd thought began to surface in his mind.
Could it be that she'd slain a Bone Resonance Great Demon all by herself?
What a joke!
What did a Bone Resonance Great Demon even mean?
An ordinary martial artist in the String-Hearing Realm, even one on the verge of Bone Resonance, would be crushed when facing a Bone Resonance Great Demon.
Just then,
Jiang Yuechu took a scroll of official documents from her robes and unfurled it before everyone.
Everyone present was a martial artist, with keen eyes. They could naturally make out the words on it.
A sharp-eyed man read aloud without thinking.
"By order of Lieutenant General Xu Changfeng of the Longyou Circuit Commandery, Jiang Yuechu is hereby appointed eighth-rank Team Leader of the Mysterious Battalion of the Longyou Circuit Demon Suppression Bureau, and placed in command of a squad of Demon Suppression Guards."
At that, everyone understood.
No wonder the girl had dared to barge into the barracks alone. No wonder she'd called people out by name. She was going to be their superior from now on.
The once-bustling courtyard fell silent in an instant.
All eyes turned to Jiang Yuechu, filled with a measure of doubt and unease.
At her age, with her methods, and with that sort of backing...
The fat monk's eyes darted about. His face instantly broke into a smile, and he hurried over, clutching his wine gourd.
"This humble monk, Bujie, greets Team Leader Jiang!"
"Just look at me! I knew at a glance that Team Leader Jiang was no ordinary person! Chen Tong here is a boor, and he's always had a temper. You're magnanimous, so please don't take offense. Put the saber down first, would you?"
As he spoke, he'd already laid a hand on the scabbard pressed against Chen Tong's shoulder, trying to lift it.
The next moment,
His expression changed.
He secretly put all his strength into it, but the scabbard was as if rooted to the spot, not budging an inch.
Only then did he realize just how terrifying the force bearing down on Chen Tong was!
The girl looked so slender, yet she had such strength!
Jiang Yuechu glanced sideways, her cool gaze settling on the monk's hand.
"Are you trying to tell me what to do?"
The smile on the monk's face froze. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he hurriedly pulled his hand back.
"Not at all, not at all! This humble monk would never presume!"
Jiang Yuechu withdrew her gaze and swept it calmly across the courtyard.
"Listen up."
Her voice wasn't loud, but the few people still whispering fell silent at once.
"I, Jiang Yuechu, don't like to talk much, and I don't like meddling in other people's business."
"Whether you spend your days cockfighting and walking your dogs or drinking and making merry, I won't interfere."
"But... let me make one thing clear."
Jiang Yuechu's eyes suddenly sharpened.
"I don't care if you're heroes of the martial world or scions of Aristocratic Clans, monks or assassins... Under my command, there's only one rule."
She lifted the scabbard from Chen Tong's shoulder.
Chen Tong slumped to the ground like a puddle of mud, gasping for breath.
"And that is... my rule."
"If anyone refuses to accept it, then get out while you still can."
"If you don't want to leave, but still want to cause trouble under my command... then you'd better weigh whether your neck is hard enough."
Her gaze lingered for a moment on each of the three: Liu Ke, Bujie, and Chen Tong.
"Understood?"
"..."
No one dared speak.
Jiang Yuechu furrowed her brows.
"Well?"
The fat monk hurriedly called out, "Understood! We all understand!"
"W-We understand!"
Everyone chimed in.
But their scattered, halfhearted replies were painful to hear.
Jiang Yuechu clicked her tongue.
She braced her thumb against the saber and drew it an inch from its scabbard.
Vmmm—
The blade scraped against the scabbard with a trembling ring.
Everyone jolted in fright, and their perfunctory replies vanished in an instant.
"Understood!!!"
This time, everyone in the courtyard answered in unison, their voices booming.
Even Liu Ke shouted at the top of his lungs without thinking.
But as soon as he did, his face flushed red.
How could he lose his composure like that? How could he let a woman scare him into such a sorry state?
Though he didn't want to admit it,
he truly did feel considerable pressure from this young woman.
Now that she'd met her subordinates,
she had no interest in staying to watch a bunch of grown men keep gambling and drinking.
Besides, her presence made her uncomfortable, and it made her subordinates uncomfortable too.
Why make herself miserable?
After leaving the barracks, Jiang Yuechu remembered that the Bureau had assigned her a house in the city and couldn't help feeling wistful.
In just a short time, she'd gone from a prisoner who couldn't even truss a chicken to an eighth-rank Team Leader and a martial artist in the Bone Resonance Realm.
Now she had money—and even a house.
All she could say was, the future looked bright!
She decided to go see her new home right away.
Following the address the One-Eyed Old Man had given her, she found herself humming a few tuneless bars as she strolled toward the Demon Suppression Bureau's exit.
Liangzhou lay in the heart of Longyou. It couldn't match the Capital City's prosperity, but it had a character all its own.
Merchants crowded the long streets, their calls ringing out without pause.
Brightly colored banners fluttered everywhere, and taverns and teahouses teemed with people, shoulder to shoulder.
The Demon Suppression Bureau's regional command was based here. With the sound of blades and the aura of demons suppressed by its presence, the city's people could live in peace, free from demonic troubles.
As Jiang Yuechu walked among them, she felt a long-missed sense of ordinary, bustling life.
It couldn't match the grandeur of Chang'an, the Capital City she remembered, but it let her truly feel the vitality of this world.
The bloody storms of Jincheng County and the foul mire along the Black River seemed to recede farther and farther behind her with the bustling crowds.
The house assigned by the Demon Suppression Bureau was in eastern Liangzhou City, beside the city wall.
This place was called Demon-Pacifying Ward, and just as its name suggested, it had been established specifically for the Demon Suppression Bureau.
After all, many members of the Bureau had families. They couldn't all cram into the regional command with their entire households.
So the ward had been set aside for them. Everyone of eighth rank or higher received a home here for free.
As for ninth-rank Demon Suppression Guards, they could buy one at a very low price.
It was one of the Bureau's major benefits for its subordinates.
The ward's streets were broad and clean, with tall trees planted on both sides. Even in the height of summer, they cast patches of shade.
The houses were laid out in an orderly fashion. They weren't luxurious, but their gray tiles and green bricks gave them a neat, tidy air.
Now and then, a Demon Suppression Guard in civilian clothes passed by with a saber at his side. Their expressions were less stern than inside the regional command, touched instead with the homely warmth of everyday life.
Following the address, Jiang Yuechu arrived at a small courtyard in the ward.
Before she could get close, she spotted someone waiting at the gate.
The man wore a blue short jacket and looked to be around forty. Thin-faced, with a pair of rat whiskers, he paced back and forth impatiently.
As soon as he saw Jiang Yuechu, he hurried over, his face wreathed in a fawning smile. He bent at the waist and asked carefully, "Might you be Lord Jiang?"
Jiang Yuechu gave him a puzzled look, wondering how the man knew who she was.
"You are...?"
At her question, the man quickly introduced himself, bowing and scraping. "This humble officer is a clerk of Demon-Pacifying Ward. My surname is Li, and my given name is Fu. I received orders from the regional command some time ago that a lord would be moving in today, so I've been waiting here to show you the way."
Hearing this, Jiang Yuechu couldn't help reflecting.
No wonder everyone wanted to become an official.
She was only an eighth-rank Team Leader, yet someone had been assigned to wait for her.
If she didn't show up today, wouldn't this man have waited for nothing?
Before you continue