Black Bear Spirit

# Chapter 40: Black Bear Spirit

Jiang Yuechu and Liu Chen walked out of the main hall shoulder to shoulder. The sunlight outside was blinding, as if an age had passed.

"Core-Formation great demon..." Liu Chen muttered to himself. "If our Longyou Circuit's Commanding Officer were still here, how would that so-called Core-Formation great demon dare to run rampant outside Yumen Pass?"

Commanding Officer?

Jiang Yuechu's steps faltered.

Liu Chen noticed her strangeness and turned his head, seeing the confusion on her face. He understood at once.

"The Commanding Officer is a third-rank official who oversees an entire circuit's Demon Suppression Bureau. His authority is immense."

Liu Chen paused, instinctively glancing around to make sure no one was nearby before lowering his voice.

"But last year... because of the new emperor's ascension..."

He stopped mid-sentence.

"You came from the Capital City. Some things, you should know better than I do."

Jiang Yuechu rolled her eyes.

Know my ass!

Her predecessor was nothing but a sheltered young lady who knew nothing about court affairs.

But since he wasn't saying more, she naturally wouldn't ask.

In this world, things were hardly comparable to her previous life.

Privately discussing imperial authority could get your head chopped off!

Seeing her silent, Liu Chen assumed she agreed and continued: "The new emperor has only been on the throne for about a year now. Naturally, the court can't avoid a dragon-and-tiger struggle."

"Our Demon Suppression Bureau, strictly speaking, shouldn't interfere in matters of imperial succession."

"But after all, we're eating our fill in officialdom. The tree wishes to be still, but the wind never ceases. How can we truly extricate ourselves?"

"In any case, the position of Longyou Circuit Commanding Officer has been vacant until now. All matters, great and small, are temporarily handled by General Wei."

That was all that needed to be said.

Jiang Yuechu remained silent.

In her heart, she gained a new understanding of imperial power in this world.

A dignified Circuit Commanding Officer, gone just like that...

If she ever sat in that seat herself, could she protect herself?

Liu Chen sighed and patted her shoulder. "We lowly folk are better off staying out of it. Doing our own jobs well is better than anything else."

"Mm."

"Alright, enough of that..." Liu Chen said. "You've just been promoted to Team Leader. Though your skills are considerable, our Demon Suppression Bureau ultimately judges by merit. Your seniority is shallow, so you probably won't get any good assignments. This is your first time leading a team alone. Besides watching out for demons and monsters, remember to be wary of other people too."

"People?"

Liu Chen spread his hands and lowered his voice: "The situation is unstable now. The new emperor has just been established. In the martial world, there are always those who harbor resentment and refuse to submit to imperial rule."

"A few days ago, a Lieutenant General was ambushed and killed by several martial sects while handling a case outside."

"If you really run into danger you can't resolve, don't hesitate. Turn around and run."

"At worst, you come back and take a punishment. That's still better than losing your life out there."

These words were essentially useless.

If you truly faced a hopeless situation, how many could actually escape?

Seeming to know his own words were somewhat redundant, Liu Chen's face showed a hint of embarrassment, but he continued: "Of course, as long as you don't die without a trace, within half a month at most, the Bureau will send people to avenge you."

"Take that Lieutenant General for example. After the incident, Lord Wei personally selected a thousand elite troops from the Mysterious Battalion. In just three days, they slaughtered every last person in those sects, from top to bottom."

Compared to the Demon Suppression Bureau's ruthless methods, Jiang Yuechu silently filed away another lesson in her heart.

She had thought she only needed to guard against demons and monsters, but it turned out these martial artists were even more dangerous than demons.

After parting with Liu Chen, Jiang Yuechu hugged her blade and went straight back to her team's barracks.

Before she even entered the courtyard, she sensed something off about the atmosphere.

The yard that had been rowdy and smoky yesterday was eerily quiet today.

Several men who had been shouting around the stone table yesterday were now like quails, each finding a spot in the yard to stay put.

When they saw Jiang Yuechu's figure appear at the entrance, everyone's movements froze. They instinctively straightened their postures.

At the courtyard gate, a young man dressed in civil official robes was holding a stack of documents, waiting anxiously.

Seeing her arrive, he hurried forward.

"Team Leader Jiang."

He pulled the top document from the stack and presented it with both hands.

"This is the task for your team."

Jiang Yuechu reached out and took it.

The clerk seemed to know she had just been promoted to Team Leader and was a woman, so he couldn't help adding a few words of advice: "Team Leader Jiang, is this your first time leading a mission?"

Without waiting for her reply, he continued on his own: "Before setting out, you need to take this dossier to the stable in the back courtyard to register and collect a Crimson-Eyed Stallion. One person, one mount, all recorded."

"Also, the Bureau has a rule: after slaying a demon, if you have the strength, try to bring the corpse back intact. The treasury will convert it into merits and rewards based on the demon's rank."

"If that's inconvenient, you must at least take the bones, tendons, head, and other key parts as proof of your achievement."

Jiang Yuechu nodded, her manner polite.

"This Humble One understands. Thank you for the reminder."

The clerk said no more, bowed once, and hurried off with the remaining dossiers in his arms.

The courtyard fell utterly silent.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the dossier in Jiang Yuechu's hand.

Most of them were recent recruits to the Demon Suppression Bureau, martial artists who had never even seen a real demon, let alone been sent on a mission.

This was their first assignment.

How could they not be curious?

But curiosity was one thing.

The image of Chen Tong being pinned to the ground like a chick yesterday was still seared into their minds.

Who dared to ask?

Jiang Yuechu paid no attention to their petty thoughts. She scanned the dossier in her hands, reading ten lines at a glance.

The contents were simple enough.

[Hechuan County, Die Prefecture. Official report: On the mountain outside the county town, a black bear has become a demon. Its body is massive, its strength enough to split mountains. Lately, it often descends to wander, setting up an altar in a village at the mountain's base to preach the Dharma, claiming to have grasped the true essence of Buddhism and to be able to save mortals from the cycle of reincarnation.]

[Many ignorant men and women have been deceived, going up the mountain to make offerings and listen to its sermons, abandoning their work. These demonic words stir chaos, threatening great unrest.]

[According to reports, this demon is suspected to have reached the half-step Bone Resonance Realm.]

Jiang Yuechu's eyelids twitched.

A black bear demon?

Preaching the Dharma?

What the hell?

Still, half-step Bone-Resonating...

Its strength was average.

It seemed this mission shouldn't be too dangerous.

She calculated silently, her expression unchanged, and casually tossed the dossier into the center of the courtyard.

"Take a look, all of you."

The dossier landed lightly on the stone table.

The group exchanged glances, none daring to be the first to pick it up.

It was the monk Bujie who acted first. He chuckled, waddling over with his big belly, and grabbed the dossier.

"Let me, let me! This humble monk can read!"

He cleared his throat, put on airs, and unrolled the dossier, reading it word by word.

When they heard about the black bear becoming a demon and setting up an altar to preach, suppressed snickers broke out across the courtyard.

"Damn, that bear's a demon and instead of finding a she-bear, it became a monk?"

But when Bujie read out the half-step Bone Resonance Realm, the laughter died instantly.

Everyone's face changed.

Half-step Bone-Resonating!

What did that mean?

Although a few of those present, like Liu Ke, were also at half-step Bone-Resonating, demons cultivated slowly, often taking decades or centuries, building an incredibly solid foundation.

At the same realm, a demon's strength far surpassed that of a martial artist.

"Head... Team Leader..."

A man stammered, his face pale, "This... this mission, is there a mistake? We just got here..."

Chen Tong, who had been crouching in the corner, suddenly stood up and spat viciously.

"Scared of what? It's just a bear, isn't it? Back in the day, I even..."

He wanted to brag about his past exploits, but the words caught in his throat. The moment they met Jiang Yuechu's indifferent gaze, the second half of his sentence was forcibly swallowed back down.

He just stiffened his neck and muttered, "Let's just get it done!"

The others exchanged glances, their hearts still uneasy.

Just then.

"Outrageous!"

"This is utterly outrageous!"

Monk Bujie's angry roar startled everyone.

The fat, burly monk's face was full of grief and indignation, his heart aching with pain.

"The Buddhist gate is a place of purity! The Tripitaka's twelve divisions, every word a pearl of wisdom—how can it allow a beast covered in fur and horns to defile it so wantonly?!"

"No! This humble monk shall act on Heaven's behalf today and cleanse the sect for the sake of Buddhism!"

The few men nearby were stunned, almost forgetting why he had been kicked down the mountain in the first place.

Jiang Yuechu couldn't be bothered to waste words with this group. She simply spoke flatly.

"Pack your things. Half an hour, gather at the stable in the back courtyard."

"Rations, medicine, weapons—have them all ready. Anyone who's late..."

"Get lost on your own."

With that, she said no more, turned, and walked away.

Leaving the entire courtyard full of people staring at each other in bewilderment.

Hechuan County got its name from the convergence of two great rivers here.

Thanks to the waterways, the county was fairly prosperous.

The docks bustled with people all day long, and the tea houses and taverns in town were always packed with merchants from north and south.

But in the past few days, the atmosphere in the county had turned strange.

In a tea house.

"Wang the butcher's wife from the west of town—last night, in the middle of the night, she took all the family's money and ran!"

"Ran? Where to?"

"Where else? Up the mountain!"

"That bear demon again..."

A middle-aged man dressed like an accountant at the next table sighed and set down his teacup. "How many times has this happened this month?"

"Who's to say."

A man in a short jacket clicked his tongue. "Wang the butcher reported it to the authorities this morning, wailing and crying at the county office gate, saying his wife was possessed, that the black bear had bewitched her mind!"

"What black bear? He's Master Black Bear now!"

A young man sitting in the corner couldn't help but chime in, a hint of fanaticism on his face. "The master says the mortal world is all suffering. Only by taking refuge in the Buddha can one attain true freedom and escape the sea of bitterness!"

"Bah!"

The accountant glared at him in annoyance. "What do you, a green kid, know? A beast, and it dares to speak of the Dharma? If it really had power, why doesn't it turn stones into gold and share it with the poor in town?"

"You... you're slandering the master!"

The young man's face flushed red. "The master's divine power—how could common mortals like you understand? I've seen it with my own eyes: the master can split a mountain rock with one palm! If that's not the Dharma, what is?"

The tea house immediately buzzed with discussion.

"Splitting mountain rocks... really?"

"That black bear was always incredibly strong. Now that it's become a spirit, it's no surprise it has that ability."

"But... but it can preach sutras! People who've come back from the mountain say Master Black Bear sits cross-legged on a rock, quoting scriptures and speaking with such logic—even better than the abbot of Guangji Temple in the county!"

"Bullshit!" A peddler who had just come in from outside set down his load, wiped his sweat, and cursed. "I passed by the mountain yesterday. Damn, the mountain path was packed with people kneeling all over the place, like they'd lost their souls, kowtowing toward the peak."

"My cousin's wife was among them! Her kid was burning with fever at home, but she didn't care. She carried the last bit of rice they had up the mountain, saying it was an offering to the master, to pray for blessings!"

"What kind of damn blessing is that?!"

At these words, everyone fell silent.

This world was already harsh.

The Longyou region was bitter and cold, with endless natural disasters and man-made calamities.

The common folk struggled to survive. Having a little hope was understandable.

But now, that hope was pinned on a bear demon—it was simply too absurd.