The Black Bear Demon

Jiang Yuechu and Liu Chen walked out of the main hall side by side. The sunlight outside was blinding, as if they had stepped into another world.

"A Great Demon in the Core Formation Realm..." Liu Chen murmured to himself. "If our Longyou Circuit's Commander were still here, how could that damned Great Demon in the Core Formation Realm run rampant outside Yumen Pass?"

Commander?

Jiang Yuechu stopped in her tracks.

Liu Chen noticed her reaction and glanced over. Seeing the confusion on her face, he understood.

"The Commander is a third-rank official who oversees the Demon Suppression Bureau across an entire circuit. His authority is immense."

Liu Chen paused and instinctively glanced around. Only after making sure no one was nearby did he lower his voice.

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

He suddenly stopped there.

"You came from the Capital City. You probably know more about some things than I do."

Jiang Yuechu rolled her eyes.

Like hell I do!

Her predecessor had been nothing but a sheltered young lady, wholly ignorant of the world. How could she know anything about affairs of court?

Still, since he didn't want to say more, she naturally wouldn't ask.

The world they lived in now was nothing like the one in her previous life.

Privately discussing imperial power could get your head chopped off!

Seeing her remain silent, Liu Chen assumed she agreed and continued, "The new emperor has been on the throne for barely a year. Naturally, the court has been riven with fierce struggles."

"In theory, the Demon Suppression Bureau shouldn't interfere with the transfer of imperial power."

"But we make our living in the officialdom. When the trees wish for stillness, the wind keeps blowing. How could we truly stay out of it?"

"In short, the position of Commander in Longyou has remained vacant until now. General Wei is temporarily handling everything, great and small."

That was all he needed to say.

Jiang Yuechu fell silent.

She had gained a new understanding of imperial power in this world.

An entire circuit's Commander could simply disappear...

If she someday took that position, would she be able to protect herself?

Liu Chen sighed and patted her shoulder. "People like us at the bottom are better off staying away from such things. Doing our own jobs is more important than anything else."

"Mm."

"Anyway, enough of that..." Liu Chen continued. "You've just become a Team Leader. You're capable, but the Demon Suppression Bureau ultimately judges people by their merits. Your experience is still limited, so you probably won't get any choice assignments. This is your first time leading a team on your own. Besides watching out for demons, remember to be wary of other people too."

"People?"

Liu Chen spread his hands and lowered his voice. "The situation's turbulent these days, with a new emperor just enthroned. There are always people in the martial world who bear grudges and refuse to submit to imperial rule."

"A few days ago, a Lieutenant General went out to handle a case and was ambushed and killed by several martial sects working together."

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

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

That was as good as saying nothing.

If they really ended up in a desperate situation, how many could get away?

Perhaps realizing how pointless his advice sounded, Liu Chen looked a little embarrassed, but he continued anyway. "Of course, as long as you don't die without a trace, the Bureau will send people to avenge you within half a month at most."

"Take that Lieutenant General. After the incident, Lord Wei personally selected a thousand elite soldiers from the Mysterious Battalion. It took them only three days to wipe out those sects, from top to bottom."

Compared to the Demon Suppression Bureau's ruthless methods, Jiang Yuechu quietly took the warning to heart.

She had thought she only needed to watch out for demons and monsters, but it seemed people in the martial world could be even more dangerous.

After bidding farewell to Liu Chen, Jiang Yuechu carried her saber and headed straight back to the barracks where her team was staying.

Before she even entered the courtyard, she sensed that something was off.

The courtyard had been a den of noise and chaos yesterday, but today it was strangely quiet.

The men who had been shouting and drinking around the stone table the day before were now like quails, each lingering in some corner of the yard.

When Jiang Yuechu appeared at the gate, everyone stopped what they were doing and instinctively stood up straight.

A young clerk in official robes stood at the gate, anxiously waiting with a stack of files in his arms.

When he saw her, he hurried over.

"Team Leader Jiang."

He pulled the top file from the stack and presented it to her with both hands.

"This is your team's assignment."

Jiang Yuechu reached out and took it.

The clerk seemed to know she had only just become a Team Leader and was a woman, so he couldn't help adding a few pointers. "Team Leader Jiang, is this your first time leading a team on an assignment?"

Without waiting for her answer, he continued on his own. "Before setting out, take this file to the stables in the rear courtyard and register. You'll receive Crimson-Eyed Stallions, one for each person, and they'll all be recorded."

"Also, the Bureau has a rule: after killing a demon, if you have the strength, try to bring back the body intact. The treasury will calculate merit and reward money according to the demon's rank."

"If that's not feasible, you still need to take key parts, such as its bones and head, as proof of your accomplishment."

Jiang Yuechu nodded, responding politely.

"I understand. Thank you for the reminder."

The clerk said no more. He bowed, then hurried away with the rest of the files.

The courtyard fell utterly silent.

Everyone stared at the file in Jiang Yuechu's hand.

Most of them were martial artists who had only recently joined the Demon Suppression Bureau. They had hardly ever been sent out on an assignment, let alone seen more than a few real demons.

This was their first assignment.

How could they not be curious?

But curiosity was one thing.

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

Who would dare ask her about it?

Jiang Yuechu paid no attention to their little thoughts. She read through the file in her hands, scanning it at a glance.

The contents were simple enough.

[Hechuan County, Die Prefecture: The local authorities report that a black bear has become a demon on a mountain outside the prefectural city. It is enormous and strong enough to split mountains. In recent days, it has often wandered down the mountain to set up an altar in a village and preach. It claims to have grasped the true essence of Buddhist teachings and to be able to deliver people from the suffering of reincarnation.]

[Many gullible men and women have been misled into making offerings on the mountain and listening to its sermons, abandoning their livelihoods. Its demonic words are stirring up trouble, and there are fears of a major disturbance.]

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

Jiang Yuechu's eyelid twitched.

A black bear demon?

And it was preaching?

What kind of joke was this?

Still, half-step Bone Resonance...

Its strength was nothing special.

It seemed this assignment wouldn't be particularly dangerous.

She considered this silently, keeping her expression unchanged, then casually tossed the file toward the middle of the courtyard.

"Take a look."

The file drifted down onto the stone table.

The men exchanged glances, but none dared step forward first.

Bujie the monk was the clever one. He grinned, waddled over with his big belly, and snatched up the file.

"Let this poor monk do it! Let me! I can read!"

He cleared his throat and grandly unfolded the file, reading it aloud, one word at a time.

When he reached the part about the black bear becoming a demon and setting up an altar to preach, suppressed laughter had already begun to ripple through the courtyard.

"Holy hell, this blind bear became a demon and didn't go looking for a she-bear. Instead, it went off to become a monk?"

But when Bujie read out that it was at the half-step Bone Resonance Realm, the laughter in the courtyard abruptly died.

Everyone's expression changed in an instant.

Half-step Bone Resonance!

What did that even mean?

Though Liu Ke and a few others present were also at the half-step Bone Resonance Realm, demons cultivated slowly, often for decades or centuries, and possessed incredibly deep foundations.

At the same realm, demons were far stronger than martial artists.

"B-boss... Team Leader..."

A man stammered, his face drained of color. "Th-this assignment... could there have been a mistake? We've only just..."

Chen Tong abruptly jumped to his feet in the corner and spat viciously.

"What's there to be afraid of? It's just a blind bear! Back in the day, I even—"

He had meant to boast about his past exploits, but when he met Jiang Yuechu's calm gaze, the rest of his words stuck in his throat.

He only stiffened his neck and muttered, "We'll just do it!"

The others exchanged glances, still uneasy.

Just then—

"Outrageous!"

"Absolutely outrageous!"

Bujie's furious shout startled everyone.

The fat monk's face was filled with grief and indignation. He looked utterly heartbroken.

"The Buddhist order is a pure and sacred place! The Three Baskets and Twelve Divisions are filled with words of wisdom. How can a beast covered in fur and horns be allowed to defile them as it pleases?!"

"No! Today, I, this poor monk, will uphold Heaven's justice and purge this disgrace from Buddhism!"

The men around him listened in a daze. They almost forgot why he had been driven down from the mountain in the first place.

Jiang Yuechu couldn't be bothered to waste words with them. She simply said, "Pack your things. Meet at the stables in the rear courtyard in half an hour."

"Prepare your rations, medicine, and weapons. If anyone is late..."

"Get lost."

With that, she said no more and turned to leave.

The courtyard was left full of people staring at one another.

Hechuan County had earned its name from the two great rivers that converged there.

With the waterways at its doorstep, the county was fairly prosperous.

The docks were crowded with people coming and going all day long, and the teahouses and taverns in town were always packed with merchants from near and far.

But in recent days, the atmosphere in the county had been a little strange.

Inside a teahouse.

"Wang the butcher's wife in the west of town took all the money in the house and ran off in the middle of the night!"

"She ran off? Where to?"

"Where else? Up the mountain!"

"That bear demon again..."

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

"No kidding."

A man in a short jacket smacked his lips. "Wang the butcher reported it at the county yamen first thing this morning. He was wailing at the gates, saying his wife had been bewitched by that blind bear and lost her mind!"

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

A young man sitting in the corner couldn't help chiming in. His face was alight with fervor. "The Master says the mortal world is full of suffering. Only by taking refuge in the Buddha can one attain true freedom and escape the sea of bitterness!"

"Bah!"

The bookkeeper glared at him in annoyance. "What does a green kid like you know? A beast dares talk about Buddhist teachings? If it really has such powers, why doesn't it turn stones into gold and give it to the poor in town?"

"Y-you're slandering the Master!"

The young man flushed. "The Master's powers are beyond the understanding of ordinary people like you! I saw it with my own eyes. The Master split a boulder with one palm! What else could such divine might be but Buddhist power?"

The teahouse immediately broke into discussion.

"Split a boulder... Really?"

"That blind bear was already strong as an ox. Now that it's become a demon, it wouldn't be strange if it could do that."

"But... but it can preach! People who've come back from the mountain say the Black Bear Master sits cross-legged on a rock, citing scripture and making perfect sense. They say it preaches even better than the abbot at Guangji Temple in the county!"

"Bullshit!" A traveling peddler who had just come in set his load on the ground, wiped the sweat from his brow, and cursed. "I passed by the foot of the mountain yesterday. Good lord, the mountain path was packed with people kneeling, all of them like empty shells, kowtowing toward the summit."

"My cousin's wife was among them! Their child was burning with a high fever, and she didn't lift a finger to help. She carried the last bit of rice in their house up the mountain, saying she was offering it to the Master to pray for blessings!"

"What kind of blessing is that supposed to be?!"

Everyone fell silent at his words.

Life was hard enough in these times.

Longyou was bitterly cold, and natural and man-made disasters never seemed to end.

The common people had a hard life. It was only natural that they should cling to a little hope.

But now they had placed that hope in a bear demon. It was absurd beyond belief.