Jiang Yuechu's Background

Xu Changfeng said nothing more. He simply walked on, slowly disappearing into the curtain of rain.

Watching his retreating figure, Jiang Yuechu's thoughts churned.

Since she had been appointed Vanguard Battalion Captain, the news that a Core Formation Realm Great Demon was at Yumen Pass had most likely been confirmed.

Vanguard Battalion Captain.

To put it plainly, it meant trading her life for a future.

But she didn't care.

Fortune favored the bold.

To her, the more dangerous the place, the more Dao Cultivation she gained, and the faster her strength improved.

By transferring her away from Liangzhou Prefecture, a place rife with trouble, and sending her to Yumen Pass, Xu Changfeng had both helped her avoid the sharp edge of Jeweled Temple and given her a chance to temper herself on the battlefield.

A stroke that felled two birds.

She didn't know whether it had been Wei He's idea or Xu Changfeng's, but she would remember this kindness.

A Captain in the Demon Suppression Bureau held a seventh-rank post.

Her monthly salary was forty taels, with twenty shi of rice and eighty jin of meat.

On top of that, she would receive a substantial Promotion Bonus.

Of course, none of that was the most important thing.

The most important thing was that a Captain could command a hundred men.

That meant Jiang Yuechu was now, by all accounts, in charge of a territory of her own.

At the thought, Jiang Yuechu couldn't help feeling a little emotional.

Damn.

That was fast!

She hadn't even received her first month's pay, and she'd already been promoted twice.

If this sort of luck had happened in her previous life, even a novel probably wouldn't dare write it that way.

"The future looks bright..."

The rain was still falling.

Rain had washed the long street paved with bluestone slabs until it gleamed, reflecting the leaden gray of the sky.

Xu Changfeng walked ahead, with the man behind him holding an umbrella over his head. They stepped through puddles at an unhurried pace.

There was hardly anyone on the street. A few peddlers carrying shoulder poles spotted the two men and kept their distance, not daring to approach.

"In the blink of an eye, I've been in Longyou for seven years." Xu Changfeng gazed at Liangzhou City, shrouded in rain, and slowly exhaled.

Seven years ago, he had been eighteen, dressed in fine clothes and riding a fine horse as he charged headlong into this windblown northwestern frontier.

He had thought that with his abilities, he could carve out a clear path through this land overrun with demons and monsters.

But the world had yet to be set right, and he had ended up trapped within these four walls.

"My lord."

The man holding the umbrella behind him hesitated for a moment before speaking. "A letter came from the household a few days ago. Your master and madam... miss you both very much. They asked if you might return to the Capital for New Year's Eve this year."

"Return to the Capital..."

Xu Changfeng's steps slowed.

"But so many people are watching me now. If I leave, they probably won't be able to sleep easy."

"Tell me..." Xu Changfeng suddenly murmured, sounding dazed. It was unclear whether he was asking the man or himself. "Do I still have a chance to go back?"

"..."

The man didn't dare answer.

If this young lord really intended to return to the Capital, never mind whether the General Headquarters there would agree; Great General Wei He would probably be the first to personally pin him down.

There was only one reason.

The Demon Suppression Bureau was desperately short of people.

Especially in a bitterly cold place like Longyou, where demons were everywhere and there was little money to be made.

Which of the Aristocratic Clan scions in the Capital didn't rack their brains trying to get sent to a wealthy place like Jiangnan? Who would willingly come to this godforsaken corner to deal with demons and monsters every day?

But once someone entered the Demon Suppression Bureau, that was one thing for an ordinary person. For a genius like Xu Changfeng, whom so much was expected of, many decisions were no longer his to make.

If he enjoyed so many privileges from the start, then he was bound to shoulder responsibilities. When you held a position, you had to do its work; you had to follow its path and bear its burdens.

The Demon Suppression Bureau supported him, and he accepted its Attendant's stipend. It would be hateful to say he had no choice in the matter, yet when it came time to bear his responsibilities, he still claimed he had no choice.

That really would be hateful.

As if he hadn't expected the man behind him to have an answer, Xu Changfeng shook his head, then suddenly asked, "Tell me, was it wrong of me to promote her to Captain?"

The man holding the umbrella was Zhou Daniu. He had followed Xu Changfeng for years, from the Capital to Longyou. Officially, he was a personal guard; in practice, he was more like a steward.

He froze at the question, perplexed, but still answered honestly. "My lord, Miss Jiang has made quite a few contributions, and she's capable. But she's still very inexperienced. She's also a woman and the daughter of a disgraced official. If she's suddenly promoted to Captain, I'm afraid... there'll inevitably be people who object."

After a pause, he added, "Even in the Capital, I've seen plenty of children from powerful families sent down to various bureaus to gain experience. None of them rose through the ranks this quickly."

He had already put it very tactfully.

It wasn't merely that some people would inevitably object. The promotion was downright shocking.

From a ninth-rank Demon Suppression Guard to a seventh-rank Captain, even someone with enough merit would normally need three to five years.

And Jiang Yuechu—how long had it been, all told?

She probably hadn't even received her first month's salary yet, had she?

Xu Changfeng turned to look at him, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"But did you know that at first, I even suggested to Lord Wei that she be promoted straight to General of the Guard?"

Zhou Daniu's hand jerked. He nearly dropped the umbrella.

What?

General of the Guard?!

That was a sixth-rank position! It meant commanding a whole battalion, with several Captains under her and nearly a thousand soldiers!

You really had the nerve to promote her that high!

Looking at his lord's impossibly handsome face, Zhou Daniu's mind flashed through countless absurd thoughts.

Could it be... that Miss Jiang had some secret connection to his lord?

He didn't dare think any further and hurriedly shook his head like a rattle drum.

Impossible!

His lord wasn't the sort to show favoritism!

Xu Changfeng saw the strange expression on Zhou Daniu's face and easily guessed what he was thinking. He merely smiled faintly.

"In the end, Lord Wei had the same concerns as you. He thought it would be too shocking, so she had to settle for temporarily serving as a Captain."

Zhou Daniu was completely dumbfounded.

So... the two of you had really discussed this?

One of you had the nerve to suggest it, and the other had actually given it serious thought?

He couldn't help asking, cautiously, "My lord, why... why is that?"

Xu Changfeng shook his head. Rainwater dripped from the edge of the umbrella and splashed against the bluestone slabs.

"This woman really is impressive."

"Temperament, ability, talent—she excels in every respect. Given time, she might well become another great general of our Demon Suppression Bureau."

"But that isn't the most important thing."

Zhou Daniu was even more confused.

If that wasn't important, then what was?

"Her background," Xu Changfeng said calmly.

Her background?

Zhou Daniu's mind couldn't quite keep up.

As Xu Changfeng's personal guard, he naturally knew Jiang Yuechu's background.

Her father, Jiang Xun, held the post of Vice Minister of Rites, a high-ranking official of the Subordinate Third Rank.

The title sounded impressive, but everyone knew the Ministry of Rites was a powerless sinecure, with no real authority at all.

What's more, the Jiang Family wasn't an Aristocratic Clan of any note.

And now, that Vice Minister Jiang was locked away in the Capital's Heavenly Prison.

What could the daughter of a disgraced official have about her that was so special?

"Please enlighten me, my lord..." Zhou Daniu bowed, his face full of confusion.

Xu Changfeng stopped and looked at him.

"I don't mind telling you."

"Of course, this is only my conjecture. Lord Wei hasn't told me anything outright, either."

Zhou Daniu pricked up his ears, not daring to miss a single word.

"My father had some dealings with Jiang Xun when they were young."

Xu Changfeng spoke slowly. "I once heard my father mention a piece of secret history after he'd been drinking."

"Two years before Jiang Yuechu was born, Jiang Xun suffered an accident that injured him. He had already... lost the ability to father children, and even asked my father for a rare medicine."

"Ah?!"

Xu Changfeng paid no heed to his shock and simply continued. "After Jiang Yuechu was born, the Late Emperor began promoting Jiang Xun at every turn. In barely a dozen years, he went from an obscure minor official to Vice Minister of Rites."

"Though it was only an empty title, he had still entered the inner circle of the imperial court."

Zhou Daniu instantly understood. His breathing grew rapid.

An official who couldn't father children suddenly had a daughter.

And after that daughter was born, his career took off, and he rose steadily through the ranks.

Anyone who wasn't a fool could guess what that might mean.

"Could it be... could Jiang Yuechu be... the Late Emperor's..."

"Of course, that's only my conjecture."

Xu Changfeng's voice sounded somewhat distant in the rain. "Perhaps Jiang Xun later cured his hidden ailment. Or perhaps he truly had some unknown talent and won the Late Emperor's favor. That's not impossible, either."

Zhou Daniu stammered, "Yes... yes..."

"Keep this secret to yourself. Don't spread it."

Xu Changfeng's tone grew stern. "The new Emperor has ascended the throne. If you keep bringing up the Late Emperor's affairs, you'll be digging your own grave. This goes no further than the two of us."

"This subordinate understands! I'll bury it in my gut and won't breathe a word!"

The rain seemed to let up a little.

Xu Changfeng stopped and glanced back toward Demon-Pacifying Ward. The rain blurred his vision until he couldn't make anything out.

"The news from Heaven Battalion says that Core Formation Realm Great Demon isn't an ordinary monster. It comes from the Demon Kingdom beyond the pass and has an extraordinary bloodline."

"If she survives Yumen Pass, there'll be a place for her in Longyou Circuit—and even in the Demon Suppression Bureau throughout Great Tang."

Xu Changfeng's lips curved in a faint, inscrutable smile. "I'm looking forward to seeing how far she can go."

Zhou Daniu watched the smile on his lord's face, one he hadn't seen in a long time, and felt a stirring in his heart.

Perhaps his lord had promoted her not only to earn a favor.

Perhaps it was because he saw the shadow of someone like himself in the young woman.

Equally brilliant. Equally unable to choose her own fate.