Lin'an City

Vast Source Prefecture, Lin'an City.

After receiving his assessment mission, Shen Changqing headed straight for Lin'an City.

For this assessment mission,

he was going alone.

Though the Demon Suppression Bureau seemed to have plenty of manpower, the truth was that there were even more demons and specters scattered throughout the land. There was simply no way to send several people to complete every single mission.

Taking Shen Changqing's strength into account, Jiang Feng had directly sent him alone to Lin'an City.

Nearly ten days later,

Shen Changqing finally arrived in Lin'an City.

Unlike the prosperity of the capital, Lin'an City appeared far more subdued.

But he did not care much about such outward appearances. He had come here to eliminate demons and specters; everything else had little to do with him.

After presenting his identity token,

Shen Changqing easily entered the yamen.

The magistrate of Lin'an City came to receive him at once.

"This official is Zhao Fang. May I ask your esteemed name?"

"Shen Changqing, probationary Demon Slayer Envoy of the Demon Suppression Bureau's Yellow Division!"

Shen Changqing gave a slight cupped-fist salute.

As he spoke, he was already sizing up the man before him.

Even before coming to Lin'an City,

Shen Changqing had gathered a great deal of information concerning the city, including information on the magistrate standing before him.

The other man had served as Lin'an City's magistrate for nearly twenty years.

Over those twenty years,

Lin'an City had suffered several demon and specter calamities, yet Zhao Fang had remained as steady as Mount Tai, firmly holding his position as magistrate without wavering.

Shen Changqing could not help admiring that.

He had no choice but to be impressed.

An ordinary person who encountered one or two demon and specter calamities would have promptly resigned and retired, not daring to linger in Lin'an City any longer.

But Zhao Fang was different.

Even after several demon and specter calamities, he remained unmoved.

That courage alone was beyond what others could compare to.

While Shen Changqing was studying Zhao Fang, Zhao Fang was likewise studying him.

But after only a moment, he withdrew his gaze and revealed an enthusiastic smile.

"So you are Lord Shen of the Demon Suppression Bureau. Lord Shen has come from afar. Why not rest in the city for a night first? Tomorrow, this official can tell you properly about the demon and specter matter."

"No. Eliminating demons and specters cannot be delayed. If I rest for one more day, another person may lose their life. It is better to deal with it promptly."

Shen Changqing shook his head.

In his heart, completing the mission was what mattered most.

As for everything else, it could wait until later.

Hearing this,

Zhao Fang's enthusiasm deepened by several degrees. "Lord Shen is truly warmhearted and righteous. This official greatly admires you. Since Lord Shen is eager to handle the demon and specter matter, this official shall have someone explain it to you at once."

Having said that,

his expression turned solemn.

"Someone!"

"What are your orders, sir?" A yamen runner standing behind him promptly stepped forward.

"Pass on this official's order. Have Constable Zhang come here immediately."

"Yes!"

The yamen runner accepted the order and withdrew.

Only after he had left did Zhao Fang's smile return. "Lord Shen, please follow this official into the inner hall and take a seat."

"Thank you!"

Inside the yamen's inner hall,

Shen Changqing and Zhao Fang sat on opposite sides.

Just as a servant brought up tea, a rather tall, somewhat aged-looking man entered with a saber at his waist.

"Lord Zhao!"

"Constable Zhang, you have arrived. Please, take a seat!"

Zhao Fang nodded, then pointed to Shen Changqing as he introduced them.

"This is Lord Shen Changqing of the Demon Suppression Bureau. This is Zhang Long, chief constable of our Lin'an City yamen. Constable Zhang has served as chief constable for more than ten years and is considered an old hand.

If Lord Shen has any questions, simply ask Constable Zhang."

After the introduction,

Shen Changqing turned his gaze toward Zhang Long.

The moment Zhang Long entered, Shen Changqing had noticed the surging vitality and blood on him. Clearly, he had attained considerable mastery in external martial arts.

Body Tempering Realm!

And certainly not an ordinary Body Tempering Realm martial artist.

He had likely reached the later stage, or perhaps even the peak, of the Body Tempering Realm.

Shen Changqing gave a slight cupped-fist salute.

"Greetings, Constable Zhang."

"You are too courteous, Lord Shen!" Zhang Long looked rather flattered and hurriedly returned the salute. "May I ask what Lord Shen wishes to know? Please speak directly."

He did not know Shen Changqing's background.

But the words Demon Suppression Bureau alone were enough to explain many things.

No matter where one was,

members of the Demon Suppression Bureau possessed tremendous status.

Even Zhao Fang, a magistrate, had to treat him politely, much less a mere chief constable like himself.

More importantly,

when facing Shen Changqing, Zhang Long found that he could not see through him in the slightest.

As someone from the Demon Suppression Bureau, Shen Changqing naturally could not have no cultivation at all.

There was only one reason Zhang Long could not see through him.

The Shen Changqing before him was far stronger than he was.

At that thought,

Zhang Long became even more afraid of showing any disrespect.

Shen Changqing said, "I received intelligence from the Demon Suppression Bureau saying that demons or specters have appeared in Lin'an City. But as for the specifics, I hope Constable Zhang can give me a comprehensive account."

"Demons and specters—"

Constable Zhang nodded. His expression gradually calmed, as though recalling something. Only after a long while did he slowly speak.

"Half a month ago, someone came to report a murder case. We immediately sent yamen runners to investigate. When they arrived, they discovered that every dead person had become a dried corpse.

After the coroner examined them, it was determined that the bodies had only been dead for a short time. Yet all the essence and blood in their bodies had drained away, making them appear as though they had been dead for years.

We immediately realized that demons or specters must be at work."

In the inner hall,

Shen Changqing sat there, listening to Zhang Long's account.

What the other man said was almost entirely consistent with the intelligence Shen Changqing had obtained from the Demon Suppression Bureau.

After Zhang Long finished speaking,

Shen Changqing asked, "And after the dried corpses were discovered? Did anything else happen?"

"This official knows a little about that."

Before Zhang Long could speak, Zhao Fang took over.

"After confirming that demons or specters were at work, we had the villagers relocated, then sealed off the entire village and temporarily barred anyone from entering or leaving.

For now, nothing else has happened."

After discovering the demons or specters,

they had immediately relocated all the villagers.

Shen Changqing deeply approved of Zhao Fang's approach.

According to the Demon Suppression Bureau's intelligence, the specter responsible for the killings was only Nether Level. As the lowest rank of Nether-Rank Specter, it could not easily leave its original location. Most such specters used certain objects as vessels.

In other words,

as long as the villagers were moved away and the village was sealed off, no further problems would arise in the short term.

Specters were frightening, certainly,

but that depended on what rank of specter one was dealing with.

Though Nether-Rank Specters were also exceedingly troublesome, they could be contained as long as they were handled properly.

"Lord Zhao seems quite practiced at this," Shen Changqing remarked pointedly.

Zhao Fang smiled bitterly. "There is no helping it. Lin'an City has suffered frequent demon and specter calamities in recent years. Even someone who did not know how to adapt should understand how to respond when encountering demons or specters.

Fortunately, none of the demons or specters that have appeared thus far have caused too great an impact.

Now that Lord Shen has arrived, there will be even less cause for concern.

After all, the Demon Suppression Bureau has slain countless demons and specters throughout the years. With Lord Shen's strength, there should be no problem dealing with this one."

By the end,

Zhao Fang had unobtrusively flattered him.

Before demons and specters,

ordinary people had no qualification to resist at all.

The only ones truly capable of dealing with demons and specters were the experts of the Demon Suppression Bureau.

Though Shen Changqing was only a probationary Demon Slayer Envoy, the lowest rank among all Demon Slayer Envoys, the fact that the Demon Suppression Bureau had dispatched him proved that he had the ability to handle the matter.

Zhao Fang did not dare slight him in the least.

"Where is the village where the demons or specters appeared?"

"It is roughly ten li outside Lin'an City's eastern gate." This time, Zhang Long answered.

After speaking,

he did not wait for Shen Changqing's reply before continuing, "If Lord Shen wishes to visit the village, it would be best to wait until tomorrow.

It is already late, and it is difficult to see at night, making it inconvenient to deal with demons or specters.

If you go during the day, the blazing sun will restrain them, making things easier instead."

"That will do."

Shen Changqing did not reject Zhang Long's suggestion, though it was not because dealing with demons or specters during the day was truly better.

Strictly speaking, demons and specters did not fear blazing sunlight.

Whether in daylight or darkness, their strength would neither weaken nor increase.

It was merely that in the eyes of ordinary people, demons and specters were sinister, evil things. Thus, they feared sunlight and did not dare show themselves easily during the day, while at night their strength greatly increased.

The reason Shen Changqing was not going now

was that he had traveled for a long time. Even an expert of the Meridian Passage Realm could not withstand such expenditure forever.

Besides,

the sky had already grown dark.

Though he could see at night, there was still some difference compared to daytime.

Very quickly,

Zhao Fang arranged lodging for Shen Changqing.

Considering that Shen Changqing was from the Demon Suppression Bureau, he did not dare show the slightest neglect.

Zhao Fang had originally wanted Shen Changqing to stay at his residence, but Shen Changqing refused. Thus, he could only arrange for him to stay at the best inn in the city.

Though Lin'an City was small,

it was still complete in all the vital organs.

It lacked none of the things it ought to have.

Led by Zhang Long, Shen Changqing arrived at an inn in Lin'an City. Because he retained memories of his previous life, he felt neither here nor there about the inn's environment.

"Lord Shen, please rest well. Early tomorrow morning, this subordinate will come to see you again!"

"Thank you for your trouble, Constable Zhang."

"You are too kind, Lord Shen. This subordinate shall take his leave!"

Zhang Long gave a cupped-fist salute and withdrew.

Soon, only Shen Changqing remained in the guest room.

He did not go to sleep immediately. Instead, he considered several matters. This was his first mission, and he could not afford the slightest carelessness.

Moreover,

his target was a specter. One moment of negligence might see him buried within it.

For the sake of his own life,

Shen Changqing had to treat this matter with the utmost caution, no matter what.

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