"Since there are rules, a lot of things will be easier to handle."
"Let's hope everything goes smoothly."
Elder Huang left the Archives Hall. About half an hour later, he quietly returned.
He looked at Li Qing. "Come with me. Someone wants to see you."
"Sure." Li Qing didn't waste words and followed Elder Huang out.
They turned this way and that through the Demon Extermination Hall and soon arrived at a detached little building.
It was in a remote spot, with hardly anyone around.
They entered the building and went up to the second floor.
Knock, knock, knock.
Elder Huang knocked on the door.
A low voice came from within. "Come in."
Elder Huang pushed open the door and entered, with Li Qing following behind him.
The room inside was dim, with only faint sunlight filtering through the gaps in the window.
It was very spacious. A lone figure shrouded in darkness stood at the far end of the room, facing away from them.
A low voice suddenly rang out. "Qin Wuming is your assumed name."
"Your real name is Li Qing. You're a fifteen-year-old errand boy at the Huayue Study in Qingshi County."
"Mr. Huayue of the Huayue Study picked you up off the street ten years ago."
"A little over half a month ago, Mr. Huayue practiced the Blood Refining Art of the Blood Demon Sect and suffered Rule-Breaking Alienation."
"You practiced that same art. When Mr. Huayue became an Anomaly and tried to kill you, you escaped and alerted the Demon Extermination Hall in Qingshi County."
"The Government Office put you on its wanted list, but you fled that very night."
"On the road, you met Wang Kuohai of the All-Under-Heaven Escort Agency. He used a magical artifact to kill an Anomaly."
"The artifact took the form of a Flood Dragon phantom. It must have come from some otherworldly being."
"Then you followed Wang Kuohai to settle at the All-Under-Heaven Escort Agency."
"The next day, because of your cultivation art, you attracted a member of the Blood Demon Sect in Jade City. From him, you obtained the Blood Fusion Art and the Blood Swallowing Art of the Blood Demon Sect."
"You combined the three arts and practiced the Blood Demon Scripture, the Blood Demon Sect's Foundation Establishment cultivation art, removing the enormous hidden dangers in all three techniques."
"Am I right, Li Qing?"
Hearing this, the hair on Li Qing's body stood on end, and his heart pounded.
The other party had uncovered all this in just half an hour. Li Qing's voice came out a little hoarse as he replied.
"That's right. My name is Li Qing."
"I had no choice but to run."
"I didn't want to be treated like some evil heretic."
The other person said flatly, "No need to explain. Now that you've joined the Demon Extermination Hall, as long as you don't break the law, no one can hold your past against you."
"Now tell me what you've found."
"If your information checks out, you can have what you asked for."
Li Qing took a deep breath and nodded. "All right."
"I figured it out from these cases..."
Without further ado, Li Qing spun a story, cleverly tying all the cases together.
"These cases seem unrelated, but in the end, they all benefit the same person."
"Commander-in-Chief Wang Jie. He must be colluding with the Blood Demon Sect."
The figure with his back to Li Qing fell into thought. Elder Huang, standing nearby, looked equally shocked, as something occurred to him.
Then Elder Huang suddenly said, "It's been a month since the Secretariat Office was wiped out. By the rules, the new officials for the Secretariat Office will arrive within two months at most."
"There are more and more refugees outside, and things are already beginning to turn unstable."
"I'm afraid something will happen within two months."
The figure shrouded in darkness nodded, then turned to face Li Qing.
He had a square face, thick eyebrows, and rough features, yet carried an air of uprightness.
"Li Qing, I'm Huang Tairen, the Jade City commander of the Demon Extermination Hall."
"The information and deductions you provided are logical. I'll grant your request, but your identity is still in question."
"Once this matter is settled, you can get what you want. Until then, you must stay in the Demon Extermination Hall and not leave."
"Second, you have a task: keep an eye on Wen Taiquan. Someone will give you updates about him every day."
"Find the person he's meeting with. That's your mission."
Li Qing frowned slightly, but after thinking it over, he nodded.
"Fine. I'll take the assignment."
Li Qing and Elder Huang left and returned to the Archives Hall.
Elder Huang said, "This is dangerous. If what you said is true, who knows how many Blood Demon Sect scoundrels are already lying in wait in this city?"
"What does the commander plan to do?"
Elder Huang smiled mysteriously. "That's none of your concern."
"Just do your own job."
"You'll get what you want."
"If everything checks out in the end."
"Good!"
Jade City Government Office.
Prefect Fang Qingyu was reading in a pavilion in the rear courtyard when a figure silently appeared behind him.
The two guards immediately drew their swords. "Who's there?"
"Fang Qingyu, send the two of them away."
At the sound of that voice, Prefect Fang Qingyu narrowed his eyes and looked at the figure dressed head to toe in black robes.
He waved at the two guards. "You can leave."
"Yes, sir," the guards replied.
They quietly left, leaving only Fang Qingyu and the black-robed figure in the pavilion.
"Why did you come dressed like this? If I hadn't recognized your voice, I'd have thought some bandit had broken into the Government Office."
Huang Tairen pulled down his mask and said gravely, "I have something important to discuss with you. I couldn't let anyone but you know I was here. This concerns the safety of all Jade City."
At Huang Tairen's words, Fang Qingyu's hand paused slightly on the book.
A solemn look crossed his face, and a cold glint filled his eyes.
"What happened?"
"The Blood Demon Sect colluded with Commander-in-Chief Wang Jie and wiped out Lord Li of the Secretariat Office and his entire family. They smuggled a large number of armed men and weapons into the city by river."
"Now the city is already fraught with hidden dangers. This is serious."
"You're the only one I can trust."
Fang Qingyu furrowed his brow and took a deep breath.
"What do you plan to do?"
Huang Tairen narrowed his eyes. "Here's what we'll do next..."
Fei Yangming was working in the Government Office when he suddenly saw two people walk past the entrance.
He frowned, hurried out, and called after them. "Wang Qi, Tang San, what are you two doing in the front office?"
They were Fang Qingyu's guards. Hearing Fei Yangming call them, they immediately turned around and cupped their hands.
"Greetings, Chief Constable!"
"The prefect told us to leave."
"What's going on?" Fei Yangming asked with a deep frown.
Tang San glanced around, then came to Fei Yangming's side and lowered his voice.
"A man in black went to see the prefect."
"The prefect told us to leave."