Promotion, Commander Wei!

At his words, Wei Xuanfeng gave the bandit chief a dazzling yet cruel smile.

"If you give me the Gongsun Family's name, I'll spare your life. If outsiders heard it, wouldn't they think I was afraid of them?"

As he spoke, he raised his blade and stepped forward.

The bandit chief staggered back in panic, lifting his podao as he said, "Big brother, there are five beauties in my stronghold, all of them virgins. Can't I trade them for my life?"

"...Tch."

Wei Xuanfeng frowned. Why did everyone take him for some lecherous devil?

Yet in the instant he frowned, the bandit chief suddenly sprang into action, thrusting his podao straight at Wei Xuanfeng's lower body as he shouted, "This one's tough! Get him together!"

At the signal, two figures burst out of the ground to Wei Xuanfeng's left and right.

Still in midair, their podao blades were already slashing toward Wei Xuanfeng.

The three attacked from above, the middle, and below, forming a triangular formation.

Another figure darted from the shadows, a cold flash of steel cutting toward Jiao Yu...

The moment the bandit chief shouted, Wei Xuanfeng moved with his blade, attacking to the right.

He was incredibly fast. The bandit on the right swung his podao, only to find that his target had vanished.

Before he could change his move, Wei Xuanfeng was already upon him, delivering three slashes in an instant.

The bandit on the right was left completely exposed.

Wei Xuanfeng struck with all his strength, sending both man and sword flying with the blow.

His blade was knocked away, blood sprayed from his mouth, and he had no power to fight back.

The bandit on the right went hurtling away and crashed heavily into a tree, dying on the spot.

Only then did the bandit chief and the bandit on the left reach him with their twin blades.

Seeing the bandit on the right killed in a single exchange, and seeing their perfect ambush prove utterly useless, fear rose in their hearts, and their movements inevitably slowed.

Worried about Jiao Yu, Wei Xuanfeng fought ever more fiercely. Exquisite moves flowed endlessly from his long blade, driving the two bandits into a cold sweat as they fended left and right, unable to display even half their usual strength.

At last, in the instant they passed one another, he had his life ended by a palm strike and a blade at the same time.

Meanwhile, Jiao Yu was still locked in battle with the bandit attacking her.

Even without inner strength, Jiao Yu's martial arts techniques and keen eye remained intact.

Facing the bandit's attacks, she repeatedly turned danger into safety.

"Boss, I'm coming to help you!"

Afraid something might happen to her, Wei Xuanfeng flashed forward.

With one slash, before the bandit could even react, his head flew high into the air.

Spurting blood scattered across Jiao Yu's delicate face.

Bright red blood filled the eye. Within a radius of ten paces, the earth was nearly stained crimson. More than a dozen corpses lay before them, all because they had taken a road of no return.

"Be more careful next time. You sprayed my whole face."

Having been helped by her subordinate, Jiao Yu felt somewhat stifled.

But she could hardly lose her temper, so she could only shoot Wei Xuanfeng a glare and wipe herself clean in a huff.

"Boss, you're hurt." Seeing the bloody mark on Jiao Yu's chest, Wei Xuanfeng immediately flew into a rage.

Those damned bandits—where the hell were they aiming?

He hurriedly set down the two women he had been carrying, then went to support Jiao Yu.

"When a tiger falls to the plains, even dogs dare bully it. If I had inner strength, I could take on a hundred of this sort!" Jiao Yu said dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!"

As Wei Xuanfeng spoke, he tore off a strip of cloth from his clothes, then removed Jiao Yu's outer garment.

Perhaps because of their time together these past few days, Jiao Yu had actually grown used to it.

It was only when she caught Fox Murong and Wen Shihan looking at her with the exact same expression from the corner of her eye that she realized something was wrong.

"It's... it's not like I'm going to die. There's no need to bandage it." She tried to push Wei Xuanfeng away.

But to Wei Xuanfeng, her soft, feeble strength felt more like a coy refusal than genuine resistance.

"Boss, I actually think it's a good thing those bandits came." Wei Xuanfeng pushed her hand aside and continued bandaging her. "And it's a good thing you got this injury too."

"What do you mean? You got another eyeful, didn't you?" Jiao Yu said gloomily.

"Hehe..." Wei Xuanfeng gave an awkward laugh and did not deny it. "Not just that..."

"Then what other benefits are there?"

"Boss, I'm guessing you still haven't figured out how to face Pacification Commissioner Wu."

At those words, Jiao Yu fell silent.

"Since you haven't figured it out, why not pretend to be unconscious?"

"Hm?"

"After we get back, sleep for ten days or half a month first," Wei Xuanfeng said earnestly. "With that time as a buffer, whether you choose to leave or stay, it'll be easier for both sides to accept..."

Leave... stay...

Jiao Yu fell silent again.

Ever since joining the Demon Suppression Directorate, she had worked with painstaking diligence.

Yet she had been schemed against so cruelly by her superior, nearly dragging these three children down to their deaths with her.

She truly did not want to remain in the Demon Suppression Directorate any longer.

But if she left...

Where could she go...

She had spent half her life in the Demon Suppression Directorate. Instinctively, she harbored a deep resistance toward the world outside.

"That works too..."

After turning it over and over in her mind, Jiao Yu decided Wei Xuanfeng was right.

Feigning unconsciousness might give both herself and Wu Santong a little more dignity...

Seeing Jiao Yu agree, Wei Xuanfeng immediately called Fox Murong and Wen Shihan over.

After the four of them discussed it for a while, they set off once more.

Only this time, Wei Xuanfeng was even more exhausted.

Not only did he have to carry Fox Murong on his back, he also had to hold Jiao Yu, who was pretending to have fainted.

Fortunately, Wen Shihan was strong-willed and could still keep walking.

With Fox Murong on his back and Jiao Yu in his arms, Wei Xuanfeng finally led the group through Kang City's gates, Wen Shihan following behind.

The soldiers guarding the gates instinctively straightened when they saw the Flying Fish uniforms, but at the sight of the group's bedraggled state, they could not help stealing a few extra glances.

Wei Xuanfeng ignored them. After taking out a change of clothes for the women, he rented a carriage.

Driving the carriage, they returned to the Northern Pacification Bureau before nightfall.

Colleagues along the way turned to look when they saw Jiao Yu being carried back. Some wanted to step forward and ask what had happened, but a single glance from Wei Xuanfeng stopped them in their tracks.

Without slowing his pace, he brought the three women back to his small courtyard. Pushing open the door, he laid Jiao Yu on the bed, then helped Fox Murong into a chair to lean against.

"You two stay here and don't move. I'll fetch a doctor."

After giving the instruction, Wei Xuanfeng turned and left.

A short while later, he returned with a young female doctor carrying a medicine chest.

The doctor's surname was Zhao, and her name was Xiaoya. She usually treated the wounded soldiers of the Demon Suppression Directorate.

Xiaoya took the pulses of all three in turn, then checked their eyelids and tongue coating. Frowning, she said, "There are residual toxins in their bodies. They aren't fatal, but they need rest and recuperation. Hundred-Household Commander Jiao has external injuries as well. I've applied medicine already; there's nothing serious."

Wei Xuanfeng thanked her and pressed a silver ingot into her hand. Xiaoya declined twice before accepting it, then left behind several prescriptions and departed.

After settling the three women in, Wei Xuanfeng changed into clean clothes, straightened his collar, and headed for Wu Santong's office.

Wu Santong's office was behind the main hall of the Northern Pacification Bureau. Through a moon gate, it was the third room on the left.

A black-lacquered plaque hung above the door, bearing the two characters: "Holding a Candle." The calligraphy was steady and restrained.

Two personal guards holding sabers stood outside. When they saw Wei Xuanfeng approach, they looked him up and down but did not stop him. One merely said in a low voice, "Lord Wu is inside. Go in."

Wei Xuanfeng pushed the door open and entered.

The room was not large. A black-lacquered desk stood in the center, piled with several stacks of case files and a cup of tea that had not yet gone cold.

A bookshelf stood in the corner, beside a low couch.

Wu Santong sat behind the desk, his head lowered as he reviewed something. Hearing footsteps, he looked up.

He did not rise. He merely set the brush in his hand upon its rest and tipped his chin toward the chair opposite him.

"Sit."

Wei Xuanfeng cupped his hands in salute, then sat down.

He noticed that one half of the window was open. The light streaming in clearly illuminated half of Wu Santong's face, while the other half remained hidden in shadow.

No emotion could be seen on Wu Santong's face. Only the bags beneath his eyes were heavier than they had been three months ago.

"Speak." Wu Santong lifted his teacup.

Wei Xuanfeng took a deep breath and laid out the words he had prepared.

He began with the situation in Chen Family Village.

By the time they arrived, the villagers and blade soldiers had already been killed. The culprits were Black Banner men, who had used some kind of mosquito; the victims' bodies had been shriveled dry.

Then came Embroidery and Seven Killings. Embroidery had jumped off a cliff, while Seven Killings had been killed by Duan Hai.

When he mentioned Duan Hai, he paused...

He knew the weight of saying that there was a traitor among the Northern Pacification Bureau's Hundred-Household Commanders.

"Duan Hai is with Black Banner," Wei Xuanfeng said. "He worked with that old man called Elder Mo to set a trap and seize the Spring Lotus."

Wu Santong's brow twitched, but it swiftly returned to calm.

Wei Xuanfeng continued, "Before Embroidery fell from the cliff, she left behind words written in blood. They spelled 'Duan Hai.'"

Wu Santong said nothing.

He lifted his teacup, took a sip, then set it back down.

Wei Xuanfeng went on to speak of the Earth Immortal Spring Lotus. "I obtained the Spring Lotus. But Elder Mo's Blackwater Mosquitoes pressed too close. I had no time to bring it back, and with no other choice, I destroyed it."

"Destroyed it?" Wu Santong's voice was neither high nor low, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"I tore it apart and threw it into the stream. The current scattered it," Wei Xuanfeng replied evenly. "At the time, three of my comrades had been poisoned and fallen unconscious. I was alone, carrying three people. Staying alive came first."

Wu Santong fell silent.

It was as if half the air in the room had been sucked away.

Wei Xuanfeng could feel those eyes scrutinizing him, weighing every word he had spoken.

But he did not look away, nor did he offer any further explanation.

After a long while, Wu Santong leaned back in his chair and briefly closed his eyes.

"You may go," he said.

Wei Xuanfeng rose, only to hear him add, "Wei Xuanfeng, you did well this time."

"It was my duty." Wei Xuanfeng cupped his hands in salute.

"Once your injuries heal, you'll be promoted to General Banner."

Having said that, Wu Santong waved a hand, signaling that he could leave.

Wei Xuanfeng turned and pushed the door open.

The light outside was far brighter than inside. He narrowed his eyes, catching sight from the corner of them of two Hundred-Household Commanders standing beneath the eaves, waiting to report back. Both were casting sidelong glances his way.

One wore a smile at the corner of his mouth; the other's expression was mild, his gaze carrying a hint of appraisal.

"Little Banner Wei," the smiling Hundred-Household Commander took the initiative to cup his hands. "I heard your trip wasn't an easy one. When you have time, tell me about it?"

"Another day, certainly." Wei Xuanfeng returned the salute without stopping, striding toward the small courtyard.

Faint whispers drifted from behind him. He did not need to turn around to know...

From blade soldier to General Banner, even if it was only a single rank, within this system it meant people would look at you differently.

He pushed open the door and returned to the small courtyard. Jiao Yu lay on the bed with her eyes closed, Fox Murong was dozing against the back of a chair, and Wen Shihan was taking the medicine pot off the stove.

Wei Xuanfeng walked to Jiao Yu's bedside, bent down, and spoke in a low voice.

"Boss, it's handled. Wu Santong believes seven or eight parts out of ten. I've been promoted to General Banner. We'll talk once you 'wake up.'"

Jiao Yu's eyelids twitched, but she did not open them.

Wei Xuanfeng straightened and clapped his hands.

"Come on. Let's see if the kitchen has anything to eat. We came back from this trip with empty stomachs."

Fox Murong opened her eyes and weakly stretched out a hand. "I want dumplings."

"Fine, fine. Dumplings."

He led Fox Murong and Wen Shihan through the corridor. As they neared the kitchen, they could hear the lively commotion inside from afar...

The rhythmic thud of filling being chopped on a cutting board, the rush of steam billowing out as pot lids were lifted, several burly blade soldiers squatting by the entrance and peeling garlic as they laughed and chatted—it was as bustling as New Year's. Old Yang's voice rang out from the kitchen, bright as a bronze gong.

"Chop the meat finer! Add more minced ginger to the filling—Beauty Jiao can't stand the gamey smell!"

Wei Xuanfeng's steps faltered.

He saw Old Yang wearing an apron caked with flour, bent over as he sprinkled pepper into a basin of minced meat on the chopping board. He hummed an unknown tune under his breath, his whole body wrapped in the heat from the stove, sweat covering his forehead.

A blade soldier helping in the kitchen looked up and spotted the three of them at the door. He froze for a moment, then broke into a wide grin.

"Oh! Xuanfeng's back! Why's Little Murong gotten so thin? Old Yang, look who's here!"

Old Yang looked up at the sound, still holding the basin in his hands.

A smile had just begun to spread across his face when his gaze swept over Wei Xuanfeng, Fox Murong, and Wen Shihan...

All three were standing there. No one stood behind them.

His smile stiffened. He tilted his head and looked past them, as though waiting for someone to step out of the shadows.

"You little brats," Old Yang laughed as he scolded them. "Keeping all the good food to yourselves, are you? Why didn't you call your boss over too?!"

Fox Murong's nose stung, and her eyes reddened first.

She lowered her head without saying a word.

Wen Shihan turned her face away as well, biting her lower lip.

Wei Xuanfeng opened his mouth, his voice somewhat muffled.

"Uncle Yang..."

The smile on Old Yang's face faded bit by bit, as though someone had splashed a ladleful of cold water across it.

The basin in his hand slipped, though it did not fall. Yet his fingers seemed to lose all strength at once, and he set it on the chopping board.

"Xuanfeng," his voice suddenly turned hoarse, as if a wad of cotton had been stuffed in his throat. "You... your boss... what happened to her..."