Wang Lei, Master of Many Talents

Wang Lei strode up to the recruitment board and cupped his fists at Xu Jin, his tone earnest. "Brother Xu, do you remember me? Wang Lei, Body Tempering Seventh Level. I excel at defense and tracking. Is your team still looking for people?"

The surrounding chatter abruptly fell quiet. Everyone stared at Xu Jin, waiting for his answer.

In this brief moment, more than a dozen people had already gathered before the recruitment notice. The few who had mocked him most fiercely earlier shrank to the back of the crowd without a word, while several others were eager to sign up, all wanting to cling to this dark horse's thigh.

Xu Jin swept his gaze over the crowd, then let it settle on Wang Lei.

Body Tempering Seventh Level, supplementary Class A admission—among the newcomers, his strength placed him in the first tier;

During the assessment, he had recognized the gap between them and reined in his arrogance. His temperament was not bad;

He came from the Containment Faction and knew more about demon habits, perfectly making up for Xu Jin's weakness.

"You'll do," Xu Jin said succinctly. "Gather at the garrison gate tomorrow at dawn. Let me make this clear first: when we're on a mission, you follow my command. Don't act on your own."

"Understood!" Wang Lei's eyes lit up, and he could not hide his delight as he hurriedly agreed. "Rest assured, Brother Xu. I definitely won't hold you back."

The crowd immediately erupted in an uproar, envious gazes falling upon Wang Lei in unison.

"Damn, this kid's luck is insane, isn't it? He just latched onto a Special Class A's thigh!"

"If I'd known, I would've stepped forward just now. What a pity he beat me to it."

"Going on missions with Xu Jin—wouldn't that be contribution points for free? I'd be willing to take a thirty-seventy split too."

Amid the discussion, Xu Jin did not linger. He turned and returned to the small courtyard to prepare the things he would need for the mission.

At dawn the next day, when the sky had only just begun to brighten, Xu Jin arrived at the garrison gate with a simple pack on his back. Wang Lei was already waiting there, holding the reins of two swift horses.

Both were green-maned horses with exceptional endurance. Waterskins and bags of dried rations hung beside their saddles, and even packets of insect-repelling medicine and wound-healing ointment had been prepared neatly and thoroughly.

"Brother Xu," Wang Lei said, hurrying forward to take his pack and efficiently tie it onto a horse's back. "I asked around. Willow Family Village is thirty li west of the outskirts, and we can reach it in a little over an hour on horseback. We'll have to pass through Black Pine Forest on the way, so I specifically brought extra beast-repelling powder."

He was thoughtful, quick with his hands, and kept his attitude exceedingly humble, without the slightest trace of the Containment Faction's former airs.

Xu Jin nodded faintly and mounted his horse. "Let's go."

The two horses rode side by side through the formation stone gate and headed west along the official road.

Wang Lei was very tactful along the way. He did not pry into Xu Jin's inheritance or origins, merely picking topics such as local customs and old Demon Suppression Bureau precedents. The conversation was neither awkwardly silent nor overly noisy.

Xu Jin did not speak much. Most of the time, he simply listened and occasionally gave a brief response.

He was fairly satisfied with this temporary teammate. Compared with deadweight that could only drag him down, a teammate like this—one who knew how to handle things and had sharp eyes—was indeed far less troublesome.

After traveling for about half an hour, the two stopped to rest at a roadside tea stall.

The moment they sat down, Wang Lei took the initiative to speak about the case. "Brother Xu, yesterday I asked an acquaintance at the west city post station about Willow Family Village. I've pretty much figured out all the details."

He counted on his fingers, laying everything out clearly. "The first to be struck was Li Er, a hunter from the village, half a month ago. He got up in the middle of the night to use the latrine, then was found unconscious in bed the next day. His face was pale, and his entire body was ice-cold. The physician said his yang energy had been excessively depleted. He died within a few days."

"After that, two more fell ill: a night watchman and a peddler. All were men in their prime, and every incident happened at midnight. The village hired a Daoist priest to perform rituals, but it was useless. Instead, it scared the priest sick as well. Only then did they report it to the Demon Suppression Bureau."

Holding his teacup, Xu Jin asked mildly, "What do you think?"

"I've ruled out several possibilities." Wang Lei's tone was certain. "First, it isn't a resentful spirit. Resentful spirits harbor obsessions and only seek out those they hate. Those three men had no dealings with each other and had never jointly offended anyone, so it doesn't fit."

"Mountain sprites and tree monsters can also be ruled out. Such demons leave claw marks or root imprints when they drain yang energy, but the scenes were spotless, without the slightest trace."

"That leaves the Night Charm as the most likely culprit." He leaned closer. "Night Charms are minor yin-aligned demons. They hide by day and emerge at night, specifically choosing lone men in their prime to drain their life force. They come without shadow and leave without trace, departing as soon as they are done, never leaving behind unnecessary evidence. It matches the case perfectly."

"Besides, according to old precedent, Night Charms usually hide in places heavy with yin energy during the day. There's a mass graveyard three li west of Willow Family Village, abandoned for years. There's a high chance that's where it's hiding."

His analysis was clear and orderly, his logic rigorous. He had obviously put in real effort.

Xu Jin tapped the tabletop with his fingertips, raising his assessment of Wang Lei by a few more degrees.

"Your analysis is correct." He raised his eyes, his tone calm. "As it happens, I cultivate a yang-aligned cultivation method. My sword qi carries yang fire and naturally restrains filthy yin demons like this. There's no need to enter the village and alert it. We'll go straight to the mass graveyard, find where it's hiding, and uproot it directly."

Wang Lei froze for a moment, then his heart shook.

He had only known that Xu Jin's Flying Sword Art was formidable. He had not expected his cultivation method to happen to counter Night Charms as well!

This was not a mission. This was practically bringing a dimensionality-reducing blow right to its doorstep.

He hurriedly nodded. "Alright! I'll follow Brother Xu's arrangements in everything!"

After resting enough, they continued on their way. The trees on either side of the official road gradually thickened as they drew ever closer to Willow Family Village.

Xu Jin suddenly broke the silence. "You serve under Hundred-Household Commander Zhang. The Containment Faction has no shortage of resources, so why not stay with your team? Why come out to do missions with me?"

Wang Lei gave a bitter smile. "Most of what the Containment Faction does is study demon remains and refine medicines. There are few chances to truly slay demons. I cultivate Bedrock Force, and only real combat can temper it and help me advance quickly. If I keep staying in the rear, no matter how high my realm gets, it'll be useless."

"And besides..." He scratched his head and spoke honestly. "Brother Xu, your strength is right there for all to see. Following you on missions is not only safe, but I can also learn things. It's far better than fumbling around on my own."

Xu Jin gave a quiet grunt, then asked, "Other than the defense of Bedrock Force, what else can you do? The tracking and aura discernment you mentioned earlier?"

"I grew up in the mountains," Wang Lei explained. "My nose is sharp, and I learned a rudimentary method for discerning auras. I can follow demon aura to find tracks. It isn't very precise, though. I can only tell the general direction. It works against mixed-blood grade demons, but not high-level ones."

Xu Jin's eyes flickered.

Tracking and aura discernment were precisely what he lacked.

His combat strength was sufficient, but he was not sensitive to demon aura. He had to rely entirely on deduction to find where demons were hiding.

With Wang Lei around, this would save him quite a bit of trouble.

"That will come in handy," Xu Jin said blandly. "When we reach the mass graveyard, you'll be responsible for locating the Night Charm. Leave the rest to me."

"Alright!" Wang Lei agreed at once, inwardly letting out a sigh of relief.

He had been afraid that he would be unable to help at all and merely ride along to victory. Now that he could contribute something, he would not seem completely useless.

As they spoke, beyond the end of the forest ahead, they could already vaguely see the uneven outlines of a cluster of desolate graves.

Willow Family Village Mass Graveyard had arrived.