Neither of them spoke along the way.
As they neared the Evil Extermination Division, Chen Chun's steps faltered. Looking at its sprawling grounds, he felt a flicker of fear.
That day, he had been thrown out of the Evil Extermination Division. Now he was going back in. Would they throw him out again?
Two prefecture clerks guarded the entrance.
Clerks from the Internal Affairs Division did not go on field assignments, so guarding the entrance suited them.
Seeing the badge at Qin An's waist, the clerks bowed with clasped fists. "Greetings, my lord!"
My lord?
Chen Chun froze for a moment.
Within the Evil Extermination Division, only Bronze Captains and those above them were addressed as "my lord" by prefecture clerks.
Earlier, on that moonless, windy night, he had not seen clearly.
Only now did he notice the bronze badge at Qin An's waist. Shock rocked him.
Hadn't he only just joined the Evil Extermination Division? How had he already been promoted to Bronze Captain?
As soon as the thought arose, scenes from Ding County flashed through Chen Chun's mind like a revolving lantern.
Of course. With Qin An's talent, it makes sense, Chen Chun thought.
He knew how talented Qin An was. Suddenly, everything before him seemed perfectly natural.
Qin An rested a hand on the Black Blade and entered the Evil Extermination Division, heading straight for Cheng Sufeng's quarters.
He was no fool.
Power within the Evil Extermination Division was tangled. Since he had a Silver Captain above him, he might as well ask Cheng Sufeng first.
Chen Chun followed Qin An, envy filling his eyes as he watched the black-robed figures coming and going.
Before long, they reached Cheng Sufeng's quarters.
Night had already fallen.
Cheng Sufeng sat alone in the courtyard, reading a medical text with care.
Hearing them approach, Cheng Sufeng looked up and pointed to a seat beside him.
"Sit."
Qin An strode over and sat down.
Chen Chun bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Lord Cheng."
Cheng Sufeng nodded slightly. "I already know what happened in Kaoshan Village. Tomorrow, the Internal Affairs Division will notify you to visit the Confidential Archives and redeem the cultivation methods you need."
"You will also be awarded three blood crystals."
Qin An nodded. "I'll collect them tomorrow."
Cheng Sufeng looked at Chen Chun. "Why have you brought him here?"
Qin An explained the matter in detail. Then he fell silent and toyed with the Black Blade in his hand.
Chen Chun lowered his head, trembling.
He had never imagined Qin An would bring him before a Silver Captain.
A Silver Captain was someone whose name struck fear into the demons and false gods of Ling Prefecture.
An ordinary Silver Captain commanded hundreds of Bronze Captains. Even a Bronze Captain could not easily secure an audience.
Yet this Silver Captain seemed to value Qin An greatly and did not mind being disturbed so late at night.
After hearing him out, Cheng Sufeng sighed. "I'll write a letter tomorrow assigning Chen Chun to serve under one of my Bronze Captains."
Chen Chun paused, stunned that it had been settled so easily.
Cheng Sufeng continued, "Qin An, Zhou Mo exploited a loophole. That makes him difficult to deal with."
The Evil Extermination Division rarely interfered when merits were shared.
As long as no one stole credit, the sharing of merits happened from time to time within the division.
Anyone who entered the Evil Extermination Division through shared merits would still have to risk his life. If his strength fell short, he would only be throwing his life away.
Cheng Sufeng knew the higher-ups would smooth things over rather than punish a demon-slaying, evil-exorcising Bronze Captain for the sake of an undercover agent.
Qin An nodded. "I only want Chen Chun to receive what he deserves."
He did not want to concern himself with anything more. It was enough that Chen Chun could join the Evil Extermination Division.
Cheng Sufeng rubbed his brow. "Still as detached as ever. I rather like that about you."
Qin An stood. "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
He had come for Chen Chun's sake. Now that the matter was settled, there was no reason to stay.
He would go back, rest, and gather his strength. Tomorrow, he still had to collect the cultivation methods and blood crystals, then deduce his cultivation methods to a higher level.
Chen Chun stayed behind. He still needed to collect Cheng Sufeng's handwritten letter and report to the Bronze Captain under him.
Even late at night, someone remained on duty at the Internal Affairs Division, so it would be no great trouble.
As for Zhou Mo...
If Zhou Mo came looking for trouble over this, Qin An would not mind playing along.
The next day.
Sunlight streamed through the window and into the room.
A clerk from the Internal Affairs Division came to Qin An's door carrying a tray and knocked respectfully.
When the door opened, the clerk immediately lowered his head and bowed.
"My lord, your three blood crystals have arrived. You may take this document to the Confidential Archives."
The Evil Extermination Division worked swiftly. By morning, it had tallied all the merits from the previous assignment.
Cultivation methods were not the only reward. Blood crystals were rewards too.
Both cultivation methods and blood crystals were vital to members of the Evil Extermination Division.
Qin An took the blood crystals and circulated the true qi within his body.
He drew all three blood crystals into his body and stored them there.
After tidying up, Qin An headed for the Confidential Archives.
The Confidential Archives.
After carefully verifying Qin An's identity, an Internal Affairs Division clerk returned his bronze badge and bowed with clasped fists. "My lord, you may select five Body Infusion Realm cultivation methods."
Qin An had earned the greatest merit on the Kaoshan Village mission, so his reward was naturally extraordinary. Five cultivation methods were a generous prize.
For ordinary cultivators, the benefits of having more cultivation methods were beyond words.
If they remained at a bottleneck for a long time, methods of the same type could help them draw parallels. At some point, they might break through to the next level.
That was why the Evil Extermination Division placed cultivation methods first among its rewards.
Qin An nodded, put away his bronze badge, and entered the Confidential Archives.
Inside, rows of bookshelves stood in orderly lines.
As Qin An moved between them, lines of mist appeared before his eyes, twisting like snakes into words.
[Qin An] [Body Infusion Realm Great Accomplishment] [Ice-Fire Dual Cultivation Method (Great Accomplishment), Demon-Subduing Three Suns Blade (Great Accomplishment), Crimson Firmament Hand (Great Accomplishment), Azure Serpent Movement (Initial Understanding), Reversing Gang Qi (Initial Understanding)]
These were the cultivation methods Qin An currently practiced.
He had already made his plans before coming here.
Five cultivation methods matched the five he practiced. It could hardly have worked out better.
The first thing he wanted to find was a mind method.
The Ice-Fire Dual Cultivation Method excelled at defeating enemies with ice and fire qi. It was not only immensely powerful but also caught opponents off guard.
If ice and fire qi entered someone's body, it would take root like an ancient tree and prove difficult to expel.
After many deductions, Qin An had only managed to bring it to Great Accomplishment.
To bring it to Perfection, his best option was to find a mind method compatible with the Ice-Fire Dual Cultivation Method.
After searching the shelves for some time, Qin An found a mind method called Ice Soul Flame Heart.
This mind method also cultivated ice and fire qi, making it highly compatible with the Ice-Fire Dual Cultivation Method.
After a moment's thought, Qin An took it, then began looking for a cultivation method compatible with the Demon-Subduing Three Suns Blade.
Only half an hour later did Qin An find all the cultivation methods he wanted.
With all five selected, Qin An handed them to the Internal Affairs Division clerk.
The clerk recorded them in detail and gave Qin An copied editions.
Carrying the five cultivation methods, Qin An returned to his room without a word.
After closing the door behind him, Qin An first read Ice Soul Flame Heart.
His Scholar Profession improved slightly.
Qin An sat cross-legged and silently circulated his true qi according to Ice Soul Flame Heart.
A moment later, a line of mist appeared before his eyes.
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