Setting Out for Qingzhou

Dawn broke, and white mist swirled through the air.

Outside the quiet county town, more than ten carriages stood in a row.

The blackwood carriages were not carved with auspicious patterns. Instead, vivid images of ferocious beasts covered them, enough to make anyone's heart seize at the sight.

The horses pulling them were sturdy, with long, powerful legs and coats as black as pitch. They stood half a head taller than ordinary fine horses.

Dark-red fur covered their heads. One lifted its head, revealing a pair of vertical pupils, then snorted at the horse beside it.

Niu Da hurriedly clutched his bundle and stepped back. "What kind of horse has eyes like that? They look like a leopard's."

The beggar walked over and gently patted the horse's neck. Smiling, he said, "These are Half-Demon Beasts. They run fast and steady, and can travel even in the dead of night. They'll get us back to Qing Prefecture in two days at most."

Half-Demon Beasts were livestock whose bloodlines had been tainted by demons.

Once they gained intelligence, they became true monsters.

But when specially bred and raised generation after generation, their demonic nature weakened, leaving them with almost no chance of gaining intelligence.

After calming the Demon Horse, the beggar returned to Li Xinhan's side and said quietly, "For now, he seems to have learned a hodgepodge of things. He's trained in body-tempering martial arts similar to those of the Vajra Sect, and he also has some skill with the saber. According to the constables, when he draws his blade, there's even a distinct aura of demonic baleful intent."

"From what I saw yesterday, his steps are light and nimble when he walks, and I could faintly make out the foundations of Spirit Snake Eight Steps."

"Hmm... It's too mixed up and chaotic. He doesn't seem to have had any proper master."

Body-tempering martial arts, demonic saber techniques, and the Demon Suppression Division's light-footed movement arts—the things they could identify alone already spanned three entirely different paths.

As he spoke, the beggar sounded a little helpless. "With a wild style like that, he still knocked me flat with one move."

The greatest taboo for a martial artist was learning a jumble of techniques without any order.

After all, one's lifespan was limited.

Chasing one thing, then another, and learning a little of everything might seem like an advantage in a fight. In truth, any one of those disciplines could consume a huge amount of time.

"His talent shouldn't be any worse than yours, and he's about your age. That's probably why you've pulled ahead of him by a whole realm."

At this, Li Xinhan didn't change expression. "That's a good thing."

The fact that he'd learned a hodgepodge proved the other man had no connections and a clean background.

"And we're not the same age."

Li Xinhan gazed into the distance at the approaching figure and said coolly, "I'm a year and six months younger than him, and I reached the Jade Liquid Realm two years ago. If it hadn't been you who called on him the other day, but me, he still wouldn't have lasted one move against me."

Seeing that he was clearly upset but still pretending not to care, the beggar muttered under his breath, "If the one who opened the door had been Lady Lin, you wouldn't have lasted one move either... It's not even a sure thing yet. Do you really have to be this jealous?"

Li Xinhan's mouth twitched twice. He snorted, swept his sleeve around, and mounted his horse.

"..."

Old Liu stretched, then yawned. He couldn't be bothered to get involved in their argument.

They were all sons of respectable families from Qing Prefecture, chosen for the Demon Suppression Division in the same batch. Captain Li was talented and had advanced faster, but he never put on airs in front of his brothers. They often took jabs at each other, and nobody took it to heart.

He rubbed his neck and walked toward the group in the distance. "You're here? Your family members and servants can ride in those carriages at the back."

Chen Ji nodded and helped the somewhat ill-at-ease Chen Jinyu into a carriage already filled with women.

"Mm..."

Old Liu turned around and stared in astonishment at the enormous Butcher Zhang. "Never mind. You'd better ride in a carriage by yourself."

He led Shen Yi and Chen Ji into the first carriage.

When Li Xinhan lightly tugged the reins and rode at the very front, the other Demon Horses followed behind of their own accord, without needing drivers.

"Once we reach Qing Prefecture, train hard. You're a promising talent. Before long, you might have the chance to add another cloud-pattern stripe to your sleeve."

Sitting in the steady carriage, Old Liu first gave Chen Ji an encouraging look.

"This subordinate understands."

Chen Ji cupped his hands in reply, knowing that the other man was only saying this to save Lord Shen's face.

"I won't beat around the bush with you."

Old Liu looked at Shen Yi and rubbed his hands together. "So, what do you think? Interested in working with us? Captain Li has several pretty young ladies under him. You're not married yet, are you?"

Shen Yi lifted the curtain and looked outside.

Only Li Xinhan and the beggar were riding horses.

"What about the others?"

At that, Old Liu sighed. "They stayed in Baiyun County. They're waiting for the Inner Battalion patrol to come and take over."

"The Inner Battalion?" Shen Yi asked, somewhat curious.

Old Liu seemed reluctant to explain, but only spoke after Li Xinhan gave an audible snort outside the carriage. "The Qing Prefecture office of the Demon Suppression Division is split into three battalions. Besides the place where the newcomers stay, there are also the Inner and Outer Battalions."

"As for the Inner Battalion, aside from making regular patrols of the counties, they spend their days in Qing Prefecture City, walking the streets and drinking... They know all about guarding the peace, but rarely leave the city. It's boring to death."

"Our Outer Battalion has far more swagger. Both the Commander-in-Chief and Lady Lin started out in the Outer Battalion when they were young. We have much more freedom, and often keep company with mountains and rivers, taking in the beauty of the world. There's nothing more carefree."

Chen Ji listened in confusion and asked softly, "Um, if you're always wandering outside the city, won't you run into a lot of demons?"

"You..."

Old Liu glared at him and opened his mouth, then found himself at a loss for words. "It wouldn't be hard for Brother Shen to join the Inner Battalion either. Captain Li just has to put in a word. His family is one of the big households in Qing Prefecture, and they have money to spare. They can certainly manage that little favor... The young ladies on our team really are beautiful. Think it over."

Shen Yi let the curtain fall. He couldn't shake the feeling that the man sounded like a madam trying to recruit him for a brothel.

To spend one's whole life in a safe place, free from demonic attacks, with a secure government job to boot—

anyone would find such a good deal impossible to refuse.

Anyone but him.

Without demons to provide him with lifespan, Shen Yi's so-called "talent" would be exposed in an instant.

His true ability was that, after a lifetime of hard cultivation, he might barely qualify as a decent saber fighter.

He couldn't compare with these Demon Suppression Division Lieutenants, and he was nowhere near Chen Ji's level either.

"The Outer Battalion sounds good. I'll leave it all to you, Captain."

Shen Yi withdrew his gaze, looking as though he'd truly believed all the nonsense Old Liu had fed him.

Outside the carriage, Li Xinhan continued riding with a calm expression, but his grip on the reins loosened slightly.

"I knew you had a good eye!"

Old Liu clapped his hands cheerfully and gave a thumbs-up. "You saw at a glance that our future is bright."

The Demon Suppression Division placed great importance on achievements, and competition between its members was fierce.

If Captain Li wanted a promotion, he had to assemble a team of his own.

Compared with the other teams led by Vice Generals, he was younger and less experienced, which naturally put him at a disadvantage when choosing people.

Someone as capable as Shen Yi might not seem like much to the other Vice Generals, but to their team, he was a treasure they'd stumbled upon.

"..."

Chen Ji sat in a corner, feeling a little wistful.

They were all from Baiyun County, yet while the rest of them fretted anxiously about their futures, Lord Shen had already become someone these Demon Suppression Lieutenants were scrambling to recruit.