Entering the Demon Suppression Office

Many times,

people thought they had grasped fate, when in truth, fate had grasped them.

"Jiang Xun's daughter, Jiang Yuechu?"

The moment those words were spoken,

Jiang Yuechu froze.

She had considered that her identity might be exposed, but she had never imagined it would happen like this.

Damn!

Damn!

Damn!

In an instant,

countless thoughts flashed through her mind.

Run?

How could she run?

This was the Military Commissioner's Office of the Demon Suppression Office. She could not even get out of bed right now.

Kill them to silence them?

Not to mention her current wretched state—even at her peak, this middle-aged man before her felt more unfathomable than that Pig Demon in the Bone-Chiming Realm.

Play dumb?

"My lord, what are you talking about? This little woman does not understand..."

That would not only be treating him like an idiot.

It would make her look even more like one.

In the flash of lightning and spark of flint, she forcibly suppressed the terror that had nearly suffocated her.

She raised her eyes and looked at that refined face. To her surprise, her heart gradually calmed.

Thinking carefully, the original owner of this body had been a prisoner personally escorted by the Demon Suppression Office.

From the capital to Longyou Circuit, the documents, files, and registers along the way had clearly recorded her name, her background, and perhaps even her portrait.

So long as she still needed to slay demons and exterminate fiends, so long as the Demon Suppression Office still existed in this world,

she and they would inevitably meet. It was only a matter of time.

Having understood this, Jiang Yuechu inexplicably felt lighter.

It was like a criminal who hid and fled every day.

When suddenly caught, perhaps they truly would feel relieved.

She did not answer Wei He's question. She merely looked at him in silence.

That reaction made a flicker of surprise pass through Wei He's eyes.

At the side, Wei Qing looked at her brother, then at the silent girl on the bed, her face full of confusion.

"Brother, you... you know each other?"

Wei He shook his head. "Know each other? Not really... Qing'er, go out first."

They did not know each other?

Doubts rose in Wei Qing's heart.

One's own family knew one's own temperament best.

Her brother spent his days either handling official business or practicing his saber. He was sparing with words and never smiled. Even the dogs in the residence disliked the heavy killing intent around him and would detour around him whenever they saw him.

Yet from the moment he had instructed her to personally care for this girl, Wei Qing had felt that something was amiss.

Not only had he asked her to tend to the girl herself, but every medicine used was a treasured item normally locked away at the bottom of the Military Commissioner's storehouse.

Snow ginseng, Solomon's seal...

Even an ordinary captain who had suffered severe injuries might not be willing to use such things.

Yet now, they were being poured onto an unknown girl like flowing water.

Could it be... this girl was some romantic debt her brother had incurred outside?

Wei Qing promptly shook her head and threw that absurd thought away.

With that block of wood? What would he know about romance?

Though her thoughts ran wild, she obediently answered, bowed, and withdrew, gently pulling the door shut behind her.

Only Jiang Yuechu and Wei He remained in the room.

For a time, the room fell silent.

Wei He did not speak, and Jiang Yuechu did not speak either.

After a long while,

Wei He finally said slowly, "Half a month ago, Pei Changqing led a squad of Demon-Suppression Guards out of Liangzhou. Since then, all news of them has suddenly vanished. Their fate is unknown."

"Only you survived..."

With matters having reached this point, any further excuses would be futile.

She slowly raised her head and met Wei He's eyes.

"What do you want?"

Seeing her brazen manner, Wei He actually laughed.

"What do I want?"

"Jiang Yuechu, you are a fugitive. You should have been exiled to the border. Escaping without permission adds another crime to your sentence, not to mention that you are suspected of murdering members of the Demon Suppression Office. By law, you should be executed."

"However..."

Wei He changed the subject.

"You slew a Bone-Chiming Great Demon and saved Xu Nian, Liu Chen, and seven other Demon-Suppression Guards. That is a great merit."

He extended two fingers and lightly tapped them against his knee.

"Merit and demerit cancel each other out. Your life is preserved."

Jiang Yuechu said nothing. She only stared fixedly at him.

She did not believe such a good thing existed under heaven.

Would the Demon Suppression Office spare a fugitive who might have killed their colleagues merely because she had rendered a service?

Wei He finally revealed his purpose.

"I am curious where your strange abilities came from, but I can choose not to care."

He stood and returned to the window, clasping his hands behind his back and leaving Jiang Yuechu with only his silhouette.

"Now, you have two choices."

"First, I can have you escorted back to the capital. Your strange abilities, along with Pei Changqing's death, will be handed to the Ministry of Justice, Dali Temple, and... the Imperial City Office, for them to investigate thoroughly."

"Rest assured. No one dares use private torture on prisoners of the Demon Suppression Office."

Jiang Yuechu's heart sank to the bottom in an instant.

Return to the capital?

Her father's case was already riddled with strangeness, and her strength had only barely reached Perfected String-Hearing.

If she were sent back, she would likely face nine deaths for every chance of survival.

"And the second choice?"

Wei He turned around. "Very simple."

"My Demon Suppression Office does not ask about one's origins or one's past. We only look at one's abilities."

"Join the Demon Suppression Office."

"From this day onward, I can wipe your matters clean with one stroke of the brush. That includes the Jiang Household's case. No one will pursue it further."

"You slay demons for the Demon Suppression Office, and the Demon Suppression Office will provide you with protection."

"What do you say?"

The moment she heard this, Jiang Yuechu's expression turned strange.

Was there even a choice to make?

A fugitive without household registration or travel papers could barely take a single step in this world of rampant demons and strict authorities.

But if she joined the Demon Suppression Office, she could not only solve her registration problem, but also slay demons and exterminate fiends openly, accumulate Dao Cultivation, and increase her strength.

Was there truly such a good deal under heaven?

Wei He did not know what she was thinking.

Seeing her strange expression, he thought she had been frightened by the proposal of joining the Demon Suppression Office.

That was understandable.

There were as many martial artists in the world as carp crossing a river, yet very few were truly willing to enter the Demon Suppression Office.

Those blessed with extraordinary talent were rarer still, like phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

Why?

Because they feared death.

Joining the Demon Suppression Office meant spending the rest of one's life among demons and fiends, licking blood from the edge of a blade, never knowing whether one would survive to see tomorrow.

Any normal person would find it far safer to join a great sect, become an Attendant or guard for a wealthy household, or even seek a future in the army than to come to the Demon Suppression Office.

The Demon Suppression Office's salary and death benefits might surpass every other department in Great Tang.

But if one was dead, what use were all those yellow and white treasures?

Yet how could he have imagined it?

The girl before him was not normal at all.

Wei He had still intended to say more.

He had even prepared an entire set of arguments.

First, he would threaten her, making clear the consequences of being escorted back to the capital. Then he would tempt her with benefits, explaining the Demon Suppression Office's many advantages—salary, merit, martial arts, divine weapons... so long as one was capable, everything would be within easy reach.

He had even decided that if this little girl still hesitated, he would add fuel to the fire by revealing a little about the truth behind the Jiang Household case, letting her understand that apart from the Demon Suppression Office, there was nowhere else in the world that could shelter her.

But before he could speak,

he heard the girl on the bed softly utter a single word.

"Alright."

Her decisiveness left Wei He utterly at a loss.

"...What did you say?"

Jiang Yuechu raised her eyes and calmly repeated herself.

"I choose to join the Demon Suppression Office."

"..."

"Cough..."

Wei He gave a light cough, concealing his brief lapse of composure. "Since you have agreed, from today onward, you are a Demon-Suppression Guard of my Longyou Circuit Demon Suppression Office."

"A Demon-Suppression Guard?"

"A Demon-Suppression Guard is Principal Ninth Rank, the lowest-ranking official post in my Demon Suppression Office. The monthly salary is five taels, along with three shi of rice and ten jin of meat. Upon entering the Office, you will be issued one standard horizontal saber forged from black iron, sharp enough to sever hair with a breath, two changes of clothing, and one waist token."

"There is compensation for injuries, posthumous promotion for death, and if you have family members, they may attend the Office school without paying any tuition or fees."

For some reason, he patiently explained further. "By rights, since you slew a Bone-Chiming Great Demon and possess an innate divine ability, the lowest post you could hold would be Eighth-Rank Squad Commander. But even when I joined the Demon Suppression Office, I served several years as a Demon-Suppression Guard and rose step by step through merit. Though the brothers do not wish to see their comrades suffer, neither do they wish to see someone ascend to heaven in a single step. Do you understand?"

Jiang Yuechu did not mind.

A Ninth-Rank Demon Suppressor might be the lowest rank, but she was still an official.

In the original owner's memories, a seventh-rank county magistrate in Great Tang was already a local emperor.

She was a fugitive bearing guilt, yet with a shake she had become a ninth-rank official constable, and one from the Demon Suppression Office at that. No matter how she looked at it, she was not losing out.

Besides, five taels a month was already quite good.

According to the original owner's memories, even in the capital, an ordinary family of five spent only two taels of silver each month.

And that was merely the base salary. From the way he spoke, there were clearly other sources of income.

"Thank you for your guidance, my lord."

Seeing this, satisfaction flashed through Wei He's eyes.

"The blood and vitality within your body are depleted. Though spiritual medicines are sustaining you, your foundation has been damaged. Recovery will not happen in a day. For the next few days, stay here and recover peacefully."

"Once your injuries have healed, I will send someone to take you to your post."

"Thank you, my lord."

"You need not thank me. Since you serve the Demon Suppression Office, the Demon Suppression Office naturally will not treat you unfairly..."

He fell silent for a moment, as though weighing something, before finally speaking again.

"Your father Jiang Xun's case implicated far too many people. It is far from as simple as ordinary factional strife in court."

"This case is like a whirlpool in the abyss. With your current strength, let alone investigating it, merely drawing a little closer would be like a mantis trying to stop a cart—seeking your own destruction."

"Act according to your virtue, proceed according to your strength. If you wish to fell a towering tree, you must first sharpen your tools."

"Do you understand?"

Jiang Yuechu lowered her gaze. Her long lashes concealed the emotions in her eyes as she obediently nodded.

"I will keep your teachings firmly in mind, my lord."

After all that rambling, his meaning was simple: her father's case was too deeply entangled, she was too weak right now, and she should not go throwing her life away.

"Good that you understand."

He said no more and turned to leave.

When he reached the door, however, he paused again.

"Oh, right. Pei Changqing's ancestral home was Guangwu. In this way, he can be considered to have fallen leaves returning to their roots."

Jiang Yuechu sat stunned on the bed.

Naturally, she understood what he meant.

It was not that Wei He did not know that, for the Demon Suppression Office, determining the cause of death of Pei Changqing and the others would be as easy as turning over one's hand.

But no matter what, the greatest crisis had been resolved for now.

She had an identity, she had a patron, and even slaying demons and exterminating fiends had become entirely legitimate.

With a thought, the ancient scroll unfurled in her mind.

[Host: Jiang Yuechu]

[Realm: Perfected String-Hearing]

[Martial Arts: Fierce Tiger Swift Blade (Supreme), Azure Cliff Returning Shadow (Supreme), Blood Sustenance Art (Perfected)]

[Dao Cultivation: One Hundred and Twenty Years]

[Recorded Demons: Tiger Mountain God (Eye-Pointing), Azure-Faced Lord (Vermilion-Stained), Zhu Yan (Shadow Tracing)]

[Innate Divine Abilities: Yin Law Granted by Heaven, Tiger Baleful Blood Boil, Wolf Travels a Thousand Miles]

[Demon Transformation: Tiger Mountain God]

Killing that Pig Demon of the Bone-Chiming Realm had earned her three hundred and fifty years of Dao Cultivation.

But Shadow Tracing alone had cost a full two hundred and thirty years.

That expenditure was simply outrageous.

However...

Jiang Yuechu's gaze fell upon the martial arts section.

Besides the two martial arts, Fierce Tiger Swift Blade and Azure Cliff Returning Shadow, which had already reached the supreme realm, there was unexpectedly an extra cultivation art she had never seen before.

[Blood Sustenance Art (Perfected)]

What was this?

With a thought, several smaller lines of annotation slowly appeared beneath those words.

[Blood Sustenance Art (Perfected): By devouring the flesh and blood of demons and devils, one may greatly increase refinement efficiency, transforming it into one's own vital energy and blood to nourish one's foundation. This art has no rank; it is formed from the bloodline talent of the Zhu Yan race. As the host has recorded Zhu Yan, this gift has been bestowed.]

Jiang Yuechu froze for a moment before realization dawned on her.

No wonder...

After killing those two Pig Demons outside Jincheng County, she had roasted and eaten their flesh.

The flesh and blood of demons and devils had always been a great tonic.

Even ordinary martial artists could strengthen their vital energy and blood by consuming it.

But without a specialized cultivation art to refine it, the impurities within would enter the body as well.

And the efficiency would be far inferior.

When she had devoured those two Pig Demons earlier, although her strength had increased, most of the essence had been wasted because she lacked a method to refine it.

Now that her cultivation had reached Perfected String-Hearing, it must have been because, after obtaining this cultivation art, it had instinctively transformed all the unrefined demon and devil flesh essence accumulated in her body into the purest vital energy and blood, allowing her to break through in one stroke.

Thinking of this, she grew even more delighted.

Everyone else avoided demons as though they were vipers and scorpions, but she had become increasingly reliant on them.

Though this Blood Sustenance Art offered not the slightest help in direct combat, its value was even greater than that demon transformation divine ability!

As long as there were enough demons and devils for her to kill and eat...

Bone-Chiming Realm?

Even beyond the Bone-Chiming Realm!

The future was bright!

"Hehehe..."

Lying on the bed, Jiang Yuechu could not help laughing aloud.

Creak.

The door was gently pushed open.

Wei Qing entered carrying a bowl of steaming porridge. Seeing Jiang Yuechu lying on the bed and foolishly grinning to herself, she could not help freezing.

"What... are you laughing about?"

"Nothing." Jiang Yuechu immediately wiped the smile from her face and said solemnly, "I was merely happy at the thought of being able to serve the Demon Suppression Office."

Wei Qing: "..."

Sure, I believe that.

She set the bowl on a small table beside the bed and rolled her eyes at her. "Hurry up and drink it. It was just cooked, and I added deer antler and goji berries. It'll replenish your vital energy and blood."

Jiang Yuechu sat up and accepted the bowl. The fragrance made her appetite stir.

"Oh, right. My brother asked me to give you this."

As Wei Qing spoke, she took a neatly folded set of clothing and a palm-sized wooden plaque from her robes.

The clothes were the Demon Suppression Office's distinctive fitted uniform of black cloth traced with crimson patterns. The fabric felt far better than the one Jiang Yuechu had stripped off a corpse.

The wooden plaque felt slightly heavy in her hand, though she had no idea what kind of wood it was made from.

One side bore the words "Demon Suppression," written in strokes that danced like dragons and soared like phoenixes. The other side bore her name.

Jiang Yuechu.

"This is your waist badge. Within Great Tang, it exempts you from all inspections. You can enter and leave cities without obstruction."

Wei Qing explained, "The clothes were chosen according to your measurements too. Try them on and see whether they fit."

Jiang Yuechu held the waist badge between her fingers, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

After all that struggle, fear, and licking blood from the edge of a blade.

Wasn't this what it had all been for?

Yet when she truly held it in her hand, it somehow felt unreal.