What Is She Supposed to Be?

Outside the hall, a young man stood beneath the corridor, his posture ramrod straight.

He too wore a fitted black uniform streaked with red, and the hilt at his waist was wrapped in coils of fine leather cord.

As though he had heard the footsteps, the man turned around.

Their eyes met.

Both of them froze.

He really was an old acquaintance.

The very one she had met in Jincheng County that day.

By now, his injuries had clearly healed. The bedraggled state he had been in that day was gone, replaced by a natural sharpness between his brows.

But the instant he saw Jiang Yuechu, that sharpness vanished.

Wei He had said that a specially selected newcomer would be joining the squad today.

But he had not said it would be this one!

After so many days.

He still vividly remembered how this harmless-looking young girl before him had punched a Bone-Chiming Realm great demon to death!

And it had even been a Bone-Chiming Great Demon with an innate divine ability!

Such a fierce figure was now becoming his subordinate?

"Hiss..."

Seeing that the young man before her did nothing but suck in cold breaths without saying a word.

Jiang Yuechu was somewhat helpless and spoke first. "I am Jiang Yuechu."

"Liu... Liu Chen."

He answered instinctively, only to realize it a moment later. He hurriedly straightened his back and cleared his throat. "I am Liu Chen, Squad Commander of Xuan Camp."

Yet this introduction made him feel rather ashamed.

Before a monster capable of punching a Bone-Chiming Great Demon to death, stressing that he was merely an Eighth-Rank Squad Commander—how was that any different from a mouse showing off its sharp claws before a cat?

"Squad Commander Liu."

Jiang Yuechu nodded, without much thought about it.

"Great Tang had stood for eight hundred years. The founding ancestor established himself through martial prowess, swept across the six directions, and set the realm beneath heaven. Yet the prosperity of humankind also drew the covetous eyes of countless demons, devils, and evil spirits between heaven and earth. In his later years, the ancestor lamented the hardships of the common people, so he gathered extraordinary people and gifted scholars from across the land and established an office east of the imperial city."

"This office answered neither to the Three Departments nor the Six Ministries, nor did it belong to the central administration. It was directly under the Emperor's command. Above, it could behead treacherous officials who brought chaos to the court and colluded with demons; below, it could execute demonic evils that ravaged a region and harmed the people. It could execute first and report afterward, by special grant of imperial authority..."

Jiang Yuechu's heart stirred slightly.

The Demon Suppression Office sounded like an organization established specifically to slay demons and eliminate devils.

But its actual duties extended far beyond that.

The authority of the Demon Suppression Office stood above the hundred officials and weighed heavier than the king's law.

Above, it could scrutinize civil and military officials; below, it could suppress the martial world.

Anyone found colluding with demons, regardless of rank or whether they belonged to an aristocratic clan or powerful house, could be investigated.

Over the centuries, those who had died beneath the Demon Suppression Office's blades included millennia-old great demons that had ravaged entire regions, as well as reigning prime ministers who stood at the pinnacle of the court.

Black clothes streaked with red, a blade worn at the side.

Those eight words were the Demon Suppression Office's backbone in Great Tang.

"Beyond the main commandery in the imperial city, each of Great Tang's fifteen circuits has its own commandery. Our Longyou Circuit Commandery oversees all demon-related affairs throughout Longyou."

"Below the commandery are the four divisions of Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Yellow."

The two passed through a long corridor, and the view before them suddenly opened up.

"The Yellow Division handles intelligence and investigation. It is the eyes and ears of the Demon Suppression Office."

"The Earth Division is responsible for garrisoning and patrolling the various prefectures and counties, clearing out lesser demons and monsters, and protecting the cities."

As Jiang Yuechu listened, she roughly got the picture.

The Yellow Division handled intelligence, while the Earth Division was basically city management.

Then her Xuan Camp...

"When the Yellow Division discovers demon traces and the Earth Division cannot handle them, we take action. We have only one duty."

"What is it?"

He turned his head to look at Jiang Yuechu, enunciating each word.

"Slay demons, eliminate devils."

Jiang Yuechu's eyes lit up.

Good.

Wonderful.

No patrolling streets, no standing guard, no dealing with trivial chicken-feather-and-garlic-skin nonsense.

Going to work meant killing monsters.

Performance reviews depended entirely on how many monsters she killed.

"Ordinarily, you need not do anything else. Just remain on standby in the camp. Once there is a mission, I will notify you."

Seeing no reaction from her, Liu Chen assumed she had been overwhelmed and added, "Of course, if you wish to test your skills at the training grounds or read some texts in the library, no one will stop you."

"Understood."

Jiang Yuechu nodded.

But then, she suddenly thought of something.

"Then... what about the Heaven Division?"

Liu Chen, who was walking ahead, paused.

"The Heaven Division..."

He murmured to himself, then gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "That is not a place people like us should be thinking about."

When Jiang Yuechu continued looking at him, Liu Chen drew a deep breath and lowered his voice.

"Everyone admitted to the Heaven Division is a dragon or phoenix among men, a peerless talent favored by heaven. The lowest position upon entering is Subordinate Sixth Rank Lieutenant General. In our entire Longyou Circuit Commandery, there are only a dozen or so in total, even counting every last one."

"And the Heaven Division faces the most dangerous and terrifying great demons."

At this point, Liu Chen's gaze unconsciously fell upon Jiang Yuechu's face.

So young.

So strong.

Punching a Bone-Chiming Great Demon to death—such a record would be enough to take pride in even across the entire Demon Suppression Office.

Perhaps in the future, she really might...

He looked at Jiang Yuechu, his expression turning incomparably solemn.

"The Heaven Division does not judge only talent and strength. It values merit even more."

"If one day you can slay a Demon King by yourself, perhaps you might have a chance to enter it as well."

Jiang Yuechu clearly did not catch the implication behind his words.

"A Demon King..."

As they spoke, they had already arrived before Xuan Camp's barracks.

This place was much quieter. Groups of two or three men sat or stood around, most of them wiping down their weapons.

When they saw Liu Chen leading over a delicate, refined-looking young girl, quite a few people turned to stare.

The Demon Suppression Office never kept idle hands.

Xuan Camp accepted even less trash.

How had a little girl who looked soft-skinned and not even fully grown appeared here?

Whose connections had she used?

Liu Chen naturally sensed the atmosphere. He cleared his throat.

"This is Jiang Yuechu. Starting today, she is one of us in Xuan Camp."

One of us...

Before Jiang Yuechu had time to feel nostalgic over that form of address.

A voice rang out.

"When did Xuan Camp start recruiting little girls?"

"Could it be that we fight and kill all day, and our yang energy is too heavy, so they found us a girl to balance it out?"

The moment the words fell, everyone burst into laughter.

Liu Chen's expression darkened. "You all know that the Demon Suppression Office has always been strict in its recruitment. Since she has entered the Demon Suppression Office, she naturally has her own abilities. So what if she is a woman?"

"Besides, that Right Demon Suppression Envoy whose name resounds throughout the land is a woman as well!"

As soon as he said this, the crowd's laughter came to a halt.

Clearly, everyone present knew the name of that Right Demon Suppression Envoy.

But even so...

What kind of figure was she?

Only in her twenties, she had single-handedly slain a host of great demons by the shores of the Eastern Sea. Even among the Demon Race, her fierce reputation was renowned; ten thousand demons trembled at the mention of her name.

This woman before them...

"What the hell was she? How could she possibly be compared to that lady?"