Black Bear Spirit

Jiang Yuechu and Liu Chen walked out of the main hall side by side. The sunlight outside was blinding, making it feel as though a lifetime had passed.

"A Core Formation great demon..." Liu Chen muttered. "If our Longyou Circuit's Commander were still here, how could that damned Core Formation great demon be allowed to run wild beyond Jade Gate Pass?"

Commander?

Jiang Yuechu halted.

Noticing her reaction, Liu Chen turned his head. Seeing the confusion on her face, he understood.

"The Commander is a third-rank official, overseeing the Demon Suppression Office of an entire circuit. Their authority towers to the heavens."

Liu Chen paused, subconsciously looking around. Only after confirming there was no one nearby did he lower his voice.

"But last year... because of the new emperor's ascension..."

He suddenly stopped there.

"You came from the capital. You should know some things better than I do."

Jiang Yuechu rolled her eyes.

Know my ass!

The previous owner had been a sheltered young lady who knew nothing of worldly affairs. How could she possibly know anything about matters at court?

Since he was unwilling to say more, she naturally would not ask.

The world today was nothing like her former life.

Privately discussing imperial authority could get one's head chopped off!

Seeing that she remained silent, Liu Chen took it as tacit agreement and continued, "The new emperor has been on the throne for barely a year. Naturally, the court has been caught in a fierce struggle between dragons and tigers."

"By rights, our Demon Suppression Office should not interfere with matters of imperial succession."

"But we make our living within officialdom. The tree may wish for calm, but the wind will not cease—how can we truly stay out of it?"

"In short, the position of Longyou Commander has remained vacant to this day. Matters great and small are temporarily handled by General Wei."

That was enough said.

Jiang Yuechu fell silent.

She gained a new understanding of imperial power in this world.

The Commander of an entire circuit could simply vanish...

If she sat in that position someday, would she be able to protect herself?

Liu Chen sighed and patted her shoulder. "People like us at the bottom should keep our hands out of it. Doing our own jobs well is better than anything."

"Mm."

"Alright, enough of that..."

Liu Chen added, "You've just been promoted to squad leader. Though your skills are considerable, the Demon Suppression Office is ultimately a place where merit speaks. Your seniority is still shallow, so you likely won't get any good assignments. This is your first time leading a team alone. Besides watching out for demons, remember to guard against other people."

"People?"

Liu Chen spread his hands and lowered his voice. "The situation is turbulent now, and the new emperor has only just taken the throne. There are always people in the martial world who harbor resentment and refuse to submit to royal rule."

"Not long ago, a lieutenant was jointly ambushed and killed by several martial sects while handling a case outside."

"If you ever encounter a danger you cannot resolve, don't hesitate. Turn around and run."

"At worst, you'll come back and take a punishment. That's still better than losing your life out there."

That was as good as saying nothing.

If one truly encountered a dead end, how many could escape?

Perhaps realizing his words were rather redundant, Liu Chen looked a little embarrassed, but he still continued. "Of course, as long as you don't die without a sound, the Office will send someone to avenge you within half a month at most."

"Take that lieutenant, for example. After the incident, Lord Wei personally selected a thousand Xuan Camp elites. In only three days, they slaughtered those sects from top to bottom, leaving nothing clean."

Compared to the Demon Suppression Office's ruthless methods, Jiang Yuechu quietly grew more cautious.

She had thought she only needed to guard against demons and ghosts. Who would have imagined that those in the martial world were even more dangerous than demons?

After parting with Liu Chen, Jiang Yuechu hugged her saber and headed straight back to the barracks where her team was stationed.

Before she even entered the courtyard, she sensed that something was off inside.

The courtyard, which had been a smoky mess yesterday, was strangely quiet today.

The men who had been shouting and drinking around the stone table yesterday now looked like quails, each finding a spot in the courtyard to stay put.

The moment Jiang Yuechu appeared at the entrance, every movement froze, and they instinctively straightened their backs.

At the courtyard gate, a young man in a clerk's uniform was holding a stack of case files, waiting anxiously.

The moment he saw her, he hurried over.

"Squad Leader Jiang."

He pulled out the top file and respectfully offered it to her with both hands.

"This is your team's assignment."

Jiang Yuechu reached out and accepted it.

The clerk seemed to know that she had just become squad leader and was also a woman, so he could not help offering an extra reminder. "Is this Squad Leader Jiang's first time leading a team on assignment?"

Without waiting for her answer, he continued, "Before departing, you must take this file to the rear stable to register and collect Scarlet-eyed Steeds. One rider, one horse; all must be recorded."

"Also, the Office has rules. After killing a demon, if you have the strength to spare, try to bring the corpse back intact. The treasury will convert it into merit and reward money based on the demon's rank."

"If that is inconvenient, you must at least take the tendons, bones, head, and other crucial parts as proof of your achievement."

Jiang Yuechu nodded, her attitude polite as well.

"I understand. Thank you for the reminder."

The clerk said no more. He bowed, then hurried away with the remaining case files in his arms.

The courtyard was utterly silent.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on the file in Jiang Yuechu's hand.

Most of them were martial wanderers who had only recently joined the Demon Suppression Office. Let alone taking assignments, they had scarcely even seen any proper demons.

This was their first assignment.

How could they not be curious?

But curiosity was one thing.

The sight of Chen Tong being pinned to the ground like a chick yesterday was still branded into their minds.

Who dared to ask?

Jiang Yuechu ignored their little thoughts and merely scanned the file in her hand, her eyes racing over ten lines at a glance.

The contents of the file were simple enough.

[Hexian County, Die Prefecture. The local authorities report that a black bear in the mountains outside the prefectural city has become a spirit. It is enormous in size and strong enough to split mountains. Recently, it has often wandered down from the mountains, setting up an altar in villages below to preach. It claims to have comprehended the true essence of Buddhist teachings and can save the masses from the suffering of reincarnation.]

[Many foolish men and women have already been bewitched by it. They go up the mountain to make offerings and listen to its sutras, neglecting all work and production. Its demonic words have deceived the masses, and great disorder is feared.]

[According to reports, this demon is suspected to possess Half-Step Bone-Chiming Realm cultivation.]

Jiang Yuechu's eyelid twitched.

A Black Bear Spirit?

And the bastard was preaching sermons?

What kind of joke was this?

Still, Half-Step Bone-Chiming...

Its strength was nothing special.

It seemed this assignment should not be too dangerous.

She calculated inwardly, but her expression remained calm as she casually tossed the file toward the center of the courtyard.

"Take a look."

The file drifted lightly onto the stone table.

The group looked at each other, yet no one dared to step forward and pick it up first.

It was the monk Bujie who reacted quickly. He chuckled, waddled over with his huge belly, and snatched up the file.

"Let this poor monk do it, let this poor monk do it! This poor monk can read!"

He cleared his throat, spread out the file with great ceremony, and began reading it aloud word by word.

When they heard that a black bear had become a spirit and was setting up an altar to preach, suppressed snickers had already broken out across the courtyard.

"Fuck, this blind bear became a spirit and instead of finding herself a female bear, it went off to become a monk?"

But when Bujie read out that it possessed Half-Step Bone-Chiming Realm cultivation, the laughter stopped dead.

Everyone's expressions changed at once.

Half-Step Bone-Chiming!

What did that even mean?

Though Liu Ke and the others present were all Half-Step Bone-Chiming, demon cultivation progressed slowly, often spanning decades or centuries. Their foundations were incomparably deep.

At the same realm, demons were far stronger than martial artists could ever hope to be.

"Boss... Squad Leader..."

A burly man spoke haltingly, his face pale. "Th-this assignment... could there have been some mistake? We've only just..."

Chen Tong suddenly rose to his feet from the corner and spat viciously.

"What the hell are you afraid of? Isn't it just a blind bear? Back in the day, I even—"

He had wanted to boast about his past accomplishments, but the moment his eyes met Jiang Yuechu's calm gaze, he swallowed the rest of his words.

He merely craned his neck and muttered, "Just do it!"

The others exchanged looks, their hearts still uneasy.

Just then—

"How outrageous!"

"This is simply outrageous!"

Bujie's furious roar gave everyone a fright.

The plump monk's face was filled with grief and indignation, as though his heart had been torn apart.

"The Buddhist faith is a place of purity! The Tripitaka's twelve divisions are filled with words like pearls and jade—how can a fur-clad, horned beast be allowed to defile them at will?!"

"No! Today, this poor monk shall carry out justice on Heaven's behalf and cleanse the Buddhist faith of this filth!"

The men around him were left staring blankly, nearly forgetting why he had been driven down the mountain in the first place.

Jiang Yuechu could not be bothered to waste words on them. She simply spoke flatly.

"Pack your things. Gather at the rear stable in half an hour."

"Rations, medicine, weapons—prepare them yourselves. If anyone is late..."

"Get lost on your own."

With that, she said nothing more and turned to leave.

She left behind an entire courtyard of people staring at one another.

Hexian County was named for the two great rivers that met there.

Thanks to its waterways, the county was fairly prosperous.

The docks bustled with people all day long, while the town's tea houses and taverns were always packed with merchants from north and south.

But over the past few days, the atmosphere in the county had become somewhat strange.

Inside a tea house.

"Butcher Wang's wife from the west side of town ran away in the middle of the night yesterday, taking every last coin in the house!"

"Ran away? Where to?"

"Where else could she have gone? Up the mountain!"

"That bear demon again..."

A middle-aged man dressed like an accountant at the next table sighed, setting down his teacup. "How many cases has this been already this month?"

"Tell me about it."

The man in a short jacket smacked his lips. "Butcher Wang reported it to the authorities first thing this morning. He was crying to Heaven and pounding the earth outside the county yamen, saying his wife had been possessed and that blind bear had bewitched her mind!"

"What blind bear? He's Black Bear Master now!"

A young man sitting in the corner could not help interjecting. His face held a trace of fervor. "Master says the mortal world is all suffering. Only by taking refuge in Buddha can one attain great freedom and escape the sea of bitterness!"

"Pah!"

The accountant glared at him irritably. "What the hell does a brat like you know? A beast dares talk about Buddhist teachings? If it truly had such ability, why doesn't it turn stones into gold and hand it out to the city's poor?"

"You... you're slandering Master!"

The young man flushed red. "How could ordinary mortals like you understand Master's divine power? I saw it with my own eyes—Master split open mountain rock with one palm! If that isn't Buddhist power, what is?"

A burst of discussion immediately arose throughout the tea house.

"Splitting mountain rock... was that real?"

"That blind bear was already immensely strong. Now that it has become a spirit, having that ability isn't strange."

"But... but it can preach sutras! People who returned from the mountain say Black Bear Master sits cross-legged on a boulder, citing scriptures and classics with every word perfectly reasoned. He speaks even better than the abbot of Guangji Temple in the county!"

"Bullshit!" A peddler who had just entered from outside set his carrying pole on the ground, wiped away his sweat, and began cursing. "I passed by the foot of the mountain yesterday. Good lord, the mountain road was packed with people kneeling everywhere, all of them looking like they'd lost their souls as they kowtowed toward the summit."

"My cousin's wife was among them! Their child had a terrible fever, and she ignored it completely. She carried the last bit of rice in the house up the mountain, saying it was an offering to Master that would earn blessings!"

"What kind of fucking blessing is that?!"

Everyone fell silent at those words.

These were difficult times to begin with.

Longyou was bitterly cold, and natural disasters and man-made calamities had never ceased.

The common people did not live easily. It was understandable for them to cling to even a sliver of hope.

But now that hope had been placed in a bear demon. It was simply too absurd.