Vanguard Camp Commandant

Liangzhou Prefecture lay in Longyou, where rain was scarce by all rights.

Yet these past two days, the heavens seemed to have drunk themselves senseless, pouring down a rare torrential rain. Like the patrons of the Drunken Flower Tower, it came in a hurry and left in a hurry, leaving only muddy pools in the gullies.

In the small courtyard of Demon-Calming Ward, Jiang Yuechu slowly opened her eyes and exhaled a long stream of white breath.

[Tiger-Roaring Demon-Suppressing Blade (Mastery)]

After pouring one hundred and eighty-five years of Dao Cultivation into it, the Tiger-Roaring Demon-Suppressing Blade had finally risen from proficient to mastery.

She picked up the saber from the table and dragged it forcefully across the skin of her arm.

Her skin remained utterly unbroken.

She added a few more degrees of force, yet the result was the same.

Only when she used her full strength did the sharp edge leave a faint white mark on her skin. The blade itself, however, had suffered a tiny chip.

Tsk...

The standard sabers issued by the Demon Suppression Office were all forged in the military workshops.

Though they could not be called divine weapons, they had still been tempered a thousand times over. Ordinary pig iron could hardly damage their edges.

Such a blade had never broken when dealing with demons before, yet it had met its end against her own body.

This Seal-Mouth Qi-Fixing Method was truly domineering!

Amid her amazement, Jiang Yuechu also felt rather pleased.

With such a body-hardening technique protecting her, when she fought others in the future, even if she stood still and let them hack at her, they would likely still have to spend quite some effort.

Just as she was thinking this,

a knock sounded outside the room.

Hmm?

Jiang Yuechu frowned slightly.

Everyone living in Demon-Calming Ward belonged to the Demon Suppression Office. Other than Liu Chen, she had little interaction with anyone else.

Who would come looking for her on such a rainy day?

Filled with doubt, she rose and walked into the courtyard, then pulled open the gate.

Outside, the curtain of rain hung like a veil.

A figure stood quietly in the rain, tall and straight as a pine.

Dressed in black casual robes, his features were as handsome as jade.

Who else could it be but Xu Changfeng?

Beside him, a hard-faced man held an oil-paper umbrella over him. The umbrella was tilted, with most of it shielding Xu Changfeng's head, while half of the man's own body had long since been soaked by the rain.

Jiang Yuechu was stunned.

Apart from that day when she had reported for duty, she had never had any dealings with this immediate superior of hers. Why had he come to her home?

Still, doubt was doubt; proper courtesy was still required.

"Lord Xu."

Jiang Yuechu cupped her fists in salute.

"Mm."

Xu Changfeng merely answered indifferently. "Let us speak inside."

"Yes."

Jiang Yuechu stepped aside.

Xu Changfeng entered, and the man behind him folded up the umbrella and followed him in.

The room was simply furnished, and everything could be seen at a glance.

"Please, have a seat, my lord."

Jiang Yuechu pointed to the chairs in the room.

She had intended to boil some water and make tea, but then she remembered that she could not even find a scrap of tea leaves in this courtyard, so she gave up on the idea.

She merely took out two coarse porcelain bowls, poured two bowls of cooled boiled water, and set them on the table.

Xu Changfeng did not mind. He sat down on his own and swept his gaze around the room.

"Your place is rather quiet."

"This subordinate lives alone. Quiet is better."

Jiang Yuechu stood to one side with her hands lowered.

She could not fathom why he had come, so she could only speak less to make fewer mistakes.

Xu Changfeng lifted the bowl of cold water, took a sip, and said nothing.

For a time, the room held only the pattering rain outside the window.

After a long while,

Xu Changfeng finally set down the bowl and asked casually, "What do you usually enjoy doing?"

"..."

No way.

Surely this superior had not come all the way here in the pouring rain just to make small talk with her?

Though she grumbled inwardly, her expression remained calm as she answered flatly, "Nothing more than practicing martial arts and reading."

Xu Changfeng raised a brow, seeming somewhat interested. "Oh? You enjoy reading as well? What books do you read?"

"All sorts of things. I read whatever comes my way."

"Have you ever heard of the four extraordinary beauties of 'Mirrored Flowers, Water Moon'?"

"No."

"What about the 'Three Friends of Winter'?"

"No."

"Then..."

"My lord, this subordinate has never heard of any of the things you mentioned."

The veins on Jiang Yuechu's forehead twitched as she suppressed her impatience.

Xu Changfeng fell silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

The smile vanished in an instant, yet it added a touch of life to his stern features.

"You are quite an interesting person."

Jiang Yuechu neither agreed nor disagreed.

Xu Changfeng did not mind. His smile faded, and his tone returned to its cold clarity. "Enough. I did not come today to chat."

At last, he was getting to business.

Jiang Yuechu inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

If they kept talking like this, she truly would not be able to resist insubordination.

Whether she could beat him was another matter. The main thing was that he was just too irritating.

"Tell me. What happened over at Baosha?"

The moment he spoke, the atmosphere grew somewhat quiet.

The man beside Xu Changfeng also fixed his gaze on the young woman.

Jiang Yuechu was not surprised.

So long as Hexian County Magistrate Qian Youwei was not a fool, he would surely report every last detail exactly as it had happened in order to protect himself.

Even if the Demon Suppression Office did not ask, Baosha Temple would.

She could even guess that experts from Baosha Temple might already be on their way to Liangzhou Prefecture.

"This subordinate killed two monks from Baosha Temple in Hexian County."

"Why did you kill them?"

"The two of them obstructed this subordinate's investigation, colluded with demons, and spoke disrespectfully of the Demon Suppression Office and the imperial court. By law, they deserved execution."

Jiang Yuechu answered crisply and decisively.

"Heh."

Xu Changfeng gave a soft laugh. "What a fine 'deserved execution by law.'"

He rose to his feet and slowly walked before Jiang Yuechu, looking down at her from above.

"Do you know what sort of existence Baosha Temple is in Longyou Circuit?"

"I do."

"And you are not afraid?"

Jiang Yuechu raised her head to meet those deep eyes, her voice calm.

"This subordinate belongs to the Demon Suppression Office. Those I killed were people who colluded with demons."

"If the office cannot protect me, then this subordinate has nothing to say."

"..."

Expressionless, Xu Changfeng turned and returned to the table. He took a case file from his robes and tossed it onto the table.

"Take a look."

Jiang Yuechu picked up the case file in confusion. But when she unfolded it, her pupils contracted slightly.

[By this order, Jiang Yuechu, Eighth-Rank Squad Commander of Xuan Camp, is appointed Commandant of the Vanguard Camp for this journey to Jade Gate Pass.]

Commandant?!

A Seventh-Rank Commandant!

She abruptly raised her head and looked at Xu Changfeng.

"As for Baosha Temple, Lord Wei has already suppressed the matter."

Xu Changfeng sat down again, his tone returning to its cool indifference. "As for you, rather than waiting in Liangzhou Prefecture for them to cause trouble, you might as well go to Jade Gate Pass and avoid the storm for a while."

He paused, then added,

"The squad under your command will also be transferred into Vanguard Camp and placed under your command."

"Vanguard Camp suffers the heaviest casualties. Naturally, it also earns the greatest merit."

"Whether it proves a blessing or a curse will depend on your own ability."

Jiang Yuechu drew a deep breath, closed the case file, and cupped her fists as she bowed.

"Thank you for your promotion, my lord."

Xu Changfeng said nothing more. He walked straight to the door and pushed it open.

The man behind him hurriedly opened the oil-paper umbrella and shielded him from the rain.

After walking several steps, Xu Changfeng suddenly stopped. With his back to Jiang Yuechu, he spoke blandly.

"Your courtyard is too quiet. It lacks the warmth of people."

"If you do not mind, go to my place tomorrow and take some flowers and trees to decorate the courtyard."

"Yes..."