Tallying the Merits!

The autumn afternoon sun shone bright.

The Demon-Slaying Battalion's courtyard, however, held none of its usual solemnity. It buzzed with life instead.

A long table stood near the gatepost in the middle of the courtyard. Li Hanguang sat behind it, a thick Merit Booklet spread open before him.

The Deputy Generals formed a ragged line. One by one, they stepped forward, set their Qi-Gathering Bottles on the table, and reported their names and missions. Li Hanguang then used a spell to verify the Demonic Qi and recorded their Merits.

"Sir, I went to Luoyan Shoals this time and took out two Aperture-Opening Water Buffalo Demons. Picked off a little one at Late Liquid Condensation while I was there."

A dark-faced Deputy General set his bottle on the table, his voice ringing clear.

"Those Water Buffalo Demons at Luoyan Shoals?" The man behind him snorted. "Those two beasts have held out in the water for three years. You finally brought yourself to finish them off."

"You even snatched a little Liquid Condensation Demon? Have you no shame?"

The dark-faced Deputy General put on a stern expression and looked back at him. "If I worried about shame, you'd get the Demon Cores and the credit. What would I live on after working my tail off for a month, the northwest wind?"

Laughter broke out around them at the exchange.

Without looking up, Li Hanguang checked the Demonic Qi in the bottle, wrote down a line, and handed it back.

"Two at Aperture-Opening Realm, one at Liquid Condensation Realm." He paused. "Better than last month. Next time, try going with someone, so nothing goes wrong."

"I'll remember, I'll remember." The dark-faced Deputy General scratched his head and stepped aside.

The line shuffled forward.

The Deputy Generals of the Demon-Slaying Battalion were usually scattered