A Hundred Li of River Under Siege! I'm Good at Killing Demons!

After two days of fast travel, they finally arrived at Guanlan Commandery.

Yang Xiao looked up and gazed into the distance. Before him stretched a vast expanse of river water, flowing along its course and disappearing into the distance.

The Guanlan River truly lives up to its name; its surface is as wide as the sea, with surging waves, and in the distance, the water and sky meet, stretching as far as the eye can see.

At this moment, warships patrolled the river, their banners fluttering, and the figures of the Demon Suppression Guard moved back and forth at the bows of the ships.

Don't look, we're not here.

Zhou Zheng's voice came from ahead, "This place is prepared for the main supporting Deputy General; we need to go further."

One hour later.

Yang Xiao dismounted and stood silently by a country road.

At my feet were sparse rice seedlings, and in the distance were dense aquatic plants and a river about ten zhang wide.

There were no warships, no soldiers, and no sign of the Demon Suppression General Pei Xuance; only an endless desolation.

Yang Xiao:...

If it weren't for the 20 Demon Suppression Guard and his Deputy General accompanying him, he would have thought he had been exiled to the frontier.

After walking through the rice paddies, we arrived at the temporary camp set up by the Demon Suppression Division, in Shiquan Township, Stone Spring Township.

At this moment, the camp was bustling with people. Demon Suppression Guard from various counties had gathered here, and there were at least several hundred people.

Zhou Zheng led Yang Xiao and the others through the area for a while, eventually arriving at a secluded courtyard.

There were already about ten people standing in the courtyard, chatting quietly in twos and threes.

"Squad Leader Ye, the person has been brought here."

A middle-aged man in Zhou Zheng's courtyard clasped his hands in a fist salute.

The man turned around. He was about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with a lean build, dark complexion, and a restrained and steady demeanor.

"From now on, you will follow Squad Leader Ye's instructions."

Zhou Zheng turned to look at everyone, "I am the Deputy General in charge of defending Stone Spring Township. If there are any problems, you can report to me through Squad Leader Ye."

After saying that, he left alone and went to make arrangements for other courtyards.

Squad Leader Ye forward, scanned the crowd, and then spoke:

"My surname is Ye. I have been working in Guanlan Commandery for many years. I am currently at the Late Liquid Condensation and have served as Squad Leader for more than ten years. I am under the command of General Pei, Deputy General."

"Although the battle of the Guanlan River was a grand affair, the Flood Dragon Lord's might may not necessarily fall to us."

At this point, Squad Leader Ye pointed towards the river in the distance, "As you can see, how could a dragon possibly navigate such a shallow river? It's most likely just some ignorant river monsters trying to break through."

"Therefore, the tasks that fall to us are not too dangerous."

Upon hearing this, the Captain in the team all breathed a sigh of relief.

Although their job is to slay demons, not everyone wants to face the evil dragon in the river; a more peaceful life is naturally preferable.

Squad Leader Ye was taking in everyone's expressions; some were delighted, others were calm.

"As long as you follow orders and don't make mistakes, you'll receive an Aperture Opening Realm Merit when you get back."

Upon hearing this, all the Captain smiled more broadly.

You should know that once you receive your Captain's badge, any promotion you want is based on accumulating Merit.

From Captain to Squad Leader, Deputy General, Deputy General, and finally general, each rank requires considerable Merit.

Participating in a single Aperture Opening Realm Merit, when combined, is enough to elevate some of those who have reached the required Merit level to the position of Squad Leader, and may even allow them to Deputy General one-tenth or one-twelfth of the Merit required to become a lieutenant general.

Although it's a task at the Aperture-Opening Realm level, the burden falling on everyone's shoulders is probably only that of the Liquid Condensation Realm.

It was Merit that was practically handed to him for free!

"In addition, he will be awarded two years' salary, one month's leave, three bottles of precious medicine, and a low-grade martial arts manual for the Liquid Condensation Realm."

As Squad Leader Ye slowly revealed his thoughts, not only the others, but even Yang Xiao took it more seriously.

Damn it!

This Demon Suppression Division is truly extravagant!

The job was dangerous, but the reward was real!

Even a single Stone Spring Township has hundreds of Captain and more than a dozen Deputy General Squad Leader, while Guanlan Commandery has more than a dozen counties and nearly a hundred townships!

Only the Demon Suppression Division, which is subordinate to the imperial dynasty, could afford such a huge expenditure.

"And what you have to do is follow orders and guard the river channel in front of you."

"Any mistakes or interference with the war effort will be treated as accomplices of Flood Dragon Lord. General Pei will personally oversee the matter. Do you understand?"

Squad Leader Ye spoke frankly and directly, without hiding anything, and laid out all the stakes.

The Captain remained silent for a while, processing the information, before nodding in agreement.

"In that case, let me first gather your information." Squad Leader Ye walked up to the first person. "What's your name, your cultivation level, and your area of expertise?"

"Han Weiguang, late stage of Qi Gathering, skilled in using a knife."

"Liu Fei, late stage of Qi Gathering, is fairly fast on his feet."

"Li Mao, Liquid Condensation Early Stage, family-inherited sword technique."

Squad Leader Ye paused slightly, his gaze lingering on Li Mao's youthful face for a moment. Although both were Captain, Li Mao wore a jade pendant at his waist, exuding an air of arrogance amidst his flamboyant demeanor.

He was followed by seven or eight people, who subtly protected him in the center. Their auras were slightly inferior to his, ranging from the late stage to the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm. They were clearly a group of vassals.

Considering his family's swordsmanship, this person must be from a prestigious family.

He nodded calmly, without offering any further flattery or surprise, and continued to ask the next person.

Yang Xiao stood at the back of the crowd, his black hair tied up high, his dark outfit highlighting his tall and slender figure. Gilded Cloud-Pattern Spring Embroidery Saber hung at his waist, exuding a sense of composure and sharpness from the very core of his being.

Squad Leader Ye's gaze swept over the young man's demeanor, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. What a young master from a prominent family!

But this young face looks no more than eighteen or nineteen years old.

Thinking that his cultivation level wouldn't be too high, Ye Jinkai slowly asked, "Qi Gathering?"

Yang Xiao shook his head, "Liquid Condensation Mid Stage."

At the same time, he also brought out the words he had prepared beforehand. As for what he was good at, the answers from the previous people were all somewhat one-sided to him, so he made a summary.

"I'm good at slaying demons."

As soon as he finished speaking, a commotion broke out among the Captain.

"What kind of skill is it to be good at killing demons?"

"Who hasn't killed dozens of demons? You're saying you're good at killing demons? If that's the case, then I'm good at killing demons too!"

"Keep your voice down, he's a Liquid Condensation cultivator, maybe even a young master from some noble family..."

Squad Leader Ye paused slightly, a hint of curiosity appearing in his eyes as he looked at Yang Xiao.

He is 56 years old now, far from the young age he looks, and has spent countless days and nights to reach his current level.

To possess such cultivation at such a young age is either the mark of an exceptionally gifted genius or a scion nurtured by a powerful and influential family.

If one is from a prominent family, like Li Mao, with the support of their Lineage, the time it takes will be much shorter.

"Alright, join the ranks."

Ye Jinkai waved his hand, signaling Yang Xiao to stand aside.

Yang Xiao walked into the courtyard and glanced at everyone present.

The twenty people from Qingzhou were vaguely divided into two groups, making a total of about thirty people when added to those already in the courtyard.

The group on the left consisted of about ten people, led by Li Mao, who had just spoken about his family's swordsmanship. He was about twenty-three or twenty-four years old and at the Liquid Condensation Early Stage.

The seven or eight people behind him seemed to be led by him.

The group on the right was a motley crew, about ten men gathered in twos and threes, dressed in different clothes and with varying auras.

Yang Xiao noticed that several of them were quite unusual.

A monk named Yuantong, dressed in a gray robe, with a shiny bald head, exuded a fierce aura and was at the Liquid Condensation Mid Stage realm.

A short, stout man greeted everyone with a smile, appearing quite amiable; Late Liquid Condensation.

"Brother, you don't look familiar."

Just as Yang Xiao stood still, the short, stout man walked towards him.