Already Whipped into Shape

Bang--!

Zhao Kui and several Captain were sent flying backward, crashing into the courtyard wall and creating cracks.

Dust filled the air, and the courtyard was a mess.

Yang Xiao stood still, without even moving his heels.

The other Captain in the courtyard watched this scene with shock in their eyes.

The Aperture-Penetration Realm!

This young Deputy General has actually reached the Aperture-Penetration Realm!

On the Martial Arts Arena, Zhao Kui and several Captain struggled to their feet, their faces filled with horror.

Old Saber lay on the ground, looking at Yang Xiao with a hint of unease in his eyes. He coughed lightly and remained motionless for a long time, pretending to be dead, as if this would spare him the face of that calm young man.

Yang Xiao withdrew his hand and glanced at everyone present.

The courtyard fell silent instantly, and all the Captain lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.

Yang Xiao frowned slightly and spoke slowly.

"My Yang Xiao, and from today onwards I will serve as your Deputy General."

His voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.

"Now I will state three rules."

"First, my orders must be obeyed."

Second, credit should be distributed according to contribution.

"Third, anyone who disobeys orders in battle, regardless of their background, will be punished according to the military law of the Demon Suppression Division."

His gaze swept over Zhao Kui, Old Saber, and the other Captain in the courtyard.

"Did you understand?"

Silence fell over the courtyard.

"Understood, Deputy General Yang." Lu Mingchuan was the first to speak, looking at Yang Xiao with a beaming smile and utmost respect.

A few breaths later, Zhao Kui lowered his head, gritted his teeth, and said in a low voice, "I understand."

The Old Saber lying on the ground silently twitched his knuckles.

The other Captain followed suit, bowing their heads in agreement.

Yang Xiao nodded slightly, then turned and walked out.

"Wait for me here, I'll go get the case file."

Yang Xiao left the Martial Arts Arena and headed straight for the Deputy General Courtyard where Zhou Zheng usually spent his leisure time.

Before long, he arrived at a courtyard.

Zhou Zheng was sitting at his desk reviewing files when he heard footsteps and looked up.

He was somewhat surprised to see Yang Xiao.

"Back so soon?" Zhou Zheng put down the file and looked Yang Xiao up and down. "Is the team too difficult to lead?"

He paused, his tone hesitant.

"Replacing them wouldn't be convenient right now; those troublemakers are indeed difficult to deal with, but we can't spare any other personnel in the short term..."

"It's already been trained."

Yang Xiao interrupted him, "I'm ready to take on any mission."

Zhou Zheng was taken aback upon hearing this.

He looked at Yang Xiao's calm expression and remained silent for a long time.

Those troublemakers, they've given in so quickly?

He originally thought that it would take Yang Xiao at least a few days, and he might even have to suffer some losses, to suppress those people.

I didn't expect it to be resolved so quickly.

Zhou Zheng snapped out of his thoughts and nodded.

"Since that's the case, then listen carefully."

He stood up, walked to Yang Xiao, and said seriously, "The missions for Deputy General are mostly related to the level of the Liquid Condensation Realm to the Aperture-Opening Realm."

"While you are out, you must act with caution, guarding against both Demon and martial arts practitioners."

Yang Xiao frowned slightly.

Seeing this, Zhou Zheng explained, "The reputation of the Demon Suppression Division may deter Demon, but not everyone is in awe of it."

"Some people in the martial arts world have no goodwill towards the Demon Suppression Division."

"When you lead a team out, regardless of which faction they belong to, you must be extra wary of any potential entanglements behind their backs."

He paused, then added, "Especially you, you became Deputy General not long after joining the company, you lack experience in this area."

Yang Xiao nodded.

"Thank you for the reminder, Deputy General Zhou."

"Of course, only a few dare to offend the dignity of the Demon Suppression Division; the powerful families and sects fear us like lambs."

"If there is any dirty trickery, just take action and destroy it. The Demon Suppression Division will support you."

Zhou Zheng waved his hand, not letting Yang Xiao back down too much.

"Go ahead, I'll contact the clerk in the Task Hall to send you the case file."

Back to the Martial Arts Arena.

The Captain in the courtyard were still in place, but now they were extremely well-behaved, and when they saw him appear, they all turned their attention to him.

A clerk in a gray robe followed behind Yang Xiao. When Yang Xiao stood still in front of the crowd, he took out a stack of files from his robe.

"Deputy General Yang, this is your mission file."

Yang Xiao took it and opened it to examine it.

The clerk explained from the side, "This mission requires us to go to Cloud Fir Commandery to investigate the Golden Buddha Temple."

"The Demon Suppression Division has received information that the Golden Buddha Temple is suspected of spreading an epidemic in the surrounding villages and towns, and then collecting large sums of money and offerings under the guise of 'divine intervention and healing through incense.'"

"Several villages and towns have been affected, the epidemic is spreading, and many people have died or been injured."

"The Demon Suppression Division suspects that there may be Demon behind the Golden Buddha Temple, or that they may be using the name of Buddhism to extort money and commit murder."

"Your mission is to travel to Cloud Fir Commandery, investigate the true nature of the Golden Buddha Temple, and if Demon are indeed causing trouble, eliminate them; if the Golden Buddha Temple is the cause of the disturbance, handle the situation accordingly or report it to higher authorities."

"It is reported that the abbot of Golden Buddha Temple has reached the half-step Aperture-Opening Realm."

After finishing his sentence, the clerk added, "Furthermore, upon completion of the mission, you must bring back physical evidence in order to earn Merit."

"Understood." Yang Xiao closed the file, nodded, and handed it to the young Captain not far away for review.

The young Captain took the file, glanced at it, and his expression immediately changed.

"Golden Buddha Temple?"

He passed the file to the person next to him and whispered, "This mission... is going to be tough."

The files were passed around among the Captain, and their reactions varied; some looked grave, while others frowned.

Zhao Kui took the file, and after reading it, his expression turned grave.

"Golden Buddha Temple..."

He murmured softly, his tone complex.

Golden Buddha Temple is quite famous in Cloud Fir Commandery, with a large number of worshippers and incense offerings.

If it's just an ordinary martial arts force, it's manageable. But if Demon are using the name of Golden Buddha Temple to cause trouble, or even if Buddhist monks are involved...

The difficulty of this task is hard to say.

Zhao Kui inwardly groaned.

He had just been intimidated by this young Deputy General, and had thought he could take on a simple task to demonstrate his abilities and ease tensions.

I didn't expect the first task to be such a tough one.

Old Saber sat in the corner, and after listening to the contents of the case file, he grinned.

"A bald Buddhist monk?"

He stood up, held the long sword in his hand, and spoke with a resolute tone.

"These bald monks, not a few of them are clean."

"On the surface, they appear to be vegetarian and chant Buddhist scriptures, but behind the scenes, the shady dealings they engage in are dirtier than those of Demon."

Old Saber looked at Yang Xiao, his eyes filled with a hint of ruthlessness.

"Deputy General Yang, I'll take this mission."

Yang Xiao withdrew his gaze and swept it over the crowd present.

"Meet at the Martial Arts Arena in half an hour. You will have time to pack up your equipment."

The Captain in the courtyard looked at each other in bewilderment, then dispersed to prepare supplies.

Zhao Kui gritted his teeth, but ultimately said nothing more, and turned to leave.

Old Saber over his shoulder, grinned, and squatted down to wait, carrying nothing else.

Lu Mingchuan glanced at Yang Xiao's retreating figure, seemed to be deep in thought, and then turned and left as well.