The next day, Kuang Cang arrived in the main hall. The dust that had once covered everything was gone, and every table and chair had been polished until it gleamed. The guards from the previous night stood inside in neat, orderly ranks.
Kuang Cang took the seat of honor and addressed the guards before him.
"You may already have heard, but I will tell you nonetheless. I am General Kuang Cang, appointed by the Demon Dynasty as Southern Continent Governor, Great General Who Pacifies the South, and Commander of Southern Capital. By order of His Majesty the Monster Emperor and His Highness the Regent King, I command the troops of every city and division in the Southern Continent."
The guards visibly froze at his words, then turned pale. They might have been insignificant rank-and-file soldiers, but no one serving in the Five Capitals of the Demon Dynasty was a fool. They understood perfectly well the weight carried by the Monster Emperor and the Regent King.
Du Bao, who had been appointed leader of the guards, looked particularly thoughtful. The name Kuang Cang had struck him as familiar all along.
Perhaps because Kuang Cang put on no airs, or perhaps because Du Bao understood his own worth, he looked at Kuang Cang and ventured a hesitant question.
"May I ask if you are the General Kuang Cang who guarded the First Great Wall?"
Kuang Cang answered softly.
"I did indeed serve as the general guarding the First Great Wall."
Du Bao was inwardly startled, then secretly relieved. Fortunately, he had shown good judgment the night before. Otherwise, he might not even have known what killed him. Du Bao came from a collateral branch of a great clan. The decline of its main branch had dragged him down as well, and he