Don't Bind Away Your Only Asset
The night passed without incident!
Early the next morning, when Chu He descended the stairs, the entire inn was deserted, without a soul in sight.
Because!
Those sect and noble lineage disciples had already experienced Chu He's tyranny yesterday and feared he might stir up some new trouble this morning.
So, at first light, they had hurried out of the inn toward Nine Nether Town. They believed that was the safe place.
Yet!
They had no idea that it was the most dangerous place of all.
"Sir!"
Zhao Yuan and the others had long since gathered at the inn's entrance.
"Let's go. Next comes Nine Nether Town. That's where the conflict truly begins."
Chu He swept his hand.
The Demon Suppression Guards immediately swung onto their horses. Though they did not know the specific steps of the joint operation, they knew that Nine Nether Town was bound to be exceedingly dangerous. On this journey, they had to be prepared to die.
It had to be said:
Though the Demon Suppression Guards were at odds with the sects and noble lineages, they had always regarded slaying fiends and exterminating demons as their duty. Countless Demon Suppression Guards had fallen in silence while protecting cities from fiends and demons.
No one knew of their existence!
No one knew of their glory!
Even when a company commander died, it passed in silence!
They could not win renown throughout the world and return home in glory like generals on the battlefield. Instead, they would bring disaster upon their families.
Over countless years!
Many Demon Suppression Guards' lineages had been threatened and exterminated by fiends, demons, and remnants of the White Lotus Cult!
Yet!
Not one Demon Suppression Guard backed down, because this was their fate.
Just as Chu He and the others were about to leave!
"Chief Banner Officer Chu, wait!"
A shout came from inside the inn.
Then.
The fair-skinned man from the inn's second floor yesterday walked out. Waving a folding fan at Chu He, he said:
"I'm very interested in you, Chief Banner Officer Chu. Might we speak in private?"
Swish!
Chu He turned his gaze toward the fair-skinned man and scanned him up and down invasively: no Adam's apple, phoenix eyes, pierced ears, and the tiniest swell at the chest. A woman!
"I don't have time." Chu He refused on the spot, then teased, "A word of advice: don't bind away your only asset."
"Ha ha..."
Chu He threw back his head and laughed twice, utterly carefree:
"Suppress demons!"
Behind him!
Dozens of Demon Suppression Guards urged their horses forward, shouting in unison:
"Suppress demons!"
"Suppress demons!"
"Suppress demons!"
At that moment!
The only remaining attendant inside the inn, along with the imposing man on the second floor, watched the departing Demon Suppression Guards and could all feel it:
The wind wailed bleakly, the Yi River ran cold; the brave men departed, never to return!
This was!
A departure made with death in their hearts.
"You..."
The delicate man was just about to curse.
But!
Watching the departing troop of Demon Suppression Guards, he somehow felt that he neither dared nor wished to insult them.
"Truly worthy of being one of Great Qian's two great pillars!" the imposing man sighed. "Guarding three fronts, they secure the realm; when the demon suppressors march, they bring peace to all under heaven!"
Soldiers!
Demon Suppression Guards!
They were Great Qian's true pillars. It was also because of their existence that Great Qian's people could be spared disaster.
"Brother, just what kind of person is he?" the delicate man asked the imposing man, who had walked over to his side.
"I don't know!"
The imposing man shook his head and said:
"But when disaster strikes and everyone else flees, only they will march against the tide to protect the common people."
"Throughout history, the armies of every dynasty have deserved reverence. In our Great Qian, the Demon Suppression Guards must be included."
Wild and overbearing!
Slaying fiends, exterminating demons!
Emotions flickered ceaselessly in the delicate man's eyes, then vanished in an instant.
"Brother, since our business in Yun Province is finished, let's go home once Nine Nether Town's prodigy tournament ends."
"All right!"
The imposing man nodded.
However.
He gazed intently at the departing Demon Suppression Guards. His intuition told him that something would happen at this prodigy tournament.
Otherwise, the Demon Suppression Guards could not have displayed that bearing just now. They were clearly heading off to carry out a dangerous mission.
Nine Nether Town!
Though called a small town, it covered no less ground than a small city, with towering walls around its perimeter.
Atop the walls!
Hundreds of armored disciples patrolled. They were all outer disciples of the Heavenly Origin Sect. Rather than a small town, this was a self-sufficient city!
In fact!
Over the past few decades!
Even the mayor and other court officials within the town had been Heavenly Origin Sect disciples. Yun Province's high officials had turned a blind eye to this.
However!
Yun Province could hardly be blamed. Throughout Great Qian's provinces and prefectures, the current attitude toward powerful sects and noble lineages was to grant them a measure of deference and rarely interfere in their internal affairs!
In return, the sects and noble lineages were forbidden from disrupting the world or obstructing the Demon Suppression Guards in slaying fiends and exterminating demons.
At the city entrance!
At this moment!
The gates opened!
Two squads of Heavenly Origin Sect disciple guards came out and set up a registration station at one corner of the gate to register those entering the town!
The many disciples who had already arrived and were waiting at the city entrance headed toward the gates, acquaintances nodding to one another.
"Jian Wu of the Divine Sword Sect, accompanied by six junior brothers and sisters, here to attend the Prodigy Assembly."
At the registration station!
Jian Wu cupped his hands toward the disciple guards as he spoke.
As it turned out!
Nine Nether Town had a rule:
The gates closed at night, and no one was permitted to enter or leave. Thus, although Jian Wu and the others had left the inn and reached the gates last night, they had waited until the gates opened now before registering.
"All right. Please head inside, senior brothers."
The disciple guard nodded amiably as he spoke.
Although.
He was a Heavenly Origin Sect disciple, he was only an outer disciple, with cultivation at merely the early first grade. Naturally, he would show no hostility toward Jian Wu, who was at the second rank late stage.
Besides:
The Divine Sword Sect also had quite a reputation in Yun Province!
"Zhang Kai of the Great Earth Sect, accompanied by junior brothers and sisters..."
"Jiu Pi of the Axe Gang..."
One after another, they began registering to enter the city.
At the city gates!
Some residents entering the city also came over to watch the excitement!
It could be said:
Of the disciples coming to Nine Nether Town this time, only a small portion were here to compete. The rest had come either to broaden their horizons or to watch the excitement. After all, seeing so many prodigies at once was no easy thing.
"Look, that's Jian Wu. He's one of the two most talented disciples of this generation in the Divine Sword Sect."
"And there's Jiu Pi. They say he's mastered Forcefully Splitting Mount Hua to perfection and can slay enemies above his level."
The onlookers chatted among themselves.
"But why did Jian Wu look so angry when he entered just now? Did someone beat him up on the road?" a gray-clad youth asked in puzzlement.
"Haven't you heard? His senior brother was killed by a chief banner officer outside the Demon Suppression Bureau just two days ago. It would be strange if he were happy."
Someone immediately answered.
However!
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw an old man beside him shake his head and whisper, "Your news is already out of date."
"Just last night, at the inn outside town, Chu He, the man who killed his senior brother, won all his treasures and even made him crawl out of the inn like a dog. It was utter humiliation."