As he pondered, Qin Tiannan glanced once more at the deputy suppression commissioner in the crowd.
Lord Wang, it wasn't that I didn't try to stop him. I simply couldn't!
At the same time, he felt a little curious. With things having reached this point, how would Lord Wang bring them to a close?
Such a monstrous talent, yet unfortunately, he had broken the rules.
So... would Lord Wang protect him, or kill him?
An ordinary-looking middle-aged man slowly stepped out of the crowd.
He walked slowly, his steps steady. The people around him unconsciously retreated to either side, as though pushed by an invisible wave of air.
"I am Wang Quan, deputy suppression commissioner of the Langya Demon Suppression Bureau."
He held high the token that represented his identity.
As his words fell, every officer present held his breath.
A suppression commissioner!
Though only a deputy, he was still one of their immediate superiors.
That identity represented not only his superior official rank, but also revealed the cultivation realm of this seemingly ordinary man.
Above the True Qi Realm-at least the Gang Condensation Realm!
Within the entire Langya Commandery Demon Suppression Bureau, he was unquestionably a major figure.
"Your subordinates pay their respects, Commissioner!"
Before the officers could recover from the shock of Zhou Kaishan's death, an even greater shock struck them senseless.
What was happening today?
It was as though the sky above this little county town had changed.
Not only had two great demons of the True Qi Realm been slain, but Zhou Kaishan, the commandant, had also been exposed as a traitor to humanity.
Then a commandant and a deputy suppression commissioner from Langya Commandery City had appeared one after another.
The succession of events left them dazzled.
Yet everyone soon realized one thing: everything that had happened seemed to point to a single person.
And so, with complicated gazes tinged with awe, they looked at the calm-faced youth.
A few beads of blood were slowly rolling off his saber.
"Lu Guan, correct? You killed an imperial official without concrete evidence. Do you admit your crime?"
Wang Quan looked at the youth, his eyes narrowing slightly as a trace of regret flashed in their depths.
Such a talented person should not have to accompany a traitor to humanity to the grave.
Hearing this, Wu Yong's heart leaped into his throat.
What did that mean? Was killing a traitor to humanity a crime too?
But rules were rules. Acting without evidence meant striking against one's superior.
That was the Demon Suppression Bureau's greatest taboo. If today an officer killed a commandant, would he dare kill a suppression commissioner tomorrow?
Lu Guan sheathed his saber and tilted his head.
"My lord, who said I had no evidence?"
As he spoke, he signaled Tang Jun with his eyes.
Tang Jun froze at first, then seemed to remember something. He slapped his forehead and fumbled a section of stone wall out of his pack.
It was precisely the thing Lu Guan had told him to take from the White Bone Demon King's cave.
It was densely carved with chicken scratches. At any rate, he could not read them, nor did he know what Lu Guan wanted it for.
He ran over carrying the stone wall and, panting, held it up before Wang Quan.
Lu Guan spoke softly.
"Please look, my lord. The demon script carved here records Zhou Kaishan's collusion with demons."
Wang Quan was taken aback. "You understand demon script too?"
Lu Guan nodded, his expression unchanged. "You flatter me, my lord. I know a little."
At those words, the middle-aged suppression commissioner gave the youth a long look, thoughts churning through his mind.
Demon script... was not something ordinary people knew.
Since the founding of the Great Li Dynasty, those who could read demon script had been either specially trained military scouts, secret agents of the Demon Suppression Bureau, or descendants of the aristocratic clans and powerful families.
Yet the youth before him seemed to be none of those.
"Little Qin, translate it and see whether it's true."
Wang Quan instructed Qin Tiannan without any change in expression.
What a joke. How would an uncultured brute like him understand demon script?
Fortunately, Qin Tiannan came from a great clan in You Province, possessed extensive family learning, and had studied some demon script.
Otherwise, he would have lost face today.
Qin Tiannan stepped forward to examine it. His gaze swept across the demon script on the stone wall, and the more he read, the more alarmed he became, his brows drawing tightly together.
By the end, his entire body trembled with anger.
"My lord, his words are accurate." His voice was heavy. "This stone wall does indeed record Zhou Kaishan's collusion with a White Bone Demon."
As his words fell, the dust settled on the truth.
Although Qin Tiannan had known before coming that Zhou Kaishan had colluded with demons, there was ultimately a difference between something on paper and seeing it in person.
Especially since this stone wall was clearly the work of a demon at a glance.
What evidence could be more genuine than this?
"Damn it, killing this bastard with one slash let him off too easily!" Qin Tiannan cursed without thinking.
He was normally gentle and refined, his every movement carrying the bearing of an aristocratic clan, yet now he could not keep himself from swearing.
The records on this stone wall were not cold numbers, but human lives, one after another.
A county commandant, actually doing such things?!
"Hm?" Lu Guan was slightly taken aback.
After hearing Qin Tiannan's words, he suddenly felt some regret over having killed Zhou Kaishan with a single slash.
He should have slashed him a few more times.
But that feeling passed in a flash, and he cast it to the back of his mind.
The past could not be reclaimed. Why dwell on what had already happened?
Besides, killing Zhou Kaishan with a single slash had been the safest course at the time.
He was not naive enough to believe that Zhou Kaishan had committed evil in Qianqiu County for years without anyone above protecting him.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Suddenly, applause rang out.
The corners of Wang Quan's mouth lifted, his eyes filled with admiration for the youth.
At first, he had thought Lu Guan was a youth flushed with success. Though exceptionally gifted, he was ultimately still lacking something.
Young people with ability tended to have tempers, relying on their talent to look down on others and holding everyone in contempt.
But looking again now, he had clearly planned before acting!
First slay the demons, then collect evidence, then kill the man. Every link fit into the next, so watertight that not a drop could escape.
Even he could find no fault with it.
Such courage and strategy...
Wang Quan put away his smile, his expression solemn. "Lu Guan, would you be willing to serve temporarily as commandant of Qianqiu?"
He paused, then added, "Once I return to the commandery city after inspecting the counties, I will complete the formalities for you."
His words prompted a wave of startled cries.
A county commandant of the Demon Suppression Bureau safeguarded the peace of an entire locality. Though equal in official rank to the county magistrate, in this chaotic world of demons, his position was implicitly a notch higher.
The county magistrate managed the people's livelihoods; the commandant commanded arms.
In a land overrun by demons, whoever had the strongest fist had the final say.
The master of a county in every sense!
And now, that position was to be entrusted to a youth?
The Lu Household had produced officers for generations, and many of the officers present knew Lu Guan's circumstances.
He had only just turned eighteen, the age of the elephant dance.
This... was probably the youngest commandant in Qianqiu County's history, wasn't he?
No, not merely Qianqiu County.
Even in Langya Commandery, or all of You Province, was there a commandant this young?
"The Lu Household has produced a true qilin!"
Someone in the crowd shouted.
Immediately afterward, discussion surged like the tide.