Lu Guan's expression was calm, but his left hand gripped his saber's scabbard tightly, as though only this could ease his nerves.
Truth be told, his original purpose in slaying demons was simply to acquire cultivation, thereby raising his cultivation realm and extending his lifespan.
It was that simple.
As for protecting the peace of an entire region, that was too lofty a cause. He had never even considered it.
He was no saint.
But now, it seemed these two things did not conflict at all.
It was as though each was part of the other.
Who could blame him when this damned world was the way it was?
As the saying went, a gentleman was judged by his deeds, not his heart. This was probably what that meant.
After all, his pursuit of cultivation naturally placed him in opposition to demons.
There was one other thing: after becoming commandant, he should gain access to martial arts and cultivation methods a level higher.
He knew the Demon Suppression Bureau's rules. The highest-level martial arts available to captains only reached the perfected Qi and Blood Realm.
Commandants were different, though. They could browse the Demon Suppression Bureau's secret repository, and supposedly, the commandery city even had a collection of Gang Condensation Realm martial arts.
This was what he valued most.
Lu Guan nodded.
Seeing this, Wang Quan smiled. "Of course, although you had evidence when you killed Zhou Kaishan, you still violated procedure."
"Since you're now serving as acting commandant, how about clearing out the demons around Qianqiu County to offset your offense with merit?"
He paused, raising his head to look around.
Beneath the twilight, Qianqiu County's buildings were low and its lights sparse.
The distant mountain ridge loomed faintly in the moonlight, like a giant beast lying in wait.
"Such a fine treasure land of auspicious terrain, yet it's shrouded in such foul smoke and miasma. Truly an ugly sight."
Lu Guan finally smiled at that. Sure enough, compared to scheming and all that cock-crowing, dog-stealing skulduggery, slaying demons was far more satisfying.
This also meant that the youth had become the head of an entire county's Demon Suppression Bureau.
A hundred or so captains and three chief bannermen were all under his command.
"Your subordinates pay their respects to Commandant Lu!"
Wu Yong felt dazed. He had never expected a joke from not long ago to become reality so quickly.
Zhao Tielin, standing among the crowd, was even more dumbfounded.
His mouth hung open as he stared at the young figure not far away.
It was clearly still the same familiar face, yet it had suddenly become unfamiliar.
"That Lu boy... became commandant?"
This was a lofty figure he had never even dared imagine.
Yu Qianqian's beautiful eyes shone like stars in the sky.
A mere commandant naturally would not catch the eye of the Prince of Yan's daughter.
The military officers who came and went from the prince's residence were, at the very least, on the level of a commandery pacification commissioner.
What caught her eye was the youth's high spirits, the unruffled expression on his face as he stood amid the crowd with his saber in hand while everyone bowed their heads in salute.
Qin Tiannan's expression stiffened.
He silently walked back to Wang Quan's side and lowered his voice, a trace of disbelief in his tone.
"Lord Wang... why do I remember being the one who came to replace Zhou Kaishan as commandant?"
Wang Quan glanced at Qin Tiannan and said mildly, "Little Qin, look at you, getting impatient again."
"Our inspection isn't over yet. A commandant surnamed Wang in the county next to Qianqiu County is also a traitor to humanity. He and Zhou Kaishan were wolves and jackals in league."
"Before word of this reaches him, let's hurry over and take him down!"
"Then you can be that county's commandant."
Qin Tiannan sighed softly.
Damn it, I really am fated to toil.
Then he looked at Lu Guan again and felt considerably better.
This young commandant had to sweep away the surrounding demons. He would have plenty to keep him busy too.
Beneath the night sky, at the Lu family's ancestral home on Green Tile Street.
Yu Qianqian followed close on Lu Guan's heels, cautiously surveying their surroundings.
The alley was narrow, the plaster on the walls to either side peeling away in patches to expose the blue bricks beneath.
"Miss Yu, are you sure you want to stay here?"
The illustrious Commandant Lu pushed the door open and stood on the threshold, rather at a loss.
Across both his lives, he had been a genuine virgin.
In his previous life, no one had wanted him. In this life, he had had no time to think about it.
And right now, he was at an age when his blood ran hot.
Under the same roof, he truly feared he might lose control of himself.
After all, disheveled as Yu Qianqian was at the moment, she was still the most stunning woman he had ever seen.
But... women and such will only slow my demon-slaying.
"My home is very far away. Could you bear to make a weak woman like me cross mountains and ridges?"
"Aren't you afraid demons might eat me?"
Yu Qianqian lifted her gaze to him, her eyes sparkling.
There was a little pitifulness in her gaze, a little slyness, and something else that was hard to put into words.
Lu Guan was just about to nod when he heard her speak again.
"Don't worry. I won't stay for free."
Her eyes brimmed with smiles, and her lips curved upward. "I'll give you a Gang Condensation Realm martial art."
Lu Guan froze and pursed his lips.
But then again, to forge iron, one must be strong oneself. All that talk about women slowing one's sword draw ultimately comes down to an unsteady Dao heart.
Someone with a steadfast Dao heart would remain unmoved even before mountains of blades and seas of fire, let alone a weak woman.
"The house is small. As long as you don't mind."
"I don't mind, I don't mind."
Though Yu Qianqian said this, she discreetly rolled her eyes.
She had no doubt that, without the bribe of martial arts, the youth before her would have nodded without hesitation and shut her out.
What an unromantic... blockhead.
But she did not say it aloud, merely cursing him inwardly.
"By the way, that martial art you mentioned?"
Lu Guan cast her a look, itching with anticipation.
He did not suspect that she was lying to him.
From her manners and speech to her ability to read demon script, everything proved that Yu Qianqian's background was out of the ordinary.
What was so strange about her producing a Gang Condensation Realm martial art? It was perfectly normal.
"What's the rush? It's all in my head."
Yu Qianqian walked inside and said without looking back, "Prepare some hot water for me. Surely you can let me bathe first?"
She had spent days amid the muck, picking up the foul stench of numerous demons.
Even she felt nauseated by her own smell, let alone a certain blockhead.
Lu Guan gazed at Yu Qianqian's retreating figure and sank into thought.
This woman... isn't fooling me, is she?
Because another problem had occurred to him.
Although the woman seemed to have a considerable background, her own cultivation was only at the Qi and Blood Realm.
Could a little girl at the Qi and Blood Realm really produce a Gang Condensation Realm martial art?
Could she remember it? Could she understand it? What if she recited it incorrectly?
Lu Guan admitted that he was hesitating.
But after a moment's thought, he obediently went to boil a pot of water.
It was only a bucket of hot water. He could afford that gamble.
Besides, even if she could not recite a complete Gang Condensation Realm martial art, as long as he had a few fragments, he could use the Dao Seed to extrapolate the complete martial art.
A sure profit, with no risk of loss.
The woman bathed and changed inside.
Meanwhile, Lu Guan sat upright in the little courtyard, considering which demon faction to strike first.
Wild Boar Ridge? Or the Weasel Grave?
An incense stick's worth of time later, while he was still weighing his options, a woman's timid voice suddenly drifted out of the house.
"Lu Guan... um... clothes..."
Her voice was very soft, tinged with embarrassment.
Lu Guan froze for a moment.
He turned toward the room. Through the thin door, he could faintly hear rustling from inside.
The youth opened his mouth but could not utter a word for a long while.
Where would he get women's clothes in his house?