The man who spoke wore blue-green official robes. He had refined features and a tuft of goatee on his chin.
He was none other than Qianqiu County's magistrate, Wang Muzhi.
To his left stood a burly man in armor, a full beard covering half his face.
This was the county commandant, Meng Shuo.
On his right was a middle-aged man dressed like a wealthy merchant in fine silks.
He was the head of the Li Household, Li Fugui.
At this moment, all four True Qi Realm experts in Qianqiu County had gathered here.
Lu Guan stopped and raised his eyes to the three men, a subtle expression crossing his face.
If I don't go to the mountain, the mountain comes to me?
"I was just about to seek you gentlemen out," Lu Guan said evenly.
Meanwhile, the three men opposite him were also sizing him up.
A flicker of amazement flashed through all their eyes.
Young. Far too young!
Hearing about someone a hundred times could not compare to seeing them once. They had long since learned that the newly appointed Demon Suppression Bureau captain was a youth of only eighteen.
But when they actually met him, none of the three could help marveling inwardly.
Each generation brings forth its own talents.
That he was born and raised in Qianqiu County made him all the more exceptional.
But... gifted though Lord Lu was, he certainly had a knack for stirring up trouble.
The three exchanged glances, wry smiles appearing on all their faces.
According to the information they had received, that terrifying old ape outside had come precisely for this young captain!
"Lord Lu, shall we go inside to discuss this?" Magistrate Wang asked.
Lu Guan nodded and led the way.
Along the way, the many officers silently watched the four True Qi Realm warriors gather. Amid their fear, they felt the urgency of a mountain storm about to break.
They also could not help wondering.
Could the four lords really protect all the people in this city?
Yet as they looked at that young, upright figure ahead, their panicked hearts actually settled a little.
Whatever the others might manage, perhaps Lord Lu really could do it!
"Lord Lu, you've brought a disaster of staggering proportions upon us."
Once the four were seated, Li Fugui spoke impatiently, his face panicked and his tone reproachful.
It was as though he were saying-you caused this trouble alone, so why should the whole city shoulder it with you?
Of the four, his foundations and backing were the weakest, and he was the most worried.
The other three all had the towering tree of the imperial court at their backs, while he himself was the Li Household's pillar of support.
With demons running amok, his entire family, young and old, was inside the city!
Lu Guan had neither father nor mother, while the magistrate and commandant had both been transferred here from elsewhere. Neither had family in the city.
Without roots or ties here, you can all travel light, but I have the lives of a hundred-odd family members weighing on me!
How could he possibly remain calm?
"Shh. Mind your words, Household Head Li."
Meng Shuo glanced at Li Fugui with some displeasure and said gravely, "Slaying demons is Lord Lu's duty to begin with. How can you call that bringing disaster upon us?"
"Humans and demons have been irreconcilable since ancient times!"
"Do you take Lord Lu for a traitor to humanity like Zhou Kaishan?"
"Pah! If that bastard hadn't deceived me, I'd have cut him down long ago!"
At those words, Li Fugui was left speechless. Looking sheepish, he silently shut his mouth.
How could he refute that?
Zhou Kaishan had colluded with demons and been condemned as a traitor to humanity. Who would dare say a word in defense of someone like that?
Still, that did not stop him from staring straight at Lu Guan with resentment in his eyes.
Perhaps he harbored the thought of handing Lu Guan over in exchange for the demons leaving.
But Commandant Meng Shuo had made his opposition clear, while Magistrate Wang Muzhi had yet to state his position.
Even if Li Fugui truly had such an idea, he did not dare voice it.
"Things aren't as bleak as Household Head Li imagines."
Wang Muzhi drew a deep breath and said thankfully, "Fortunately, it's an ape demon from Fruitless Cave, not a tiger demon from Ailao Mountain."
Hearing this, a thought stirred in Lu Guan's mind.
The magistrate did not keep them in suspense, but continued:
"The ape demons of Fruitless Cave read and write, cultivate the way of the sages, and closely resemble humans. Most therefore abide strictly by etiquette."
"If those plague-stricken tiger demons from Ailao Mountain had come instead, they would likely have charged straight in and started killing. They wouldn't be waiting outside."
"Those tiger demons are that savage?" Lu Guan suddenly asked.
"Of course."
Wang Muzhi sighed, his fingers unconsciously stroking his beard.
"Both Fruitless Cave and Ailao Mountain have great demon kings in the Divine Treasury Realm, while in our You Province, only the Demon Suppression Bureau's commander-in-chief is an expert of that realm."
"That imbalance in strength is why demons run rampant throughout You Province."
"In Li Province, where the imperial court sits, where would you ever see any demons?"
At this point, the magistrate's hand abruptly froze on his beard.
If he remembered correctly, the intelligence indicated that this young captain seemed to have beaten a slant-eyed, white-browed tiger to death today as well.
Wang Muzhi asked shakily, "L-Lord Lu, could the tiger you killed today have been...?"
Lu Guan licked his lips and reached for the back of his neck.
A sinister tiger-head brand occupied the rough skin there. It burned beneath his fingers, as though it would tear free of his flesh at any moment and choose someone to devour.
He had been marked again.
The youth suddenly found it somewhat funny.
How many days had he been in this world? Yet he had already stirred up greater trouble than many people did in their entire lives.
As Lu Guan nodded lightly, Wang Muzhi's vision went black, and he nearly fainted.
There are only two demonic powers with Divine Treasury Realm experts in all of You Province, and you've offended both in one go?
Meng Shuo was stunned as well. The burly, heavily bearded man's mouth hung open for a long while.
Finally, he slapped his thigh and raised a thick thumb at Lu Guan, saying in his rumbling voice:
"Lord Lu, fierce!"
On the other side, Li Fugui did not lose his composure.
After all, to him, Fruitless Cave and Ailao Mountain were both immense powers far beyond his reach.
Had Wang Muzhi not come from a great clan in You Province and possessed such extensive knowledge, a provincial moneybags at Li Fugui's level would not even have been qualified to hear those names.
Thus, the first priority was to get past the ape demon before them.
If they did not, they would die.
They would not even get to see the tiger demons of Ailao Mountain.
If he survived, he would immediately move his entire household away, far from Lu Guan, this star of calamity!
At this thought, Li Fugui heaved a long sigh, rubbed his palms against his knees, and ventured:
"I have a daughter studying at Yuelu Academy. Perhaps I could use that to strike up a connection with this ape demon."
At the very least... let it seek out the one responsible for its grievance and not vent its anger on anyone else.
Li Fugui only thought this to himself and did not say it aloud.
At his words, Wang Muzhi's expression turned odd.
"I never imagined Household Head Li had such a talented daughter. Yuelu Academy is a place scholars throughout the realm dream of entering."
"However..."
The magistrate paused, then said awkwardly:
"The way of the sages and the teachings on ritual that Fruitless Cave cultivates belong to the previous dynasty..."
Li Fugui froze. "The previous dynasty?"
"Yes."
Wang Muzhi nodded, an indefinable note in his voice. "The ritual teachings of the previous dynasty, Great Chu."
"Our Great Li founded its rule through martial might. It honors practical learning and emphasizes applying knowledge to governing the world."
"The previous dynasty's ritual teachings were long ago declared false learning by our dynasty. The academies don't teach them."
"What your daughter studies at Yuelu Academy and what those ape demons cultivate at Fruitless Cave are not the same path."