Fuck!
Zhao Tielin clenched his teeth, his eyes wide.
Demand an explanation? Who did he think he was?
A mere early Qi and Blood Realm cultivator dared demand an explanation from the commandant?
Did he really think the commandant was utterly impartial?
If that were truly the case, Zhao Tielin would not have returned empty-handed from that fellow Lin.
If he wanted an explanation, a company commander at the perfected Qi and Blood Realm might stand a chance!
Seeing Lu Guan's firm attitude, Zhao Tielin knew he could not stop him.
No, it was not merely a question of being unable to stop him. In the blink of an eye, he had vanished.
The middle-aged man stood where he was, his expression shifting uncertainly. Then he stamped his foot, turned, and headed out of the office compound.
"Damn it, I must owe your whole Lu family."
The small hall in the rear courtyard.
Only after Zhou Jie stepped inside did his panicked heart settle.
This was where his uncle worked. No matter what, Lu Guan would never dare come here and run wild.
Yet the moment that thought arose, Zhou Jie froze.
Why... should I fear him?
They were both at the early Qi and Blood Realm. He came from a prominent county clan and had tempered his body with all manner of medicinal baths since childhood. His foundations could not have been more solid.
As for Lu Guan, though his family had produced military officers for generations, they had ultimately never risen beyond the Qi and Blood Realm. Not one had even become a company commander.
To scions of great clans like them, he was scarcely better than a mud-legged commoner.
He had actually been frightened by someone like that?
But recalling Lu Guan's gaze earlier, Zhou Jie still could not help feeling afraid.
"Fuck it, I was born to wealth and privilege. Why should I risk my life against you?"
Seeing that the commandant was not in the small hall, Zhou Jie found a seat to wait.
He had feared this uncle since childhood.
If his uncle learned that he had contacted demons without permission...
At that thought, Zhou Jie could not help shuddering all over.
No, no. I covered my tracks perfectly.
The next moment, footsteps sounded outside the door.
Zhou Jie hurriedly stood, bowed, and cupped his hands. "Your nephew pays his respects, Uncle. I trust you are well."
His words fell, but no reply came for a long while.
With a guilty conscience, Zhou Jie dared not raise his head. He held that pose, not daring to move.
No, surely not. Has Uncle discovered it?
Only after a long time did a calm voice, tinged with something odd, reach him.
"Rise... my dear nephew?"
Zhou Jie froze at those words. That was not his uncle's voice.
Young, indifferent, and somewhat familiar. He seemed to have heard it not long ago...
He jerked his head up. At the sight of the newcomer, his eyes nearly split with rage, and he shouted through gritted teeth, "You! Lu Guan!"
Remembering how respectfully he had addressed the other man as his uncle, Zhou Jie turned livid with fury. He wanted nothing more than to skin Lu Guan on the spot.
"What are you doing here? Is this a place for a probationary officer like you?"
Lu Guan stepped into the small hall and glanced at Zhou Jie. "Aren't you a probationary officer too?"
The words Zhou Jie was about to speak caught in his throat.
What standing do you have, and what standing do I have? How could we be the same?
But then another thought struck him. A smile suddenly spread across his face, and he casually gestured. "Since you're already here, have a seat."
Since Lu Guan had walked straight into the net, he could use his uncle to put some pressure on him.
After all, he was only a youngster fresh out of the thatched cottage. How would he dare face the chief official of an entire county? When the time came, he would have no choice but to obediently surrender his spot...
Zhou Jie's plans were rosy, but Lu Guan did not play by his script.
The youth shook his head and spread his fingers, revealing a white bone.
"No need to sit. I came for you. Whether the commandant is here makes no difference."
"I now suspect you of colluding with demons, falsifying intelligence, and deliberately plotting the murder of a probationary officer of the Demon Suppression Bureau. You are a traitor to humanity!"
Those words struck like thunder from a clear sky.
Zhou Jie's gaze went blank as he stared fixedly at the white bone in Lu Guan's hand.
He... really killed that white-bone demon?
How is that possible? How did he do it?
The young man's face instantly turned deathly pale. The next moment, as though something had occurred to him, he screamed hysterically:
"Impossible! You cheated!"
"How could someone at the early Qi and Blood Realm like you slay a demon at the late Qi and Blood Realm?"
Lu Guan's gaze chilled, and a mocking smile curled his lips. "When did I ever say this demon was at the late Qi and Blood Realm?"
"..."
Knowing he had misspoken, Zhou Jie shut his mouth and sat back down.
He did not believe Lu Guan would dare arrest him here.
Once his uncle came to work, everything would naturally unravel like bamboo before a blade. At worst, he would receive a few words of reprimand.
Seeing Zhou Jie like this, a cold gleam flashed through Lu Guan's eyes, and his hand settled on his saber's hilt.
The next instant, he raised it high and brought it crashing down with the crushing might of thunder.
Demon Subduing Saber Technique!
This time, he was not slaying a demon, but a traitor to humanity.
"Have you gone mad?!"
Daring to draw a blade here-what outrageous audacity!
Zhou Jie's pupils contracted sharply. The blade grew ever larger in his eyes. He tried to dodge, only to find that he could not move at all. There was no escape!
What a fast, ferocious saber.
He was utterly stunned. What happened to the early Qi and Blood Realm? Who had gathered that intelligence?!
Looking at Lu Guan again, Qi and Blood surged throughout his body like a blazing furnace, his presence oppressive.
This was precisely the sign of perfected Qi and Blood, the physical body pushed to its utmost limits!
No wonder... he had been able to slay that demon.
Realization dawned on Zhou Jie. Beneath the dazzling saber light, he squeezed his eyes shut, not daring to look.
Yet a moment later, the death he expected had not arrived.
He cautiously opened his eyes and felt his still-intact neck, his eyes filled with relief at having survived disaster.
On the floor lay a broken section of the blade.
"Disgraceful. Get to the back!"
A commanding voice rang out. Zhou Jie shuddered and looked toward its source.
A burly figure stood at the entrance to the small hall, dressed in flying-fish robes with a cloak draped over his shoulders. His face was solemn, commanding respect without anger.
It was none other than Zhou Kaishan, commandant of the Demon Suppression Bureau.
Hearing his uncle's voice, Zhou Jie felt his wet crotch, his face full of shame and anger. He shot Lu Guan a venomous look, but did not dare utter even a single threat before scurrying away.
"Perfected Qi and Blood. A young hero indeed."
Zhou Kaishan strode to the seat of honor and sat down. He looked Lu Guan up and down with a smile, his satisfaction plain to see.
"If I recall, you're only eighteen? At your age, I hadn't even properly learned to circulate my Qi and Blood."
"To achieve so much at such a young age-even in the commandery, a young talent like you would be as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. Remarkable!"
"Serving in my Qianqiu County Demon Suppression Bureau truly is a waste of your talents."
Faced with Zhou Kaishan's praise, Lu Guan merely replied coolly:
"Your nephew is a traitor to humanity."
With that, he spread his fingers and displayed the white bone before Zhou Kaishan.
He had long since sensed this commandant watching from the shadows. That was why he had held nothing back-to force him to reveal himself.
Zhao Tielin was only at the middle Qi and Blood Realm, so naturally he could not discern anything unusual about this white bone. But as a True Qi Realm expert, how could Zhou Kaishan fail to see that it had been left by a late Qi and Blood Realm demon?
"..."
"You're saying that my nephew actually colluded with demons too?"
Zhou Kaishan's smile vanished, and he stared straight at Lu Guan.
The youth stood tall and unafraid, meeting his gaze calmly.
After a moment of silence, he said gravely, "Probationary officer Lu Guan is of noble character and has earned the highest marks in every assessment. He is hereby granted full officer status, his name to be entered into the register."
Lu Guan nodded. Without dwelling on Zhou Kaishan's denial, he turned to leave.
"Officer Lu, leave the white bone. It must be entered into the records as evidence."
Zhou Kaishan did not spell it out, but Lu Guan understood.
This was a transaction. In exchange for his officer status, the matter would end here.
His steps paused, and he tossed the white bone back without turning his head.
Zhou Kaishan caught the bone and put it away. Glancing at Lu Guan's retreating back, a thought stirred in his mind. A smile returned to his face, and he followed him.
"Officer Lu, I felt like we were old friends at first sight. Since you're leaving, naturally I ought to see you out."