The Demon Suppression Bureau offices.
Wang Muzhi, Meng Shuo, and Li Fugui sat stiffly upright, their backs ramrod straight, occasionally stealing sidelong glances at Lu Guan in the seat of honor.
The young man wore blue robes, his expression calm, revealing nothing.
Yet it was precisely this expression that made all three inwardly suck in a breath of cold air almost at once:
Hiss! This kid hid his depths well!
To think he was on such terms with Commandery Princess Luyang!
Why him? Just because he had a handsome face?
None of them were narrow-minded men who could not bear to see others prosper. They were simply deeply shaken after what had happened last night.
Commandery Princess Luyang!
A Gold-Token Demon-Slaying Envoy!
Both were important figures the three rarely had the chance to see, yet they had suddenly descended upon the remote little county of Qianqiu last night.
All to save Lu Guan.
They had huddled inside the offices and had not witnessed Lu Guan slay Yuan Guanshan.
Later, when Chen Jingchou summoned them to arrange the aftermath, he had merely said the demon had been eliminated, without detailing what had happened.
Thus, the three naturally assumed that the Gold-Token Demon-Slaying Envoy had killed the demon.
And Yu Qianqian's temporary stay at Lu Guan's home was no secret in Qianqiu County.
Anyone who cared to ask around could easily hear seven or eight versions from the neighbors, each more outrageous than the last.
A young woman had stayed in an unmarried young man's home for several days, coming and going with him by day, their lamplight shining together by night.
The neighbors said nothing aloud, but their hearts were as clear as mirrors.
Yet it was only last night that the three had learned Yu Qianqian's identity from Chen Jingchou.
The woman staying at Lu Guan's home was actually Commandery Princess Luyang, the pearl in the Prince of Yan's palm!
Fuck! Had he really won over Commandery Princess Luyang?!
"You truly are fortunate, Lord Lu. Might you be about to become the Prince of Yan's prized son-in-law?"
Li Fugui spoke sourly. The moment the words left his mouth, he realized they were inappropriate, but he could no longer take them back.
"Don't talk nonsense!"
Lu Guan frowned slightly and glanced at Li Fugui. His gaze was calm, yet it felt like a ladle of cold water poured over the man's head:
"Commandery Princess Luyang and I merely met by chance. We're friends."
Tsk, how could a chance meeting make you friends?
Li Fugui grumbled inwardly, but dared say no more.
After all, anyone with eyes could see that Lu Guan was certain to rise, becoming someone far beyond their reach.
At this point, they sought no connection with him, only hoped he would not come to despise the three over yesterday's events.
Yesterday, they had come to "keep watch over" Lu Guan. To put it bluntly, they had been accomplices.
Besides that, Li Fugui had another source of unease.
Yesterday, he had traded a True Qi Realm cultivation method for a Gang Condensation Realm martial art, gaining an enormous bargain. Would Lu Guan settle the score afterward?
Fortunately, he had made a copy at the offices that very night.
At worst, he could simply return the copy Lu Guan had written.
Just as he was making his little calculations, Lu Guan suddenly spoke:
"I invited you three here today to bid you farewell."
"Hm?" The three froze.
He took a Demon-Slaying Envoy's waist token from inside his robes and set it gently on the table.
"I will no longer serve as commandant. You three may now address me as a Demon-Slaying Envoy."
"!!!"
The three stared wide-eyed at the silver token, finding it unbearably dazzling, their breath catching.
Meng Shuo's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry.
Becoming a Demon-Slaying Envoy had been his ambition since childhood.
Unfortunately, his talent was insufficient. He remained stuck in the True Qi Realm, unable to advance, falling short of even the minimum threshold for becoming a Demon-Slaying Envoy.
Having the good fortune to see a Gold-Token Demon-Slaying Envoy in person last night had already left him so excited that he could not sleep all night.
Yet now, another Demon-Slaying Envoy stood before him.
And this one was Lu Guan.
But how could it be Lu Guan?
So young, with such a heavy responsibility-could he handle it?
Damn it all!
He would rather Lu Guan win over Commandery Princess Luyang than watch him casually pluck away his childhood dream.
Compared to Meng Shuo, whose face was distorted by jealousy, Wang Muzhi appeared rather calmer.
He had something of the bearing of a man whose expression would not change even if Mount Tai collapsed before him.
However, the shock in his heart was no less than Meng Shuo's, and was even fiercer.
His pupils abruptly contracted, his eyes holding nothing but that glimmer of silver on the table.
A silver token!
Lu Guan had only just joined the Demon-Slaying Envoys, yet he was starting as a Silver-Token Demon-Slaying Envoy!
He came from a great clan, and even had an older male cousin in the clan who was a Demon-Slaying Envoy.
Thus, he understood better than Meng Shuo what that silver waist token represented.
The very finest handful of experts in the Gang Condensation Realm.
In fact, quite a few Demon-Slaying Envoys in the Inner Landscape Realm still carried silver tokens.
As for pulling strings, that was utterly impossible.
These were the Demon-Slaying Envoys! The sharpest blade of the Great Li Dynasty. Every one of them had climbed up over the corpses of demons.
"Congratulations on your promotion, Lord Lu. May your martial fortunes flourish, and may the Inner Landscape Realm be within your reach."
Wang Muzhi rose with a respectful expression and cupped his hands, neither excessively flattering nor failing to make his attitude clear.
Clearly, the county magistrate had realized that Lu Guan was no True Qi Realm cultivator, but a mighty Gang Condensation Realm expert!
At that thought, a faint bitterness welled up in his heart.
To think the three of them had intended to keep watch over Lu Guan. Looking at it now, was he someone the three of them could possibly keep under control?
He had simply chosen not to hold it against them. That generosity of spirit was what truly commanded admiration.
"May your martial fortunes flourish, Lord Lu!"
The other two came to their senses as well, hurriedly rising to offer their wishes.
Meng Shuo's voice still carried a barely perceptible trace of bitterness, while Li Fugui smiled with particular eagerness, looking more as though he were concealing a guilty conscience.
Lu Guan waved a hand and said casually, "You're too kind."
"After I leave, until the new commandant arrives, I'll leave Qianqiu County in your hands."
The three nodded. "Of course."
Having given the three his instructions, Lu Guan stayed no longer. He rose and strode away.
After all, a Demon-Slaying Envoy was still trapped over in Five Li Town, his fate unknown.
If he arrived in time, he might yet save the man's life.
As for those close to him in the county, this was no parting in life or death. There was no need for tearful farewells, nor was it impossible to meet again.
The three watched his retreating figure disappear into the morning light beyond the door, their gazes lingering for a long time.
Wang Muzhi quietly wiped away a sheen of cold sweat.
Good that he's gone. He had not forgotten that, aside from Fruitless Cave, Lu Guan also had a debt to Ailao Mountain!
Little Qianqiu County could not withstand another great demon's rampage.
Arriving at the stables, Lu Guan swept his gaze over the horses at the troughs and finally chose a blood-sweating steed.
The horse was chestnut all over, well-fed and powerfully built, with four long, strong legs. Its coat gleamed like satin in the morning light. It was the finest horse in the stables.
He swung into the saddle, shook the reins, and galloped toward the city gates.
The guards at the gate spotted the rapidly approaching figure from afar and hurriedly cleared the road, standing close against the wall.
They looked up as horse and rider swept through the gate like the wind, leaving a trail of dust.
Lu Guan glanced back and saw the flags atop the city walls fluttering in the morning breeze, snapping in the wind.
Wisps of cooking smoke rose from the streets and alleys. Steam from the breakfast stalls escaped above their awnings, mingling with vendors' cries and children's laughter that drifted to him from afar.
In the end, he was bidding a temporary farewell to the county town where he had first settled after transmigrating.
He withdrew his gaze and squeezed the horse's flanks.
"Neigh-"
The blood-sweating steed gave a long whinny, its four hooves flying as it galloped north along the official road.