The Match

"What kind of treasure is that? It can actually hold so many demonic beasts!"

"As expected of an important figure from the Demon-Slaying Bureau. His powers truly are boundless!"

The young man couldn't be bothered with the crowd's exclamations. He looked at Lin Shan and said evenly, "All right, Lin Shan, come back to the Demon-Slaying Bureau with me."

"Yes! Thank you for your patronage, my lord!" Lin Shan's face lit up with wild delight. He hurriedly bowed, his eyes full of triumph.

The young man's name was Zhao An, a demon slayer from the northern Demon-Slaying Bureau.

He had come this time, first, to inspect the demonic beast situation in Lin'an County,

and second, to find people with the aptitude to join the Demon-Slaying Bureau.

Zhao An walked at the front, with Lin Yuan and Lin Shan close behind. Hundreds of townspeople followed to see them off, making for a lively scene.

Just as they were about to leave through the government office gates, Lu Feng, An Shi and the others arrived with the demonic beasts' heads.

The moment Lin Shan saw Lu Feng, his expression changed drastically. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes, and he instinctively hid behind Zhao An-he had never imagined that Lu Feng would still be alive!

"What's going on? Why are there so many people? Who's the lord in the middle?" Chen Hu asked, frowning in bewilderment.

An Shi's eyes lit up. "That must be the demon slayer, my lord! Thank goodness we made it in time!"

With that, he hurried forward and bowed respectfully. "Your subordinate An Shi, registrar of Lin'an City, pays his respects, my lord demon slayer!"

"We pay our respects, my lord demon slayer!" Lu Feng, Chen Hu, Ergou and the others also bowed and called out in unison.

Zhao An waved a hand dismissively. "No need for ceremony."

Just then, the onlookers noticed the demonic beast heads behind Lu Feng and the others, and the crowd erupted.

"Look! They have a lot of demonic beast heads behind them too. It looks like several are first-tier!"

"Heavens! So many? Did Head Constable Lin Shan kill these too?"

"That can't be right! Lord Demon Slayer already took Head Constable Lin Shan's demonic beasts. Who killed these?"

"Maybe Lord Registrar led his men to kill them! After all, Lord Registrar is at Ming Jin Perfection too!"

The hubbub rose again. Lin Shan's expression grew uglier and uglier, while Zhao An finally turned his gaze to Lu Feng, a trace of inquiry flashing in his eyes.

"My lord demon slayer, your subordinate Lu Feng begs to join the Demon-Slaying Bureau!"

Lu Feng stepped forward and gave Zhao An a deep cupped-fist salute.

"You're Lu Feng?"

Zhao An raised his eyes indifferently and glanced at Lu Feng's pale face, a hint of hostility in his voice.

"My lord has heard of me?" Lu Feng was slightly taken aback.

"Humph!" Zhao An's face darkened.

"I hear you colluded with demonic beasts and harmed villagers. Your record is stained with evil deeds! And you dare show your face before me?"

Lu Feng was speechless. The original owner of this body had committed all those evil deeds; they had nothing to do with him!

He was just about to explain himself when Chen Hu stepped forward first and shouted:

"My lord! You've misunderstood! Lu Feng killed all these demonic beasts! Yesterday, he killed dozens of North Mountain wolf demons by himself, including several first-tier demonic beasts!"

"That's right! Head Constable Lu deserves all the credit!" Ergou and the other constables chimed in, bearing witness together.

"What? Lu Feng killed the wolf demons that had been terrorizing the region?"

The crowd erupted at once, voices rising on all sides.

"I don't believe it! We know better than anyone what Lu Feng is like. How could he possibly have the ability to kill first-tier demonic beasts?"

"Exactly! More than a dozen first-tier wolf demons? They were the overlords of Lin'an County. He could kill them? Don't make me laugh!"

Seeing the crowd wavering, Lin Shan immediately stepped out from behind Zhao An and sneered smugly:

"Don't listen to his nonsense! I only managed to kill those demonic beasts by luck because Lord Demon Slayer stepped in to help me! Looking like a sickly weakling, what makes him worthy of killing first-tier demonic beasts?"

Hearing this, Zhao An not only declined to contradict him, but let a smile of tacit approval curl at his lips.

He had taken the first-tier demonic beasts back to the Demon-Slaying Bureau to exchange them for merit and curry favor with his superiors. Lin Shan's words had actually done him a favor.

"You're lying! We ran into you yesterday with three villagers and the demonic beasts' corpses. They can testify!" Chen Hu's face flushed red with anxiety as he roared.

"That's right! Those three villagers can prove it!" An Shi hurriedly agreed.

Zhao An's face darkened. Having made his decision, he looked at Lin Shan and instructed him calmly:

"In that case, summon those three here and confront them on the spot, so everyone will be convinced."

Lin Shan understood at once and turned to Lin Yuan.

Without betraying his thoughts, Lin Yuan gave the two of them a look.

Before long, the three rescued villagers were brought over.

After the three had been rescued and returned to the city the previous day, Lin Yuan had given each of them ten taels of silver and privately instructed them to insist that Lin Shan had saved them.

"Greetings, my lords." The three bowed fearfully. As they straightened, their eyes instinctively swept over Lu Feng, and a flicker of panic crossed their faces.

Zhao An went straight to the point. Pointing at the demonic beast heads on the ground, he asked, "Tell me, who saved you yesterday? And who killed these wolf demons?"

The two men exchanged a glance, looked at Lu Feng, then at the hostile-looking Lin Yuan. In the end, they lowered their heads and spoke in voices as faint as mosquitoes:

"It... it was Head Constable Lin who saved us."

Only the woman beside them looked at Lu Feng's pale face and remembered how he had fought the demons bathed in blood the day before. She suddenly raised her head and cried:

"No! It was Lu Feng! Lu Feng was the one who saved us yesterday! He was the one who killed the wolf demons!"

With their accounts at odds, the group was at a loss, and they looked at Lu Feng with more hesitation.

Seeing this, Zhao An sneered inwardly, but still put on an air of fairness and said to Lu Feng, "Since both sides insist on their own version, I'll give you a chance."

"To join the Demon-Slaying Bureau, you must have reached Ming Jin. Lin Shan is already at Early Ming Jin and qualifies."

"If you want to join, have a match with him. If you can defeat him, I'll give you the chance. Are you willing?"

The crowd broke into an uproar at his words.

Everyone could see that Lu Feng was gravely injured and barely breathing. Fighting now would be like an egg striking a stone!

"My lord! You can't! Lu Feng is badly injured; he can't possibly fight!" Chen Hu stamped his feet in anxiety, trying to stop it.

"It's all right." Lu Feng raised a hand and gently pressed it against Chen Hu's arm. His gaze was calm, but his voice was unusually firm. "I'm willing to fight."

"Lu Feng!" An Shi also stepped forward to persuade him. "Don't force yourself! If it doesn't work out this time, we'll have another chance. The Demon-Slaying Bureau conducts inspections once every three years. Just try again next time!"

Lu Feng waved a hand, pushed away the people supporting him and stepped forward.

"Since the two of you are going to fight, stop when a hit is scored. No heavy blows," Zhao An said calmly, while secretly giving Lin Shan a meaningful look.

Lin Shan understood immediately. He stepped forward and took a fighting stance, his face full of arrogance. "Lu Feng, since you're courting death, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"

Before he had finished speaking, Lin Shan curled both hands into claws and lunged straight for Lu Feng's face, a fierce wind whistling in his wake.