The horse was a tall, bluish-brown steed, its muscles bulging under the sunlight, radiating explosive power and creating immense pressure. It was clearly no ordinary breed.
Though the man and woman on horseback appeared young, their lifeblood surged like billowing wolf smoke, dominating the surroundings and scaring away birds and beasts.
The weaker Han Li and He Chunli involuntarily began to tremble.
Yu He, enduring the pressure, stepped forward to stand beside Xie An and whispered, "These two are releasing their lifeblood; they're at least seventh-level Martial Masters!"
Seventh-level Martial Masters!
This greatly frightened Han Li and He Chunli.
In their eyes, Martial Masters were already exceptional, top-tier figures, let alone seventh-level...
Only Xie An… felt no pressure; instead, a hint of joy flickered in his eyes.
Xie An's senses had already locked onto the young pair, giving him a rough understanding of their lifeblood and strength… So, this is the lifeblood of a seventh-level Martial Master.
It's… just average.
Unless they possess special secret techniques or weapons, they are definitely no match for me.
By comparison, Xie An gained a clearer understanding of the fighting prowess of the Eighteen Jade Body Technique.
He composed himself, stepped forward, and cupped his fist. "I am Xie An, not a demonic member of the Corpse Refining Hall."
The spear-wielding man was greatly shocked upon hearing the name. "You are Xie An?"
Xie An asked curiously, "Does Your Excellency recognize me?"
The spear-wielding man excitedly dismounted, about to approach Xie An, but the sword-wielding woman beat him to it. "My name is Zhao Qing'er, a Deputy Constable from the Green Crow Town Demon Suppression Division. This is Wei Haoran, also a Deputy Constable, though half a rank below me. We have been searching for you and Yu He here for the past four years on the orders of the Eldest Princess. Is this the young lady Yu He beside you?"
Yu He stepped forward and said, "This humble one is Xie Yu He."
Zhao Qing'er was overjoyed. "Truly, Heaven has blessed us; we've finally found you two. Now… I can finally report back to the Eldest Princess. Please follow me down the mountain to the Demon Suppression Division."
So that's how it is.
Since they weren't enemies, Xie An didn't hesitate and followed the two down the mountain.
It was perfect timing, as Xie An also wanted to understand the situation surrounding the encirclement of the Corpse Refining Hall back then. He also wanted to know if the High Priest was dead and what had become of Li Changchun. And… whether the Prince of Huainan had taken further action after I killed his seventh son…
All of the above was extremely important to Xie An.
It concerned Xie An's next plans.
As for Zhao Qing'er and Wei Haoran… After some conversation, Xie An felt that they both seemed to be from aristocratic families, but not the kind of flowers grown in a greenhouse. Instead, they had plenty of experience in the martial world, their words and actions tinged with chivalry, without being pretentious or giving off an arrogant feeling.
Perhaps it was due to the influence of the Eldest Princess?
However, Xie An also noticed… on the way down the mountain, these two aristocratic descendants would occasionally turn their heads to size him up, their eyes as if they were looking at some treasure, making Xie An feel uncomfortable all over.
Sensing something was amiss, Xie An took the initiative to ask, "Deputy Constable Zhao, is the Eldest Princess in Green Crow County?"
Zhao Qing'er, while holding the horse's reins, continued to curiously size up Xie An. "The Eldest Princess stayed in Water Lantern Town for half a year, but when she couldn't find you, and with the movements of the Eternal Life Sect demons in Nanyang Prefecture, she rushed back. However, the Eldest Princess specifically instructed that once you are found, you are to be taken to see Senior Brother Chen immediately. There will be great rewards!"
Wei Haoran added, "The Eldest Princess said that you deserve the greatest merit in the campaign to annihilate the Corpse Refining Hall. She also gave us a death order that if we couldn't find you, we wouldn't be allowed to return to Nanyang Prefecture for the rest of our lives. For the past four years, Zhao Qing'er and I have patrolled the mountain every few days, but we never got any news of you, making us think you were dead. We were almost about to report you as a martyr…"
Before Wei Haoran could finish speaking, Zhao Qing'er kicked him. "Why are you saying such unlucky things for no reason? If you can't speak, shut up for this princess."
Wei Haoran immediately became angry. "I wasn't finished yet…"
"Then swallow the rest of your words; this princess doesn't feel comfortable listening to them."
Wei Haoran was furious. "Zhao Qing'er, don't go too far!"
Zhao Qing'er was not afraid at all and coldly snorted, "Wei Haoran, please put your identity in the right place. You are just a Sixth-Rank Deputy Constable. This princess is a Proper Sixth-Rank Constable, your direct superior."
Wei Haoran raised his spear. "You're just relying on having a father who is the Prince of Bao, and not to mention this isn't the capital, even in the capital, this young master is not afraid of you. Dare to try my spear?"
Clang!
Zhao Qing'er suddenly drew her sword from its scabbard. "Heh, your father is just a mere Duke of Wei; this princess is not afraid of you. Let's try it out then."
Immediately, the two actually started fighting.
Yu He: "…"
Han Li: "…"
He Chunli: "…"
Xie An rubbed his forehead, feeling very speechless.
Compared to the Eldest Princess, who was also born into nobility, the difference was not ordinary.
However, their backgrounds were a bit scary.
One was the daughter of the Prince of Bao, and the other was the son of the Duke of Wei…
Xie An guessed that the reason why the Eldest Princess brought these two idiots to Nanyang Prefecture to train was probably at the behest of their fathers. Otherwise… these two should not have caught the Eldest Princess's eye.
"Master, they're fighting…" Han Li said blankly, "What do we do?"
Xie An certainly had the strength to stop these two aristocratic descendants from fighting, but there was no need to wade into this muddy water. "One is the daughter of the Prince of Bao, and the other is the son of the Duke of Wei. We can't afford to offend them, so let's just watch. It's a good opportunity for you to learn their fighting styles. This level of高手duel is rare."
Han Li and He Chunli thought it was very reasonable, so they watched from the side, quickly becoming engrossed, their eyes shining brightly.
Yu He also watched attentively, secretly making gestures from time to time.
After watching for a while, Xie An was greatly shocked.
Although these two still had the temperament of aristocratic descendants, their skills were truly extraordinary.
For example, Zhao Qing'er's swordsmanship was exquisite, powerful, and heavy, with the aura of splitting mountains and cutting rivers. It was unknown who she learned it from. And Wei Haoran's spearmanship was equally exquisite and profound, not falling behind at all.
Footwork, spear techniques, swordsmanship, the angle, strength, and defensive angle and strength of their attacks… were all superb.
True martial arts geniuses!
Xie An had never seen such freaks in Qingwu County for many years.
Not to mention Yu He, Han Li, and He Chunli, even Xie An benefited greatly from watching.
About a quarter of an hour later, Wei Haoran put away his spear. "Forget it, forget it, I'm not fighting anymore; it's boring."
Zhao Qing'er was very proud. "Scared, are you?"
"If you say so, then so be it." Wei Haoran patted his butt and left the battlefield, coming to Xie An's side with an apologetic smile. "Sorry for the show, Brother Xie. Let's continue on our way; let's not delay the time."
Seeing Wei Haoran admitting defeat, Zhao Qing'er felt extremely satisfied and walked over to exchange a few pleasantries with Xie An before leading the way down the mountain. However, the look of triumph between her eyebrows could not be concealed.
After chatting all the way, the feeling of unfamiliarity between them lessened a lot.
Xie An still didn't ask about the details of the encirclement of the Corpse Refining Hall back then, because Xie An felt that although these two aristocratic descendants were impulsive and competitive, they were not stupid. There were many official words in their speech, and they had many reservations about Xie An.
Xie An felt that there was no need to make a fool of himself and could just ask Brother Chun later.
After going down the mountain, it was Gupo Village.
Wei Haoran said, "You wait here for a while, and I'll go to the cavalry camp to borrow a few horses. That way, it'll be faster to get to the county town."
Cavalry camp?
Could it be that the White Feather Hall has rebuilt the cavalry camp?
After thinking about it, it felt possible.
Xie An thought that he was also the leader of the White Feather Hall, so he said, "I will go with Lord Wei. I will also go and see the old place."
Wei Haoran and Zhao Qing'er exchanged a look, and Zhao Qing'er said, "Wei Haoran, go and borrow the horses quickly. I have a few words to say to Xie An."
After Wei Haoran left, Zhao Qing'er said to Xie An, "I know about your previous affairs. You became the leader of the White Feather Hall, and the Eldest Princess also settled in the hall for several years, opening a school. You also killed the seventh son of the Prince of Huainan in front of the villagers. Every single one of these things is a great thing that benefits the country and the people. Although this princess has not seen it with her own eyes, she admires you from the bottom of her heart. However…"
She suddenly changed the subject. "Times have changed. Chen Qinglang cut off his arm to survive and fled to another place. Meng Hu also found another backer and made the Tiger Wolf Gate bigger again. Now, Meng Hu has sold the entire White Feather Hall, this sweet potato, to the Giant Whale Gang."
Xie An was very surprised to hear this.
He never thought that… the White Feather Hall, which had been managed so well back then, would be sold to the Giant Whale Gang. No wonder the two disciples said that their old subordinates were not doing well.
The owner has changed; how can they be doing well?
After being stunned for a moment, Xie An recovered. "So this cavalry camp… belongs to the Giant Whale Gang?"
Zhao Qing'er said, "Yes. But it doesn't matter. Our Green Crow Town Demon Suppression Division has overall control of Green Crow County, and the county government and the Ten Thousand Household Office must cooperate. Wei Haoran is holding the position of Deputy Constable, so if he goes to borrow a few horses, the Giant Whale Gang will not dare to disobey."
Xie An sighed in his heart.
Four years passed, and things had changed.
The entire Qingwu County had undergone a complete transformation.
Originally, Xie An had planned to go directly to the Li residence to check on the ailing Madam Li, but now it seemed… he still needed to go to the Demon Suppression Division first to understand the current situation in Qingwu County.
Anyway, it would only take half a day, which wouldn't delay anything.
Moreover, Xie An still held the position of Hall Master of the White Feather Hall. Now that the White Feather Hall had been sold, he didn't know how Lin Yun and the others were doing, or how Meng Hu had arranged things for him.
These were all things he needed to understand.
Most importantly, he needed to know if Li Changchun and the High Priest were dead or alive. If they weren't dead, were they still watching him… and what was the Huainan King's next move!
Back when the Eldest Princess was here, the Huainan King naturally wouldn't dare to do anything to him.
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Now that the Eldest Princess had left, Xie An needed to understand the situation clearly.
Otherwise, a slight misstep could lead to eternal damnation.
Before long, Wei Haoran led four horses over and distributed them to Yu He, Xie An, Han Li, and He Chunli.
He Chunli and Han Li were now martial artists at the Third Gate Iron Bone Realm and naturally knew how to ride horses.
Giddy up!
The four fiery steeds set off from Gu Po Village, galloping towards the county town.
… …
Blood Ridge Market.
It was now vastly different from before.
The entrance to the canyon had been leveled, and four main roads led directly to Blood Ridge Market from the east, south, west, and north. Various carriages, ox carts carrying goods, and so on moved back and forth on the roads, with a constant stream of people.
Within Blood Ridge Market, countless shops of all sizes had been built, with fixed stalls and booming business.
Compared to the Blood Ridge Black Market of four years ago, it had now been upgraded into a true commercial center. Even the name had been changed to Market. Even at night, it was brightly lit, and there were several brothels.
Outside the Black Market, a large shipping channel had been dug, leading directly to the Shui Deng Town pier, connecting to the Da Huai River, greatly facilitating business transactions.
Inside a separate courtyard.
Several people gathered together, drinking in silence.
"Brother Lin, this place is unbearable," Zhang Lin said, taking a sip of his drink and slamming the cup heavily on the table, his expression indignant. Zhang Lin now had graying temples, his hair had turned white, and his face was full of wrinkles, making him look much older.
Wang Xiang poured wine for Zhang Lin, "We were at least in charge of various branch halls under Hall Master Xie, and our performance and abilities were obvious. Yet the Giant Whale Gang ignores all of this and sends us here to patrol. It's too much."
Liang Zhi drank his wine with his head down, not participating in the discussion. But the look of frustration on his face could not be hidden.
Glug.
Lin Yun took a sip of his drink and said with a self-deprecating smile, "The Blood Ridge Black Market was built with everyone's decade-long efforts. Now that it's been upgraded to a market, it's fine for the Giant Whale Gang to profit from it. But we can't even keep our original positions and are sent here to patrol. We're constantly met with cold shoulders and suppressed in every way. Those of you who want to leave, go ahead. This place is the root of me and Brother Wei, and I'll be here for the rest of my life."
"Brother Lin, why bother? Staying here will only lead to being trampled on, and we can't do anything anymore."
"That's right. Hall Master Xie's life and death are unknown, and without anyone to protect us, we're worse than pigs and dogs here. Brother Lin, let's go together. At worst, we'll find a new place to make a living."
"Yesterday, we offended the Second Gang Leader's son and each received a beating…"
Lin Yun waved his hand, "I appreciate your kindness, but I'm old and my martial arts can't improve any further. This is probably how it will be for the rest of my life. They say fallen leaves return to their roots, so I'll stay here. You don't have to stay here and suffer this kind of grievance with me."
… …
When Xie An arrived at the city gate of the county town, he found that the city walls had been repaired, making them taller and larger.
Moreover, there were significantly more soldiers patrolling the gate than before, each wearing armor and with extremely stern expressions.
Entering the city, he saw a huge building in the distance, seven stories high, magnificent and grand, standing out in the entire county town.
Han Li rode his horse closer to Xie An and excitedly introduced, "Master, this is the newly built Demon Suppression Division headquarters. It took four years to build and is truly the largest building in the entire county town. I've never seen such an imposing building in my life."
He Chunli also came closer, "The Demon Suppression Division is actively recruiting people, and I'm thinking…"
Xie An glanced at He Chunli, roughly knowing what his disciple was thinking, and said, "We'll talk about this later, after I understand the situation. You guys go back first."
The two disciples nodded in agreement. When they reached the entrance of the Demon Suppression Division, they dismounted, handed the horses back to Wei Haoran, and bid farewell with cupped fists.
Zhao Qing'er dismounted, handed the horse to Wei Haoran, "Take the horses to the stables."
Wei Haoran was clearly displeased, but after seeing Zhao Qing'er take out the sixth-rank clerk's identity token, he could only hang his head, endure his anger, and lead the horses away.
Zhao Qing'er raised an eyebrow and said to Xie An, "Xie An, Miss Yu He, please follow me."
Xie An followed Zhao Qing'er, his eyes constantly glancing around.
The gate of this Demon Suppression Division was too imposing!
Two stone lions stood over ten meters tall, bringing a great sense of oppression. Even the gatehouse was thirteen meters high, making it even more magnificent. A plaque hung on the top of the gatehouse, with six large characters engraved in a vigorous and flamboyant style: Qingwu Demon Suppression Division.
A line of words was engraved on the large pillar on the left: Supervising officials, slaying demons and eliminating evil.
A line of words was also engraved on the large pillar on the right: Execute first, report later, imperial permission.
Xie An couldn't help but recall a line from a certain movie in his previous life: The Eastern Depot dares not manage, I manage. The Eastern Depot dares not kill, I kill. What the Eastern Depot can manage, I must manage, what the Eastern Depot cannot manage, I must manage even more. Execute first, report later, imperial permission, this is the Western Depot.
But the Western Depot only said these things verbally and did not record them. The Demon Suppression Division of the Great Qian was even more powerful, directly and publicly engraving it at the gate.
It seemed impressive, but Xie An realized that this revealed a piece of information: the imperial court was not as stable as it appeared, so extraordinary measures were needed in extraordinary times.
And the Demon Suppression Division was this special organization.
The power of the Demon Suppression Division was too great!
If the imperial court stabilized in the future, the Demon Suppression Division itself would become the biggest threat to the laws of the court. If a wise ruler appeared, there was a high probability that the Demon Suppression Division would be abolished, or its power would be curtailed.
But the current Great Qian was in extraordinary times and had no choice but to do so.
Perhaps these engraved words were intentionally displayed by the imperial court to deter the Huainan King and the Changsheng Sect's evil.
But no matter what, this gatehouse and these engraved words were indeed fascinating and inspiring.
Any ambitious and capable heroes, passionate youths… who wouldn't want to join such an organization?
Only Xie An was older and had a more stable mindset. He didn't have this kind of impulse.
Zhao Qing'er led the way and said, "This yamen took four years to build and was decorated entirely according to the specifications and layout of the Nanyang Prefecture Demon Suppression Division. It can be seen that the Eldest Princess had long-term plans."
Xie An nodded in agreement while looking around. He saw many passionate youths practicing martial arts and sparring on the training grounds, as well as young men lining up to participate in the examination.
Zhao Qing'er explained, "The Qingwu Demon Suppression Division has a full quota of five hundred Demon Suppression Guards, but the Eldest Princess was short on manpower and only transferred two hundred people here. We need to recruit the rest ourselves. These people have all come attracted by the name."
Xie An said, "The Demon Suppression Division is magnificent and aims for justice in the world. Now that it has opened its doors wide, there will naturally be an endless stream of participants."
Zhao Qing'er was very proud, "That's right. Talented youths from the five or six nearby counties have rushed here to participate in the examination. Although our recruitment conditions are very strict, according to the current trend, we should be able to recruit the full quota in about three to five months."
Xie An asked, "Who is currently serving as the Chief of the Demon Suppression Division?"
Eh.
Zhao Qing'er sighed, "Originally, the position of Chief was definitely Senior Brother Chen Tie's. He was a confidant of the Eldest Princess and apprenticed to a great craftsman in the capital. His martial arts had reached the eighth level Martial Master. The imperial court had already issued the document, but I don't know what happened, and in the end, the imperial court changed its mind and only gave Senior Brother Chen Tie the position of Deputy Chief. The position of Chief is still vacant."
Xie An keenly sensed something was wrong, it seemed that the Eldest Princess was not in complete control here?
Of course, he wouldn't show any abnormality and remained as calm as usual.
Soon, he followed Zhao Qing'er to the top floor of the seven-story building. Zhao Qing'er went in to report first, and before long, a strong young man walked out quickly. When he saw Xie An, he enthusiastically stepped forward and shook Xie An's hand, "Brother Xie, I've finally waited for your safe return. I'm Chen Tie, the Eldest Princess specifically instructed me to treat Brother Xie well. The Eldest Princess has left you a great gift, come in and talk."
Chen Tie was outwardly forthright, but in fact, he had just had someone find Liu Chun to secretly identify Xie An's identity, and only came out to greet him after confirming that it was correct.
