Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division. External Affairs Hall.

Grey tile and white walls. Red-lacquered double doors thrown open. A steady stream of figures moved in and out with the purposeful bearing of people who had somewhere to be.

Shen Yi observed quietly.

They all wore the ink-black brocade uniform, but more than sixty percent had no cloud-band embroidery at their cuffs. Average age somewhere around forty. Their cultivation was genuine Threshold Realm — but faint and unsteady, the impression of people who’d only just scraped past the barrier.

So this is the medicine-bath crop Zhang Tuhu complained about.

The ones in cloud-band robes who passed occasionally were younger, with a sharper quality to how they looked at things.

“Three thousand in the Inner Division, just over eight thousand in the Outer. That’s the whole complement — a little over ten thousand, responsible for the security of twelve prefectures and three hundred and forty-two county seats across Qingzhou.”

Ma Tao drifted over, a note of reflection in his voice.

“Strip out the twenty-five hundred Inner Division people who need to stay and hold Qingzhou itself — and you’re left with roughly twenty people per county. Which is about how the squads actually shake out. A Deputy Commander goes out on an operation with around twenty Commanders. Even if something goes completely wrong and you all go down, it’s not a catastrophic loss.”

Shen Yi had been listening long enough to have picked up the beggar’s name — Ma Tao — and he looked at the man’s matter-of-fact expression with a faint raise of the eyebrow.

Total annihilation is just a normal operational outcome.

By the sound of it, the minimum threshold for operating as an independent Deputy Commander was Jade Liquid Realm. In Baiyun County terms, that was someone who ruled a region by themselves. And losing the whole squad was not a big deal?

“Don’t worry — as long as they know you’re missing and it’s not just silence, the Division will send people inside half a month.”

Ma Tao smiled in a slightly rueful way. “There was a Demon Suppression General in Yushan Prefecture — three local sects coordinated to have him killed. Thought they’d done it cleanly. The General’s second disciple went in with a thousand people. Six days. Twenty-three thousand heads taken. Apparently the pile is still sitting at the city gate.”

Shen Yi was less moved by the Division’s ferocity than by the private note he filed away for himself.

He’d thought his current ability was enough to keep himself safe even if advancement was slow. It was becoming clear the world was messier than that — not just ordinary people, but prominent figures dropped without warning.

“Hey — what are you good at?”

Li Muqing came out of the hall and looked at the group outside. “Tracking? Long-range pursuit?” She paused. “Wait — aren’t you quite good at close-range grappling? Catching and restraining demons?”

The memory of Fang Heng’s expression added some curiosity to her last question.

Ma Tao rolled a shoulder and squeezed his fingers slightly, looking mildly uncomfortable.

Two people with similar combat styles in the same squad — and if one of them was considerably stronger — the other one started to feel redundant.

Shen Yi looked puzzled. Ma Tao sighed, sorted out his feelings with admirable efficiency, and explained: “For the records. In case Li Xinhan runs into something he doesn’t come back from and you happen to survive, it makes it easier for other Deputy Commanders to evaluate you. Don’t think too hard about it — just say which technique you’ve cultivated to the highest level.”

“Ah.”

Shen Yi considered this, and a faint expression of something that looked like genuine uncertainty crossed his face.

The others exchanged glances.

What is there to think about? You know your own primary technique. Entry level, minor mastery, major mastery — surely you’re aware of where you stand.

After a moment, Shen Yi raised his head with a slightly uncertain air.

“Killing demons?”

The Golden Sun Eight Treasures Mysterious Body. The Devouring Wolf Demon-Slayer. The Heavenly Astral Blood-Corruption. The Meridian-Severing Dragon Capture.

It was genuinely hard to say which was stronger. They all seemed useful in different ways.

Liu Xiujie and Ma Tao stood frozen.

“Ha.”

Li Muqing stared at him, then doubled over laughing, arm across her stomach, and turned back inside. “Right, write it down. He says he’s good at killing demons.”

After a while, Li Xinhan finished the registration, emerged at a measured pace, and looked at Shen Yi with mild resignation.

He’d known back in Baiyun County that the man’s learning was scattered. He hadn’t anticipated there being no coherent main focus at all. Was it worth bringing a family advisor in to assess his foundational aptitude and lay out a direction?

“Little Er — arrange a carriage. Linjiang Prefecture, Shuiyun Township.”

He shelved the thought and nodded toward the slight man, who clasped his hands quietly and left.

Li Xinhan led the group out of the Division compound.

“Li-head’s a little wound up,” Liu Xiujie murmured, reading the tension in his leader’s posture. “He’s junior rank — the good assignments all get claimed by Deputy Commanders above him. Rescuing Deputy Commander Lin was a credit, but until she’s back to confirm it, nobody can say anything publicly.”

“Once he adds one more significant demon case at the Jade Liquid level, he’s eligible for promotion. Don’t know if this trip will deliver.”

Both men’s eyes had brightened slightly at the mention of credits. They’d come from distinguished families and joined the Division to make something of themselves — credits were how that happened.

Shen Yi noticed their cuffs both carried two cloud-bands. Li Xinhan was apparently hungry enough for advancement that the people beneath him had been fed as well.

“Don’t covet it too much — get involved in five Jade Liquid-level demon incidents, or take primary credit in one, and you can add a band yourself. The internal cultivation art comes naturally after that.”

Stepping out of the Division’s main gate onto the long street, both men tucked away their smiles with practiced ease.

People ahead of them stepped aside and waited until the group had passed before resuming whatever they’d been doing.

At the base of the great city tower, Little Er was waiting with the demon-horses.

“Our courier,” Liu Xiujie said, swinging up into the carriage with a grin. “Full sprint, one day between Baiyun County and Qingzhou. If you ever need something sent, he’s your man.”

Little Er shot him a flat look, then nodded politely toward Shen Yi. Economical with words: “Fast. Reliable.”

As they settled into the carriage, Li Muqing took the reins and rode out ahead.

Shen Yi sat in the cabin and made a quiet observation.

Even who rides and who rides inside has logic to it. The highest cultivation level up front — alert the longest, fastest response to anything unexpected.

“…”

Li Xinhan leaned against the cabin wall, hands folded, fingers tapping steadily against the back of his own hand.

The weight-of-the-world expression was difficult to miss.

“It’s not that serious,” Ma Tao said, waving a hand in front of his face. “We’re short-handed this trip, but it’s just a visit to Shuiyun Township to check on some people.”

Liu Xiujie filled Shen Yi in on the mission: “A few Commanders were stationed at Shuiyun Township for observation duty. Protocol says they send word home every fifteen days. No word arrived. Not necessarily serious — the township has a river deity. If something had gone badly wrong, the locals would have already come running to Qingzhou.”

Li Xinhan was quiet for a longer moment than usual. Then he reached into his front and produced a bloodstained identity token. “Linjiang Prefecture yamen sent this. The External Affairs Hall just handed it to me.”

He looked at Shen Yi. “Originally I said I’d take you along to get familiar with how things work. You haven’t had experience fighting true demons yet — be careful.”

Liu Xiujie and Ma Tao both went still.

“…”

He killed Dog Demons and Ape Demons in Baiyun County. They both knew that. What did no experience mean here?

Then it’s Jade Liquid Realm.

Ma Tao thought about what he’d casually said earlier — the whole speech about revenge within half a month. He looked at Shen Yi with a trace of embarrassment.

“Forget I said that.” He spat expressively to the side.

Shen Yi shifted slightly. Little Er, riding expressionless outside the carriage, silently wiped the droplets off his face and directed a long, level look at Ma Tao.

(End of Chapter)