From south street to north street, the Demon Suppression General didn’t slow for a moment, passing straight through and out of the city.

But that familiar face set the whole of Baiyun County erupting with noise — even the Commanders’ cold stares couldn’t stop the murmuring spreading through the crowd.

The Lin family patriarch stood puffed up and stuttering with excitement. “That — that’s my daughter! That’s Commander Shen!”

Since finding out that a fox demon had been living in his house and his daughter had been impersonated, he’d become incomparably more cautious — never breathed a word about his daughter’s position in the court to anyone.

Until Lin Baixi had glanced sideways and given him a quiet wink as she passed.

That was all it took for the old man to lose his composure entirely.

“Why are you pushing me? Commander Shen always ate my flatbreads. Two every time!”

The vendor clutched his little cart with both hands, face red. The Commander expressionlessly pushed him back to the street’s edge, then paused. “Give me one to try.”

Compared to the inexplicably busy Baiyun County, the area outside the city was considerably quieter.

The north cliff didn’t fall under demon-clan territory — it was within Qingzhou’s jurisdiction. The county had simply never reported a demon problem here, which had let a group of fox demons sit comfortably until now.

The two personal attendant Deputy Commanders followed behind the young man, watching his back with slightly complex expressions.

Hezhen had followed the old general for over two hundred years. Even with three War Temple refinements behind him, he was still only at the full-core stage. He felt something, but not much.

Liu Yuchuan was different. He’d followed Chen Qiankun since his own younger years, cultivation reaching Condensate Perfection, and had now grown white-haired and gaunt-faced waiting for what had seemed like an inevitable appointment.

If not for the appearance of Shen Yi, he would have been the most likely candidate to inherit the Demon Suppression General position.

Catching the sidelong look from Hezhen—

Liu Yuchuan forced a mild expression, gripped the halberd tightly, and said in a voice barely above a whisper: “The old general’s judgment has never been wrong.”

Whether this was meant to reassure Hezhen or himself was unclear.

He gathered himself, quickened his pace to catch up.

“General Shen — before the old general departed, he asked us to remind you: this fox demon has some significant backing. Please be cautious. If there’s any way to avoid using force, that would be best.”

Shen Yi looked toward the high cliff ahead and gave a small nod. “Understood.”

His hand passed over the silver bell at his waist. The Solar-Splitting Bow slipped quietly into his palm.

“…”

Lin Baixi watched in silence.

That familiar interpretation of advice. Still that same Shen Yi.

She’d told him everything she knew the previous night — everything she’d learned about the fox. What he did with it was his own judgment. No one could tell a Demon Suppression General how to proceed.

A fox demon returned from Qingqiu wouldn’t stay in the Great Qian empire indefinitely — there was nothing here it needed. It was simply enjoying the feeling of coming back in glory — rising from a minor demon to someone even the Division treated with deference. Once it grew bored, it would leave on its own.

The thing about face was that for every part someone gained, someone else lost a part.

Driving the fox out of Qingzhou and waiting for it to leave on its own produced the same outcome — but they represented two entirely different things.

In the gaps of the high cliff, there was an unexpectedly well-appointed cave residence.

Thick tiger-hide covered the stone seat. A middle-aged man in white reclined comfortably between two beautiful women, enjoying the shoulder and back massage.

The cave was fully furnished — not inferior to a proper wealthy household. Around twenty figures, all in human form.

Not because they found it more comfortable — only because the great-uncle didn’t like the sight of a den full of foxes. He considered it undignified.

Truly a demon that had traveled the world.

As long as he remained here, the Division’s people down the mountain could only stand guard like servants. Any casual gesture from the great-uncle sent them into scrambling alarm.

“Great-uncle — would those of us who are lesser have any chance of accompanying you to Qingqiu to see the world?”

An old fox knelt on the ground, looking up with an expression full of longing.

“We’ll see.” The middle-aged man in white yawned. A thin, contemptuous smile touched the corner of his mouth.

Threshold-stage minor demons coveting Qingqiu. The audacity.

“Now that my descendants and I have been noticed by the Division — if you were to leave — we wouldn’t survive—”

The old fox gripped its courage and finally said what it had been holding back. The middle-aged man glanced down without responding.

He didn’t care in the slightest what happened to these fox demons living in some backwater. He’d simply been enjoying the sight of these Great Qian court dogs showing shock and fear on their faces when they learned who he was.

The reason he hadn’t left yet was simply that no calling card had arrived.

Whether Qingzhou’s General or some Demon Suppression General — someone of appropriate standing had to come and see him out with proper courtesy.

If the courtesy wasn’t right, if the person wasn’t significant enough — he wouldn’t bother.

At that thought, the white-clad man rose from the stone seat.

He stepped outside the cave and stretched, looking down the cliff with idle ease.

Then both eyes went white.

Then brilliant.

As if a blazing sun had appeared inside the pupils.

His expression changed completely. Both palms clapped together.

“Soul-Suppressing Bell!”

A white arc condensed from the bow — carrying vast, overwhelming force — tore upward like it intended to split the sky and drove straight at the high cliff.

A copper bell the size of a palm at his waist flared outward as a projection, enveloping him.

Boom!!

Half the cliff face exploded in the white arc’s impact. Brilliant light poured into every gap, dissolving everything within range.

When the light faded, the bell-projection had thinned to the point of near-invisibility.

The white-clad man’s expression had gone dark, the corner of his mouth twitching. He looked back slowly at where the cave had been.

Scattered rubble. Not a single fox demon visible anywhere.

Two eyes flared with boundless fury.

He looked down the cliff with a murderous fixation, eyes locked on the figure holding the bow.

Black armor. Crimson cape. Demon Suppression General—

This insignificant Qingzhou. How dare it.

He didn’t care about the fox demons. But they couldn’t be killed in front of him.

“Is this what your Division considers a calling card?”

He stepped forward into the air, voice carrying a bone-deep cold. “Something that doesn’t know when to accept grace.”

With the words — a jade-green treasured sword shot out and hovered beneath his feet.

Below the cliff, Shen Yi watched the figure in the air with a level expression.

“He drew first.” He said it casually.

Hezhen and Liu Yuchuan opened their mouths without finding any response.

The young man seemed not to have been waiting for one anyway. His form became wind and swept through the air.

Seeing this, the white-clad man’s pupils contracted — but he remained unhurried. His fingers formed a seal.

“Qingyang Sword — go.”

The jade sword beneath him split into three. Two moved to encircle from both sides, sword qi driving outward in a cross-sweep.

At the same moment, Shen Yi appeared — savage demon qi rising from his body and condensing into the Twin-Harmony sword intent, the crimson yin-yang fish pattern turning, killing intent heavy and dense.

The crimson sword drove outward. Backed by vast demonic force, it cut through both swords without pause, reducing them to wisps of dispersing cloud.

Then the sword intent surged upward and drove straight at the white-clad man’s face.

(End of Chapter)