The following morning.

Chen Qiankun temporarily assigned the two personal attendant Deputy Commanders he’d brought to Shen Yi, and lent out his own mount as well — a good opportunity for the young man to get acquainted with his future core unit.

Once they’d left Qingzhou city, the old general walked quickly toward the General’s compound.

“I can’t work out why this is my business — he’s my Linjiang Prefecture General. Why is his testing being arranged with no consideration for my opinion whatsoever?”

An unusual three parts of visible irritation had found their way onto the old general’s face. He was the oldest and most senior general in Qingzhou — even the General himself gave him some courtesy.

Jiang Yuanhua rose to greet him, shaking his head with a quiet smile.

“If he can’t intimidate a Condensate Perfection fox demon, what exactly is he going to do for you in Linjiang Prefecture?”

“General Jiang, don’t try to fool me with that!”

Chen Qiankun’s eyes narrowed. “That fox left the Great Qian empire, studied at the Qingqiu school, and has now returned in triumph — full of itself after coming back to its home ground. You won’t go. You won’t send your own disciple. Instead you’re sending the General I personally selected straight into this mess. What exactly is your thinking?”

So your own are made of gold and everyone else’s are made of dirt?

Handle this even slightly wrong and the result would be offending Qingqiu — a significant outside force.

“Lower your voice.” Jiang Yuanhua’s smile faded, and his gaze drifted briefly toward the room where two women sat across from each other.

A gracious, full-figured woman turned a game piece between her fingers while asking questions in a warm tone. The extraordinary-looking young woman across from her said little, eyes cool and level, laid five black pieces in a row, then withdrew her pale hand.

“Qiulan — that’s not how Go is played,” the older woman said, covering a gentle laugh.

Jiang Qiulan showed no inclination to look back at the board. She didn’t have time to learn chess or music or anything decorative. By her own rules, the outcome was already decided — what her opponent understood about the rules was not her concern.

“…”

Jiang Yuanhua looked back at the old general. His voice settled.

“Qiulan has more important things to do. And I need to stay here and watch over her. You know how capable she is — even in the same courtyard, I can’t afford any divided attention.”

A pause. “And to be a Demon Suppression General, strength alone isn’t enough. You also need to learn how to handle demon relations. This is a good opportunity. It’s just one Qingqiu student. Even if things do go slightly wrong — Jiang is not without some small amount of face in that direction.”

At the second part of that, Chen Qiankun finally let out a cold sound and stopped pressing.

Perhaps the way Shen Yi handled things — cleanly and efficiently — had made him protective of the young man. Having even minor inconvenience attach itself to the young man sat uncomfortably.

With the General’s assurance, he was grudgingly satisfied.

Then the first part came back to him. He looked at Jiang Yuanhua with cool eyes.

“General, with your nature — being abandoned by everyone around you is only a matter of time.”

Looking at it plainly, in the man’s eyes, everyone’s children were made of dirt.

That was the distrust of someone who had carried a province alone for too long.

The example: upon discovering extraordinary talent, he hadn’t offered guidance or instruction. He had first arranged the death of the one thing capable of influencing that person — the golden spider monkey — and then used the experience of a single month to ensure Jiang Qiulan would never permit herself to stop.

Now, with reinforcements unavailable, he was using the disciple he’d raised from childhood to seek outside help — not simply waiting for her to break through.

“I have no doubt whatsoever,” Chen Qiankun said as he turned to leave, “that if Qingzhou survives, you will receive dozens of holes from the Mysterious Ice Seven-Kill Sword Intent.”

“That’s fine. I have a divine spirit. A mere physical body — she’s welcome to cut it into fine pieces and take out her frustration.” Jiang Yuanhua smiled with complete calm.

A Martial Immortal could entrust their consciousness to the divine spirit — but the divine spirit also needed somewhere to rest. It wasn’t quite as simple as he made it sound.

But as Qingzhou’s General, he had one task.

Keeping the twelve prefectures free from demon harm. Everything else could be discarded.

“The Prince of Ji is notorious throughout the empire for his dissolute ways and the sheer number of his offspring. That world prince of his seems no better.” The old general, just before leaving, couldn’t resist one more thing passed in quiet coded voice. “The Princess of Ji is from an immortal sect lineage — formidably stubborn by nature. Otherwise the royal household wouldn’t have dozens of princesses and only a single prince. She may genuinely be able to summon a Mixed Origin Grandmaster — but she doesn’t scatter her birds before she sees the rabbit. General — look after yourself.”

Yangyang Prefecture. Baiyun County.

Some months ago, this place had been plagued by four major demon threats. Two of them had been dealt with by a certain constable.

The Division had moved in quickly, sealed the gates, and begun sweeping for demons.

Inner Division Commanders had gone out in teams to investigate the surrounding area. Any notable demon had fled at the first sign of them. Those unlucky enough to be passing through and caught by the demon-suppression chains simply lost their heads.

Three full months, and they were still stationed here.

Because the north cliff remained untouchable.

Li Xinhan, wearing the wolf-devouring-moon cloak, stood with his unit at the city gate. He’d been the first Division Deputy Commander to make contact with Baiyun County, and he knew the place best. It was he who had used Lin Baixi’s letter to halt the Inner Division Commanders from moving on the north cliff.

“I haven’t seen a Demon Suppression General up close in a long time.” His breathing had quickened slightly. He straightened his posture without thinking, then brushed the dust off the cloak.

“Could you be slightly less obvious about it?” Li Muqing sighed.

The boy had truly become a Division Deputy Commander in his own mind, completely setting aside the fact that he was the Li family’s direct-line heir.

Other first-tier forces might not have a core-nurturing practitioner — but as the head of the four great families, theirs did. Was there any need to act like this?

“I’m just curious who it is. If it’s the Yangyang General, he’ll probably just chat a few words with the fox. If it’s General Jiang herself — there might actually be a fight, and—”

He looked at his sister. “That could count as some credit toward promotion. Don’t you want to make Deputy Commander?”

Li Muqing kicked him, quietly. “They’re here.”

Outside Baiyun County — the tall, powerful red horse came like a streak of light, three more demon-horses following behind. Just four riders, but the pressure they produced was like a thousand troops arriving in unison.

“Old General Chen?” Li Xinhan had barely gotten his eyes wide.

The four had already arrived in the space of a breath. Hooves lifted, stopping before the assembled Division Commanders.

The young man in black-gleaming armor swung down from the horse. The crimson cape snapped in the air.

The two senior Linjiang personal attendant Deputy Commanders took the red horse’s reins.

“General Shen — shall we rest briefly and have someone brief you on the situation?”

“No need. I’m short on time.”

Shen Yi moved through the crowd at a quick pace, expression level, and the space around him went quiet immediately.

He knew this place fairly well. And the person who knew the north cliff fox best was right here beside him — why would he need to ask anyone else?

Lin Baixi walked quietly behind the young man, looking at the familiar streets with a slightly distant expression.

She wondered whether the fox had considered the possibility that merely three months later, she would be standing on her home ground again — and the man walking ahead of her was the same person who had once been an insignificant constable right under its nose.

Li Xinhan clutched the carefully prepared case file, parched, ready to make himself useful — and found the Demon Suppression General had absolutely no interest in consulting anyone.

He stared at the two familiar figures.

“…”

Even running through every name among the twelve Generals, he still hadn’t guessed right.

Who could have imagined Qingzhou had a General Shen?

And what would be the point of introducing anything — this was the man’s own territory!

“Sister — sister!”

“Hmm?” Li Muqing answered absently, her attention already drifting after the black-armored figure.

(End of Chapter)