Chapter 191: Is Qin Shuo qualified enough to enter the Xiao Clan?

Get out of the way!

Seeing the one blocking his way was Qin Shuo, who had snatched away his authority to lead troops today, Yang Si instantly flared up in anger.

He made a grab, trying to shove Qin Shuo aside.

Qin Shuo reacted swiftly, sidestepping easily to avoid Yang Si's arm,

Before he could react, he heard the burly man ahead let out a heavy cold snort and stride away.

"What the heck!"

Qin Shuo frowned, but did not pursue the matter further, instead striding into the conference hall.

Before parting yesterday, Fu Lingyun had instructed him to gather at the conference hall early this morning; unexpectedly, he ran into this.

In the hall, aside from Fu Lingyun, the three Demon-Suppressing Generals were present.

At that moment, the three saw Qin Shuo enter carrying a long case, and their faces showed varied expressions.

Sea-Stepping General Qi Shengzhao, seated left near the door, was the first to meet Qin Shuo's gaze.

He wore a smile, gave Qin Shuo a slight nod, as a greeting.

Above him, next to the seat of honor,

Mountain-Moving General Chen Ao glanced at Qin Shuo, then quickly averted his gaze, showing no intention to greet, appearing rather aloof.

Opposite them was Flying Star General Pang Tong.

"Colonel Qin."

Unlike the coldness of the Mountain-Moving and Sea-Stepping Generals, Pang Tong was warm, rising to greet him.

"Where is the Chief?"

Qin Shuo sat beside Pang Tong, near the door, and casually asked.

"He should be here soon!" Pang Tong replied with a smile.

He then used voice transmission to relay what had just happened with Yang Si causing a ruckus in the conference hall.

"No wonder!"

Qin Shuo looked enlightened.

Being saddled with an imposed superior would make anyone feel resentful and frustrated.

No wonder that burly man wielding a giant axe earlier bore such hostility toward me—it had a reason.

"You'd better be careful; Yang Si has an explosive temper and considerable strength.

Although he may refrain from attacking you out of deference to the Mountain-Moving General's authority, the men accompanying you to search the Xiao Clan are all his.

Pang Tong hinted at this and left it unsaid.

Qin Shuo gave a slight nod, indicating he understood.

Yang Si bears a grudge against me, which I can understand.

But understanding is one thing; if he truly obstructs my work, he will not show mercy.

Not long after Qin Shuo arrived, Fu Lingyun strode in carrying the Phoenix-Winged Bronze Axe, unhurried.

"Gentlemen, how are the preparations coming along?"

Fu Lingyun sat down in the seat of honor with a relaxed posture, his gaze sweeping over the four present.

"Everything is ready; we only await the Chief's order to march into the Inner City!"

The reply came from Mountain-Moving General Chen Ao.

At this moment he wore a solemn expression, as if utterly unaffected by Yang Si's earlier outburst.

"Good! Let's set out!"

Fu Lingyun rose and said to Qin Shuo:

"Colonel Qin, this search operation, the Xiao Clan is entrusted to you.

I have assigned the Mountain-Moving General's most capable aide to assist you; I hope you will not disappoint me."

"Yes."

Qin Shuo bowed and accepted the order.

Having come this far, he could not possibly let Fu Lingyun swap his troops at the last minute.

Moreover, even if he were replaced with another Cloud Dragon Colonel, the situation would not necessarily improve much.

Given his qualifications, it's unlikely any Cloud Dragon Colonel would truly obey him.

Except for someone like him, who by chance earned great merit in saving the city…

In the Demon-Suppressing Office, which Cloud Dragon Colonel hasn't risen from piles of corpses, battling demons step by step?

To make such a battle-hardened figure meekly obey, bowing and submitting, is nearly impossible.

Thus, Qin Shuo also had no intention of relying on Yang Si and the others to search the Xiao Clan.

As long as they make a show of force, help me encircle the Xiao Clan, and prevent any suspicious persons from escaping, that will suffice.

As for searching for the Innate Ghost Mother, with his current Heavenly Wolf Divine Sense, he needs no assistance whatsoever.

As long as the target lies within a certain range of his perception, they cannot escape his Heavenly Wolf Divine Sense tracking.

Demonic aura is the exact opposite of human qi.

Moreover, when he once destroyed a shrine in the mountains of Mulin Prefecture, he had already seen a mountain ghost.

He is extremely sensitive to the scent of mountain ghosts; if they are within his spiritual awareness, they cannot evade detection.

Under Fu Lingyun's leadership, Qin Shuo and the three Demon-Suppressing Generals went together to the Demon-Suppressing Office's training ground.

At this time, the morning sun had not yet risen,

but thousands of Demon-Suppressing Office Colonels had already assembled, fully equipped and ready to depart.

Fu Lingyun stood at the front of the formation, facing the thousands of Demon-Suppressing Office Colonels, gave a brief exhortation, then led his troops forward first.

Next, General Who Tramples the Sea Qi Shengzhao, General Who Moves Mountains Chen Ao, and General of the Flying Star Pang Tong each mustered their troops, and in a mighty procession they headed for the inner city.

Qin Shuo brought up the rear.

His gaze swept over the crowd below—some startled, some curious, some indifferent—finally settling on Yang Si, wielder of the Mountain-splitting Axe, and he called out loudly:

"Depart!"

Having said that, he paid no heed to how they acted, swung onto his horse, and rode off toward the outside of the training field.

"Brother, does our Chief have a crush on this pretty face?

How come all the good things keep falling to this kid?

"He's been promoted out of turn to Cloud Dragon Colonel, and now he's even giving you orders—what gives?"

The speaker was Yang Jing, Yang Si's younger brother and also one of his two Golden Eagle Colonels.

"Exactly, what gives?

With your skill, Sir, you could be a Demon-Subduing General anywhere else.

"What merit or ability does this brat have to dare command you?"

Another Golden Eagle Colonel also seethed with indignation, deeply dissatisfied with the superiors' decision, and spoke up for Yang Si.

"Brother, what should we do?

We'll follow your lead!

That Qin fellow is a lone stranger,

I don't believe he alone can search the entire Xiao household.

When the time comes, won't we still have to rely on us?

I say we first let him hit a wall himself,

so he learns who really calls the shots in our unit.

"Otherwise we'll do all the work and the credit will go to his head."

"Exactly, exactly!"

"Following Colonel Yang, we'll at least get some broth; who knows where that Qin fellow comes from—he's probably just a glutton who hoards all the credit."

Under Yang Jing's urging, aside from that Golden Eagle Colonel, the other Greedy Wolf Colonels also declared their stance, firmly standing with Yang Si.

"Alright, let's see how things play out first!"

Yang Si raised his hand to halt the discussion, spurred his horse to follow behind Qin Shuo, yet deliberately kept a certain distance.

From afar, they looked like two unrelated detachments.

He had already made up his mind: if this kid were sensible and voluntarily relinquished command, letting him serve as a nominal leader would not be out of the question.

But if the brat doesn't know what's good for him…

Hmph!

The head of the Xiao clan, Xiao Changgong, is no one to be trifled with.

That youngster up front, although he also has the feat of battling and slaying the Greenwood bandit chief Situ Long and the Snake-Eagle Ghost Elder,

but in Yang Si's eyes those two are nothing but clumsy chickens and dogs,

and if he were to encounter them, he could easily dispatch them.

Yet Xiao Changgong, who more than a decade ago had already condensed a True Gang Furnace, is someone even he must regard with three parts caution.

Although, due to his aptitude, he cannot ignite the furnace and thus cannot hope to reach the Master level.

But handling a youth who has only reached the Condensed Truth Realm and relies on divine abilities to bully others? That should pose no problem.

If that Qin fellow fails to grasp the situation, assumes he has the Chief as his backer and doesn't take us seriously, then let him go hit a wall himself.

He actually wants to see what abilities this brat, who crawled out of a muddy pit in Blackwater City, really possesses.

Such a major move by the Demon-Subduing Office cannot escape the notice of the Four Great Clans of the Inner City.

As Qin Shuo and his party had just passed through the inner city gate, the Xiao household had already received word that the Demon-Subduing Office intended to search the inner city.

"Have you seen clearly? Which Demon-Subduing General is assigned to search my Xiao household?"

In the Xiao clan's conference hall, Xiao Changgong sat arrogantly in the seat of honor, asking the returning clan messenger:

"I have seen clearly!"

The messenger who delivered the news nodded heavily.

"Who?"

"The newly promoted Cloud Dragon Colonel of the Demon-Subduing Office, Qin Shuo."

Recently, Qin Shuo's life-and-death duel with Yue Shan has been the talk of Yunzhou City.

The various household gazettes have also frequently mentioned this newly promoted Cloud Dragon Colonel.

Slaying the Demon King, killing the city lord, subduing major bandits, subduing the Ghost Elder, breaking the army formation—with one punch repelling Elder Yuwen Tai of the Wind Thunder Valley…

Each of these deeds has now spread thoroughly throughout Yunzhou City,

although saying it's known to every household is a bit of an exaggeration, given Xiao Changgong's stature he naturally knows the details well.

"Thus, upon hearing that name—one he's practically heard enough of to make a cocoon—Xiao Changgong couldn't help but sneer:

"That Fu Lingyin looks down on my Xiao clan too much!"

"Sending a mere Cloud Dragon Colonel over, just to think he can search my Xiao manor?"

"Well then, today I'd like to see just how capable this newly promoted Cloud Dragon Colonel really is."

"Whether he's worthy enough to step through the gates of my Xiao household."