Chapter 109: Preparations Before Going to Yong'an City

An unremarkable horse carriage rolled out of Qingzhou City.

Inside the cabin, two people sat facing each other.

Jiang Chengyun gazed at the handsome youth and slowly drew a clump of mottled aura from the silver bell: "Keep it safe."

Shen Yi took it in hand and examined it closely: "What is this?"

"The aura of one hundred and twenty-three Nascent Core Realm demon lords, and seventeen Embracing Elixir Realm demon lords. These are all the results since the demon hunters came to Qingzhou — one share per person."

"Nearly all the demons in the vicinity of Qingzhou are contained here."

Jiang Chengyun exhaled a breath of stale air, staring quietly at that clump of aura. Countless demon hunters had died for this thing, among them no shortage of his own friends and kin.

Only with this in hand could they sense at the earliest moment whether any demon had set foot into the twelve commanderies.

"This one, consider it my gift to you."

Jiang Chengyun drew out another wisp of purple qi, so faint it was nearly nothing: "Howling Moon Demon King. The moment you sense anything amiss, run. Whether you live depends on luck."

"Demon King?" Shen Yi raised his eyes to look.

"The fourth realm of martial artists is called Hunyuan, or Wu Xian, and the fourth realm of demons can be called King… Let me put it this way — if it can get within three feet of the Inspector-General, there is no question whatsoever that the one who dies on the spot will be our Inspector-General, my lord."

"Only within Qingzhou does a Wu Xian have the capital to contend with it."

At the mention of the Howling Moon Demon King's name, a trace of fear flashed through Jiang Chengyun's eyes.

"So many demons — what about Qingzhou's experts?"

Shen Yi tucked away that wisp of purple qi, packing it together with the qi clump into the silver bell. These things had been taken out some years ago and divided into many portions, so the connection was far less tight than what he'd felt after swallowing the flood dragon's core, but it was still better than nothing.

"Twelve Major Generals, three Golden Bell demon hunters — all Embracing Elixir Realm powerhouses."

"The Sixingliu Sect probably has two or three hidden away as well, such as the Ancestral Sword of Qingfeng Mountain. It just happens to be countered by Yin Spirits, but against an Embracing Elixir Realm demon lord it actually has the strength to fight."

"Beyond that, there are the more senior Silver Bell demon hunters, or the personal attendants by the Major Generals' sides — Nascent Core Realm experts add up to roughly forty or fifty."

As Jiang Chengyun spoke on at length, Shen Yi suddenly realized Qingzhou was not as stable as he had imagined.

Wasn't the gap in numbers between the two sides a little too large?

Don't be fooled by hearing numbers in the dozens — this is a great province with tens of millions of people. Spread evenly, a single commandery might not even have five Nascent Core Realm experts stationed there.

And in such a situation, they still controlled the Nascent Core method so strictly…

Taking in the shift in Shen Yi's expression, Jiang Chengyun smiled slightly: "Demons are also divided by species, and aren't as close-knit as you might think. Driving wedges between them is one of the few pleasures left to demon hunters. If you count the great clan experts, it's barely an even match — except these people each have their own schemes, so Zhen Mo Si even has to spare some effort to keep an eye on them."

"Precisely because of this, every faction that manages to become first-rate has methods similar to the Ancestral Sword."

"They use blood-contract sword pools to bind their disciples. Zhen Mo Si only needs to watch their leaders, and can thereby keep all the experts beneath them in line."

Jiang Chengyun's words were also a subtle hint to Shen Yi — in Qingzhou, there was no such thing as a stable advancement to Nascent Core Realm that came without oversight.

"I have high hopes for you."

Halfway through speaking, a serious look suddenly surfaced on the middle-aged man's honest face: "The Inspector-General will return soon. Whether it's as a personal attendant or a deputy general, or as a Silver Bell, any of these would be enough to make him look at you with new eyes — but these things were all bestowed by others. You understand this better than I do — how the flood dragon died, and how the silver bell came to be yours."

All in all, the merits were considerable, but compared to this status, there was still quite a bit of water in them.

"After he returns, make him believe you are worthy of these statuses."

Jiang Chengyun sat up straight. Even though he had already regarded the youth as an equal in his heart, given the other's age and strength, he still unconsciously slipped into a lecturing tone: "Rely on your own ability. Don't go touching the favors of those old-timers. Earn back what is rightfully yours."

Hearing this, Shen Yi raised an eyebrow.

He noticed this man's attitude seemed to have changed quite a bit.

It just felt a little strange, as if he had been slotted into some sort of plan.

"Of course, that includes me as well."

Jiang Chengyun extended his palm and waved it lightly: "This trip taking you to Yong'an City is only to familiarize you with the process. As for me giving you a share of the merits… you'd best not entertain such a thought at all. I hope you understand."

"However, if you can do something on your own — as long as you don't fear losing your life — I absolutely won't hold you back."

Demon hunters are not Zhen Mo Si; there is no such thing as collective merit. Once outside the city, they are both colleagues who can cooperate and rivals who clash head-on.

He had expected Shen Yi to be more or less disappointed.

But Jiang Chengyun saw no oddity on that fair, clean face.

"I have no objections. Let's get to business."

Shen Yi closed his eyes and feigned sleep, keeping himself in a state of full energy at all times.

The other party had summoned him out through the bell — it couldn't just be for a stroll.

As for this matter of merits… he'd take it one step at a time. Even if he really couldn't get involved, helping land a finishing blow or two should be fine.

"You actually were hiding such a thought."

Hearing Shen Yi's words, Jiang Chengyun could hardly hold back a laugh. Had his attitude just now come across as overly eager?

The other party did stand out among the younger generation, true enough — but he himself was a martial artist who had condensed his core. A demon calamity worthy of his own intervention, and the other party actually wanted a share of the spoils.

He set the thought aside and still introduced in earnest: "The demon hunters received word — the trial that Mountain Lord prepared for its cubs has begun again."

"As the saying goes, when a tiger bears three cubs, one will be a biao."

"These beasts use Dacheng as their boundary to begin the hunt — they mean to select the biao king among them."

"Last time they caught us off guard, and the beasts ate their fill and left safely. The demon hunters spent a great deal of effort before obtaining this second piece of intelligence. Unlike last time, this time they've most likely set their sights on Yong'an City."

At this point, killing intent surged in Jiang Chengyun's eyes: "Yong'an City has a Nascent Core expert stationed there."

This could only mean one thing — after devouring enough human body-elixirs and tempering themselves over many years, these tiger cubs had seen no small increase in either appetite or strength.

To the point of daring to set their sights on a Nascent Core Realm martial artist.

Shen Yi felt the jolting of the carriage and said softly: "If what you say is true, and this is the Mountain Lord's trial for its juniors, then how did you obtain the intelligence?"

"That I do not know."

Jiang Chengyun likewise closed his eyes, but his tone grew fervent: "Even if the intelligence is false, it's still worth going. You've only just become a demon hunter — you don't know how rare it is for a demon to dare enter the twelve commanderies of Qingzhou."

The demon lords of Qingzhou either have astonishing methods of concealing their aura, or remarkable life-preserving techniques, or the natural barrier of Yangchun River to shelter them.

One that barges in so rashly and whose movements are intercepted in advance — that simply cannot be let slip.

"..."

Shen Yi fell silent and pressed his lips together.

The other party had misunderstood his meaning.

He wasn't questioning the truth of the news, only doubting its source.

(End of chapter)