Chapter 75: Green Peak Disciple Slays Demons and Banishes Evil

"Take ten men under your lead and go guard the dense forest below."

After Hong Lei finished speaking, he tucked away his smile.

He continued walking toward the back, his expression seemingly unchanged, but his Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

Almost instantly, a whispered message slipped into Shen Yi's ear.

"Watch her for me. Be careful. Report anything unusual to me right away."

This kind of transmission-into-secrecy technique made Shen Yi pause for a moment.

Tch, looks like there's still a lot for me to learn.

As for the person the other party mentioned, it probably wasn't referring to those two Captains of the initial realm.

Shen Yi tilted his eyes slightly, glancing toward the woman beside him.

Though she was dressed in dark robes, she still had a touch of mature charm. On that peach-blossom face, she was doing her best to mask her composure, yet a trace of absent-mindedness still flickered in her eyes.

Hong Lei's inexplicable warmth toward the young man had clearly drawn everyone's attention.

Apart from the one being spoken to, the rest curiously cast their gazes toward Shen Yi, unable to help wondering—why, among those at the Jade Liquid Realm, was a two-stripe one put in charge of a three-stripe?

And putting two Jade Liquid cultivators in one squad—wasn't that a bit extravagant?

Among those many gazes was Zhao Kanglin, not far off in a great cloak, lounging by the bonfire, poking at the charcoal with a tree branch.

That "pig-brain" remark from earlier—he had heard it more clearly than anyone.

Zhao Kanglin licked his lips expressionlessly.

Heh, once they're back in Outside Qingzhou, he'd have plenty of ways to make that surnamed Hong cry without a sound.

After Shen Yi, the realms of the remaining Captains were far more normal.

Out of the full thirty-eight, only one elderly old Captain had barely broken through to Jade Liquid, having accumulated years of merit. His coming this time was clearly to climb a little higher, gain another century of lifespan, and indeed he looked much younger in his bearing.

The only thing that puzzled Shen Yi was that everyone drawn here wore cloud stripes.

On the contrary, those who had come out of the medicinal baths—on average the older batch—were nowhere to be seen.

"……"

Soon, Hong Lei split these forty people into the formation the outer camp knew best.

Shen Yi and the old Captain would each lead ten men; the rest he would lead personally, each guarding one of the three flanks.

"Make camp."

As the order went down, the group split up in an orderly fashion.

Just then, a teasing voice rang out.

Zhao Kanglin lounged lazily by the bonfire, tossed aside his tree branch, looked up at Shen Yi as he passed, and raised a hand to block him: "Hey, young brother, I'm wounded and need a few days to recover. How about you just come take over and manage these twenty-odd useless things for me?"

"How about it?"

The moment those words fell, everyone along the path glanced over.

Hong Lei, who had only just walked a little distance away, also slowed his steps.

He truly hadn't expected that, after this stupid pig had committed such a grave blunder, he still had the nerve to bluster on here.

The only one who showed no reaction was that youth in dark robes with the black blade.

As if he hadn't heard, he stepped forward and, over the arm Zhao Kanglin had stretched across his path, simply drifted past it lightly.

Then he walked slowly down the low slope.

Staring at that rather thin back, Zhao Kanglin froze on the ground, and only after a moment slowly straightened his body.

He hadn't really expected the other to actually agree.

He'd only meant to banter a couple of lines, to embarrass Hong Lei a little, to vent the pent-up grievance in his chest.

But now.

The fire in his heart suddenly flared a few notches stronger. He forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes, easing out his awkwardness: "Tch, whose family's boy is this—quite the temper. He's got a bit of my younger-days style about him. Once we're back in Outside Qingzhou, I'll have to look him up properly."

Listening to the faintly threatening edge in his words.

The many outer-camp Captains all clenched their fists, yet could do nothing about it.

Anyone who could enter the inner camp was already of far better background than the likes of them; moreover, this one counted as a top-tier dandy even within the inner camp.

"Whose family?"

Hong Lei shot him a glance and snorted coldly: "The kind that would have your grandpa kneeling down to call him daddy. Save it—don't go making things unpleasant for yourself."

Though he didn't know what relation Fang Heng had with that young man, or whether it was as close as he guessed.

Who cares.

When trading barbs, how could he let his momentum flag.

If he didn't crush this idiot's arrogant fire, once they were back in Outside Qingzhou, who knew how disgustingly he'd go after people.

"……"

Zhao Kanglin was choked back by that single line, his face twitching twice.

Clearly he didn't quite believe it.

Someone with such a towering background, and so young—Outside Qingzhou wouldn't have more than ten such people, and a regular Captain with such a low rank certainly wouldn't be among them.

But he said no more, turned around, and went back into his tent.

Leaving only the rest exchanging glances, mulling over how much truth there was in Brigadier Hong's words.

The Golden Eagle Captains, who had been mocked almost to their faces, silently kept watch over the tents, occasionally glancing at the corpses not far off, a touch of "the rabbit mourns the fox" look crossing their faces.

……

Below the low slope.

Ten men followed closely behind Shen Yi.

Apart from Dai Bing, whose expression kept shifting, the rest all obediently kept their heads lowered.

Someone who dares to show a bad face to an inner-camp Vice Captain the moment they arrive — whether the surnamed Zhao can be offended is hard to say, but the likes of us definitely can't afford to offend him.

"Lord Shen, you rest. We'll set up camp as fast as we can."

Walking into the dense forest, Wang Meng cupped his fists in a salute, then, with great perceptiveness, wiped dry a flat, moist bluestone for the other.

"No need."

Shen Yi shook his head: "Let's do it together. It'll be quicker."

"Hey, it's nothing. We're quick with our hands and feet, we're used to it — won't take long." Wang Meng still thought the other was being polite.

Shen Yi turned, took the wooden stakes someone behind him was carrying, gave a slight nod of his chin, and said lightly: "I rarely have experience hunting yao in the wild. I'll have to trouble you all to teach me."

"This…"

Wang Meng was stunned for a beat, then laughed: "What skill is there worth teaching? It's all just labor."

Though he said so, he still worked as he spoke: "As the saying goes — 'Against the mountain, follow the valley; seek the high ground; in the wilds… near water, with your back to the wind…' The stakes aren't set like this. Watch me."

Shen Yi copied his example. Though a bit clumsy, he did his best.

Seeing this, Dai Bing, who had been about to sit down, hesitated, then walked toward the group.

The more they talked, the more familiar it got. Wang Meng gradually lost his earlier awkwardness and said in a lowered voice: "You really didn't need to make things hard for that grandson. He's just a petty, scheming, disgusting little man — you'd only end up stinking yourself for no reason."

Shen Yi lifted an eyebrow.

He hadn't meant to give anyone a show of force.

He just didn't want to become cannon fodder for someone else's bid for merit, dying only to earn himself a useless reputation for it.

He was only a Captain now. If he'd stopped to chat a few words and really been assigned under Vice Captain Zhao, that would be… misery opening the door for misery.

He still needed to pile up more merits and get promoted to Vice Captain as soon as possible — at least things would be a lot freer then.

He didn't know whether to call it bad luck or good luck.

He'd been at the Zhen Mo Si less than a month, and he'd already run into two troublesome cases back to back. Whether it was the river yao turning coat or a sect putting up resistance, any other Captain might go decades without seeing even one.

There was danger, yes, but the speed of his advancement was also a bit staggering.

If he just got back in one piece this time, he'd be a Three-Stripe Captain… a month's walk covering what takes others a lifetime.

Thinking of this, Shen Yi looked at the tent that was already taking shape.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced toward the woman in the distance.

"…"

Dai Bing had the campfire set up and sat on the ground.

She drew her sword and gently ran her hand along it.

On the inner side of the guard, two neat small characters — worn faint over the years — were somewhat jarring to the eye.

Qingfeng.

(End of chapter)