Chapter 91: Merit Bestowed

Fang Heng blinked, frozen in place: “...”

A demonic horse was led by General Hong.

Before it stood twenty-odd Golden Eagle Captains returning from Qingfeng Mountain, their faces solemn, lined up on either side of the young man.

Today’s duty in the External Affairs Hall fell to two girls from the Inner Camp; they carefully retrieved items and presented them to their comrades.

First came a neatly folded greatcloak, wide sleeves and long hem, silk-smooth, embroidered with a ferocious wolf devouring the moon—the mark of the Outer Camp—adding a touch of martial ferocity.

Then came a jade belt, a gilded hollowed wolf-patterned hairpin, opulent and imposing.

“Whoa! Promoted to Deputy General!”

The surrounding Captains, who had gathered merely to see what emergency had brought a demonic horse into the Town Demon Bureau, now found themselves witnessing a comrade’s promotion firsthand.

Instantly, some grew envious.

Though Qingfeng Mountain was perilous—causing ordinary men to toss and turn in fear of being drafted—it had become a rare opportunity for true experts, and the promotion came alarmingly fast!

At that moment, the second Inner Camp girl similarly produced a fresh black robe.

The Captains glanced briefly, then moved to look away—only to freeze, staring back in disbelief.

The robe’s sleeves bore no cloud patterns; instead, an exquisitely embroidered yin-yang fish adorned the collar.

Yin-Yang Cosmos!

This was the exclusive emblem of Old Man Chen Qiankun among the Twelve Town Demon Generals.

“...”

Unconsciously, several swallowed dry throats; silence fell. The shock of mere spectacle vanished, replaced by a subtle tension as they exchanged glances, a faint spark of rivalry igniting between them.

The meaning of “Personal Deputy General” could be summed up in four characters.

He’s made it.

Vast merits, astonishing strength—no further proof was needed.

From now on, he need no longer traverse mountains and rivers, risking his life daily; he need only walk beside the Town Demon General, set up camp, and watch the demons beyond the Twelve Counties of Qingzhou.

Mutual deterrence, no interference.

As one of his Captains, life would be effortless: stand guard, perhaps never fight for years, yet still accumulate ample garrison merits with time.

If this Personal Deputy General chose to take a few men along before departing...

In an instant, all Outer Camp Captains surged forward, eyes blazing.

Bai Ziming raised an eyebrow, his gaze flickering with surprise.

Only Fang Heng’s expression darkened; the delight he’d felt at the greatcloak vanished upon seeing the yin-yang fish, replaced by quiet disappointment.

“We! Congratulations to Lord Shen on his victorious return! Three promotions!”

Aside from those holding the precious robes, the remaining Golden Eagle Captains stepped back a few paces, then bowed deeply, voices thunderous.

Under his lead, the hundred-plus Captains nearby—Inner and Outer Camp alike—made the same gesture; even Hong Lei, far off, dropped his mocking tone, loosened the reins, and solemnly clasped his fists: “Congratulations, Lord Shen!”

“Why are you looking at me? Don’t you have hands?” Bai Ziming glanced at Fang Heng beside him.

“...” Fang Heng hung his arms limply, struggling to lift them.

Bai Ziming sighed, raising both palms—he felt he shouldn’t have left home today.

A General’s disciple could at most become a Deputy General; no precedent existed for becoming someone else’s personal attendant.

Even Jiang Jiu had only seized the position of General after the Town Demon General of Yushan County died, crushing Yushan City with bloody force.

Thus... Bai Ziming’s rank was still slightly lower than Shen Yi’s now.

He sighed.

To leap straight from Captain to Personal Deputy General—even if a Golden Core dragon demon truly existed on Qingfeng Mountain—it would require a decapitation feat. What, did the Town Demon General go to Qingfeng Mountain for a stroll? Leave not a single merit behind?

“Has Old Man Chen lost his mind? This kid’s been in the Town Demon Bureau less than a month—he’s giving out anything!”

Hearing someone curse Chen Qiankun, Hong Lei snapped his head toward them—then heard the rest.

His face instantly twisted in shock: “Huh?”

Less than a month...

Dammit!

Hong Lei’s heart pounded.

Which damn Deputy General did this? Was he too crippled to get out of bed? Lazy as a dog! Recruited such a person without even a heads-up?

Whether Old Man Chen knew or not was uncertain—but none of the Deputy Generals here had ever considered this possibility.

One major reason was...

He’d only been here less than a month—he hadn’t even collected his salary yet! What life-or-death fight was he going to risk?!

“...”

Shen Yi gazed silently around, feeling uneasy.

After a pause, he asked: “What about martial arts and elixirs?”

The Captains froze, then wore strange expressions.

The Inner Camp girl covered her mouth lightly, nudged aside a few comrades, and led Shen Yi into the External Affairs Hall. Behind the large cabinet, she retrieved a sheet of paper: “Lord Shen, what do you need? I’ll make a list. Once everyone returns, we’ll tally all merits and deliver them to you immediately.”

“Anything?” Shen Yi looked at her, surprised.

He’d expected little: Hong Lei had promised him a low-grade Jade Fluid martial art; he’d captured Dai Bing and the clerk, slain the crocodile dragon, and delivered the dragon’s head to the Town Demon General.

Surely, three or five should be due?

“Huh?” The girl blinked, stammering: “We do have some mid-grade Jade Fluid martial arts here, but few suit you. As for high-grade... the External Affairs Hall has only one...”

“Not decided yet—could I—” Shen Yi casually withdrew his gaze, cleared his throat: “Show me everything. I’d like to choose carefully.”

At this, several Inner Camp Captains grimaced, struggling for words: “Lord Shen, the Town Demon Bureau once had geniuses who could read ten lines at a glance and remember everything—outsiders sent them here to steal martial arts. After that, we established rules... Not because we suspect you, Lord Shen—you’d never do such a thing—but rules are rules.”

The Town Demon Bureau was lavish, but not for everything.

After all, its martial arts and elixirs came mostly from plunder.

What the clans possessed, we had dozens or hundreds of times more; what they lacked, even the government couldn’t conjure from thin air.

For instance, Jade Fluid martial arts—among martial artists—they didn’t even have the concept of “grades.”

“Mid-grade” meant clans and sects, with vast resources and long lifespans, had refined ordinary martial arts into techniques far surpassing their peers.

They called it “mid-grade” because above it lay the Five General Techniques—things incomprehensible to ordinary mortals.

For example, the Fourfold True Gang—somehow squandering decades of accumulated foundation in mere moments. Such things? Most wouldn’t even deign to glance at them.

Hard-won Jade Fluid was intended to enhance strength and speed, fortify the body and weapons, and culminate in a blade Gang or saber qi.

This all-encompassing True Gang technique offered numerous ways to expend qi, yet remained obscure and rarely affordable.

After all, once you reached Jade Fluid’s peak, you gained a century of extended life—even with elixirs, rebuilding your foundation took years. Who’d gamble their life?

Pooling all Qingzhou Town Demon Bureau’s strength, they’d focused first on the most vital internal arts.

Only then did they deduce the Shocking Twelve Counties’ Wind-Thunder Smelting Sun Scripture.

“Fine.”

His small hopes dashed.

Shen Yi felt slight disappointment but showed none: “Body tempering methods, lightness techniques.”

At those three words, the two Inner Camp girls froze.

Was this too coincidental? Was he after that high-grade martial art...?

“Lord Shen, have you heard of the Golden Body Sect?”

“Not a major sect. A Mianqiang second-tier force.”

Sorry, guys—latest update time is 11 PM.

Not fixed because some big shot said 11 PM might be bedtime, so I’ll post earlier if possible.

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(End of Chapter)