Chapter 18: Demons and Guaiyi

The next morning, at dawn.

Lu Zhangsheng woke up early and prepared to head to the Zhenyao Si Yamen.

Before leaving yesterday, Gao Yunming had notified the others in advance.

Presumably today's gathering was to inform everyone of some specific circumstances of the Zhenyao Si.

At this moment, Fang Qing and her younger brother also came out of the side room, looking very satisfied.

This Courtyard was much cleaner and tidier than their previous lodgings, and staying here felt safer and more at ease.

"I'm heading to the Zhenyao Si Yamen. You two stay near the Courtyard, and be careful of the Sanhe Gang people."

Lu Zhangsheng gave a faint smile.

"Don't worry, Changsheng. I'll keep an eye on my little brother."

Fang Qing smiled charmingly, a faint rosy flush on her cheeks.

Without deliberately smearing on charcoal, she had become even more beautiful and enchanting.

Even Lu Zhangsheng found her somewhat stunning.

Then he turned and walked away.

Exiting the Courtyard's main gate, he headed along the clean, tidy street.

Before long, the Zhenyao Si Yamen came into view.

"Please present your pass immediately."

Seeing the newcomer, the two blue-robed Martial Artists at the gate said with cold expressions.

Lu Zhangsheng immediately unfastened his Yaopian and handed it over.

A glint flashed in the eyes of these two Martial Artists; clearly, they were no weaklings.

The one on the left took the Yupei, examined it, then stepped aside to let him pass.

Lu Zhangsheng pocketed the Yupei and walked in.

The entire Zhenyao Si Yamen covered a vast area. Inside were not only Douzhàn Hall, the Logistics Hall, and the Craftsmanship Hall, with these three main halls at the forefront, along with various auxiliary departments — it was a colossal entity.

Martial Artists like Lu Zhangsheng belonged to Douzhàn Hall.

As for the Craftsmanship Hall, it was said to specialize in researching wondrous items; the specifics were still unclear to him for the moment.

By now, quite a few Martial Artists were already coming and going nearby, looking quite busy.

No one paid Lu Zhangsheng any attention.

After a while, Lu Zhangsheng arrived at the door.

Several familiar figures who had passed the examination with him yesterday had already arrived before the hall.

Lu Zhangsheng queued up behind the group and quietly waited.

After half a cup of tea's time, some Martial Artists arrived at the spot one after another.

After the group waited another half hour, Gao Yunming suddenly walked out from inside the hall, arms full of a large stack of booklets.

"Everyone take one of these booklets. Later I'll take you all to meet Deputy Hall Master Qin."

Everyone nodded and began stepping forward one by one to collect their booklets.

Soon, Lu Zhangsheng collected his copy and returned to where he stood.

"On the Weaknesses of Meridian and Guai."

He glanced down and saw several large characters printed on the booklet.

His heart stirred slightly, and he immediately opened the booklet and began studying it carefully.

The surrounding crowd did likewise.

"Shwa-shwa…"

Soon, only the sound of pages turning remained in the area.

"Tens of thousands of years ago, Meridian suddenly descended upon the mortal world. Vast swathes of the human race's Dynasty fell, becoming Meridian's food. The first generation's Sacred Emperor led the entire human race in a bloody struggle, resisting the invasion of evil, guarding the last pure land for humanity…"

"Several hundred years ago, the founding emperor of Dazhou, Qin Muyun, swept away the evil within the realm, forged the Demon-Locking Pagoda, and established the Zhenyao Si to oversee the world…"

Half an hour later, Lu Zhangsheng gently closed the booklet and exhaled a breath of stale air.

He had long suspected this world was no simple matter, but he hadn't expected such astonishing revelations.

From the few words recorded in the booklet, one could tell how brutal the fighting had been.

Even an unrivaled Martial Artist like the founding emperor could only shelter a small pure land; beyond Dazhou's borders, who knew what the situation was like.

Would there come a day when even this pure land couldn't be held? This sent a chill through Lu Zhangsheng's heart — he hadn't realized the situation was already so dire.

Moreover, with the Dynasty now beginning to show signs of unrest, it was already difficult to suppress all the lurking presences in the shadows.

The entire Great Zhou Dynasty was in a precarious state, swaying in the wind and rain.

He had to rely on the Attribute Modifier to rapidly boost his strength, to cope with any unexpected events that might arise in the future.

The entire booklet had only a few sparse pages; the latter portion recorded the strength of some Demon Servants and Guai. As for true Meridian, nothing was recorded.

Presumably, people like them weren't qualified to encounter them.

Generally, Guai were divided into Ghost Rank, Fiend Rank, Resentment Rank, and Blood Rank.

The classification of Demon Servants was much simpler: Low-level Demon Servant, Mid-rank Demon Servant, High-Rank Demon Servant, and Top-rank Demon Servant…

Among them, Low-level Demon Servants and the weakest Ghost Rank Guai both possessed the strength of Skin Refining Martial Artists.

Ordinary people who encountered them had only a dead end.

"No wonder the Zhenyao Si recruits so many Martial Artists every year — they don't turn away even Commoners whose potential has been forcibly stimulated."

Lu Zhangsheng thought to himself.

He wouldn't assume these evil beings were easy to deal with; the casualty rate of missions must surely be astonishing.

Still, with danger came reward — surely the rewards were generous too, otherwise no Martial Artist would keep rushing in one after another.

"No one is permitted to leak any information to ordinary people. Violators will be severely punished."

At this moment, Gao Yunming's gaze swept across the entire hall, his tone ice-cold.

"We shall strictly obey the prohibition."

Everyone present wore a solemn expression.

Everyone also knew that once this information became known to ordinary people, it would cause tremendous trouble and only serve to spark panic.

The most important thing for a Dynasty is the stability of the common people at the bottom. Otherwise, once the foundation rots, collapse is not far off.

"Come with me to see the Deputy Hall Master. Later, you may go to the Cangshu Ge yourselves to choose Martial Dao Cultivation Techniques. Also, your monthly Cultivation resources will be delivered very soon."

Having finished speaking, Gao Yunming turned and walked toward the interior of the hall.

Everyone hurriedly followed.

Lu Zhangsheng also followed closely behind.

The group pressed forward, passing numerous rockeries and gardens, until they arrived before a Courtyard.

They saw a woman in white seated in a pavilion. She had a slender figure, breathtakingly beautiful features, and eyes filled with authority.

"Qin Hall Master, all the personnel recruited this year are here."

Gao Yunming bowed with a face full of reverence, his gaze properly fixed, not daring to glance about in the slightest.

"Mm…"

Qin Ruobing nodded faintly, her gaze sweeping across the hall.

"Since you have joined the Town Demon Bureau, you are all pillars of the Imperial Court. I hope you all serve the Imperial Court well. This Seat will not treat you unfairly…"

She gazed at the crowd before her, a flicker of disappointment flashing deep within her eyes.

In her view, these people all had somewhat unsteady footsteps—clearly their Martial Arts Cultivation was lacking, all of them being individuals of ordinary talent.

Of course, as the one who picked last, she hadn't expected to find any good seedlings.

Her assessment this year was likely to be at the bottom again, and the day of her return to the Capital seemed indefinitely far away.

Her Apprentice Town Demon Envoys had suffered heavy losses, and combined with finishing last in assessments, she always ended up picking newcomers last. Continuing like this had plunged her completely into a vicious cycle.

However, when her gaze swept over Lu Zhangsheng, her expression shifted slightly, and a hint of surprise rose in her heart.

The other's Qi was long and steady, his footsteps firm—clearly his Martial Dao foundation was quite deep.

She hadn't expected such an unexpected pleasant surprise.

This made her heart kindle with anticipation, and she couldn't help casting a few extra glances in Lu Zhangsheng's direction.

Under Qin Ruobing's scrutiny, the crowd below didn't even dare to breathe heavily.

A powerful aura pressed against everyone's chest, making it hard to breathe.

Lu Zhangsheng also felt the skin all over his body tighten, as if being watched by some fierce beast.

"This person's Martial Arts Cultivation is extremely high—at least above Bone Forging."

He thought to himself.

The other also bore the surname Qin, and combined with Gao Yunming's extremely reverent demeanor, he couldn't help suspecting that this woman might have some mysterious connection to Jingdu.

Otherwise, there was no reason for Gao Yunming to be so fearful.

"For the coming year, I hope you all work hard and pass the assessment. As per tradition, This Seat has already sent this period's rewards to your identity jade pendant."

A clear, beautiful voice rang out once more, and after speaking she waved her hand at the crowd.

"We will give it our all."

Everyone shouted in unison.

Afterwards, they turned and left the place.

………………

(End of this chapter)