Chapter 2236: Chapter 1926: Ji Yunmeng’s Warning

Ji Yunmeng sat at the tea table, picked up the tea that Fan Yaodong personally poured, and took a gentle sip. Today, she wore a moon-white long dress, with only a white jade hairpin in her hair, making her appear a bit colder.

The tea entered her mouth, and only then did she raise her eyes to look at the person opposite, speaking in a neutral tone: "When I used to visit the Deceit Suppression Bureau, Commander Fan never brought out such good tea."

Fan Yaodong stood opposite the tea table, and upon hearing this, smiled awkwardly, reaching up to stroke his short beard under his chin.

"This tea was also bought from a merchant from the Western Wilderness a few days ago by this official."

Ji Yunmeng put down the teacup in her hand, and the cup made a light sound as it touched the table.

She raised her eyes to look at Fan Yaodong and straightforwardly said: "I heard that the Heir of Prince Zhen Nan will soon be serving at the Deceit Suppression Bureau. I wonder how Commander Fan plans to arrange things?"

Upon hearing this question, Fan Yaodong’s face twitched slightly, and his fingers unconsciously curled up in the sleeves.

Sure enough, she came for Lu Chen.

The matter of Ji Yunmeng giving her sword to Lu Chen had already spread like wildfire in the Capital City, and Ji Yunmeng had been placed under house arrest by the Empress Dowager because of it, while Emperor Zhou had issued a decree to lift Ji Yunmeng’s house arrest.

Fan Yaodong had been most afraid to see Ji Yunmeng these few days, but she still came, and as soon as she did, she mentioned Lu Chen.

Fan Yaodong lowered his eyes, sorted out his thoughts, and then asked back: "How does the Princess think this official should arrange it?"

Ji Yunmeng sat there expressionless, the moon-white hem of her skirt draping over the edge of her chair, her fingers gently caressing the edge of the teacup, and said: "I am not the Commander of the Deceit Suppression Bureau; how to arrange it is up to Lord Fan, not me. Besides, I have no relation with the Heir of Prince Zhen Nan, I am just curious, so I asked casually."

Fan Yaodong lifted his head, his smile containing a hint of helplessness: "The Princess jests. Now, who in the Capital City doesn’t know of the deep relationship between Her Highness the Princess and the Heir of Prince Zhen Nan, even gifting him the sword that you’ve used for many years? Since the Princess came for Master Lu today, she must have some suggestions on how to arrange Master Lu’s position."

Ji Yunmeng’s gaze was indifferent, her fingers stopped caressing the teacup, and she said: "I wouldn’t call it a suggestion. I just wanted to remind Lord Fan that although the Zhen Nan Prince Manor has declined, the number of Earth Realm Strong Persons is likely no less than those at the Deceit Suppression Bureau."

Fan Yaodong nodded slightly, "Her Highness the Princess be assured, this is something that this official is aware of."

At this point, Fan Yaodong suddenly thought of something, and he continued: "Her Highness the Princess, you should also know about the current predicament of this official, and in the past few days, it is not only you who have come to the Deceit Suppression Bureau."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yunmeng frowned slightly. She naturally understood what this meant — evidently, the Empress Dowager had also sent someone to the Deceit Suppression Bureau to pressure Fan Yaodong.

Fan Yaodong sighed and raised his hand to rub his brow, continuing: "You also know, currently, that woman is very powerful. If this official doesn’t follow her orders, I’m afraid my position as Commander will be at its end."

Ji Yunmeng slightly furrowed her brows, remaining silent. She naturally understood; Pei Shuhua intended to remove Lu Chen, and would certainly replace those who did not obey her with obedient ones.

The spout of the teapot on the table emitted wisps of steam, rendering the hall momentarily silent except for the faint sound of breathing.

Seeing Ji Yunmeng silent, Fan Yaodong smiled bitterly, folding his hands inside his sleeves, he said: "It seems Her Highness the Princess also has no good solution. In that case, this official will have to resign and give way to better talent."

Fan Yaodong knew very well that, under these current circumstances, the best outcome might be to leave the Deceit Suppression Bureau and pass the buck onto someone else.

This burden is too heavy; he definitely cannot carry it.

Ji Yunmeng came to her senses, lifted her eyes to look at him, and asked: "I wonder to whom you intend to give this position?"

Fan Yaodong asked: "Her Highness the Princess must have heard about He Dongqi’s breakthrough to the Earth Realm, right?"

Ji Yunmeng nodded: "It is said that He Dongqi has just broken through, and has had a bout with you. It seems he really wants your position."

Her gaze fell on Fan Yaodong’s face, "Could it be, you are planning to give him this position?"

Fan Yaodong smiled and raised his hand to pick up the teacup in front of him, taking a sip, before slowly saying: "It was just a usual sparring, nothing more."

"However, he really wants this position."

Saying this, Fan Yaodong shifted the topic back to Lu Chen.

He raised his eyes to look at Ji Yunmeng, with a somewhat pensive expression: "Her Highness the Princess, this official has already sent word to the Zhen Nan Prince Manor, asking Master Lu to come to the Deceit Suppression Bureau to report in half a month."

He paused, then continued: "After half a month, whatever He Dongqi does, that will be He Dongqi’s business."

Ji Yunmeng laughed coldly in her heart.

She lowered her eyes to look at the teacup in front of her, the tea inside gently rippling, reflecting her eyebrows and eyes.

This sly old fox, truly non-stick.

She lifted her head, looked at Fan Yaodong, and said: "Once the position of Commander of the Deceit Suppression Bureau is lost, it will not be easy to reclaim it. You should be aware that currently in the Capital City, whether it be those two individuals or the Princes, they all covet this position."

Fan Yaodong naturally knew. The Deceit Suppression Bureau was mainly responsible for suppressing supernatural disturbances and overseeing Spirit Martial Artists across the land. Because of these two functions, the Deceit Suppression Bureau wielded tremendous power—saying you harbored supernatural disturbances allowed them to immediately storm your residence to eliminate demons and monsters, claiming you were about to turn into a supernatural disturbance permitted them to slay you without reporting it.

Of course, the primary reason all factions wanted to control the Deceit Suppression Bureau was because of its abundance of powerful fighters.

Controlling the Deceit Suppression Bureau was equivalent to possessing a formidable force.

Whether it was the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, or those Princes, they all wanted to control the Deceit Suppression Bureau.

However, due to the rampant supernatural disturbances in Dazhou in recent years, all factions maintained a tacit understanding, refraining from wantonly inserting their hands into the Deceit Suppression Bureau.

People also understood that if they recklessly planted pawns in the Deceit Suppression Bureau and made it the center of struggle, Dazhou’s supernatural disturbances would only become more rampant.

Upon hearing Ji Yunmeng’s reminder, Fan Yaodong waved his hand dismissively and said, "I naturally understand, but I am well aware of the heavy responsibility of this position, and over the years, I have dedicated most of my time to cultivation, failing to fulfill my duties as Commander of the Deceit Suppression Bureau."

Seeing Fan Yaodong’s response, Ji Yunmeng realized he was determined to pass the buck to someone else.

She said nothing further, stood up, and her moon-white skirt swayed lightly with the movement.

She lowered her eyes to give Fan Yaodong a glance and said, "In that case, I will not disturb you any further, Lord Fan."

Fan Yaodong quickly stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "I respectfully send off Her Highness the Princess."

Ji Yunmeng turned and walked out, pausing briefly at the threshold before finally stepping out.

Fan Yaodong wanted to remain neutral, unwilling to take the blame, set on making a run for it, and continuing to talk to him about Lu Chen would be useless.

She would return when a new Commander was appointed for the Deceit Suppression Bureau.

A few days later.

The night was like water, the moon hidden behind clouds, casting only a hazy light.

In front of the Liu Mansion, two stone lions crouched silently on either side of the steps, and the lanterns above the gate swayed gently in the night breeze. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

A large shadow emerged from the street corner, walking step by step towards the gate of the Liu Mansion.

The shadow was about three meters tall, and the ground trembled slightly as it moved.

The night watch servant was dozing beside the gatehouse, suddenly feeling the ground’s tremor, he opened his eyes groggily.

In the next instant, he clearly saw the silhouette before him, a wolf-headed creature with a human body, its entire body covered in gray-black fur, and its eyes glowed an eerie green in the dark.

The servant’s face turned deathly pale with fright, his legs turned to jelly, and his lips quivered for a long moment before he finally managed to shout, "There’s a disturbance!"

Before the words were fully out, the claws of the wolf demon already slashed out.

The claws swiped through the night air, bringing with them a gust of bloody wind, and the servants at the Liu Mansion’s entrance didn’t even have time to flee before their bodies were severed into pieces, blood splattering the gate and stone lions.

The next moment, the wolf demon swung its claws again. With a thunderous "boom," the gate of the Liu Mansion shattered instantly, the gate panels splintering, sending wooden shrapnel flying.

The wolf demon stormed directly into the Liu Mansion, and immediately, terrifying cries, screams, and the clatter of fallen objects echoed out, resonating throughout the entire street in the night air.

It wasn’t long before a group of Deceit Suppressing Guards in black uniforms, each armed with a Demon-slaying Blade, surged in from various directions, encircling the entire Liu Mansion tightly.

The torchlight flickered in the night, illuminating the tense faces of the Deceit Suppressing Guards.

Fan Yaodong stood on the rooftop opposite the Liu Mansion, the night wind whipping his robes. His eyes fell on the three-meter tall, wolf-headed creature within the courtyard of the mansion, a grave expression flashing across his face.

Moonlight peeked through the cloud gaps, shining on his furrowed brows and the hand gripping the sword hilt.

At this moment, several Commanders from the Deceit Suppression Bureau, wielding Demon-slaying Blades, advanced in from different directions to flank and attack the wolf demon.

The glint of blades flickered in the night, but with just a brief clash, several Earth Realm Commanders were swatted away by the wolf demon’s massive claw, their bodies slamming heavily into the courtyard wall, causing the bricks to shatter and dust to rise.

Fan Yaodong’s gaze sharpened, his right hand gripping the sword hilt, he slowly drew out the Demon-slaying Blade. The blade’s edge caught the moonlight, glowing with a cold, piercing gleam.

He shouted, "Everyone, fall back!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Fan Yaodong leaped down from the rooftop, his figure swooping down like a raptor towards the courtyard, the Demon-slaying Blade in his hand slicing through the air in an arc, striking at the wolf demon.