"Brother Yang, you came all the way to the Divine Mansion Sect without giving me a heads-up."

Bai Yuan walked up to Yang Fangyu.

Yang Fangyu forced a smile. "Younger Brother Bai, I’ve run into some trouble this time."

Bai Yuan asked, "What is it?"

’Whatever could make Yang Fangyu this anxious couldn’t be a small matter.’

"A powerful demon appeared on the Official Road in Huanglong Prefecture. Yesterday, it attacked the grain convoy. Although we managed to save the grain, Lord Du found out and ordered me to kill the demon within three days."

Bai Yuan understood.

’Only the grain shipment could get Yang Fangyu this worked up.’

The war in the Northern Territory was currently Emperor Xuanyang’s biggest worry. Anyone who dared to cause trouble with this would likely lose their official position.

Although Yang Fangyu had a strong background, he still had plenty of political enemies in the Imperial Court.

If anything went wrong with the grain shipment, he wouldn’t be able to hold on to his official post.

But powerful demons often lived deep in the mountains and were incredibly difficult to find, requiring a massive number of people just for a chance to locate one.

The Huanglong Prefecture Patrol Office and the Demon Slayer Guard combined had just over two hundred men. How could they possibly have the manpower to search an entire mountain?

That was why he had come to Bai Yuan.

In all of Huanglong Prefecture, only the Divine Mansion Sect had that many Martial Dao experts.

Bai Yuan pondered for a moment. "Brother Yang, don’t worry about it. I’ll have the Divine Mansion Army assist in the search."

Hearing this, Yang Fangyu was overjoyed.

The Divine Mansion Army had a full thousand men. With their help, the chances of finding that demon increased dramatically.

"Younger Brother Bai, I won’t say more between brothers like us. I’ll remember this favor."

Bai Yuan replied, "We’re brothers. What’s the need to say all this?"

Favors seemed complicated, but they were actually simple. It all boiled down to two words: give and take.

And helping each other was the best way to do that. Today, Bai Yuan helped Yang Fangyu; in the future, Yang Fangyu would help him in return. Through this back-and-forth, their relationship would naturally grow closer.

...

Huanglong Prefecture, Hundred Beauty Mountain.

Although Hundred Beauty Mountain had the word "beauty" in its name, the mountain itself had nothing to do with beauty at all.

The dense, overlapping forest made it impossible to distinguish day from night; everything was shrouded in a gloomy gray.

"Damn it! Where the hell is that blasted demon hiding?"

Yang Fangyu cursed in frustration.

Bai Yuan said, "It should be close."

The grain shipment was too important, so Yang Fangyu was personally leading the team to capture the great demon.

Otherwise, not even the slaughter of a city or the destruction of a village would have prompted him, the Lord Prefect, to take action himself.

Bai Yuan, on the other hand, had offered to help. ’Since I’ve already extended a favor, I might as well make it a bigger one.’

But the two of them had led over a thousand men to search Hundred Beauty Mountain for a full day and night, and they hadn’t seen so much as a hair of the demon.

The Shuofang Jiedu Envoy had ordered Yang Fangyu to execute the demon within three days. Time was waiting for no one, so naturally, Yang Fangyu was anxious.

Bai Yuan was also very interested in the demon that had attacked the grain convoy. Despite his skills as a Demon Hunter, he had been completely unable to find any trace of it.

’It’s extremely strange.’

Suddenly, a cry of alarm echoed from within the forest.

The sound was actually very far from Bai Yuan and Yang Fangyu, but with his freakishly sharp hearing, Bai Yuan caught it clearly.

Bai Yuan tapped his toes on the ground and shot off in the direction of the sound.

Yang Fangyu’s reaction was just as fast; he darted forward at almost the exact same moment Bai Yuan moved.

He looked at Bai Yuan in astonishment.

’As a Sensing Martial Artist, it’s not surprising that I could detect the commotion over there. But as far as I know, although Bai Yuan’s combat power is extraordinary, his cultivation realm is only at the Power-Infusion stage. Where did he get such powerful perception?’

But he quickly pushed these stray thoughts to the back of his mind.

Right now, he just wanted to kill that demon and hold on to the official post he had worked so hard to get.

If he performed well in his position as the Prefect of Huanglong Prefecture, his promotions would surely be swift.

But if he made a mistake, there would be no more chances for advancement.

The two moved extremely fast, arriving at the source of the sound in less than half an incense stick’s time.

They saw Divine Mansion Army soldiers being swatted away one by one by a giant, ten-foot-tall, wolf-headed monster.

The monster was very strong. If Yu Hui hadn’t happened to be there, it would have escaped long ago.

Bai Yuan frowned.

’This Wolf Demon’s aura is too strange. It’s not quite human, but not quite a demon either. No wonder I couldn’t find any trace of it.’

When Yang Fangyu saw the Wolf Demon, his eyes narrowed slightly. "A Demon."

Bai Yuan’s eyebrow twitched.

’So this Wolf Demon is a Demon from the Northern Plains, the legendary offspring of a union between a demon and a human.’

Yang Fangyu had fought no small number of these monsters during his time in the Northern Garrison Army, which was why he could identify it at a glance.

As beings that were half-demon and half-human, Demons varied greatly.

Some Demons had the upper body of a demon and the lower body of a human, while others had the lower body of a demon and the upper body of a human. Some were even indistinguishable from humans, and others looked exactly like a full-blooded demon.

It really highlighted genetic diversity.

The Wolf Demon before them seemed to be the latter type.

Yang Fangyu drew the long saber from his waist and licked his lips.

Although he didn’t understand why a Demon from the Northern Plains would appear in Huanglong Prefecture, right now he just wanted to kill this Wolf Demon and relive the feeling of his days in the Northern Garrison Army.

The Wolf Demon was powerful; even someone with Yu Hui’s strength was struggling to hold on.

Yang Fangyu charged toward the Wolf Demon, saber in hand.

With Yang Fangyu joining the fray, Yu Hui could finally catch his breath.

"You mongrel, die!"

Yang Fangyu’s heavy, powerful slash descended on the Wolf Demon, its might no less than that of a pure Martial Dao expert known for their strength.

It was said that Buddhist practitioners of the Indestructible Diamond Body specialized in defense, but Yang Fangyu had instead chosen the path of subduing demons with overwhelming force.

His formidable saber techniques, combined with the combat instincts of a Sensing Martial Artist, made Yang Fangyu a killing machine in close-quarters combat.

The thirty-foot-tall Wolf Demon was forced to retreat again and again under his assault.

So much so that neither Yu Hui nor Bai Yuan had a chance to act.

Watching Yang Fangyu’s ferocious display, they had to admit that this new Prefect really had some skills.

’The Buddhist schools have stood for ten thousand years without decline; they truly have their unique strengths.’

Before long, the Wolf Demon let out a mournful howl. Yang Fangyu had carved several gashes into its body, and blood sprayed through the air.

Just as Yang Fangyu was about to deliver the fatal blow, the Wolf Demon’s body suddenly shrank rapidly before everyone’s eyes, allowing it to narrowly dodge the killing strike.

The Wolf Demon had transformed into a completely naked young boy.

The boy shot a hateful glance at Yang Fangyu before darting into the woods with astonishing speed.

In the instant before the boy plunged into the thicket...

Bai Yuan, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, finally made his move.

Countless silver needles, like a pear blossom storm, enveloped the boy, blocking his escape route.

At the same time, he used the Night Wanderer Step, appearing behind the boy like a ghost.

The boy seemed to sense the danger behind him. He spun around abruptly, thrusting his hands forward in an attempt to counter-kill Bai Yuan.

But Bai Yuan gave him no such chance.

His long saber flashed from its sheath, slashing toward the boy’s throat.

The slash was so fast that even Yang Fangyu, a Sensing-level Martial Artist, couldn’t see it clearly.

The boy’s eyes filled with disbelief. He wanted to look down at his wound, but he only saw a bloodstain as thin as a hair appear on his neck before his head slid off, rolling three times on the ground.

Reinforcement Points +1367

This was the first time Bai Yuan had used the Chaotic Blood Hidden Tiger Saber against an enemy since he had synthesized it, and the effect was quite impressive.

Just then, Yang Fangyu arrived, saber in hand.

He had witnessed that entire, breathtakingly brilliant slash.

Although he also used a saber, he knew he could never execute such a terrifying strike.

He had long heard that the young Sect Leader of the Divine Mansion Sect had the power to kill a Sensing-level expert while only being at the Power-Infusion stage. Now, it seemed the rumors were no exaggeration.

An ordinary Sensing Martial Artist from the Three Religions would truly not have been able to block Bai Yuan’s last strike.

Yang Fangyu said, "Thank you."

If Bai Yuan hadn’t acted just now, the Wolf Demon might have escaped.

Finding it again would have been incredibly difficult, and whether it could be done within three days would have been an unknown.

"It was nothing."

Bai Yuan waved his hand dismissively.

He gazed at the boy’s headless corpse on the ground.

’A wolf turning into a person... a Werewolf?’

Even as a Demon Hunter, this was the first time he had seen such a thing.

"Brother Yang, is this kind of situation common in the Northern Plains?"

Yang Fangyu shook his head. "I’ve never seen it either."

A Wolf Demon that could switch back and forth between its demon and human forms was unheard of.

Yang Fangyu’s expression turned grave. "A Demon appearing in Huanglong Prefecture... this is highly unusual. I’m afraid I’ll have to report this to Lord Du for a decision."

Demons were supposed to be a unique presence in the Northern Plains, and the Demon Sect’s invasion had been stopped at the Great Wall.

Now, one had crossed the wall and appeared in Huanglong Prefecture. No matter how you looked at it, this was not a good sign.

Bai Yuan said, "It is indeed unusual."

As the two spoke, the surrounding members of the Divine Mansion Army and the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office who had heard the commotion gathered around.

Yang Fangyu said to one of the Demon Slayer Guards, "Take the body away."

With the Wolf Demon slain, he now had something to report to his superiors, and his mood improved considerably.

After watching his men handle the Wolf Demon’s corpse, he turned back to Bai Yuan. "Younger Brother Bai, that was some fine saber work."

He was still savoring the memory of Bai Yuan’s slash.

As a fellow saber user, he understood better than anyone the true quality of that strike.

"It’s all because my master taught me well."

Hearing this, Yang Fangyu was once again stunned.

He had worked with Old Dong for several months, and this was the first time he’d ever heard that the old man also knew saber techniques.

’Mr. Dong truly is a master, hiding his skills so deeply!’

"Younger Brother Bai, in three days, I’m hosting a banquet at my home. It’s just a small gathering of friends. I was wondering if you might be free?"

"If Brother Yang is inviting me, of course I’m free."

Yang Fangyu was clearly planning to pull Bai Yuan into his inner circle.

Scions of prestigious families like Yang Fangyu, no matter how good-natured or informal they seemed, all had their own circles. Only those who were inside that circle were considered true friends.

Otherwise, even if they called each other "brother" on the surface, they didn’t really mean it.

Previously, although Yang Fangyu knew Bai Yuan was formidable, he had never experienced it firsthand.

After seeing Bai Yuan’s saber skills today, he finally began to see him as an equal.

Such small circles were extremely common among the great families. They existed not only in the Imperial Court but also within the sects of the Jianghu.

It was said to be even more extreme in the Capital City.

These small circles were practically no different from political factions. Only by joining one did you have a chance at a successful official career.

Otherwise, no matter how talented you were, it was nearly impossible to advance even a single step in the officialdom.

’Forming cliques to attack outsiders... in the end, only one of their own would ever get a leg up from a powerful benefactor.’

As for being an upright official, a capable official?

If you weren’t one of them, you were just an incompetent official. After all, the writing brush was in the hands of those bigwigs; what was written was ultimately up to them.