"Bai Yuan of Huanglong Prefecture in Ling Province is hereby promoted to General of the Ling Province Demon Slayer Guard, a sub-fifth-grade position."

"I thank His Majesty for this immense honor."

Bai Yuan accepted the decree of appointment.

A sub-fifth-grade official, and not even a Capital Official, would naturally not warrant a visit from one of the palace’s Chief Eunuchs.

Rather, the Chief Eunuch was in Ling Province; the one who came to Huanglong Prefecture was merely one of his aides, a little eunuch.

"Lord Bai, my sincerest congratulations."

The little eunuch quickly helped Bai Yuan to his feet. A sub-fifth-grade position was by no means a minor one, so he naturally didn’t dare to put on airs.

Besides, he was just a little eunuch from the Ritual Department. The Ritual Department was powerful, yes, but that power belonged to the Chief Eunuchs. Having spent a long time in the palace, he was well aware of the importance of keeping a low profile.

"Eunuch Wu, this is a small token of my appreciation."

At these words, the ever-perceptive Yu Hui waved his hand. A young man quickly came forward, holding out an exquisite wooden box to the little eunuch.

The little eunuch’s face immediately broke into a wide grin.

It wasn’t for nothing that palace dwellers loved assignments outside the Capital City. The people in the capital were all arrogant, with their noses in the air. While they were incredibly wealthy and influential, the pickings were actually quite slim. Or rather, a little eunuch like him never got a chance to skim anything off the top.

But the officials in the provinces were a different story entirely—they were sweet-talkers and open-handed with their gifts.

The little eunuch chuckled as he tucked the wooden box into his robes. A peek through the folds revealed it was stuffed to the brim.

"Lord Bai, matters concerning the dead are paramount. Eunuch Chang is currently in Ling Province, mourning Lord Yuan on behalf of His Majesty. He was unable to come himself, which is why this humble servant was sent in his stead."

Having accepted the gift, he naturally had to offer some kind words in return.

That Eunuch Chang was the high-ranking eunuch who had brought Emperor Xuanyang’s Holy Decree. As a Chief Eunuch of the Ritual Department, even someone like Jiang Changping wouldn’t dare to offend him lightly.

After all, these eunuchs were the ones closest to the Emperor.

And in all of Xuanyang Country, very few could withstand the power of a whisper in the Emperor’s ear.

That’s right. Bai Yuan’s promotion was just an incidental part of the trip. The Chief Eunuch’s main purpose was to deal with matters concerning Yuan Dingcai.

As a fourth-grade official, Yuan Dingcai’s rank wasn’t insignificant, but it wasn’t high enough to warrant the Emperor’s personal attention—especially for a provincial official.

All of this, of course, was because of the Du Jiedu Envoy.

It just went to show how highly the Emperor regarded Du Qinghui.

The Xuanyang Country was so vast that a round trip by horse and carriage could take several months. Forget sending condolences; there were frequent cases where an official had already died of old age before the documents for their appointment even arrived.

But this time, the Chief Eunuch had reached Ling Province in a mere seven days. No one would believe that Du Qinghui wasn’t responsible for such speed.

Yuan Dingcai had never once seen the Emperor in his entire life, yet in death, he received personal condolences from His Majesty the Emperor. Even though they were delivered by the Chief Eunuch on his behalf, the gesture carried immense weight.

Of course, if not for the urgent state of the war, a single Yuan Dingcai—even with Du Qinghui’s influence—could not have warranted such attention from the Emperor.

Ultimately, Emperor Xuanyang was simply putting on a show for the front lines in the Northern Territory. A seemingly trivial condolence could win over the hearts and minds of many.

Years of relentless warfare had taken their toll on the Xuanyang National Treasury, which was struggling to keep up. The Emperor was unwilling to spend money, so he had to offer prestige instead.

Fortunately, the Emperor’s prestige was still quite valuable.

For this very reason, the pension granted to Yuan Dingcai’s family was pathetically small.

From this perspective, the death of the former Lingzhou General, Lu Xiao, had been perfectly timed. If not for the Lu Family’s disappointing descendants, they could have secured at least two hundred years of wealth and nobility.

Bai Yuan’s position as the Demon-slaying Guard General in Ling Province was one of real power. His authority was considerable, in no way inferior to that of the Prefect.

He recalled how long the court had debated over Yang Fangyu’s appointment to the Prefect position. For the official papers confirming Bai Yuan as the Demon-slaying Guard General to arrive so quickly was truly unexpected.

The process for appointing and dismissing officials in Xuanyang Country was incredibly complex. Aside from the standard civil and military examinations, the most common path was through an official’s recommendation. The Ministry of Personnel would then draft a list of candidates, a step that was full of political intricacies.

Documents for well-connected candidates would be sent to the Emperor’s desk on the very same day. For unimportant officials below the third grade, the Emperor generally let the Chief Eunuchs of the Ritual Department handle the appointments.

As long as one had the right connections in the Ministry of Personnel and the Ritual Department, an appointment could be secured that very day.

But for those without connections, the Ministry of Personnel alone could delay the process for three to five years. Then, they would place the documents at the very bottom of the pile. By the time an approval came through, eight years might have already passed.

Some never received their appointment papers at all, dying of old age at home while they waited.

There were so many hidden channels and intricacies involved. It was no wonder the Ministry of Personnel was considered the head of the Six Ministries, and its Minister was known as the Celestial Official.

After all, they were in charge of all promotions.

The fact that Bai Yuan’s appointment papers had arrived so quickly was, of course, thanks to the Du Jiedu Envoy.

Having accepted the gift, the little eunuch was overjoyed and couldn’t help but offer a few extra words of advice. "Lord Bai, officials like yourself who come from sects are not required to travel to their appointed post. You may fulfill your duties from right here in Huanglong Prefecture. This is His Majesty’s intention."

Bai Yuan was ecstatic. "Thank you for the reminder, Eunuch."

As the Shenfu Sect Master, if he had to travel to Ling Province to assume his duties, he would inevitably be unable to manage the sect’s internal affairs. But if he could handle his responsibilities from a distance, nothing could be better.

Such were the benefits of a well-placed gift.

A little bit of information could save a great deal of trouble.

Although Xuanyang Country ruled the world in concert with the great sects, a clear line was drawn between the Jianghu and the Imperial Court.

Those who served as officials were not supposed to have too many entanglements with the Jianghu.

Even the Grand General who founded the Longevity Palace had resigned from his official position after establishing the sect. The same went for Elder Dong.

Recently, however, it seemed this old rule was beginning to break down.

He had heard that the Grand Tutor had proposed that the Emperor follow the example of the Grand Ancestor Emperor: borrow the strength of the Jianghu to jointly resist foreign enemies.

Emperor Xuanyang had ultimately accepted this advice.

Asking for money was, of course, out of the question. After all, the very reason the Imperial Court was resorting to this was a lack of funds.

They might not have money, but they could still hand out official titles.

Such a method was not without precedent. The Grand Ancestor Emperor had used this very same scheme to sweet-talk the world into fighting alongside him against the Demon Sect and the Demon Race.

Emperor Xuanyang was merely paying homage to his forebear.

Many of the Major Sect Masters who were willing to contribute troops were granted the title of Duke.

But people like Bai Yuan, who received a proper official government position, were in the minority. This was further proof of the weight Du Qinghui carried in the Emperor’s eyes.

Not long after seeing the little eunuch off...

...Yang Fangyu appeared on Shenfu Mountain, like a seasoned gourmand drawn by an irresistible aroma.

Everyone in Huanglong Prefecture knew of his relationship with Bai Yuan, so the Mountain Guard Disciples of the Divine Mansion Sect naturally didn’t dare to stop him.

"Alright, spill it. What kind of deal did you cut with that old man Du?"

The moment he heard the news, he had rushed over to the Divine Mansion Sect without a moment’s delay, eager to get the inside story.

Although he had spent his career in the Northern Garrison Army and hadn’t been an official for long, the Yang Family had produced high-ranking officials in the Imperial Court for generations. He had been thoroughly influenced by this environment and knew all too well how precious a position like Bai Yuan’s—a sub-fifth-grade Demon-slaying Guard General—truly was.

To say nothing of the fact that Bai Yuan was one of the very few people in all of Xuanyang Country with a foot in both the Jianghu and the Imperial Court.

Du Qinghui and Xu Dingchun were political rivals. For Bai Yuan to be promoted, he would have had to get past Du Qinghui. But why would Du Qinghui ever promote one of his rival’s people?

It was truly bizarre.

Yang Fangyu was naturally dying to know the reason behind it all.

Bai Yuan shrugged. "You might not believe this, but it was Lord Du who recommended me."

"..."

Yang Fangyu didn’t say a word, but his expression clearly said, ’You’re holding out on me, brother?’

Bai Yuan was exasperated. He was telling the truth.

’Perhaps my talent is just so brilliant that it even dazzled Du Qinghui’s eyes?’

’Oh well. Since Elder Dong told me to just focus on being a good Demon-slaying Guard General, then that’s what I’ll do.’

He was all too familiar with the work of the Demon Slayer Guard.

He had dealt with them countless times back when he was doing bounty missions.

Although the Demon Slayer Guard was technically under the jurisdiction of the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office, their work involved demons and complex situations, so they were granted a great deal of operational flexibility.

He’d heard that the previous General of the Ling Province Demon Slayer Guard had rarely ever appeared in the provincial capital.

That was why a full half-month had passed before anyone discovered that the General had been killed by Kuaidong. Yuan Dingcai had then managed to follow the trail to find Kuaidong, only to be killed himself.

Come to think of it, this whole affair had started because of that Demon-slaying Guard General.

And now, Bai Yuan was the one filling the vacancy he left behind.

But now, in addition to their regular duty of suppressing local monsters, the Demon Slayer Guard had another task: to eliminate the monsters and Demons who had fled from the Northern Territory into Ling Province.

As for the barbarian tribes, they were to be handled by the Patrol Office.

This was a heavy responsibility, and the danger involved was immense. Otherwise, the previous General wouldn’t have ended up dying in the line of duty.

Bai Yuan, however, was delighted.

As the Demon-slaying Guard General, he would have a legitimate reason to get involved in the affairs of the other prefectures.

Huanglong Prefecture was currently calm and peaceful, making it the perfect time to go elsewhere and earn some strengthening points.

Because Du Qinghui had designated Ling Province as a Traveling Mansion, its officials could even intervene in the affairs of Qingzhou and Yu State.

It was the same principle that made a Capital Official inherently a half-rank higher than a provincial one.

Since the official position was such a perfect match for his own ’system’, Bai Yuan of course had no reason to refuse.

Not to mention it was a sub-fifth-grade position—a rank high enough to be the new starting point for the family’s genealogical records.

Bringing glory to his ancestors!

Even if Bai Yuan was the only one left in the Bai Family...

...

「Three days later.」

A group of people appeared at the Divine Mansion Sect.

"Your humble subordinate greets you, Lord General."

The man in the lead was Yin Cai, the Vice Commander of the Ling Province Demon Slayer Guard.

Accompanying him were the other Thousand Households from the Ling Province Demon Slayer Guard, as well as the Thousand Households from the various other prefectures.

Even though Bai Yuan wasn’t traveling to Ling Province, they wouldn’t dare be so arrogant as to skip paying their respects to their new superior.

Everyone knew that this General Bai was a master of managing connections. Even the incorrigibly stubborn Du Qinghui had personally petitioned the throne to get him this post. Such an ability to turn an enemy into an ally was the stuff of bureaucratic legend.

"Yin Cai, Vice Commander of the Ling Province Demon Slayer Guard."

"Liu Xi, Thousand Households of the Ling Province Demon Slayer Guard."

...

"Yan Changgu, Thousand Households of the Huanglong Prefecture Demon Slayer Guard."

...

Yan the Thousand Households of Huanglong Prefecture was filled with a myriad of emotions. He had known of Bai Yuan for several years.

After all, back then, Bai Yuan and Li Kang had helped Huanglong Prefecture slay many troublesome monsters.

But at the time, Bai Yuan had been just an inconspicuous Outer Disciple of the Divine Mansion Sect.

Yet in just a few short years, that same Outer Disciple had risen to become the Shenfu Sect Master, and now, he was his own direct superior.

’A prodigy truly can’t be measured by common standards.’

Bai Yuan said, "Everyone, Ling Province is currently overrun with monsters. We are at a critical juncture. I believe that rather than waiting to be attacked, we must take the initiative. The best defense is a good offense!"

"..."

The assembled Demon Slayer Guards looked at one another, completely dumbfounded.

’Is it that we don’t want to kill those monsters?’

’It’s that we can’t beat them!’