Yumen Pass, beneath the west city wall.
Li Gui led a team of men, walking aimlessly along the base of the city wall, his face dark.
"Bah! A mere wet-behind-the-ears little girl dares to boss me around?"
The few trusted subordinates behind him exchanged glances, none daring to speak.
The wicked fire in Li Gui's heart, however, burned ever fiercer.
His father was a Lieutenant General (Assistant General) in the Longyou Army. He had him placed in the Demon Suppression Division from a young age, and then went to great lengths to send him to this Vanguard Battalion. What was it all for?
Wasn't it to earn him immense merit in this great war, to pave the way for his future career?
But now, not only was he suppressed by a woman, but he was also made to wait idly in the city with his men.
Wait?
What merit could he gain by waiting?
Not to mention, when the main army arrived, with the Vanguard Battalion clearing the path, the merit for slaying the Demons along the way would likely all be attributed to that woman alone!
They, who fought tooth and nail, would end up merely cheering from the sidelines.
Why?!
Just then, a shifty-eyed man approached, lowering his voice.
"Captain Li, why should we just wait here idly?"
Li Gui shot him a glance, annoyed. "What else can we do besides wait? She's a Captain, one rank higher is enough to crush a man. Military orders are like mountains; do you want to defy orders?"
"Captain Li, you misunderstand."
The man chuckled. "Captain Jiang only told us to patrol the west city and strictly prevent Demons from infiltrating. But she didn't say that if we really found traces of Demons in the city, we couldn't pursue them, did she?"
Li Gui frowned, gesturing for him to continue.
"Think about it, we can find an excuse, say we discovered a lurking Demon in the city and pursued it, and that the Demon was cunning and escaped outside the city."
"To prevent the Demon from getting away and revealing the situation inside the pass, we were forced to pursue it outside the city. Urgent matters call for flexible action!"
"By then, even if Captain Jiang asks, we'll have an explanation. She can't just watch a Demon slip away right under her nose and still punish us, can she?"
Li Gui narrowed his eyes, his heart already stirred.
This method indeed sounded feasible.
But... "A military order is still a military order. Unauthorized departure from the pass, if caught..."
Another trusted subordinate also leaned in. "If we really achieve something, that merit will be ours! If we find nothing, we can just quietly return. Who would know?"
"That's right, Captain Li! It's better to go out for a round, even if we don't encounter Demons, than to sit here waiting for death!"
With their words, the scales in Li Gui's heart finally tipped completely.
Damn it, I'll do it!
The bold thrive, the timid starve!
He took a deep breath, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.
"Pick ten sharp brothers. Say we found traces left by a Demon at the base of the west city wall. We'll go investigate!"
"Yes!"
The man's face lit up with joy, and he turned to gather the men.
Li Gui looked at the Gobi Desert outside the pass, a cold sneer playing on his lips.
Jiang Yuechu?
Just wait until I catch a Demon outside the pass and achieve a great feat. We'll see what you can do to me then!
...Outside Yumen Pass, Demonic Qi surged skyward.
A Demon Manor, which had sprung up from the ground at an unknown time, was entrenched in the Gobi Desert.
Inside the manor, Demons danced chaotically.
A wolf-headed, human-bodied Demon was tearing a Human Race woman, abducted from who knows where, into two halves and devouring her.
An eight-armed Spider Spirit was using its webs to hang several wailing merchant caravan porters in mid-air, treating them as provisions.
Blood and stench, mixed with the rampant laughter of the Demons, echoed through the Demon Manor.
On the main seat, a gaunt old ape, covered in white fur, sat quietly, holding a tattered book, seemingly oblivious to the surrounding gore and noise.
Just then, a bull Demon with two horns on its head and an ugly face cautiously approached, lowering its voice.
"True Monarch, we're making too much noise here."
"Within three days, the Demon Suppression Division's army will surely arrive."
"What do you think... should we... return to the Demon Court first and then make plans?"
The old ape didn't look up, merely turned a page of the book, his voice hoarse.
"My son has not yet returned, how can I go back?"
A look of difficulty appeared on the bull Demon's face.
All the Demons present wore strange expressions and stopped their actions.
The bull Demon hesitated for a moment, but ultimately steeled itself and spoke again, advising, "True Monarch, it's just a small tiger Demon that luckily gained sentience. Why are you so concerned?"
"We established this manor here with such a grand display that it has already spread throughout the entire Longyou Circuit. If that tiger Demon were still alive and heard your name, it would surely come to seek refuge voluntarily."
"But now... so many days have passed, and there's still no sign..."
The meaning of his words was self-evident.
That tiger Demon was probably long dead.
Seeing the old ape remain silent, the bull Demon assumed he was hesitating and grew a bit bolder.
"True Monarch, why are you so stubborn? While not many wild Spirit Monsters like this gain sentience, if you wish, we can just find another one. Why get into a deadlock with the Great Tang imperial court for a beast whose fate is unknown?"
"You are a noble of the Demon Court, of distinguished status. If anything were to happen to you because of this..."
Before he finished speaking.
A withered hand, without warning, pressed down on its crown.
The bull Demon's expression instantly froze.
It didn't even have time to let out a scream.
Crack—
That massive bull head was crushed into smithereens, like a watermelon!
The old ape casually tossed aside the headless corpse, extended a scarlet tongue, and meticulously licked clean the brains and blood adhering to its palm.
All the Demons in the hall were silent, like cicadas in winter.
After a long while.
The old ape slowly closed the book, raised its head, and its cloudy eyes slowly swept over every Demon present.
"Have you ever had this feeling?"
"When I was reading beneath the Southern Mountain waterfall, I first saw him as just an ordinary beast."
"I watched him grow little by little, gain sentience little by little, taught him to recognize characters, taught him to read, taught him saber techniques."
"Do you know what it feels like to impart all of your life's learning, watching him surpass you?"
"He and I had no formal master-disciple relationship, but I had long regarded him as my own child."
The old ape's voice was calm, seemingly lost in memory.
All the Demons in the hall were utterly bewildered.
Among Demons, it was the law of the jungle. Aside from closely related Bloodlines, when had such emotions ever existed?
"This time, I was ordered by the Demon Court to return to my old haunt, originally to settle an old matter and then return to the Western Regions."
"But if I can't even find my own child, what meaning is there in returning to the Demon Court and holding a high position?"
The white ape stood up and walked down from the main seat.
Step by step, he walked to the entrance of the great hall, gazing in the direction of Yumen Pass, Demonic Qi surging into the sky.
"If my son does not return, how can I return?"
"Even if I have to turn this Longyou Circuit upside down, I will find him."
"If he is dead, I shall remain here, level Yumen Pass, and bathe Longyou in blood."