"..."
Jiang Yuechu looked at him expressionlessly.
What the hell did I forge!
She was about to explain.
A gentle voice came from outside the door.
"Don't make things difficult for her."
Jiang Yuechu turned her head and saw a middle-aged man with an elegant demeanor, dressed in the uniform of a Demon Suppression Division Brigade Commander, standing at the doorway with a smile.
She remembered that this person was one of the Brigade Commanders who had been with Wei He back at Yumen Pass.
The old man clearly recognized this person too; the moment he saw him enter, the suspicion on his face instantly vanished.
"Brigade Commander Li... why have you come?"
Brigade Commander Li walked up to the table and smiled, saying, "This matter was personally decided by Lord Wei; there is no falsehood."
"From now on, Commander Jiang is a member of my Heaven Character Camp. Her waist token and clothing need to be newly prepared. You should complete the necessary procedures first."
"Heaven... Heaven Character Camp?!!!"
Upon hearing this, the old man's face turned green.
His tongue nearly popped out.
Brigade Commander Li shook his head and stopped talking to him. "Please hurry up. If we miss the time, it will be hard to explain to Lord Wei."
The old man nodded dejectedly, stood up shakily, called a few people over, and gave detailed instructions.
Soon, two sets of brand-new clothes and a dark black waist token were brought over.
"The Brigade Commander's uniform is embroidered with a golden lion on the shoulder, and it is made of Fire-Washing Cloth, impervious to water and fire."
Brigade Commander Li explained timely from the side.
Jiang Yuechu took the clothing, which was significantly heavier than the ordinary uniform, and then picked up the waist token, which felt cool to the touch.
Afterward, the little old man came running out, holding a tray.
On the tray were a brand-new hundred-tael silver note, a small pile of broken silver, and two strings of copper coins tied together with hemp rope.
"Lord Jiang..."
Unconsciously, the old man's form of address had changed.
"This is your monthly stipend of forty taels from your promotion to Captain, plus your current promotion to Brigade Commander, which carries a monthly stipend of one hundred taels. It has all been compensated to you."
He paused, then quickly added, "Fearing you might need it for daily use, I took the liberty of exchanging some of it into smaller denominations for you, so you wouldn't have to make another trip to the bank..."
"Lord Jiang... please count it..."
"Thank you."
Jiang Yuechu was too lazy to count it. She casually accepted it, tucked the hundred-tael silver note and the broken silver into her bosom, and hung the two heavy strings of copper coins on her waist.
Seeing that she had finished handling everything, Brigade Commander Li smiled and made a gesture to invite her.
"Commander Jiang, please follow me."
"Alright."
As the two walked away, only the One-Eyed Old Man remained, staring blankly at their retreating figures as they disappeared through the doorway.
After a long while.
He finally let out a long breath of stale air and plopped back down onto the chair, feeling weak all over.
Heavens.
This Longyou Circuit is probably going to produce an extraordinary Little Girl... The two walked out of the storeroom, one after the other.
"I am Li Qingyuan, humbly serving as a Brigade Commander in the Heaven Character Camp. From now on, we are colleagues."
The elegant man beside her spoke with a smile, "In the Heaven Character Camp, rank is not heavily emphasized. Colleagues mostly address each other as brothers. I am a few years older than you, so if you don't mind, you can call me Big Brother Li from now on."
As if fearing she might misunderstand something, Li Qingyuan added another sentence.
"Of course, this is just a rule within our camp. If we are outside or meet Brigade Commanders or Deputy Generals from other camps, the proper etiquette must still be observed."
Jiang Yuechu: "..."
Do I look like I lack common sense?
She silently complained in her heart, but out of courtesy, she still stated her name.
"Jiang Yuechu."
"Miss Jiang's great name is now known to everyone in The Department."
Li Qingyuan couldn't help but laugh when he saw her holding two sets of brand-new clothes in one hand, while the two strings of copper coins clanged loudly at her waist, making walking quite inconvenient.
"Miss Jiang, I think... why don't we go back and tidy up first? I will accompany you."
"This... how can I impose."
"It's no trouble."
Li Qingyuan shook his head. "Jingyao Workshop is not far from the Commandery Office to begin with, so a round trip won't take much effort."
He paused, then said, "Besides, today is your first day joining my Heaven Character Camp. You should change into your uniform first."
Since he had already said so much, and carrying the items like this was indeed inconvenient, she stopped insisting.
"Then I will trouble Big Brother Li."
...Xuan Battalion, a certain barracks.
Chen Tong kicked open the door and walked in, cursing under his breath.
"Damn it, it's too stuffy after this rain. Mushrooms are practically growing in my crotch!"
The Monk No Abstinence was sitting cross-legged, holding a dice cup and shaking it happily. "Amitabha, Benefactor Chen, your heart is restless. Why don't you play a few rounds?"
"Get lost! I haven't paid you the money I lost last time, and you're trying to trick me again?"
Just then, an unfamiliar young man poked his head in from outside the door, his face wreathed in smiles.
"Big brothers, are you all here?"
Chen Tong frowned and looked him up and down. "Who are you?"
The man chuckled, straightened the brand-new Squad Leader uniform he was wearing, stepped forward, and cupped his fists toward the others.
"I am Wang Xiaoer, the newly arrived Squad Leader. Please take care of me, big brothers."
Squad Leader?
Chen Tong, No Abstinence, and Liu Ke simultaneously froze their movements and looked straight at him.
"New arrival?"
Chen Tong frowned and asked, "Then what about our Captain Jiang?"
"Captain Jiang?" Wang Xiaoer was stunned, then chuckled.
"Heh heh, I guess you big brothers don't know yet? There is no Captain Jiang anymore."
"Now, you should call her Commander Jiang!"
Brigade Commander?!
As soon as these words were spoken, the room instantly fell silent.
Seeing that he had successfully stunned the room, Wang Xiaoer became even more smug. He cleared his throat and lowered his voice.
"I heard from my uncle that the appointment from The Department has already come down. Lord Jiang has already entered the Core Formation Realm, and a few days ago, she single-handedly killed the Core Formation Great Demon, Heaven-Pacifying True Lord, outside Yumen Pass!"
"Her merit was too great, so she was directly promoted exceptionally to Brigade Commander and transferred to the Heaven Character Camp!"
Entered Core Formation?
Killed the Heaven-Pacifying True Lord alone?
Transferred to the Heaven Character Camp?
The string of news exploded like claps of thunder in the minds of the three men.
Every piece of news was more incredible than the last!
"Is that true or false?"
Chen Tong was the first to recover from the shock, his face full of disbelief. "Who is your uncle? Bragging doesn't cost tax, does it?"
Wang Xiaoer was choked by his words and immediately became anxious, sticking out his neck.
"Captain Wang Daniu of the Di Battalion is my biological uncle! If I'm lying, I'm your grandson!"
He proudly puffed out his chest. "By now, the Brigade Commanders and Deputy Generals above basically all know about this. I estimate the news will be officially announced in a few days."
Speaking of which, he suddenly froze, his face full of strangeness.
"Wait a minute... I remember you guys were with Lord Jiang back then, weren't you? How could you not know?"
"..."
As soon as he said this, the last shred of doubt in the three men's hearts vanished.
Hiss—
From the looks of it, this news was actually true.
Liu Ke's breathing became somewhat rapid.
He finally understood.
They had been puzzled back then, having never heard when a Core Formation Great Demon was being suppressed, only for them to suddenly return.
Furthermore, thanks to Jiang Yuechu, the entire Vanguard Battalion spent the following days resting Inside the Pass, never even going Outside the Pass... Naturally, they were unaware of the news.
So... was it that night?
A Core Formation Realm practitioner at seventeen or eighteen... killing a Core Formation Great Demon alone... Thinking of this, Liu Ke felt his breathing quicken... If... if the person who accomplished these things was him... what kind of expressions would the Luoyan Mountain Villa, his father, and the clan members who looked down on him have?
"Damn it..." Chen Tong finally found his voice, plopped down on the stool, and muttered, "Lord Jiang... what kind of monster is she, exactly..."
"Amitabha."
The Monk No Abstinence shook his head, silently put away the dice cup, and let out a long sigh.
"Lord Jiang, she was never meant to be confined to a pond; ultimately, she is not someone on the same path as us."
Wang Xiaoer, failing to notice the strange expressions on the three men's faces, continued, "I heard from my uncle that Lord Jiang and the Heaven-Pacifying True Lord fought fiercely for a full day and night Outside the Pass! It must have been a hearty and thorough battle..."