"You mean... which one?"
The butler shivered in fear, nearly collapsing to his knees. "It's... it's the one who slew the Flood Dragon in the street a few days ago, Commander Jiang..."
*Smack—*
A sharp sound.
Qian Boyong slapped Qian Shaoyou hard across the face.
The slap was delivered with full force, sending Qian Shaoyou staggering, and the side of his face immediately swelled up visibly.
Stunned by the blow, Qian Shaoyou covered his face and stared at his older brother in disbelief.
"Big Brother, you hit me? For a woman, you hit me?!"
Qian Boyong trembled with rage. He stepped forward, grabbed his collar, and roared through gritted teeth, "You are truly insane!!!"
He was dizzy with anger. If he hadn't asked today, he wouldn't have known that his good-for-nothing younger brother had the audacity to covet such a figure!
Qian Shaoyou was frightened by his appearance but still stubbornly argued, "W-What did I do wrong? Everyone loves beauty! Now, who in the entire city isn't thinking about her? Why can't I?!"
"Why can't you?"
Qian Boyong laughed in fury. He let go and violently kicked Qian Shaoyou in the stomach.
"Do you know what the Demon Suppression Division is?! Do you know what rank a Brigade Commander holds?! Do you know what she slew?!"
"Whatever trouble you caused outside before, and however much money you spent, my Qian Family could handle it for you! But the Demon Suppression Division! That is the Demon Suppression Division!"
Qian Shaoyou's face was pale, and he waved his hands repeatedly.
"I... I didn't intend to do anything... I just... I just wanted to send some gifts to show my sincerity..."
"Sincerity?" Qian Boyong sneered, his eyes filled with disgust. "It better be."
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
"I'm warning you for the last time: don't let me hear you mention her name, and don't ever think about her again.
"Otherwise, you won't even need to wait for the Demon Suppression Division to act..."
...In the past few days, Jiang Yuechu had been visiting the Wei Residence more frequently.
There was no other reason; she just went to freeload on meals.
Wei Qing seemed happy about this, preparing a table of exquisite dishes every time. The two of them would sit in the pavilion in the backyard, watching the clouds, listening to the wind, and chatting.
This small world seemed isolated from the bloodshed outside.
Jiang Yuechu often thought of her Previous Life.
In that world, there were telephones and the internet; distances across the world were merely a string of signals away.
Parting didn't seem so heavy.
But here, it was different.
Chang'an and the Region were separated by thousands of mountains and rivers.
After this farewell, no one knew when they would meet again.
That day, Wei Qing somehow found a Guqin, wiped it clean, and placed it on the stone table in the pavilion.
"We're just idling anyway, how about I teach you to play the zither?"
Jiang Yuechu raised an eyebrow, looking at the Guqin, then at her own hands.
These hands were adept at holding a saber, but playing the zither... She tried extending a finger and plucking a string.
"Zheng—"
Because the force was too great, a jarring noise rang out.
Startled by the sound, Wei Qing shivered, then burst into laughter. "You silly girl, you don't need to use so much force to play the zither."
Jiang Yuechu withdrew her hand expressionlessly.
Wei Qing smiled and shook her head, sitting down beside her. She took Jiang Yuechu's hand and placed her fingers one by one onto the strings.
"See, your hand must be light, and your heart must be calm..."
As she spoke, she guided Jiang Yuechu's fingers to pluck a few simple notes.
Jiang Yuechu looked at those slender, fair hands, feeling the warmth transmitted through her fingertips, slightly lost in thought.
She closed her eyes.
Deep in her mind, vague memories of her Former Self quietly surfaced.
It seemed... she knew how to play a little.
She opened her eyes again, trying to follow those vague memories, placing her fingers back on the strings.
At first, it was somewhat rusty.
The notes were intermittent, not forming a tune.
But gradually, the movements under her fingers became smoother and smoother.
An unknown melody slowly flowed from her fingertips, clear and lingering, echoing in the small courtyard.
The smile on Wei Qing's face slowly froze.
She looked at the young woman beside her in disbelief.
The piece ended.
The lingering sound wrapped around the beams.
Wei Qing opened her mouth, and after a long moment, finally found her voice, sighing softly.
"You can play?"
"Just a little."
"..."
"People really are different... It's bad enough that your Martial Dao talent is terrifyingly high, but how can you also master such refined arts so effortlessly? What exactly can't you do?"
"It's natural, nothing I can do."
"...Damn it!"
Wei Qing rarely swore, and she glared at her irritably.
Just then.
A rush of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard.
"Commander Jiang."
Jiang Yuechu glanced over and recognized the person as Wei He's Personal Guard.
"What is it?"
"Lord Wei ordered you to immediately go to the Dusi."
"Understood."
Jiang Yuechu stood up and straightened her robes.
She looked at Wei Qing, and the slight disappointment in the other woman's eyes was clearly visible.
"I'm leaving."
"Mm... Be careful."
Jiang Yuechu nodded, said nothing more, turned, and followed the Personal Guard out of the courtyard... Demon Suppression Division, Commandery Office.
It was still the familiar study room.
Jiang Yuechu stepped inside and immediately noticed the solemn expression on Wei He's face.
"My Lord."
Wei He's voice was slightly hoarse, and he went straight to the point.
"People from the Precious Temple have come to the Region."
Jiang Yuechu paused.
"The Precious Temple?"
Her pupils contracted slightly, and she looked up.
"Are they here for revenge?"
"Openly, they wouldn't dare."
Wei He shook his head. "You are now a Sixth-Rank Langjiang of the Demon Suppression Division. Even if Baosha Temple is immensely powerful, they wouldn't dare openly attack a Brigade Commander."
Jiang Yuechu remained silent, listening quietly.
Wei He continued, "However, you must be extra careful these days. The people of the Precious Temple always operate in the shadows. They wouldn't come here for no reason."
"Who has come?"
"The Chief of the Discipline hospital, Forgetting Dust."
A hint of dread flashed in Wei He's eyes. "This person entered the Core Formation Realm decades ago. One of the two Monks from the Precious Temple you killed back then was his Disciple."
"Forgetting Dust..."
A cold light appeared in Jiang Yuechu's eyes.
She had made an enemy of the Precious Temple, and before she even had time to deal with them, they had delivered themselves right to her door.
Fine by her.
"I understand."
She slowly stood up.
Wei He looked at her, still feeling uneasy, and added another warning.
"It's unknown whether their visit is for you or for something else, but no matter what, you must not proactively start a conflict with anyone."
"However, you are ultimately a member of the Demon Suppression Division, a representative of the Great Tang Dynasty. If they truly don't know what's good for them, The Department... will not stand idly by."
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I don't work tomorrow, so I'll pull an all-nighter tonight. It's not real work since the clanker is doing most of the work but hey it is what it is