The boat swayed violently, and the river water splashed up, drenching everyone's robes.
"My cursed mouth... my cursed mouth!"
The Old Boatman was thrown to the ground by the jolt. He didn't care about the pain, only slapped his mouth with a pale face, his eyes full of terror.
The river surface, which had been relatively calm just a moment ago, was now violently turbulent.
The young man frowned deeply, staring intently at the strange river water beneath his feet.
The White Flood Dragon Clan is different from ordinary Demons; their temperament is aloof, their Bloodline noble, and their territorial awareness is almost pathologically strong.
They rarely allow other Demons to trespass within their territory.
This meant that the commotion before them was, in all likelihood, caused by that beast.
However, the Jiannan Provincial Command had clearly reported that the Demons here had long been suppressed, hiding in the shadows, not daring to show their faces at all.
This is called hiding in the shadows?!
The young man cursed silently in his heart.
But the commotion came and went quickly.
In the blink of an eye, the surging river water eerily calmed down again.
The boat stopped swaying, leaving only the river breeze blowing and the water undisturbed, as if the thrilling scene just now was merely everyone's illusion.
But the water stains on the deck reminded everyone that it was not an illusion.
"Heaven bless us... Dragon King Lord, please appease your wrath, Dragon King Lord, please appease your wrath..."
The Old Boatman scrambled to his feet, trembling, not bothering to straighten his coir raincoat, and desperately rowed towards the opposite bank.
The boat moved quickly.
This time, there were no more ripples.
Soon, the ferry docked.
"We're here, we're here, esteemed guests, please disembark quickly." The Old Boatman urged everyone, as if afraid something else might emerge from the river.
The young man said nothing, led his horse, and was the first to step off the swaying gangplank, followed closely by the two burly men behind him.
As the three were about to mount their horses and leave, they heard a clear, cold voice from behind them.
"Boatman, where is Qingshi Ferry?"
The three men paused, turning their heads in unison to look.
The young girl was still standing at the bow of the boat, looking at the still-shaken Old Boatman.
Upon hearing this, the Old Boatman instinctively raised his hand and pointed downstream.
"Follow the official road downstream for about twenty li, and you'll see a large ferry crossing; that's Qingshi Ferry."
As if remembering something, he quickly added, "Miss, why do you ask about that place? That's the Demon Suppression Division's territory. I heard the Officials Sirs there are very fierce; if any unauthorized person approaches, they'll be killed on the spot without a word!"
Jiang Yuechu waved her hand, not explaining, and led her horse off the boat, about to mount it.
"Miss, please wait."
The leading young man suddenly spoke, calling out to her.
Jiang Yuechu paused her movement and turned her head sideways.
The young man stepped forward a few paces, cupped his fists, his expression solemn.
"May I ask, Miss, are you from the Jiannan Provincial Command?"
Jiang Yuechu shook her head.
"I am not."
Not?
The young man was stunned.
If she wasn't from the Jiannan Provincial Command, what was she doing going to Qingshi Ferry?
Thoughts raced through his mind.
Could it be... like them, she was also sent by the General Bureau?
But that didn't make sense.
Since the General Bureau had already sent people to investigate the Qiang River Dragon King matter, why would they go to the trouble of sending them again?
The young man wanted to ask more, but the young girl had clearly lost her patience.
She merely glanced at him indifferently, then mounted her horse.
"Giddy up."
With a soft command, the black horse began to trot unhurriedly along the official road, heading downstream.
In a flash, the slender figure once again disappeared into the still lingering mist.
"…"
The three stood rooted to the spot, watching her departure, for a moment forgetting to leave.
"Brother Gu."
The burly man who had spoken earlier stepped forward, leaned closer to the young man, and lowered his voice, his expression somewhat grim.
"This girl is a bit strange."
The young man frowned deeply, "How so?"
The burly man took a deep breath, his voice full of solemnity.
"Earlier on the boat, I saw her extraordinary demeanor, so I kept an eye out, secretly trying to probe her background..."
"But... but I couldn't discern anything at all..."
"What?!"
The other burly man, who had been silent, was greatly surprised upon hearing this.
The burly man gave a wry smile and shook his head, "At first, I also thought I was mistaken, but when she mounted her horse just now, I tried again, and the result was the same."
He looked in the direction where the girl had disappeared, enunciating each word clearly.
"This person is at least in the Core Formation Realm."
"Hiss—"
The last burly man gasped, his face full of disbelief.
"Core Formation Realm? Old Zhang, you must have seen wrong? This girl looks no older than seventeen or eighteen, how could she be in the Core Formation Realm?!"
A Core Formation Realm expert at seventeen or eighteen.
Such talent, even across the entire Great Tang, there might not be many who could compare, right?
The young man did not speak, quietly looking at the distant, still lingering mist, lost in thought.
After a long while.
He slowly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of uncertainty.
"Seventeen or eighteen years old... a woman... and in this border Region between Region and Jiannan Circuit..."
As if remembering something, he suddenly chuckled softly.
"I probably know who it is."
"Brother Gu, you know her?"
Both men were surprised, turning to look at him in unison.
The young man shook his head, "Not exactly know her, but... I heard my older sister mention that in the Region, an extraordinary genius has emerged."
"Her talent is truly a Prodigy, even surpassing her own from back then."
"…"
Old Zhang and the other burly man were completely dumbfounded.
What an exaggerated evaluation!
One must know, who was the older sister he spoke of?
That was... the current Right Demon Suppressing Envoy of the Great Tang Demon Suppression Division!
...Jiang Yuechu quietly rode along, her mind rapidly calculating.
Before coming, Wei He had specifically instructed her.
For a great Demon entrenched in an area like this, there must be personnel from the Jiannan Provincial Command suppressing it.
If she wanted to act against it, both ethically and reasonably, she would first need to communicate with the person in charge of guarding this place.
She sighed softly.
After all, she wasn't in her own territory; killing a Demon required so much trouble.
If this were in Region, with the time it took to report, she could have killed that beast several times over.
But everything had to follow rules.
She might not care what the Jiannan Provincial Command thought, but she couldn't disregard Wei He's reputation.
Otherwise, if she broke the rules, she could simply walk away, but Wei He would likely have a headache.
Having already troubled him so much, Jiang Yuechu was reluctant to cause him more trouble unless absolutely necessary.
She looked up at the sky, then gazed at the continuous green mountains at the end of the official road.
"I just hope the people from the Jiannan Provincial Command are easy to talk to..."