The next day.
The sky was just beginning to lighten.
Jiang Yuechu was still half-asleep when she was woken by a knock at the door.
She frowned, pulling the quilt higher, trying to block out the annoying sound.
But the person outside didn't seem to call out, just kept knocking, one knock after another.
"..."
Jiang Yuechu suddenly threw off the quilt and got out of bed, her face dark.
Who the hell was looking for her so early in the morning?
She put on her clothes and pulled open the courtyard gate.
The chilly morning wind, mixed with a hint of dampness, blew in her face, clearing her muddled mind somewhat.
Outside the door stood a familiar figure.
Dressed in black with red patterns, he held a hot oil-paper package in one hand and a small jar in the other, likely containing soy milk or other breakfast items.
It was Liu Chen.
Since their last chance encounter at the street corner, though they were both in the Dusi, they hadn't seen each other for a long time.
Seeing the door open, Liu Chen forced a somewhat unnatural smile and offered the items in his hands forward.
"Miss Jiang… Miss Jiang, you're up so early?"
Jiang Yuechu yawned, leaning against the doorframe, a little speechless.
"If I'm not mistaken, you were the one knocking, right?"
"Uh..."
Liu Chen's old face flushed, and he awkwardly pulled his hand back.
"Yes... I was being presumptuous."
Jiang Yuechu stepped aside, making way. "Come in and talk."
The two sat at the stone table in the courtyard.
Liu Chen opened the oil-paper package, revealing several hot meat buns inside.
"Sir, you haven't eaten yet, have you? The buns from this place have thin skin and generous filling; they taste pretty good. Please try some..."
Jiang Yuechu raised a hand to interrupt him.
"Between you and me, why the need for such circumlocution?"
"If you wanted to invite me to eat, you didn't have to choose this early in the morning."
"Speak. What happened?"
Liu Chen's movements stiffened.
He gave a bitter smile and put down the soy milk jar in his hand.
"As expected, nothing escapes your eyes."
He remained silent for a long time before finally seeming to make up his mind, speaking slowly.
"Miss Jiang, to be frank, I have presumptuously come to your door today because I have something to ask of you."
Jiang Yuechu raised an eyebrow.
"Speak."
Liu Chen gave a bitter smile and slowly said, "I joined The Department at eighteen and have been toiling in it for over seven or eight years now."
"A few days ago, I fortunately had an epiphany, and my Qi and blood finally reached their peak. My cultivation has now reached Half-Step Ming Gu."
Liu Chen looked up, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "If I can accumulate a few more merits, I'll soon... be promoted to Captain."
Captain.
To Jiang Yuechu, it might not be much.
But for a low-level Demon Suppression Guards with no background like Liu Chen, it was a Dragon Gate.
Crossing it meant a whole new world.
Salary doubled, access to better martial arts, and even the ability to protect his family.
"Oh?"
Jiang Yuechu was slightly startled, then a smile appeared on her face. "That's good news, congratulations, Brother Liu."
"It's just that..."
The joy on Liu Chen's face instantly faded.
"Is there some difficulty you need my help with? Just say it directly."
One doesn't visit without a reason.
If it were just to share good news, Liu Chen would certainly not have knocked on her door so early in the morning.
"Indeed... I have an impudent request."
Liu Chen gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "Originally, such a small matter shouldn't bother Miss Jiang, but I'm still just a little short of the merits needed to become a Captain."
"A few days ago, I took on a task, thinking it was a simple job. If I completed it, the position of Captain would be secured."
At this point, his expression turned somewhat grim. "But later I discovered that this mission... was a bit off, so I wanted to ask for your help to hold the line."
Jiang Yuechu narrowed her eyes.
If an old hand who had been in the Demon Suppression Division for seven or eight years called something strange, it must indeed be somewhat sinister.
"Where is it?"
"Huai Shu Village."
"..."
She lifted her eyelids, looking at Liu Chen, a trace of strangeness flashing in her eyes.
"Huai Shu Village?"
"Yes, Huai Shu Village."
Liu Chen thought she hadn't heard clearly and repeated, "It's just a remote little village, not well-known. It's normal for you not to have heard of it."
Jiang Yuechu's lips curved slightly.
It wasn't that she hadn't heard of it.
She had heard all about it during the drinking session last night.
"Tell me the details."
Liu Chen sighed. "Actually, Huai Shu Village itself wasn't much."
"At first, a few brothers from The Department passed by, and for some reason, as soon as they approached the village entrance, they were splashed with filth by the villagers."
"They were all common folk, toiling in the fields. Although the brothers were angry, they couldn't really draw their swords and chop people down, so they didn't bother to argue, just assuming there were a few troublemakers in the village."
"But later, several more groups of brothers passed by, whether on official business or just stopping to rest, and they all received the same treatment."
"This was a bit unusual."
"The official uniform of the Demon Suppression Division, while not necessarily feared by everyone in this Region, shouldn't be treated with such contempt by a bunch of dirt farmers."
Jiang Yuechu nodded.
Indeed.
When things are abnormal, there must be a Demon.
Liu Chen continued, "This matter caught the attention of The Department, so they sent brothers from the Yellow Character Battalion to investigate."
"And the result?"
"They investigated for three to five days, but couldn't find anything at all."
Liu Chen shook his head. "Aside from the villagers being truly strange, no Demonic Qi was found at all. So, the matter... was left unresolved."
Jiang Yuechu frowned. "If that's all there was, you wouldn't have come to me specifically."
"That's natural."
Liu Chen took a deep breath, his expression becoming solemn.
"Until the beginning of last month."
"A ragged farm woman, somehow escaped the village and ran all the way to the yamen. She didn't cry for injustice, but just knelt in front of the main hall, desperately kowtowing, saying there was a Demon in the village."
"The Department then took it seriously, immediately opened a case, and assigned a Demon-extermination mission. This task... fell to me."
Liu Chen recalled the situation at the time, his brows tightly furrowed.
"I led people there once last month."
"Those villagers were very unusual. When they saw us officials arrive, not only were they not afraid, but they blocked the village entrance, refusing to let us in no matter what."
"I was anxious then and directly led my men to force our way in."
"And then?"
"Found nothing."
Liu Chen spread his hands, his face full of helplessness.
"I led people to search the village thoroughly, inside and out. Forget about a Demon, I didn't even see a single strand of Demonic hair."
"Those villagers insisted that the woman's husband had died years ago, and she had gone mad from the shock."
"With no real evidence, no Demonic Qi, and the villagers in an uproar, I could only retreat and return to the city."
At this point, Liu Chen's voice lowered a few octaves. "But after returning, I was unwilling, so I had my subordinates keep a close watch."
"Within two days, my subordinates discovered that the woman was gone."
Jiang Yuechu's pupils slightly contracted.
"Where did she go?"
"Unknown."
Liu Chen shook his head. "The woman usually ran wildly at the village entrance in the mornings. On the third morning, however, she was nowhere to be seen. My subordinates entered the village to inquire, but the villagers also shook their heads, saying they didn't know."
"Why did she disappear precisely at this time? Moreover, such a grown living person, yet not a single person in the village knew where she went."
Liu Chen looked up at Jiang Yuechu.
"Such methods, executed flawlessly, even able to evade the Yellow Character Battalion's investigation."
"If there truly is a Demon, it's certainly not an ordinary one. Its methods are extraordinary, perhaps even..."
He paused, not daring to continue.
A Demon of this level was definitely not something a Half-Step Ming Gu like him could handle.
Therefore, he shamelessly came to ask this Core Formation Realm expert to hold the line.
Jiang Yuechu understood in her heart.
She had nothing else to do anyway, and she had already planned to go there to take a look.
Isn't this just perfect timing?
She stood up and patted her clothes.
"Let's go."
Liu Chen was startled, still not reacting.
"Where?"
Jiang Yuechu glanced at him. "Don't you want to be promoted to Captain?"