The wind and sand gradually ceased.
A red cloak stood out sharply against the backdrop of the sand-filled sky.
"Lord... Lord Jiang?!"
Chen Tong and the other two thought they were dreaming and just kept rubbing their eyes.
When they saw the girl's face clearly, they couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
She was back.
She had really returned.
The few other surviving Demon Suppression Guards had never worked with Jiang Yuechu before, but seeing such a young girl with the surname Jiang, how could they not know her identity!
They looked at each other and hurriedly bowed, saying, "This subordinate... greets Lord Jiang!"
Among them, Wang Xiaoer was the quickest to speak.
He had darted out from behind a rock at the first opportunity, his face full of flattery.
He loved to show off, but he wasn't stupid.
What was Jiang Yuechu's status?
A Brigade Commander of the Longyou Commandery!
Even if his uncle were here, he would still have to call her Lord Jiang.
"Lord... Lord Jiang's Divine Might is peerless! That move, it truly was..."
Before he could finish, the red cloak had already swept past him.
Jiang Yuechu didn't even spare a glance, walking straight toward Chen Tong and the other two.
She lowered her eyes to scan their disheveled appearances.
Chen Tong's black clothes were torn to shreds, and the flesh on his chest was exposed, which looked horrifying.
Liu Ke was slightly better off, but his face was as pale as paper, clearly having exhausted his Qi.
As for the monk... he looked perfectly fine.
"Can you still move?"
Her cold voice held little emotion, but it lacked the chilling intensity from when she had been killing the Demon just moments ago.
Chen Tong grinned, which pulled at his wounds and made him wince in pain.
"I'm not dead yet."
Jiang Yuechu frowned and casually tossed over the medicinal balm that the Imperial Brother had forced upon her before she left.
"Apply this."
Chen Tong caught it clumsily, his expression hesitant.
"This..."
No Abstinence hurriedly stepped forward and snatched the medicine bottle from his hand.
"Since it was bestowed by Lord, do not refuse."
After saying that, he poured out the medicinal powder and smeared it onto Chen Tong's wounds.
The Man let out another series of howls from the pain.
Liu Ke leaned on his sword and managed to stand up straight.
"Lord... did you return from Chang'an?"
Jiang Yuechu nodded slightly.
"Yes."
Liu Ke gave a bitter smile, his eyes somewhat dazed.
"That commotion earlier... Lord's current cultivation is likely far beyond what we can imagine."
When she left, she was already at Perfected Core Formation. Now that she had returned, she could casually suppress the Iron-Backed Ape that would have brought despair to anyone in the Minggu Realm.
That Realm... it was unthinkable.
Jiang Yuechu did not explain, suddenly changing the subject.
"Have you finished the things I left for you?"
Chen Tong hissed in pain while chuckling.
"It's long gone! This monk is gluttonous; most of it ended up in his stomach."
No Abstinence argued back while applying the medicine, his face full of solemnity.
"Monks do not tell lies. Benefactor Chen, do not make false accusations. this poor monk only drank a little wine; you and Benefactor Liu ate the meat, while this poor monk only had a little soup."
The group bickered, as if they had returned to the days of old.
To the side, Wang Xiaoer stood in the wind, unsure whether to leave or stay.
Watching them chat and laugh, he felt incredibly awkward.
He was the Squad Leader, after all!
Usually, these people were under his command, so why did he feel like an outsider now?
He didn't even have a chance to interject.
He swallowed, adjusted his clothes, and braced himself to step forward, rubbing his hands together with a smile.
"Um... Lord Jiang, since the Demon has been eliminated, how about... we return to Liangzhou Prefecture first? This subordinate will host, inviting Lord to Fuyun Tower to welcome your return."
"No need."
Jiang Yuechu shook her head, turned directly to mount her horse, and looked at Chen Tong and the others.
"I'll go ahead. If there's an opportunity in the future, I'll come find you for a drink."
As her voice fell, and before the three could reply, a long whinny rang out.
Horses Name's four hooves kicked up the wind, shattering the sky full of yellow sand.
In the blink of an eye, the bright red cloak had disappeared at the edge of the horizon, leaving behind only the dust-filled sky and the stunned group.
After a long time, Chen Tong finally came back to his senses.
"Do you think Lord Jiang has obtained a Spiritual Seal during her trip to Chang'an?"
Liu Ke nodded.
"Since Lord went, with her talent, obtaining a Spiritual Seal shouldn't be difficult."
"So that means..." Chen Tong swallowed. "Our Lord Jiang is now... in the Dianmo Realm?"
Liu Ke remained silent, gazing toward Chang'an with deep eyes.
A seventeen-year-old in the Dianmo Realm.
Looking across the entire Great Tang, there probably wasn't a second one, was there?
Liangzhou Prefecture.
Yellow sand swirled, and the ancient road met the western wind.
It remained as it had always been, not changing in the slightest because of someone's departure or return.
At the city gate, passing merchants and commoners stood in long lines to be inspected.
The soldiers guarding the gate leaned on their spears, listlessly drinking in the wind and sand.
Suddenly, a burst of rapid hoofbeats shattered the dullness of the afternoon.
Looking toward the sound, they saw clouds of dust rolling at the end of the official road.
A single rider approached like a shooting star chasing the moon, arriving in an instant.
The horse was a fine steed, snow-white all over, with a single horn on its forehead and clouds forming under its hooves; it was magnificent.
The person was even more...
The city gate captain squinted.
When he saw the attire of the person on the horse, his pupils shrank sharply.
A black robe with blood-red patterns fluttered in the wind.
The blood-red cloak surged like waves.
And on the right shoulder, a golden lion sculpture, crafted from pure gold, looked ferocious and dignified.
Hiss— The captain gasped.
He had guarded the gates of Liangzhou for twenty years.
This outfit was both too familiar and too strange to him.
This was... the official uniform of a Commander, a third-rank official of the Dusi!
"Boss... that is..."
The rookie soldier next to him hadn't reacted yet, stuttering as he pointed at the figure.
"Shut up!"
The captain slapped him on the forehead, lowering his voice.
"This is likely a high-ranking official sent by the imperial court! The new Commander of the Longyou Demon Suppression Division!"
"Commander?!"
The surrounding soldiers were shocked to hear this.
It was common knowledge that the position of Commander of the Longyou Commandery had been vacant for a long time.
Now... had the imperial court finally sent someone?
Everyone dared not be negligent; they hurriedly straightened their backs, lined up, and stood at attention, not even daring to look directly at the figure.
However, as the white horse did not slow down but instead drew closer, the captain mustered the courage to sneak a peek.
This one look left him completely stunned.
Sitting high on the horse was not the dignified, deep-voiced middle-aged Man or the white-haired elder he had imagined.
Instead, it was a... woman?
Looking at her features, she was only seventeen or eighteen years old.
Cold, stunningly beautiful, with skin like congealed fat.
This...
"This... isn't this Lord Jiang?"
Someone exclaimed.
Jiang Yuechu.
These three words were thunderous in Liangzhou Prefecture.
The Dragon-Slaying Fairy, the Brigade Commander of the Heaven Character Camp...
But how did this... relate to being a Commander?
Before they could figure out the connection, Whoosh—a gale swept past.
Horses Name did not stop in the slightest, crossing the long queue and charging directly into the city gate, leaving behind only a cold back and the sky full of swirling dust.