Da Xuan Martial Saint

Chapter 103 – 99 Demon-Slaying Office

Dozens of City Defense Division officers, escorting a carriage, were on their way to the City Guard General.

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Xu Hongyu put on a conical bamboo hat, its dangling silk veil covering her face, walking at the very front, with Chen Mu and Little He following by her side. Although she wasn’t wearing the official uniform of the Chief Constable, pedestrians along the way recognized Chen Mu, the Prefecture Chief of Wutong Grove District, and guessed Xu Hongyu’s identity.

They all moved aside with respectful fear on their faces.

Of course, there were some who stole glances discreetly, only to feel regret that they couldn’t see clearly through the hazy veil. After all, it was said that the Chief Constable of the South City District was as beautiful as a celestial, and now that they had the chance to meet her but couldn’t get a glimpse, it felt like a missed opportunity.

Along the way.

Little He moved closer to Chen Mu and quietly told him a few things, to which Chen Mu listened and responded from time to time.

All the while, he cast his gaze toward the passing streets and alleys, sighing lightly in his heart. He had governed Wutong Grove for less than half a year and now was about to leave this place. The Prefecture Chiefs who would come after him probably wouldn’t act like he did, taking extra care of the livelihood of the common people.

Just as Little He thought, he certainly wasn’t a person greedy for power and position.

Let alone the fact that he now possessed strength and confidence in himself, even if he were just a regular Prefecture Chief, he would behave the same. At times like this, he wouldn’t choose to stay in the Outer City but would instead follow Xu Hongyu to the Inner City.

He Mingxuan is dead, and the South City District won’t find peace in the days to come; it will become a land of disputes. He has never been willing to involve himself in such matters, having come this far often out of helplessness.

Xu Hongyu nurtured and promoted him all the way, and naturally, he had to share her worries and undertake tasks. As a Prefecture Chief responsible for his jurisdiction, it was right for him to plan for the welfare of the people who suffered, including taking covert actions to kill some extremely vicious criminals. It was inevitable to come head to head with the He Family.

The position of the Deputy Head Officer was no easy job.

Staying in the Inner City for a while was very suitable, and it was also a good opportunity to spend more time with Chen Yue. Although they had met not long ago, since Chen Yue went to the Inner City to study martial arts one and a half years ago, the chances for them to see each other had been few.

He was relatively at ease with the instruction provided by the Yu Family Martial Arts Institute, but since he cultivated her himself, he was more particular about her not developing any bad habits.

In the past, he didn’t have the ability to do so, but now there were no problems.

Soon.

The group arrived at the City Guard General.

The City Guard General was bustling at this time. In addition to the people from the original City Defense Division of the South City District, there were also a group of the He Family’s men, and another group from the West City District, including the Chief Constable He Guangzong.

Xu Hongyu walked into the City Guard General with a cold expression, ignoring the He Family’s men and the officers from the West City District. She directly called over South City District personnel and ordered them to take charge of the contraband Chen Mu had escorted, to be delivered to the back hall of the Chief Office.

“Xu Hongyu issuing orders as soon as she returns, truly is busy,” He Guangzong remarked as he descended from the main building, followed by a group of Prefecture Chiefs from the South City District, his gaze chilly as he looked at Xu Hongyu.

Xu Hongyu stood with her hands behind her back, facing He Guangzong and the group confidently with her usual cold demeanor, “Do you have any problems with how I handle the affairs of the South Prefecture?”

He Guangzong replied in an even tone, “A Deputy Chief Officer of the South City District was attacked and killed under unclear circumstances during the night. As the Chief Constable, don’t you think you owe an explanation?”

Xu Hongyu responded coldly, “He Mingxuan collaborated with the villains of the Black Cloud Bandits. If he got involved with some malefactor and was killed, what does it have to do with the South City Chief Office? Moreover, I believe He Guangzong doesn’t have the authority to meddle in the affairs of the South City District.”

“Hmph!”

He Guangzong’s expression darkened upon hearing this, and he uttered a cold “hmph,” saying, “Be careful with your words. As the Chief Constable of the South City District, you claim my nephew colluded with the Black Cloud Bandits, do you have any evidence? Making such baseless accusations without evidence, where does that leave the laws of the Da Xuan Dynasty?”

Xu Hongyu swept her eyes over He Guangzong coldly and said, “I can’t be bothered to argue with you. If you are dissatisfied, you’re free to file a complaint with the Metropolitan Commander. The South City Chief Office is not under your jurisdiction, so please leave.”

“…”

He Guangzong gave Xu Hongyu a cold look.

But in his heart, he shook his head slightly.

Judging by Xu Hongyu’s reaction, she indeed seemed unrelated to He Mingxuan’s death, and was most likely completely unaware. Although he had not had much interaction with Xu Hongyu, he knew that she didn’t possess a deeply scheming nature but merely put on a cold front. Her speech and reactions gave no signs of inconsistency, which likely meant she truly had no connection to the incident.

He Guangzong shifted his gaze away, giving Little He a frosty glance, then noticed Chen Mu standing beside her. After looking him over, he said, “This must be Chen Mu, the Prefecture Chief from Wutong Grove, right? Quite a paragon of impartial justice.”

“You flatter me, He Guangzong, I’m simply fulfilling my duties,” Chen Mu replied indifferently.

“Hmph.”

He Guangzong snorted and, without saying anything further, turned and left.

Following him, Fu Linjiang and the other Prefecture Chiefs exchanged glances, then hurriedly followed He Guangzong. With the situation becoming clear, they all understood that Xu Hongyu would most likely no longer serve as the Chief Constable of the South City District. The He Family would take over, with a high probability that He Guangzong would be transferred in.

Although Xu Hongyu was still officially the Chief Constable, given the current state of affairs, they naturally decided to side with the He Family.

Xu Hongyu watched indifferently as Fu Linjiang and the others took their leave.

She never had much interest in power struggles. Fu Linjiang and his group had always been He Mingxuan’s men, and now that they followed He Guangzong away, she wasn’t inclined to use her remaining influence to reprimand or punish them.

Soon.

After giving several commands and dealing with the previous affairs in a straightforward manner, and sorting and storing the seized goods, she readied her belongings.

Then, changing into her white uniform, Xu Hongyu, accompanied by Chen Mu and Little He, headed for the Inner City.

…

Chen Mu had been to the Inner City many times before; however, each time he visited, he usually only went to see Chen Yue at the Yu Family Martial Arts Institute and never wandered around or delved deep into the Inner City.

This time,

led by Xu Hongyu, he went straight into the Inner City and headed directly to its center.

The various areas of the Inner City in Yu City were quite distinct, with the central area being the residence of the City Lord, which also serves as the central Yamen for all the offices of the city. All the Chief Offices were located here.

Behind it, a large area was occupied by the residence of the Xue Family, which was very expansive.

Just by counting their surnamed members, the Xue Family had several thousand individuals, and including servants, maids, followers, etc., their numbers almost reached nearly one hundred thousand, making up the largest population in the Inner City.

The other families like the Xie Family, He Family, and so forth, had at most a few tens of thousands of people, each occupying a different corner.

Besides,

there were smaller clans such as the Ji Family, the Fan Family, etc.; these Inner City families could not be compared with the four major families. Most of them existed by depending on the four families, like the Ji Family, which were distant relatives of the Yu Family with many generations of marital alliances.

Of course, the influence of these families, if placed in the Outer City, would still far exceed that of the Zheng Family or the Nan Family. The Zheng Family longed to enter the Inner City and become one of the great hereditary families based there, to become related to the He Family by marriage, but this hope had not shown any signs of dawn before it was destroyed by Chen Mu.

As they approached the center of the Inner City,

the architecture began to change, becoming more solemn and majestic. The blue stone walls were two to three zhang high and were inaccessible even for martial men who had undergone body refinement, with structures inside featuring three or even four-story pavilions.

Each building’s size and grandeur were no less than that of the main building of the City Guard General in the South City District.

Along the way,

armored soldiers stood guard at regular intervals, and from time to time, there were patrols of troops.

These were all members of the Inner City Area’s City Defense Division. In reality, they were not considered ‘prefecture staff’ but more like ‘elite troops.’ Not only were they all trained, they were martial men who had undergone skin toughening and body refinement, wearing iron armor, and even a small detachment sent to the Outer City could easily crush gangs like the Liusha Gang.

Soon,

Xu Hongyu, leading Chen Mu and Xiao He, arrived in front of a complex of buildings on the northern side of the center.

The complex consisted of a row of three-story pavilions, with a five-story tower in the center. Outside the pavilions stood a towering blue stone stele with the gilded characters “Demon-Slaying Office.”

“We’ve arrived. I’ll go in first; you two wait here for a moment,”

Xu Hongyu instructed Chen Mu and Xiao He before stepping inside.

Demon-Slaying Office!

Chen Mu looked up at the stone stele.

The gilded characters seemed to possess a peculiar power; staring directly at them gave off an electrifying sensation, as if they were fiercely ablaze.

He had long heard of the Demon-Slaying Office. During the heyday of the Da Xuan Dynasty, the Demon-Slaying Office was one of the most prosperous divisions in terms of martial power, filled with experts and even boasting elite heavy-armored troops like the “Vermilion Bird Guard.”

Wherever they went, demons would offer their heads in submission. The number of eighth-rank and ninth-rank demons slain by the Demon-Slaying Office was innumerable, and their authority almost overshadowed all other offices. Wherever the Demon-Slaying Office went, all other offices had to assist to their fullest.

Although the Da Xuan Dynasty has declined, the Demon-Slaying Office remained the foremost Yamen in Yu City. Led by the Xue Family, strong figures from the Xie, He, and Yu families all held positions there, including others from smaller Inner City clans and a very few individuals who rose to power on their own.

One could tell by looking at the structure of the Demon-Slaying Office.

It had one Bureau Head, three Metropolitan Commanders, and twelve Deputy Governors, each of whom was above the Bone Tempering Realm. Even someone like Xue Lin, who got the position of Deputy Governor due to the influence of the Xue Family, had firmly entered the Bone Tempering Realm.

The Demon-Slaying Office, high above, was not responsible for any of the civil matters inside or outside the city. Their sole duty was to ensure the stability of Yu County, exterminating demons wherever they caused trouble.

As for Xu Hongyu,

although she was the Chief Constable of the Outer City Area, when she went out of the city to hunt demons, she did so under the name of the Demon-Slaying Office. After returning, she would first report to the Demon-Slaying Office, and then head to the City Defense Division.

The Demon-Slaying Office also concentrated nearly all the resources that could be accessed in Yu City, such as Tendon Changing Pills, Bone Tempering Pills, and even the Qian Heaven Kun Earth’s Eight Phases Artistic Conception Map; one could come into contact with all of these at the Demon-Slaying Office!

Here, only merit mattered, nothing else.

One could exchange merit for anything.

However, it was very difficult to enter the Demon-Slaying Office. The minimum requirement was to have achieved Body Refinement Perfection and to have mastered Momentum, meaning that someone who could be a Prefecture Chief outside was merely a low-level soldier in the Demon-Slaying Office.

If a commoner’s child wished to rise up, they would have to cultivate the Body Tempering Method to Body Refinement Perfection, master Momentum, and then enter the Demon-Slaying Office to gain merit, exchange for Tendon Changing Pills, or have a chance to comprehend an Artistic Conception Map, step by step climbing upward.

But this was nearly impossible.

During the prosperous times of the Da Xuan Dynasty, this path was somewhat feasible, but now almost all the positions in the Demon-Slaying Office were in the hands of the Inner City families. Moreover, the casualty rate of the lower-ranking troops of the Demon-Slaying Office was high. Below the Tendon Changing Realm, fighting against demons was extremely dangerous.

Without any backing, commoner’s children, even if they entered, were often relegated to cannon fodder.