Liangzhou Prefecture.

The wind and sand were always fierce.

The flags atop the city walls were frayed at the edges, lazily drooping.

This place was not the administrative center of the Longyou Circuit, yet it held greater importance.

All because of the office standing in the north of the city, shrouded in darkness year-round, with demon-suppressing wind chimes hanging from its eaves.

The Bureau Office, back hall.

Inside, it was very quiet.

A middle-aged man in a dark robe sat behind a large desk, engrossed in a scroll he held.

Steady footsteps echoed from outside the door.

A young man in black attire with red patterns entered, standing tall like a spear, with a sword hilt wrapped in tight leather straps at his waist.

He stopped three steps from the desk, cupped his fists, and bowed.

"General."

Wei He did not lift his eyes from the scroll, merely responding with a faint hum.

"What is it?"

"Urgent report from Lanzhou."

The young man spoke in a deep voice, "Half a month ago, six villages under Jincheng County in Lanzhou were slaughtered overnight, leaving no survivors."

"What about the demonic aura?"

"A monstrous demonic aura soared into the heavens, lingering for three full days. According to the surviving local soldiers, when the creature struck, its sword qi crisscrossed the battlefield, completely unlike the methods of ordinary fiends. Furthermore, the entity claimed to be..."

Wei He finally put down the scroll and looked at Liu Chen.

"Claimed to be what?"

The young man had a peculiar expression, "Claimed to be... the Black-Clothed Sword Immortal."

"......"

Wei He was silent for a moment, then suddenly chuckled.

"Sword Immortal?"

"These days, demons sure have big mouths."

He tapped the table lightly with two fingers.

"However... if the demonic aura lingered for three days... this demon has reached the Resonating Bone Stage."

The young man's heart tightened.

Resonating Bone Stage!

Such a great demon, with resonating muscles and bones and innate powers, was beyond the capabilities of ordinary soldiers.

"What do you suggest, General?"

"Mobilize a team, you and Xu Nian will lead them to Lanzhou."

"Understood!"

Wei He looked out the window, as if recalling something, and casually asked.

"By the way, has the prisoner sent from the capital a few days ago passed through?"

The young man was momentarily stunned before realizing who he was referring to.

"Are you referring to the one escorted by Pei Changqing?"

"Yes."

The young man thought for a moment, "By the pace, they should have arrived in Guangwu County yesterday."

"Guangwu... is not far from Jincheng County."

He paused.

"Hopefully, Pei Changqing has some luck and doesn't run into trouble."

The young man frowned.

Pei Changqing, a squad leader, was quite skilled within the Bureau.

But if he faced a great demon at the Resonating Bone Stage...

It would be like an ant trying to stop a chariot.

He hesitated for a while but couldn't hold back.

"General, there's something I don't understand."

"Speak."

"The Jiang family case was already concluded. Why use our Demon-Suppressing Bureau to escort personally?"

The back hall fell into silence once more.

After a long time.

Wei He turned around, his face expressionless.

"What do you think the reason is?"

"...I don't know."

"Then don't ask."

"......"

...

Late at night.

The wind outside the window never ceased.

Jiang Yuechu lay in bed, staring at the beams above her.

The sword lay beside her, sometimes pressing against the scabbard uncomfortably.

But compared to her own safety, this discomfort was nothing.

Her mind was a mess, unable to sleep.

After a long while.

She suddenly sat up.

Pa.

A crisp sound.

She slapped herself.

"Jiang Yuechu, when did you become so indecisive?"

Thinking about everything, can you come up with a solution?

With a thought, an ancient scroll opened in her mind.

[Tao Practice: Two Hundred Years]

Her gaze fell on the two demon illustrations she had collected.

Holding so much Tao practice now, she hadn't immediately thought of how to use it.

Should she continue to infuse it into the Tiger Mountain God, or try the Blue-faced Gentleman?

The Tiger Mountain God had reached the Crimson Dye stage, and further progress was unknown, nor how much practice it would consume.

If she poured in these two hundred years of practice and it wasn't enough, getting stuck halfway would be frustrating.

As for the Blue-faced Wolf Demon...

Jiang Yuechu's mind focused on the image of the Green-Faced Fangs.

Both were collected, the tiger demon consumed seventy-five years, while the wolf demon only took fifty.

Clearly, the wolf demon's foundation was much weaker than the tiger's.

But a weaker foundation had its advantages.

It meant less practice was needed to enhance it.

Then she could gain another innate power.

Should she aim for quality or breadth?

Forget it.

Better to be cautious.

Jiang Yuechu made up her mind.

The Tao practice surged like a river breaking its banks, pouring into the image of the Green-Faced Fangs.

Boom—

Everything around her faded away.

Search "pawread.com" for the original.

...

[Year One, you were born on Heifeng Mountain, the offspring of a wolf demon. Your mother was eaten by other demons the day you opened your eyes.]

[Year Five, you trained slower than any of your siblings. They mocked and bullied you, even your father, the demon king, despised you. You secretly vowed...]

[Year Ten, you accidentally discovered that your siblings advanced quickly because they ate humans. Eating humans could speed up cultivation. You tried it, and it worked.]

[Year Fifteen, you killed more and more people, starting to believe that demons were born to kill humans. Humans were the spirits of all things, favored by heaven and earth. Killing them was seizing this fortune.]

[Year Twenty, you killed your father, becoming the leader of the wolf demons on Heifeng Mountain. You gave yourself a name, Blue-faced Gentleman.]

[Year Thirty-Five, you felt stuck and began searching for a breakthrough.]

...

Consciousness withdrew from the boundless blood-red.

Jiang Yuechu abruptly opened her eyes.

The same waning moon hung outside, the room so quiet she could hear her heartbeat.

[Consumed eighty years of Tao practice, Blue-faced Gentleman has reached the Crimson Dye stage.]

On the scroll, the wolf demon with Green-Faced Fangs had a spark of crimson in its eyes.

[Successfully dyed the Blue-faced Gentleman crimson, receiving a demon's gift.]

[Qingya Reflection (Supreme)]

[Innate Ability: Wolf Travels a Thousand Miles (The Blue-faced Gentleman is inherently cunning, with ghostly movement skills, enhancing speed.)]

Jiang Yuechu exhaled slowly.

She raised her hand, spreading her fingers in the dark, then clenched them tightly.

At her fingertips, a faint shadow of sharp claws flashed and disappeared.

Her martial arts felt more intuitive.

The new ability made her body feel much lighter.

Unfortunately, she didn't gain any supernatural powers.

Jiang Yuechu's brows furrowed slightly, then relaxed.

Oh well.

No need to dwell on it.

Any improvement was good.

Her mind moved again, and the scroll showed only a hundred and twenty years of Tao practice remaining.

It certainly wouldn't be enough for the next step.

Hmm?

Wait.

Jiang Yuechu's brow furrowed again.

[Realm: String-Attuned Late Stage]

"What’s going on? Could my assumption be wrong?"

She had previously thought that collecting or enhancing demon illustrations would elevate her realm.

But now, there was no change at all.

Tsk.

She irritably rubbed her head.

"Such a hassle... This girl's mind has no useful memories about martial arts, just a bunch of nonsense..."

Forget it, forget it.

Tomorrow, I'll ask Chen Qingyuan.

The Soaring Eagle Sect is a martial arts sect, they should know something about cultivation.

With that thought, she lay back down, placing the sword by her pillow.

Given the situation, it was best to get some sleep first.

The night breeze gently passed through the window, occasionally lifting the girl's hair, brushing her lips.

At such times, she would shift to a more comfortable position and continue sleeping.

---

Proofreader: Peter Pan