216: Chapter 216 Exchange, Learning

It clearly stated that he was to report to the Demon-Slaying Squad effective immediately, serving as an "exchange student" from the Zhenyu Division to Cultivate and exchange knowledge there for a period of time.

The signature line was stamped with the bright red seal of the Zhenyu Division.

Looking at this transfer order, a row of large question marks appeared on Chen Ran's forehead.

"Exchange student?"

"Going to the Demon-Slaying Squad to learn for a while..."

Chen Ran rubbed his chin, quickly calculating in his mind.

"Brother Chen."

Before he could finish his thoughts, a voice called out from the distance.

Chen Ran looked up and saw Warden Wen Ruoxu approaching from afar, holding an identical document in his hand.

"Brother Wen, what is this..." Chen Ran pointed to the envelope in his hand, having already vaguely guessed what it was.

"Sigh, don't mention it. I received a transfer order too."

"Huh?" Although Chen Ran had guessed it, he still feigned surprise.

"It says I'm to go with you to the Demon-Slaying Squad to be some sort of 'exchange student,' under the guise of exchanging knowledge and making progress together." Warden Wen Ruoxu curled his lips.

Naturally, the conversation between the two was overheard by the Demon-Slaying Squad members opposite them.

Squad Leader Zhao Feng's gaze fell upon the figure sitting across from Chen Ran, and the expression on his face slowly froze.

"Wen... Warden Wen Ruoxu?!"

Warden Wen Ruoxu turned his head, raised an eyebrow at him, and waved with a smile.

"Yo, Old Zhao, long time no see. It's been a few months, don't you recognize your old colleague?"

"What, do you two know each other?" Chen Ran asked curiously.

"He was my colleague back when I was in the Demon-Slaying Squad."

Chen Ran nodded slightly. He had heard that Warden Wen Ruoxu had been transferred from the Demon-Slaying Squad to the Celestial Prison, but he didn't know the specific reason.

Squad Leader Zhao Feng and Warden Wen Ruoxu chatted about daily life and roughly understood what had happened.

Squad Leader Zhao Feng paused, looked at the two Yao Beasts tied to the prison cart, and spoke up:

"Since you're both going to the Demon-Slaying Squad, why don't I take you for a tour first? That way, you'll be prepared when you transfer over in a few days."

Chen Ran had nothing to pack, so he greeted his colleagues at the Zhenyu Division and then left with Warden Wen Ruoxu, following Squad Leader Zhao Feng out the door.

The group walked along the street towards the East District of the capital.

Along the way, the passersby saw the Demon-Slaying Squad's uniform and hurriedly moved aside.

After passing through several bustling streets, a massive and imposing complex of buildings appeared in Chen Ran's line of sight a quarter of an hour later.

These buildings were completely different from the gloomy, oppressive feeling of the Zhenyu Division, which never saw the light of day.

The Demon-Slaying Squad's garrison covered an immense area, almost like a small city within a city.

The towering walls were built entirely of hard, dark-green rocks, with the faint patterns of defensive Formations carved into them, shimmering in the sunlight.

The gate was incredibly wide, enough to accommodate four carriages passing through side by side.

On both sides of the entrance stood two massive stone sculptures of strange beasts.

They weren't the common stone lions, but two unknown Vicious Beasts with ferocious expressions and claws bared, carved so vividly that it felt as if they might pounce down and bite someone at any moment.

After Squad Leader Zhao Feng identified himself, the guards at the gate let them pass.

Along the way, Chen Ran secretly observed the surroundings, and in the end, he had to admit that the Demon-Slaying Squad was even more impressive than the Zhenyu Division.

"This place is nice. It seems your Demon-Slaying Squad has plenty of funding." Chen Ran looked around and remarked casually.

"That goes without saying." Squad Leader Zhao Feng spoke with a hint of pride, straightening his back. "Our Demon-Slaying Squad is the front line directly facing the Yao Beasts. Our garrison naturally needs to be built with more Aura, otherwise, how would we intimidate those demons and monsters?"

As soon as he entered the gate, he crossed a wide martial arts training ground.

On the training ground, although it was nearing dusk, many Demon-Slaying Squad members were still training hard, sweating profusely, with flashing blades and deafening shouts.

While Chen Ran was watching the spectacle, he suddenly heard the heavy sound of wheels rolling ahead, accompanied by several rough, heavy breaths.

He turned his head and saw several Demon-Slaying Squad members pulling several huge flatbed carts inside.

On the carts lay several massive corpses of Yao Beasts.

One looked like a wild boar magnified over a dozen times, covered in black spikes.

Fresh blood dripped from the edges of the cart, dragging a long streak of blood along the bluestone path.

It must have been a Yao Beast hunted from outside the city.

Chen Ran pointed to the carts and asked casually: "I've always had a question. You capture so many Yao Beasts; apart from the living ones sent to our Zhenyu Division for imprisonment, what do you do with the dead ones?"

"The corpses of dead Yao Beasts certainly won't go to waste. Since it's on the way, I'll take you to see." Squad Leader Zhao Feng said, turning back to Chen Ran and Warden Wen Ruoxu as they walked.

Chen Ran and Warden Wen Ruoxu exchanged a glance and followed behind Squad Leader Zhao Feng, heading deeper into the garrison.

After bypassing several tall buildings, they arrived in front of a huge hall.

Chen Ran looked up and saw three large, flowing characters written on the hall's plaque—Yao Dismantling Hall.

Before they even walked in, Chen Ran smelled an extremely pungent odor.

It was a strange mixture of acrid blood, the foul stench of entrails, and various preservative medicinal herbs.

If an ordinary person were here, they would probably vomit on the spot.

The space inside the hall was enormous, almost like a small indoor plaza.

In the center of the hall, dozens of huge bluestone tables were neatly arranged.

Around the stone tables, drainage ditches had been dug, with dark red blood flowing through them.

Many people wearing special, thick leather aprons were gathered around the stone tables.

In their hands, they held various strangely shaped, razor-sharp knives, saws, and hooks, and were cutting and dismembering the corpses of the Yao Beasts.

"Rip—"

"This is the Yao Dismantling Hall."

Squad Leader Zhao Feng stopped and pointed to the busy figures, introducing them loudly: "The Yao Beasts our Demon-Slaying Squad captures—except for the living ones sent to the Zhenyu Division for imprisonment—are basically all brought here."

Chen Ran looked at the Yao Beasts being dismembered and raised an eyebrow, joking: "Is this where you dismantle the Yao Beast corpses?"

"Something like that." Squad Leader Zhao Feng nodded, a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes. "Yao Beasts are treasures from head to toe; not a single bit can be wasted."

"The Yao Beasts here are either sent to the Directorate of Astronomy for research,"

"Or, like you see here, they are directly dismantled and dissected to make the best use of everything."

Squad Leader Zhao Feng walked to a stone table and pointed to a Yao Beast being skinned, explaining in detail.

"The fur of a Yao Beast is incredibly tough, impervious to water and fire, and is a top-tier Material for crafting high-grade defensive gear and inner armor."

"The bones and sharp claws of a Yao Beast are hard and keen, making them excellent raw Materials for forging weapons."

"As for the essence blood and Yao Core of a Yao Beast, they can be used as Materials for alchemy and are worth their weight in gold."

"Even the seemingly useless flesh can be used to feed the Spirit Beasts we raise in the Demon-Slaying Squad, or made into special bait."

Chen Ran nodded repeatedly as he listened, secretly clicking his tongue in amazement.

This was nothing less than a complete industrial chain.

Capturing, dissecting, processing, manufacturing, and selling—a one-stop service, not even a bone fragment left behind.

...

The night grew deeper, and the hustle and bustle of the capital gradually died down.

Chen Ran had only taken a short tour of the Demon-Slaying Squad before leaving.

The night breeze was slightly cool, blowing away the traces of the bloody scent he had picked up.

Returning to his residence, he pushed open the courtyard gate. The old tree in the courtyard rustled in the night wind, and a few fallen leaves swirled and drifted onto the bluestone path.

Chen Ran walked to the door of his room and pushed it open.

The room was unlit and shrouded in darkness.

Only a few strands of cold moonlight filtered in from outside the window, barely illuminating the square tiles on the floor and casting mottled shadows inside the room.

Chen Ran closed the door behind him and was just about to light the oil lamp on the table.

Suddenly, his movements paused slightly.

In the air, there seemed to be a faint, extremely subtle fragrance.

It was a scent mixed with orchids and some kind of strange floral fragrance, very faint, present yet elusive.

"Since you're here, why hide?"

Chen Ran's tone was calm, his voice echoing in the silent room.

Seeing no reaction from the other party, Chen Ran flicked his finger, and a gust of wind from his fingertip precisely struck the fire starter on the table.

With a soft "whoosh," the fire starter ignited, and the dim, yellowish lamplight instantly dispelled the darkness in the room.

As the light brightened, the shadow in the corner finally had nowhere to hide.

A hem of a bright, fire-red skirt peeked out from the shadows.

The woman walked slowly out of the corner, exposed under the lamplight.

Her figure was enchanting with exquisite curves, and her red dress was as striking as raging fire, yet it exuded an indescribable coldness and nobility.

Her beauty was breathtaking, her skin whiter than snow, and there was a touch of natural, bewitching allure between her brows. As her eyes swept across, it seemed as if she could steal a person's soul.

"Why are you here?"

Chen Ran walked to the table and sat down, looking at Jiang Mengli with a calm gaze.