234: Chapter 234 Handling and Summoning

Chen Ran got up in the morning, washed his face, and went out.

After a night had passed, there was nothing left at the entrance of the alley in front of his door.

If he hadn't perceived what happened last night personally, he would likely have thought this place was still as peaceful as ever.

"The efficiency of people from a great Family is truly something else."

Chen Ran glanced at the empty alley, tugged at the corner of his mouth, and turned to walk toward the Demon-Slaying Squad.

The large courtyard of the Demon-Slaying Squad was already bustling early in the morning.

A dozen or so people wearing martial arts uniforms stood in two rows, training.

The shouts and the sound of feet stomping on the ground mingled together, sounding quite impressive in Aura.

Chen Ran entered the gate and swept his gaze around.

Captain Xia An stood in the middle of the field, holding a wooden staff in his hand, explaining footwork to a few members of the Demon-Slaying Squad.

The Demon-Slaying Squad didn't have work every day; aside from regularly clearing out Yao Beasts outside the city or emergency missions like Yao Beast attacks.

In their remaining spare time, the Martial Artists of the Demon-Slaying Squad would choose to hone their martial arts, striving to improve their strength.

After all, the casualty rate of the Demon-Slaying Squad was not low; every time they went on a mission, even if the risks were already controlled, casualties still followed them like a shadow.

Chen Ran found a spot in the corner to sit down, not disturbing anyone, and watched quietly.

To be honest, the frequency of his visits to the Demon-Slaying Squad wasn't high, but every time he came, he could always feel something strange about Captain Xia An.

It wasn't about his strength; he had seen many people with great strength, and he had even fed those at the level of Shen Jixuan when they were locked in the Imperial Prison.

As his Divine Soul strength increased day by day, he could always detect a strange Aura from Captain Xia An.

The Aura on his body was different from the robust feeling of Qi and blood power; instead, it was a cold feeling, which seemed extremely strange among a crowd of Martial Artists.

"I heard he possesses an Innate pupil technique; I wonder how it compares to my Nether Eye."

Chen Ran thought to himself. Not long after, the training ended, and the few members of the Demon-Slaying Squad dispersed, some drinking water, others sitting on the ground resting.

Captain Xia An casually rested the wooden staff on his shoulder and walked over.

"You're here?" "I'm here." Chen Ran stood up and nodded.

Captain Xia An sized him up without speaking, his gaze lingering on him for two or three seconds.

"Do you have any other thoughts?"

Captain Xia An asked casually; his opinion of this well-connected person transferred from the Family had changed significantly.

In less than a week since joining the Demon-Slaying Squad, no fewer than ten Yao Beasts had died at Chen Ran's hands.

Such talent for killing, even for him, a captain who had seen it all in the Demon-Slaying Squad, was inevitably surprising.

"Hmm… could you let me see the Yao Beasts imprisoned here?"

Hearing Chen Ran's words, Captain Xia An was slightly stunned, then laughed: "Why do you want to see the Yao Beasts here? Surely you don't still want to find them to test your skills, do you?"

"Your talent is very high, and your Cultivation speed is fast, but if you compare it to the imprisoned Yao Beasts, you are still lacking some seasoning."

Captain Xia An explained, fearing that Chen Ran might have developed an inflated sense of confidence due to the Yao Beast killing over the past few days.

However, seeing Chen Ran's calm expression, which didn't look like he was joking, Captain Xia An pondered for a moment before speaking: "Fine, since you want to see the Yao Beasts so much, I will let you see the Yao Beasts the Demon-Slaying Squad has imprisoned over the years. Don't be scared when the time comes."

With that, Captain Xia An led the way toward the distance.

The place where the Demon-Slaying Squad imprisoned Yao Beasts was much cruder than Chen Ran had imagined.

Unlike the strict cages of the Imperial Prison, the Yao Beasts imprisoned by the Demon-Slaying Squad were simply kept underground.

It was located not far from the fighting arena where they trained daily, inside a simple underground palace.

Roar! Before they even got close, they heard a manic beast roar coming from the depths of the underground palace.

The sound echoed continuously in the underground palace, making the entire space tremble, and at the same time, an extremely strong Demonic Qi surged from the distance.

"Some of the Yao Beasts we catch are sent to the Imperial Prison, and the rest are kept here. Very few people come down here, so these Yao Beasts might be a bit restless."

Captain Xia An walked in front, his white hair blown wildly by this demonic wind, but his figure remained completely unmoved.

"What is the most powerful Yao Beast here?" Chen Ran asked curiously, walking behind him.

In his perception, the beast roar just now was something only a third-grade Yao Beast could produce, he just didn't know exactly what kind of Yao it was.

If all the Yao Beasts imprisoned in the depths of the Demon-Slaying Squad were at this level, even if they were experimented on and physically incomplete with strength far inferior to before, they would still be an extremely rich reward if placed into the heavenly book of prison suppression.

"The most powerful Yao Beasts usually imprisoned here are probably second-grade Yao Beasts, but Yao Beasts of that level are already very rare and only found in the depths of the underground palace."

"Have you never captured a first-grade Yao Beast?"

"That level of Yao Beast is no longer something we can contend with… A hundred years ago, we did capture a few, but their whereabouts are unknown now."

"I suspect these Yao Beasts have all been made into weapons or armor."

Captain Xia An shook his head helplessly; a first-grade Yao Beast corresponds to a Grandmaster level powerhouse.

And there are only a few dozen Grandmaster level powerhouses registered in the entire Great Wei Dynasty.

Each one of them is an existence with a transcendent status, and they basically never make a move.

And first-grade Yao Beasts mostly exist in rumors; even if they do exist, they mostly hide in deep mountains and old forests, rarely approaching important areas like the capital.

Chen Ran nodded secretly, feeling a bit disappointed in his heart.

After all, the Demon-Slaying Squad is just a transit station; the ones they imprison are all test subjects, and usually, after a period of time, they are decomposed into parts by the Yao Dissection Hall.

Yao Beasts that can survive here from ancient times to the present are probably rare.

"It seems that if I want to encounter those with top-tier strength, I still have to set my sights on the Imperial Prison."

Chen Ran whispered in his heart. Under his perception, the Yao Beasts imprisoned in the Demon-Slaying Squad were all third or fourth grade.

But in the depths of the Imperial Prison, even with his Divine Soul strength, he couldn't see through what kind of prisoners were stored in the deeper layers.

A few quarters of an hour later, Chen Ran walked out of the Demon-Slaying Squad headquarters. He had originally wanted to record some Yao Beasts for future use.

But later, Captain Xia An didn't know what order he had received and had to leave in a hurry, so the Yao Beast plan fell through.

However, he didn't come away empty-handed. Besides not seeing that third-grade Yao Beast, the other fourth-grade Yao Beasts he recorded also brought him a considerable surprise.

While pondering, he paused his footsteps slightly and narrowed his eyes, looking ahead.

He saw that outside the gate, a big guy over two meters tall was blocking the entrance, and the guards watching nearby didn't dare to move.

"Something up?" Chen Ran walked over and asked.

Grey Wolf lowered his head, his voice hoarse: "Over at the Lin Family residence, someone wants to see you."

Chen Ran raised an eyebrow. The Family. He thought for a moment and nodded: "Let's go."

Grey Wolf turned around; a carriage was parked at the side gate. It wasn't luxurious, but it wasn't shabby either; it was decorated in a low-key manner, and one couldn't tell which Family it belonged to.

Chen Ran stepped onto the carriage and sat down. The curtain was lowered, and the carriage moved; the wheels rumbled over the bluestone road.

No one spoke along the way. Chen Ran leaned against the carriage wall and closed his eyes. His mind whirred.

Those people last night, the attire of the City Defense Army, their purpose for coming was very obvious.

The Family calling him over at this time was nine times out of ten because of this matter.

They had found out the truth.

The carriage stopped slowly at the side gate of the Lin Family residence. The gatekeeper saw Grey Wolf and let them in directly, leading Chen Ran all the way inside.

The Lin Family residence was many times larger than the small courtyard where Chen Ran lived. There were corridors one after another, all planted with common trees; they weren't particularly valuable, but they were kept very neatly.

After walking for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they arrived at a hall. There were already people inside.

Sitting at the head was an old man with half-white hair and beard, wearing a dark, wide-sleeved robe. His face was square, and he looked quite dignified.

Standing next to him were a few other people, all middle-aged men in their forties or fifties, with an impressive bearing.

People from the Family. Chen Ran glanced at them and walked in with a calm expression.

"Chen Ran, right? Sit." The old man spoke, his voice not loud, carrying a sense of peace.

Chen Ran found a seat at the lower end and sat down.

"You must know something about last night's events. We have already investigated those people."

Chen Ran didn't speak, listening quietly.

The old man paused and continued: "Although they covered their tracks, their waist tokens and seals were all items from the City Defense Army; from their clothing to their personal belongings, everything matched up."

"City Defense Army." Chen Ran repeated slowly.

"Yes." The old man nodded, his expression calm, but there was a hint of gloom between his brows.

"This group of people is considered a team with deep roots in the capital. We are not clear about who is above them, but the person capable of mobilizing this group…"

He stopped there, changed the subject, and didn't state the name directly, only giving Chen Ran a meaningful look.

Chen Ran understood in his heart. It was already certain that it was done by the eunuch he met that night.

But hearing it now, it sounded like the other side had developed the intention to deal with him.

Chen Ran lowered his head and went over recent events in his mind.

It was probably a while ago that he got involved in a few not-so-clean matters, and several forces were involved…

Speaking of which, those matters weren't too big, but when put together, there was indeed a reason for people to find him an eyesore.

However, this matter was not something he needed to worry about too much.

Not long after, those few people from the Family who looked like Elders made some compensatory rewards.

They increased guards, reduced outings, and even gave some Cultivation Techniques and silver…

Perhaps it was because his status was not obvious now; except for a few members of the Lin Family who knew the inside story, the rest still thought he was just lucky to have been noticed by Lin Wan.

The attention of this meeting was not focused on him, and Chen Ran very tactfully left the hall, but before leaving, he gathered most of his Divine Soul within it.

He wanted to see what these Lin Family Elders really wanted to discuss.

After about a quarter of an hour, the entire hall, having finished dealing with his affairs, brought the attention back to the right track and began to discuss the matter of the Family tax.

Next, they discussed some details, nothing more than how many personnel the Lin Family had arranged recently, how they viewed the situation in the capital, and similar matters.

Although these Elders had decent strength, the highest was only at the Return to Truth Realm.

They hadn't even established the Bridge of Heaven and Earth, let alone perceived that mysterious and elusive Divine Soul power.

Therefore, the entire hall meeting went smoothly, and no one ever suspected that an outsider was right inside the Lin Family residence, listening to everything.

They talked until the sun had completely set, and someone came in to light the lamps.

Only then did the old man raise his hand, pausing the meeting and having someone prepare food.

Meanwhile, at another residence in the capital, the daylight gradually dimmed.

The study was not lit and was pitch black.

Yan Feng sat on a grand armchair, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the tabletop, making a dull "thud, thud" sound.

His brows were tightly locked, and he looked into the distance from time to time.

He was a capable subordinate under Cao Yong, usually responsible for handling some dirty work that couldn't see the light of day.

The few City Defense Army members sent to watch Chen Ran last night were arranged by him.

Logically speaking, it was just to probe the bottom line and find an opportunity to bring the person back; it wasn't a difficult task.

Although those people couldn't be counted as top-tier experts, they were more than enough to deal with a prison guard who came out of the Imperial Prison.

But now, most of the day had passed. The people hadn't returned. Not even a message had been sent back.

He always felt a bad feeling; this feeling was exceptionally accurate, verified by his many years of experience.

Yan Feng's brows were furrowed tightly, and his fingers tapping on the table stopped.

"Someone come." He shouted in a low voice.

A subordinate immediately entered from outside the door, lowering his head: "Lord Yan."

"Go check what happened to the people sent to the South City last night."

"Yes." The subordinate responded and retreated. The study returned to silence.

Yan Feng leaned against the back of the chair and closed his eyes. Even after the subordinate left, that bad premonition of his had not yet dissipated.

Those people were all veterans; it was impossible for them to lose contact for no reason, unless… something had happened.

About half an hour passed. Hurried footsteps came from outside the door, and the subordinate from before walked in quickly, his face looking somewhat ugly.

"My Lord, it has been investigated." "Speak." Yan Feng opened his eyes.

"The people… they are all gone." The subordinate swallowed, his voice very low,

"We found traces in the dark alley in the South City; although it had been cleaned up by someone, one could still see signs that a struggle had occurred.

Those people have all gone missing; it is estimated that they are in great danger."

Yan Feng sat up straight abruptly. All missing? Several living people, just gone without a sound?

"Who did it?" His voice was gloomy.

"Not clear." The subordinate shook his head, "The scene was cleaned up too cleanly, not even a corpse was left, but…"

"But what?" "But we heard that this afternoon, the Lin Family's carriage went to the Demon-Slaying Squad and picked up that Chen Ran; now he has already entered the Lin Family residence."

Yan Feng's eyes narrowed. The Lin Family. He sneered, finally understanding.

No wonder those people fell there; it turned out the Lin Family was secretly protecting that kid.

"A fine Lin Family, they were prepared early." Yan Feng stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the night outside.

The mission failed. If this matter were reported to Lord Cao, a punishment would be unavoidable.

A small prison guard with no background could actually make the Lin Family protect him so much, even going so far as to use experts to wipe out the City Defense Army people.

Interesting. A flash of ruthlessness flickered in Yan Feng's eyes.

Can the Lin Family protect him for a while, can they protect him for a lifetime?

"Go, keep a close watch on the Lin Family residence." Yan Feng turned around and ordered coldly, "As long as that kid dares to step out of the Lin Family residence, report to me immediately."

"Yes!" The subordinate received the order and withdrew.