26: Great Chu, danger

He did not tell the whole truth; in fact, it was they who wanted to kill Chu Jiang at the very beginning.

As for the Heavenly Evil Great Demon wanting Chu Jiang's life, that was purely an accident.

Later, they even wanted to squeeze out the last bit of his value before Chu Jiang died by luring him to Black Tiger Mountain.

But these words could not be spoken.

Right now, the only way to have a chance of survival was to shift all the responsibility onto the demons.

"Adoptive father, how could you collude with demons to murder your own people!"

"Lord Chu slays demons and eliminates devils to protect the local people."

"How could you hand him over to the demons!"

After hearing Liu County Magistrate's words, Liu Guangwu was shocked that the official in charge of White Stone County would actually do such a thing; he could not understand it.

He usually taught him to draw a clear line between himself and demons, to make slaying demons his duty, and to treat the people with kindness, yet he himself was doing things like colluding with demons.

He could not accept that the person he respected the most had become like this.

"Everything is fate, and nothing is up to oneself!"

Liu County Magistrate closed his eyes, still not responding to Liu Guangwu, instead speaking to himself.

"You have your path, and I have my Dao; you are now completely free."

He did indeed treat Liu Guangwu as a chess piece.

But in Liu Guangwu, he saw the shadow of his own youth.

Just as spirited, wanting to sweep away the darkness from this world, slay demons, carve out a peaceful and prosperous age, and return tranquility to the people.

Full of confidence and vitality.

But life sometimes inadvertently leads down another path.

Perhaps, it was because the sky was too dark.

He couldn't break through it, and instead was swept up by it to become a part of the darkness.

That was why he extended his affection to Liu Guangwu.

Although he was a chess piece, he still wanted him to be a pure person.

Perhaps this was to make up for his own past regrets.

"Listening to you, it seems the demons wanted my life, and it has nothing to do with you, Liu County Magistrate." Chu Jiang revealed a playful smile, his eyes sharp as light.

"That is indeed the case!"

Liu County Magistrate could only answer.

Chu Jiang's gaze suddenly shifted to a certain direction, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, and he said, "My small courtyard is really lively tonight; do I still need to invite you in?"

"Hmm?"

Liu County Magistrate was startled; there was someone else? Could it be that the Hall Master had arrived?

If the Hall Master came in person, they would be saved.

"Who?"

"Come out!"

The Demon Hunting Division officers shouted loudly, drawing their long blades instantly; the blades glinted with a cold light, shimmering coldly under the moonlight.

"Haha, everyone, no need to be nervous, it's me!"

A large, fat man wearing luxurious clothes vaulted over the courtyard wall. Although his body was fat, he was as nimble as a cat, landing from the several-meter-high wall without making a sound.

"Shopkeeper Wang, how is it you!"

"The government is currently handling a case; this is not a place you should be!"

Liu Guangwu recognized the fat man before him at a glance; it was the shopkeeper of Tianxiang Restaurant who had once helped him out of a tight spot, and his character was decent.

"Hehe, don't worry, Head Catcher Liu, I would naturally not intrude without reason."

Shopkeeper Wang waved his hand with a smile.

As he spoke, he reached into his bosom, fumbled for a moment, and then pulled out a token.

"Oh? What is this?"

Liu Guangwu looked at the object in the other person's hand with a confused expression.

It was a round copper token, engraved with many mysterious patterns, with a large character "Suppression" carved in the center, as if a power of suppression was permeating from it.

"Demon Suppression Guard!"

Chu Jiang recognized this token; it came from the Demon Suppression Division, an organization formally established only at the prefecture level. Even at the commandery level, there were only temporary stations.

The Demon Suppression Division was responsible for suppressing demons and was an organization specifically established by the Great Chu to deal with demons.

These people were the core force in resisting demons; their county Demon Hunting Division could only be considered external personnel of the Demon Suppression Division.

They handled some less troublesome demon cases.

They were subcontractors.

The martial arts were also taught to the county office by the Demon Suppression Guards while they were passing through on some mission.

A Demon Suppression Guard was three ranks higher than a regular official; it was a truly powerful department of the Great Chu, not only suppressing demons throughout the world but also monitoring the Jianghu Schools.

"Yunzhou Demon Suppression Division, Zhang Sanbao!"

Zhang Sanbao's introduction truly shocked everyone present.

They didn't expect that there would be a Demon Suppression Guard stationed in White Stone County for a long time; this was hidden too deeply.

Demon Suppression Guards usually performed short-term missions; cases of long-term stationing like this were extremely rare, indicating that this place was extremely important.

"Greetings, My Lord. May I ask what official business brings you here?" Chu Jiang said calmly.

Zhang Sanbao looked around and couldn't help but cough a few times.

"All of you, get out; do not let anyone in."

Chu Jiang smiled, understanding Zhang Sanbao's meaning; clearly, what was to be said next was not convenient for others to hear.

"My Lord, can you speak now!"

Zhang Sanbao said with a playful smile, "Your strength is greater than mine, so there is no need for this. The 'three ranks higher' rule for Demon Suppression Guards is for the outside world; internally, strength is still respected."

"We can just converse as peers."

Chu Jiang nodded.

"Do you know the true identities of Liu Kong and Hu Yijiang?" Zhang Sanbao asked.

"They have other identities?"

Chu Jiang questioned. Since Zhang Sanbao said this, these two people's identities were likely not simple, and it was very possible that the people sent from above were here precisely for them.

"They are people from the Earth Fiend Hall!"

"A Jianghu faction? Are they trying to overthrow the Great Chu Dynasty?"

"Although not entirely precise, that could be said!"

Zhang Sanbao continued, "The Earth Fiend Hall is an extremely powerful faction; they do not belong to the Human Race, nor do they belong to the Demon Clan."

"However, generally speaking, they lean towards the demon side and have some cooperation with the Demon Clan."

"The core members are basically in a half-human, half-demon state; they take demons to conduct experiments and transplant them onto their own bodies to increase their strength."

"Resources are limited; some peripheral members, without special contributions, do not even have this opportunity."

"Sometimes, they even clash with the Demon Clan."

Using demons for experiments—good grief, this organization is something else.

In the end, won't they really create some terrifying monster?

"Hmm, looking at it this way, isn't the Earth Fiend Hall using demon bodies for experiments indirectly reducing our pressure?" Chu Jiang said.

Zhang Sanbao gave a bitter smile and continued, "At first, that was indeed the case, and we didn't interfere. Later, the Earth Fiend Hall secretly abducted a large number of Human Race Martial Artists to conduct human experiments, and a conflict arose between us."

"After that, it was all kinds of open and covert struggles, back and forth."

"The Demon Suppression Division not only has to suppress the demons of the world but also monitor the Jianghu Schools to prevent them from causing trouble behind the scenes, and simultaneously resist the Earth Fiend Hall in the shadows."

"There are quite a few people lurking within the Great Chu Dynasty with ulterior motives."

"Manpower is severely lacking; even after having expanded many times, facing such a vast country, people are needed everywhere, and we can only barely maintain the current status quo."

After hearing this, Chu Jiang realized that if the Great Chu Dynasty could survive for so long, the Demon Suppression Division deserved the primary credit; they did all the work for it.

It was like a house about to collapse, patched up year after year, yet it just wouldn't fall.

However, this Great Chu Dynasty was truly tottering, precarious in the storm.

The scourge of demons was already exhausting, and the Jianghu Schools behind the scenes were also unsettled; otherwise, they wouldn't have been monitored. It was estimated that some kind of Jianghu turmoil had occurred in the past.

Then there was the Earth Fiend Hall. Manpower was already insufficient, yet they kept undermining the Great Chu Dynasty. Sooner or later, this building would collapse.

A feeling couldn't help but arise in his heart.

"Great Chu, in peril..."