68: You call this a cup?

The leader of the three was Marquis Dingyuan, with sword-like brows, starry eyes, and a long saber strapped across his back.

The two behind him, though also clad in black robes, had completely different Auras.

The one on the right was seven and a half feet tall, with bulging muscles and not a single hair on his head, which looked particularly dazzling in the sunlight.

The person on the left had a feminine appearance, holding a folding fan with a silk-cloth surface.

Despite being a man, his steps when walking were somewhat... enchanting.

Although this description might be a bit inappropriate, Jiang Lan couldn't think of any other adjectives at the moment.

The three strode up to Jiang Lan.

Marquis Dingyuan pointed to the bald, burly man behind him and said to Jiang Lan:

"This is Chen Wang."

Immediately after, he began to introduce the other person.

"His name is Lin Zifeng."

Jiang Lan nodded in greeting to the two.

Chen Wang rubbed his shiny bald head and grinned.

Lin Zifeng, with his narrow Phoenix eyes, scrutinized Jiang Lan for a while, then turned his head away, his expression seemingly carrying a hint of dislike.

Although his display was not obvious, this fleeting expression was still caught by Jiang Lan.

Jiang Lan's brows also furrowed slightly.

He couldn't recall when he had offended Lin Zifeng.

Jiang Lan had previously only been a Demon Suppression Guard, and the highest-ranking people he usually came into contact with were Centurions like Qiu Rang.

Before this, let alone offending him, he had never even met Lin Zifeng.

Perhaps Marquis Dingyuan sensed the awkward atmosphere in the room and proactively took on the role of mediator, chuckling to Jiang Lan:

"Little Jiang, how about we go to Yan Chun Pavilion for a chat first?"

Jiang Lan nodded.

Since Bai Yu had already steered the conversation away from the previous matter, if he were to say anything more, it would only make him seem petty.

"Then let's go."

...The group of four walked out of the Demon Suppression Division, and in no time at all, they arrived at Yan Chun Pavilion.

Finding a quiet private room, they took their seats one by one.

Jiang Lan's purpose in coming this time was merely to deal with official business; he had no real intention of befriending these colleagues.

The few of them chatted aimlessly for a while, which was considered an introduction.

"Brother Jiang has great capabilities, and I, Chen Wang, am thoroughly convinced. Putting everything else aside, I'll down this cup first."

At this moment, the dishes had not yet been served, only a few jars of wine had arrived.

The bald, burly man was not at all bashful; he picked up a wine jar with one hand, 'thumped' open the mud seal, and 'gulped, gulped, gulped' down an entire jar of wine.

Jiang Lan watched with a pounding heart.

If he hadn't misheard earlier, Chen Wang had said he would drink one cup, right?

You call that one cup?

Although the wine jar wasn't large, it could still hold five catties of wine.

Even though distilled liquor wasn't available yet, even rice wine wasn't meant to be drunk like this.

If an ordinary person drank like this, they would probably be unconscious before finishing one jar.

However, Jiang Lan did not show what he was thinking; he maintained a calm and collected expression, casually picked up a wine jar beside him, and unsealed the mud.

"Gulp, gulp, gulp."

After drinking about one-tenth of a jar of wine, Jiang Lan put down the wine jar and said:

"I'm not good with alcohol; one cup is enough for me. If there's anything you need help with in the Division in the future, just say the word."

Before Chen Wang could speak, Bai Yu smiled and said, "Little Jiang, I'm afraid you won't be able to help them."

"Hmm?"

Bai Yu explained:

"They usually aren't in the capital. Coincidentally, they both just returned yesterday and were originally supposed to leave that very day, but upon receiving news of your promotion, they specifically stayed an extra day. They will be returning after today."

Jiang Lan blinked; he had originally wondered why there were three Demon Suppression Envoys in just one Yan Capital City.

Normally, even if demons entered the capital to commit crimes, it was an isolated incident, and the capital was mostly peaceful, certainly not requiring three Demon Suppression Envoys.

Now he understood; it turned out that both Chen Wang and Lin Zifeng had specifically rushed back from outside.

In fact, Jiang Lan didn't know much about the composition and details of the Demon Suppression Division's personnel.

After all, he was just a Demon Suppression Guard before.

Now, he also understood why Lin Zifeng had shown some dislike when he first saw him.

So, he had delayed their return journey?

But that didn't seem right either.

No matter what, they were colleagues now; they shouldn't be so impatient just for waiting one day, right?

Even when they were talking just now, Lin Zifeng barely spoke.

After a while, the dishes were already on the table, and the few of them ate and chatted aimlessly.

Suddenly, Lin Zifeng stood up from his seat.

"I need to go back to Jianchang Prefecture."

Not only was his appearance feminine, but his voice was also unlike that of an ordinary man, somewhat neutral.

If not standing face to face, most people wouldn't be able to distinguish whether he was male or female just by listening to his voice.

"Why so urgent? It's already late; by the time you get back, it will be night. Wouldn't it be better to stay one night in the capital and then leave?" Bai Yu also stood up to persuade him.

Lin Zifeng shook his head.

"I don't know what's wrong, but my heart is always uneasy. I need to go back and check."

"This..."

Jiang Lan also wanted to get up and say something, but just then, a flapping sound of wings came from outside the window.

Jiang Lan turned his head and looked out the glazed window.

He saw a completely black crow standing outside the window, first pecking at its feathers, then turning its head towards the room.

The moment Lin Zifeng saw the crow, his expression immediately changed slightly. He took two steps forward, pushed open the window directly, and let the crow in.

Only then did Jiang Lan see a small cylindrical object tied to one of the crow's legs.

Lin Zifeng caught the flying crow, untied the cylinder, and took out a note from inside.

Looking at the text on it, his face visibly darkened.

Without a word to Jiang Lan and the others, he strode towards the exit of the private room.

Seeing this, Jiang Lan and the other two also stood up simultaneously.

Bai Yu stepped forward two paces and placed his hand on Lin Zifeng's shoulder.

"Zifeng, what's wrong?"

Lin Zifeng paused in his steps and said, "Something happened."

Lin Zifeng removed Bai Yu's hand from his shoulder and continued:

"There's been some trouble in Qinglin County, and many people have died. I need to hurry there to deal with it."

As he spoke, his hand clutching the folding fan unconsciously tightened.

Bai Yu was also stunned for a moment.

"What Realm of demon would require you to go personally?"

Generally speaking, the Demon Suppression Division has independent yamen in each prefecture, and in the counties below, there are also Demon Suppression Division personnel stationed in the county yamen.

Ordinary demons entering the city would be handled by those Demon Suppression Guards.

At most, it would be a Centurion; if the demon's strength wasn't particularly strong, people of the Thousand Households Realm would not be dispatched, let alone a Demon Suppression Envoy, who is one rank higher than a Thousand Households.

Although Jiang Lan hadn't spoken, hearing their exchange, his eyes also lit up slightly.

There are demons?