Chapter 230 - 229: Looking for me again?
Chapter 230: Chapter 229: Looking for me again?
Elite Demon Suppression Guards stood watch at the summit. Though a dozen or so demon fiends broke through the encirclement and scattered, the Captains guarding the mountainside captured them all without incident.
And with that, the mission to Hidden Wind Valley was considered complete.
Wheels rumbled and hooves clopped against the road.
Sun Yuting and her group mounted their horses and drove the carriage, heading toward Cangwu City.
Along the way, the three Silver Wolf Captains on horseback often glanced toward the carriage. They recalled the young man’s noble bearing as he distributed the merits, and the respect in their eyes was plain to see.
Inside the carriage, the short Silver Wolf Captain, Fang, studied the young man sitting across from him. A sharp glint flickered in his beady eyes.
He’d heard that this man had casually given away the merits required for a promotion to Silver Wolf Captain.
’Who would have thought that such good fortune would land right in my lap?’
For a moment, the five Silver Wolf Captains, both inside and outside the carriage, felt a bit dazed.
The merits for slaying demons were no small matter!
Even if it couldn’t compare to what that barbarian got, it was still more than enough to trade for a Top Grade Martial Arts manual of their current realm and several hundred medicinal pills.
With the rewards from these merits, it was even possible for the group to advance from the Organ Refining Realm to the Blood Coagulation Realm after this mission!
At this thought, their gazes toward Wu Chen could be summed up in two words:
Profound. Gratitude.
Seated in the main seat of the spacious carriage, Sun Yuting’s pair of glistening eyes swept over the young man. He didn’t look very old, yet he was difficult to read.
’He clearly came for a Level A mission to actively hunt demons and earn merits, yet in the end, he just waved his hand and gave them all away without a second thought.’
’I really don’t know what he’s thinking. What on earth is going on in that head of his?!’
[Deep Red]: Looking for me again?
This inability to figure him out only made her more curious, and her gaze grew hotter.
"He gives away fame and fortune."
"But he insists on taking on dangerous missions like this Level A one."
"What, is he trying to cleanse the world and champion the common folk? Does he want to be some kind of great saint?"
"..."
Feeling several pairs of intense eyes locked on him, Wu Chen, who had closed his eyes for a nap the moment he entered the carriage, subconsciously pulled his clothes tighter.
He knew, of course, that their intense gazes were because of the merits.
’But as for sharing the merits, from my perspective, everyone earned them. So there’s no reason to be reluctant or feel like I lost anything.’
’We all came on this mission together, we all put in the work. How could I just hoard all the merits for myself?’
’The agreement was to first earn merits, to motivate...’
’Sun Yuting’s offer to compensate the others was a nice gesture, but if I had simply accepted that arrangement, it would have been tantamount to accepting an invitation from her faction.’
’But are things from the disciples of these great families ever that easy to take?’
This was a truth Wu Chen understood clearly.
’If I knew more about Sun Yuting, and if her faction was a righteous and reputable one, joining might not be so bad.’
’But what if her faction operates in the shadows? What if they ask me to do their dirty work? Would I do it, or refuse?’
’It’s better to draw a clear line from the start. That way, when the time comes, I can just walk away without getting tangled up in anything.’
This was why he had refused the promotion to Silver Wolf Captain last time, and why he wouldn’t hoard the merits now.
This way, if he ever had a falling out with anyone, he could make a clean break.
Fortunately, the journey was uneventful. The young lady’s gaze remained intense, but she didn’t make any untoward moves, like ordering, ’Fang, you can leave. Wu Chen, you stay behind.’
...
「Cangwu City, City Gates.」
Knowing Wu Chen’s preference for staying low-key, Sun Yuting’s squad didn’t return with the main contingent.
As a result, they missed the rousing welcome from the citizens of Cangwu City, who had lined the streets for the returning heroes.
But even though they were half a day behind, they could still hear the townsfolk on either side of the street chattering excitedly as they entered the city:
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Who would’ve thought Hidden Wind Valley was actually hiding the Demon Race? Those Refining Body fellows must have fried their brains! They really don’t know what’s good for them!"
"This is a huge deal. I bet half the people in Hidden Wind Valley will lose their heads. After all, feeding their own kind to demons... their crimes are unforgivable!"
"But then again, demons eat people, so people can eat demons, right? I wonder what demon meat tastes like..."
"Hiss... right... I’m gonna go ask around, see if I can get my hands on some..."
"..."
After all, with the Demon Suppression Bureau and its elite soldiers stationed in the city, Cangwu City was actually quite peaceful.
At first, when faced with cart after cart of Ape Demon corpses, the citizens and merchants on the streets had been terrified. Looking at the snarling, fanged faces of the Demon Fiends, some had even wet themselves in fear.
But as time went on, the conversation in the city gradually took a strange turn.
"Will the Demon Suppression Bureau execute everyone in Hidden Wind Valley?"
Inside the carriage, Wu Chen, who had been resting with his eyes closed, listened to the commotion outside and suddenly asked a curious question.
’After all, Hidden Wind Valley was colluding with the Demon Race, harboring malicious intent. If the Demon Suppression Bureau hadn’t discovered them in time, they would have certainly caused a massive disaster down the line.’
’Given enough time for the Demon Race in Hidden Wind Valley to mature, they could have easily conquered cities. The fate of the hundreds of thousands, even millions, of citizens within those walls was easy to imagine.’
’So, in my view, only an offering of several thousand lives would be a fitting resolution and a powerful deterrent to other villains lurking in the shadows.’
"How could that be!"
Sun Yuting shot the young man a sharp look. "The Demon Suppression Bureau isn’t a band of executioners."
"First, they’ll conduct a thorough interrogation. The older members definitely won’t get away."
"The younger disciples were probably forced into it by their elders. They couldn’t make their own choices and just had to go with the flow."
"Letting them go is out of the question, so they’ll just have to join the Demon Suppression Bureau and serve it."
Wu Chen nodded. "Then you might as well just kill them."
Sun Yuting: "..."
’What, is joining the Demon Suppression Bureau such a raw deal for them?!’
Wu Chen’s remark clearly killed the mood. The carriage fell silent, and no one pursued the topic.
After all, if they had any other choice, no one would willingly join the Demon Suppression Bureau to live a life on the razor’s edge.
But on the other hand, there were those who fought tooth and nail to join the Bureau, saved up enough merits, and became Silver Wolf or Fierce Tiger Captains.
Every single one of them had bought a mansion in Cangwu City, kept a well-fed and radiant wife, and provided for their children’s every need. Their kids could not only learn to read and write but could also practice Martial Arts.
Getting them to say a single bad word about the Demon Suppression Bureau would be impossible.
If anyone else dared to, they’d be ready to draw their swords.
But the one speaking now had casually given away a Silver Wolf Captain position.
And that was on top of his own terrifying strength.
Inside the carriage, the Silver Wolf Captain, Fang, became furious for a split second!
Sun Yuting also pretended she didn’t understand the implication of his words, not bothering to argue with the young man about the merits of the Demon Suppression Bureau.
And so, inside the carriage, a Golden Eagle Captain and a Silver Wolf Captain both chose to remain silent.
After a few more moments of travel and several turns, the surroundings grew quiet. The carriage finally stopped on a quiet side street by the Demon Suppression Bureau.
Stepping out of the carriage and looking up at the high outer walls of the Demon Suppression Bureau, Sun Yuting turned to the young man and said casually:
"It’ll take a few days to process the rewards for this mission."
"After all, no one expected Hidden Wind Valley to be colluding with the Demon Race. A large number of Demon Suppression Guards were involved, so it’s a bit complicated."
"But don’t worry, it should only take two or three days. And don’t you dare think the Demon Suppression Bureau would skim off your merits. That would never happen!"
As she spoke, she shot Wu Chen a look, clearly still holding a grudge about his disparaging remarks.
"You’ll still want the Martial Arts and medicinal pills, right?"
"I’ll deliver them to you at the Linwei Garrison when they’re ready."
Wu Chen shook his head. "No need."
"You’re a woman, after all... a Golden Eagle Captain. It’s not convenient for you to keep visiting a mere Linwei Garrison guard like me. People will get the wrong idea."
Sun Yuting smiled. "People in the Demon Suppression Bureau don’t care about such trifles. I’m not afraid of idle gossip."
Wu Chen shook his head again. "I am."
Sun Yuting: "..."
This time, Sun Yuting was genuinely angry. Her lips moved, as if muttering a curse, but she didn’t say it out loud. She just shot the young man a hateful glare, flicked her sleeves, and stormed toward the Demon Suppression Bureau.
"Well..."
The other Silver Wolf Captains watched this unfold, clicking their tongues in disbelief. They looked at Wu Chen, unable to understand how he dared to speak to a Golden Eagle Captain that way.
’Isn’t he afraid she’ll make his life difficult? That he’ll be demoted?’
As this thought crossed their minds, they looked at the young man’s black robes—not a Demon Suppression Bureau uniform—and it suddenly dawned on them.
’How much further can a Linwei Garrison guard be demoted?!’
In that instant, they also understood why the young man hadn’t wanted the position of Silver Wolf Captain.
’I’m just a Linwei Garrison guard, the lowest of the low in the Demon Suppression Bureau.’
’Even if I stand up to you, what are you going to do to me?!’