I Have 10 Equipment Slots-Chapter 114 - 98: Demon Creation!

GROAN~

The heavy city gate was slowly pushed open, stirring up a cool breeze that blew across the faces of Gu Zheng and his party.

"Enter the city!"

With a wave of his hand, Gu Zheng spurred his mount forward, leading the way as they slowly entered the city.

Behind him, Tao Liu, Zhang Ning, An Xiaoxue, and three hundred Warriors followed in an orderly column.

Once the procession passed through the gate’s archway and into the city, another deep GROAN sounded as the heavy gates were pushed firmly shut.

Pang Hu, perched on Gu Zheng’s shoulder, heard the sound and turned to look back at the gate, its bright blue eyes filled with curiosity.

It flicked its tail, then suddenly vanished in a flash.

Gu Zheng noticed but paid it no mind.

He led his retinue through the long main street and, guided by two constables, entered the courtyard of the County Magistrate’s Office.

Along the way, the shops on both sides had their doors tightly shut. Not a soul was in sight, and no voices could be heard.

Only the distant cries of a child and the coughing of an old man could be heard, carried on the night breeze.

"I am Zhao Fang, the County Magistrate of Lesheng. Greetings, my lord!"

Wiping sweat from his brow, Zhao Fang, clad in his Official Uniform, hurried out. He faced Gu Zheng and bowed deeply, calling out, "My lords, please, come inside. I have prepared a banquet for you. As for your brave men, I’ve arranged for food in the rear courtyard. Everyone, please go and eat while it’s still hot."

"Thank you for the trouble, Magistrate Zhao."

Gu Zheng dismounted and cupped his hands in thanks. "There’s no need for a banquet. We’ve brought our own rations."

"Ah?"

Zhao Fang froze. Sweat trickled down his pale face, and his legs began to tremble. He stammered, "B-but... the food and wine are already cooked. It... it would be a shame to let it go to waste."

"He’s right, Mr. Gu. Wasting food is a crime," Tao Liu chimed in with a grin. "We can’t just refuse Magistrate Zhao’s warm hospitality. Wouldn’t that seem suspicious? Look at him, he’s so nervous he’s drenched in sweat."

Hearing this, Zhao Fang gave a dry laugh. "N-no... I wouldn’t dare think such a thing. Of course not, heh heh..."

But his heart felt like it was about to leap out of his throat.

"There’s no need to be nervous, Magistrate Zhao."

Gu Zheng glanced at Zhao Fang and said softly, "We did bring our own rations, but since you’ve already prepared everything, it would be more disrespectful to refuse. We will accept your hospitality."

"But only this once. Please remember there is no need for this in the future."

"...I understand, of course," Zhao Fang said, wiping sweat from his face and gesturing. "My lords, please follow me. The rest of you brave men, please head that way. Chief Wu, take our guests to the rear courtyard!"

"Yes, my lord!"

A man in his forties with a full beard but a simple, honest face, dressed in a constable’s uniform, beamed as he led the Warriors toward the rear courtyard.

Gu Zheng, An Xiaoxue, Tao Liu, and Zhang Ning followed Zhao Fang into the main hall.

Once they were seated, Zhao Fang immediately had servants bring out steaming hot dishes until the table was completely covered.

Having already agreed to the meal, Gu Zheng no longer stood on ceremony. He was the first to pick up his chopsticks and start eating, though he passed on the wine. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The others followed suit, and Zhao Fang stood by to attend to them as they ate.

Halfway through the meal, Gu Zheng set down his chopsticks and asked softly, "Magistrate Zhao, what is the situation in Lesheng? Has the land outside the city walls been completely overrun by Demon Fiends?"

"Y-yes... it has."

Zhao Fang wiped the sweat beading on his forehead and stammered, "B-besides the county seat itself, the villages and towns outside... they’ve all been taken by D-Demon Fiends. We... we tried to launch an expedition to exterminate them... I-it was Captain Yang of the City Defense Bureau... he led his men, tried to fight a path out... B-but... in the end... they... they all d-d-died."

"There’s no need to be so tense, Magistrate Zhao. We’re not going to eat you," Zhang Ning said with a light laugh, seeing how a fresh stream of sweat ran down the man’s face with every sentence. "We’re here to slay Demon Fiends. You just need to tell us where they are. Any intelligence you currently have will do."

"Heh... heh heh, it’s an old problem of mine."

Zhao Fang forced a smile. "I start sweating whenever I get nervous, and my heart starts to race. D-don’t worry, my lord. We’ve been keeping track of the Demon Fiends’ movements. Every couple of days, they gather beneath the city walls and roar for half the day."

"A lot of them?" Tao Liu frowned. "The City Defense Bureau soldiers mentioned them attacking the city. Why are there so many here? If Lesheng has this many, won’t Zhongxi and Shuanghe Counties have even more? By that logic, wouldn’t Xiongying County, the farthest east, be completely lost by now?"

"Th-that... I... I wouldn’t know," Zhao Fang stammered, sweat pouring down his face faster than he could wipe it away.

"Could you be a little more tactful?" An Xiaoxue glared at Tao Liu before turning to reassure Zhao Fang in a softer tone, "Don’t be nervous, Magistrate Zhao. We mean you no harm. He’s always like this—a bit of a loudmouth, but he’s a good person."

"I-it’s fine."

Zhao Fang managed a weak smile, darting a nervous glance at Gu Zheng out of the corner of his eye. "The... the situation in the other counties... I... I really don’t know. As for the Demon Fiends here in Lesheng, they’re mostly concentrated to the east. Judging by their recent pattern, they should emerge from the forests and ruins around noon tomorrow to gather outside the East City Gate."

"Oh... right. I haven’t had the honor of asking your names, my lords. May I ask your... your surnames?"

"My surname is Chen. I’m Chen Qi," Gu Zheng said calmly. "This is Xie Xiaoyue."

Gu Zheng gestured toward An Xiaoxue.

Ignoring her strange look, he gestured to Zhang Ning and continued, "This is Ning Dahu."

"And this is Liu Debiao," he finished, indicating Tao Liu.

"Ah, so it is Lord Chen, Lord Xie, Lord Ning, and Lord Liu!"

Zhao Fang rose to his feet and bowed to each of the four in turn. "It is a great fortune for Lesheng County to have you here!"

"There’s no need for such ceremony, Magistrate Zhao. We are merely doing our duty," Zhang Ning interjected smoothly. "If the Demon Fiends gather outside the East City Gate at noon tomorrow, that’s the perfect opportunity to wipe them all out in one fell swoop!"

"Exactly. The Demon Fiends are delivering themselves right to our doorstep. It saves us the trouble of having to hunt them down," Tao Liu added, clearing his throat.