Shortly after the new year, Liang Ren left to take up his new post in the south.

He made a special trip to Huanglong Prefecture before leaving, though this time it wasn’t as bustling as his previous visits.

Liang Ren had a round of heavy drinking with Bai Yuan and Yang Fangyu. Quoting a line Bai Yuan had once shared with him, "Heaven gave me talent, so it must be of use," he left Huanglong Prefecture with a hearty laugh.

A shame he didn’t stick around for the next line of the poem. In the end, it was Yang Fangyu who settled the bill.

Half a month passed.

After Xu Dingchun was ordered back to the capital, the Northern Garrison Army was no longer the force it once was. An increasing number of powerful individuals from the Northern Plains began to cross the Great Wall.

This was when the importance of the four great Jiedu Envoys became apparent.

Perhaps the Imperial Court had foreseen this, which was why the Emperor had restored the old system.

The Northern States had all but become a second battlefield.

Ling Province, being closest to the fighting, was ultimately engulfed by the flames of war.

"Damn those Northern Demon People!"

Inside the Huanglong Prefecture Magistrate’s Office, Yang Fangyu stared at the military report before him, gritting his teeth.

A group of Demons from the Northern Plains had broken into Huanglong Prefecture and massacred an entire town, leaving no survivors.

This was, without a doubt, a slap in Yang Fangyu’s face.

His expression grim, he looked toward a nearby Official. "Has Lord Bai returned yet?"

"Lord Bai has reached Yellow Sand Pass. He should be back in the city by tomorrow."

Yang Fangyu’s eyes lit up.

Bai Yuan, the Demon-slaying Guard General of Ling Province, had been away for half a month. At last, he was returning.

"Bring my horse. I’m going to personally welcome my brother."

"Yes, sir!"

...

On the official road of Huanglong Prefecture.

A troop of soldiers advanced slowly, their discipline so strict they made not a single sound.

It was the Firearms Team of the Divine Mansion Sect.

"Sect Leader, another fifty li and we’ll reach Huanglong City."

Liu Li, Vice Commander of the Divine Mansion Army, rode beside Bai Yuan, half a horse-length behind.

Bai Yuan glanced at the sky. It was about noon.

"Let the men rest for a while."

"As you command."

Liu Li immediately reined in his horse and shouted to the men behind him, "Halt and rest!"

Hearing Liu Li’s order, the hundred-plus men behind him finally cheered. Even Martial Artists couldn’t endure half a month of sleeping in the open and eating on the road.

Liu Li took a waterskin from his saddle and handed it to Bai Yuan.

"Sect Leader, have some water."

Bai Yuan took the waterskin and tilted his head back, taking a long drink.

"Tell the men to stay on alert. These official roads haven’t been safe lately."

"Yes, sir!"

Liu Li accepted the order.

The Firearms Team now consisted of three hundred men, making it the strongest force in the Divine Mansion Sect. That was why Bai Yuan had assigned Liu Li, the Vice Commander of the Divine Mansion Army, to personally command it.

The Firearms Team had contributed significantly to this demon-quelling expedition.

Bai Yuan looked at his panel.

[Name: Bai Yuan]

[Profession: Demon Hunter, Sword Ghost, Boxer, Spirit Cooker, Skin Painter]

[Skills: Chaotic Blood Hidden Tiger Saber (Proficient), Toad Poison (Master), Ten Thousand Poison Hand (Master), Thousand Shadows Poison Technique (Legendary), Spirit Extraction (Master), Spirit-Seizing Technique (Master)...]

[Enhancement Points: 0]

After a month of slaying demons...

He had raised his Spirit-Seizing Technique to the Master level.

Spirit Cooker was fundamentally a growth-oriented profession, and the Master level was more than sufficient for most. But Bai Yuan’s ambitions didn’t stop there.

’Who could blame me when the Legendary-level Spirit-Seizing Technique is just too useful...’

As for upgrading the Chaotic Blood Hidden Tiger Saber to Proficient, that had been necessary to kill a Bear Demon with terrifyingly high defense.

Just as he was zoning out, the sound of hoofbeats suddenly echoed down the official road.

In an instant, the resting members of the Firearms Team raised their firearms, aiming in the direction of the hoofbeats.

Soon, two Unicorn Demon Horses appeared on the official road.

"Brother Yang?"

Bai Yuan’s eyesight was excellent; he recognized the rider as Yang Fangyu.

Yang Fangyu saw Bai Yuan as well.

The Demon Horse was reined to a halt about thirty feet from Bai Yuan.

Yang Fangyu leaped off his horse and was before Bai Yuan in a few strides. "I’ve missed you to death!"

Bai Yuan’s expression turned odd.

’The New Year’s celebrations are long over,’ he mused. ’Why am I still hearing that line?’

Yang Fangyu didn’t notice Bai Yuan’s strange reaction in the slightest. He laughed heartily. "Ah Yuan, what kept you away for so long?"

Bai Yuan and Yang Fangyu were on excellent terms now, so much so that Yang Fangyu had started calling him Ah Yuan directly.

Bai Yuan shot Yang Fangyu a sideways glance. He knew the man’s character all too well. ’He’s definitely not up to any good.’

When Bai Yuan showed no sign of taking the bait, Yang Fangyu cleared his throat. "Ah Yuan, Huanglong Prefecture is your home. You should look out for it more."

"..."

Bai Yuan remained silent.

Yang Fangyu sighed in resignation. "There are too many of those demon spawn. Your old brother here can’t hold them off alone."

Only then did Bai Yuan nod.

He had returned to Huanglong Prefecture precisely to deal with the demons; he would have done so even if Yang Fangyu hadn’t asked.

He was the Demon-slaying Guard General of Ling Province. Although Huanglong Prefecture was his home base, he couldn’t show it excessive favoritism.

Seeing Bai Yuan nod, Yang Fangyu’s face finally lit up with a smile.

In the world of officialdom, timing was everything. As the Demon-slaying Guard General, Bai Yuan was responsible for the demons in all of Ling Province, but the order in which he assisted each prefecture was a delicate political matter.

The prefectures that received aid first would naturally show outstanding results, greatly increasing their prefects’ chances of promotion.

As for the magistrate’s offices that received help last, their prefects might have already been assassinated by the Demon Sect.

Yang Fangyu had ridden fifty li to welcome him for this very reason: to get Bai Yuan to aid Huanglong Prefecture first. Only with that achievement under his belt could he leverage it to ask Du Qinghui and Jiang Changping for a promotion.

Yang Fangyu shot a look at the Official behind him.

The Official took down a large bundle hanging from his horse.

"Here’s some food I brought from the city. Please share it among your men."

Liu Li’s eyes lit up at the mention of food. While they weren’t short on rations, preservation methods in this age were practically nonexistent. All they could carry were dry biscuits. There was no shortage of demon meat, but without seasoning or proper cooking, one quickly grew tired of it.

Seeing expertly prepared food from the city now, he nearly started drooling.

He immediately called some men over to distribute the contents of the bundle. Though each person only received a small portion, it was enough to satisfy their cravings.

Bai Yuan and Yang Fangyu chatted for a while longer.

Once the men of the Firearms Team were well-rested, the group set off once more.

Yang Fangyu watched the Firearms Team, green with envy.

It was a shame that only Bai Yuan possessed the knowledge of the core technology, making it impossible to replicate. Otherwise, he would have, by hook or by crook, established a firearms team for his own Prefecture Magistrate’s Office.

...

Bai Yuan and his contingent finally returned to Huanglong City.

Having already received Bai Yuan’s assurance, Yang Fangyu didn’t rush him.

The Firearms Team had been on the march for half a month and needed time to recuperate. Fortunately, this world had Alchemy Masters. Once Bai Yuan handed over the formulas to the Alchemists, he no longer needed to personally produce the gunpowder and medicinal pills.

After his Spirit-Seizing technique reached the Master level, the range from which Bai Yuan could acquire spirit had widened considerably.

He had drained the spirit from all the demons he killed, stockpiling a large amount in one fell swoop.

A demon’s body contained a chaotic mixture of the five elemental spirits, but a Master-level Spirit-Seizing technique could separate them all.

Bai Yuan announced he was going into seclusion.

In reality, he was just concocting Spirit Soup in his secret chamber.

To break through to the realm of Perception as quickly as possible, one needed not only diligent practice of a Cultivation Technique but also an ample supply of medicinal pills.

Otherwise, Martial Artists wouldn’t fight to the death over Spirit Medicine and demon flesh.

Just as Bai Yuan was in seclusion, cooking his spirits, a knock came from the hidden door.

"What is it?"

Bai Yuan looked at Yu Hui, who was standing outside the door.

Yu Hui would not normally interrupt his seclusion unless it was an emergency.

"Prefect Yang is here. It seems to be rather urgent."

"Understood."

Hearing it was Yang Fangyu, Bai Yuan immediately left the secret chamber and made his way to the Sect Leader Hall.

The moment he entered the Sect Leader Hall, he saw Yang Fangyu pacing anxiously. ’Whatever made him lose his composure like this must be serious.’

Seeing Bai Yuan, Yang Fangyu rushed forward to meet him.

Bai Yuan asked curiously, "Old Yang, what happened?"

Yang Fangyu’s face was grim. "Ah Yuan, something terrible has happened. A shipment of weapons bound for the Northern Garrison Army vanished without a trace during transit. And of all the rotten luck, it happened on an official road right here in Huanglong Prefecture."

Hearing this, Bai Yuan’s brows furrowed.

’Vanished without a trace?’

If the weapons had been stolen, that would be one thing, but for them to simply vanish was far too strange.

Weapons were a critical resource for the Empire, even more vital than grain and fodder. The escort team would have certainly been overseen by powerful experts.

Bai Yuan also realized the gravity of the situation.

Although Jiang Changping hadn’t contacted him yet, as the Demon-slaying Guard General, he would inevitably be drawn into this. It was better to start investigating now.

"Let’s go."

Without another word, Bai Yuan and Yang Fangyu mounted their Demon Horses and rode out of the city.

...

The weapons had vanished in Yangshan County, about two hundred li from Huanglong City.

By the time Bai Yuan and Yang Fangyu arrived, members of the Lingzhou Patrol Office had already received word and were present on the official road.

The Demon Slayer Guard and the Patrol Office had their own jurisdictions. Unless a case was clearly the work of demons, it fell to the Patrol Office first. Only if a demonic connection was discovered would it be transferred to the Demon Slayer Guard.

That was why the Patrol Office always had the most current information.

The man in the lead was none other than Zhang Huanchang, the Chief Constable of the Lingzhou Patrol Office.

"Lord Zhang."

Bai Yuan had met Zhang Huanchang during a trip to Ling Province, so he recognized the man.

Yang Fangyu had also crossed paths with Zhang Huanchang before, so they were acquainted.

"Lord Yang, Lord Bai."

Zhang Huanchang’s eyes filled with delight upon seeing Bai Yuan and Yang Fangyu arrive.

Both men were known for being highly capable. He had been finding the case intractable, but with their help, he might just find a lead.

Just then, a middle-aged man in full armor walked over.

"Transport Commander, Niu Cheng."

This was the general who had been commanding the convoy.

"Greetings, General Niu," they both said.

After the introductions were made, they got straight to the point.

"General Niu, could you please recount the details of the weapons’ disappearance for us?"

Yang Fangyu asked at once.

The weapons had vanished on his territory. Even though he wasn’t the one primarily responsible, he couldn’t escape a share of the blame.

Niu Cheng took a deep, frustrated breath.

"Last night, my men and I were escorting the weapons when we arrived here and made camp for the night, as is customary."

"Everything was normal until the middle of the night, when the soldiers guarding the weapons sounded the alarm."

"When I rushed over, I saw rows of floating, shadowy figures crossing the official road and heading deep into the forest. And all the weapons were gone."

"I wanted to give chase and retrieve the weapons, but the phantoms vanished completely after entering the woods, leaving not a single trace."

Bai Yuan and Yang Fangyu listened intently, not missing a single detail.

Bizarre... This was utterly bizarre.

Bai Yuan couldn’t help but recall a legend he had once heard in Baisha Town.

The passage of Ghost Soldiers!