The Huanglong Prefecture Magistrate’s Office sat in the very center of Huanglong Prefecture, occupying a full hundred mu. It was a comprehensive institution, far more established than the Qinghe County Magistrate’s Office.

However, the Divine Mansion Sect was so powerful that the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office had become little more than a subordinate entity in Huanglong Prefecture.

In fact, a sect as dominant as the Divine Mansion Sect was a rare sight among the Xuan Yang Hundred Mansions.

"We’re here."

Fang Ya said softly.

Bai Yuan looked up at the three large, gold-lacquered words above the main gate of the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office.

Huanglong Prefecture Office!

Solemn, majestic, grand, and imposing.

An ordinary person’s legs would tremble at the mere sight of it, so who would dare to appeal for justice? 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

And that was the reality. Unless pushed into a desperate corner, who would be willing to beat the drum and announce their grievances? According to the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office’s way of doing things, both parties would receive thirty strikes from the paddle, regardless of who was right or wrong.

There was an art to this punishment, however. If you had bribed the right people...

One might see the bailiffs swinging the paddles with a great WHOOSH, but in reality, the blows wouldn’t even be strong enough to crack an egg. Many a bailiff grew rich from this masterful skill with the paddle.

But if you had no money, your fate would be tragic indeed.

The Xuan Yang Dynasty used spine rods for this punishment. A single blow could be fatal for someone of weaker constitution, to say nothing of thirty. You’d be dead long before you ever laid eyes on the Prefect.

For three years, no one had beaten the drum at the Huanglong Prefecture Magistrate’s Office. It wasn’t because there were no injustices, but because no one dared. As long as they were still breathing, who would willingly seek death?

Bai Yuan had already witnessed such methods back in Qinghe.

Bai Yuan was heading to the Demon Slayer Guard, which was in the east, while Fang Ya was going to the Patrol Office in the west.

However, Fang Ya knew that Bai Yuan was still unfamiliar with Huanglong Prefecture, so she offered to go with him to the Demon Slayer Guard first, using the excuse that her last mission was not yet complete.

The Huanglong Prefecture Magistrate’s Office had a total of six departments and one guard unit.

They were the Civil Affairs Department, Household Department, Ritual Department, Military Department, Criminal Department, and Workshop. The Patrol Office was the common term for the Criminal Department, and the "one guard unit" was, of course, the Demon Slayer Guard.

The Demon Slayer Guard was located in a large courtyard on the east side of the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office, with a force of over a hundred people.

Because dealing with demonic beasts was incredibly dangerous, over half of the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office’s best martial artists were stationed in this courtyard.

In fact, the Qinghe County Magistrate’s Office only had a Patrol Office, not a Demon Slayer Guard.

Only at the level of the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office and above did the Xuan Yang Court establish the Demon Slayer Guard. The Patrol Office managed people; the Demon Slayer Guard managed demons.

Throughout the Xuan Yang Hundred Mansions, the Demon Slayer Guard invariably held precedence over the Patrol Office. After all, demons were far more difficult to deal with than even the toughest martial artists.

The moment Bai Yuan and Fang Ya crossed the threshold into the Demon Slayer Guard’s compound, they saw a scene of bustling activity.

People clad in Black Gold Uniforms bustled in and out, all looking rushed.

Unlike the Patrol Office, the Demon Slayer Guard was responsible for all the demons in the entire Huanglong Prefecture, including the counties under its jurisdiction. After all, expecting a single County Magistrate’s Office to deal with demons was asking too much.

"Female Knight Fang?"

An older man with a saber at his waist looked over at Bai Yuan and Fang Ya.

Fang Ya’s family was not wealthy, so she often took on bounty missions. As a result, she was familiar with most of the people in both the Demon Slayer Guard and the Patrol Office.

"Li the Ten Households, it’s been a while."

She said with a slight smile, cupping one fist.

The official ranks of the Demon Slayer Guard were similar to military ranks. The lowest was Ten Households, with Hundred Households, Thousand Households, General, and Demon Suppression Envoy above it. Within the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office, the highest rank was Thousand Households.

A Thousand Households of the Demon Slayer Guard was on a completely different level than a City Defense Army Thousand Households. The Guard was composed of over a hundred Yijin Powerhouses, a force that could match a thousand soldiers and possessed far greater killing power.

A Ten Households was, at minimum, a Yijin Martial Master, and many were even masters with fortified organs.

Bai Yuan looked this unremarkable middle-aged man up and down.

’His perception was very strong, so he could tell without even fighting that this man was at the Yijin Pass. For someone at the Yijin level to climb to the position of Ten Households, he must have other extraordinary abilities.’

’Slaying demons was never just about one’s cultivation realm.’

The middle-aged Ten Households named Li Kang gave a warm smile. "Female Knight Fang, have you come to accept another demon-slaying bounty?"

Most of the Divine Mansion Sect’s bounties for demons originated from the Demon Slayer Guard, so the two organizations had a good relationship. Since she was a disciple of the Divine Mansion Sect, he naturally had to show her some extra respect.

Fang Ya pointed to Bai Yuan beside her. "It’s someone else this time."

"Bai Yuan, of the Divine Mansion Sect," Bai Yuan said. "Greetings, Li the Ten Households."

The smile in Li Kang’s eyes did not fade as he discreetly sized up Bai Yuan. An old hand at officialdom like him would naturally not let anyone notice anything amiss.

"Ah, so you are Young Hero Bai."

Fang Ya had dealt with this Ten Households many times before. After the three of them exchanged a few pleasantries, she found a pretext to excuse herself.

"Li the Ten Households, I still need to stop by the Patrol Office to ask about something, so I’ll be taking my leave."

With that, she left.

After seeing Fang Ya off, Li Kang turned to Bai Yuan and sighed softly. "Young Hero Bai, the demon at Jiuqu Creek is very cunning and extremely good at hiding. We’ve sent men to search the mountain multiple times, but we’ve come up with nothing."

"That vile beast has already absorbed the vital essence of dozens of people. I’m afraid it’s about to become a major threat and must be slain as soon as possible."

The cultivation methods of demons were completely different from those of human martial artists.

Besides absorbing the essence of heaven, earth, the sun, and the moon, there was a much more convenient method: absorbing human life force.

Just like the Huang Pizi and Xiaoqing from before.

Humans possessed the most spiritual energy. Draining a single person dry was equivalent to several years of arduous cultivation. If not for the Xuan Yang Dynasty’s iron-fisted suppression, who knows how many people would have fallen prey to these demons.

Li Kang beckoned to a young man.

"Feng Ping, tell Young Hero Bai everything you know about Jiuqu Creek."

The young man named Feng Ping jogged over to Li Kang and Bai Yuan. He had been present for the previous searches of the mountain, so he was reasonably familiar with the situation at Jiuqu Creek.

"Young Hero Bai, Jiuqu Creek is mountainous and densely forested, with a great river running through it. We’ve searched many times but have never found any trace of the demon..."

The young Feng Ping recounted everything he knew in great detail.

Bai Yuan’s brow furrowed slightly.

’If that demon has fled into the river, this could get tricky.’

Li Kang said, "Young Hero Bai, I happen to be in charge of this matter. I was planning to take some men to investigate Jiuqu Creek again tomorrow. How about we go together?"

Bai Yuan nodded. "That’s exactly what I was thinking."

’It was true that he had a deep understanding of demons, but it was still difficult to find any clues based solely on the fragments of information from Feng Ping.’

...

「The next day.」

Bai Yuan arrived early at the gates of Huanglong Prefecture City to meet up with Li Kang and his men.

Li Kang was a Ten Households and had six men under his command. This time, he had brought them all, which showed how seriously he was taking this demon.

"Young Hero Bai, let’s head out."

Li Kang said decisively when he saw Bai Yuan arrive.

Bai Yuan naturally had no objections.

Jiuqu Creek was a full sixty li from Huanglong Prefecture. Fortunately, it was right next to the Official Road. With their pace, it only took Bai Yuan and the others about two hours to reach the foot of Jiuqu Mountain.

This mountain was named after the Jiuqu River, which snaked and twisted with nine bends and eighteen turns, making the terrain of Jiuqu Creek extremely perilous.

Finding a demon hiding in such treacherous terrain would be extremely difficult.

But Jiuqu Mountain was adjacent to the Official Road, and the demon frequently attacked merchant caravans traveling on it. This was what had prompted Li Kang to take action personally.

"This is the place."

The young Feng Ping pointed to a thicket of trees by the Official Road.

That was where the demon had last struck.