The Name of Eternals

Chapter 60: The Imperial Inspector

"Jiao Dragon!"

Seeing the jiao dragon's corpse with its head shattered in the forest, both men were stunned.

They still had plenty of precious materials they had harvested from the previous black jiao, including the inner core that could enhance their power, and other materials like reverse scales, jiao teeth, and sharp claws for weapon crafting.

Due to collecting these materials, they had been delayed for a while. They didn't expect to find another one here?!

They immediately thought of the senior who had helped them earlier. This jiao dragon must have been killed by that senior.

Looking at the surrounding forest, there were not many fallen trees, indicating that the battle was not intense, suggesting it was one-sided.

"Two jiao dragons crossing the border and appearing near the main road. If they were looking for food, they would target remote villages…"

Li Fu frowned. Suddenly, his pupils shrank. He quickly discarded the scales and jiao teeth he was holding and dashed forward.

While rushing, his spirit projection emerged from his head, patrolling the area and following the hoof prints on the ground at great speed.

Wei Feng realized what was happening and his face turned pale. He abandoned the materials and used his movement technique to chase after Li Hao and the others, soon arriving at the tea stall they had stopped at earlier.

The old tea stall owner was packing up.

It was already dark, and clouds loomed on the horizon, suggesting a downpour.

"Old man, did you see a few young riders pass by here?" Wei Feng asked urgently.

They had been trailing Li Hao and the others from afar, but the jiao dragon ambush had intercepted them, leading to a fierce battle and causing them to fall behind.

They had initially thought the jiao dragon was ambushing them for their blood and flesh, but now there was another jiao dragon in a different location. This could only mean… the two jiao dragons weren't targeting them but were after Li Hao and the others.

"Oh, them? They've already gone far," the old tea stall owner said, looking surprised but smiling.

"Gone far?" Wei Feng was stunned. They weren't in trouble?

Without waiting for more, he used his movement technique to pursue them, personally investigating.

Soon, his spirit projection found five mounted figures on the main road ahead. Seeing this, a huge weight lifted from his heart, and he exhaled in relief.

Thank goodness, it seems that the senior had intervened in time, preventing the black jiao from making a move.

He felt a mix of relief and frustration, intuitively sensing that the two jiao dragons weren't after the young lady but were targeting the two young masters of the Divine General's Mansion.

Given the Divine General's Mansion's duty of guarding the borders, they were deeply resented by the demon clan. Sending two jiao dragons to assassinate seemed plausible.

Whether it was good or bad that the young lady was mingling with the Divine General's heirs remained to be seen.

However, considering the senior who had intervened was likely from the Divine General's Mansion, he felt slightly reassured.

Thinking of Li Fu still behind, he turned back to the tea stall, meeting Li Fu rushing over.

"They're fine, don't worry," Wei Feng quickly reassured.

Li Fu sighed in relief. If anything happened to Li Hao, he would be too ashamed to return to the Divine General's Mansion.

"Would you like some tea?" the old tea stall owner, halfway through packing up, asked with a smile.

The two had no time for tea. Li Fu told Wei Feng, "Please go ahead and keep an eye on them. I'll send a message back to the mansion immediately to deal with the jiao corpse. As for the inner core, I'll send it to you after this mission."

"No problem." Wei Feng shook his head, "We should thank the senior who helped. Otherwise, we'd both be in trouble. These jiao dragon materials rightfully belong to your Divine General's Mansion. No need to say more, I'll go look after the young lady."

"Good."

The two hurriedly parted, leaving the tea stall owner shaking his head slightly.

"Why are they all so impatient and reckless?"

…

They rode through the night and arrived in Qizhou two days later. After another half-day of riding, they reached Cangyu City, where they were to carry out their demon-slaying mission.

This city was not large. Among the hundreds of cities in Qizhou, it was of medium size, surrounded by dozens of towns and hundreds of villages, with a population of about four to five million.

Yu Wei, having experience in missions, had sent a message in advance via a carrier pigeon before entering the city.

When they entered the city, they were immediately greeted by the city lord's guards with great enthusiasm, especially towards Li Hao and Li Yuanzhao. Yu Wei and Du Qiuyue looked on with envy. They had never received such treatment during their previous missions, usually just polite greetings.

Before long, the five were taken to the local Demon-Slaying Bureau.

As soon as they arrived, they saw a familiar face.

"It's her!"

Du Qiuyue recognized Song Yueyao, wearing the demon-slaying officer's uniform. She was surprised to see her here, assigned to the same mission.

Li Yuanzhao and the others also recognized her. She was the one who had come to the academy to look for someone, rumored to be one of the top prodigies in the Black and White Hall.

At this moment, Song Yueyao was hastily stepping out of the Demon-Slaying Bureau with another young man and two middle-aged men, seemingly heading out on a mission.

Seeing the new arrivals, Song Yueyao glanced at them, nodded slightly, and quickly left.

The young man showed a surprised look. When he saw the red-blooded horses behind Li Hao and the others, his eyes lit up. He smiled warmly at them: "Demons are rampant outside the city. Be careful, junior brothers. If you need anything, come find me."

After saying this, he waved and quickly followed Song Yueyao and the other two, disappearing down the street.

"That was Senior Sister Song and Senior Brother Tian from the Black and White Hall. I can't believe they're here. But Senior Sister Song's uniform is that of an Imperial Inspector for Demon-Slaying!"

After they left, Yu Wei remarked in astonishment.

In most cities, an Imperial Inspector for Demon-Slaying held significant authority, second only to the city lord.

Du Qiuyue sighed, "Senior Sister Song is a celestial talent, already at the Spirit Wanderer Realm. She's more than capable of overseeing a city, so it's normal for her to wear the Inspector's uniform."

"Lord Song is amazing. She arrived yesterday and already killed a demon that had lived for hundreds of years."

The middle-aged demon-slayer escorting them spoke with respect.

He then led them inside the Demon-Slaying Bureau, calling for the uniforms.

"Is Cangyu City very chaotic? A demon attack on her first day?" Du Qiuyue asked in surprise.

The demon-slayer, named Cui Fan, was very courteous to Li Hao and the others. He explained:

"Recently, demons have become more rampant. Our Cangyu City, located near the border of Qizhou, often sees demon activity, unlike the safer inner cities. But don't worry, you're here to gain experience. Just patrol with the demon-slayers. It's not dangerous."

Clearly, the Demon-Slaying Bureau took good care of these talented individuals here for training.

Moreover, with two young masters from the Divine General's Mansion in their group, they had been instructed to ensure their safety.

Hearing the demon-slayer's words, Yu Wei and Du Qiuyue were pleased. With Li Hao and the others' influence, they were likely to get a perfect score and earn ten points easily.

"We're here to slay demons, not for a vacation."

Li Yuanzhao, however, was serious. Raised in a military family, he had been taught to follow rules strictly. Frowning, he said, "Do as you normally would. If there are no demons to kill, what's the point of us being here?"

Ren Qianqian, who had been about to speak, looked surprised. She glanced at Li Yuanzhao, then at Li Hao, her expression shifting.

Recalling Li Hao's words at the tea stall and hearing Li Yuanzhao now, she realized her understanding of the Divine General's heirs had changed.

Yu Wei and Du Qiuyue were taken aback, exchanging glances, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Well…" Cui Fan hadn't expected his flattery to backfire. These noble scions were indeed hard to please.

Do you think I'm sparing you the effort for your sake? I'm trying to keep my position! If something happens to Li Hao and the others, who knows if the Divine General's Mansion will retaliate. While they can't do much to the Bureau, targeting small fry without backing is like crushing ants.

"No wonder you're from the Divine General's Mansion. I respect your iron will!" Despite his inner complaints, Cui Fan gave a thumbs-up, his face full of admiration, as if genuinely moved by Li Yuanzhao's words.

This made the young man smile with pride, feeling even more proud of his righteousness.

Seeing the seasoned official's demeanor, Li Hao knew Yuanzhao's words were in vain. They couldn't blame the flattery; their status was simply too oppressive.

For them, demon-slaying earned accolades, but for these people, it was a livelihood, a duty and a way to live.

Soon, five sets of uniforms were brought. Judging by the sleeve patterns and badges, they were all given the title of Demon-Slaying Envoys.

In the Demon-Slaying Bureau, those at the Unified Force Realm were Demon-Slaying Apprentices. Only those at the Heaven Circuit Realm could become Demon-Slaying Envoys. Those at the Spirit Continuation Realm were Demon-Slaying Masters.

Above them were the Imperial Inspectors, like the uniform Song Yueyao wore, holding significant authority.

"Please provide us with recent reports on demon activity in the entire region," Li Hao requested Cui Fan.