23 Chapter 22: Demon Suppression Bureau (Seeking Collection and Recommendations)

The next day, Zhou Dao came to the Demon Control Department as usual.

As soon as he entered, he saw groups of people gathered together, discussing something.

"It's too tragic. How could Senior Brother Xu Qian, such a talented person, end up like that after being slapped?"

"I heard that he was still peeing blood in the middle of the night. Ah... his reputation, ruined in an instant."

"I heard from my captain that Senior Brother Xu Qian was slapped so hard that even his mother almost couldn't recognize him, and his blood energy was almost scattered."

A group of Demon-slaying Guards sighed, but some also seemed to take pleasure in his misfortune.

Xu Qian's talent and strength made him the captain of the Guard and a White Feather Fifth Rank within the Demon Control Department, which earned him great prestige.

However, he was too arrogant, looking down on Sealed Demon Masters like Zhou Dao and others. Even among his fellow demon-slaying guards, he didn't show much respect to anyone.

He only showed some respect to captains like Sima Tu and Huo Chang'en.

He would also be pleasant to beauties like Wang Qingwan and Gu Xiangling.

As for anyone else, he didn't care about them at all.

Therefore, nobody was too concerned about what had happened to him, and most people considered it a joke.

Zhou Dao listened to these fragments of conversation, puzzled.

Although he didn't know what had happened, he was sure that Xu Qian had met with disaster and seemed to have been attacked.

"Who would be so arrogant as to beat a demon-slaying guard? Have they grown tired of living?" Zhou Dao wondered.

Peace Town was not huge, and besides slaying demons, the Demon Control Department was also responsible for maintaining local law and order.

As a result, the Demon Control Department had an unquestioned status.

Not only were they powerful, but they were also state officials responsible for the safety of the region.

As such, their status was naturally supreme and invaluable, especially considering that Xu Qian was a White Feather Fifth Rank captain.

Who would dare to attack someone like him in this small mountain town?

Zhou Dao, curiosity aroused, walked to the Demon Gathering Room.

At this time, Wang Xiaoyi, Zhao Guangming, and several other Sealed Demon Masters had already arrived.

Like the demon-slaying guards, they were gathered together, discussing Xu Qian.

Wang Xiaoyi was particularly excited, as if he'd taken some kind of drug. He'd never been this excited, even after spending the night at the Drunk Spring brothel.

"Hahaha, Brother Dao, you've finally arrived. It's a great and joyous occasion!"

Wang Xiaoyi rushed in, laughing and clapping as if his own father just had a second child.

"What happened?" Zhou Dao asked eagerly.

"Hahaha, it's hilarious. I didn't sleep all night." Wang Xiaoyi leaned in, grinning, "You weren't here yesterday, so you missed a brilliant show."

Zhou Dao had taken a half-day off to fetch the Red Fox Tail from Old Yuan in exchange for the demon beast.

"I heard Xu Qian was beaten up by someone. Who has the guts to attack a demon-slaying guard?" Zhou Dao asked curiously.

From what he had heard, Xu Qian had been seriously injured and would be bedridden for at least a month or two.

"That fool was injured by a palmprint." Wang Xiaoyi's face was full of laughter, but his eyes showed some heaviness.

"Palmprint!?" Zhou Dao's heart thumped, as he instantly thought of something and showed a strange expression.

"Yes," Zhao Guangming nodded, his face full of longing. "The senior who saved the Demon Control Department from the brink of death finally made their appearance."

"Yesterday, at South Mountain, that senior unleashed their Mysterious Skill, blood energy rushing to the sky, leaving a dominating palmprint on the mountain..." Zhao Guangming's excitement grew as he spoke, his eyes filled with fanaticism and yearning.

"That senior's cultivation is truly unfathomable. Even the Lord of the Capital Guard dare not speak his name. It's laughable that Xu Qian overestimated his abilities and wanted to catch a glimpse of the senior's power, and as a result..." Wang Xiaoyi sneered, with a hint of mockery in his eyes.

"As a result, he was naturally ravaged by the residual power of the slap imprint." Zhao Guangming sighed.

Unrivalled, hidden accomplishment, cultivation reaching heaven, unparalleled dominance...

This is the true expert, dazzling and mesmerizing, making people admire.

"I really want to meet this senior, even just one look would suffice." Zhao Guangming's eyes held a trace of melancholy.

He became a Demon Sealing Master only due to his family's poor circumstances. Although he longed for the path of cultivation, he knew that with his talent, he wouldn't become a Demon-slaying Guard in this lifetime.

Therefore, he could only keep his delusions in check. On usual days, when he had spare money, he would go to the teahouse and listen to the legendary stories of strongmen.

Now, such a mysterious expert had appeared in Peace Town, how could his heart not be stirred?

"Just one glimpse would be fine." Zhao Guangming murmured softly.

Deep down, he still harbored some fantasies.

In many legendary stories, there are scenes of ordinary youths being favored by an old grandpa, who then guides them, and from then on, they achieve a brilliant rise, stepping onto the glorious path of the strong.

Although his talent was not great, what if that senior had bad eyesight and took a liking to him?

"It's so amazing. I saw the Lord of the Capital Guard's green face yesterday." Wang Xiaoyi marveled and suddenly looked at Zhou Dao.

"Brother Dao, why aren't you surprised?"

"..."

"How amazing is that senior?"

"Hehe... He's...amazing, amazing..." Zhou Dao chuckled dryly twice.

At this moment, even a pig's head should know what's going on.

Zhou Dao didn't expect that his cultivation in South Mountain yesterday would cause such a commotion and stir up so much trouble that even Xu Qian suffered an unexpected calamity and was slapped into bedridden state.

"You can only blame your bad luck!" Zhou Dao thought to himself.

"I heard that the Capital Guard sent an urgent letter last night to invite the Town Lord." Someone nearby whispered.

Zhou Dao's expression slightly changed upon hearing this.

That mysterious Town Lord, along with two other Capital Guards, had gone to Pingjiang City to report for duty and should still be some time away from returning.

Obviously, Chen Qinggang was feeling restless. In his eyes, although that mysterious strongman had not shown any hostility, his hidden and powerful presence always made him uneasy.

After all, the danger in this world doesn't only come from demon beasts; the more terrifying threat comes from within humanity itself.

"Is he being so cautious because the Lord of the Capital Guard suspects... the Demon Suppression Bureau?" The crowd whispered softly.

Mentioning that name, everyone fell silent.

The Demon Suppression Bureau, by the name, might seem like a special agency established by the Imperial Court similar to the Demon Control Department.

In reality, it has nothing to do with the Demon Control Department or even the Imperial Court.

It is an extremely mysterious and powerful force.

Since the establishment of the Demon Control Department, the Demon Suppression Bureau has existed.

Everything about it is unknown. Even people like Zhou Dao within the demon control department have only occasionally heard about it from the Demon-slaying Guards.

Members of the Demon Suppression Bureau all have terrifying and unparalleled forces. Unlike the Demon Control Department, they must at least reach the Refining Realm Fifth Transformation [Expelling Charm of Annihilation] to have a chance of being recruited.

The terrifying aspect of the Demon Suppression Bureau is not only that they slay demons but also kill people!

Strong strength, mysterious and low-profile, ruthless methods, no taboos – this is the style of the Demon Suppression Bureau, which just so happens to coincide with the mysterious expert who has recently appeared in Peace Town.